Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 11

Extracurricular Story 11. The 1592 Southern Sea Battle. (11)

Lee Ju’s sharp rebuke spurred the previously silent Joint Chiefs of Staff into action.

“Y-Your Majesty! Your criticism is… harsh!”

“Oh, is it harsh?”

“Y-Yes, it is! Our troops are already exhausted from guarding against Japanese movements since last October! If they continue working until the end of this month, they will be overly fatigued and unable to respond effectively! So….”

“Silence!”

The staff member immediately fell silent at Lee Ju’s roar.

Lee Ju continued, his expression suggesting he was ready to execute those before him.

“You have mouths, and you use them well! Fine! I accept that the soldiers are tired! But! I will not accept your idleness! Why do you think the previous emperors, and I, bestowed upon you the symbols of generals and guaranteed you power and high salaries! Did you think it was merely to stand before your soldiers, clearing your throats and acting important? Or to issue impossible orders like ‘Move mountains,’ as the soldiers joke? It was a reward for enduring far more than your soldiers, for bearing the burden of leadership! The positions of general and staff officer may be comfortable for the body, but they place a far greater burden on the mind. That is why we grant you power and high salaries! The soldiers were tired, so you had no choice? Even if that were true for the soldiers, you should not have rested! Had you been truly faithful to your duties, you would have rotated the troops for rest while maintaining a strong defense! It was only a little less than half a month! But you left the defenses empty, creating this tragedy! You have the time and energy for factional infighting, but not for strengthening national defense? Do you think that makes any sense!”

“…”

The staff member who made the problematic statement remained silent, staring at the floor in response to Lee Ju’s dressing-down.

That sight fueled Lee Ju’s anger, and he exploded again.

“You should at least offer excuses as you did before! Do you think it’s enough to simply shut your mouth and gauge the situation! Royal Guards, listen! Strip that loudmouth of his uniform and imprison him!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Thus, the staff member who had tried to offer excuses was dragged away by the Royal Guards, his uniform torn off.

While their colleague and subordinate was being dragged away, the Minister of National Defense and the Chief of Staff remained silent, their faces grim.

They could have offered a hundred excuses if they wanted to. But the damage was done. Any careless words here could lead to more than just dismissal—at the very least, a trip to the interrogation room.

As they navigated the icy atmosphere of the now-frozen conference room, a communications officer rushed in.

“What is it?”

“A communication from the Commander of the 3rd Mobile Fleet to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

“Read it.”

“Yes, ‘Requesting cooperation from the flying craft bases in Gwangju and Okgu (now Gunsan).’ That is all.”

Upon hearing Yi Sun-sin’s communication, Lee Ju chuckled and muttered to himself.

“Hmph! Who said, ‘Yi Sun-sin is not good at politics?’ They truly lacked the eye to recognize talent.”

The secret order Lee Ju had sent clearly contained related instructions.

-If necessary, you may exercise command over the Imperial Navy fleet stationed in the area.

However, Yi Sun-sin had made a ‘formal’ request. This was a ‘political’ gesture, showing he had not ignored the Empire’s chain of command.

Of course, it could also be interpreted negatively.

-Even though the Emperor has already issued an order, he is requesting again, an act of ignoring the Emperor!

Many would likely attack Yi Sun-sin with this argument later.

‘But the reason he sent it is those Gwangju and Okgu bases….’

Gwangju and Okgu were home to the Imperial Navy and Army’s flying craft [early aircraft] bases.

The flying craft bases in the Gwangju area had also been attacked by the Japanese army, but fortunately, the emergency runways had survived. In addition, a significant number of flying crafts had survived intact.

The conflict between Yi Sun-sin and Won Gyun was already rumored not only in the Navy but also in the Army.

Interestingly, the Imperial Army valued Yi Sun-sin more highly than Won Gyun.

And this was also a reason why Yi Sun-sin was disliked within the Navy.

In any case, the Imperial Army, especially the flying craft unit commanders, agreed with Yi Sun-sin’s ‘Christmas Crisis Theory.’

“The possibility is high.”

“I agree. If you think about it that way, the flying craft bases in the Honam region [southwestern region of Korea] are also in danger.”

“That’s right. The Japanese wouldn’t just ignore a situation where their backs are exposed.”

In the end, the Army’s flying craft unit commanders stationed in Honam secretly moved as many flying crafts as possible to the reserve hangars.

The Navy’s flying craft unit commanders did the same. In fact, they prepared even more actively. Most of the Navy’s flying craft unit commanders belonged to the flying craft carrier faction.

Thanks to this, they were able to preserve considerable forces even during the Japanese attack.

“Hmm…. Does he mean he needs not only the Navy but also the Army’s flying crafts? If so….”

Having grasped the meaning of Yi Sun-sin’s request, Lee Ju immediately issued an order.

“Immediately convey my order to all Imperial forces stationed in the area! All Imperial forces stationed in the area, regardless of whether they are Army or Navy, will follow the orders of the Commander of the 3rd Mobile Fleet, Yi Sun-sin! This is an imperial order!”

“Yes!”

At Lee Ju’s order, the Minister of National Defense and the Chief of Staff looked as if they had swallowed something bitter.

‘In the end, we’ve been sidelined.’

‘Our position between His Majesty the Emperor and Yi Sun-sin has vanished. This is dangerous.’

Unlike the Chief of Staff, who had resigned himself to the situation, the Minister of National Defense raised an objection to Lee Ju.

“Begging Your Majesty’s pardon, Your Majesty.”

“If you are begging pardon, then be silent.”

“Your Majesty! I, the Minister of National Defense, stake my life to speak! The situation is serious, but you must not undermine the military’s chain of command!”

“Is it the one who created this serious situation who is saying such a thing?”

“I will gladly accept the punishment for that! However, what must be protected, must be protected!”

“What must be protected, must be protected? Hmm…. Fine! Then how will you resolve this situation!”

At Lee Ju’s question, the Chief of Staff and the remaining staff members gathered in front of the map to examine the situation and offer their opinions.

“First, we must determine the direction from which the Japanese army will advance!”

As one of the staff members said this, Lee Ju sneered and mocked.

“Which direction would it be? Of course, it will be Seoul, and if so, they will come up along the West Sea [Yellow Sea].”

At this, the staff members hesitated before summoning their courage to offer their opinions again.

“First, we must dispatch the West Sea Fleet to block the Japanese army’s advance north.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Still responding sarcastically, Lee Ju’s reaction caused the staff members to sweat and rack their brains.

At that moment, the communications officer came in and reported to Lee Ju.

“Orders from the Commander of the 3rd Mobile Fleet!”

“Report.”

“Yes!”

As soon as Lee Ju granted permission, Yi Sun-sin began issuing orders as if he had been waiting.

-Order to the submarine units belonging to the 3rd Mobile Fleet: Execute Operation 3.

-Order to the submarine fleet stationed in the South Sea: Deploy submarines to the high seas of the West Sea to confirm the Japanese army’s route.

-The flying craft bases in Gwangju and Okgu will deploy patrol flying crafts to confirm the speed of the Japanese Navy’s advance north.

-The South Sea Fleet will advance to the vicinity of Wando and stand by.

-The Imperial Army stationed in the West Sea area will immediately prepare for an artillery battle.

Listening to Yi Sun-sin’s orders, Lee Ju expressed doubt.

“Operation 3? What is that?”

No one present could answer.

In any case, as soon as Yi Sun-sin’s orders were issued, the Imperial Army moved busily.

* * *

As soon as Yi Sun-sin’s orders were issued, the submarines under his command were the first to move.

The captains of the submarines, who had been secretly monitoring the Japanese army’s movements at sea since the 21st, shouted to their subordinates upon receiving the order.

“Full speed north! Prepare to submerge!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Now it’s hunting time!”

At the captain’s cry of ‘hunting,’ the subordinates responded in loud voices.

“Hunting time!”

At this time, submarines in the Empire, as well as in other countries, were essentially submersible ships [ships that primarily operate on the surface but can submerge for short periods] that usually sailed on the surface and only submerged when necessary.

Therefore, the captains of the Imperial Navy submarines compared this combat method to ‘diving.’

The Empire, like other countries, was researching detection and aiming assistance devices using radio waves and other methods. However, they had not yet achieved significant results, and both submarines and destroyers relied on human eyesight.

The victory in a battle between submarines and destroyers depended on who saw and moved first. Of course, courage also played a role.

In any case, the submarines belonging to the 3rd Mobile Fleet, having been granted permission to hunt, began to cut through the water at maximum speed, chasing the Japanese fleet.

The next to move were the submarines belonging to the South Sea Fleet.

Yi Sun-sin gave them this order because they were the submarines most familiar with the shallow seas of both the South Sea and the West Sea.

Following them, the destroyers and cruisers of the South Sea Fleet, along with self-propelled torpedo boats, began to assemble near Wando.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Seoul, the staff members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were examining the situation board, trying to understand Yi Sun-sin’s intentions.

“He already deployed the submarines of the 3rd Mobile Fleet? Without reporting?”

As one of the staff members tried to point out the problem, a colleague poked him in the side and muttered softly.

“Didn’t His Majesty already issue an order? Do you want to lose your uniform too?”

“Ah….”

At his colleague’s warning, the staff member who had spoken out hurriedly looked around and shut his mouth.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Staff was sharing his opinion with Lee Ju.

“The Commander of the 3rd Mobile Fleet seems to be planning to slow down the enemy by using submarines first.”

“Hmm…. That’s right.”

Lee Ju nodded in agreement. It seemed the most reasonable approach.

-If submarines attack the fleet, destroyers will move to intercept them.

-If the destroyers leave their positions, the other fleets will have no choice but to slow down. Destroyers are the core of fleet defense.

However, the Chief of Staff’s subsequent assessment was negative.

“However, I believe it is reckless to try to slow down the Japanese army with only the submarines of the 3rd Mobile Fleet.”

“What is your reasoning?”

“If I were the Japanese army, I would have moved all available naval power to ensure the success of this operation. If so, the scale of the destroyer force will be enormous, making it impossible for the submarines of the 3rd Mobile Fleet alone to break through that defense line and strike the enemy fleet. Destroyers will certainly be concentrated around the Japanese army’s battleships or flying craft carriers. If we are not careful, our submarines will suffer heavy losses.”

The Chief of Staff based his negative judgment on these grounds.

However, the target specified in ‘Operation 3,’ which Yi Sun-sin ordered to the submarines, was different.

Before the submarines set out, Yi Sun-sin handed the captains well-sealed orders.

“Pay close attention to the numbers written on the envelope. If the situation I fear arises, I will instruct you to execute the operation written under that number. Act accordingly.”

“Yes, sir!”

The submarine captains, placing the orders Yi Sun-sin had given them safely in their possession, soon set out to sea.

And when the time came, the target Yi Sun-sin specified in the orders, opened according to his subsequent instructions, was not the Japanese Navy’s battleships or flying craft carriers, but transport ships.

-Japan will definitely land troops.

-If so, the army must move with them.

-If those transport ships are targeted, the Japanese Navy will have no choice but to be delayed.

-That way, we can buy as much time as possible for maintenance and counterattack.

This was Yi Sun-sin’s aim.