Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 1132

1132. The Middle East War. (10)

After the battle, the Iranian army, having completely seized Partnos, began organizing the battlefield and constructing defensive positions. As the fighting subsided, residents who had fled began to return, but the Iranian army strictly controlled their entry.

Most of the tribes in the surrounding areas were Shia, but Partnos was predominantly Sunni.

Moreover, the city had strong ties to the Ottomans. A significant number of Ottoman troops were stationed there, and many had their families residing in the city.

Knowing this, the Iranian army heavily restricted the residents’ return. The only ones granted easy access were the owners and employees of establishments providing alcohol, food, and other services to the soldiers. One officer from the Imperial Army, observing the establishments where laughter never ceased as soon as the sun set, inquired of an Iranian officer accompanying him.

“I have been patient out of respect for your faith, but there is something I am curious about.”

“What is it?”

“Doesn’t the law you follow prohibit the drinking of alcohol?”

The Iranian officer immediately responded, “The great prophet only said, ‘Do not become drunk with strong liquor.’ Isn’t wine not considered strong liquor?”

“But the alcohol they sell there seems quite potent?”

“They haven’t fallen down drunk, have they?”

“Some are passed out over there!”

“They are merely tired. Aren’t there many tiring things these days?”

The Imperial Army officer narrowed his eyes at the response, and the Iranian officer lightly tapped his shoulder and continued, “Brother… life is the same everywhere.”

* * *

Interestingly, a similar conversation was taking place in the Imperial Court.

Some imperial officials, still cynical about religion, were discussing the matter. The Islamic jurist who addressed the issue—dedicated to research at the Institute of Chemical Research rather than the Institute of Liberal Arts—gave a similar answer to the Iranian army officer, adding, “Of course, those with strong faith live ascetic lives, but how can everyone live that way?”

The officials nodded in agreement.

Hyang, overhearing the story, smiled, recalling memories of the 21st century.

During his rebellious period when he ran away from home to work on ships and ended up in America, Hyang befriended an Arab at the shipyard. Once they became close enough to joke about sensitive topics—North-South Korean relations, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—Hyang asked a similar question.

The Arab friend replied with a knowing smile, “Brother, alcohol has always been a part of human history.”

“So, do you drink or not? No, you do, right? You drink it like filling up with gas at a gas station, right?”

“Life is all the same.”

“But you can’t drink openly and comfortably, can you? And how do you get alcohol?”

At Hyang’s question, the Arab friend made a circle with his fingers [a gesture implying secrecy or connections] and smiled meaningfully again.

“Isn’t that why the great Allah gave us the desert and oil?”

“…You seem like you would be a very good lawyer.”

* * *

After the battle of Partnos, the Iranian army officers and the officers of the Three Eastern Nations all began writing reports.

While the Iranian army commanders wrote battle reports filled with praise for Allah and Shahanshah Ismail [the Shah of Iran], the officers of the Three Eastern Nations wrote reports to send to their home countries.

For the Three Eastern Nations, which had not been directly involved in war and had focused on internal development for the past few decades, this war and battle provided excellent reference material.

The reports from the officers of the Three Eastern Nations drew their own conclusions based on the same facts.

First, let’s examine the Imperial Army’s analysis.

– Artillery bombardment is essential for weakening the defender’s defensive position and securing the attacker’s advance.

– Extensive shelling must precede any infantry charge.

– However, the problem remains that shelling must cease once the infantry charge begins due to the risk of friendly fire.

– This allows the defender to reorganize and re-establish their defenses, increasing the casualties among the charging allies.

– To solve this, a way to reduce the interval by improving the accuracy of the shelling is needed.

– Further strengthening the mobility and breakthrough capabilities of the assault vehicles used by the Imperial Army is also desirable.

– If a group of assault vehicles precedes the infantry to breach the defensive line, or escorts the infantry during the breach, this time interval problem can be solved more efficiently.

The Japanese and Ming armies also emphasized the importance of pre-bombardment and the interval problem, but their proposed solutions differed.

– The main firepower of the defender after recovering from the pre-bombardment is primarily Hwachas [Korean rocket artillery].

So far, the Ming and Japanese armies agreed. However, their proposed solutions diverged significantly.

First, in the case of Ming.

– The firepower and destructive power of Hwachas are considerable, but their weakness lies in their reload time.

– A significant gap occurs during the replacement of the Hwacha’s ammunition belt, and this must be exploited.

– Therefore, it is best to charge with the maximum number of troops possible, overwhelming the enemy’s firepower, including the Hwachas.

– While significant casualties must be accepted, overall, this approach can result in fewer losses.

And, in the case of Japan.

– Everyone knows that the firepower and destructive power of Hwachas are strong. However, this can be overcome with a strong fighting spirit.

– Even at the cost of death, soldiers must charge closer to the enemy lines. This will overwhelm the enemy with sheer momentum.

– Combining a strong fighting spirit with exploiting the firepower gap, including the Hwachas’ reload time, will ensure the successful seizure and breakthrough of the enemy’s defensive line.

– This has been verified not only in this battle but also in past conflicts between Habsburg and Hungary, and between Habsburg and France.

‘Achieve the goal by overwhelming the enemy’s killing power with superior numbers.’

‘Overcome the enemy’s momentum with a strong fighting spirit and achieve victory.’ These were the conclusions reached by the Ming and Japanese army officers in Partnos.

However, the Ming and Japanese armies heading to Mardin were drawing different conclusions.

* * *

Unlike Partnos, in Mardin, the Iranian army successfully seized control before the Ottoman army could.

The Iranian army, having suppressed the Ottoman forces stationed in Mardin, immediately began preparing for defense. In this process, the Imperial Army played a prominent role.

“Fill the sacks with soil and sand to build a base! You don’t have sacks? Confiscate them from private houses! Ah, don’t forget to issue receipts!”

“Reinforce the walls of the trenches with wood! If there is no wood, reinforce them with sandbags!”

“Hey! What are you doing now! Who told you to dig a trench? Did I tell you to dig your grave!”

“How many times have I said it! This is where to put the Hwacha, and that is where to put the Wan’gu [another type of Korean artillery]! What are you doing putting it upside down!”

“Is this what you call a communication trench! Even a child can see you if they pass through this road! Dig deeper! Some guys dig too deep, and some guys dig too shallow!”

The Iranian army’s defensive line was meticulously constructed by the Imperial Army’s constant supervision. The Imperial Army didn’t just focus on building defensive lines. They urged the Iranian army commander to diligently send out reconnaissance teams, and they pressed the Ming officers to check supplies.

“Anyone would think they are the ones fighting the war…”

Complaints like this were common, but the Imperial Army officers ignored them and continued their relentless efforts.

“This is a matter of our pride!”

‘The success or failure of an attack is a gamble, but the success or failure of a defense is a testament to the commander’s ability.’

This was a core belief within the Imperial Army.

In fact, the Empire had never suffered a defeat in any war or battle in which it had intervened.

Therefore, the Imperial Army took the defense of Mardin very seriously. Based on the Ottoman army information gathered by the reconnaissance teams sent to the outskirts of Mardin, the Imperial Army continuously strengthened the defensive line.

And, when the Ottoman army was within half a day’s distance, the Imperial Army officers advised the Iranian army commanders.

“It’s time to launch the Bigu [a type of reconnaissance balloon]!”

The Iranian army, accepting the advice, immediately launched the Bigu, and the Imperial Army entered the final coordination phase based on the information it provided. When the battle finally erupted, the first target the Imperial Army advised to eliminate was the Ottoman’s heavy artillery battery.

The Iranian army’s heavy artillery battery, trained by the Imperial Army, quickly annihilated the Ottoman army’s heavy artillery battery. The Imperial Army officers, confirming the information from the Bigu, smiled with satisfaction.

“Now that we’ve removed the eyesore, it will be easy from now on.”

The battle unfolded as the Imperial Army predicted. The Ottoman army, unable to retreat after losing its heavy artillery battery, had no choice but to charge with all its might. As the Ottoman army charged under the cover of the remaining light field guns, the Iranian army’s heavy artillery battery pounded the Ottoman army’s light field gun positions, and the Iranian army’s light field guns and Wan’gus bombarded the charging Ottoman army.

The Ottoman army charged desperately in the rain of shells.

“Charge! Charge! Ugh! This level of shelling can never last long! Charge!”

The Ottoman army commanders screamed, encouraging their soldiers. Their judgment was based on sound reasoning.

– If they fire shells to this extent, the cannons will not be able to withstand it!

– The durability of the cannons is also a problem, and there will be a limit to the shells!

This was based on their past experiences and the teachings of the French officers. However, their opponent was the Iranian army, trained by the Imperial Army.

‘If a cannon that one person can carry is invented, the Empire is a country that will equip all its soldiers with it.’

‘Shells over bullets.’

‘Even if there is not enough rice, there is no shortage of shells.’

This was the Imperial Army’s philosophy. In addition, most of the cannons owned by the Iranian army were made in the Empire, making them more durable than the French-made ones familiar to the Ottoman army.

As the Ottoman army approached the trench line after a fierce struggle, the Hwachas and Wan’gus that had been waiting unleashed a devastating barrage. Due to the meticulous arrangement that considered the killing zone and the ammunition belt replacement time, the Iranian army’s crossfire was extremely deadly.

In the end, the Ottoman army attacking Mardin suffered fatal losses and was forced to retreat. The Japanese and Ming army officers who witnessed this battle wrote in their reports:

– An attack that disregards a fully prepared defensive line is destined to fail.

– The value of artillery should not be underestimated.

– If the defender knows how to properly utilize cannons, a frontal attack must be avoided at all costs.

– A strong fighting spirit is meaningless in the face of overwhelming firepower and quantity.

“…Do we have to counter quantity with quantity after all? Is there no other answer?”

The Japanese army officer, writing the report, muttered with a bitter smile. Considering the situation in his home country, Japan, this kind of quantitative warfare was not feasible.

“…One or two battles are possible, but an entire war is difficult… Hmph.”

The Japanese army officer sighed, left the tent, and looked at the scene outside.

He watched the Iranian army cleaning up the battlefield, where only corpses remained, and turned around. He saw the Iranian army commander, the Imperial Army officer, and the Ming officer huddled together, checking supplies.

“Bullets over food! Priority must be given to shells and gunpowder over bullets!”

The Japanese army officer shook his head at the Imperial Army officer’s resounding words.

“Anyway, those Imperial bastards….”