Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 148

Jjangra

Hello, Bomb

148. That Autumn (3)

It was through these struggles with the Jurchens that Kim Jong-seo earned the nickname ‘Fierce Tiger.’ The battle in January, in particular, solidified that title.

January, Year 11 of King Sejong.

“Administrator! A disaster!”

As the man who handled odd jobs at the Frontier Development Office burst in shouting, Hwang Hee, who was reviewing documents, asked with an annoyed voice.

“What is it?”

“We’ve been attacked!”

At the word ‘attack,’ Hwang Hee jumped up from his seat.

“Attacked! Tell me the details!”

“Yes!”

According to the report, the carts that had departed from Musan were attacked on their way to Gilju, where the Frontier Corps headquarters was located.

The moment the words ‘something has happened!’ came out, Kim Jong-seo, who had entered Hwang Hee’s office, cut in, firing off a question before Hwang Hee could.

“Exactly where did it happen?”

“According to the messenger’s report, it was near Sincham.”

Listening to the answer, Hwang Hee traced the map with his finger.

“Sincham… Sincham…. Sin… here it is!”

Pointing to Sincham on the map, Hwang Hee exclaimed, “Those damn bastards came all the way here!”

Sincham was located midway between Musan and Cheongjin.

At the time of the incident, the northeastern region of Joseon had expanded to Hweryeong and Najin.

The Musan area, which bordered the Tumen River, was a frontier area, so the Joseon army’s defenses were strict. Moreover, Sincham, where the incident occurred, was in the middle of the Hamgyeong Mountains and was considered a secure area.

“I’m going crazy. The moment we relax a little, they break through….”

Kim Jong-seo, who was next to Hwang Hee, pointed out the reason for Hwang Hee’s outburst.

“We don’t have enough troops.”

“Reinforcements will be here soon, so we’ll have to trust that. Anyway, what’s the damage?”

“The furs and wool collected by the Jurchens in Musan and nearby areas, and the household registers and land ledgers….”

“Minister!”

Kim Jong-seo’s eyes widened at the report that the household registers and land ledgers were compromised.

Hwang Hee also immediately gave permission without saying anything else.

“Take half of them with you.”

“Yes!”

Kim Jong-seo, who had dashed out as soon as he answered, shouted, “Everyone, get out here!”

At Kim Jong-seo’s command, officials who had been working here and there in the headquarters building rushed out.

Kim Jong-seo explained the situation to the officials.

“Some damn bastards stole the cart carrying the household registers and land ledgers!”

“What a damn thing to happen!”

“Those bastards should have stones tied to their necks and be thrown into the Tumen River!”

At Kim Jong-seo’s words, the officials all spewed out curses and became murderous.

“How long will it take to rewrite that!”

The reason the officials were angry was precisely this: having to do the work again.

Looking at the officials whose murderous intent was palpable, Kim Jong-seo gave an order.

“Form two lines!”

Chachak!

As soon as Kim Jong-seo’s words fell, the officials lined up in two rows.

“This line! Prepare immediately and come out! We have to get to Sincham before sunset!”

“Yes!”

At Kim Jong-seo’s command, the designated officials rushed back to their rooms and began to don their armor and prepare their [Chongtong] muskets.

It was as fast and swift a movement as well-trained Gapsa soldiers [elite soldiers] or military officers.

In less than a quarter of an hour (一刻, 15 minutes), about 20 officials equipped with weapons rode out of the Frontier Corps headquarters with Kim Jong-seo.

Dudududu!

The cavalry, though not really cavalry, disappeared, leaving behind a loud sound of hooves and dust.

A merchant who ran a trading company near the Frontier Corps waved his hand to push away the dust and grumbled.

“What stupid Jurchen bastards caused an accident now?”

By the time Kim Jong-seo and the civil officials arrived in Sincham, Yi Jing-ok’s unit, which had been rushing from the [Geumpae] capital, was also arriving.

“Hey! Commander Yi! Long time no see!”

“It’s been a while, Vice-Minister Kim!”

The two men exchanged greetings and soon moved side by side, exchanging information.

“Do you know which tribe it is?”

At Kim Jong-seo’s question, Yi Jing-ok replied with a cynical voice.

“Will those bastards tell us properly?”

The ‘those bastards’ that Yi Jing-ok was talking about were the Jurchens who had surrendered to Joseon.

Whenever this kind of thing happened, the Joseon army would conduct inquiries targeting the affected tribes or surrounding tribes.

However, in response to the Joseon army’s questions, the Jurchens routinely named tribes that had deep grudges against them.

It was [chadosarin] (借刀殺人, ‘borrowing a knife to kill’), trying to eliminate the tribes they were at odds with using the power of the Joseon army.

Kim Jong-seo nodded at Yi Jing-ok’s cynical answer.

“Well, that’s true.”

When Kim Jong-seo agreed, Yi Jing-ok added.

“As I always say, [tobeol] (토벌, suppression) is more efficient than [sunchi] (馴致, taming). You can’t trust the Jurchen bastards!”

Kim Jong-seo gave a bitter smile and shook his head slightly at Yi Jing-ok’s words.

Among those who were in charge of the Northeast Frontier Development planned by Sejong, Yi Jing-ok was a notorious hard-liner.

Yi Jing-ok was the one who had entered the military as a Gapsa soldier, passed the military examination, and then entered the Joseon Army General Staff after skirmishing with the Jurchens.

In the history before Hyang’s intervention, he should have continued to serve in the military in the Pyeongan and Hamgyeong provinces as a Jong 4품 [Jeoljesa] military commander after passing the military examination, but Yi Jing-ok was one of those whose lives had been subtly twisted since Hyang’s intervention.

In any case, perhaps because he started his life as a soldier wrestling with the Jurchens in the north, Yi Jing-ok always insisted on a hard-line policy regarding the Jurchens.

“We must not approach them leniently just because they have expressed their intention to [gwibu] (歸附, surrender)! We must come out strong from the beginning!”

“[Ilbeolbaekgye]? (Punish one to warn a hundred?) The Jurchens laugh at that! We must [baekbeolbaekcham] (kill a hundred to warn a hundred)! Only then will we be safe!”

To put it simply, Yi Jing-ok’s argument was ‘The only good Jurchen is a dead Jurchen.’

Whenever Yi Jing-ok argued for a hard-line policy against the Jurchens like this, Choi Yun-deok and Hwang Hee had to give bitter smiles.

“I guess he’s still young.”

“He’s full of energy, so we have to let that energy out.”

In this way, Yi Jing-ok came to lead a unit consisting of 500 cavalry and 200 artillerymen.

The mission assigned to Yi Jing-ok’s unit was a combination of long-range patrol and mobile strike force.

* * *

It was when the sun was just setting in the west that Kim Jong-seo’s group and Yi Jing-ok’s unit arrived in Sincham, where the incident had occurred.

“Hurry up and build the encampment!”

At Yi Jing-ok’s command, the soldiers took out tents from the accompanying supply carts and began to light bonfires.

While the soldiers were busy building the encampment, Yi Jing-ok, Kim Jong-seo, and the military officers and officials examined the scene of the incident.

At the scene where the bodies had been moved to one side by the Jurchens who had first reported the incident, Yi Jing-ok and the military officers looked for evidence that could identify the perpetrators. And Kim Jong-seo and the officials looked for traces of documents.

“Here it is!”

“It seems those damn bastards burned them.”

The officials, who examined the papers that had been burned and only small pieces remained, reported with their teeth grinding. At the officials’ report, Kim Jong-seo unknowingly spat out a curse.

“Shit!”

Kim Jong-seo, who approached the place where the officials had found the ashes of the documents, ground his teeth.

“Those [yukshiral] (damn) bastards…. First, find and recover as much as possible if there’s anything that can be recovered.”

“Yes, Administrative Vice-Minister.”

After giving orders to the officials, Kim Jong-seo walked to Yi Jing-ok and asked.

“Did you find any traces of the bastards who did this damn thing?”

Yi Jing-ok pointed to the Jurchens who were standing on one side and explaining diligently to the interpreter and answered.

“They say they’ve put a tail on them, so we’ll start the pursuit as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.”

“What about [wolgyeong] (越境. crossing the border)?”

At Kim Jong-seo’s question, Yi Jing-ok stared at Kim Jong-seo. At the unspoken answer, Kim Jong-seo let out a long sigh.

“Hoo~. Damn it…. I’ll have to write the documents again.”

* * *

The next day, just before dawn, the soldiers and officials quickly packed up their places, boiled water, and poured it into [jeontusikryang] (combat rations).

The soldiers and officials who finished their meals finished preparing to depart.

Kim Jong-seo gathered the officials and gave orders.

“You go to Musan and rewrite the household registers and land ledgers.”

“Aren’t you coming, Vice-Minister?”

At the officials’ question, Kim Jong-seo answered, touching the [chongtong] muskets he was wearing on his side.

“I have to go give those damn bastards a taste of their own medicine.”

“…Be careful.”

“You be careful too. An escort will be attached, but you never know what might happen.”

“Yes. Vice-Minister.”

Kim Jong-seo, who said goodbye to the officials, got on his horse and headed to Yi Jing-ok’s side.

The officials who were watching the scene whispered softly.

“Isn’t he going to give them a taste of their own medicine, but to sigh?”

“Maybe half and half.”

“Let’s hurry up and move. I hope our friends in Musan have kept the ‘Rule of 3’ well.”

“They would have. Because they know they’ll be in trouble if they don’t.”

With such conversations, the officials got on their horses.

The ‘Rule of 3’ that the officials were talking about was an [gyeogeon] (adage) that originated in the military and spread to all departments in the court.

‘Always write three copies of the report. One copy is for submission to the higher-ups, another copy is for [daebi] (contingency) in case something happens, and the last copy is for your safety.’

* * *

Following the marks left by those who were [chujeok] (tracking) the Jurchens who attacked the cart, Yi Jing-ok and Kim Jong-seo crossed the Tumen River.

“They’re finally crossing.”

“I’ve crossed so often that I’m indifferent now.”

The two men, who had been lightly joking until they crossed the Tumen River, did not let go of their tension from beginning to end after crossing the Tumen River.

About 20 [ri] (approximately 7.8 miles) past the Tumen River, the Jurchens who had set out to [chujeok] (track) came running on horseback.

Yi Jing-ok, who received the Jurchens’ report, turned to Kim Jong-seo.

“If we go 20 [ri] (approximately 7.8 miles) further north from here, there is a place where the tribe of the bastards who attacked the cart is located.”

“Then let’s go.”

Yi Jing-ok, who stopped the unit behind the hill located a little away from the tribe in question, got off his horse and moved carefully.

Yi Jing-ok, who climbed the hill, lay down on the ground and quietly took out a [danmanggyeong] (單望鏡, monocular telescope) to examine the tribe in question.

“Is that it?”

At Kim Jong-seo’s question, who had approached him, Yi Jing-ok handed over the [danmanggyeong] (單望鏡, monocular telescope).

“Look at the cart in the house on the far left.”

Kim Jong-seo, who adjusted the [danmanggyeong] (單望鏡, monocular telescope) to the place Yi Jing-ok pointed out, ground his teeth.

“It’s our cart.”

* * *

“Attack!”

Yi Jing-ok, who had caught [muljeung] (material evidence), ordered his subordinates to attack.

At Yi Jing-ok’s command, the soldiers wore [bangpunggyeong] (防風鏡, goggles) made of glass instead of 수정 (crystal) and pulled up the [myeongeon] (面巾, face covering) they were wearing around their necks to cover their noses and mouths.

The [bangpunggyeong] (防風鏡, goggles) was to block the wind that bothered the eyes when riding a horse, and the [myeongeon] (面巾, face covering) that covered the nose and mouth was to block the smoke from shooting the [chongtong] muskets.

The [myeongeon] (面巾, face covering) that covered the soldiers’ noses and mouths had the mouth of a [dokkaebi] (goblin) embroidered on it. The soldiers’ faces covered with [bangpunggyeong] (防風鏡, goggles) and [myeongeon] (面巾, face covering) looked like 악귀 (demons).

When his subordinates finished preparing, Yi Jing-ok waved his arm greatly and then stretched it straight forward.

“Attack!”

“Attack!”

“Hyah!”

Hihing!

“Waaaa!”

With the loud sounds of soldiers and horses shouting, the Joseon soldiers and [gwibu] (surrendered) Jurchens began to run towards the Jurchen village in front of them.

The ensuing battle was a complete victory for the Joseon army.

The Jurchen warriors who had ridden out to stop the Joseon army’s charge were swept away in an instant. The Joseon soldiers, who had dealt with the most troublesome Jurchen cavalry, began to turn the village into ruins. Flames soared from all directions, and countless Jurchen men lost their lives and fell to the Joseon army’s offensive.

“What the fuck!”

Kim Jong-seo spat out a curse at the sudden crisis. The moment he turned the corner chasing the fleeing Jurchens, a hidden Jurchen stabbed the horse with a spear.

The moment the horse fell, Kim Jong-seo quickly threw himself clear and took out two [masangchongtong] (馬上銃筒, horse-mounted muskets) from his side and pulled the trigger.

Tang! Tang!

Before he knew it, the bodies of Jurchens who had lost their lives were scattered around Kim Jong-seo.

Click! Click!

Kim Jong-seo, who had already shot 12 shots, hurriedly looked around. Seeing that the pouch containing the extra bullets was under the dead horse, Kim Jong-seo spat out a curse.

“Damn it!”

“Uwaaaa!”

Seeing the Jurchens rushing to kill him, Kim Jong-seo spat out a curse and grabbed the [masangchongtong] (馬上銃筒, horse-mounted muskets) upside down.

“Damn it, shit!”

* * *

Kim Jong-seo, who had finished the [tobeol] (suppression) and returned to Gilju with Yi Jing-ok’s unit, headed to the Joseon army barracks next to the Frontier Corps headquarters.

The place Kim Jong-seo headed to after entering the barracks was the place in charge of repairing and delivering [chongtong] muskets.

“The [chongtong] muskets are broken. Replace them.”

“Yes?”

The [jinmu] (鎭撫, garrison commander) in charge of repairing and exchanging [chongtong] muskets looked bewildered at Kim Jong-seo’s words.

At [jinmu]’s expression, Kim Jong-seo took out two [masangchongtong] (馬上銃筒, horse-mounted muskets) that were broken beyond recognition from the bag he was holding and placed them on the desk.

[Jinmu], who saw the [masangchongtong] (馬上銃筒, horse-mounted muskets) with hardened blood sticking to them, thoroughly searched Kim Jong-seo’s entire body.

“Are you hurt….”

“It’s not my blood.”

“Ah, yes….”

[Jinmu], who was listening to Kim Jong-seo’s answer and examining the [chongtong] muskets, unknowingly muttered to himself.

“How on earth can you do that to a [chongtong] musket…. Even if a horse or cow steps on it, it’s fine….”

* * *

[Jinmu], who had exchanged Kim Jong-seo’s [chongtong] muskets, [susomun] (inquired) the soldiers who had participated in the [tobeol] (suppression).

“What’s going on?”

“Ah, I wanted to ask you something. How did the Administrative Vice-Minister use the [chongtong] musket?”

“I didn’t see it well….”

After continuing [susomun] (inquiring), [jinmu] found a soldier who had seen Kim Jong-seo’s [hyeoltu] (bloody fight).

The soldier shook his head at [jinmu]’s question.

“I think he was out of bullets…. He grabbed the [masangchongtong] (馬上銃筒, horse-mounted muskets) upside down…. He [paende] (smashed) the Jurchens’ heads… He [kkaesyeotshu] (broke) the Jurchens’ heads like a potter breaking a defective pottery.”