Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 15

Extradition 15. 1592 Naval War in the South Sea. (15)

Yi Sun-sin wasn’t the only one who heard the wireless telegraphs sent by commanders of the flying squadron, including those from Nurhaci.

This communication was also audible in the Gyeongbokgung bunker. Thanks to this, information was updated and recorded in real-time on the large map hanging on the bunker wall.

“Battleship Nagato sunk.”

“Flying Battleship Akagi sunk, cruiser Furutaka sunk.”

The soldiers, glued to the map on the wall, inserted pins with various symbols as the communications came in.

“The Japanese army’s damage is getting bigger and bigger.”

Lee Ju looked very satisfied as he watched the mounting losses of the Japanese army.

“Hmm….”

Lee Ju muttered to himself, calculating as he observed the sinking marks gradually filling the map.

“Hmm…. Almost 20% of the Japanese fleet has disappeared? Hmm…. Not bad to lose 20% using only flying machines [early airplanes] and submarines instead of battleship-to-battleship artillery battles, right?”

When Lee Ju showed a favorable reaction, the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, a proponent of battleships, hurriedly spoke up.

“It is true that the flying machines and submarines fought bravely. However, the results are somewhat meager compared to the number of flying machines and submarines mobilized. After all, battleships are more advantageous when fighting battleships.”

At the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations’ words, Lee Ju asked with a cold expression.

“Battleships? Are you telling me to bring up the battleships that are full of holes from Jeju Island?”

“There are also battleships in the West Sea Fleet.”

“As I know, there are two ships. Let’s see…. The number of Japanese battleships that have survived now is…. Ah! There are four left. Are you telling me to fight four ships with two ships?”

“If we use cruisers and destroyers appropriately….”

“Royal Guard! Drag this man out!”

“Y-Your Majesty!”

Unlike the Deputy Chief of Staff, who was pale and shouting for His Majesty, the Royal Guard soldiers dragged the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations out with indifferent expressions.

After the Deputy Chief of Staff was dragged out, Lee Ju warned once again.

“Among the golden sayings left by Emperor Yi Do [King Sejong the Great], there is this: ‘A monarch must know how to distinguish between good advice and flattery. Then he will naturally know who to keep close and who to keep away.’ Looking at your expressions now, it seems like you have a lot to say, but I advise you to think one more time before opening your mouths.”

“We, we obey your orders.”

“We obey your orders.”

At Lee Ju’s warning, the remaining people answered in trembling voices. Seeing this, Lee Ju clicked his tongue and grumbled with a pathetic expression.

“You’re good at answering. You’re good at answering. Tsk!”

Lee Ju, who clicked his tongue, turned his gaze to the map and muttered.

“The sun will be setting soon. What tricks is Yi Sun-sin going to use here again?”

As if knowing Lee Ju’s mind, the communications officer came in and delivered new news.

“The 3rd Mobile Fleet Commander has issued an order in plain text! ‘The flying squadron should push the bandits toward Okgu.'”

“Huh? Plain text?”

Lee Ju expressed his doubts at the communications officer’s report. It was customary to send communications regarding military operations in code, regardless of whether they were wired or wireless.

However, Lee Ju questioned the fact that it was sent in plain text instead of such a coded message.

Then, as if waiting for this, the staff of the Naval Headquarters opened their mouths.

“This is Yi Sun-sin’s mistake!”

“That’s right! He made a misjudgment because he thought he had already won. The Japanese navy’s power is still alive!”

“The Japanese navy will also be eavesdropping on our communications! However, sending orders in plain text is a huge mistake!”

“We must withdraw command now!”

The staff clamored, raising their voices, saying that they should withdraw command from Yi Sun-sin.

Lee Ju muttered inwardly at the staff’s outcry.

‘These guys are so transparent about their intentions.’

-Thanks to Yi Sun-sin’s hard work so far, victory has shifted to our side. No, we are only one step away from victory.

-In this situation, Yi Sun-sin made a big mistake that could cost him his command.

-If I take command from Yi Sun-sin and finish well, all the credit will be mine!

-When the current battle is over, a major purge will take place. I don’t know about the Minister of National Defense, but the Chief of Staff, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Deputy Chief, and Won Gyun will definitely be finished.

-Yi Sun-sin, who was the strongest candidate, will lose his chance because of his mistake just now, and then that position will be mine!

Lee Ju, who noticed the staff’s intentions, sighed, putting his hand on his forehead.

“Haa~. You’re only quick to judge at times like this….”

“This is a new order from the 3rd Mobile Fleet Commander.”

-The West Sea Fleet will retreat its formation and reorganize its formation near Taean County.

-The South Sea Fleet will immediately move north and seize the sea west of Okgu.

-The flying machines and submarines will push the Japanese fleet to arrive at Boryeong Prefecture in time for the ebb tide.

-The important thing is to match the ebb tide. The destination is enough to be south of Boryeong Prefecture and north of Okgu.

“Huh? Something’s wrong?”

Lee Ju, who felt something strange in the order reported by the communications officer, asked the communications officer.

“Was it plain text? Was it coded?”

“It was coded!”

“When was it received?”

“It was 2 gak (approximately 30 minutes) after receiving the plain text communication!”

“2 gak? Hmm….”

While thinking about something for a moment, Lee Ju noticed a staff member in the corner.

He was the one who had been observing the situation without saying a word since entering the bunker. In particular, he was the one who remained silent even when the staff members stepped forward and clamored just now.

“There, you, the Pajong [low-ranking military officer] over there. What is your name?”

“Pajong, Im Man-seok!”

“Yes, Im Pajong. What do you think Yi Sun-sin is thinking?”

At Lee Ju’s question, Im Pajong did not answer immediately and only looked around.

The point at which Im Man-seok became a staff member under the Chief of Naval Operations was during the most recent personnel transfer.

In addition to being the youngest member of the staff group under the Chief of Staff, Im Man-seok was a flying battleship faction.

It was for the purpose of so-called ‘matching colors’ [political alignment].

Lee Ju’s expression turned slightly sour at Im Man-seok’s hesitant appearance.

“Think carefully about who you should be looking at right now.”

“Yes, yes! I think that the order sent by Admiral Yi Sun-sin in plain text is bait, and the order sent now is the real one!”

“Bait? Why?”

“Because the Japanese army will also be eavesdropping on our wireless communications!”

Im Man-seok explained in more detail.

-It is certain that the Japanese army will also be eavesdropping on our wireless communications.

-Therefore, they would have also eavesdropped on the order that Yi Sun-sin sent in plain text.

-Seeing the order sent in plain text, the Japanese military leaders would have judged that Yi Sun-sin was so arrogant that he had already won.

-The reason is that they referred to the Japanese army as ‘bandits’.

-Japan would also have grasped the personalities of Yi Sun-sin and Won Gyun, and would also know that Yi Sun-sin rarely uses the word ‘bandits’.

-Therefore, the Japanese military command, judging this to be Yi Sun-sin’s mistake, would think as follows.

The Imperial Army will already be waiting for them where they are heading now.

-Then, they will try to go as far north as possible and attempt to land.

“Hmm…. Is Yi Sun-sin predicting that the Boryeong area is where the struggling Japanese army will arrive?”

“I don’t think it’s a prediction, but rather a guide.”

“Explain.”

Before he knew it, Lee Ju’s voice toward Im Man-seok had become quite gentle. At Lee Ju’s command, Im Man-seok continued his explanation.

-The terrain of the West Sea changes greatly every time the tide comes in and out.

-If they arrive at the Boryeong coastline in time for the ebb tide, all of Japan’s landing forces will be trapped in the mud flats.

-Even if they arrive in an area somewhat away from Boryeong, the Japanese army will not be able to move until the tide comes in.

-We can use this to leisurely redeploy our forces and form a firing line.

-There are many large islands in the area south of Okgu, so there is a high possibility that the Japanese army will wage guerrilla warfare.

-However, there are almost no large islands between Taean and the south and Okgu and the north, and rather there are many reefs. If it is a Japanese fleet unfamiliar with the Empire’s sea, shipwrecks will occur due to running aground on reefs.

“…That’s all.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Im Pajong, was it? I’ll remember you.”

At Lee Ju’s praise, Im Man-seok’s face brightened and he expressed his gratitude.

“Pajong, Im Man-seok! It’s an honor!”

The staff around him could not hide their envy at the sight of Im Man-seok’s face, which had become as bright as the moon.

In the meantime, Yi Sun-sin’s coded communication continued again.

-The self-propelled explosive boats belonging to the West Sea Fleet will prepare for guerrilla warfare.

Lee Ju, who received the communication report, immediately called Im Man-seok.

“Im Pajong!”

As soon as Lee Ju’s call ended, Im Man-seok jumped up from his seat and answered in a loud voice.

“Yes! The specialty of the self-propelled explosive boats belonging to the West Sea Fleet is nighttime guerrilla warfare!”

* * *

In the ‘Battle of Gibraltar’, the French Navy introduced something called a storming ship.

-A small, fast ship with a spar torpedo attached to destroy the enemy’s large ships.

Although it became an unfortunate existence that did not see the light of day due to the ‘destroyer’, a ship type that the Empire built by introducing a new concept, the Imperial Navy gave a fairly positive evaluation of the storming ship.

“To be honest, we would have had a hard time if we didn’t have destroyers, right?”

“I agree.”

“Hmm…. Shouldn’t we make something similar? We have a useful thing called a self-propelled explosive.”

“What are you going to use it for?”

“The West Sea.”

“Aha!”

The West Sea, located between the Empire and the Ming Dynasty, was a narrow and shallow sea. It was not easy for a large number of large ships to maneuver and engage in artillery battles in this sea.

In addition, the Empire’s West Sea had as many large and small islands as the South Sea.

-The cruising range only needs to be short, but the speed must be fast.

-It must be small and agile so that it can move easily between islands.

-The main weapon is enough to be a self-propelled explosive.

This is how the ‘self-propelled explosive boat’ – torpedo boat – was born.

The most suitable tactic for this self-propelled explosive boat was nighttime guerrilla warfare.

It was to secretly hide in the shade of an island and strike the enemy fleet under the cover of night.

* * *

“The self-propelled explosive boats deployed in the West Sea know the locations of the islands and reefs in the West Sea well. If they are attacked at night, the Japanese army will not be able to sleep properly all night. And when the day breaks, the 3rd Mobile Fleet will arrive! Then, in terms of overall strength, our army will overwhelm the Japanese army!”

“The 3rd Mobile Fleet is powerful, but Japan’s fleet power is still strong.”

Im Man-seok immediately answered Lee Ju’s point.

“There is the Imperial Army! By the time the 3rd Mobile Fleet arrives, the Imperial Army’s artillery will have finished preparing on the nearby land.”

Lee Ju’s face brightened at Im Man-seok’s answer.

The smile that had disappeared from Lee Ju’s face after the Jeju Island raid returned to Lee Ju’s face.

“The Empire’s artillery will give a warm welcome from the land and sea. Yes! It is the Empire’s law to treat visiting guests with all sincerity!”

‘The Empire never mistreats guests. However, whether what is offered as a sign of welcome will be numerous flowers or numerous explosives depends on the visitor.’

This was one of the famous sayings about the Empire.