Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 18

Extracurricular Story 18. 1592 Southern Sea Battle. (18)

The mudflats weren’t the only enemy of the Japanese army.

* * *

As the tide came in, the transport ships, now able to move more freely, searched for a place to disembark their soldiers.

There was only one area near Boryeong with a firm sandy beach where soldiers could disembark from landing craft or transport ships and walk ashore.

It was Daecheon.

Naturally, transport ships carrying the vanguard and the second wave of troops had no choice but to gather at Daecheon.

The problem was that Daecheon wasn’t such a large area.

The number of Japanese army soldiers mobilized for this operation was about 50,000. If it were simply 50,000 soldiers gathering and moving, there wouldn’t be a problem. However, considering the space needed for the transport ships that carried them, equipment like cannons and tanks, and the landing craft—which the Japanese called ‘motor boats’—to safely move them ashore, the area of Daecheon beach was woefully inadequate.

In the end, a fierce debate erupted between Kato Kiyomasa, who commanded the vanguard, and Konishi Yukinaga, who commanded the second wave.

-As the vanguard, we should land first, of course!

-The distinction between the vanguard and the second wave is already meaningless! We need to unload the heavy equipment before the next low tide!

After frantic wireless telegraphy and light signals passed between the transport ships carrying the two men, Kato Kiyomasa, as the vanguard, was allowed to land first.

He had the greatest justification as the ‘vanguard,’ and he could land quickly because, befitting the vanguard, he had no heavy firearms or equipment.

“Time is of the essence! If you miss the timing, I will push your transport ship and run it aground to make the landing!”

Kato responded with an equally sharp tone to Konishi Yukinaga’s threat.

“Hmph! If that happens, I’ll put a bullet hole in your head before I do to any Imperial soldier!”

The staff officers sighed inwardly at the sight of the vanguard and the commander of the second wave snarling at each other.

The conflict between the two had been present since they were first appointed as commanders.

It was unprecedented for two men, barely 30 and 28 years old, to become commanders.

Of course, everyone acknowledged the excellence of their military talents. However, the ‘risk aversion’ of the higher-ups, who didn’t want to take on an operation with an overwhelmingly high probability of failure, was the biggest reason for this appointment. [This suggests the higher-ups preferred younger, less experienced commanders for a risky mission.]

In any case, it was difficult to determine the superiority of the two men’s abilities or experience, and the competition between them naturally became overheated.

And now, in a situation that could be called a division in the face of the enemy, the sparks were flying toward Maeda Toshiie.

“This happened because of the absence of the commander-in-chief!”

The staff officers and junior commanders of the two commanders blamed Maeda Toshiie, who was staying on Kuki Yoshitaka’s flagship.

According to the original plan, Maeda Toshiie was supposed to join them when the landing began.

However, he was now stuck on Kuki Yoshitaka’s flagship out there, not moving an inch.

“The deed is already done.”

“Indeed.”

There was no point in cursing Maeda Toshiie, and the staff officers and junior commanders had no choice but to focus on ensuring a smooth landing.

The commanders carrying out the landing moved as quickly as possible to land as many men as possible.

“We must finish the landing as quickly as possible before the Imperial bastards realize it!”

“We must finish the landing before those bastards concentrate their forces here!”

-The Empire must have anticipated the Japanese army’s landing after the surprise attack on Jeju Island.

-The Imperial army, being no fools, must have anticipated the most suitable landing site.

-The most likely area is south of Okgu, but if the aim is a surprise attack, it would be the Incheon area.

-Therefore, the Imperial army will be concentrating its army forces in these two areas.

-The Boryeong area is the worst for landing, but conversely, the Imperial army has been caught off guard.

-The Imperial army will naturally move troops to Boryeong, but it will take time.

-If we win the time battle, victory is ours!

-And, considering that we can receive support fire from our battleships, our victory is assured if we succeed in landing!

This was the expectation of the Japanese army carrying out the landing.

However, this was their misjudgment.

* * *

Yi Sun-sin, who had lured the Japanese troops to this side, had been concentrating the Imperial army’s forces here early on.

And the Empire’s systems were smoothly facilitating Yi Sun-sin’s plan.

In accordance with the wartime railway operation guidelines established since the time of Sejong and Hyang, the Imperial army’s mobile firepower was being concentrated in Boryeong by rail. [Sejong and Hyang were historical figures who likely established these guidelines.]

Similarly, the ‘reserve forces system’ drafted by Hyang and refined by Sejong was still working well.

As soon as news of the Japanese surprise attack was received, reserve forces began to be mobilized throughout the Empire.

However, these emergency-mobilized reserve forces could not be sent directly to the battlefield.

And the Imperial army had several methods prepared for this situation.

The first method implemented was to use the reserve forces mobilized in the Boryeong area for traffic control.

As soon as the order was given, Imperial army troops and equipment poured into Boryeong from all directions via rail and road.

Initially, most of the units came from places close to Boryeong. However, as time passed, Imperial army units poured in from increasingly distant places—even from North Ji.

The railway network that Jinpyeong had built at the cost of his life was fully demonstrating its value.

As the Imperial army poured into Boryeong from all directions, Boryeong Prefecture became a mess.

Therefore, the temporary headquarters created by the commander dispatched from Seoul mobilized reserve forces from the Boryeong area for traffic control.

No matter how good a map is, it can’t compare to the knowledge of local natives.

The Boryeong natives who had been mobilized as reserve forces became guides, leading the troops and equipment that arrived in Boryeong to designated operational areas.

Moreover, the natives provided information about shortcuts and strategic strongholds that only they knew, which the Japanese army could exploit but the military didn’t know about.

The reason for this gap in the military’s understanding of the area was that the Empire’s biggest target of vigilance had been Ming [A Chinese dynasty], a neighboring power.

Therefore, major defense facilities were built in the areas leading from the north to Seoul and from Incheon to Seoul.

In any case, the Imperial army commanders who received this information carefully recorded it on maps and sent reports to Seoul.

Next, the reserve forces were tasked with secretly scouting areas suspected of being landing sites for the Japanese army.

As natives, they first identified Daecheon and its surroundings as the most likely areas and set out on reconnaissance.

Those who set out on reconnaissance moved in groups of 2-3 reservists and two regular army oh (伍, a unit of 5 men).

One of the two *oh* was tasked with protecting the reservists, and the other was tasked with maintaining communication lines.

Those who set out on reconnaissance were soon able to find the best spots and begin scouting.

“By the way, how did you know about such a good place, Hyungjang [A respectful title for an older brother or senior] ?”

The native, who was in charge of guiding, trailed off at the question of the Imperial army *ohjang* (伍長, corporal), who was impressed by the optimal location, which was not easily visible from the outside but allowed for careful observation of the surroundings.

He was embarrassed to say that he had found it while wandering around with his current wife, when he was a bachelor, looking for a good place to spend time.

Those who set out on reconnaissance secretly informed their superiors as soon as they saw the Japanese army landing.

And the army headquarters, having grasped the general situation through their reports, immediately responded.

“Is everything ready?”

“Yes. We can move immediately if you give the order.”

The commander smiled wryly at the answer that the Imperial army, which had taken up defensive positions, was ready.

“Since they’re working so hard tonight, we should help them!”

* * *

Boom! Boom! Boom!

While the Japanese army was hurriedly landing on the sandy beach of Daecheon and the nearby mudflats, the sky lit up brightly with loud explosions.

“Flares!”

“Flares!”

The Japanese soldiers, who had been proceeding with the landing while maintaining minimal lighting, were thrown into chaos by the suddenly brightened sky.

Kato stared at the brightly shining sky with a stiff face.

“Unless the fools couldn’t stand it and set them off, the Imperial bastards must have fired them. The problem is…”

Kato turned his head towards Boryeong. Staring at Boryeong, which was shrouded in deep darkness, Kato continued.

“The Imperial bastards were bound to realize that we were landing anyway. The problem is the state of readiness of the Imperial bastards who have taken up defensive positions…”

Before Kato could finish speaking, fierce gunfire began to be fired from the direction of Boryeong.

Tutatatang! Tutatatang!

“Aaaagh!”

The Japanese soldiers, who were trying to cross the sandy beach and climb onto solid ground, began to fall like bundles of straw under the hail of bullets.

Tang! Tang! Tang!

Seeing their comrades in the lead falling like straw, the Japanese soldiers following behind hid on the sandy beach and the coastal dunes and pulled the trigger towards the place where the firing flames of the *hwacha* [A type of Korean rocket artillery] were visible.

Kato, seeing the fierce gunfight between the Imperial army and the Japanese army, rather had a bright expression and clenched his fist.

“That’s it! The Imperial bastards weren’t properly prepared!”

The Empire’s ‘cannon love’ was so famous. [Implying the Empire heavily favors cannons.]

If the Empire had been properly prepared, they would have fired cannons first, not *hwacha* like they are now.

“From now on, it’s a battle against time! We will break through the coast before the Imperial bastards fire their cannons! We will break through with perseverance!”

Kato got into the waiting motorboat and headed straight for the coast.

Arriving at the sandy beach, Kato drew his katana, raised it high, and raised his voice.

“Charge! If we cross that coastline, it’s the Empire’s mainland! Charge! If we cross that coastline, wealth and glory await!”

“Uwaaaa!”

At Kato’s encouragement, the Japanese soldiers shouted and began to charge.

The words Kato shouted were made by the Japanese General Headquarters to incite the soldiers before entering the operation.

The Japanese soldiers’ morale was not very good at the thought of attacking the Empire, which was definitely stronger than Japan.

To boost the morale of these soldiers, the General Headquarters told the soldiers this.

-For the future of our country, Japan! We will attack the Empire for your children!

-It’s the Empire’s mainland! If we get our hands on Seoul, we can get our hands on all kinds of wealth and glory! In whose hands? In your hands!

‘Even the neighborhood mongrel in the Empire carries around gold nuggets.’

This was the most famous saying among the sayings that compared the Empire’s affluence.

Therefore, the General Headquarters’ incitement worked properly on the soldiers.

If they made a mistake, a major disaster that would undermine military discipline would occur, but this was not a big problem for the General Headquarters.

Not only the General Headquarters, but also Toyotomi Hideyoshi was the same.

“Just raise morale! If necessary, just execute a few later!”

This was what Hideyoshi said while approving the General Headquarters’ incitement operation.