Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 22

Extracurricular Story 22. 1592 Southern Sea Battle. (22)

“Admiral Ryujo sunk….”

The communications officer’s voice, reporting to Kuki Yoshitaka, was as exhausted and lifeless as his expression.

A staff officer, after locating the Ryujo on the fleet formation chart on the wall and marking it with a sinking symbol, reported to Kuki.

“The carrier group is annihilated.”

“Hoo~.”

Kuki, after letting out a long sigh at the staff officer’s report, lamented,

“A terrible situation indeed.”

Next to him, Maeda asked Kuki,

“I’m from the army, so my knowledge of warships is limited, but I know that large warships rarely sink from just one or two torpedoes. Is there a problem?”

At Maeda’s question, Kuki replied with a deeply troubled expression.

“It’s a problem brought about by the ‘Lost 30 Years.’”

“Lost 30 Years?”

* * *

The estrangement between the Empire and Japan had begun some time ago.

As the two countries drifted apart, military technology exchanges and design service agreements, which had previously been quite smooth, increasingly fell through.

However, it was Oda Nobunaga who dealt the decisive blow to this relationship.

‘Japan is Japan!’

‘What Japan needs comes from the minds and hands of the Japanese people!’

‘Let’s break away from the Empire’s shadow!’

Oda, who advocated for Japan’s ‘self-reliance,’ chose a very extreme method.

“How long will we use weapons made by the Empire! We must create weapons and tactics that suit Japan and the Japanese people!”

With this declaration, Oda severed military technology exchanges with the Empire.

The most troubled by this was the Japanese Navy.

“Without the Empire’s help, we cannot build warships with excellent performance!”

The Navy protested, but Oda firmly pushed forward with his intentions.

“Be prepared for trial and error! That too is experience!”

“The waste of time and money is too great!”

“The waste of time and money is too great?”

Oda strongly pressured the Japanese Navy.

“What has the Navy been doing until now? Even if the Empire did the design, the construction was done in Japan! Are you saying the Navy gained nothing in the process!”

“That’s not it, but….”

“I won’t accept excuses!”

Thus, the Japanese Navy reluctantly began its own independent design and construction.

Oda hadn’t pushed forward without any thought.

“We can establish a foundation in about 10 years, 20 years at most. If there are still shortcomings then, we can get help from Europe or Ming [the Ming Dynasty, a Chinese dynasty]. Then we can be in a similar position to the Empire within 30 years.”

The problem was that Oda was assassinated without telling anyone his true intentions.

Toyotomi, who succeeded Oda as the supreme ruler, was also unaware of Oda’s true intentions, and the fact that he was from the army and didn’t know the navy well only worsened the situation.

-The best warship is simply one with a large and powerful cannon.

-The weapons Japan uses must come from the minds of the Japanese people.

This was Toyotomi’s thinking.

Due to these twists and turns, Japan’s shipbuilding technology inevitably lagged behind the Empire by more than two generations.

Of course, the Japanese Navy wasn’t stupid either, so they tried to fill in the gaps by secretly working with Ming and Europe, avoiding Oda and Toyotomi’s eyes.

However, Ming and Europe were also just looking up to the Empire.

Moreover, no one was willing to give away top-tier technology and knowledge when they were ahead of Japan but behind the Empire.

This is how the term ‘Lost 30 Years’ came to circulate among the Japanese Navy.

And now, they were paying the price.

With only warships built on concepts that the Empire had already discarded 20 years ago, Japan had no choice but to be thoroughly defeated by the Imperial Navy.

To the point where the word ‘helpless’ was fitting.

* * *

“So, the result of spending 30 years as a ‘frog in a well’ [an idiom for someone with a limited perspective] is the current situation?”

“That’s right.”

“Hoo~.”

Maeda let out a long sigh at Kuki’s answer.

“Is this a situation with no way out….”

At Maeda’s words, Kuki silently nodded.

While Kuki and Maeda were at a loss for words due to the more bleak situation than expected, the communications officer came in to report.

“Another dispatch from the landing force! ‘Requesting artillery support! What is Maeda doing!’ It came in plain text.”

“In plain text? The situation must be bad. How many requests is this now?”

Kuki immediately answered Maeda’s question.

“The third.”

“The third, huh….”

Maeda stopped speaking and examined the situation map hanging on the wall.

The situation, compiled based on communications from Konishi and Kato, was the worst.

‘Their future is at stake. No matter how bad the situation is, they have to insist it’s the best possible. For them to be begging for help like this means it’s already over. But….’

Maeda turned to look at Kuki.

“Can we support the coast with the main guns of the remaining battleships and cruisers?”

“Cruisers might be able to, but battleships are impossible.”

“Why?”

“If battleships fire their main guns, they become defenseless.”

The main guns of battleships caused tremendous noise and backblast, commensurate with their power.

Therefore, when a battleship fired its main guns, all the sailors outside, starting with the anti-aircraft batteries, had to evacuate inside the ship.

In the current situation, where Imperial torpedo boats and destroyers were rampaging under the cover of night, battleships would be left exposed after firing their main guns.

“…Therefore, we cannot use the main guns of battleships now. No, with the current night conditions, artillery support is impossible for both battleships and cruisers.”

Operating reconnaissance and observation aircraft was essential to eliminate Imperial artillery units positioned behind the coast.

However, operating reconnaissance and observation aircraft was impossible at night.

Artillery fire targeting the enemy on the coast was possible, but the allies were being battered on the coast right now.

After listening to Kuki’s explanation, Maeda ran his hand over his face.

“Phew~. Frustrating, frustrating.”

Maeda, who could only wash his face dry in a situation where he could neither advance nor retreat, closed his mouth and began to think deeply about something.

‘Anyone can see that the landing has failed. The Empire will surely retaliate…. If the Empire lands….’

“The sea is the problem….”

Maeda, muttering words that were hard to understand, asked Kuki.

“The Empire will definitely try to strike Japan, right?”

“It wouldn’t be the Empire if they stayed still.”

“Is it possible to defend with the naval power remaining in the homeland?”

“It would be better to pray for a divine wind (神風) [Kamikaze, a divine wind believed to protect Japan].”

“…”

At Kuki’s answer, Maeda closed his mouth again and began to ponder.

‘I see what you’re thinking.’

Kuki knew what Maeda was thinking, but he didn’t speak first.

‘I can’t be the protagonist of a Pyrrhic victory [a victory won at too great a cost].’

The story of ‘Pyrrhic victory’ came from an anecdote about Cao Cao fighting against Liu Bei.

At that time, Yang Xiu, who understood the meaning of Cao Cao’s words, ordered a retreat, causing the entire Cao Cao army to become a mess, and Cao Cao held him responsible and executed Yang Xiu.

In the current situation, if Kuki suggested a retreat, Maeda would definitely jump at it.

However, if that happened, Kuki would definitely take all the blame in the blame game that was sure to follow.

‘It’s better to die here or become a prisoner. Incompetence is better than betrayal.’

On the other hand, Maeda wanted Kuki to speak first.

‘I’m the supreme commander, but I’m from the army. Therefore, it’s better for the naval commander to step forward. That way, I’ll have something to say later….’

Both men were silently waiting for the other to speak first.

It was the communications officer who broke this silence.

“Cruiser Amagi sunk!”

Kuki was horrified and stood up from his seat.

“Even the Amagi!”

The Amagi was the cruiser closest to the Yamato, his flagship.

This meant that even the Yamato was now within the Empire’s attack range. And, in other words, the Japanese fleet now only had battleships and cruisers left. And, if the remaining warships became scrap metal, the sea route to Japan would be open.

Kuki turned to look at Maeda. Seeing Kuki’s expression, Maeda let out a long sigh.

“Haa~. Admiral.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Can we break through and return with the remaining forces?”

“It’s possible now. But it will be impossible when it gets light.”

“Haa~. This….”

At Kuki’s urging, Maeda let out a long sigh and looked at the situation map.

In the end, Maeda had no choice but to make a decision.

“Let’s break through and return. We must protect Japan.”

“We will protect Japan from the Empire’s blade with a do-or-die attitude.”

Kuki, answering Maeda’s words, ordered the staff officers.

“Break through and retreat.”

“Yes, sir!”

“But, what about the landing forces left on the beach?”

At the staff officer’s question, Maeda closed his eyes and answered.

“Let the field commander decide at their discretion.”

“…I will relay the message.”

After sorting out the situation, Maeda, looking exhausted, got up from his seat.

“I want to rest for a while.”

“Understood.”

After sending Maeda out, Kuki began to plan the breakthrough operation with the staff officers.

With the hope that ‘we can survive if we do well,’ the staff officers’ minds began to race like never before.

* * *

Meanwhile, Konishi, who was stranded on the coastline, couldn’t contain his anger at the news from the transport ship.

“What? ‘Fleet retreat’? ‘Leave the decision to me’? Have I ever seen such irresponsible people!”

Konishi, unable to contain his anger, punched the trench wall with his fist and slumped down, covering his head.

“What should I do….”

“Your Excellency….”

“I’ve been abandoned….”

“That’s right, Your Excellency.”

In the end, Konishi, who had become the ‘discarded piece’ he had expected to be the worst-case scenario, looked up at the ceiling with a gloomy expression.

Konishi, who was just blankly listening to the explosions of fireballs and the screams of soldiers still erupting all around, ordered his staff officer.

“Raise the white flag.”

“Surrender?”

“What else is there to do?”

“…Understood.”

At Konishi’s order, the staff officers raised a white flag on the trench roof and summoned messengers to deliver the order.

“…So, stop the unnecessary engagement and raise the white flag.”

“Understood.”

Konishi, who was sitting on one side listening to the staff officer’s orders, chuckled and muttered.

“Engagement? Was there an engagement?”

‘There was only unilateral mockery.’

As the white flag was raised from the trench where Konishi was staying, white flags soon began to rise here and there, and the sound of gunfire and artillery fire began to subside.

The same was true in the area commanded by Kato.

Kato, lying down with bandages wrapped around his head, cursed at the white flag fluttering above his head.

“Chikusho! Toyotomi, you monkey-like bastard!”

* * *

Leaving the allies who had landed on the coast behind, the Japanese Navy began to prepare for a breakthrough.

With the still-intact battleships at the forefront, the slightly damaged ships in the middle, and the heavily damaged ships on the outermost edge.

Even during the breakthrough, the Empire’s attacks would continue, and it was a ruthless arrangement to throw the ships that had lost their combat power and could not be deployed to defend the homeland as bait.

After confirming that the deployment was complete, Kuki stretched his hand forward and shouted.

“Breakthrough!”

“Breakthrough!”