Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 25

Extraneous Story 25. The 1592 Southern Sea War. (25)

“Ha!”

Lee Ju, after receiving and reading the Japanese state letter, was so dumbfounded that he let out a rough breath.

“I can’t tell if this is a state letter from a country or the nonsense of a madman.”

Lee Ju’s blunt criticism was met with nods from the Prime Minister and other high-ranking officials.

Of course, there was someone who tried to object amidst all this.

“Your Majesty, I hesitate to speak, but it is nominally a state letter from a country. And the historians are recording Your Majesty’s words and actions….”

“Humph!”

Lee Ju scoffed at the Minister of Education’s remark.

“So? Are you suggesting I should say, ‘The content of this state letter is no different from a dog barking’ [a crude insult]?”

“That’s not what I meant….”

“Tsk!”

The situation ended with Lee Ju clicking his tongue. The Minister of Education, with his neck stuck out like a turtle, did not open his mouth again. No, he couldn’t.

It was because of the unspoken rebukes pouring in from around him.

Lee Ju, who had silenced the Minister of Education, announced his decision.

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs should convey this to the Japanese ambassador: ‘The Empire will decide how to end this situation, as Japan decided how to start it.'”

“I shall obey your command.”

“Convey exactly what I said. Don’t twist it this way and that, pretending to be elegant. This is already a polite way of putting it.”

“…I shall do so.”

Having delivered the content of the reply, Lee Ju moved on to the next matter.

“In the process of suppressing this recent Japanese disturbance, Admiral Yi Sun-sin, commander of the 3rd Mobile Fleet, has made a very great contribution. Without his command, it would have been difficult to suppress the disturbance quickly. Therefore, prepare to award meritorious services, starting with Yi Sun-sin.”

“I shall obey your command.”

As it was a reasonable matter, no one opposed it.

“Following what I said last time, I will entrust Yi Sun-sin with full authority to conquer Japan.”

“…I shall obey your command.”

“Is your reply late? Do you have anything else to say?”

“…No, I do not.”

“Then let us hand over the command to Yi Sun-sin.”

“I shall obey your command.”

Having already received a ‘meaningful’ warning once, no one opposed Lee Ju’s decision.

* * *

The next day, the Vice Minister of National Defense visited Lee Ju, replacing the Minister of National Defense who was under house arrest.

“This is Yi Sun-sin’s report regarding the recent Japanese disturbance.”

“Let’s see….”

Lee Ju, having received the report from the Vice Minister, read it carefully.

“A very satisfactory report. It would be wonderful if all reports were written like this, but that is not the case…. Tsk, tsk….”

As Lee Ju clicked his tongue, the Vice Minister of National Defense became turtle-necked and replied.

“Indeed, that is so.”

“After this matter is over, make several copies of this report and send them to the training facilities for officials and other government offices. It is a very good example.”

“I shall do so.”

The Vice Minister, having replied to Lee Ju’s order, sighed inwardly.

‘There will be wailing and lamenting in the future….’

As Lee Ju had praised, Yi Sun-sin’s report was very clean.

Unnecessary flowery language was not used at all, and only the necessary content was written clearly, accurately, and without exaggeration.

The part where ‘wailing’ would occur was the list of those who had rendered distinguished service in the ‘Christmas Disturbance’.

From the lowest-ranking soldiers to the highest-ranking commanders, the names of those who had performed meritorious deeds were recorded without a single omission, and how they had performed their services was also recorded in full.

If one were to examine only this list, there would be no room for complaints in the awarding of meritorious services.

The problem was that, in other words, the commanders who had to submit reports to Yi Sun-sin would have to suffer greatly.

This was because they had to check the contents of the reports submitted by the lower-ranking commanders, cross-verify whether the contents were accurate, and then create a document and submit it to Yi Sun-sin.

And that too, within three days.

And Lee Ju had decided that the level of reports he would receive had to be at the level of Yi Sun-sin’s report.

“Then let us proceed with the rewards according to the contents written in this report.”

“I shall do so.”

“Do not forget to copy it and send it to other departments as well.”

“I shall obey your command.”

The Vice Minister of National Defense, having left the Geunjeongjeon Hall [main hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace], looked at the sky and sighed.

“Now the Ministry of National Defense will become the enemy of all other departments….”

Later, the officials of the Ministry of National Defense, having heard this through rumors, opened their mouths with a resigned expression.

“When were we not the enemy….”

“I know, right? The Ministry of Economy and Finance, in particular, treats us like mortal enemies whenever they see us. What’s new about that?”

* * *

Even while preparations for awarding meritorious services were being carried out step by step, matters related to the conquest of Japan were also proceeding in parallel.

The first thing that happened was the personnel reshuffle of the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Starting with the Minister of National Defense, the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, and the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Naval Headquarters, many generals and senior officers were dismissed from their positions, taking responsibility for the ‘Christmas Disturbance’.

The ‘meteor shower’ that Lee Ju had mentioned had occurred.

As new people took these vacant positions, a kind of generational shift took place in the Ministry of National Defense and the Imperial Army.

“Many people know of your excellence. I will trust only in you.”

The newly appointed officials replied in voices so loud that the Geunjeongjeon Hall echoed, to Lee Ju’s words of blessing.

“Chief of Staff of the Army, Shin Rip! I will do my best!”

“Chief of Staff of the Army, Kwon Yul, I will do my best!”

“Chief of Naval Operations, Park Hong, I will do my best!”

“I will look forward to it.”

Following them, the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Naval Headquarters were newly filled.

Looking at this in detail, it could be seen that the ‘Air Carrier Faction’ had made significant inroads into the naval staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the staff of the Naval Headquarters.

Amidst the chaotic atmosphere caused by the personnel reshuffle, the planning proposal for the ‘Japan Conquest Plan’ written by Yi Sun-sin was submitted.

And Gyeongbokgung Palace, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff were once again turned upside down.

* * *

The summary of the operational plan submitted by Yi Sun-sin was as follows:

-Mobilize the maximum available naval power to suppress the remaining forces of the Japanese Navy and coastal defenses.

-Afterward, land the army and seize key areas of Japan, including Yamaguchi, to receive their surrender.

As it was a very orthodox plan, no one found fault with it.

However, the following was the problem.

-Considering the time required to prepare for the operation, the optimal time to execute the operation is April.

-Until the full-scale operation is carried out, use airships and submarines to destroy Japanese military facilities and trade routes.

It was this operation timing and auxiliary operations that caused the dispute.

The new Chief of Naval Operations, Park Hong, called Yi Sun-sin and asked for the reason.

“Isn’t April too late?”

“No, it is not.”

The reasons why Yi Sun-sin chose April were as follows:

-The weather is too cold to carry out the operation now. Although Japan is warmer than the Empire, if a landing is attempted at this time, non-combat losses will inevitably increase more than necessary.

-Japan is also sure to be very nervous right now. However, as time passes, they will inevitably become less tense.

“Hmm…. I see.”

Park Hong, nodding at Yi Sun-sin’s explanation, pointed out the next problem.

“There is talk about the auxiliary operations using airships and submarines. It is said that the Admiral is deliberately excluding the battleship forces because he is an ‘Air Carrier Faction’.”

“Not at all. All the battleships currently at the base belong to the 2nd Mobile Fleet. The problem is that most of these battleships suffered serious damage in the recent surprise attack on Jeju Island. The fastest battleship to return to the front line will be in two months. Therefore, it is best to use airships and submarines to weaken Japan’s strength first.”

“I see….”

Park Hong nodded repeatedly at Yi Sun-sin’s explanation.

Looking at the evaluations of Park Hong, he was considered to be closer to an administrator than a military man.

It was with this evaluation that Lee Ju had appointed Park Hong as the Chief of Naval Operations.

-When Yi Sun-sin is fighting in the front, we need a capable person to support him from behind.

From that point of view, Lee Ju thought Park Hong was very suitable, so he appointed him as the Chief of Naval Operations.

“Good, I will submit this to the Joint Chiefs of Staff as is.”

“Thank you.”

However, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or rather Shin Rip, expressed dissatisfaction with this plan.

“No, April? We should be invading Yamaguchi right now, and you say April? No way! Tell him to move up the date!”

Park Hong conveyed this to Yi Sun-sin at Shin Rip’s roar.

However, Yi Sun-sin remained unmoved.

“It cannot be done. It is a major operation to cross the sea and invade. If we do not prepare properly and carry it out, problems will arise.”

Shin Rip exploded at Yi Sun-sin’s refusal.

“Bring Yi Sun-sin here!”

Yi Sun-sin, summoned at Shin Rip’s call, insisted on the impossibility again in front of Shin Rip, and Shin Rip burst into anger.

In this situation, Won Gyun poured oil on the fire.

* * *

Except for being imprisoned, Won Gyun was not suffering any particular hardships.

“I would like to cut off his head right now, but…. The justification is a bit weak. It’s hard to cut off his head just for allowing the surprise attack on Jeju Island. And I think I need to do some more fishing [gathering evidence or support]. My gut feeling isn’t good.”

For this reason, Lee Ju was just leaving Won Gyun alone.

Thanks to this, Won Gyun was well aware of the outside situation even though he was imprisoned. Those belonging to the same battleship faction were passing on various information to Won Gyun.

Won Gyun, hearing the news through his colleagues that Yi Sun-sin and Shin Rip were in conflict, clapped his knees and rejoiced.

“The opportunity to avenge myself has come again!”

Won Gyun, who had cheered, began to write a memorial to be submitted to Shin Rip and Lee Ju.

-If you give me full authority, I can invade Japan and receive their surrender by February.

Shin Rip, having received the memorial sent by Won Gyun, went to see Won Gyun immediately.

“You can invade Japan in February?”

“That is correct.”

“But the battleship power is insufficient. You haven’t forgotten the 2nd Mobile Fleet that you ruined, have you?”

“I am aggrieved about that part. But that is not important now. We can secure enough battleship power. The battleships stationed in Hainan and the battleships belonging to the 1st Mobile Fleet are sufficient.”

“Hmm….”

At Won Gyun’s words, Shin Rip recalled the number of battleships belonging to Hainan and the 1st Mobile Fleet.

“It’s possible….”

Shin Rip was increasingly leaning towards Won Gyun’s plan.

“It looks good. By the way, you said you were aggrieved earlier? What do you mean?”

“I was a victim of Yi Sun-sin’s scheme!”

-Yi Sun-sin is an Air Carrier Faction, and I am a Battleship Faction.

-When I learned of Japan’s ominous movements, Yi Sun-sin drove the battleships to me.

-As more battleships than usual entered Jeju Island, there was a shortage of safe anchorages, and in the end, I had no choice but to anchor in areas that were difficult to defend.

-Even after that, whenever new information came in, Yi Sun-sin conveyed the information in ambiguous sentences, not clear sentences.

-This was to induce me to misjudge.

“…Therefore, I had no choice but to misjudge and allow the surprise attack. I am aggrieved! Your Excellency! Please appoint me as commander! If I become commander, I will take all the battleships of the 1st Mobile Fleet and Hainan and turn Japan into a wasteland!”

Won Gyun’s words satisfied Shin Rip’s heart.

Shin Rip had built his career by dealing with nomads and Russian bandits in Mongolia and the Baikal region, and with bandits hiding in the jungle in Shinji.

Shin Rip had built his career by actively pushing forward in battles based on the overwhelming firepower of the Imperial Army, which was always and everywhere.

Therefore, Shin Rip was not satisfied with Yi Sun-sin’s plan.

But Won Gyun had come up with a plan that suited his taste.

However, Shin Rip did not decide immediately.

“It’s hard to decide on this part right away. I’ll review it a bit more.”

“Your Excellency! Even now, Japan is stepping up its defenses, and time is of the essence!”

“Don’t worry.”

Shin Rip, having returned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, summoned his staff. Among the staff who heard Shin Rip’s story, the army side sided with Won Gyun.

“We’ve experienced the winters of North Asia and the Baikal region, so what’s a winter sea….”

This was the opinion of the Imperial Army staff, and the naval side raised their voices with the battleship faction staff who were still remaining.

In response, the Air Carrier Faction staff tried to protest, but the Battleship Faction staff shut the mouths of the Air Carrier Faction staff by saying this.

“The people are clamoring for the conquest of Japan right now. Does the Navy want to be criticized as being cowardly?”

In the end, Shin Rip called Yi Sun-sin again.

“If we mobilize the forces of the 1st Mobile Fleet and Hainan, do you think it’s possible even in February?”

“It is impossible.”

-The power of the 1st Mobile Fleet has already been factored into the calculation.

-The power of Hainan cannot be excluded. This is because we need to check the Ming [Chinese Dynasty].

-A landing operation in the winter sea will force unnecessary losses on the Imperial Army.

“You’re looking down on the Imperial Army! Do you think the Imperial Army is so weak!”

Shin Rip, who was from the army, exploded at the last point.

“The soldiers of the Imperial Army are not that weak! They have received enough winter training, and their morale is high!”

“Training and morale are not enough to prevent the cold or heat.”

“Shut up! We will execute the operation in February!”

“It is impossible!”

“Then step down! I’ll leave it to Won Gyun! Get out!”

Shin Rip didn’t just say that. He immediately went to the Minister of National Defense to discuss this.

The new Minister of National Defense, having heard Shin Rip’s story, expressed his reluctance.

“I am from the civil service, so I don’t know much about the military. But I know that moving a general like the commander is not an easy task. If it is really necessary, it is the proper course to report directly to His Majesty.”

“Good! I will report directly and get approval!”

Shin Rip, with a dignified gait, went to Lee Ju and suggested the replacement of Yi Sun-sin.

Lee Ju, having heard Shin Rip’s story, put his hand on his forehead.

“A bad move after much deliberation….”