Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 269

269. Battle of Songhua River (8)

“Ready spears! Defend against arrows!”

As soon as the commander’s order rang out, the spearmen and swordsmen at the very front of the Joseon army formation simultaneously braced themselves, securing their upright spears against their right shoulders.

The way they held their spears was quite peculiar. Their right arms, bent at an ‘L’ shape, firmly gripped the middle of the spear, while their left arms, raised to face level, guarded their faces as they held the upper part of the spear.

Amidst the soldiers taking their stances, shouts from officers and veterans erupted.

“Keep your eyes forward! Don’t look up at the sky to watch the arrows, or you’ll get one stuck in your eye!”

“How much space between your left arm and helmet? Just enough to see slightly outside! If you’re nervous, put your left arm right under the helmet’s brim! Don’t hold it loosely, or you’ll really lose an eye to a stray arrow!”

“Trust your armor and helmet! There’s a reason it’s so damn heavy!”

As the shouts of commanders and veterans echoed from all directions, the arrows fired by the Hūliγai cavalry began to rain down from the sky.

Clatter! Thud! Clang! Rip!

The arrows that poured down like rain struck the upright spears, scattering in all directions with loud noises.

Feeling the vibrations through the spear shaft, the spearmen clenched their teeth and gripped the shaft even tighter.

The noise and vibration of the arrows hitting the spears were eerie, but the vibrations and noise of the arrows hitting and bouncing off helmets and armor—especially the sound of the green cotton cloth covering the iron armor tearing—were even more unsettling.

“Agh! My eye!”

Just as they were using their bodies to block the rain of arrows, an unwelcome scream burst out.

“You bastard! That’s why I told you to cover properly! Drag that guy away and fill his spot!”

Fortunately for the other spearmen, very few soldiers were injured and retreated.

“Damn it! If I survive this battlefield, I’ll bow three times a day towards the Crown Prince’s palace! May His Royal Highness live a long life!”

The spearmen nodded their heads without realizing it at the veteran’s cry from one side.

* * *

The armor worn by the commanders, cavalry, and spearmen of the Land Defense Army was, of course, another of Hyang’s creations.

Thanks to the ‘ultimate cheat code of 21st-century memories,’ the introduction of press forging significantly reduced the production cost of plate armor.

The supply of steel, the main material, was resolved with the construction of a large steel mill in Anju, and the mass production of armor steadily increased its pace.

The overall design followed Western plate armor, but one part was distinctly different.

It was the helmet.

Western-style helmets, which completely covered the entire head, were not suitable for the Joseon climate. [Joseon was the historical Korean kingdom from the 14th century to the late 19th century.]

Joseon’s summers were unbearably hot, and its winters were unbearably cold.

Of course, it wasn’t that Europe didn’t have summers and winters, but it wasn’t to the same extent as Joseon. Although they could have borrowed European methods and used various tricks, Hyang, who had served in the military in the 21st century, shook his head.

“Soldiers hate troublesome things from the genetic level. You want to create more work? None of the soldiers will do it properly.”

Therefore, Hyang created a new helmet based on the *cheomju* (簷冑, helmet with a brim).

Overall, the size of the brim was increased, and despite having a *hohang* (護項, neck guard) made through plate work, a *deureom* (drape) was added to cover the left, right, and back of the head.

Of course, he did not forget to secure defensive power by fixing iron plates to the inside of the drape with rivets.

The brim of the *cheomju* shielded the strong sunlight in the summer, and by raising and tying the left and right drapes, some heat could be released.

In addition, since the size of the helmet and drape was generous, in winter, a cotton-padded hat could be worn, and the drape could be carefully wrapped around the head to protect it from the cold.

* * *

“Damn it!”

The Hūliγai cavalry, who were firing arrows at the Joseon spearmen, simultaneously cursed without exception.

It was because they had seen with their own eyes that the arrows they had shot with all their might were not causing much damage.

Several of the Joseon spearmen, standing like scarecrows, had fallen, but their places were quickly filled. And the Joseon spearmen were steadfastly guarding the defensive line.

Seeing that the Joseon spearmen’s defensive line was solid, the Hūliγai cavalry glanced back.

Their tribal brothers were still rushing forward, even as they continued to fall amidst the Joseon army’s damn fire bomb barrage.

Seeing this, the cavalry gritted their teeth and looked forward.

They couldn’t retreat.

The moment they turned their horses’ heads, they would become entangled with the brothers rushing from behind and become food for those damn fire bombs.

There was only one answer.

They had to charge, ready to die, and stick an arrow into the faces of those Joseon soldiers.

The only answer was to make those faces bloody with direct shots at close range, not curved shots from afar, and then immediately move to the side.

If they shook the formation like that, the brothers following behind would thoroughly repay what they had suffered so far.

“Hiya! Ha!”

“Giddy up!”
The cavalry shouted and spurred their horses.

* * *

“The long rifles will be in range soon.”

The spearmen commanders, gauging the distance to the approaching Hūliγai cavalry, shouted in unison.

“Kneel! *Dae Majin* (對馬陣, Anti-Horse Formation)!”

As soon as the commanders’ orders were issued, the spearmen immediately knelt on their right knees, extended their long spears diagonally forward, and shouted.

“Form ranks!”

The spearheads of the long spears extended by the spearmen were aimed at the chests and heads of the approaching horses.

The long spears held by the spearmen were literally long spears, measuring 1 *jang* 5 *cheok* (approximately 4.5 meters) in length. [Jang and cheok are traditional Korean units of measurement.]

The front line of the Joseon army formation had turned into a wall full of thorns.

If the spearmen had turned into a thorny wall, the riflemen were in charge of the attack.

“First rank! Ready rifles! Aim!”

As soon as the spearmen, who had been blocking their view, lowered their bodies, the commanders of the riflemen shouted in unison.

Simultaneously with the commanders’ orders, the riflemen in the first rank raised and aimed their rifles.

“Fire!”

Bang!

With a loud noise, the first rank of riflemen was engulfed in smoke. However, the smoke was swept away by the blowing wind.

The riflemen, receiving newly loaded long rifles from their comrades behind them, aimed at their targets again.

“Fire!”

Bang!

* * *

Under the concentrated fire of the riflemen, the leading group of Hūliγai cavalry, who were charging, began to collapse.

The Hūliγai cavalry, who had fallen from their horses or had fallen to the ground with their horses, were helplessly struck by the bullets that followed.

The continuous concentrated fire shattered the Hūliγai cavalry’s will to charge.

Eventually, the Hūliγai cavalry split to the left and right about 70 *jang* (approximately 200 meters) away from the Joseon army formation.

The plan was to avoid the attack by splitting to the left and right and simultaneously fire arrows.

It was a tactic that had been instinctively engraved in the history of struggle that had continued for a long time from the Liao and Jin dynasties, and even to the Mongols and Ming.

However, the Hūliγai cavalry had forgotten the presence of the Joseon cavalry positioned on the flanks.

* * *

As the Hūliγai cavalry, split to the left and right, came within range, the Joseon cavalry drew the long rifles they had stuck in their saddles.

“Aim! Fire!”

Bang!

The hill where the cavalry was positioned momentarily disappeared and reappeared in the smoke from the long rifles fired by the cavalry.

After firing, the cavalrymen took out powder pouches from the small bags they were carrying, tore off the bottom with their teeth, and poured the gunpowder into the barrel. Then, they began to push the powder pouch into the barrel with a ramrod.

The powder pouch contained both gunpowder and ammunition.

The ammunition, which was precisely sized to maximize the effect of the rifling, was difficult to load, but the oil paper pouch, made with plenty of soybean oil, made loading the bullets easy.

The Joseon cavalry, who had finished reloading by replacing even the percussion cap with familiar hand movements, aimed at the Hūliγai cavalry and all thought the same thing.

‘Come to think of it… it’s not often that we continuously fire long rifles at Jurchen guys on horseback, is it?’

Usually, after firing a long rifle, they would immediately charge with a cavalry spear, or they would hold a six-shot horse pistol in one hand and a cavalry scimitar in the other, and engage in close combat. That was the general cavalry battle.

It was rare to sit on a saddle and leisurely fire long rifles continuously.

While the Hūliγai cavalry, who were shot from the front and flanks, collapsed like a sandcastle swept away by seawater, the infantry, who had made a death sprint, approached the Joseon army formation.

The spearmen commander, seeing the sight, sent a hand signal to the riflemen commander.

The riflemen commander, after confirming the hand signal, shouted loudly.

“Cease fire!”

“Cease fire! Stand rifles!”

At the shouts of the commanders and mid-level officers, the riflemen stopped firing and stood their rifles upright.

As the riflemen stopped firing, avoiding the risk of friendly fire, the spearmen commanders ordered their subordinates.

“Everyone, stand up!”

At the commanders’ orders, the spearmen stood up from their positions, relying on their spears.

“Second rank! Third rank! Draw swords!”

At the commanders’ orders, the spearmen in the second and third ranks drew their swords in unison.

It was a real *janggeom* (長劍, long sword) with a length from the blade tip to the handle end reaching up to an adult male’s chest.

* * *

In the early days when Hyang was acquiring Western books from Ming, he discovered a peculiar book among the Western books brought by the envoy.

“Why is this here?”

What Hyang discovered was a longsword fencing manual published in Germany.

Even the envoys who had purchased the book were unaware that it was a fencing manual. They had simply gone on a shopping spree from Ming merchants.

“So… why is this fencing manual, compiled by this unknown swordsman, in Ming….”

Hyang, who was examining the book from side to side, was able to understand the reason after seeing the sentence written on the very last page of the book.

-The swordsmanship of the Westerners is full of murderous intent, so it is not good for *sudo* (修道, spiritual practice). Therefore, the descendants of noble families should not look at or learn this swordsmanship.

“So… because they were told not to learn it, they just sold it off? But, noble families? Could it be Namgung?”

In any case, now that the fencing manual had come in, Hyang immediately went into full-on *deokjil* (덕질, being a passionate fan). [Deokjil refers to intense, often obsessive, fandom or hobbyism.]

Hyang, who translated the book written in medieval German into Chinese characters as much as possible, searched for someone who was good at swordsmanship. And he found the best person in the closest place, who was the captain of the Royal Guard.

The captain of the Royal Guard, who examined the fencing manual at Hyang’s request, gave an unexpected answer.

“If there is a sword that matches this swordsmanship, it could become a quite useful sword technique.”

“What do you think about teaching it to the Royal Guards or *gapsa* (甲士, elite soldiers)?”

The captain of the Royal Guard, who pondered for a moment at Hyang’s words, soon nodded his head.

“I think it would be good. There are those who have learned swordsmanship from prestigious martial families or renowned masters, but not all of them are like that.”

In this way, the captain of the Royal Guard and Hyang joined forces to make longsword fencing a Joseon military swordsmanship.

And the result was the longswords held by the spearmen.

* * *

“Right *geo geom* (右据劍, sword at the right)!”

The spearmen, who had drawn their longswords, placed their swords on their right shoulders and glared forward.

“First rank! *Chung* (衝, thrust)!”

“Thrust!”

At the commander’s order, the spearmen in the first rank shouted loudly as they thrust their long spears forward in unison.

The commander, after confirming the condition of the first rank, soon shouted loudly.

“Advance!”

Thud! Thud!

With heavy footsteps, the spearmen maintained their formation and narrowed the distance with the Hūliγai infantry running in front.

The riflemen commanders, who were watching the scene from behind, raised their voices.

“Riflemen! *Chongchang* (銃槍, bayonet)!”

At the commanders’ shouts, the riflemen turned the bayonet scabbards hanging on their left backsides upside down.

The joint of the bayonet blade, which was in the bayonet scabbard due to gravity, came right into their left hands.

“Combine!”

The riflemen, who had pulled out the bayonet, inserted the connecting part into the hook protruding from the muzzle of the long rifle and turned it.

The riflemen, who had combined the bayonet with the long rifle, stood their rifles upright and shouted loudly.

“Combine!”(Note 1)

In this way, the riflemen were prepared for any possible close combat and watched the situation.

* * *

Note 1) Those who want to see this process in video should watch ‘Zulu’ made in 1964.