Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 270

270. Battle of Songhua River (9)

As the musketeers prepared for melee combat, the spear and sword troops maintained their formation, advancing steadily to engage the Huligai infantry.

As the Joseon spear and sword troops began to move, the Huligai cavalry, which had retreated to the left and right, began to wheel their horses around to intercept them.

The distance between the spear and sword troops and the musketeers behind them was widening as they advanced. Although the Joseon spear and sword troops tried their best to maintain their formation, they were gradually becoming scattered.

The Huligai saw an opportunity to exploit that gap and disrupt the formation, hoping their infantry could inflict significant damage.

“Hyah!”

“Haa!”

As the Huligai cavalry drew their curved sabers and charged towards the spear and sword troops, the Joseon cavalry on the hill reacted.

The cavalrymen, having reloaded their long rifles (which were still smoking) into their saddle holsters, drew their cavalry lances and pointed them forward.

“Charge!”

“Waaaah!”

At the commander’s order, the Joseon cavalrymen, gripping their lances, spurred their horses down the hill.

Their target was the Huligai cavalry, who were now presenting their backs to the hill.

The primary objective of the cavalry was to prevent these Huligai cavalrymen from attacking the spear and sword troops.

No matter how thick the armor of the spear and sword troops was, it could not withstand the hooves of charging horses.

These spear and sword soldiers were as valuable as the cavalry; they were not mere cannon fodder.

For the Joseon army, excluding the commanders, only three groups of soldiers wore full-body plate armor:

The Naegeumwi [royal bodyguards], who guarded the king in the palace, the cavalry, and the spear and sword troops.

These men, who relied on full-body armor and fought enemies with only spears and longswords (without shields), were highly valued.

They were carefully selected from the Yuksu Army [the capital garrison], trained meticulously in swordsmanship using longswords, and armored with steel that could withstand arrows and blades. They were the bulwark of the Joseon army.

Because these spear and sword troops were carefully selected, their numbers were limited.

The spear and sword troops belonging to the Hamgyeong Province Army advancing in front and the spear and sword troops belonging to the Pyeongan Province Army coming from the rear constituted the majority of these specialized troops in the Joseon army.

* * *

After the spear and sword troop type was created by Hyang, the commanders, having confirmed its value through various training exercises and mock battles, advocated for creating spear and sword troops on a large scale—tens of thousands of units.

“These people!”

Before Kim Jeom could explode at the military’s proposal, Hyang stepped forward to voice his opposition.

“There are several problems that make large-scale organization impractical.”

“Why is that?”

“Yes, why is that?”

When not only the military but also Sejong [the King] expressed doubts, Hyang explained his reasoning.

“First of all, there is the issue of cost. While it’s true that the cost has decreased as the Anju Ironworks supplies steel in large quantities and the workload has been reduced by using presses, it is still expensive.”

Kim Jeom nodded emphatically, agreeing with the cost concern.

However, the military did not back down easily.

“According to current military tactics, all soldiers wear armor. In particular, the paengbaesu [shield bearers], changsu [spearmen], and geomsu [swordsmen] in charge of defense must wear at least chainmail. We are merging those troop types into spear and sword troops, so the cost will decrease, not increase to the point of being a problem.”

“Of course, that may be the case. However, considering the lifespan of the spear and sword troop type, it costs too much.”

“The lifespan of the troop type? Does the Crown Prince think that the spear and sword troops will soon be obsolete?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Why?”

“Because of the Chongtong [cannons/firearms].”

Hyang paused for a moment and continued his explanation.

“The Gapsik Jangchongtong [a type of long-barreled gun] can penetrate plate armor even from 100 paces (about 120m) away. To borrow a vulgar expression circulating in the marketplace, plate armor in front of the Chongtong is pierced ‘as easily as the paper on the door of a bridal chamber on the first night.'”

“Ahem! Ahem!”

“Cough!”

Sejong and the ministers coughed in unison at Hyang’s expression.

“The scribe….”

Sejong, seeing the scribe already writing enthusiastically, sighed softly and raised an objection.

“Isn’t that because the Gapsik Jangchongtong you made is so excellent?”

“When the Gapsik Jangchongtong appears on the battlefield, the Ming Dynasty will immediately follow suit. Although they may not be able to match the performance of the Gapsik Jangchongtong right away, the performance will be greatly improved compared to the Chongtong they are using now. If such Chongtong are deployed in large numbers, the spear and sword troops will become useless. In my estimation, it will be 30 years at most, 10 years at the shortest.”

Kim Jeom interjected at Hyang’s words.

“Then, isn’t the armor of the cavalry unnecessary as well?”

“Don’t the cavalry have horses? Of course, the cavalry will eventually take off their armor as well.”

“Hmm….”

Sejong, the ministers, and the commanders of the military pondered with serious faces at Hyang’s explanation.

Hyang’s explanation was too realistic to be dismissed as mere speculation. They were certain that if they knew of the existence of the Gapsik Jangchongtong, Ming would follow suit.

Joseon also secretly acquired or copied weapons used by the Ming Dynasty if there were good ones among them.

While everyone was contemplating, a young commander from the military asked Hyang.

“Then, why did the Crown Prince create the spear and sword troops?”

“Because they will definitely be worth it for those 10 to 30 years. If we face the Jurchens and the Japanese pirates right now, they will be most effective.”

“Ah….”

* * *

As a result, the number of spear and sword troops organized did not exceed 5,000. Among them, 4,000 were divided into two and deployed in Hamgyeong Province and Pyeongan Province.

And through this battle, the spear and sword troops were clearly proving their value.

So the cavalry intervened to prevent their needless loss.

* * *

The Joseon cavalry, using the momentum gained from riding down the hill, increased their speed and charged into the Huligai cavalry with their cavalry lances leveled.

“Damn!”

“Joseon soldiers!”

The Huligai cavalry fell into confusion as the Joseon cavalry charged in.

Forgetting the Joseon cavalry on the hill was a critical mistake.

However, the Huligai cavalry, from the commander to the lowest ranks, were not thinking clearly.

Normally, the commander of the Huligai cavalry would have deployed troops to counter the Joseon cavalry on the hill.

However, the shelling from the Bigyeokjincheonle [a type of mortar] and the shooting of the musketeers and cavalry had rattled them.

On top of that, they were desperate to break through the Joseon army and head north. In the end, the commanders lost their composure and exposed their backs and flanks to the Joseon cavalry.

* * *

The Joseon cavalry, having sprinted at full speed, thrust their lances in unison.

Skilled cavalrymen aimed for the Jurchen cavalrymen on horseback, but many aimed for the horses themselves.

Heeheeing!

The horses of the Jurchen cavalrymen, fatally wounded by the lances of the Joseon cavalrymen, screamed and fell to the ground.

The Jurchen cavalrymen, who had quickly jumped from their saddles, had to roll desperately on the ground.

If they were even a little slow, they would be hit or trampled by the hooves of the Joseon cavalrymen and lose their lives.

Among the Jurchen cavalrymen who lost their horses, a few brave ones tried to grab and pull down the Joseon cavalrymen, but they were quickly impaled by the lances of the charging Joseon cavalrymen.

Therefore, the Jurchen cavalrymen who lost their horses had to roll desperately to survive.

It was disadvantageous to take such risks when outnumbered, and the Joseon cavalrymen were not easy opponents.

The Joseon cavalrymen ignored the Jurchen cavalrymen who had lost their horses and rushed at the Jurchen cavalrymen who were still mounted, drawing their Six-Blood Steed Pistols [a type of pistol] and cavalry swords.

The Jurchen cavalrymen on horseback were the real threat.

The Jurchens and horses were inseparable. However, saddles were expensive, and most Jurchens were accustomed to riding horses bareback from a young age.

The problem was that to ride a horse without a saddle, you had to grip the horse’s body tightly with both legs.

Living that way during their formative years, the leg bones of most Jurchen men became deformed.

Therefore, Jurchens without horses had almost no mobility, and the Joseon cavalrymen ignored them.

Dealing with the fallen Jurchen cavalrymen could be done later, or it could be left to the infantry.

The Jurchen cavalrymen who were still on horseback were the priority.

* * *

While the Joseon cavalry and the Huligai cavalry were engaged in close combat, the spear and sword troops were also clashing with the Huligai infantry.

“These crazy….”

“They’re insane….”

The spear and sword troops, holding their spears and advancing at the front, cursed under their breath.

The eyes of the Jurchens running towards them were filled with madness.

Even more surprising was that most of the Jurchens were shirtless.

The Jurchens, their eyes wild and chests bare, were charging towards them with curved sabers or axes in their hands.

* * *

It was the Singijeon [a type of rocket arrow] and Bigyeokjincheonle, or rather, the Bigyeokjincheonle, that had driven the Huligai infantry into this frenzy.

The Huligai infantry had somehow endured the Singijeon by using armor and shields.

However, shields and armor were useless against the Bigyeokjincheonle.

Every time there was an explosion in the air, many of their comrades were covered in blood and died or were seriously injured and collapsed.

Witnessing such carnage, the Huligai infantry looked ahead.

There was no attack from that damned fire bomb where the cavalry was.

“Then….”

Running at full speed, the Huligai infantry threw away their shields and discarded their armor.

In a situation where they had to run as fast as possible, useless armor and shields were just cumbersome burdens.

All that mattered now was a weapon to kill the Joseon bastards blocking their path.

If they could break through those Joseon bastards, everything would be resolved!

Only this thought remained in the minds of the charging Huligai infantry.

They gave no thought to what would happen next.

* * *

“Those damn bastards are begging to die! Grant their wish!”

At the shouts of the commanders, the spear and sword troops at the very front gripped their spears even tighter.

“First row! Thrust!”

“Yap!”

“Chat!”

As soon as the commander’s order was given, the spear and sword troops in the first row thrust their spears into the chests of the Jurchens with shouts and immediately retracted them.

The simple awl-shaped spearhead facilitated quick retrieval.

“Keuk!”

“Kkeuek!”

Those who were stabbed in vital areas fell to the ground with a scream. However, the Jurchens who were stabbed in non-vital areas grabbed the spear shafts.

At that moment, the commander of the spear and sword troops shouted.

“Second and third rows, advance!”

“Waaaah!”

Through the gaps created between the spear and sword troops in the first row, the spear and sword troops in the second and third rows jumped forward, holding their longswords high.

The spear and sword troops who jumped out immediately severed the necks of the Jurchens who were holding onto the spears and swung their swords at the Jurchens running behind them.

Clang! Clang!

Soon after, a fierce melee erupted with the loud sound of swords clashing from all directions.

Although the Huligai infantry suffered heavy losses due to the shelling of the Singijeon and Bigyeokjincheonle during the assault, their number was still around 5,000, while the Joseon spear and sword troops facing them numbered only 2,000.

However, the situation on the battlefield was even, or rather, the Joseon army was gradually gaining the upper hand.

The biggest reason was that the morale of the Huligai infantry was greatly diminished due to the Singijeon and Bigyeokjincheonle.

And by discarding their armor, the Huligai infantry had left themselves defenseless.

However, with madness replacing their diminished morale, the Huligai infantry charged in like berserkers.

In this chaotic battle, those who were new to the spear and sword troops found themselves in a difficult situation.

Although they were familiar with the swordsmanship they had learned through rigorous training and sparring, they were constantly in danger as they faced the overwhelming bloodlust in actual combat.

In the end, in order to win and survive, they took out other weapons they had prepared in advance.

The weapons they took out were sickles and axes.