Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 293

293. Kyushu (6)

The greatest factor in the Battle of Chikuzen was the sandbags imported from Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom].

Morimi used the sandbags to divert water from the Iki River, flooding the agricultural land that had become the battlefield.

The plowed fields, prepared for planting rice, quickly absorbed the water, turning the land into a muddy swamp.

The sandbags’ usefulness didn’t stop there. Defensive strongholds were built at key points on the battlefield, encircled by sandbags, where spearmen with long spears and archers waited to intercept the enemy.

It was because of these defensive lines that Mitsushida had said, “It won’t be easy.”

However, Mitsushida couldn’t retreat. Behind the entrenched Ouchi army, in the largest stronghold, Morimi was clearly visible.

Retreating from a battlefield where the enemy leader was present was unthinkable. If he retreated, Mitsushida’s honor would be stained, and the lesser lords following him would likely abandon him and defect to Ouchi.

As an aside, the wars fought by the warlords of Wa [ancient name for Japan] at this time were quite traditional.

An example was the ‘Ikkito,’ a Japanese-style one-on-one duel where warriors would ride out alone, declare their family and name, and engage in combat, much like during the Yuan [Mongol dynasty] and Goryeo [Korean kingdom] allied invasion.

When a Wa general stepped forward before the Yuan-Mongol allied forces with this classical tactic—reminiscent of China’s Three Kingdoms period and the tale of Hwarang Gwanchang [Korean historical figure] in the Korean peninsula—the Yuan-Mongol forces responded with a rain of arrows.

Because of these constraints, Mitsushida had no choice but to push his troops into the mire.

“The Ouchi forces are fewer than expected! A decisive battle! The fate of our clan is at stake, so give it your all!”

Following Mitsushida’s cry, Otomo Mochinao also shouted.

“We must win! If we win, this Kyushu will be ours again!”

However, the soldiers and samurai, their feet sinking in the mud, couldn’t exert their full strength, and arrows rained down on them.

The soldiers who managed to push through the mire and reach the Ouchi army faced long spears thrust at them two or three at a time. Unlike the Shoni and Otomo soldiers, who were stuck in the mud and unable to move properly, the Ouchi and Shibukawa soldiers could put their full strength into their attacks.

The reason they could move so freely was that the sandbag walls prevented water from seeping in, allowing them to fight on relatively dry ground.

While the Shoni and Otomo armies were bogged down by the mire and sandbag defenses, the main force of the Ouchi army, which had departed the previous day and detoured through the foothills, struck the rear of the Shoni-Otomo alliance.

Thus, the battle that took place in Fukae, Chikuzen, ended in victory for the Ouchi-Shibukawa alliance.

* * *

This battle became a major turning point in later history.

Even in the history before Hyang’s intervention, this battle had occurred. However, in that timeline, the Shoni-Otomo alliance emerged victorious.

It wasn’t just a simple victory; Ouchi Morimi was killed in action. With Morimi’s death, an internal conflict erupted over his succession, and Ouchi’s expansion was temporarily halted.

However, with the Ouchi’s victory in this timeline, they firmly secured control of the northern Kyushu region. And the local lords of southern Kyushu were keenly aware of Ouchi’s movements.

* * *

The Shoni clan was in a dire situation due to this defeat. While resisting the Ouchi army’s flanking attack, Mitsushida and his son Suketsugu were killed in action.

While the Shoni clan’s leaders were dying in battle, Otomo Mochinao managed to escape with his retainers by the skin of his teeth.

“Return to Bungo as quickly as possible! Now that we face that damned Ouchi across the border, we must devote all our efforts to defending our castle!”

“Yes, sir!”

“It’s frustrating! So frustrating and infuriating!”

Otomo Mochinao retreated, shedding tears of blood as he led his remaining soldiers.

With the alliance collapsing, the Shoni brothers, Yoshiyori and Noriyori, who had lost their father and brother, had to find a way to escape. The Shoni family’s retainers were deeply concerned about saving their young lord’s children, but there was only one option.

“We will escort them to Tsushima!”

“Please do so.”

The brothers boarded a ship with the surviving retainers and headed for Tsushima Island.

* * *

Although they had won the battle, Morimi didn’t pursue further engagements.

“The lords in the south must be quite enraged. If we continue to advance in this situation, it will be to our detriment.”

Morimi explained the situation to his retainers.

“With this, we hold Kita-Kyushu [northern Kyushu] in our hands. However, our main force is still across the sea. We need to build up more strength.”

“Yes, sir!”

Listening to his retainers’ responses, Morimi turned to survey the battlefield.

Looking at the sandbags, which had been the greatest contributors to this battle, Morimi examined the brigandine [a type of armor] he was wearing.

Touching the several torn marks on the chest of his brigandine, Morimi muttered to himself.

“Monkey business….”

“My lord, what did you say?”

At his retainer’s question, Morimi sighed and replied.

“Hoo~. I said it’s monkey business.”

“Why suddenly monkey business?”

Morimi pointed to the sandbags and replied.

“Look at those sandbags. We’re making sandbags out of high-quality fabric that we should be using for ceremonial robes. And look at this armor. Arrows couldn’t even pierce it. If Joseon, with such capabilities, saw this battle, what would they say? They’d probably say we’re monkeys playing at war.”

“Ah….”

At Morimi’s words, the retainers nodded.

They, too, had seen Joseon’s capabilities in Yunotsu.

The Joseon battleships they had seen in Yunotsu looked large and sturdy. Not only were they massive, but they also had many cannons visible.

And the soldiers operating those battleships were also extraordinary in size. They were basically half a head taller than the samurai who prided themselves on being large. Moreover, their military discipline was strict, and they never panicked. Even the lowest-ranking soldiers knew what they had to do and moved accordingly.

Morimi continued.

“The world is changing, and we are clearly not seeing it. Now we must open our eyes and look outward. We must learn what we can, and we must beg for help even if it means groveling. We need to properly investigate that academy that Mochiyo mentioned last time.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Then let’s prepare to return.”

“Yes, sir!”

While the retainers, responding to Morimi’s command, diligently cleaned up the battlefield and prepared for the return, Morimi sighed as he looked at the setting sun.

“Hoo~. There’s so much to do, but so little time….”

Victorious, Morimi moved busily. The shogunate’s order to ‘subjugate Shoni and Otomo’ was both a justification and a constraint. Having subjugated them according to the order, he had to write and submit a report on the matter. This was tantamount to Ouchi acknowledging that it was under the shogunate.

Gritting his teeth, Morimi wrote and sent the report, helped Kyushu Governor-General Shibukawa Yoshitoshi consolidate his control over Hakata and Chikuzen, and then set out on his return journey.

What greeted Morimi upon his return to Suo after crossing the strait again was Mochiyo, who had come from Iwami.

“Congratulations on your great victory.”

“Thank you.”

“Here is the amount of ore allocated to us from the minerals produced in Iwami.”

“Really? Give it to me quickly!”

Morimi received the report related to the ‘Iwami Silver Mine’ with a delighted expression. Looking at the numbers written in the report, Morimi had a subtle expression mixed with joy and regret.

“The amount of raw ore is considerable. This should more than cover the military expenses incurred. But it’s a shame. If our artisans’ refining skills were only as good as those of Joseon and Ming [Chinese dynasty], we could see even greater profits….”

Clicking his tongue in regret, Morimi gave an order to another retainer.

“Contact the Ming merchants again and ask them to find us some silversmiths. It doesn’t matter if they demand a lot of wealth. If we can get the technology, we can make up for the losses immediately.”

“Yes, sir!”

After giving the order, Morimi unfolded another report.

“You’re asking for cows?”

“Yes.”

“Are you planning to expand the tunnels?”

At Morimi’s question, Mochiyo replied with a troubled expression.

“They are for food.”

“For food?”

At Mochiyo’s answer, Morimi looked at the report again. After checking the numbers written in the report, Morimi looked at Mochiyo.

“Do the Joseon people only eat meat instead of rice?”

“They eat even more rice.”

“Huh….”

* * *

One of the ‘cultural shocks’ that Mochiyo experienced was the Joseon people’s ‘love of meat.’

The Joseon people working in the mines ate meat whenever they had the chance. It wasn’t that the meals provided to them didn’t have any meat at all.

However, the Joseon people ate meat whenever they could.

“I’m feeling a bit weak these days, should we eat some meat?”

“That’s a good idea!”

When one person voiced an opinion, others agreed. Once it was decided, they would immediately pool their money and slaughter a cow.

The sight of the Joseon people eating meat like that was unfamiliar to the Wa people. The Wa people, who could communicate to some extent while working together, asked questions with gestures.

“Aren’t you eating meat too often?”

Whenever they received such questions, the Joseon people’s answers were always the same.

“You need to eat well to have strength!”

“Do you know why the market is held every five days? The five-day market is held so that you can eat meat at least once every five days!”

“You need to eat meat and use your strength so that you can have meat dishes for breakfast the next day! Meat calls for meat!”

“Meat is truth, and Gyetak [Korean dish, usually beef] in the middle of it is common sense! Ah, damn it! Now that I think about it, I’m craving Gyetak…. I wonder if they’ve opened a Gyetak place in Yunotsu yet?”

The Wa people couldn’t understand the Joseon people’s passionate pronouncements.

“Ha….”

However, before long, Wa people began to sneak into the Joseon people’s meat feasts.

It wasn’t that the Wa people didn’t know the taste of meat. A long time ago, after Emperor Tenmu promulgated the ‘Meat Prohibition Edict,’ eating meat was publicly prohibited. However, they ate meat by disguising it as ‘medicine’ or calling it ‘bird’ or ‘fish.’

However, eating in secret and eating openly were completely different. The Joseon people openly ate enormous amounts of meat. That’s why Wa people began to sneak into the feasts, watching carefully.

“Ah, you know~. I’m feeling a bit chilly….”

“Oh no! Our work depends on our health! Come and take some medicine with us!”

The Wa people who joined in were never empty-handed. They brought alcohol that they had obtained from somewhere, and these people received a warm welcome from the Joseon people and took their ‘medicine.’

This mass consumption of meat was not only happening in the mines. A considerable amount of meat was also consumed in Yunotsu.

* * *

“Isn’t it something that can be shipped from Joseon?”

At Morimi’s question with a troubled expression, Mochiyo explained the reason.

“They say that it’s not profitable to transport cows and pigs when they have to ship other goods as well.”

“Huh….”

After pondering for a moment, Morimi soon came to a conclusion.

“Create ranches nearby. If we just keep buying them, we’ll end up spending all the wealth from the silver mine on meat.”

“Yes, sir!”

That night, Morimi, sitting alone and looking at the reports, pondered with a serious face.

“Joseon people…. Meat…. Hmm…. Should we feed meat to the people of our kuni [country] too?”

* * *

Ironically, it was after the Gyeongjang [Korean land reform] that the Joseon people were able to consume meat without worry. This was because the supply of meat became smooth with the creation of ranches and poultry farms throughout Joseon.

Of course, there were occasional petitions saying, ‘We must be wary of the people eating too much expensive meat,’ but Sejong [Korean king], a famous meat lover, didn’t even treat them as petitions.