Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 553

553. The Outbreak of War (1)

The events unfolding in Liaodong were being reported to Emperor Xuanzong as discreetly and swiftly as possible.

Upon reviewing the reports, Emperor Xuanzong let out a hollow laugh.

“Ha! Hahaha! Starting in March? March? March?”

After confirming the report’s contents several times, Emperor Xuanzong shook his head slightly and muttered.

“Being bold is good, but failing to assess the timing is fatal. I’m glad I pushed him out.”

Emperor Xuanzong had anticipated it would take Zhu Gijin about three years to act.

He thought it would take that long to gather and train an army of about 300,000 men.

However, just a few months after arriving in Liaodong, Zhu Gijin had amassed 300,000 troops and was preparing to invade Joseon.

“Did I misjudge the appointments?”

The generals Emperor Xuanzong had assigned to Zhu Gijin were capable but had been sidelined due to various issues.

“Since they are capable, they should still be able to build a solid army.”

However, these generals had exceeded Emperor Xuanzong’s expectations. Receiving this outcome, Emperor Xuanzong frowned.

“Their experience is still insufficient…”

The generals sent to Zhu Gijin had a critical lack of experience.

Even the highest-ranking commander, Jo Byeong-deok, had only commanded 10,000 troops before.

Unlike the Left and Right Chief Military Commissioners, the highest in the military, or the veteran generals beneath them, none had experience moving hundreds of thousands of soldiers or drawing up grand strategies.

* * *

“Hmm…”

Assessing the situation, Emperor Xuanzong analyzed his mistake.

“Was it the funding? Should I have sent it in installments?”

Creating weapons and raising and maintaining an army required considerable expenditure. However, Liaodong’s situation was tight for creating and maintaining an army of hundreds of thousands.

Therefore, Emperor Xuanzong had created and sent funds for this purpose.

The amount of funds Emperor Xuanzong sent to Zhu Gijin was enormous, nearly half of the Ming Dynasty’s annual operating budget.

The source of these funds was a slush fund created by setting aside a significant portion of the profits from the joint venture with Joseon.

Emperor Xuanzong had hesitated slightly while sending this slush fund.

“Is it better to send it all at once? Or in multiple installments?”

After a moment’s thought, Emperor Xuanzong immediately concluded:

-If I send it in installments, there’s a high chance Joseon will notice if it’s exposed.

“I have no choice.”

Concerned about Joseon finding out, Emperor Xuanzong chose to send it all at once.

It was a decision made by Emperor Xuanzong, who did not know how closely Joseon was watching Liaodong.

And Zhu Gijin used these funds to create an army of 300,000 in just a few months.

Here, the nature of the army Zhu Gijin completed changed.

It had become a mercenary force.

* * *

After reviewing the situation, Emperor Xuanzong came to a conclusion.

“Unlike my expectations, I hope it doesn’t come to direct intervention. Anyway, it was a good decision to remove Gijin from the position of Crown Prince. If he had ascended to the throne with that personality, he would have ruined everything immediately.”

Emperor Xuanzong was making a cold assessment of Zhu Gijin.

However, this was an excuse and a way to avoid responsibility for himself.

‘Using his own son, even his firstborn son, as bait.’

It was an excuse to alleviate the guilt of making a ruthless decision. However, it was only deceiving himself.

The most representative example was the secret order sent to Zhu Gijin through Wang Chung.

-If you conquer Joseon, I will allow you to declare yourself emperor.

While delivering this secret order, Wang Chung added this.

“The choice is yours, Your Majesty.”

However, Emperor Xuanzong removed the word ‘if’ from this secret order.

Emperor Xuanzong knew well what decision Zhu Gijin, who had suffered a great blow to his pride by being pushed out of the promised emperor’s seat, would make. In the end, this was not a choice but a compulsion.

* * *

While Emperor Xuanzong was deceiving himself in Beijing, Hyang was in a heated debate with the military in Hanseong.

The reason for the debate was the scale of the forces to be deployed at the Yalu River, particularly in and around Insan Garrison, where the Ming army was expected to attempt a crossing.

“There are no particular disagreements regarding the expected crossing points, the first and second lines of defense, and subsequent measures. However…”

Hyang paused, tapping the report with his finger before continuing.

“The troop deployment is the problem. Assigning only one division (部) [a military unit typically consisting of around 10,000-20,000 soldiers], including the forces at Insan Garrison responsible for defending the expected crossing point, to the entire first line of defense is, in my opinion, woefully inadequate.”

The size of a fully manned division varied depending on the number of troops responsible for logistics and administration, but it averaged around 17,000.

Hyang was pointing out that this force was insufficient.

However, it was the military personnel who questioned Hyang’s assessment.

“It is believed that this is sufficient for defense.”

Hyang immediately countered the generals’ response.

“Among the most important factors determining the outcome of a battle, the first is timing (天時) [strategic timing or opportunity], and the next is terrain (地理) [geographical advantage]. They have seized the timing, and we hold the terrain. Shouldn’t we then secure the military strength (軍勢) [numerical and qualitative advantage in troops], which is the next most important factor, to our advantage? Consider the Horan Wars fought by Li Manzhu and Muntamu in the past. The first thing our Joseon army secured was the advantage of terrain, followed by the superiority of troops.”

The expressions of the military generals became strange at Hyang’s remarks. Most of the generals present had participated in those battles. Hyang was bringing up those events in front of them.

However, no one rashly stepped forward to point this out.

One reason was that the person in front of them was the current supreme commander, the Crown Prince, but it was also due to Hyang’s accomplishments.

Hyang was the one who had developed weapons that overwhelmed foreign armies and the methods to use them effectively, and who had researched impregnable fortresses.

In the fields of weapons technology and military strategy, Hyang had the skills and achievements that even the most seasoned members of the military could not easily dismiss.

In the end, Choi Yun-deok stepped forward to respond to Hyang’s criticism.

“I, too, participated in the previous Horan War. Therefore, I am well aware of what Your Highness is pointing out. However, just as the terrain changes over time, so too have the weapons of our Joseon army. Thanks to this, even with fewer soldiers, our military strength is even more superior. Take the long rifles, for example. Even the slowest soldier can kill enemies three times faster with the Eul-sik rifle compared to the Gap-sik rifle. Those who are quick can shoot five times faster. It’s not just the speed that’s faster. The marksmanship is also of elite soldiers who hit their target with every shot. Also, there is the Bigeokjincheonle [a type of Korean rocket arrow], which has always boasted the best power. What about the Eul-sik Hwacha [a Korean multiple rocket launcher]? It is a weapon capable of doing the work of a hundred, no, a thousand men. Looking at the defense side, there is the iron wire entanglement. It is extremely difficult (至難) [extremely challenging] to break through this iron wire entanglement without the proper tools, so one iron wire entanglement alone can handle ten thousand men.”

Hyang sighed at Choi Yun-deok’s words.

“Hoo~.”

‘These people are relying too much on weapons!’

Taking a breath, Hyang began to refute Choi Yun-deok’s words.

“Yes, General, what you say is true. The performance of the Eul-sik rifle is excellent, and the qualities of the soldiers who use it are also extremely outstanding. However, to hit the target with every shot, you need time to aim properly. If it takes the time to take a breath to aim and fire at one enemy, what if three, four, or five enemies rush in during that time? Even if the Bigeokjincheonle and Eul-sik Hwacha can do the work of a hundred or a thousand men, what if ten thousand rush in?”

“That part can be handled using the iron wire entanglement…”

“Even without tools, it is possible to break through by destroying the supports holding up the iron wire entanglement. Of course, the enemy will suffer great losses in the process, but if they are willing to endure that, they will break through.”

“Of course, that may be possible, but then they would have to endure unnecessary losses. This is something a general should avoid.”

“If this is the only way to achieve victory, wouldn’t you choose it? If you were a general who had to break through the front line in this situation, what would you do?”

“Of course, that would be the case in the worst-case scenario.”

While acknowledging Hyang’s words, Choi Yun-deok continued to argue.

“However, the number of soldiers in Liaodong is known to be around 350,000. If you subtract the forces to maintain security in Liaodong, the number is about 300,000 at most. The number of troops is too small to wage such a war of attrition.”

“However, there is enough room to break through a defensive line guarded by one division. Also, don’t you think that the morale of our troops guarding the second line will be lowered the moment they hear the news of the defeat?”

Choi Yun-deok was speechless at Hyang’s rebuttal.

He wanted to immediately refute the issue of morale decline, but he couldn’t easily do so. Not only were there numerous records of defeats from the previous dynasty (前朝) [referring to the Goryeo dynasty which preceded Joseon], but also the disgraceful events experienced during the conquest of Tsushima were not isolated incidents like Hyang had pointed out.

Seeing Choi Yun-deok’s troubled face, Hyang continued.

“The situation we are preparing for now is not just a situation where the Jurchens are invading the border. If that were the case, I would have said that the measures I received were excellent. But that’s not the case, is it?”

“…”

At Hyang’s words, the generals looked at the desk with troubled expressions. Hyang’s criticism was hitting them where it hurt.

Hyang continued to speak.

“There is still time to prepare, and we have the troops. In this situation, fighting bravely (勇戰奮鬪) [fighting with courage and determination] is commendable, but forcing a desperate struggle (孤軍奮鬪) [fighting alone without support] is something that even the high-ranking officials of the military would deserve to be cursed for. From the perspective of the soldiers who have to stop the enemy at the front line, wouldn’t they feel more empowered the more comrades they have guarding their sides?”

Although there was considerable vulgar language implied, the generals could not get angry.

In the end, Choi Yun-deok waved the white flag on behalf of everyone.

“It is judged that Your Highness’s words are reasonable. Then, how many troops should be deployed?”

“I think at least three divisions should be deployed.”

Choi Yun-deok showed a difficult expression at Hyang’s words.

“Isn’t deploying three divisions in and around Insan Garrison too much? If too many soldiers are concentrated in a narrow area, the density of troops may be too high, which may cause confusion in command.”

At Choi Yun-deok’s criticism, Hyang examined the map and unfolded the military gazetteer. After rummaging through the military gazetteer for a long time, Hyang looked at Choi Yun-deok.

“Looking at the gazetteer, the width of that protrusion is about 15 li (里) [approximately 6 kilometers]. Is deploying three divisions in that space too dense and causing confusion in command?”

“That space is not a field, but there are also civilian houses, and there are various restrictions including communication and command issues…”

Hyang answered firmly at Choi Yun-deok’s words.

“Then I will go to Insan Garrison myself and take command. There won’t be any commanders who act foolishly even with me in front of them, will there?”

Choi Yun-deok turned pale at Hyang’s bombshell declaration.

“We will deploy two divisions and do our best in command!”

“It must be three divisions.”

Hyang insisted on three divisions until the end, and eventually Choi Yun-deok waved the white flag.

“We will deploy three divisions.”

“Thank you.”

Choi Yun-deok, who received Hyang’s thanks, asked Hyang again.

“If this happens, the location and nature of the second line of defense must also change. It would be better to move the location of the second line of defense further north and change its nature from a defensive line to an offensive standby line.”

“I agree.”

* * *

After the meeting ended and Hyang was left alone in the office, he grumbled quietly.

“I really wish I could show those people a movie about World War I if I could…”