Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 558

558. Blood River (4)

Bang! Kaboom! Bang! Bang!

The second volley from the Joseon army showed a marked improvement in both volume and accuracy compared to the first.

This caused significant casualties among the soldiers who had gathered to resume their work.

The damage wasn’t just in lives lost.

Bang! Crack! Rumble! Smash!

The wooden structure around the Hwaryongpo [a type of Korean cannon] used for reloading collapsed with a deafening crash, setting off a chain reaction.

Whoosh!

The massive barrel of the Hwaryongpo toppled to the ground, creating a tremendous roar.

The catastrophe continued.

Bang!

“The oil pot is broken!”

The pots used to boil oil near the Hwaryongpo were struck by cannonballs, shattering or overturning. The spilled oil drenched the soldiers.

“Damage!”

“Aaaagh!”

“Hot! Hot! Hot!”

“It’s on fire! Put it out! Put it out!”

“Bring sand! Sand!”

The soldiers, scalded by the oil or set ablaze by the firewood, screamed and writhed on the ground. Fortunately, unharmed soldiers rushed to pour sand on their burning comrades and extinguish the flames.

Ironically, the very items meant to protect the Hwaryongpo were now causing destruction.

* * *

Continuous firing inevitably led to overheating in cannons. Neglecting this could cause the cannons to break, resulting in significant harm to friendly forces. Therefore, tubs filled with water, with sacks or thick wool hides soaking inside, were placed around the cannons.

To launch cannonballs much larger than those of ordinary cannons, the Hwaryongpo required an immense amount of gunpowder as propellant. Naturally, the Hwaryongpo had to withstand tremendous heat and shock. To endure the impact of firing, the barrel of the Hwaryongpo was made incredibly thick, about 7 cheok (approximately 21 cm) [a traditional Korean unit of measurement].

And this enormous thickness created problems. The inside of the barrel became extremely hot, while the outside remained relatively cold. Moreover, the cooling rate inside the barrel was significantly slower than that of ordinary cannons due to its sheer size. Therefore, if the internal heat continued to rise from sustained firing, the risk of the barrel bursting became considerably higher.

To mitigate this, they used a method to reduce the temperature difference between the inside and outside by covering the barrel with wool soaked in moderately hot oil.

However, a Joseon cannonball struck the pot used to heat this oil, leading to a major disaster.

* * *

The tragedy of the Hwaryongpo unit didn’t end there.

A cannonball landed squarely on the gunpowder carts that had been clustered together. The boxes on the carts were packed with gunpowder sacks.

The impact of the cannonball directly hitting the gunpowder-filled boxes was enough to detonate the gunpowder.

Kuaaang!

A massive mushroom cloud erupted from the location of the carts. Anyone caught in the immediate blast radius was instantly torn to pieces.

Although it was black powder, which was less potent than the Deokgap-style gunpowder used by the Joseon artillery or modern 21st-century gunpowder, the sheer quantity piled on the carts created a devastating explosion.

Unfortunately for the Liaodong army, their own negligence played a significant role in causing this explosion.

According to regulations, carts loaded with gunpowder were supposed to be spaced out at regular intervals.

However, the soldiers managing the gunpowder disregarded this rule.

“We’re 5 li (about 2 kilometers) [a traditional Chinese unit of distance] away from the Joseon army’s position across the Yalu River. What could possibly happen?”

“That’s right, that’s right. And how much gunpowder does that Hwaryongpo guzzle at once? It’s much easier to keep it all in one place.”

“Exactly! Exactly!”

“We’re busy enough measuring the amount of gunpowder to load into the Hwaryongpo. Who has time to run back and forth? Let’s take it easy!”

Thus, the soldiers responsible for the gunpowder gathered all the carts loaded with the day’s supply in one location.

Many officers witnessed this, but none intervened. The officers themselves harbored similar thoughts.

“If it’s a cannon that can fire all the way from that Joseon fortress, it must be enormous, but we can’t even see it, can we? Then it’s probably fine. Even if it does hit, the earthen wall in front should be enough.”

The officers placed their faith in the earthen wall erected in front of the Hwaryongpo unit.

The result of such complacency was that mushroom cloud.

* * *

“What!”

Startled by the sudden, massive explosion and the ground shaking behind him, Jo Byeong-deok whirled around.

Seeing the mushroom cloud rising in the distance, Jo Byeong-deok muttered in a trembling voice.

“Could it be… no, it can’t be?”

However, the urgent report delivered by a messenger swiftly shattered his hopes.

“Hwaryongpo unit hit! Extensive damage!”

“Extensive damage! Tell me exactly!”

At Jo Byeong-deok’s shout, the messenger lowered his head and replied.

“The Hwaryongpos are all unusable!”

“All of them?”

“All of them!”

At the messenger’s confirmation, Jo Byeong-deok staggered backward.

“General!”

“General!”

Thanks to the quick support of his subordinate officers, who were nearby, Jo Byeong-deok avoided falling from his horse and tried to regain his composure by taking deep breaths.

“Hoo! Hoo~.”

Having managed to regain his senses after repeatedly taking deep breaths, Jo Byeong-deok ordered his adjutant.

“Immediately send orders to the units near the Hwaryongpo unit to begin restoring the battery! We must rebuild it as quickly as possible!”

“Yes!”

The adjutant relayed Jo Byeong-deok’s orders to the messengers. Having regained his senses, Jo Byeong-deok turned back to survey the situation at the front.

Seeing the fierce battle still raging around the problematic barbed wire, Jo Byeong-deok gnashed his teeth.

“Damn it!”

Among the five layers of barbed wire, the three lines in the front had been breached in several places. The vanguard of the Liaodong army, which had poured through those gaps, was under concentrated fire from the Joseon army. However, the Liaodong vanguard stubbornly continued to advance through the openings.

They were literally paving a path with the lives of their soldiers.

Surveying the scene through his telescope, Jo Byeong-deok turned to his adjutants.

“You see the situation, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“The Hwaryongpo is out of commission, and the barbed wire has been breached to some extent. What’s the best course of action? Should we bypass the Joseon fortress after breaking through the barbed wire? Or should we focus solely on breaching the barbed wire and then attack the Joseon fortress?”

“The casualties are too high. Wouldn’t it be better to retreat temporarily and reorganize?”

“You fool!”

When one of the adjutants suggested a retreat, Jo Byeong-deok roared in anger.

“Do you think this battle is just a simple siege! Can’t you see that river! We must cross the river, I tell you, the river!”

As Jo Byeong-deok pointed to the Yalu River and shouted at the top of his lungs, the adjutant who had made the suggestion lowered his head, shrinking into himself.

“I apologize, I was short-sighted! It’s just that the soldiers’ casualties are too high….”

“If you’re short-sighted, improve your vision!”

* * *

As Jo Byeong-deok said, the attack on Insan Fortress was unlike other sieges. The sieges that the Ming army officers, who formed the core of the current Liaodong army, had fought were against the Oirat or other Mongol tribes in the north.

Such terrains were mostly open fields without obstacles. Therefore, when launching a siege, the Ming army would first surround the fortress to cut it off from the outside and then begin the attack.

Even if the enemy’s resistance was fierce and they had to retreat, they only needed to withdraw far enough to be out of arrow range. It was standard practice to retreat, rest and reorganize, and then launch another attack.

However, Insan Fortress had the natural moat of the Yalu River in front of it. To retreat meant crossing the Yalu River again, and if they retreated, those cunning Joseon soldiers would rebuild that damn barbed wire.

And the Liaodong army, launching a re-attack, would have to repeat the entire process all over again.

* * *

“Therefore, there is no retreat! Instead, we have no choice but to keep pushing troops forward to expand that bridgehead!”

Summarizing the current situation while simultaneously stating his firm resolve, Jo Byeong-deok once again posed a question to his adjutants.

“So, I’m asking you to discuss which would be less damaging: focusing on the remaining barbed wire or attacking the Joseon fortress!”

At Jo Byeong-deok’s command, the adjutants began to examine the terrain and diligently assess the possibilities.

Currently, they had breached the first three lines of the five layers of barbed wire that the Joseon army had erected.

However, the location of the breach was the problem.

They had created a gap not at the left or right ends of the barbed wire line, but closer to the Joseon fortress.

Ultimately, regardless of their choice, they would have to endure the combined assault of the Joseon army stationed in the fortress and the remaining barbed wire.

“If we bypass….”

“There will definitely be a Joseon army reserve right behind us. A formation without a reserve is something even novices avoid. Assuming they’ve learned basic military strategy, that is.”

“And if the urgent report was delivered promptly, reinforcements should be arriving soon.”

“A siege is no easy task either.”

“But if we can take that fortress, we can secure a strong and reliable bridgehead.”

After considering various possibilities, the adjutants soon reached a single conclusion.

-Concentrate all forces on the fortress!

-Even if we succeed in bypassing, it will be difficult to properly supply or move subsequent troops as long as that fortress remains.

-But if we take the fortress, we can secure a solid bridgehead.

That would make it easier for the soldiers to rest and reorganize.

-If we take the fortress, the Joseon army in that barbed wire will have no choice but to retreat.

Having reached a conclusion, the adjutants advised Jo Byeong-deok.

“Attacking the Joseon fortress is the best option!”

“Good!”

Jo Byeong-deok nodded emphatically and immediately issued an order.

“Have the musketeer and archer units cross the river!”

“Yes!”

“Divide the forces into five, with two securing the left and right barbed wire, and three concentrating on the siege!”

“Yes!”

Following Jo Byeong-deok’s orders, the musketeer and archer units began to cross the river.

“We must cross as quickly as possible! Cross on foot!”

In the meantime, they were connecting rafts to create pontoon bridges, but there were too few, and the number of soldiers who needed to cross was too great.

In the end, many musketeers and archers had to wade across the Yalu River, holding their muskets and gunpowder pouches, bows and arrows high above their heads.

Splash! Splatter!

“Ugh! Ugh!”

“Damn it!”

The soldiers who slipped and stumbled while crossing the river on foot cursed their misfortune. Their pre-loaded matchlock guns were now useless, soaked with water.

They weren’t blind; they knew very well what would happen if they crossed the river like this.

They cursed because they knew how foolish it was to stand stiffly and reload while Joseon bullets rained down.

The Liaodong musketeers, looking at their soaked guns, muttered in a gloomy voice.

“I’ll have to run like hell….”

Reloading alive would only be possible after sprinting to a place with adequate cover as soon as they reached the opposite bank.

* * *

The information that the Liaodong army’s follow-up unit was crossing the river was immediately relayed to Lee Jing-ok.

“Musketeer and archer units… Is the main force finally coming?”

Stroking his chin and considering his options, Lee Jing-ok issued an order.

“Tell them to quickly identify the main target of the follow-up unit!”

“Yes!”

After giving the order, Lee Jing-ok rubbed his hands together and smiled wryly.

“It would be ideal if they targeted this Insan Fortress… Then things would be much easier.”

Having endured the artillery barrage from the earlier cannon fire, Lee Jing-ok had come to trust this fortress built according to Hyang’s plan.

As he grew confident in the fortress’s sturdiness, Lee Jing-ok began to anticipate how sharp the hidden teeth within this fortress would prove to be.

Author’s words.

Hello?

This is Gukbbong, author of ‘Black Company Joseon.’

Did you all have a good holiday?

Thanks to the readers’ support, my sister underwent surgery safely.

It was an emergency surgery that took place during the holiday, but fortunately, I heard that the surgery results were positive.

The challenge now is her recovery. Due to the previous incident, her heart was severely damaged, so the doctor is concerned.

Please pray for my sister’s safe recovery and return to daily life.

Thank you.