Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 707

707. The Second Battle of the Yellow Sea (5)

Thanks to Emperor Jingtai’s firm resolve, the Ming navy was rapidly proceeding with preparations.

In every naval port facing the Yellow Sea, soldiers and laborers were busy loading supplies onto warships. Meanwhile, in the imperial palace of Nanjing, Emperor Jingtai, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, the Minister of War, the Generals, and the Naval Commanders gathered around a large map-covered table, discussing their strategy.

“Preparations are proceeding smoothly so far. If all goes according to plan, we should be able to set sail around the Beginning of Winter (approximately November 7th-8th).”

Upon receiving the report, Emperor Jingtai frowned slightly.

“Isn’t the Beginning of Winter too late? Is setting sail by the Descent of Frost (approximately October 23rd-24th) impossible?”

At Emperor Jingtai’s words, the commanders’ faces stiffened slightly. He was essentially asking them to move the date forward by two weeks.

‘He’s asking if it’s impossible, but he really means to move it up!’

‘To move it up by two weeks…’

Inwardly, they cursed, but it was the Emperor’s solemn command. Seeing the commanders’ dilemma, the Left Commander stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, I hesitate to say this, but we are dealing with the treacherous Joseon. We must prepare with the utmost care and ensure nothing is overlooked. Therefore, the Descent of Frost is indeed impossible, but we will complete all preparations before the Beginning of Winter.”

“I see. The opponent is Joseon, after all.”

At the Left Commander’s counsel, Emperor Jingtai reluctantly suppressed his disappointment and revised his order.

“Would five days before the Beginning of Winter be feasible?”

“We will complete all preparations by then.”

“Understood. Then, what is the planned route of the operation?”

At Emperor Jingtai’s question, one of the commanders stepped forward. The commander moved models on the map with a long pointer, beginning his explanation.

– “First, the fleet will be divided into two main groups.”

– “Fleet A will act as a decoy, gathering in the Weihai area to tie down the Joseon fleet stationed in the Lushun area.”

– “Fleet B, the main force, will gather east of Qingdao and advance directly eastward, heading towards Seosan, the base of the Joseon inland sea fleet.”

– “After defeating the Joseon inland sea fleet stationed in Seosan, Fleet B will sail north along the coastline, up the Han River, to attack Hanseong [modern-day Seoul], the capital of Joseon.”

“Hmm…”

Emperor Jingtai, examining the map while listening to the commander’s explanation, shared his thoughts.

“What about dividing the fleet into three?”

“Pardon?”

“Let me explain.”

Emperor Jingtai elaborated on his plan.

– “The fleet deployed for the operation will be divided into three.”

– “However, instead of dividing it equally, 20% of Fleet A and 10% of Fleet B will be detached to form Fleet C.”

– “Fleet C will consist mainly of medium-sized ships with excellent maneuverability and the ability to navigate rivers.”

– “The objective of Fleet C is to cross the Yellow Sea directly and strike Hanseong, the capital of Joseon.”

– “When Fleet C advances towards Hanseong, the Joseon navy will move north to intercept them.”

– “Fleet B will then be able to strike the flank of the Joseon forces as they rush north.”

“What do you think?”

At Emperor Jingtai’s words, one of the commanders cautiously spoke up.

“It is indeed a good plan, but our navy does not have enough warships to divide into three fleets.”

“Are you saying it’s insufficient even after 10 years of reconstruction?”

Emperor Jingtai looked incredulous. However, the commander pointed out an unavoidable reality.

“The size has been restored, but the problem lies with Joseon’s warships. To properly engage Joseon’s main warships, the Challenger-class, at least three of our medium ships must attack simultaneously.”

“Three ships?”

“At least three, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm.”

Emperor Jingtai, looking disbelieving, soon raised an objection.

“What about the Twin Dragon Warships?”

“The Twin Dragon Warships must be excluded from the main force until the Joseon’s armored assault ships are dealt with.”

“Ugh…”

Emperor Jingtai groaned, but the commander continued to point out the reality.

“I, too, have considered a plan to surprise attack Hanseong by navigating the Han River. However, I concluded that it would be difficult with ordinary forces.”

“For what reason?”

The commander explained why a surprise attack on Hanseong would be difficult.

– “The fastest route is through the waters north of Baengnyeong Island. However, this route is notorious for its strong currents. We could lose a significant number of warships to non-combat losses.”

– “Even if we use a safer route, Ganghwa Island, which blocks the entrance to the Han River, is a problem. Joseon has built strong defenses on this island.”

– “To effectively address this, we would need to land a large force north of Jemulpo [modern-day Incheon]. The landed forces would split into two, one to contain Ganghwa Island and the other to advance along the Gimpo area, up the Han River, to strike Hanseong.”

– “At the same time, warships would need to be pushed into the Han River to execute a combined land-sea assault.”

“…To succeed in this operation, we would need at least 50,000 troops and a large number of warships to transport the troops and supplies. However, in our current situation, we lack the capacity to simultaneously destroy the Joseon inland sea fleet and land at Jemulpo. If we were to attempt to strike Hanseong by navigating the Han River, we must first destroy the Joseon inland sea fleet.”

Emperor Jingtai pondered the commander’s words for a long time before asking again.

“Are you saying that an attack on Hanseong is only possible after we have completely destroyed the Joseon inland sea fleet?”

“That is correct, Your Majesty. Joseon is an opponent against whom tricks do not work.”

“I see…”

Emperor Jingtai trailed off, staring intently at the commander before asking.

“What is your name?”

“I am Naval Commander Jin Wei.”

“Jin Wei… I understand.”

Emperor Jingtai finished speaking with a meaningful expression and resumed the meeting.

“Then, we will aim to complete all preparations and set sail at least five days before the Beginning of Winter, and the operation will proceed as initially planned, dividing the fleet into two. Do your best to repay the humiliation suffered at the hands of Joseon and demonstrate the dignity of our great nation.”

“We obey your command.”

“That will be all for today.”

As Emperor Jingtai finished speaking, all the attendees bowed and began to leave the conference room.

“Commander Jin, please remain for a moment.”

At Emperor Jingtai’s command, Jin Wei closed his eyes tightly, and his colleagues looked at him with pity before leaving the conference room.

Once all the attendees had left, Emperor Jingtai also gave orders to the eunuchs and the Embroidered Uniform Guard [Ming dynasty secret police] standing nearby.

“You may leave as well.”

“But, Your Majesty!”

“I said leave.”

At Emperor Jingtai’s firm command, the eunuchs and the Embroidered Uniform Guard all left the conference room.

Finally, when they were alone, Emperor Jingtai gestured to Jin Wei.

“Come closer and sit down.”

At Emperor Jingtai’s command, Jin Wei hesitated before approaching and sitting on a nearby chair.

“I will ask you this. Can we win this war?”

“As the saying goes, ‘Do your best and leave the rest to Heaven.’ If we prepare to the best of our ability and all the soldiers fight with all their might, we will be victorious.”

“Is that so…”

Emperor Jingtai, somewhat aware of the hidden meaning in Jin Wei’s words, trailed off.

“Hoo~.”

Emperor Jingtai, who had been pondering with his mouth shut, sighed and looked up at Jin Wei.

“Then I will ask again. If we win this war, can we repay the past humiliation and destroy Joseon?”

At Emperor Jingtai’s question, Jin Wei fell silent. When Jin Wei remained silent, Emperor Jingtai urged him.

“I will not hold you accountable for whatever answer you give. So, answer without worry.”

At Emperor Jingtai’s words, Jin Wei cautiously opened his mouth.

“Then I will express my thoughts. To put it bluntly, it will be ‘We landed a solid blow, but nothing has changed.’ Even if we win the naval battle, attacking Hanseong will be impossible. No, instead of advancing to Hanseong, we will have to return immediately and focus on defense.”

“Why?”

“Because the inland sea fleet is not the entirety of Joseon’s navy. Even now, the Lushun fleet that Fleet A is meant to contain is of considerable size, and Joseon’s southern fleet is many times larger than the inland sea fleet. In addition, there is the eastern fleet, whose size we do not know accurately. Furthermore, if all the Joseon warships from the naval bases in the distant seas were to return, we would have to cling to defense with all our might just to survive.”

At Jin Wei’s words, Emperor Jingtai immediately retorted.

“We have the Twin Dragon Warships.”

“There are only three of them. And it is still unclear whether they can gain an advantage against Joseon’s armored assault ships.”

“Then are you against this war?”

“I acknowledge the necessity. However, it should end with retribution, and if we go beyond that, it would be better not to do it at all.”

“So, we should be satisfied with landing a solid blow on Joseon?”

“That is correct, Your Majesty. After that, we should immediately enter into negotiations.”

“What if we want more than that?”

“We would have to be prepared to lose everything we have recovered in the last 10 years and enter a protracted war.”

“And if we lose that protracted war?”

At Emperor Jingtai’s question, Jin Wei closed his mouth again. At the unspoken answer, Emperor Jingtai chuckled and continued.

“I understand what you want to say. But you said you acknowledge the necessity. What do you mean by that?”

“Since the last war, the lives of the people have been devastated, and the administration has been in disarray. But now, those wounds have healed, and the morale of the people is high. If we do not engage in a decisive battle against Joseon at this time, the people will criticize Your Majesty for being afraid. So this war is necessary. The problem is that we must not lose.”

“So, we shouldn’t be greedy and should strike a blow before immediately entering negotiations? Will Joseon really agree to negotiate?”

“Even if we have only one Twin Dragon Warship left, if all of Joseon’s armored assault ships are gone, it is entirely possible.”

“That is true…”

Emperor Jingtai trailed off, pondering Jin Wei’s words before asking again.

“You acknowledged the necessity of the war, but said that anything more is greed. What do you think is needed to make it not greed?”

At Emperor Jingtai’s question, Jin Wei immediately answered.

“Time, Your Majesty. If we had at least 5 years, or even 10 more years, it would not be greed.”

“Why?”

“Because we have an abundance of what Joseon lacks most.”

“What is that?”

“People, Your Majesty. Our Ming has at least three times the population of Joseon. This is something that Joseon will never be able to catch up with, no matter how much time passes. As time passes and our Ming’s population grows and becomes more prosperous, we will not have to worry about a do-or-die battle like this.”

“Then, should we stop this operation?”

“If you do, the people will no longer trust Your Majesty.”

“Hmm…”

At Jin Wei’s words, Emperor Jingtai fell into silence with a grave expression.

‘There seems to be no mistake in what he says. The late Emperor also told me to be patient, and I thought I had been patient enough. But 10 years was not enough?’

After pondering for a long time, Emperor Jingtai made up his mind.

‘It’s already a fait accompli [an irreversible decision]! If I stop here, the people will mock me as a coward! Let’s trust the Twin Dragon Warships!’

Emperor Jingtai rose from his seat.

“I have heard your loyal advice. Return and do your best in your assigned duties. And bring me news of victory.”

At Emperor Jingtai’s command, Jin Wei immediately rose from his seat, clasped his fist, and shouted.

“I, Jin Wei, will risk my life to fulfill Your Majesty’s command!”

* * *

At a similar time, Hyang and Shin In-son were also putting their heads together and talking in Gyeongbok Palace [main royal palace of Joseon].

“If Ming does not act this time, what do you think will happen?”

At Shin In-son’s question, Hyang smiled slightly and replied.

“Well, Wan or the next guy will have a hard time.”