Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 896

896. Overture (11)

The war between the Habsburgs and Hungary was attracting the attention of the major European powers.

The great powers, vying for influence in Italy, couldn’t afford to ignore the lessons this war offered.

It was a full-scale conflict between armies equipped with modern gunpowder weapons and trained in their use.

Consequently, these powers used their connections to dispatch nobles and military commanders to observe both the Habsburg and Hungarian forces.

This marked the beginning of the ‘military observer’.

However, being a military observer was far from easy.

To properly observe the war, one had to be near the front lines, a dangerous place where one’s life was constantly at risk.

A stray shell or bullet could end their life, or they could be caught in the brutal chaos of close combat and killed by frenzied soldiers.

As a result, military observers typically stayed a safe distance from the actual fighting. To avoid being mistaken for the enemy, they often wore elaborate, easily visible uniforms.

This practice eventually led to the development of the famously flamboyant uniforms seen in many European armies.

* * *

After their (often) life-risking observations, the military observers wrote reports detailing how future wars should be conducted.

The reports, compiled from both warring parties and the observers themselves, were extensive, but their core conclusion was simple:

– A well-trained unit, maintaining high morale and a spirit of daring, can break through the enemy’s defenses.

This idea gave rise to the aggressive military doctrine, exemplified by the French army’s ‘Attaque à outrance’ [attack to the extreme].

The reports also meticulously documented the reasoning behind this conclusion.

– While Hwachas [Korean rocket artillery] and cannons are powerful, they both suffer from limitations in firing speed and sustained fire.

– Cannons cannot fire continuously due to overheating.

– Hwachas excel at continuous firing until their cartridges are empty. However, their large size limits their deployment, their firing rate is slower than expected, and the time required to supply and reload the massive amount of ammunition presents significant weaknesses. Well-trained soldiers can overcome these limitations.

Up to this point, the reports largely agreed. After that, some minor differences emerged. However, the overarching conclusion remained: ‘uninterrupted attack is the only answer’.

The lords, high-ranking nobles, and generals who reviewed these reports nodded in agreement.

“Indeed….”

Most had witnessed demonstrations of Hwachas and cannons and could appreciate the weaknesses described in the reports.

Furthermore, the idea of a ‘vigorous spirit of attack’ appealed to their sensibilities.

They were accustomed to battlefields where soldiers lined up in fields, engaging in alternating offensives and defenses, and where knights in armor charged with lances.

However, some raised concerns.

“Isn’t this overly optimistic? Our enemies aren’t limited to Europe! We mustn’t forget the ‘Land of Flowers’ [a common name for Ming China]!”

“We saw them wipe out bandits in Suez!”

“They’re using more advanced Hwachas than we are. The ‘Land of Flowers’ might bring other surprises!”

Whenever these objections arose, the ‘attack faction’ swiftly countered.

The attack faction based their rebuttal on ‘distance’.

– The route from the ‘Land of Flowers’ to Italy requires crossing the sea, the desert, and then the sea again.

– The ‘Land of Flowers’ possesses the largest number of ships in both Europe and the East, but Suez presents a bottleneck.

The Suez railway has limited transportation capacity and isn’t exclusively controlled by the ‘Land of Flowers’. It requires a complex consultation process.

– This limits the amount of material that can be transported at any one time.

– The more advanced the new Hwacha developed by the ‘Land of Flowers’, the more ammunition it will consume, creating supply problems.

– Therefore, we can solve this by attacking before the ‘Land of Flowers’ completes its preparations.

At this final point, the cautious faction fell silent.

Undeniably, the ‘Land of Flowers’ faced significant supply constraints. If exploited effectively, there was a chance of victory.

Ultimately, the European powers began preparing for future wars based on these reports, including the inevitable conflict in Italy.

Meanwhile, the Empire [referring to the Joseon Empire] also obtained information about these developments through secret meetings with successfully recruited European nobles.

* * *

The secret report was delivered to Hyeon and Hyang via the fastest possible route.

Hyang, after reading the report with Hyeon, wore an expression of disbelief.

“Are these guys planning World War I, or even ‘203 Hill’ [referencing a particularly brutal battle in the Russo-Japanese War]?”

In the ‘Battle of Lushun’, a particularly bloody engagement in the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese army, fueled by ‘Bushido’ [Japanese warrior code], suffered immense casualties in suicidal attacks.

The doctrine now embraced by the European powers seemed as foolish as the Japanese army’s tactics during that war.

Hyang reread the report several times, clicking his tongue.

“Tsk! Is this the best these people can come up with, having only seen non-exploding shells and Eul-type Hwachas [older model of Hwacha]?”

Europe hadn’t yet widely adopted incendiary shells. While bursting shells similar to the Bigyeokjincheonleis [Korean exploding arrow] existed, they were uncommon and primarily launched from specialized mortars.

The same was true for Hwachas. The difference between Eul-type and Byeong-type Hwachas [newer model of Hwacha] was immediately apparent.

Tang, tang, tang, tang, tang, tang vs. Tatatatatatang

The difference was in firing speed, a problem the European powers couldn’t easily solve.

The copper plates and paper cartridges used in Europe couldn’t be adapted for the belt-fed Byeong-type Hwachas. The Eul-type Hwacha, with its slower firing rate and vertical feed cartridge, was their limit.

“Of course, I was counting on that to some extent….”

Hyang chuckled, amused by the Europeans’ limited understanding of Hwacha technology.

“There’s a famous saying, isn’t there? ‘Everyone has a plausible plan until they get punched in the face….'”

* * *

Meanwhile, the Imperial Army also analyzed the acquired information and presented its findings to Hyeon.

“Since this is the case, summon the Emperor Emeritus.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The report was conducted in a setting where even Hyang was present.

Reports were distributed to Hyeon, Hyang, and the attending ministers. The military officer who was to present the report stepped forward and saluted Hyeon.

Hyeon returned the salute, and the officer took a deep breath before beginning.

“I’ll start with the conclusion. The doctrine chosen by the European powers is a castle built on sand. In fact, a large-scale war can never be won if this doctrine is followed.”

“Huh?”

“Uh?”

Hyeon and Hyang’s eyes widened at the officer’s statement.

The military officer’s explanation can be summarized as follows:

– The doctrine chosen by the European powers accepts a high loss of life as inevitable.

– While it mentions the appropriate balance of density and dispersion, crawling and charging, and artillery support, the underlying principle is: ‘If you throw more troops at the enemy than they have bullets, you win.’

– The question is whether the European powers currently possess the ability to mobilize troops on such a large scale.

– The Imperial Army believes that this is still impossible for Europe.

– This is because the soldiers who make up these armies lack a strong sense of national identity and belonging.

– During the last Liaodong War [Sino-Japanese War], our Empire and Ming were able to mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops because our soldiers felt a sense of belonging as ‘Joseon people’ and ‘Ming people’.

– However, Europe has not yet fostered this sense of belonging.

– Even within Italy, the sense of being ‘Florentine, Venetian, or Genoese’ is stronger than the sense of being ‘Italian’.

“Wait a minute.”

Hyang interrupted the officer, pointing out a potential flaw in the argument.

“Looking at the recent war between the Habsburgs and Hungary, doesn’t it seem like their sense of belonging is quite strong?”

The military officer immediately addressed Hyang’s question.

“That’s because it’s Habsburg versus Hungary. If their sense of belonging was truly strong, it would have been the ‘Holy Roman Empire versus Hungary War’.”

“Hmm… that’s true.”

Hyang, convinced by the explanation, stepped back, and the officer continued.

– In the case of Hungary, Hungarians united against the perceived injustice of Habsburg oppression, strengthening their sense of belonging. This sense of belonging allowed them to endure the war of attrition. The Habsburgs also managed to address the issue of belonging because the conflict was limited to the Habsburg territories, not the entire Holy Roman Empire.

– If the war escalates into a large-scale war of attrition, it will be very difficult for the European powers to sustain it.

– They will face problems with war expenses and troop supply.

– However, if any country has a solution to this, it would be our Empire and France.

– This is because a sense of ‘Frenchness’ was forged during the last war with England.

“…Therefore, our military has concluded that this doctrine is a castle built on sand. If the European powers continue to rely on this doctrine, the war in Italy is unlikely to become a prolonged conflict.”

Hyeon, who had been listening intently, organized his thoughts and posed a question.

“What about our Empire? Are you confident that we can handle a long-term war if it breaks out?”

“I will follow your orders, but to be honest, it is impossible.”

Hyeon’s eyes sharpened at the officer’s candid response.

“Why?”

“The Empire still lacks manpower. And Italy is too far away, and there is a lack of justification for intervention.”

“Are natives still constantly returning to the new lands?”

“The territory of Shinji [newly acquired territories] is also constantly expanding, making it difficult to manage.”

Everyone at the meeting nodded in agreement with the officer’s assessment. Hyeon repeated the question.

“Then what preparations is the Imperial Army making? Variables keep emerging.”

“We are still planning with a focus on short-term battles. Our primary focus is the initial engagement. The goal is to overwhelm the enemy with superior firepower in the first battle and break their will to fight.”

“Do you believe that’s possible with just one battle?”

“Considering the difference in firepower between the Imperial Army and the European armies, we believe it is entirely possible.”

At that moment, Hyang experienced a strong sense of déjà vu.

‘Me, me! I’ve seen this scene somewhere!’

– If I slap them in the face, they’ll be scared and start negotiating, right?

It was the strategy of the Japanese military just before the start of the Pacific War. And the result was….

In the end, Hyang felt compelled to intervene.

“Perhaps this is just my concern, but I believe the military’s current analysis is too optimistic. I think it would be wise to plan with the assumption that a long-term war is inevitable.”

Everyone in the room froze at Hyang’s words.

Hyang possessed more experience in warfare than anyone else present.

Hyang was now directly pointing out, ‘That’s your misjudgment!’