There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 304

< Total Mayhem (4) >

Fortunately, thanks to the constant emphasis on field fortification, our troops avoided death or injury from the Ming army’s subpar cannons.

‘In the first place, the enemy’s firepower isn’t that strong.’

In contrast, our army’s cannons steadily reduced the enemy’s numbers with each blast, but artillery warfare in this era is more of an opening act.

Before the Zhao Wang army, pouring out of Shanhai Pass like ants, could clash with our troops, muskets spat bullets amidst the acrid gunpowder smoke.

“The enemy is driving in with cavalry!”

“Pikemen, raise your spears!”

The spears rose in unison, like a hedgehog bristling its quills.

The Zhao Wang army charged at our troops but couldn’t break through the densely packed Joseon army’s formation.

“Grenadiers!”

At the officer’s shout, several soldiers stepped forward, their expressions tense.

Clay grenades were hurled towards the enemy forces.

– Thump thump!

They weren’t made with particularly advanced technology, just smaller versions of the Bigyeokjincheonleis [a type of Korean bomb].

However, they significantly disrupted the enemy’s ranks by scattering fragments in all directions.

The explosions created obscuring smoke, and the fallen bodies became entangled, causing soldiers to trample each other.

‘Surprisingly, stone throwing is useful too.’

I shuddered at the violent traditional game and promoted soccer, but it seemed this was more useful in war.

There might be soldiers who haven’t fired a gun, but there wouldn’t be a single soldier who hasn’t participated in stone throwing and thrown at least one stone.

“Enemy soldiers are steadily approaching.”

They could have routed if their morale had broken, but with forces pushing from behind and the drill sergeants’ encouragement, the enemy soldiers charged again.

And just then, the reloaded muskets fired simultaneously once more.

– Thutatatang!

A concentrated volley fired at close range, where faces were clearly visible.

It was an offensive that could have made even the most steadfast soul flee, but perhaps the Ming army of this era hadn’t had their fill of experience.

“Their morale should have been greatly shaken, but they’re impressive!”

“They must be seasoned troops who have fought countless battles against the Tatar [Mongol] barbarians.”

Having carried out expeditions as far as Mongolia, the Ming army was fighting with the intention of sticking it out no matter what.

“Your Majesty, we should gradually withdraw the troops.”

I nodded at Choi Yun-deok’s words.

We had already taken out enough of the enemy forces, so there was nothing to regret.

We could have held out longer, but our goal was the enemy army itself.

“Retreat to the Jiujiang River!”

Drums echoed throughout the entire military camp, and the Joseon army gradually began to retreat.

===

“The enemy is retreating!”

Looking at the topography of Liaoxi, there are mountains above and the sea below, with a long, narrow passage in between.

Shanhai Pass was located at the narrowest point of this Liaoxi Corridor.

From a defensive standpoint, it couldn’t be better, but when pushing back the enemy, an offensive had to be launched along the same narrow path.

To repel the Joseon army that had now taken position, there was no choice but to keep pushing in troops.

“Fortunately. The initial sacrifices were too painful.”

The Zhao Wang army, which had rushed out with great momentum at the beginning, was blocked by the Joseon army and slaughtered.

No matter how large the Zhao Wang army was, attrition of forces was never desirable.

Especially with the Crown Prince’s army about to arrive!

“I didn’t know the Joseon army was this strong, but numbers are insurmountable.”

The Joseon army was so elite that it made one think that Emperor Taizu [founder of the Ming Dynasty] was right to be wary of them.

And what about the new Seungja Chongtong [a type of Korean musket] they possessed!

They had learned about it from some of the defeated Liaoxi soldiers, but they didn’t think it would be much different from the existing Joseon muskets.

But as their soldiers were riddled with holes by the orderly volleys of the Seungja Chongtong, it was a waste.

“There’s no need to be happy or sad about what’s already happened. How about we charge at those Joseon bastards and throw them all into the Jiujiang River?”

Zhu Youhou concluded as if there was nothing more to see.

From the beginning, he had been thinking of a quick battle, and as the Joseon army retreated step by step in the face of the wave of troops, Han Wang’s spirit soared.

The middle and lower reaches of the Jiujiang River are the only places in this narrow corridor that widen relatively smoothly.

This would be a place where a large army could move freely.

“Divide the army, detour to cross the upper reaches of the Jiujiang River, and pressure the Joseon army from the west and north.

We can split our army, but the enemy cannot.”

This is the strategy of a large army.

“But abandoning the solidity of Shanhai Pass and engaging in a battle with the enemy is…”

When his younger brother hesitated, Han Wang shouted as if frustrated.

“The enemy is only 50,000 strong! Our army is ten times that! What reason is there to hesitate to fight!”

It was only a boast, and if you subtracted the troops that had been whittled away, the troops that had been sent to support against the Uliangkhai [Mongol tribe], and the troops deployed to the Yellow River, it wouldn’t even be 100,000, but Han Wang didn’t notice such things.

‘To think that such a pathetic guy holds his father’s elite troops, no wonder he hasn’t been able to do anything to the Crown Prince and has been pushed back!’

If he had his father’s expeditionary force, Nanjing would already be on fire.

But it wasn’t too late to start now.

Zhu Youhou decided to suppress his indecisive younger brother and take the initiative.

“If that’s the case, then you should stay here and guard the pass. I will personally lead the troops and pursue the enemy!”

Seeing his brother, who had lost most of his troops and been reduced to a guest general, making a big noise, Zhu Youshu contorted his face.

But there was nothing wrong with what Zhu Youhou said.

In the first place, he had come here with his troops to deal with the Joseon army in a quick battle.

Also, unless it was Jiangnan [region in China], it was best to wage a field battle in order to fully utilize the overwhelming cavalry power of the expeditionary force.

Reading the atmosphere, Zhu Youshu lamented inwardly.

‘I should have brought Meng Xian from Beijing!’

If he had, he would have at least discussed how to deal with this.

But Meng Xian remained in Beijing in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, so Zhu Youshu had no idea how to persuade them.

In the meantime, things were proceeding according to Zhu Youhou’s strongly pushed argument.

“We will crush the Joseon army here like sesame brittle [a type of Korean candy], and then turn the army around to punish the traitor Zhu Gaochi! The restoration of the dynasty is not far off!”

Zhu Youhou spoke boastfully as if he were leading this army.

===

“What are those bastards doing?”

I inadvertently asked while looking at the Zhao Wang army moving far away through the telescope.

They seemed to be carrying out a secretly adorable maneuver, but their movements were clearly visible to us.

With limited places to maneuver in the narrow Liaoxi, the Zhao Wang army’s movements could be easily grasped by carefully observing with a telescope.

Kim Jong-seo, who was also observing the situation with a telescope from the erected tower, said.

“It seems they are going around the upper reaches of the Jiujiang River, Your Majesty.”

“Really? But there’s…”

I stopped myself from speaking.

We don’t have to worry about them.

Rather, my interest was focused elsewhere.

I turned the telescope towards the black cloud approaching from the other side.

“This is unexpected, Your Majesty.”

Kim Jong-seo said with a click of his tongue.

“Even if we prevent them from getting wet, if the gunpowder becomes damp, there will be countless misfires during the battle.”

“That would be the same for the Zhao Wang army… but.”

However, gunpowder weapons were only auxiliary weapons for the Zhao Wang army.

In contrast, the mainstay of our army was the musket soldiers, who were in charge of firepower.

But we can’t pull out now.

Because the Zhao Wang army was approaching.

===

Han Wang Zhu Youhou was once a figure who had made a name for himself with his strength.

Even when he was captured and imprisoned by Emperor Xuanzong in the original history, he was a figure who tried to escape by lifting a copper pot weighing 300 catties [approximately 360 pounds].

Now, Zhu Youhou was displaying his strength to the fullest.

“Looking at the sky, it looks like a heavy rain will pour down soon. It’s not good to fight.”

“When I fought with the late Emperor, we fought bloody battles even in the rain! It’s a difficult battle for both armies, so there’s no better time to strike the Joseon army!”

Zhu Youhou dismissed it and looked around, shouting loudly.

“Fire the Joseon muskets!”

Then, he ordered the entire army to fire the Seungja Chongtong they had collected, and they fired bullets at the enemy all at once.

– Thump thump!

The Seungja Chongtong’s reloading method and operation method were all different from muskets, but that wasn’t very important to Zhu Youhou.

The important thing was to at least pretend to exchange firepower with the enemy.

Reports of misfires echoed from everywhere.

“The air is humid, so not many have been fired!”

However, Zhu Youhou nodded satisfactorily.

“My prediction was correct. Neither our guns nor the enemy’s guns can exert much power in this weather!”

What the enemy believes in is only that new Seungja Chongtong they have been hiding.

However, like the Joseon muskets that had been presented so far, the enemy’s firepower had also decreased noticeably.

In that case, they would have to bet their fate on a very familiar way of fighting, exchanging swords and spears.

And Zhu Youhou didn’t believe that he would be pushed back by the Joseon army in such a fight.

Zhu Youhou grabbed the reins of his horse violently.

When the horse let out a loud cry.

– Thud.

A drop of water fell on Zhu Youhou’s palm.

And soon.

Rain began to pour down.

“The heavens are helping us!”

Zhu Youhou shouted with joy.

The faces of the cavalrymen, who had to roll in the mud, turned ashen, but for Zhu Youhou, this was like an opportunity given by the heavens.

“The Joseon army has raised their spears!”

“Trample them all!”

The Zhao Wang army braced themselves for the long spears that the Joseon army had raised from behind the wooden fence.

How many comrades had been skewered by the Joseon army hiding behind those spears?

But something caught Zhu Youhou’s eye.

‘I can see a line.’

It was only a crack that looked like a thread, but there was a gap in the Joseon army’s formation.

Even that tricky formation, where men were tightly packed together, was not perfect after all.

“Follow me!”

Zhu Youhou drew his sword and shouted at the top of his lungs.

The cavalrymen who were following him seemed to have noticed it as well, and they cheered in response.

As if the previous blunders were a lie, Han Wang and his army squeezed through the gap as one.

There were no long spears blocking the army, nor were there any bullets flying in succession.

Intoxicated by the free charge that had led to a momentary gap, they failed to notice that the path they had passed behind them had been closed.

The Joseon gunners they encountered next were no match for them either.

“Don’t be afraid of the gunfire! The rain is our ally!”

The Joseon gunners were practically out of business.

Sticking a dagger into the Seungja Chongtong looked unique, but it couldn’t stop their rush.

“There’s the Joseon King!”

At someone’s shout, the Zhao Wang army suddenly raised their heads.

The one holding the flag and looking down at the battlefield while getting rained on.

It was definitely the Joseon King who had come to pay his respects in front of Shanhai Pass a few days ago.

“It’s the Joseon King!”

How did he get here?

Cheers erupted one after another at the cry, as if they had found a winning trophy.

“Anyone who kills or captures the Joseon King will be ennobled as a marquis and given a fief of 100,000 households!”

Zhu Youhou shouted as if he were an emperor bestowing favors.

The only thing blocking their path was a group of royal guards.

They couldn’t help but sneer at the royal guards, who were armed with guns that would be useless in this rain.

But the next moment.

They could clearly see the flames and smoke rising even in the pouring rain.

The drill sergeant, who had been encouraging the soldiers until just now, muttered to himself without realizing it.

“Han Wang, you son of a bitch… You said you can’t shoot guns on a rainy day…”

It wasn’t a suitable remark to make to a noble prince of the Great Ming, but that didn’t matter.

The next moment, a storm of bullets swept through the cavalry.

—

Thanks to MN and Bijinbu for their support!

< Total Mayhem (4) > End

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