There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 384

385. The Battle Begins (3)

With war looming, there was no time for a strict, formal mourning period.

So, after a hasty funeral, I quickly put aside my mourning clothes and returned to war preparations.

Although Hwang Hee and Maeng Sa-seong could handle things as state councilors, in a war situation, it wouldn’t do for me, the final decision-maker, to be absent.

“Father! Forgive me for not being able to show my full devotion due to the national crisis! I will repay this filial impiety by returning victorious from the war!”

Even though it was a show, I was worried that Confucian scholars would criticize me behind my back for neglecting proper etiquette, but surprisingly, their reactions were favorable.

“Throughout history, many rulers have prioritized loyalty over filial piety in their subjects, but few have practiced it themselves.

Now, Your Majesty is practicing the ultimate righteousness. How can we not call this the model of a sage ruler?”

This was the pronouncement delivered by Jeong Mong-ju’s son, Jeong Jong-seong.

‘Was that so?’

Of course, that wasn’t my intention.

I was just faithfully following Yi Bang-won’s will to not waste time on unnecessary things and prepare for war.

But as the saying goes, interpretation is everything. With this added layer, even the officials looked at me with reverence.

‘It seems there was a benefit to bringing him in as a relative through marriage.’

Could Yi Bang-won have foreseen this advantage when he matched Dan-i with him?

In the end, this Joseon revolves around Confucianism and justification, so it’s incredibly beneficial to have a partner who can fulfill that.

Even though he’s retired and in charge of Yaeun School, having a relative through marriage who is a well-known figure in the political world is very useful for shaping public opinion.

Meanwhile, the situation in Jinzhou was rapidly escalating.

“What is the status of Jinzhou?”

The current Commander-in-Chief of Liaoxi is Yi Sun-mong.

This man was virtually exiled from the central government due to several instances of offensive remarks, but he is quite capable as a military officer, so he was entrusted with the important strategic point of Jinzhou.

‘The problem is that what’s needed now isn’t just the ability of a field soldier.’

After seeing Dan-i’s equipment-possessing moves recently, I realized that one of the few scenarios in which Jinzhou could fall was internal betrayal.

A significant number of the lower-ranking officials in Liaoxi were Han Chinese who had lived there for generations.

In normal times, they are under control without issue, but the Xuande Emperor has already issued an order to abolish the Shen Kingdom and take back the title of Prince of Shen from me.

What if those belonging to the Prince’s fu [府, a prince’s personal administration or household] prioritize the Emperor’s orders over the Prince’s?

‘Still, I’ve been steadily replacing them, so betrayal shouldn’t happen from the start, but…’

There probably won’t be any crazy people who would open the gates to the Ming Dynasty out of overflowing patriotism.

However, you never know what kind of persuasion they might be subjected to if the siege drags on.

‘It’s still uneasy to leave everything to Yi Sun-mong.’

The Emperor is personally leading the army, so I should also go out again to maintain the center, befitting my status.

I’ve laid the groundwork sufficiently, so the opposition from my subjects shouldn’t be too great.

…Probably.

* * *

Jinzhou Defense Commander Yi Mun-bin was trembling.

“Is war really breaking out?”

Seeing the Ming army gathering like ants in front of Jinzhou Castle made his Adam’s apple bob.

“Jinzhou is a strategic point that can withstand even a million soldiers. What are you afraid of?”

However, Liaoxi Commander-in-Chief Yi Sun-mong’s answer was very straightforward.

‘People from the mainland can only say that! The people of Liaoxi, whose hometowns are about to be devastated, have a different perspective.’

Yi Mun-bin, who thinks so, is also not from Liaoxi.

His father was Yi Young, who was of Goryeo descent and appointed as the commander of Cheollyeong Garrison by the Ming Dynasty. Strictly speaking, he is a Liaodong person of Goryeo descent.

Later, his descendant would become Yi Seong-ryang, known as the King of Liaodong, but no one knows that now.

Based on his family history, it hadn’t been long since they separated from Goryeo, and they maintained their identity to the point of only marrying within Goryeo families, so it wasn’t difficult to adapt to Joseon’s rule.

Therefore, even after Cheollyeong Garrison was abolished, he was able to be appointed to Jinzhou as Yi Sun-mong’s deputy and obtain the position of Defense Commander, but now it has become a case of “a blessing in disguise.”

‘I should have moved back to Liaodong when the war clouds were gathering, but it’s too late!’

As someone who happened to belong to the Shen Prince’s fu, he lacked the resolve to fight to the death for Joseon.

Yi Sun-mong couldn’t have failed to notice that.

“You cowardly bastards!”

Yi Sun-mong strode forward and said.

“Jinzhou is not only a base for controlling Liaoxi but also a gateway to Liaodong. If Jinzhou surrenders, Liaodong will be the next battlefield!”

Yi Sun-mong said to Yi Mun-bin.

“Jinzhou cannot be defended unless the soldiers and civilians unite. The Defense Commander must strictly control his subordinates!”

“Are you talking about me?”

“Then who else is there if not you?”

Yi Je’s position as Prince of Shen had already been stripped by imperial decree, and even his fiefdom had been abolished.

Nominally, Joseon no longer held any rights in Liaodong and Liaoxi.

Yi Sun-mong knew that he, as a military officer from the mainland, could not persuade them with his words alone.

“In the meantime, I will step forward and show the majesty of Joseon once again.”

His intention was to entrust the control to Yi Mun-bin, who was in a similar situation to the people of Liaoxi, and he would achieve a small victory to boost the morale in the castle.

Yi Mun-bin had no choice but to comply when his superior came out like that.

He soon gathered the officials of Liaoxi and made them swear to actively cooperate in the war effort.

“Isn’t the Defense Commander saying that because he is from Liaodong?”

For those who had lived in Liaoxi for generations, they wanted to side with the winning side rather than lose their lives in the fight between the two.

However, they could not easily weigh the Ming Dynasty’s large army and Joseon, which had all the barbarians from all directions under its command.

“Of course not! I have also decided to bury my bones in Liaoxi. You can tell just by the fact that I left Cheollyeong Garrison and came to Jinzhou!”

Yi Mun-bin said firmly.

“Just in case any of you are thinking of something else, let me tell you that anyone who undermines morale or colludes with the enemy during the war will be punished by beheading.”

Yi Mun-bin’s words continued.

“Not only that, even if you try to preserve your family by surrendering once, the Joseon army and the cavalry of the Jurchens and Mongols will soon come running. Even if you beg for your life then, will your head remain intact?”

When Yi Je, the King of Joseon, held a meeting in Jinzhou, the officials here also attended.

They remembered the hordes of barbarians from all directions gathering in such numbers that they were terrified.

The large army outside Jinzhou Castle was frightening, but those barbaric tribes were even more frightening.

“How could we harbor disloyal thoughts?”

“We will follow His Highness, the Prince of Shen, no matter what!”

“This Jinzhou is truly an impregnable fortress! If we just defend it firmly, we can wipe out the enemy as much as we want!”

Yi Mun-bin gave a passionate speech and rallied the atmosphere of the Liaoxi officials.

Thanks to the fact that they had been under Joseon’s rule through the Shen Prince’s fu, they were clearly aware of its power.

They had panicked for a moment when the Ming Dynasty’s large army suddenly attacked, but their reason was slowly returning.

‘This is enough, this is enough.’

Of course, I can’t completely trust them.

In any case, the officials here will move according to the trend.

If the war situation turns unfavorable, a rebellion may occur, but the reinforcements from the mainland will arrive before that.

Or… I have no choice but to join the trend myself.

* * *

In quantity, there is Yang Man’s quality.

It’s a famous saying that a certain communist leader in Moscow would later utter, but the Ming Dynasty’s leadership, including the Xuande Emperor, also had similar thoughts.

What Joseon is good at is firepower warfare.

The gunpowder provided by Joseon, for some reason, surpassed that of the Ming Dynasty in terms of power even with the same amount, and the same was true for cannons.

‘But that’s not enough to deal with a great power.’

What does it matter if each weapon has a slight difference?

If they bring out one good cannon, we will light the fuse on ten cannons to suppress them.

The overwhelming victory over the Taining Garrison, which was receiving support from Joseon, instilled confidence in the Ming Dynasty’s leadership.

Of course, the barbarian Uriangkhai and Joseon, which is barely hanging on to the ranks of civilized countries (from the Ming Dynasty’s point of view), cannot be the same.

Thanks to the King of Joseon being more knowledgeable about fierce weapons than scholarship, he seems to be a little ahead, but that’s it.

Currently, thousands of artisans are being mobilized in Jiangnan to produce muskets and cannons.

Thanks to that, Zhang Fu was able to confidently showcase the quantity of the Central Plains in Jinzhou.

“To destroy that sturdy Jinzhou Castle, this much is needed.”

He thought that even for him, it would be unprecedented to mobilize this many cannons for a siege.

– Boom!

The Hongwu cannons spewed cannonballs with a roar.

The cannons of this era require numerous reloading processes, so reloading is not easy.

However, the sight of them all aiming at Jinzhou Castle and firing as if there was no need for a second bombardment was truly spectacular.

The thick smoke filled the area, making it impossible to see ahead.

Zhang Fu had great expectations for this one bombardment.

No matter how high and thick Jinzhou Castle is, it is useless.

With this level of bombardment, they could inflict significant damage on the walls to the point where they could not be repaired, or at least greatly demoralize the enemy.

The siege starts from then on.

The thick smoke, which could suffocate people to death, slowly dissipated over time.

The outline of the castle faintly appeared beyond the dissipating smoke.

Unconsciously, the Ming soldiers couldn’t help but think.

‘Did we get them?’

But what was revealed after the smoke cleared was…

‘?!’

‘What is this?’

A very intact wall.

“Not even a scratch?”

Zhang Fu forgot his dignity and muttered blankly.

Reinforced concrete buildings do not collapse even when hit by modern high-explosive bombs.

Of course, Jinzhou Castle of this era cannot be compared to apartments built with modern technology, but it is no different in front of crude 15th-century cannons.

Only a few pieces of concrete where the cannonballs hit directly scattered, but the wall itself was perfectly fine.

“Is that… even a castle that can be occupied?”

Someone even blurted out those words.

They were within common sense, and they didn’t particularly underestimate Joseon.

Rather, they were wary of Joseon’s weapons, so weren’t they planning to push through with a massive amount of firepower from the start?

Cannons have been weapons mobilized for sieges since their birth, but in the history of the Ming Dynasty, they had never poured this much firepower on the walls.

But Joseon’s capabilities far exceeded his imagination.

‘What exactly is the Gonkiltu [a type of extremely durable soil] soil that was airlifted from Joseon?’

He paid attention to Yang Sa-gi’s words that it was soil but as strong as a stone castle, but even that was close to underestimation.

He barely held on to his mind at the feeling that the common sense of the battlefield was being completely denied.

* * *

However, they could not just stand by and let time pass.

“It doesn’t matter! Everyone, attack!”

Zhang Fu quickly gathered the bewildered soldiers and began a full-scale siege.

The Ming army exchanged arrows, cannons, and fire arrows fiercely and clung to the walls.

– Tatatang!

Joseon soldiers calmly fired from the gunports installed on each wall.

The Ming army also has enough muskets.

However, even if they fired muskets from this side, the bullets would not reach the high walls, or even if they did, they could not easily knock down the Joseon soldiers who were firing from safe places.

It is common knowledge that the besieging side is at a disadvantage compared to the defending side, but now it was even more hopeless in that there was no sign of being able to capture it.

The outcome was determined from the beginning.

Zhang Fu had anticipated this from the moment the first bombardment failed.

But even so, there was a reason why he kept attacking Jinzhou.

“Send a detachment to bypass Chaoyang. If we can capture Chaoyang, we can cut off the connection between Joseon and the grasslands, and we can also defect to Liaodong.”

The battlefield was now spreading from Jinzhou to Chaoyang.