393. The Qualification of the Throne (1)
Shanhaiguan.
As the eastern end of the Great Wall, it was nicknamed the “Number One Pass Under Heaven” because even birds found it difficult to cross.
However, the Joseon soldiers, emboldened by repeated victories and their advance to the edge of the Ming Dynasty, felt no fear even when facing Shanhaiguan.
They were accustomed to winning, and they had crossed Shanhaiguan once before in the previous war.
Moreover, after witnessing the Ming army’s chaotic retreat from the goat attacks [referring to the use of chlorine gas], they were confident they were no longer a match for them.
Of course, not everyone was thrilled; rumors even circulated that one shocked military officer had shaved his head in despair, but this was irrelevant to the majority of the Joseon army.
“Let’s seize this momentum and take Shanhaiguan! The title of ‘Number One Pass Under Heaven’ will return to Jinzhou Fortress!” Yi Sun-mong, commander of Liaoxi, confidently shouted, leading the attack on Shanhaiguan.
– Boom, boom, boom!
Dozens of the Joseon army’s high-explosive shells rained down on the walls of Shanhaiguan.
No matter how renowned Shanhaiguan was as a fortress, its defenses were designed for a previous era.
It wasn’t built to withstand cannon fire, especially high-explosive shells, so Shanhaiguan’s defensive capabilities had their limits.
The times had changed.
Cannons had never been used so extensively on the battlefield as they were now.
The concentrated shelling completely destroyed the massive gate of Shanhaiguan.
If it weren’t for the extensive moats dug to the east and north, the battle might have ended there.
Instead of the raised drawbridge, the Joseon army diligently began constructing pontoon bridges.
Of course, Shanhaiguan didn’t simply stand by.
“Send out the soldiers!”
Grapeshot was fired from the Hongwu cannons [a type of cannon used during the Ming Dynasty] installed on the gate, and musket bullets and arrows rained down.
“Prevent the Joseon army from building the bridge!”
Soldiers poured through the broken gate, forming ranks to impede the bridge construction.
From the perspective of those building the bridge, the soldiers hindering them were a significant problem.
“Commander, shouldn’t we use the poison mist?”
The Joseon army generals, who had enjoyed success with the goat gas, asked Yi Sun-mong.
“Hmm…”
Yi Sun-mong had been present when Ijae dramatically warned against using the gas.
However, he, known for his bluntness and recklessness, wouldn’t easily abandon such an effective weapon just because the king shed a few tears.
‘A little bit, just a little bit, wouldn’t hurt, right?’
As the vanguard commander for the attack on Shanhaiguan, he believed he had some discretion.
His hesitation stemmed solely from the king’s solemn order, but he soon realized an important detail.
‘Wait, His Majesty never explicitly forbade the poison mist, did he?’
He only said that using it was a sin that would be punished by heaven and shorten one’s lifespan.
‘In other words, if you’re prepared to have your lifespan shortened, you can use it!’
The contrapositive of a true proposition is also true.
Yi Sun-mong might not have studied logic, but his wisdom allowed him to grasp fundamental truths.
What was his mere life compared to the fate of the country?
Having decided to trade his lifespan for victory, Yi Sun-mong had nothing to fear.
* * *
Yi Sun-mong’s logical reasoning didn’t change anything for the Ming army.
They never expected the Joseon army to have such ethical considerations.
If they could have used poison gas themselves, they would have without hesitation, so they assumed the Joseon army would do the same.
Therefore, the Ming army anticipated the use of gas and prepared accordingly.
However, from the Joseon army’s perspective, the sight was absurd.
“What the hell are those bastards doing?”
A unit with their noses and mouths covered with blue cloth, each holding a large fan, appeared.
“The Plantain Leaf Fan Squad, step forward!”
The general shouted loudly.
At his command, the soldiers holding fans advanced in unison.
Wu Cheng’en, the writer of *Journey to the West*, wouldn’t be born for another 70 years, but the folktales already existed.
This unit, named after the legendary fan that could create strong winds, was incredibly brave.
“The enemy has released the poison mist!”
The goat gas drifting over the moat slowly became visible.
The Ming army general ordered without hesitation.
“Now is the time! Stir it up!”
At his command, the Plantain Leaf Fan Squad began fanning in unison.
However, unlike Princess Iron Fan’s plantain leaf fan that could extinguish the flames of Flaming Mountain [a reference to Journey to the West], the fans held by the Ming soldiers were just large fans. They weren’t even made of plantain leaves.
Their fans only scattered and dispersed the yellowing goat gas, without producing the desired effect.
The blue cloth covering the Ming soldiers’ faces was equally ineffective.
“Keh-keh-kehk!”
The blue cloth, merely soaked in dye, didn’t block the chlorine at all.
The Plantain Leaf Fan Squad, initially filled with morale after hearing about the scientific principles of the Five Elements [a Chinese philosophical concept], relived the trauma of their retreat to Shanhaiguan.
“Aaaaaah!”
The Plantain Leaf Fan Squad collapsed and fled.
The general shouted, but running away was a wise decision.
Unlike their colleagues who died while fanning, most of the fleeing soldiers saved their lives.
The sight of them running away in panic was comical, but Yi Sun-mong, who had ambitiously used the chlorine, clicked his tongue.
“It’s not easy to control the poison mist as I thought. It’s drifting towards our pontoon bridge too.”
Chlorine gas is not a panacea.
Because it’s greatly affected by wind direction, the Joseon army could be hit if the wind changed, and it doesn’t spread well in cold weather.
In addition, releasing enemy chlorine gas would restrict their own range of action.
Compared to later generations’ poison gas, its power was weaker, explaining why chlorine gas quickly became obsolete.
Yi Sun-mong mentally retracted his earlier decision to trade his lifespan for using chlorine.
‘I should have used cannons just now.’
‘It’s better to use poison mist only in limited situations.’
This was a lesson the Joseon army learned as they accumulated practical data.
However, the Ming army command, receiving a report on the brief battle at the pontoon bridge, interpreted it differently.
“We succeeded in repelling the enemy with the Plantain Leaf Fans?”
“Yes, sir. The soldiers in the front weren’t skilled in handling the Plantain Leaf Fans, so there were some casualties, but the Joseon army dared not cross!”
‘Is this really… working?’
Zhang Bo muttered, stroking his chin in bewilderment.
‘If that’s not the reason, there’s no way the Joseon army, like demons and ogres, would deliberately avoid using such a weapon!’
The impact of chlorine gas was so strong that even Zhang Bo was misled.
As he watched the ongoing siege, the situation seemed clearer.
“It seems they’re not using poison mist anymore because they saw our defensive posture!”
“That’s fortunate!”
Zhang Bo dismissed his doubts.
However, the battle was still extremely difficult.
Shanhaiguan was said to be impregnable, but it didn’t seem as strong as Jinzhou Fortress, where they had been miserably defeated.
“Since the enemy isn’t using poison mist, shouldn’t we return the Plantain Leaf Fan Squad to the castle defense?”
“No, we can’t. If the Joseon army notices, they’ll attack with poison again.”
The moat of Shanhaiguan was gradually being filled by the Joseon army’s offensive.
Despite the difficult situation, Zhang Bo maintained preparations for a gas attack, holding back tears.
“Order more blue cloth and fans from Beijing.”
After all, the effect hadn’t been definitively proven.
* * *
Most of the troops retreating from Jinzhou were salvaged by Zhang Bo, but because the Ming army collapsed so completely, many units couldn’t escape.
Because the Liaoxi Corridor was long and narrow, there was no suitable place for them to disperse.
Troops that failed to retreat to Shanhaiguan had to surrender to the Joseon army or become bandits.
Because the Joseon army had used ominous poison mist, more people chose banditry.
This was also due to rumors spreading among the defeated soldiers.
“If you surrender to the Joseon army, you’ll be dragged to the mines and forced to dig stones until you die.”
“The Jurchens are delighted to see the Han people, because they see them as livestock or slaves to take to their land and make them work.”
The Ming army’s defeated soldiers trembled at the false rumors mixed with facts.
If they fought, they would either die or be captured and enslaved.
In any case, they had to avoid encountering the Joseon army.
The Joseon army, advancing relentlessly to Shanhaiguan, didn’t have time to pay attention to these small groups, and the Liaoxi area briefly entered an era of banditry due to the scattered Ming troops.
Some even moved north instead of retreating to Jinzhou Fortress, and bandits began appearing in Chaoyang.
Crown Prince Yi Dan resolutely drew his sword to suppress them.
“The defeated bandits dare to plunder our people and threaten the rear of our army, so we cannot stand idly by!”
With the justification of managing the rear and with no one to stop him, Yi Dan had nothing to fear.
“Your Highness, enemies ahead!”
Yi Dan didn’t slow down when he saw the enemy but spurred his horse faster.
Seeing the leader swinging his spear, Yi Dan reloaded an arrow into his bow.
“From now on, I will shoot that guy!”
As he spoke, an arrow flew and pierced the leader’s head.
“Hee-ik!”
Before his subordinates could react, Yi Dan charged and beheaded the person next to him.
The cavalry charged in after him.
As the horses’ hooves pounded the ground, the bandits, who had lost their leader and their will to fight, began to collapse.
“As expected, His Highness the Crown Prince’s archery skills are superb!”
However, Yi Dan’s expression wasn’t bright.
The number of bandits was at most several hundred.
Dealing with these remnants wouldn’t significantly impact the war.
Of course, the prisoners captured were useful.
“Fellow countrymen, you can enjoy Hyeonju [a type of alcohol] and Cho Gye [a type of snack] while working happily in the mines!”
“Although you’re prisoners, working diligently with your own hands to earn a living isn’t much different from farming!”
“We’ll teach you how to work in the mines from the beginning!”
Joseon and Ming were at war, but because the Ming’s attack was blocked in Jinzhou, Liaodong avoided the worst of the conflict.
Supplies were inevitably requisitioned for the Joseon army, but Liaodong wasn’t agriculturally prosperous, so most supplies came from the Joseon mainland.
Vast manpower and materials to feed the army passed through Liaodong, and the prisoners generated by the war satisfied the reduced mining labor force after Dangsae-ah’s rebellion was suppressed.
Naturally, the public opinion of the people of Liaodong wasn’t so bad.
That friendly gaze was directed at the Crown Prince staying in the Prince of Sim’s residence.
But Yi Dan wasn’t at ease.
‘Am I just going to spend time in Shenyang like this and go back?’
Judging by his father’s actions, it was likely.
It might happen even before the war ends.
It had been a while since the father and son had gone on a personal expedition, so the justification was strong, and the war wasn’t so dire that the king had to intervene.
The results of this expedition were great, so perhaps even he, who had been staying in Shenyang accompanying his father, would be promoted for remarkable achievements.
‘Even though it’s not my achievement.’
Yi Dan felt bitter.