There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 396

397. The Burning Sea (2)

The Joseon soldiers and officers marveled at the sight of the ships ablaze, resembling a burning sweet pancake stall.

“Surely, the scene at Red Cliffs [a famous historical battle in China] could not have been more spectacular than this!”

However, there was no time to stand idly by and admire the view.

They had to inflict as much damage as possible while the enemy was in disarray.

“Deploy the formation!”

The front line, already engulfed in flames, could be ignored.

The large Joseon warships that had been blocking the Ming fleet began to split apart in an instant.

The Joseon warships maneuvered to the sides of the Ming front line, creating space between them.

It was as if they were embracing the Ming fleet in a V-shape.

The Joseon army’s transformation did not end there.

The Joseon navy, having formed a reverse triangular formation, turned their sterns almost simultaneously once the formation was complete.

The sides of the Joseon warships were revealed to the Ming navy, who had been facing them head-on.

“What…”

The cannons loaded on the broadsides were aimed directly at Zheng He’s fleet.

It was the Single File Formation (單從陣) [a naval tactic], transcending at least 70 years of history.

– Boom, boom, boom!

The gunports opened, and firepower that was incomparable to before began to be unleashed.

The Joseon army’s shelling, which the Ming navy had braved to charge through, was merely a feint.

The Joseon fleet, now able to fully utilize the cannons on their broadsides, was unstoppable.

There were plenty of targets, too.

While the Ming soldiers, surrounded by each other’s ships, were unable to mount a proper counterattack, the Joseon army fired cannons indiscriminately.

Since every shot was bound to hit anyway.

The Ming navy, tied hand and foot and getting beaten, was driven to madness.

Zheng He sensed it.

“We must break through this encirclement!”

Although they had been hit by a barrage of fire, the number of Ming warships still outnumbered the Joseon ones.

In Zheng He’s eyes, the Joseon army’s encirclement, lined up in a row and exposing their flanks, was exceedingly thin.

That was true.

At least, if the Ming fleet had become one and braved the shelling to break through one side, they could have engaged in ramming or close combat to break through the fire net.

However, the firepower that the Joseon navy unleashed from the cannons on their broadsides completely paralyzed the Ming army’s command.

While the number of warships themselves was in the Ming army’s favor, the number of cannons on board was not.

While the main ships had about 20 to 30 cannons, not all ships were like that.

The firepower of the Joseon army, firing simultaneously from their broadsides, far surpassed that of the Ming army.

This was not a level that could be covered by the mere number of warships.

They didn’t even have the confidence to break through the fire net.

The only path open to the Ming navy, half-encircled and getting beaten, was one.

‘We have no choice but to retreat……!’

They had no choice but to return to the sea from which they had come, but the fish trapped in the net could not easily escape.

In front, the Singijeon rockets [Korean rocket arrows] were setting fires with napalm, and on both sides, the Joseon warships were pouring down cannons.

If that was all, it would have been fortunate, but the number of Ming warships that Zheng He had gathered became a liability, and a massive traffic jam occurred at sea.

In their haste to turn their ships without securing proper space, the Ming ships collided and broke apart, and the Ming sailors who were swept away fell into the sea.

Zheng He cried out with a heavy heart.

“Forward, rather break through forward!”

At Zheng He’s cry, the commanders, including Zhou Ying, wore bewildered expressions.

Could they not see the flames that the Joseon army in front was pouring out continuously?

However, Zheng He realized that the enemy’s front was the weakest at this point.

“Now, the enemy’s small ships have only set fires to confuse our army. If our ships advance, they will not dare to stop us. Even if we catch fire, we must move forward!”

Zheng He’s judgment was correct.

From the ships that still had solid control and the ships at the very end of the traffic jam that had given up even the hope of retreat, they braced themselves for the firestorm and charged forward.

“Uh, they’re coming this way?”

“Fire the Singijeon rockets!”

– Swoosh!

Flames and smoke soared from all directions, and the number of ships burning and sinking was not one or two, but they could not completely block the desperate charge.

“What about the remaining Singijeon rockets?”

“We just used them all up!”

“Enemy ships are coming!”

“Shall we block them? Or shall we move aside?”

“Damn it, they’re running away!”

If the size was similar, they could have blocked them with their bodies, but the ships they were on were old warships conscripted from the fisheries association.

The size of the ships was too small to block the merchant ships advancing at full speed with the determination to crash and break, regardless.

Some of the large warships that remained in front blocked and sank the Ming fleet trying to escape the net, but that was not enough.

However, Zheng He’s expression was not bright at all.

Only a few ships, including the flagship, had escaped the enemy’s encirclement, but behind them, a massacre by the Joseon army was still taking place.

It was too late to turn back and save their allies, and even the surviving forces were insufficient.

All they could do was to be relieved that they had survived.

* * *

With the Ming fleet virtually annihilated, the Ming army’s organization became meaningless.

Only a fraction of the fleet managed to reach land.

For that reason, the soldiers, spearmen, or even the sailors and Zhou Ying’s Toaegun mercenaries were mixed together indiscriminately.

However, when all the remaining forces were gathered, the number still reached several thousand.

“Where is this place?”

“We sailed south away from the battlefield, so it must be south of Byeokrando Island.”

The place they reached was Jeonggot in Pungdeok County, which is modern-day Imhan-myeon, Gaepung County.

Crops were ripening well in the wide field, but the people who should have been busy with farming ran away at the sight of them, leaving the area deserted.

“Then we must decide.”

As Zheng He said this, Zhou Ying’s eyes widened and he asked.

“What do you mean, decide?”

“Whether to go north and strike Byeokrando Island, or to go south and attack the Joseon capital.”

“Are you saying that you want to fight with these soldiers now?”

Zheng He nodded at Zhou Ying’s question.

“We barely made it to land, but there is nowhere to return. If Joseon starts chasing us, they will naturally raise an army to confront us. In that case, we will not be able to withstand them in our current state.”

“You mean we have to strike at their weak point before that happens.”

There was another way, surrender, but Zheng He and Zhou Ying, at least, wanted to avoid such an option.

‘Perhaps we can exploit the enemy’s weakness now.’

The Joseon army, intoxicated with victory, would not have noticed their existence yet.

Besides, isn’t the Joseon king taking all the country’s troops for the expedition?

Zhou Ying tried hard to convince himself.

“Even so, Hanyang [old name for Seoul] is the enemy’s capital, so how can its defenses be so weak?

Also, there will be Geumgun soldiers [royal guards] stationed in Joseon at all times, so unless the city falls with just one drumbeat from our army, it will be impossible to take the capital.”

If by some stroke of luck they could occupy Hanyang and capture the Joseon king’s family, it would be a great victory that would more than make up for the current disaster.

But for now, it was a delusion.

They did not think that they, who had not even managed to salvage proper siege equipment, could dare to invade a country’s capital.

“Then it’s decided. Let’s go to Byeokrando Island.”

There was also Gaeseong nearby, but there was nothing to be gained by occupying it.

On the other hand, Byeokrando Island was the hub of Joseon trade and like a lifeline to the sea, so when they initially brought the fleet, they had made it their first target.

Zhou Ying also thought that destroying Byeokrando Island was not an impossible goal.

Originally, the number of soldiers who were constantly gathered and stationed was not large, and most of the time, they would summon the men when an enemy invaded.

Even Byeokrando Island, a strategic point, would now have only a few hundred people gathered to guard the port.

If they invaded not through the sea, but through the land from the unexpected south, the enemy would not have time to gather troops.

They could not move with the tattered warships, so they were moving by land, but anyway, wasn’t this also a strategy of 허허실실 [deceptive tactics]?

‘If we’re lucky, we might be able to attack and burn the enemy fleet that has returned to port from land.’

Zhou Ying thought so and increased his speed.

“If we can go to Byeokrando Island and defeat the enemy, we can get a ship and return to our homeland!”

At his cry, the Ming army’s morale also rose quite a bit.

After experiencing a desperate defeat, they responded greatly even to something that resembled hope.

‘Yes, since ancient times, there have been countless cases of turning the tide of the war by exploiting the enemy’s weaknesses even after losing a big battle.’

If things continued like this, they would only be isolated and self-destruct in the Joseon border.

The only thing to bet on was the possibility that there would be almost no troops guarding Byeokrando Island.

Zheng He and Zhou Ying prayed that there would be no troops blocking them in the meantime.

However, their hopes soon began to shatter.

Not long after they started marching.

– Woo-oo!

“What is that sound?”

Zheng He asked unconsciously at the faint sound coming from somewhere.

– Woo-oo~

And as if receiving it, the sound of blowing a horn was soon heard from the other side as well.

And at the same time, Joseon cavalry galloping across the plains appeared.

“Jo, Joseon army……?”

Zhou Ying muttered with a bewildered expression.

Although their attire was varied, if it wasn’t the Joseon army, what army would appear in Joseon land?

Besides, the fluttering flag was that of the Joseon army.

Even the Joseon Geumgun!

“Ah, ah!”

The Ming soldiers, overwhelmed by panic and despair, did not even react properly.

Zhou Ying hurriedly tried to encourage the soldiers, but they were only overwhelmed by the momentum of the Geumgun cavalry, who were shouting barbaric cries.

Countless cavalrymen split apart, and one person came out from behind.

It was Crown Prince Yi Dan.

He looked down at the Ming soldiers, who were clearly in the state of routed soldiers, and shouted.

“Blow the conch!”

– Woo-oo!

At that signal, the cavalrymen charged down the hill all at once.

* * *

Yi Dan did not initially head north with the Geumgun, aiming for them.

‘Anyway, the Training Command is in charge of defending the capital…….’

The concrete Hanyang Fortress, designed by Yi Seong-gye [founder of the Joseon Dynasty] and built by Yi Je, was strong enough to withstand the invasion of most foreign enemies.

If the enemy had a brain, they would not be able to blindly crash into this place.

Yi Dan was thinking of backing up Byeokrando Island and preventing a possible enemy landing.

He was not thinking of defeat, but he was worried that the enemy might try to seize Byeokrando Island at the same time as waging a naval battle.

Even if some of them landed and caused chaos in the port, it would be a great loss for Joseon.

For that reason, when Yi Dan received a telegram from Byeokrando Island that an enemy fleet had appeared, he immediately took the Geumgun and headed north.

They were fast, had worked with him several times, and were the most mobile force.

Therefore, it was purely coincidental that Yi Dan encountered the Ming army’s routed soldiers led by Zheng He and Zhou Ying.

The Ming army was swept away by the Joseon army’s charge.

The Ming army, who had already experienced a traumatic defeat, had their will broken as soon as the Joseon army appeared from an unexpected place.

But Zhou Ying was different.

As a high-ranking general of the Ming Dynasty, he did not back down an inch.

‘That guy must be the leader. So even if the 야인s [barbarians] are in charge of guarding, the leader is chosen from the Joseon people?’

There was no time to think further.

The moment a blow passed, Zhou Ying felt the greatsword slipping out of his hand.

“Joseon has gained a good general.”

Zhou Ying said, coughing.

“I want to know who killed me.”

He did not expect an answer, but unexpectedly, a fairly fluent Chinese language rang out.

“Joseon Crown Prince, Yi Dan.”

Zhou Ying’s eyes widened, and then he left a word.

“You were our Taejo’s grandson. I can understand.”

Yi Dan looked down at the dead Zhou Ying with a strange expression.

And then he thought.

‘I’m just strong, you idiot.’