Chapter 518

Episode 518: Decisive battle. (2)

The place where Ikuta Shrine was located had truly exquisite terrain.

To the south, the sea blocked the road, and to the north, there was a line of highlands that were difficult to move around and could still be called mountains.

Therefore, Ouchi’s troops had to pass by here in order to go to Kyoto, where the shogunate and the emperor were located. It was also a transportation hub that the shogunate had to pass through in order to subdue Ouchi.

* * *

The main camp of the Ouchi Army was built a little southwest of Ikuta Shrine.

In front of the tent covered with colorful cloth with the Ouchi family emblem engraved on it, there was a hastily installed wooden command tower, and on top of it, Ouchi Mochiyo and Morimi were watching the shogunate army camp on the other side.

Morimi, who had been examining the shogunate army camp with a monocle given to him by Joseon, put down the monocle and looked around.

Morimi, who was looking at the terrain blocked on both sides by mountains and the sea, spoke to Mochiyo who was standing next to him.

“Gaju has truly exquisite topography.”

“That’s right. By the way... they really are like monkeys.”

“monkey?”

When Morimi expressed his doubts, Mochiyo raised his hand and pointed to the center of the shogunate camp.

“We increased the length of the window.”

Morimi, who was examining the shogunate camp with a monocle, nodded at Mochiyo’s words.

“They really are like monkeys.”

* * *

The spears carried by the Japanese spearmen during this period were not as long as the long spears used in the Warring States period of history before the intervention of Hyang.

The average length of long spears carried by Japanese spearmen was 6 cheok (approximately 2m) to 7 cheok (approximately 2.3m), including the blade.

Considering the short stature of the Japanese, this was long enough to be powerful.

However, Ouchi introduced the long spear carried by Joseon’s spearmen.

Chapter 1 The biggest background to the introduction of the literal long spear with a length of 5 cheok (approximately 4.5m) was the civil affairs faction that returned from studying abroad in Joseon.

* * *

The Military Police, organized to protect Hanseong, the capital of Joseon, and the Naegumwi, organized to protect Gyeongbokgung Palace and the king, regularly conducted training on the sandy beach of Hansu.

The regular training held like this was so spectacular that many people gathered to watch the training.

Since it was customary for the king to attend such training, many people who were concerned about the king’s safety blocked the public’s access.

However, the person who opposed this opinion was Hyang.

“The morale and loyalty of the people will rise when they see the majesty of the soldiers protecting them.”

“You mean the loyalty of the people?”

“If they look at where and how their taxes are being used, wouldn’t they have a back story?”

“aha!”

In this way, the people of Hanseong were able to see the training of the soldiers. And as time passed, local people heard that this training was spectacular and began to come to Seoul on time to watch it. Eventually, notices were posted on bulletin boards in government offices throughout Joseon informing people of when regular training would take place this year.

It was the birth of a tourism product with a long history.

Training was opened like this, but not all of it was open. For safety reasons, the public was prevented from observing the training of artillerymen and riflemen, which King Sejong personally attended and supervised.

What the people could see was the training of spearmen and cavalrymen, but the people actually liked it even more. This was because the movements of the spear soldiers moving with their long spears stacked up like hedgehogs and the cavalry running while shaking the ground were even more exciting.

* * *

Those who came back after watching this training while studying abroad in Joseon strongly insisted on immediately introducing the Joseon long spear.

“Isn’t it just unnecessarily long?”

All the samurai, starting with Morimi, who was the head of the family at the time, tilted their heads, but the literary faction continued to insist on the introduction of the Joseon-style long spear.

“It’s definitely useful to see your actual record!”

“This is a weapon that has already been proven in combat!”

When one of the lords was worried, Mochiyo responded with an expression that it was no big deal.

“You don’t have to worry about it at all.”

“But isn’t it an edict and an edict?”

Mochiyo emptied his glass and answered the following criticism.

“As I said before, if that was His Majesty’s true opinion, it wouldn’t have come out now. How many years has it been since we raised an army under the banner of suppressing traitors? But for a while there was no word, but now that the shogunate was under its nose, an edict was issued? “What does this mean?”

The lords nodded to Mochiyo’s point.

If the Emperor’s sincerity had been true, as soon as Ouchi raised his army, a messenger from the Emperor would have come to stop him, or an edict from the Emperor ordering Ouchi to be subjugated would have been distributed throughout the Japanese country.

However, it was only here, a stone’s throw away from Kyoto and Naniwa, that the emperor’s edict was issued.

Looking at the reactions of the lords, Mochiyo firmly nailed it.

“Once the suppression of the traitors is over, I will go before Your Majesty and ask for forgiveness for disturbing Your Majesty’s heart!”

The lords muttered to themselves at Mochiyo’s resolute declaration.

‘You don’t even think about defeat.’

‘Well, considering my past criminal history...’

‘I will go to His Majesty’s presence? It sounds like he wants to ascend to the top and announce that he has become a person of the world.’

Kyoto was modeled after Chang’an of the Tang Dynasty. From then on, entering Kyoto was said to be an ascension or an entrance. And in the case of feudal lords, it meant not simply entering Kyoto but taking power.

In other words, Mochiyo’s words were a declaration that he would overthrow the current Muromachi shogunate and open a new shogunate.

After hearing Mochiyo’s declaration, the lords fell into deeper thoughts while calculating various profits and losses.

‘Will it succeed?’

‘We’re already in the same boat, so we’ll have to do our best.’

‘How can Ouchi become more profitable after he comes to power?’

* * *

As the next morning dawned, the armies on both sides began preparing for battle.

Starting with Mochiyo and Morimi, the Ouchi family officers and samurai gathered at Mochiyo’s military camp.

It was to hold the last strategy meeting before the start of the war.

After a while, the lords and military officers of the allied territories also gathered at the military tent.

“Now, let’s take a final look.”

The strategy meeting began with Mochiyo’s words.

With Ouchi’s army at the center, the final adjustments were made to determine where and who each lord should be in charge of.

After the process of coordinating the lords with different thoughts, such as those who wanted to reduce their own damage even a little, those who wanted to take damage and gain a record for the future, and those who were lost in the middle and only paid attention, the lords and their military officers returned to their army.

Mochiyo opened his mouth while looking at his subordinates and subordinates who remained in place.

“Let’s make today the best day of our lives!”

“Oh!”

When the military commanders responded with shouts, Mochiyo and Morimi walked to the Buddhist altar set up in the military tent and placed their hands together. And following Mochiyo and Morimi, the warriors and samurai prayed for victory.

After praying, those who returned to their places were handed glasses and poured drinks.

Mochiyo, who had a glass full of alcohol in her hand, raised the glass high and shouted.

“let’s go!”

“let’s go!”

The people who screamed emptied their glasses in one go and threw the empty glasses on the floor.

Clink!

The members of the Ouchi family, including Mochiyo, left the military camp, stepping on the shattered pieces of the drinking glasses.

It was the beginning of a battle that risked everything for the family.