Chapter 548

Episode 548: The night before the war (1)

November, the 29th year of King Sejong’s reign (1447, the year of Jeongmyo). Yoyangseong.

On the wide plain in front of the castle, many cavalrymen were running in a group.

Boom boom boom

boom boom boom!

As loud drums and trumpets sounded and the horsemen waved colorful flags, the group of cavalrymen changed directions and positions.

Phuu~~~~

As soon as the trumpet sounded, a group of cavalrymen, who were frantically changing positions, raised their bows and shot arrows.

Sushi Sisik!

The arrows flew into the sky with a loud noise and instantly hit the targets.

Floating!

“Hey!”

“ha!”

At the sound of the drums that followed, the remaining cavalry charged in unison, holding out their long spears forward and shouting. The cavalrymen charged with all their might toward the scarecrows erected far ahead and passed them by stabbing them with their spears.

* * *

Joo Ji-jin, who was watching the scene from the walls of Liaoyang Castle, looked back at the generals standing around him with a satisfied expression.

“The training went really well.”

Jo Byeong-deok responded to Joo Joo-jin’s praise with an expression full of pride.

“The horsemanship of the Jurchen people was originally famous, and the cavalry we brought with us were also experienced against the Dalits of the Northern Yuan. “It may be difficult at first, but if your hands and feet work together properly, there will be no one in the world who can defeat you.”

Joo Joo-jin, who nodded at Jo Byeong-deok’s answer, did not forget his request.

“Don’t forget that once you cross the Yalu River, you must head to Hanseong as quickly as possible. “For that, cavalrymen are the most important.”

“ancient!”

“And what about training for the artillery that the Koreans will fire?”

The horse was a more timid animal than expected. It was clear that unless they became accustomed to gunshots and gunfire, they would not be able to play their role in actual combat.

Jo Byeong-deok immediately responded to Joo Ji-jin’s point.

“yes! “Whenever the artillery and rifle corps conduct shooting drills, we take them next to them and get them used to it!”

“Thank goodness...”

Joo Joo-jin, who had been observing the cavalry training, nodded at Jo Byeong-deok’s answer and turned around.

“Then, shall we take a look at the training of the rifle corps and artillery corps?”

“I’ll take you there!”

* * *

The place where Jo Byeong-deok guided Joo Jin-jin was an empty lot outside the Liaoyangseong Fortress.

In the vacant lot where the main team arrived, many riflemen were lined up and receiving training.

“Banggun!”

Ta-ta-tang!

“Banjil(番迭)!”

Following the commander’s order, the soldiers who fired their iron guns quickly turned and retreated. At the same time, the next row rushed forward and stood in the firing line.

“aiming! “Bang gun!”

Ta-ta-tang!

Following the commander’s order, the soldiers on the firing line quickly raised their guns, aimed them at the target, and pulled the trigger.

“Smear!”

Following the commander’s order, the soldiers who finished shooting switched places with the soldiers in the next row.

“Mouth gun!”

Only after the soldiers’ shooting had gone around once did the soldiers’ shooting stop.

Joo Joo-jin, who was watching the scene from behind, turned to Jo Byeong-deok.

“Are they all old soldiers?”

“no. “80% of them are new soldiers.”

“80% are new recruits? But is it still showing that kind of attitude?”

Joo Joo-jin could not hide his surprise at Jo Byeong-deok’s answer. Even the musketeers I saw briefly in the Forbidden City in the past showed that level of skill.

However, if Jo Byeong-deok’s answer was true, most of them were new soldiers who had just been drafted.

“If you think about the time when you were conscripted, you don’t have to look to see how hard you and those commanders worked! I’ll give you a reward when I get back! And let’s give those soldiers some alcohol and meat too!”

Even though manpower and funds were invested, the casting of big guns was a series of failures. The problem of resource supply and demand was solved by re-melting and recycling incorrectly made artillery, but the consumption of time and money was a headache for Joo Jin-jin.

* * *

“It’s amazing that you can feel the heat up here even though it’s the middle of winter.”

Joo Ji-jin let out a small exclamation at the intense heat felt from the entrance of the armory and entered.

Ju Ji-jin, who entered the armory, immediately visited Wang Chong and informed him of the current situation.

“So... this one has a high chance of success?”

“That is so, Your Majesty.”

In response to Wang Chong’s answer, Ju Ji-jin stroked his chin and examined the inside of the arsenal. Even now, craftsmen were busy clinging to the formwork and inspecting its condition, and many workers were diligently pulling carts full of coal and minerals.

“Hmm... I must succeed this time. “There is not much time left.”

“I will do my best.”

“Don’t forget that you must complete at least three gates.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Then, we will move on to the Hwaryongpo issue, and the production of other artillery pieces and iron guns...”

After completing the inspection of the supply and demand of weapons needed for the military, Joo Ji-jin moved on to the next problem.

“What about the supply of gunpowder?”

“We are currently doing our best to obtain raw materials.”

Hearing Wang Chung’s words, Joo Ji-jin turned to Jo Byeong-deok. Jo Byeong-deok, who received the silent question, immediately opened his mouth.

“If we look at the current situation, out of 10 training sessions, only one training session uses gunpowder.”

In response to Jo Byeong-deok’s criticism, Wang Chung fervently defended himself.

“I am also well aware of that problem. So, I’m adding lines at the top of several places. “We will somehow secure a sufficient quantity by the end of the month.”

Hearing Wang Chong’s words, Ju Ji-jin organized the situation.

“I hope you keep your word. Then you will be sufficiently rewarded.”

“I will do my best!”

* * *

Joo Ji-jin, who returned from inspection after observing the soldiers’ training and the situation at the armory, headed to the conference room without even a moment of rest.

“Now then, let’s look at the plan again.”

“yes.”

Jo Byeong-deok stood up after hearing Joo Jin-jin’s words, looked at the generals, and opened his mouth.

“If we were to check our current strength, it is 320,000, including the troops of Liaodongwi, the troops we brought with us, and those we secured through conscription.”

“It’s a bit tight.”

When one of the generals commented like that, Jo Byeong-deok nodded.

“It’s true. So even now, conscription continues. And although His Majesty continues to send letters to Beijing, it is safe not to think about this.”

The commanders all nodded at Jo Byeong-deok’s words. If Joo Jin-jin had been able to obtain troops by whining, he would not have sent only 150,000 in the first place.

Jo Byeong-deok continued speaking.

“Therefore, the number of troops we can mobilize is limited to 250,000. “The 70,000 must prevent any unexpected Jurchen action and Joseon’s counterattack.”

Joo Joo-jin and the commanders all nodded at Jo Byeong-deok’s words.

When everyone seemed to agree, Byeongdeok Jo continued.

“So, after deliberating with my staff, we came to the conclusion that one-pointed concentration was the best way to achieve the best results.”

“If you say one-point concentration, does that mean you will deploy all of your troops in just one place?”

“exactly.”

Jo Byeong-deok nodded and explained the reason.

-To invade Joseon, you must first cross the Yalu River. The chances of success increase if you cross the river at the same time in several places, but in this case, it is difficult.

-The reason is Joseon’s firepower. If you listen to the stories of the Jurchen people, Joseon is deploying large quantities of highly lethal weapons such as bigyeokjincheonroe and hwacha.

-Under these circumstances, crossing to multiple locations is highly likely to result in meaningless losses.

-Rather, if you focus your troops in just one location, your chances of success are surprisingly high.

“If the Joseon army’s firepower can kill 100 people at once, what do you think would happen if 200, or 500, or 1,000 ships were deployed?”

The generals who had been thinking about Jo Byeong-deok’s words for a moment all nodded.

“So where did you decide on Doha?”

In response to Joo Ki-jin’s question, Jo Byeong-deok pointed with his baton to a place on the map hanging on the wall.

“This is Insanjin (麟山鎭).”

It was a place called Sinuiju in history before the intervention of Hyang.