Chapter 561

Episode 561: Blood River (7)

Jo Byeong-deok drew a circle around the Insan camp on the map with his baton and continued speaking.

“If we cut off the connection between this damned castle and the rear, the enemy will have no choice but to come out to avoid isolation. “We have to aim for that.”

At Jo Byeong-deok’s words, the commanders stared at the map and made various calculations.

One of the subordinate generals who was calculating the numbers pointed out a problem.

“If you do it wrong, you may be attacked.”

“Of course, that is highly likely.”

Jo Byeong-deok nodded in approval to his subordinate’s point and continued speaking with a grin.

“But the number of Joseon troops we have identified is 200,000. Half of them are naval forces. And the number of Joseon troops deployed to that damn castle right now is roughly 50,000. This means that the remaining 50,000 are spread throughout Joseon. Among them, how many troops will be able to arrive here in time? “If you were the governor of Joseon, under these circumstances, would you gather the remaining troops here or in Hanseong?”

The general who had pointed out the possibility of a joint attack in response to Jo Byeong-deok’s question thought for a moment and then answered.

“I have something to gather in Hanseong.”

“yes?”

After hearing the answer, Jo Byeong-deok looked at the other generals and continued speaking.

“If we succeed in detouring, they will have no choice but to abandon the castle and come out. If a battle takes place in a wide open area, we will have an overwhelming advantage. pincers? Of course, there is every possibility of being attacked. But how many of the Joseon soldiers who flocked in like that were properly trained elites? “It’s just a ragtag group, mostly made up of peasants conscripted from nearby areas.”

phut!

Cho Byeong-deok struck the map with his baton and finished.

“In this battle, the enemy forced us to choose and we had to be chosen. And I suffered a lot of damage. But now it is our turn to force them to choose. thus! First, focus on solidifying the beachhead you have secured! “We will restore the broken artillery pieces!”

The faces of his subordinate generals brightened at Jo Byeong-deok’s words. The size of Liaodong County was still overwhelming that of Joseon. If we could avoid a battle that would result in huge losses like today, we could continue to pressure the Joseon army. And in the rear, they continued to train the soldiers. And the number continued to grow from 50,000.

Among them, the commander of the Hwaryong Battery made a suggestion to Cho Byeong-deok.

“Restoration of the Hwaryong guns is important, but movement of the batteries is also necessary. When will you decide?”

“Three days later.”

“It’s not enough. “Please give me at least two more days.”

“Two days?”

“At least it comes.”

Jo Byeong-deok looked embarrassed at the Hwaryong Battery commander’s answer.

The firepower of the Hwaryongpo, which was confident, could not destroy the Joseon army’s walls.

However, if we were to give up the Hwaryong artillery, the problem was that damn Joseon iron fence. The firepower of the Hwaryong cannon was considered the most suitable to destroy that iron fence.

The problem was that in today’s battle, the Hwaryong Battery’s position was within the range of the artillery guns of those Koreans. In that case, of course it had to be pulled back, but moving and building the position took a considerable amount of time and manpower.

In other words, Hansi had become like a gye-reuk that was dragging its feet in an urgent situation and it would be a shame to throw it away.

Jo Byeong-deok, who had been pondering over and over again, eventually came to an ambiguous conclusion.

“I’ll give you one more day. And we will provide additional troops from nearby units. “Please complete all preparations within four days.”

“I will do my best.”

After hearing the answer from the Hwaryong Battery commander, Jo Byeong-deok again gave orders to his subordinate generals.

“I will write up an order soon and give it to you, so you can do your best to restore the Hwaryong Battery and other batteries. “In the meantime, do not engage in unnecessary offensives and only carry out the minimum amount of checks.”

“yes!”

“All battles are difficult, but the greatest of them all is siege warfare. “We must do our best to maintain the morale of our soldiers.”

“yes!”

When the meeting ended, only Jo Byeong-deok and his staff remained in the military camp.

“Whoa~. They say siege warfare is the best of melee warfare, but it is really difficult.”

And the Joseon army waiting in the area named the offensive preparation line was now about 88,000 strong, and soldiers were still gathering through the railroad.

The final number of Joseon troops to be gathered at the offensive line was 260,000 from three units. And that was the beginning.

* * *

While a bloody battle was taking place in the Insan camp on the Yalu River, a bloody battle was also taking place in Hanseong.

“This is an urgent report from Insanjin!”

“Write a copy and send it upstairs! “You have to copy at least 20 copies!”

“We don’t have enough people!”

“What are you going to do with the typewriter!”

“Here’s your supply list!”

“The numbers here are wrong! What if the numbers are wrong from the first page? Are you playing the abacus with your toes? Or are all the branches broken? “Write it again and bring it back right now!”

While all kinds of shouting and swearing were being shouted at the Ministry of Defense, the same was true at the Ministry of Finance and Economy.

“I told you to limit withdrawals on the battlefield, but what is this!”

“I did, but how did I know...”

“Find out who leaked it right now! Find him and throw him in the archives right away! “If you don’t catch it, I’ll throw you in the record office first!”

“Hi! “I will definitely find it, sir!”

The Vice Minister, who was the flagship of the Minister of Finance and Economy, rushed out.

One wall of the Minister of Finance and Economy’s office was filled with all kinds of tables and graphs.

It was a war that was already expected, but as it actually unfolded, the Ministry of Finance and Economy was waging a war with numbers, with unexpected and larger spending than expected.

This situation was the same for the Seunghwa Party, the Prime Minister’s Office, and other government offices.

“It is certain that crimes taking advantage of the chaos will increase. “We need to pay attention to strengthening security.”

“yes. “I will issue an order to the provincial government.”

“Is the conscription situation going smoothly?”

“yes. Fortunately, the people are all following along. “I think we will be able to meet the scheduled timetable.”

“Thank goodness.”

Hyang, who looked like he had taken a breather, immediately gave a warning.

“Remember to check the quality of the supplies you give them. “You must keep in mind that people who do foolish things to satisfy their own self-interest should not appear.”

‘The National Guard incident should not come out!’

As Hyang continued to emphasize, Hwang Hee came forward and answered.

“I will keep this in mind.”

After handling the agenda, Hyang moved on to the next step.

“Have you finished selecting the envoys to be sent to Ming?”

Heo Hu stepped forward and answered Hyang’s question.

“I plan to go myself. “I will go and investigate properly.”

“If you do it wrong, your life could be at risk.”

Heohu responded to Hyang’s warning with a slight smile.

“Wouldn’t that be a good thing? It makes sense to use this as an excuse to burn down all of Ming’s ports. “Isn’t this a long-term business, since I can exchange one of my lives for my entire life?”

Hyang slightly shook his head at Heo Hu’s words.

“If things go wrong anyway, all of Ming’s ports will be burned down. So please take care of your life and come.”

“It may be difficult for me, but I will do my best.”