BCJ Chapter 265

As the battlefield to confront Manchu and Mentemu was chosen, the temporary palace in Hamheung bustled with activity.

Among those who were busy, the busiest were those involved in supply issues.

In the meeting regarding supplies, the officials under Hwang Hui were literally “flying” around.

“The most urgent matter is the supply for the Pyeongan Province army, which has caught up with Manchu’s tribe.”

When a young military officer from the General Staff pointed out the issue, everyone gathered in the meeting room nodded their heads.

At least during this period, there were no commanders in the Joseon army who took logistics and supplies lightly.

***

As the main weapons of the Joseon army shifted from cold weapons such as spears and swords to firearms using gunpowder, the importance of supplies was increasingly emphasized.

Therefore, those who excelled in administrative abilities among the military service examination passers were immediately sent to the supply division.

This was also an opportunity for rapid promotion for the successful candidates.

As a result, with a large influx of those who had avoided the fiercely competitive civil service examination and applied for the military service examination entering the supply division, the Joseon army’s supply system began to establish a sound system at a fast pace.

Of course, it was natural that Hyang’s various interventions were involved in this process.

“The most reliable route of advance on the battlefield is a road paved with steel!”

Not only Choi Yoon-deok but all the commanders nodded at Hyang’s exclamation.

In particular, Choi Hae-san, the son of Choi Mu-seon and the Joseon army’s top artillery expert, nodded so vigorously that one might worry his neck would fall off.

***

With no objections, the military officer who stepped forward as the speaker continued, pointing at the map with a pointer.

“Therefore, the supply for the Pyeongan Province army will first be transported to Uiju. Next, it will be transported to a suitable point using the Amnok River, and then supplied by land. Two locations have been nominated for this secondary supply base: one is Chosanjin, and the other is Manpojin. The advantages of the two locations are…”

[TL/N: Both locations are located in modern North Korea]

“Wait a moment.”

As the military officer was explaining with a confident voice, an official from Hamgil Province interrupted him.

“Speed is crucial for supplies as well. But you’re suggesting sending them to Uiju and then back up the Amnok River? It’s a waste of time. How about this method?”

The official picked up another pointer and tapped various spots on the map.

“First, we gather the supplies sent from Hanseong and the south in Wonsan. Then, we transport them to Hamheung using sea and land routes. From there, we connect supply lines from Hamheung to Manpojin and Hyesanjin. Manpojin sends supplies and reserve troops to the Pyeongan Province army, while Hyesanjin sends them to the Hamgil Province army heading towards Gilim.”

“It certainly shortens the distance.”

At Sejong’s assessment after listening to the explanation, the official bowed his head.

“Indeed, Your Majesty.”

With Sejong’s favorable evaluation, another military officer from the General Staff objected.

“The route is shorter, but the problem is that it passes through the Kaema Plateau^[1]. The Kaema Plateau is the most treacherous terrain, teeming with all sorts of ferocious beasts. Your Majesty, tiger attacks occur even in Hanseong, which is full of people. However, it is unacceptable to traverse the Kaema Plateau, which is filled with not only tigers but also bears, leopards, and wolves! The soldiers will quickly become exhausted from being on guard against the beasts!”

The officer’s objection was reasonable.

***

Joseon, a country with many mountains, was also known as the “land of ferocious beasts.”

Joseon villages were often surrounded by mountains.

The mountains near the villages had become almost bare due to the trees being cut down for firewood or building materials, but just beyond the village boundaries, there were numerous mountains filled with trees.

And in these mountains, there were plenty of ferocious beasts such as tigers, leopards, bears, and wolves.

What was even worse was that these mountains were connected in a series, forming mountain ranges throughout the Korean Peninsula.

Therefore, in such terrain, a fierce struggle between humans and ferocious beasts continued.

“For half of the year, tigers chase people, and for the other half, people chase tigers.”

“During the day, people catch tigers, and at night, tigers catch people.”

These sayings were not jokes in Joseon.

And among the notorious places in Joseon, the most notorious was the Kaema Plateau.

***

Although all the military officers from the General Staff objected, the officials from Hamgil Province smiled and responded.

“We can guarantee the safety of the transportation routes in the Kaema Plateau. At least for Joseon people.”

“Pardon?”

“Huh?”

When not only the commanders of the General Staff but also Sejong expressed doubts, Hwang Hui stepped forward and answered.

“Your Majesty, do you remember the skins of ferocious beasts that were presented to you starting from the second year of the Dongbuk-myeon development?”

“I remember. The quantity was quite substantial.”

“That’s not even half of what these fellows caught.”

“What?”

At Hwang Hui’s explanation, Sejong looked at the officials with surprised eyes.

Hwang Hui explained the reason in detail.

***

As the Dongbuk-myeon development began, the officials suffered from overwork. The area to be handled was vast, and there were not enough people.

As a result, all the officials had to become masters of horsemanship, and while dealing with the troublesome Jurchens, they became masters of marksmanship and archery.

In a situation with a heavy workload and a shortage of personnel, the shortest possible routes had to be taken to increase efficiency.

The problem was the Kaema Plateau.

To pass through the treacherous terrain teeming with ferocious beasts, military escort was essential, but it was impossible to receive support whenever needed.

In the end, the officials took up muskets, horse guns, and bows and mounted their horses.

“Damn it! Whether we die from overwork or get bitten by beasts, it’s all the same!”

Whenever they were off duty, the officials would gather in groups and roam the Kaema Plateau, hunting down the ferocious beasts.

As a result, the beasts living in the Kaema Plateau began to suffer. And the officials’ marksmanship and archery skills improved by leaps and bounds.

At first, they had to hit a tiger with more than ten bullets to kill it, but in less than a year, they developed the skills to sever a tiger’s lifeline with a single shot.

***

“…So, we collected the skins of the ferocious beasts in good condition among those we caught and presented them to Your Majesty.”

At Hwang Hui’s explanation, not only Sejong but also the military officers from the General Staff could only gape.

“Oh my… Well then…”

Even Sejong was stammering with an embarrassed expression when Choi Yoon-deok, who had come to his senses, asked Hwang Hui.

“Then, have the ferocious beasts in the Kaema Plateau gone extinct?”

At Choi Yoon-deok’s question, Hwang Hui shook his head.

“That’s not the case. It’s just that these beasts, as if they have some sense of thought, immediately flee when they sense the presence of Joseon people. What’s funny is that it’s not the case for the Jurchens. That’s why I said it’s limited to Joseon people.”

“Can the Governor confidently guarantee the safety of that transportation route?”

“As long as they don’t fall behind the main force, they don’t need to worry about attacks from ferocious beasts.”

At Hwang Hui’s answer, Sejong began to weigh various possibilities.

‘Hwang Hui does not make false claims. In that case…’

Sejong reached a conclusion.

“Since speed is important, set the route to pass through the Kaema Plateau!”

“We obey your command!”

At the decision of the supreme commander, everyone answered in unison.

***

While such a decision was being made in Hamheung, the first battle between the Joseon army and Manchu’s Jurchens was about to begin at a place 15 ri (about 6 km) northeast of Maeha-gu.

“Khan! It’s the Joseon army!”

Tribal chief Agudai, who had briefly dismounted to take a rest, shook his head in disbelief at the warrior’s shout.

“The Joseon army can’t possibly move this quickly! Are you sure you didn’t see it wrong?”

“No! Khan! It’s the Joseon army!”

“Really? The real Joseon army, not those who have attached themselves to the Joseon army?”

At Agudai’s repeated denial, the warrior shouted angrily.

“It is indeed the Joseon army! I’m telling you it’s the proper Joseon army!”

“Damn it!”

Cursing, Agudai mounted his horse and asked the warrior.

“Where?”

“To the southwest!”

“Let’s go!”

At the warrior’s answer, Agudai rode his horse and climbed a nearby hill.

“Over there!”

Agudai turned his head in the direction the warrior was pointing and involuntarily cursed.

“Damn it…”

Far in the distance, a huge cloud of dust was rising. The glinting between the dust clouds was definitely the gleaming of blades.

‘Beile said we would encounter the Joseon army only after we joined forces! But they’re already in pursuit!’

Pondering the unexpected situation, Agudai hurriedly turned his horse’s head and galloped towards his tribe.

“It’s too late! Now, the only thing left is to fight!”

Agudai, who had rushed to the tribesmen moving with large and small carts loaded with all sorts of household goods, shouted loudly.

“The Joseon bastards are chasing us! Everyone, come out!”

Having given orders to the tribesmen, Agudai commanded the warrior beside him.

“Blow the horn! Tell the scouts to return!”

“Yes, Khan!”

The warrior who received the order hurriedly blew the horn trumpet.

Puu-woo~. Puu-woo~.

As the sound of the horn trumpet spread far and wide, the warriors who had gone out scouting in the distance were seen rushing back.

From various parts of the moving procession, those who had put on armor and armed themselves emerged on horseback.

The ages of those gathered ranged from boys who had just started to grow fluffy hair to wrinkled old men.

In front of the assembled men, Agudai explained the situation.

“The Joseon army has caught up faster than expected. Now, we have only one thing to do. We strike the Joseon army with all our might to tie their feet, and then we flee with all our strength to join the other tribes! Understood?”

“Yes!”

“You know well what will happen to our families if we can’t stop the Joseon army here, right?”

At Agudai’s question, the men silently nodded.

The recent rumors about the Joseon army were not to be taken lightly.

There were rumors that more than a few tribes had disappeared after crossing the Joseon border, thinking it would be easy like before.

In fact, among the tribes that Agudai’s tribe had been in contact with, there was a tribe that had disappeared in such a way.

When a battle broke out with the Jurchens, the Joseon army was even more brutal than the Jurchens.

Unlike the Jurchens, who kept some alive to enslave them, the Joseon army killed them all.

Therefore, all the men of the tribe were tense.

Just then, the warriors who had returned after hearing the horn sound joined, and Agudai gave the order.

“Intercept the Joseon army as far away as possible! Let’s go!”

“Let’s go!”

With a loud battle cry, a cavalry of over 1,500 began to ride their horses in the direction the Joseon army was coming from.

***

The Joseon army also immediately noticed that Agudai’s warriors had set out to intercept them.

“General! The Jurchen bastards are coming! Their number is about 1,500!”

“Distance?”

At Lee Soon-mong’s brief question, the scout promptly replied.

“Approximately 10 ri (4 km)!”

“Hmm…”

At the scout’s answer, Lee Soon-mong made a quick calculation.

Based on his experience, they would not charge at full speed from that distance.

Among the armor worn by the Jurchens, the properly made ones weighed about 30 geun (18 kg).

Usually, they wore lighter leather armor, but even the leather armor weighed 20 geun (about 12 kg).

“About 1 gak (approximately 15 minutes)?”

Having estimated the time it would take for the Jurchens to arrive, Lee Soon-mong immediately issued an order.

“Prepare for battle! Formation is a straight line! Arrange as previously trained!”

“Yes, sir!”

As soon as Lee Soon-mong’s order was given, the messengers ran in all directions.

After a moment, with various shouts erupting from all around, the Joseon army began to form their formation.

The Joseon army quickly started to build their formation.

The cavalry lined up in three rows at the very front, followed by the spearmen and swordsmen, then the musketeers, and behind them, the artillerymen took their positions.

Finally, the command post where Lee Soon-mong was located and the reserve unit composed of musketeers took their positions and looked forward.

It took about 10 minutes for the 15,000 soldiers to complete the formation. Lee Soon-mong was very satisfied with the speed at which the soldiers formed the formation.

“The training we’ve done so far is paying off!”

“Indeed, sir.”

The staff officers accompanying him also had the same expression at Lee Soon-mong’s assessment.

The Joseon army, which had transformed its constitution through the reformation, was worthy of being called elite.

Moreover, they had benefited from being fully armed and expecting battle since catching up with the rearguard of the Huligai tribe.

Having confirmed the completion of the formation, Lee Soon-mong issued an order.

“I’ll say it again, their main objective will be to tie our feet. Therefore, they will probably target the cavalry. That’s why I placed the cavalry at the very front. As soon as the Jurchens enter firing range, the cavalry will immediately fire one volley and move to the left and right of the formation. Did you convey it properly?”

“Yes, sir!”

Satisfied with the staff officers’ answer, Lee Soon-mong mounted his horse.

“Then, let’s have a proper fight.”

“Yes, sir!”

1. The Kaema Plateau is a highland in North Korea. It is surrounded by the Rangrim Mountains, the Macheollyeong Mountains and the Bujeollyeong Mountains.[↩]