Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 261

Ten days later, at the Manpojin fortress near Jaseong.

In the communication tower that stood tallest at the center of the Manpojin fortress, a group of soldiers and a military officer were leisurely spending their day.

“Keep a close eye on the telescope! Don’t end up like those guys who got dragged away for peeking at Jurchen maidens bathing and missed the communication last time!”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers answered loudly at the officer’s words.

***

The large binocular telescope installed in the communication tower—named the Gapsik large telescope—boasted an enormous size.

As a result, it was called the “General’s Telescope” by the soldiers, in reference to the general’s firearms.

Thanks to its immense size, the soldiers could quickly and accurately confirm regular and emergency communications. However, there was also a drawback.

The lenses installed inside to match its tremendous size were also enormous and caused great fatigue to the soldiers’ eyes.

Therefore, the soldiers had to take turns holding the telescope in two-gak (approx. 30 minutes) intervals.

***

“Huh?”

While observing the surroundings after receiving the warning, one soldier noticed something unusual.

“Sir! A group of riders is heading towards the village at full speed!”

“What? How many?”

“Three!”

Upon receiving the report, the officer’s expression turned grave.

When two or three people came on horseback, they were usually messengers or hunters. And such people never rode at full speed.

However, the fact that they were galloping at full speed now meant that something was wrong, which was why the officer became tense.

At that moment, the soldier who was checking the communication from the east shouted.

“Urgent news from the east! The number is…”

The soldier read out the numbers while looking at the light signals sent from the communication tower installed in the east.

The officer, who had written down the numbers the soldier was calling out and checked the content, hastily inhaled.

“Huff! ‘Jaseong under attack. Enemy number over 3,000.’ Hey! Send a communication to the south right away!”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldier, who received the paper with the numbers written on it from the officer, began to hurriedly operate the light signaling device towards the south.

Just then, the soldier observing the village shouted.

“Sir! A cavalry is coming here from the village! The number is one!”

“Blow the emergency horn!”

At the officer’s command, a soldier placed a horn trumpet installed on one side of the communication tower to his lips and began to blow the horn.

Puu-woo~

It was a trumpet heralding the start of a war.

***

Two si-jin (4 hours) later, soldiers burst into the communication officers’ room at the General Staff Headquarters.

“Urgent news! Jaseong under attack! Enemy number over 3,000!”

“Urgent news! Muchang under attack! Enemy number over 1,000!”

“What? Issue an alert!”

“Yes, sir!”

The officer who gave the order clutched the papers brought by the communication soldiers and dashed to where his superiors were.

One gak (approximately 15 minutes) later, the high-ranking commanders, staff officers of the General Staff Headquarters, and Choi Yoon-deok gathered in the conference room.

“Report the situation.”

“Yes, General.”

At Choi Yoon-deok’s order, an officer explained the situation to the commanders.

“Two si-jin ago, a surprise attack by the Jurchens began in the north. The Jurchens attacked two places: one is Jaseong, and the other is Muchang. The number of Jurchens who attacked Jaseong is estimated to be around 3,000, while those who attacked Muchang are estimated to be around 1,000.”

“Have the identities of the attacking Jurchen tribes been confirmed?”

“Still under investigation.”

Upon hearing the officer’s answer, Choi Yoon-deok sighed.

“Haa~. Of all times, an incident occurs right after I return…”

Uttering words filled with regret and disappointment, Choi Yoon-deok looked around at the commanders and staff officers gathered in the conference room.

“What’s the plan?”

“First, we will mobilize the soldiers according to the pre-established measures. Here is the operation plan.”

Looking at the operation plan handed over by the staff officer, Choi Yoon-deok sighed.

“All the land and naval forces of Joseon are on the move.”

“It can’t be helped. We still have a shortage of soldiers.”

“That’s the problem… Haa~.”

Choi Yoon-deok, who had replied briefly, sighed again.

***

According to the military system established when Joseon was founded, if it operated properly, the Joseon army should have maintained approximately 300,000 soldiers.

However, that system was already showing signs of strain in various aspects, even though it had only been 30 years since the founding of the country.

The maintenance cost of a soldier was supposed to be covered by attaching five po-in (supporting individuals) to each soldier. However, as soldiers began to treat the po-in like slaves, many of them left their hometowns and became wanderers.

As a result, the burden that should have been borne by the po-in fell directly on the soldiers, leading them to abandon their military service and become wanderers or bandits.

Consequently, a shortage of military personnel occurred, and during the conquest of Tsushima Island in the first year of Sejong’s reign, all those who could sail a boat or fight, regardless of whether they were yangban or commoners residing in the three southern provinces, were forcibly recruited to fill the lacking military strength.

Therefore, as the reformation plan began, the military system also underwent a major reform.

The expenses for operating and maintaining the military were entirely covered by the government’s finances.

In other words, the po-in system was abolished.

The court utilized the taxes paid by the people and the gold and silver mined from the mountains as finances to operate the military.

The soldiers’ clothing, equipment, and food were provided by the court, and their salaries were accurately paid every month.

As a result, the Joseon army, which had been reduced to 70,000 troops combined from the army and navy, focused on building its internal strength while gradually expanding in size. This year (13th year of Sejong’s reign, Sinhaenyeon, 1431), the goal was to train 100,000 soldiers.

However, a war had broken out. In order to repel the invading Jurchens and maintain the northern border, the land and naval forces across Joseon had to leave their garrisons, leaving only the minimum number of troops behind.

***

“First, mobilize the troops according to the plan. And quickly identify those bastards who committed this atrocity that deserves six deaths.”

“Yes, sir!”

“And prepare to report to His Majesty immediately.”

“Understood.”

“I will go to Geunjeongjeon.”

With those words, Choi Yoon-deok rose from his seat. As Choi Yoon-deok stood up, the other commanders and staff officers also rose and saluted.

“Execute the plan as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, sir!”

***

Half a si-jin (1 hour) later, tension and murderous intent permeated Geunjeongjeon.

A strong murderous aura emanated from Sejong, who was seated in the palace hall. This was the second time Sejong had emitted such a murderous intent since the palace intrusion incident.

“So, what are the countermeasures for the incidents in Jaseong and Muchang?”

“First, we have ordered the mobile strike forces stationed in the nearest regions to pursue them.”

“Pursue? Not annihilate?”

As Sejong questioned with a displeased expression, the ministers muttered inwardly.

‘Blood ties don’t disappear easily.’

‘They say one can’t steal seeds…’

Choi Yoon-deok explained the reason on behalf of the ministers.

“We still don’t know which Jurchen tribes are responsible for this act. The number of Jurchens who carried out the attack in the east and west combined exceeds approximately 4,000. Of course, with this number, if we mobilize all the mobile strike forces in the north, we can annihilate them. However, to ensure that such incidents do not happen again, we need to eradicate the root cause.”

“That’s true. But given the current situation in the north, aren’t there influential figures?”

“There are. Mentemu and Manchu.”

“Those bastards! Tsk!”

An even thicker murderous aura began to flow from Sejong, who was gritting his teeth.

Hyang, who was receiving that murderous intent from beneath the palace hall, grumbled inwardly.

‘Just live casually! Why stir up trouble! Argh!’

While Hyang was grumbling inwardly, Sejong moved on to the next topic.

“So, what are our upcoming countermeasures?”

“We are mobilizing the land and naval forces.”

At Choi Yoon-deok’s gesture, a waiting officer stepped forward with a large military map.

The officer, who had saluted Sejong, stood beside the map and began to explain.

“The General Staff Headquarters has prepared emergency plans in anticipation of such incidents. According to the plan…”

The officer flipped the indicators on the map with his pointer.

As the cover was flipped, the map that appeared depicted the entire Joseon territory, with numerous arrows moving in various directions.

“Currently, the mobile strike forces are pursuing the Jurchens who carried out the attack. Additionally, Jurchen scouts are being deployed to identify the identity of the Jurchens responsible for this incident.

And for a full-scale suppression, one division from Pyeongan Province and one from Hamgil Province will be mobilized for the operation.”

“At full strength?”

At Sejong’s question, the officer promptly replied.

“At full strength, Your Majesty.”

“Well done.”

Upon hearing the answer, Sejong nodded, but Kim Jeom’s face was gradually turning pale.

‘Full strength? Full strength, you say?’

The smallest unit in the Joseon military organization was the o (squad), consisting of five members. And according to the principles of yin-yang and the five elements, as the units moved up to higher levels, their size increased fivefold.

Of course, this was the case when the full strength was filled, and normally, excluding the o, the higher-level units were three times the size.

However, the officer had just reported that two divisions at full strength would be entering the operation. That meant over 30,000 troops would be mobilized.

Eventually, Kim Jeom intervened in the conversation.

“Isn’t the number of troops being mobilized excessive?”

“If the one behind this incident is Manchu, this much is necessary.”

“Ah…”

Kim Jeom had to close his mouth. The Huligai tribe led by Manchu had over 10,000 households.

“Then, are the other arrows filling the gaps?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The officer promptly answered Sejong’s question and continued his explanation with the pointer.

Following the already issued orders, the land and naval forces across Joseon had left their garrisons, leaving only the minimum number of troops for maintenance.

The units stationed in Hwanghae Province and Gangwon Province would take charge of the defense of Pyeongan Province and Hamgil Province, while the units from Gyeonggi Province and Chungcheong Province would form the reserve forces. The units from Jeolla and Gyeongsang Provinces would be responsible for defending the vicinity of Hanseong.

After hearing the subsequent operation plans, Sejong nodded.

“Looks good. That should be enough to properly handle the situation. Then the issue is supplies… Are preparations made?”

“Yes, we are already retrieving the pre-stocked supplies.”

“Well done.”

Sejong nodded, seemingly satisfied with the military’s response. Meanwhile, Kim Jeom was calculating with a face that had turned not just pale but yellowish.

‘To fill the hole left by the military funds…’

“I think the military aspect is sufficient… Minister of Foreign Affairs.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Sejong called for the Minister of Foreign Affairs and immediately gave an order.

“You are to go to Beijing right now. Go to Beijing as quickly as possible, inform them of this incident, and argue that our subjugation is justified.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And try to delay receiving the Emperor’s response as much as possible.”

“Pardon?”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, who did not fully understand the unexpected order, was taken aback.

Seeing his reaction, Sejong explained the reason.

“Your task is simple. Hold out as long as possible to prevent Ming from interfering!”

At Sejong’s order, the Minister of Foreign Affairs immediately understood and replied with a loud voice.

“I will make sure it is accomplished!”