Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 293

The sacks imported from Joseon were the top contributors to the victory in the Battle of Chikuzen.

Morimori used the sacks to draw water from the Iksan River into the agricultural lands that had become the battlefield.

The farmlands, which had been plowed to dig ditches and plant rice, absorbed the water at an alarming rate, quickly turning into mud.

The role of the sacks did not end there. Defensive positions made by encircling the main points of the battlefield with sacks were established, and spearmen armed with long spears and archers struck the enemy.

It was because of these defensive lines that Mitsushida remarked, “This won’t be easy.”

However, Mitsushida could not retreat. Behind the Ouchi army’s formation, in the largest fortress, Morimori was prominently present.

Retreating from a battlefield where the enemy commander was present was an unacceptable act. If they were to retreat at this point, Mitsushida’s honor would undoubtedly be tarnished, and there was a high possibility that the small lords who followed him would abandon him and defect to the Ouchi.

As a side note, the warfare waged by the Japanese commanders of this period was quite classical.

An example was the “ikkito” (single combat), where a commander would advance alone on horseback, declare the name of his clan and himself, and engage in one-on-one combat, similar to when the Mongol-Goryeo allied forces invaded.

When a Japanese commander confronted the Mongol-Goryeo allied forces with this classical tactic—which had disappeared from the Korean Peninsula after the Battle of Gwanchang during the Hwarang era—the Mongol-Goryeo allied forces responded with a barrage of arrows.

Due to these constraints, Mitsushida had no choice but to push his troops into the muddy field.

“The Ouchi forces are fewer than expected! It’s a do-or-die situation! The fate of our clan hangs in the balance, so give it your all!”

Following Mitsushida’s outcry, Otomo Mochihisa also raised his voice.

“We must win at all costs! If we win, Kyushu will be ours once again!”

However, the soldiers and samurai, their feet stuck in the mud, could not exert their strength properly, and arrows rained down upon them as they became targets.

The soldiers who managed to cross the muddy field with all their might and reach the Ouchi army’s positions had to face multiple spears thrusting at them, two or three per person. Unlike the Shoni and Otomo soldiers, whose feet were stuck in the mud and unable to move properly, the Ouchi and Shibukawa soldiers attacked the enemy with full force.

They were able to move like that because the walls made of sacks blocked the water from entering, allowing them to fight on dry ground.

While the Shoni and Otomo armies were being held back by the defensive positions made using mud and sacks, the main force of the Ouchi army, which had departed the previous day and circled around the mountainside, struck the rear of the Shoni-Otomo alliance.

Thus, the Battle of Chikuzen Fukae ended in victory for the Ouchi-Shibukawa alliance.

***

This battle became a significant turning point in the subsequent history.

In the history before Hyang’s intervention, this battle had also taken place. However, in that battle, the Shoni-Otomo alliance emerged victorious.

It was not a mere victory; Ouchi Morimori was killed in that battle. With Morimori’s death, a civil war erupted to determine his successor, and the Ouchi’s growth was temporarily halted.

However, with the battle ending in the Ouchi’s victory, they firmly gained control over the northern Kyushu region. And the local lords of southern Kyushu were on high alert due to the Ouchi’s movements.

***

The defeat in this battle put the Shoni clan in a difficult situation. While resisting the Ouchi army’s flanking attack, Mitsusada and his son Suketsugi were killed in action.

As the father and son of the Shoni clan perished, Otomo Mochihisa narrowly escaped with his retainers.

“We must return to Bungo as quickly as possible! Now that we are in a situation where we share a border with those damn Ouchi bastards, we must dedicate all our efforts to defending the castle!”

“Yes, my lord!”

“Damn it! It’s infuriating and unjust!”

Otomo Mochihisa retreated with his soldiers, shedding tears of blood.

As the alliance withdrew, the Shoni brothers, Yoshiyori and Noriyori, who had lost their father and elder brother, had to seek refuge and find a way out. The retainers of the Shoni clan agonized over how to save the young sons of their lord, but there was only one answer.

“We will escort them to Tsushima!”

“Please do.”

Thus, the brothers boarded a ship with the surviving retainers and headed to Tsushima Island.

***

Despite the victory in battle, Morimori did not engage in further battles.

“The southern lords must be on high alert. If we keep moving in this situation, it will be to our detriment.”

Morimori explained the situation to his retainers.

“With this, northern Kyushu is in our hands. However, our main force is still across the sea. We need to build up more strength.”

“Yes, my lord!”

As he listened to his retainers’ response, Morimori turned his gaze and surveyed the battlefield.

Examining the sacks that had been the top contributors to this battle, Morimori looked at the dureonggap he was wearing.

Touching the few torn marks on the chest area of the dureonggap with his hand, Morimori muttered softly.

“Monkey business…”

“My lord, what did you say?”

In response to the retainer’s question, Morimori sighed and answered.

“Phew~. I said it’s monkey business.”

“Suddenly mentioning monkey business, what do you mean by that?”

Pointing to the sacks, Morimori replied.

“Look at those sacks. We are sitting here, making sacks out of high-quality fabric that we would only use for formal attire. And look at this armor. The arrows couldn’t even penetrate it. If Joseon, with such capabilities, were to witness this battle, what do you think they would say? They would probably say that monkeys are playing war games.”

“Ah…”

At Morimori’s words, the retainers nodded in agreement.

They, too, had seen Joseon’s capabilities in Yunotsutsu.

The Joseon warships they saw in Yunotsutsu looked large and sturdy. Not only were they massive in size, but they also had numerous cannons.

Moreover, the physique of the soldiers operating those warships was extraordinary. They were at least half a head taller than the samurai who prided themselves on their large stature. Furthermore, their military discipline was strict, and they never wavered. Even the lowest-ranking soldiers knew what they had to do and moved proactively.

Morimori continued.

“The world is changing, and it’s clear that we are failing to see it. Now, we need to open our eyes and look outside. We must learn what we can and seek help, even if we have to beg for it. We should also properly investigate the school that Mochimori mentioned the other day.”

“Yes, my lord!”

“Then let’s prepare to return.”

“Yes, my lord!”

As the retainers responded to Morimori’s order and busily cleaned up the battlefield and prepared for the return march, Morimori gazed at the setting sun and sighed.

“Phew~. There’s so much to do, but so little time…”

The victorious Morimori moved swiftly. The Shogunate’s order to ‘subjugate the Shoni and Otomo’ was both justification and shackles. Having carried out the subjugation as ordered, he had to prepare and submit a report related to it. This was akin to the Ouchi acknowledging their subordination to the Shogunate.

Gritting his teeth, Morimori wrote and sent the report. He then assisted Shibukawa Yoshitoshi, the Kyushu Provincial Magistrate, in solidifying his control over Hakata and Chikuzen before embarking on his return journey.

Crossing the strait again and returning to Suo, Morimori was greeted by Mochimori, who had come from Iwami.

“Congratulations on your great victory.”

“Thank you.”

“Here is the portion of the ore mined in Iwami that has been allocated to us.”

“Is that so? Let me see it!”

Morimori received the report related to the ‘Iwami silver mine’ with delight. As he looked at the numbers written in the report, Morimori’s expression became a mix of joy and regret.

“The amount of raw ore is considerable. This should be enough to cover the military expenses and still have some left over. However, it’s regrettable. If only our craftsmen’s refining skills were on par with Joseon and Ming, we could have reaped even greater profits…”

Smacking his lips in disappointment, Morimori issued an order to another retainer.

“Approach the Ming merchants again and ask them to procure some silversmiths for us. It doesn’t matter if they demand a large sum of wealth. As long as we acquire the technology, we can quickly make up for the loss.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Having issued the order, Morimori unfolded another report.

“Requesting cattle?”

“That’s correct.”

“Are they planning to expand the tunnels?”

At Morimori’s question, Mochimori answered with a troubled expression.

“They are for consumption.”

“Consumption?”

Hearing Mochimori’s answer, Morimori examined the report again. After confirming the numbers written in the report, Morimori looked at Mochimori.

“Do the Joseon people only eat meat instead of rice?”

“They eat rice evenmore.”

“Oh my…”

***

One of the ‘cultural shocks’ Mochimori experienced was the Joseon people’s ‘love for meat.’

The Joseon people working in the mine ate meat whenever they had the chance. It wasn’t that their rationed meals had no meat at all.

However, the Joseon people ate meat at every opportunity.

“I’ve been feeling a bit weak lately. Should I eat some meat?”

“That’s a good idea!”

When one person suggested an idea, the others would respond in agreement. Once decided, they would immediately pool their money, procure a cow, and slaughter it.

The sight of the Joseon people eating meat was unfamiliar to the Japanese. During moments when they worked together and could communicate to some extent, the Japanese would ask questions using gestures.

“Isn’t eating meat too often?”

Whenever they received such questions, the Joseon people’s response was always the same.

“You need to eat well to have strength!”

“Do you know why markets are held every five days? It’s so that you can eat meat at least once every five days!”

“Eating meat gives you the strength to have meat as a side dish the next morning! Meat begets meat!”

“Meat is the truth, and among them, chicken is common sense! Ah, damn! Speaking of chicken, I’m craving some… I wonder if there’s a chicken restaurant in Yunotsutsu?”

The Japanese couldn’t adapt to the sight of the Joseon people passionately expounding on meat.

“Sigh…”

However, it wasn’t long before some Japanese started sneaking into the Joseon people’s meat feasts.

It wasn’t that the Japanese didn’t know the taste of meat. In the distant past, after Emperor Tenmu proclaimed the ‘Meat Eating Prohibition,’ the public consumption of meat was banned. However, they ate meat by deceiving others, claiming it was ‘medicine’ or ‘birds’ or ‘fish.’

But eating in secret and eating openly were entirely different stories. The Joseon people openly ate enormous amounts of meat. That’s why some Japanese began sneaking into the feasts, carefully gauging the mood.

“Oh my, my body is shivering…”

“My goodness! Our work is our livelihood! Come over here and have some medicine with us!”

The Japanese who joined in this way never came empty-handed. They brought alcohol from who knows where, and these individuals received warm hospitality from the Joseon people and indulged in the ‘medicine.’

This large-scale consumption of meat didn’t only occur in the mines. A significant amount of meat was consumed in Yunotsutsu as well.

***

“Can’t they just bring it from Joseon?”

At Morimori’s question, accompanied by a troubled expression, Mochimori explained the reason.

“They need to bring other goods as well, and transporting cattle and pigs along with them is not profitable.”

“Oh my…”

After pondering for a moment, Morimori quickly reached a conclusion.

“Create pastures nearby. If we keep buying like this, we’ll end up spending all the wealth from the silver mine on meat.”

“Yes, my lord!”

That night, as he sat alone reviewing the reports, Morimori pondered with a serious expression.

“Joseon people… Meat… Hmm… Should I feed meat to the people of our country as well?”

***

Amusingly, the Joseon people were able to consume meat freely only after the Reformation Plan took place. With the establishment of pastures and chicken farms throughout Joseon, the supply of meat became smooth.

Of course, memorials were occasionally submitted, stating, “The people are eating too much expensive meat, so we must be cautious.” However, Sejong, a renowned meat lover, didn’t even treat them as proper memorials.