Wako Subjugation (4)

Two hundred paces ahead. The thousand-plus Wako raiders surging along the coastline exuded a momentum that pierced the heavens. At their center fluttered a red flag emblazoned with a cross inside a circle—the symbol of Satsuma, whipping wildly in a frenzy of madness.

Murmurs rippled through the Joseon navy ranks.

"Isn't... isn't that the Shimazu clan flag?"

"Satsuma elites? How the hell did those bastards get all the way here..."

As the unrest spread, Yu Jeon-gan grabbed Yi Si-woo's sleeve and shouted urgently.

"Gigi-cheong Director! Those are Shimazu elites! How do you plan to hold them off on this exposed plain with over a thousand troops? My navy only has three hundred men!"

Yi Si-woo slowly gripped the hilt of the Byeolun Sword at his side and spoke.

"You must not retreat. We fight now."

"Charging head-on here is suicide!"

Yi Si-woo scanned the terrain with an impassive expression.

"We'll need a way other than a frontal clash. Commander, what about the approaches into this village?"

Yu Jeon-gan's eyes rapidly recalled the lay of the land.

"Two main paths. The wide southern road and the narrow western trail. The southern road is broad enough for three wagons abreast, completely open. The western trail is so tight and rugged even two men shoulder-to-shoulder would struggle."

Yi Si-woo nodded.

"That'll do."

"That'll do? Even five hundred on the wide road won't hold—their numbers are at least double. It's only a matter of time before we're overrun!"

"Commander, assign your three hundred navy men to the western narrow trail. Its tightness means three hundred can delay at least half their force."

"And you? The wide road is exposed, as I said! Five hundred can't withstand their waves!"

Yi Si-woo tapped the hilt of his Byeolun Sword and replied calmly.

"We're not holding. We're erasing them. The Jangyongyeong will take the wide road."

"Hah..."

Yu Jeon-gan fell silent for a moment, then steeled himself.

"Fine. My main navy force will hold the western trail. We'll wipe them out quick and join you. Just hold until then."

"Understood."

As Yu Jeon-gan led his navy into the narrow trail, Yi Si-woo raised his hand sharply toward the five hundred Jangyongyeong.

"Jangyongyeong, form wagons in a single line. Spacing exactly one pace. First row, ready cannons and smoke grenades!"

The wagons laden with two thousand seok of provisions lined up down the middle of the wide road, forming a massive barricade.

The narrow path traps the enemy, but the wide one gathers them in one spot.

Yi Si-woo's mind had already precisely calculated the chokepoint where the Wako would charge.

The moment over a thousand crammed into the road's width would maximize firepower devastation—an optimal kill zone.

"All units, move silently to the wide road."

The wide road entrance was vast, just as Yu Jeon-gan described—room for three wagons.

Yi Si-woo positioned the Jangyongyeong in two ranks.

"First row, aim and load. Second row, load and aim. Cross-fire on my command. Rear rank targets while front fires. No gaps."

Chil-bok, aligning the front row, said,

"My lord, smoke will blind us when they come."

"I know. That's why the first volley takes out as many as possible before it spreads. The smoke becomes our shield too."

Moments later, clashes echoed from the western trail—Yu Jeon-gan's navy engaging the Wako, steel ringing amid shouts.

Soon, footsteps thundered from the far end of the wide road. Starting with a dozen, swelling to dozens, then hundreds.

With the west blocked, they funneled south.

Chil-bok whispered low,

"They're coming."

"I see them."

Yi Si-woo didn't draw his Byeolun Sword. He simply watched the chokepoint.

The moment the Wako vanguard rounded the corner into the road—

"First row, fire!"

BOOM—!

Thunder roared between the narrow stone walls. Dozens of vanguard Wako crumpled on the spot.

Those behind tripped over piling corpses in the bottleneck, chaos erupting.

"Second row, fire!"

KABOOM—!

Before the first row could reload, the second pulled triggers.

"Am—ambush!"

"What the—! Flankers! Defend the sides!"

Trapped in the chokepoint, the Wako screamed helplessly before the Jangyongyeong's overwhelming firepower, unable to advance or retreat.

Baek Dong-su, arms crossed beside Yi Si-woo, remarked,

"Gigi-cheong Director, see those pushing from the rear? Front collapses, and they're tangling themselves."

"That's why I chose this spot. Their numbers became poison."

Baek Dong-su let out a short chuckle at Yi Si-woo's cool reply.

"Turning the terrain into a slaughterhouse from the start. Ruthless setup."

The fight didn't last long. As gunfire faded and smoke cleared, Wako corpses stacked at the road mouth.

But it wasn't total annihilation of the thousand-plus. The rear, witnessing the hellish barrage shredding the front, had already panicked and fled seaward.

Chil-bok blew smoke from his barrel and reported,

"My lord, it's over. Half fled to the harbor. Pursue?"

Yi Si-woo flicked blood from his Byeolun Sword, eyes fixed westward where screams and steel still clashed.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"No time to chase fleeing rats."

His gaze never left the west.

"Our priority is our allies fighting with no retreat. Saving even one more makes this a true victory."

Baek Dong-su sheathed his dripping sword and stepped up.

"Wise call. Even if we win south, total loss west means we lose the battle."

Yi Si-woo gripped his sword tight and bellowed to the Jangyongyeong,

"Jangyongyeong, reform ranks! To the narrow trail! Leave none alive!"

The troops moved in perfect unison at his command.

The narrow trail was a bloodbath when Yi Si-woo arrived. Yu Jeon-gan's three hundred navy bore the brunt of five hundred Wako's relentless assault. Their line teetered on collapse from numerical inferiority.

"Commander, sorry for the delay."

Yu Jeon-gan whipped around. There stood Yi Si-woo in spotless blue official robes, five hundred Jangyongyeong at his back.

"Gigi-cheong Director! You finished already?"

"Yes. All eliminated."

Yi Si-woo angled his sword toward the enemy.

Then, from the Wako horde's center, a hulking brute burst forth—Kuroda, Shimazu vanguard action captain. Blood-soaked, he swung his massive nodachi, hacking Yu Jeon-gan's front line.

"You whelp! Dare insult Shimazu warriors?!"

Kuroda's nodachi whistled through air with crushing force. The Joseon navy faltered under the pressure.

Kuroda fixed mad eyes on Yu Jeon-gan and stamped the ground.

"I'll take your head to our clan flag!"

Yi Si-woo stepped quietly before the charging giant targeting Yu Jeon-gan.

"Insult?"

Kuroda's gaze shifted to Yi Si-woo, sneer spreading.

"This green boy thinks he can block me?!"

Kuroda raised his nodachi diagonally and smashed down—mountain-splitting weight.

Clang—!

But Yi Si-woo's Byeolun Sword parried the blade. He didn't meet force with force—twisted the tip, deflecting the power into empty air.

The hulking Kuroda lurched forward, undone by his own momentum.

In that instant, Yi Si-woo dropped low. His foot struck Kuroda's knee joint precisely.

Crack—!

"Gaaah!"

Snap—the sickening bone-crunch grated ears. The giant's balance crumbled, crashing into sand in a dust cloud.

Fallen Kuroda gritted teeth and drew a dagger, but Yi Si-woo's Byeolun Sword was swifter. The flexible blade curved gracefully, slicing his throat.

Slash—

One exchange. Kuroda's head lolled grotesquely, arterial spray erupting.

The Wako main force's cheers cut dead, terror filling the void. Will broken, they began turning tail one by one.

"Brother, don't let a single one board their ships."

"Been waiting!"

The battle turned to one-sided slaughter. Leaderless Wako fled screaming seaward, but the Jangyongyeong blockade allowed no gaps.

With Yu Jeon-gan's main force joining, the harbor drowned in Shimazu blood.

An hour since combat began. Prisoners knelt; resistors executed on-site.

Yi Si-woo had two captured Shimazu low-rank warriors forced to their knees on the sand.

"Speak. How many left at Sasuna Harbor on Tsushima?"

The prisoners glanced warily, lips sealed. One spat on the ground and bellowed,

"Joseon dogs! Not even afraid of Shimazu might?!"

Baek Dong-su wordlessly stepped forward.

Slash—

The lone remaining low-rank warrior's face froze. Baek Dong-su sheathed his sword, looming.

"One mouth, slow answer. Your buddy can't speak without a head, so you'll cover two shares. How many at Sasuna?"

"Hiiik! Spare me!..."

"Answer."

"Thirty ships... Shimazu's full fleet of thirty warships waiting for resupply! Tsushima lord already agreed to cooperate!"

Baek Dong-su hurled the prisoner down and turned to Yi Si-woo.

"Thirty ships..."

"Enough."

Jangyongyeong soldiers rummaged corpses, retrieving Kuroda—the lifeless brute.

Yi Si-woo searched his bosom. His fingers found a crumpled paper wad.

He pulled out a bloodstained letter, stamped with Tsushima lord and Shimazu seals—a logistics pact.

Not mere plunder for loot—this was a systematic invasion plan using Tsushima as a supply base to nibble away at Joseon's south starting with Busan.

Yi Si-woo crushed the Shimazu flag underfoot and approached Yu Jeon-gan, who stared at him dumbfounded.

"Gigi-cheong Director... you really..."

"Admiration later, Commander. Finish prisoner interrogations and ready the fleet."

Yi Si-woo's eyes turned south across the sea.

"Now we collect the balance on this letter—from Tsushima."

Yu Jeon-gan took the letter, read it, face hardening.

"Gigi-cheong Director... this isn't simple Wako suppression. It's war with a major daimyo ruling Japan's south! We must report to court immediately. No royal permission, no fleet movement!"

"Agreed."

Yu Jeon-gan blinked.

"You agree?"

"We send the memorial. I'll write it. Commander, ready the fleet meanwhile."

"Don't you get it? Dispatch round-trip takes half a month. His Majesty's order was Wako on Joseon soil—not invading Japanese Tsushima. This is clear overreach!"

"I know, Commander."

Yi Si-woo met his eyes squarely.

"By the time the memorial reaches Hanyang, Tsushima will be done. His Majesty gets victory report, not permission request."

"......"

Yu Jeon-gan fell silent, then sighed deeply.

"...Never met anyone like you."

"Fleet prep, please."

Yu Jeon-gan sighed again and headed to the ships. Yi Si-woo sat at an empty desk in the government office corner. Chil-bok set down brush and inkstone he'd scrounged.

"My lord, writing the memorial now?"

"Yes."

"Fleet sails soon."

"Keep it short."

Yi Si-woo took up the brush.

Yi Si-woo set down the brush, rolled and sealed the memorial. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Chil-bok snatched it and dashed to the express rider. Baek Dong-su commented sidelong,

"'Claim my head'? Needed that line?"

"Truth."

"Bold as hell."

"His Majesty judges results. Like in Onseong."

Yi Si-woo rose, eyeing the panokseon ships. Yu Jeon-gan's navy bustled, finalizing departure.

"Brother, let's go."

Baek Dong-su adjusted his sword with a smirk.

"Land battle done, now crossing seas. This'll be fun."

The fleet departed Busanpo. Tsushima lay half a day's sail away.