Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Matchlocks and the Northern Campaign (10)
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Time flew by, and the day had arrived when 25,000 Joseon troops set out to subjugate the Jurchens.
Supreme Commander Choi Yun-deok stood atop the platform, gazing down at the soldiers conducting their review in perfect ranks and files.
"Truly impressive."
Ever since drill training had been introduced, the Joseon army had been utterly transformed.
In the past, it had all been about scraping together the ragtag recruits who showed up for their military service around a core of elite troops and officers, training them just enough to hold some kind of formation in battle.
Now, they could form ranks swiftly and solidly as if they were a single body, and every unit could coordinate seamlessly as though directed by one mind.
Even Choi Yun-deok couldn't predict just how formidable they would prove in actual combat...
But he felt certain that, with sufficient numbers, they could triumph over the Jurchens, the Japanese pirates—no, even the Ming armies.
"Supreme Commander, don't the troops look utterly valiant? And it's only from matching their steps and movements perfectly."
"Isn't that the most crucial part? You, Commander Yi Sun-mong, know full well what separates elite soldiers from the rabble, yet here you are saying such things."
"It's precisely because that one tiny detail creates such a vast difference. Seeing hundreds of men march as one flawless entity... it makes me wonder just how mighty they'll be on the battlefield. The anticipation is thrilling."
"Whatever you imagine, reality will surpass it."
Choi Yun-deok shrugged his shoulders.
"From now on, the Jurchens won't dare lay a finger on Joseon soil. Unlike the Ming armies pieced together from hereditary soldier families with no real training, our Joseon forces may not match them in quantity, but in quality, they're beyond comparison."
"Their individual martial prowess is probably still superior."
"Individual skill matters, of course... but isn't the decisive factor in war none other than unity?"
"True enough. Once, I pitted thirty soldiers drilled in formations against a hundred fresh conscripts who hadn't learned them yet—in a mock battle, same weapons and armor. The thirty still won."
Choi Yun-deok was startled inwardly.
He knew drill training could turn mere rabble into proper soldiers in an instant...
But he hadn't imagined the combat disparity between those who knew it and those who didn't would be so extreme.
Still, he didn't want to show any surprise in front of Yi Sun-mong, the notorious drunkard and womanizer, so he replied as if unperturbed.
"The Joseon army has grown truly powerful. Beyond any comparison to the past."
"This is all thanks to that fellow, Kim Ji-bu, isn't it?"
Kim Ji-bu. The mere mention of the name drew a sigh from Choi Yun-deok.
It was just too regrettable.
"I wished they'd sent Kim the Protector General instead of Jeol-jae and Ji-bong to our army. It's a shame His Highness ultimately refused."
Yet Yi Sun-mong saw things differently from Choi Yun-deok.
He was afraid of having Kim Dae-bung under his command.
If he were, all administrative matters in camp would flow smoothly without a hitch, supplies would be handled flawlessly, ensuring no soldiers starved during the Jurchen campaign...
But it was obvious he'd scour the army for every issue and hound relentlessly until fixed; if any wrongdoing came to light, he'd torment him until corrected.
And if caught diverting military supplies, loot, or prisoners into slaves...
Until now, even major corruption had often been overlooked by Grand Prince Yi Bang-won, but the moment Kim got involved, Yi felt his own head would be battered flat by the iron mace.
"As long as Kim Ji-bu handles supplies from the rear properly, our soldiers won't go hungry."
"Indeed. Without Kim the Protector General, we couldn't even dream of fighting on full stomachs."
Putting aside his regrets, Choi Yun-deok gazed at the troops who had finished their review.
He then hoisted high the battle axe at his waist—the symbol of military authority—and proclaimed:
"By His Majesty's decree: Instill the fear of Joseon in the Jurchens! Entire army, advance!"
At his command, the soldiers began their march in impeccable ranks and files.
With the resolve to eradicate the Jurchens—one of Joseon's chief foes—from the face of the earth.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The Jurchens—or more precisely, the Jianzhou Jurchens sharing a border with Joseon—had become Joseon's archenemies outright following Yi Seong-gye's death.
The reason was exceedingly simple.
Their ancestors and tribal chiefs had contributed immensely to Joseon's founding, their names recorded alongside Iji-ran in the opening lines of the Yongbi Eocheonga...
Yi Seong-gye had done everything possible to support them settling down in Joseon if that's what they desired.
Yet the Jurchen tribal chiefs wished to return to their nomadic ways, as before.
Having reverted to nomadism, they chose submission to the Ming—who left them to their ways and tossed stipends at them like pig feed.
The numerous tribal chiefs gathered here perked up their ears at the words of Mentemu, the man wielding the greatest power in all Jianzhou.
"You must have suffered on the long journey."
Yi Man-ju: a founding merit from Joseon's establishment, and the most powerful figure in Jianzhou's Suksu-hu division.
There was no rigid hierarchy among Jurchen tribal chiefs, but he naturally assumed the role of overlord due to his dominance.
No one raised any objections.
At other times, perhaps—but now their feet were ablaze; unity was essential.
"As you all know, Joseon is mustering a massive army with the intent to wipe us from existence. According to our border kin feigning submission to them, they've shipped tens of thousands of seom of grain to Hamgyong Province for military rations."
"Does Joseon truly possess such strength, Commanding Adjutant?"
"Stories from my grandfather's era and even recent years suggest they lack the capacity. Yet the latest rumors claim Joseon's national power surged dramatically a few years back."
"My goodness..."
The Jurchens hadn't abandoned Joseon for the Ming because Joseon was easy prey—no such thing.
They chose it because clinging to the Ming while plundering Joseon's food and people proved far more profitable.
In truth, even in the Pajho River battle—without Kim Dae-bung's involvement—the Jianzhou chieftain Yi Man-ju had faced death the moment Joseon forces crossed the river, barely escaping and abandoning even his wife, inflicting not a scratch on Joseon.
"Thus, I believe we cannot dismiss this as merely Joseon crossing the Hamgyong border to punish a few tribes."
In Yi Man-ju's eyes, compared to the days when the Gabyulcho still thrived—right up to decades after his grandfather Aha-chul betrayed Joseon—the current Joseon army seemed pathetically weak beside the era of 'the Great One,' Tajo Yi Seong-gye.
Back then, the Gabyulcho's horn could trample thousands—even tens of thousands—of wokou beneath their horses' hooves...
But now, the Joseon army was a shadow of that might.
The armored cavalry and officers remained elite and strong, true...
But the conscripts—the bulk of the infantry—had long been so feeble they crumbled after a few arrows, unable to hold formation.
"Though the Joseon army has weakened since the Gabyulcho's prime, they still possess enough strength to ravage and plunder our lands if they choose. Thus, to safeguard our homes—and to enslave more northern Joseonians for trade with the Ming to gain iron and weapons—we must score a great victory over Joseon."
All nodded at Mentemu's words.
In truth, it had been ages since they'd united for a common cause, as in Genghis Khan's day when the Northern Yuan was called the Great Yuan Empire.
But with intelligence of Joseon's massive army, it was clear: fighting scattered as always would lead to defeat in detail.
"Separate, we're weak as can be—but united, we can surely vanquish even the Ming elites."
That much was true.
The Ming had ultimately fallen to the Qing.
And in the impending Tumu Crisis, even the half-rotten Yuan cavalry would annihilate the 'hundreds of thousands-strong Ming host' in moments...
Why had that happened?
Not because the Ming were weak, but because Mongol and Jurchen horsemen were overwhelmingly strong.
"Joseon cannot possibly defeat our united strength."
In the original history, Yi Man-ju had been caught off-guard by a sudden assault, failing to rally neighboring tribes and fleeing for his life.
But now, the tribes were sharpening their blades, preparing eagerly to battle Joseon...
"......We will surely triumph over Joseon."