Chapter 149
Chapter 149
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Matchlocks and the Northern Expedition (12)
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The Joseon army, led by Choi Yun-deok, achieved a crushing victory against the Jurchens.
The Ministry of Military Affairs, upon receiving this news, was naturally thrown into a festive mood.
Jo Mal-saeng listened intently to the contents of Choi Yun-deok's military report before belting out a hearty cheer for the king's long reign.
"Long live the king! Long live the king! Long live the king! Those Jurchen barbarians will grind their teeth at the mere mention of Joseon now! It feels like a chronic ache has just vanished."
In this campaign, the Joseon army had secured 1,378 Jurchen heads, captured over 2,000 prisoners alive, and seized more than 1,000 horses and cattle—a resounding triumph.
Even comparing just the number of heads taken, it was over six times the tally from the First Battle of the Pajo River.
The Jurchens who had plagued Joseon would be in no position to even urinate in our direction for the foreseeable future.
"Congratulations, my lord."
"The ones deserving congratulations are His Highness and the officers who fought the Jurchens directly. What right do I have to such praise, when all the Ministry of Military Affairs did was support them? Ha ha ha."
"Wasn't this victory made possible by the combined efforts of the Minister of Military Affairs and every official in the ministry?"
Soldiers need food to advance.
Moreover, for an army to fight properly, armor, weapons, and all manner of supplies essential for battle must be delivered precisely where needed.
Even with all that in place, victory in war isn't guaranteed—but it's an ironclad truth that an army without proper logistics is doomed to defeat.
As an extreme example, Supreme Commander Mutaguchi Renya of the Japanese Independence Army ignored supply lines when launching the Imphal Operation.
And in doing so, he achieved the dubious feat of starving 20,000 troops to death.
We can laugh about it now because it happened in our neighbor Japan...
But if something like that occurred in Joseon?
Won Gyun would be cursed for a thousand years as the prime villain.
'Such a thing must never happen in Joseon.'
"Even an invincible army loses its fighting strength without supplies—or starves to death. And thanks to your efforts, my lord, we were able to outfit the spearmen with at least leather chest armor, helmets, and shields."
"I did have to go through quite a bit of trouble for that."
Before modern state systems were introduced, it was common sense for soldiers to bring their own weapons and armor to war.
This applied even to armored cavalrymen and officers, who mostly bought their gear with their own money, and rank-and-file soldiers were no exception.
Of course, in wartime, weapons were issued to those who arrived without them, given the exceptional circumstances.
But armor was harder and more expensive to produce than weapons, so it was rarely provided.
This time was nearly the same—until I insisted on minimal armoring, and Jo Mal-saeng backed me up, allowing us to send them out with at least that much.
"There were budget issues, and Joseon's production capacity couldn't keep up. The root cause? Our iron output is far too low."
What I really wanted was full-body iron armor like the two-piece plate or light brigade armor.
Even though Joseon's budget had grown and we'd expanded the Military Armory, I hadn't advanced our iron smelting technology myself...
So we couldn't equip every frontline spearman with iron full-body armor.
As a compromise, I aimed to supply at least chest armor to all—but even that proved impossible.
We lacked the iron, and our production capacity fell short.
So we scraped together every scrap of paper in Hanyang to craft paper-lined leather chest armor and sent the troops off wearing it.
Reports say the frontline soldiers protected themselves well with the paper-lined leather armor and shields, significantly reducing casualties...
'We can't settle for this.'
"Once this war ends, we need to increase the number of iron miners. The court's budget is ample, yet we couldn't properly armor our soldiers for lack of iron."
"Yes, my lord. I believe the iron miner system needs a major overhaul."
At this time, Joseon tried to solve everything through forced labor.
Mines were no exception.
Excluding gold and silver mines closed due to Ming influence, iron and copper were still extracted by forcibly conscripting locals near the sites.
"Are you thinking of allowing private iron mining, like with the private ice trade?"
Resources like iron, copper, gold, and silver are best monopolized by the state for now.
Joseon lacks experts with deep knowledge of mining.
Thus, state-led extraction and smelting is more efficient than leaving it to civilians.
And by monopolizing these resources and selling them at fair market prices, we can generate profits to fuel other policies.
"In the past, with no court budget, we conscripted idle farmers for iron mining. But times have changed—we must now pay proper wages to mine workers."
"Pay wages."
"It's better to hire paid workers mining year-round than to skimp on wages and rely on shoddy conscript labor. That way, we supply more iron across Joseon."
It's no exaggeration to say a nation's power hinges on how much iron it produces and uses.
In today's world, advances in smelting and expanded output directly bolster military strength.
"And we need to build ironworks near the mines to smelt ore on-site and ramp up production in earnest."
"...We'll have to do that. So now it's the Ministry of Public Works' turn to suffer."
"With Supervisor Jang Yeong-sil and Supervisor Jeong Bin in the Ministry, they'll manage."
Jang Yeong-sil designs and builds the machinery, while Jeong Bin leads master craftsmen like head carpenters to construct the ironworks flawlessly.
Oh, and the Jurchen lands along the Pajo River basin are in Manchuria—particularly around a place called Hunchun, rich in bituminous coal...
I need to dredge up coke processing methods from memory, organize them, and hand them to the Ministry.
I can't recall it perfectly, but with the basics solid, endless iteration and artisan sweat will handle the rest.
The matchlocks used this time were Jang Yeong-sil's hard-won creation, after all.
"Some ministers in court now say we've given the Jurchens a taste of our wrath, so it's time to withdraw. What's your view, Commander Kim?"
"We've smashed the Jurchens decisively, but they're like weeds. We mobilized a great army and uprooted them this time, but if we withdraw now, they'll resettle the area before long."
In actual history, after the First Pajo River Campaign, the Joseon army deemed their gains sufficient and withdrew immediately.
Yet the Jurchens, despite tasting Joseon's fierce retaliation, soon crossed the border again to kidnap and plunder.
They fear Joseon, true—but starvation looms if they don't raid us...
What can they do but cross and plunder again?
Having experienced this, King Sejong planned to annex the Four Armies and Six Garrisons outright in the Second Campaign.
Like weeds sprouting anew on barren soil no matter how thoroughly uprooted...
He learned firsthand that without claiming that land as Joseon's, the Jurchens would keep crossing the border.
"So we must secure the conquered territory as Joseon's at any cost."
"But Jurchen lands are so barren; developing them won't be easy."
Of course it won't be easy.
Even Pyeongan and Hamgyong Provinces have notorious reputations for hardship, so turning Manchuria livable is no small task.
Thus, King Sejong mobilized Joseon's full might to develop the Four Armies and Six Garrisons into habitable lands.
Yet by King Danjong's era, the Four Armies shrank to mere garrisons.
The Six Garrisons endured, but the Four Armies became military outposts only.
Still, leveraging commerce could minimize issues and side effects.
"For now, station troops there and spend a few years preparing thoroughly before settling civilians."
"Not relocating people immediately?"
"I'd love to move them right away, but on harsh land, we'll need to clear fields—and stockpile food for settlers, plus oxen and tools for farming, right?"
Only after meticulous preparation can we claim the Four Armies, Six Garrisons—and even parts of Manchuria beyond.
"The Supreme Commander's map shows a coastal area called Haesamwi. Station some troops there to use as a supply depot."
Haesamwi—otherwise known as the Vladivostok region.
It's teeming with timber, and sable fur, Joseon's ultimate luxury, abounds.
Once known as a depot with such treasures, people will flock naturally.
"It's near the Six Garrisons. Securing it will make supply lines to the inner hinterlands beyond far easier."
No matter what, we must claim Manchuria.
Not just coal and iron, but granary regions like Yanbian await.
We can't let go of this honeyed land.
"That settles it. And now we should report this campaign's success to the Ming Dynasty—what do you think, Commander Kim?"
"Of course we should."
Joseon isn't ready to fight the Ming yet.
The opportunity will come soon enough—but not now.