The Recapture of Hanseong (5)
The cannons thundered down on the Japanese trenches dug along the outskirts of Hanseong.
Kuroki’s 1st Army, already battered by Choi Ik-hyun’s righteous army and Nam Sang-deok’s Imjin River volunteers, could barely manage a defense.
“We’ve been grinding our teeth since the Sino-Japanese War! You damn Japanese bastards!”
“We need to earn our share of glory too!”
The Manchu troops who had once marched all the way to the Korean peninsula during the Sino-Japanese War only to flee in defeat, along with Han Chinese units hoping to carve out a piece of the new era, all struck the Japanese forces in Hanseong with a single, ferocious will.
The Japanese tried to hold them off with Maxim machine guns, but the Korean Imperial Army showed no sign of faltering and pressed the attack even harder.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
“Shoot all you want! We’re not stopping here!”
Just over a decade ago, this same country—on the brink of ruin—had called in the Qing and Japan during the Donghak Peasant Revolution. Now it was marching out on its own to fight the Japanese.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the Sapodae leading the charge.
If the provincial armies and the so-called “barbaric” soldiers who had only known plunder in Southern Manchuria refused to rush to their nation’s rescue, they would be nothing but cowards—certainly not worthy of being called imperial troops.
From the very beginning of the Battle of Hanseong, we held the advantage.
For one thing, the Japanese were still reeling from the fire that had engulfed the Korean imperial palace. On top of that, they had no idea whether the Crown Prince was dead or alive. Then the Korean army came crashing down on them.
It must have felt like a sledgehammer to the back of the head. I’m sure their command staff was in chaos. In a single night, a woman had slaughtered the imperial army, and even the Crown Prince’s fate was unknown. Anyone would have panicked.
No matter how strong their defensive position was, simply holding out would have been a miracle.
And sure enough, Kuroki’s forces couldn’t endure.
The multinational 1st Cavalry Regiment I led smashed straight into the front of Kuroki’s army, whose morale had already collapsed and whose trench lines were barely even finished.
“The entire Manchurian army is dead. What the hell gave you people the confidence to keep fighting?”
“Damn Joseon bitch!”
By now, word must have spread through Kuroki’s 1st Army. The complete annihilation of the Manchurian Expeditionary Force. Of the 400,000 troops that had marched north so arrogantly against the “scarecrow” Joseon army, they had already suffered heavy losses against the Russians—only to be utterly crushed by the Korean attack.
Most of the senior officers knew. Even the low-ranking soldiers, seeing our army encircling Hanseong, must have guessed the truth.
“U-ughhh! It’s the army of the reaper that slaughtered our forces in Manchuria!”
“No… I can’t do this anymore.”
Japanese soldiers began surrendering on the spot. Once they realized the battle was already lost, there was no point throwing their lives away. The Russians had been overwhelming, and the Joseon army had gutted the 400,000 elite troops the Japanese had so carefully gathered. How could they believe they were the only ones left on the peninsula?
At least, I wouldn’t have believed it.
Bang! Boom! Kwaaaang!
The Japanese were being humiliated by their own weapons. Before long, their lines began to disintegrate.
“Surrender! Every single commander of the Manchurian Expeditionary Force under Field Marshal Oyama Iwao has died by our hands!”
“If you want to survive this meaningless war, throw down your weapons and surrender!”
In the end, the proud imperial soldiers glanced at one another and began raising white flags. They had no idea a future of unpaid labor far worse than death awaited them.
Still, some Japanese units, led by incompetent commanders who insisted on fighting to the end—
“The 2nd Cavalry Regiment has shattered the enemy’s defensive line!”
“Nam Sang-deok’s 2nd Infantry Regiment is ready to enter Hanseong.”
“The 12th Division of Kuroki’s 1st Army has been confirmed annihilated.”
—were also crushed without mercy.
As the battle moved into urban warfare, the Japanese charged with fixed bayonets. These men were consumed by pure hatred; they had no intention of surrendering.
Having heard the news from Manchuria, surrendering here would have been unthinkable. They seemed convinced that in close combat, they could still win.
“Tenno Heika Banzai!”
“Die, you Japanese bastard!”
In pure close-quarters combat, the Korean Imperial Army would have been at a disadvantage. But that was only if you looked at the regular imperial forces.
Unfortunately for them, we had the Sapodae.
The Sapodae had already ravaged Manchuria, plundering everything in sight. They had beaten back the Qing troops sent to suppress them like dogs every single time. They were a force strong enough to secure public order across Manchuria through sheer combat experience.
And with Manchu bandits fighting alongside them, the Japanese simply couldn’t hold.
“Get the hell out of Hanseong, you Japanese dogs!”
“Guhk!”
The imperial troops who entered Hanseong received help from citizens who rose up inside the city. The people, furious that the Japanese were using Hanseong as a defensive stronghold, beat them without mercy.
Still, the enemy’s resistance was fiercer than expected.
“Their resistance is pretty strong.”
“It must be because they’ve heard about Manchuria.”
They knew what had happened to those who surrendered in Manchuria. In that case, dying while resisting here might seem better for their empire. Some of them probably thought that way.
Let’s inflict as much damage on Joseon as possible! Let’s avenge our comrades who died in Manchuria!
That must have been their mindset. Unfortunately, as long as a superhuman like me existed, it was impossible.
“Die!”
A Japanese soldier charged at me with a bayonet. I drew my pistol.
“These idiots. Why can’t they just surrender nicely? Do thorns grow in their mouths or something?”
“Who the hell would surrender to you Joseon bastards!”
Bang!
“A damn invader sure talks a lot.”
After dropping one, a Japanese soldier who had been fighting the Jinwidae widened his eyes and glared at me.
“Hiroki! You fucking bitch!”
“Why do all of you invade other countries and then act like you’re the victims? Care to explain?”
Crunch!
I swung my axe and smashed the head of another Japanese soldier rushing to avenge his comrade. Unfortunately, with his skull caved in, he couldn’t answer.
“Ah, he died so he can’t talk. Too bad.”
“I-I’ve seen that woman before! In Manchuria! It’s the oni! The oni!”
Another Japanese soldier fighting in the distance spotted me and screamed in terror.
Oni? I see. No matter how many unarmed Japanese I killed, some must have escaped. This guy was probably one of them.
“So you’re one of the rats who ran away from Manchuria? No wonder the numbers didn’t add up.”
“U-uaaaaagh! D-diiiie!”
He must have lost his mind. He charged straight at me. There really was no saving these people. Still, it wasn’t a bad choice. If they were going to die anyway, at least they could resist once.
Bang!
“Of course, it doesn’t mean anything if you can’t even reach me.”
As I galloped forward, clearing a path through the city streets, the Sapodae followed right behind.
“Do not fear! The Japanese are only making a final, desperate stand! Wipe out anyone who refuses to surrender!”
The Japanese were trampled beneath the hooves of the cavalry and shot dead by battle-hardened Sapodae soldiers before they could even put up a fight.
Holed up inside Hanseong, Kuroki’s 1st Army had made a fatal mistake. If they had fought a decisive battle outside the city, perhaps Yeonggilli might have given them another chance.
“Damn it! Retreat! Fall back to the royal palace!”
“Your Excellency! The enemy is converging on the imperial palace!”
Nam Sang-deok, who had been tearing through the Japanese lines, reported as much. Since they were losing the street fighting, it was the right decision. At least, it would have been under normal circumstances.
The only way for them to survive was to have the Crown Prince as a hostage.
“They have nowhere else to go, so they’re planning to fortify themselves inside the palace. That’s the only defensive option left.”
I had once been on the attacking side when a group of survivors holed up in a school. The defenders had treated the school walls like castle ramparts. So this felt familiar.
But it didn’t matter. No matter what they did, they couldn’t win. If Kuroki had taken the Crown Prince hostage, things might have been different. But since he hadn’t, our victory was assured.
“Is His Highness the Crown Prince truly safe?”
Yi Beom-yun spoke up as we stood before the imperial palace.
“Yes. He should be doing just fine with the French legation.”
Yi Beom-yun still seemed worried about Yi Cheok. By now, the French legation would have taken care of everything. All that remained was to secure Hanseong completely. This was no time to drag things out. We needed a swift conclusion.
“Still, the fact that the imperial palace burned is quite serious.”
“Only a few buildings were lost to the flames.”
Of course, some minor incidents had occurred during the process. But the palace burning wasn’t my fault.
“A shame. Was there truly no other way?”
“I only set a moderate fire. It was those idiot Japanese who failed to put it out properly. Besides, we already have the Western-style Seokjojeon. We can simply expand it using the money we squeeze out of the Japanese.”
This was a good opportunity to rebuild everything from scratch. The Crown Prince had already given his permission anyway.
“Aren’t you being too casual about this?”
“Then could you have safely evacuated His Highness in that situation?”
I had to take that risk. If I hadn’t burned the palace, not only would I have failed, but Yi Cheok—who I was escorting—would have certainly died. Thanks to my bold decision, the Crown Prince was able to escape death.
“That may be true, but…”
“Life is real combat, sir. The Korean Empire has a long road ahead. This isn’t the time to sit around agonizing over every little problem.”
Life is real combat. Before worrying about every detail, you have to act. The Korean Empire is a nation that must charge forward. Even if we take risks again and again, we still won’t have enough chances.
“I’m just worried this incident might cause problems for you.”
“The Sapodae is the greatest contributor to this war. And setting the fire was something His Highness the Crown Prince personally authorized.”
If I were in the Crown Prince’s position, I would have done the same to survive. Honestly, from my perspective, it wouldn’t have mattered if the Crown Prince died. But since I had taken responsibility for him, I had no choice.
“Even so, perhaps we should urge them to surrender. If we push any further, even if we save the palace, the yangban nobles won’t stay quiet.”
Hmm. Should we? By now, Kuroki was probably hoping for negotiations himself.
“Let’s do that. We need to make use of them anyway.”
Kuroki’s 1st Army had to number at least tens of thousands. Even if we only took ten thousand prisoners, they would still be useful as labor. We wouldn’t demand ransom. We’d use them as unpaid workers.
“Surrender! If you don’t, we’ll kill every last one of you just like we did your army in Manchuria!”
“Don’t make me laugh! I’d rather die than surrender to Joseon dogs!”
“They refuse the good wine and insist on drinking the punishment cup. Sapodae, prepare the cannons! We will demolish the imperial palace!”
“““Yes sir!”””
After the street fighting ended, the cannons we had dragged in from outside were aimed at the palace, ready to fire at any moment.
Perhaps feeling some burden, Yi Beom-yun shouted toward Kuroki.
“This is your final chance! We are sick of staining our hands with your blood! If you surrender now, since there are foreign legations in Hanseong, we will treat you as proper prisoners of war! But if you truly wish to see this to the end, then we will charge you with treason against the empire and execute every last one of you!”
It was only natural to treat those we planned to use later as slaves with the courtesy of prisoners. How could we manage millions of slaves? Twenty-five million would be too many, but a few tens of thousands was manageable.
A short while later, a man walked out from the palace and approached Yi Beom-yun.
“I am General Kuroki Tamemoto, commander of the 1st Army. I surrender. Please treat my soldiers as prisoners of war.”
Kuroki Tamemoto. So that bastard was here.
“Round them all up and throw them into the temporary camps.”
In the end, Kuroki’s 1st Army surrendered, and the Korean Imperial Army’s recapture of Hanseong was a complete success.
Having accepted the Japanese surrender, we disarmed them and happily seized all their weapons. That was fortunate. One of the reasons I had tried to end the Russo-Japanese War so quickly was because the Korean army was severely lacking in supplies.
“““Long live the Sapodae! Long live the Korean Empire!”””
The citizens of Hanseong, who had suffered under Japanese occupation for so long, cheered as they watched the Sapodae soldiers enter the city in orderly ranks.
It felt a little uncomfortable hearing the cheers that should have been for the Emperor. But with this, the Sapodae had officially made its debut within the Korean Empire.