Chapter 23. Hyunmu Ignition
The mountain pass fell silent after the battle. The air reeked of blood, but the faces of the Yiho Army soldiers beamed with triumph.
"Captain! This matchlock thing? Way better than I thought!"
Choi Ga grinned ear to ear, fiddling with the strap slung over his shoulder like a kid with a new toy, hefting a captured matchlock musket.
"Handle it carefully. If the fuse is lit, it'll misfire."
I taught the men how to use the matchlocks. It wasn't like the marksmanship I'd learned in my past life during military service, but the principle was simple: powder in, ball in, ram it down, light the fuse, boom.
Luckily, quite a few in the Yiho Army were hunters who'd taken down wild boars in the mountains. Handing them the matchlocks, they adapted in no time.
"Shorter range than a bow, but the power? Insane. One shot'd punch right through boar hide."
"Good. We're not primitive savages swinging swords anymore. This is firepower warfare."
I distributed the fifty captured matchlocks to the hunters. The rest of the troops armed themselves with spears and shields—Joseon armor and such picked up from the fallen Japanese soldiers during the fight.
The joy of victory was short-lived. Chun-sik, who'd been out scouting, came barreling back in a panic.
"C-Captain! Big trouble!"
"What? Gotta take a shit?"
"D-Down there! Look at the base of the mountain! It's black as night!"
I followed where Chun-sik pointed.
Below Ichi Pass, along the winding mountain road, clouds of dust rose to blot out the sky. And through that dust, thousands of banners fluttered wildly.
This was no vanguard. An endless column stretched out—easily a thousand men, no, more.
The Japanese main force. Led by Kobayakawa Takakage, the core of the Sixth Division.
"Whoa... all those people? Like an ant swarm?"
Choi Ga's jaw dropped. The confidence from our recent victory evaporated, replaced by creeping terror. We'd patted ourselves on the back for taking out a hundred, but now over a thousand were marching up behind them. No wonder.
"Don't pussy out."
I smacked the back of his head.
"This narrow pass? They can't come up all at once anyway. Bottleneck effect, got it? They're lining up to die."
I played it cool, but cold sweat trickled down my spine. Too many. Way too many. Taking them all down might wear Mi-sook to nothing.
Na Dae-yong approached.
"Captain. Ready."
His eyes burned steady. The certainty of an engineer. Absolute faith in the weapons he'd built.
"Hyunmu Units 1, 2, and 3. Loaded. Propulsion teams on standby."
"Perfect. Let's show 'em Joseon's tech."
I gazed down at the enemy below.
The Japanese main force had reached the vanguard's slaughter site. Piles of corpses by the roadside. The vanguard commander's head spiked on a pole.
The Japanese officers' reaction was explosive. From horseback, one drew his sword and bellowed—his rage carried all the way up here.
"They're losing it down there?"
"Good. Rage narrows your vision."
The Japanese reformed their lines. Up front, matchlock troops in three ranks abreast. Behind them, a forest of long spears gripped by ashigaru foot soldiers.
Thoom—thoom—
Drums rolled. The advance signal.
"Teppo tai! Yoi!"
With the commander's roar, hundreds of barrels swung toward us.
Range: a hundred paces. Well within matchlock effective fire.
"Shields up!"
My order sent the Yiho Army ducking behind the stockade. But wooden shields wouldn't stop that hailstorm.
"Utte!"
Tat-tat-tat-bang!
Like popping corn, white smoke bloomed. Lead balls rained down. Branches snapped, rocks chipped.
"Argh!"
A few soldiers behind the stockade screamed. Shots squeezing through gaps.
"Damn, their firepower's no joke."
I hunkered behind a boulder, assessing. They were firing and advancing by turns, closing the distance. At this rate, the stockade would crumble soon.
Now. The moment they paused to reload.
"Hyunmu, charge!!"
My bellow cleaved the battlefield.
Rumble—
The ground shook. From either side of the stockade, hidden in the woods under camouflage, massive iron behemoths rolled into view.
Round bodies clad in black wrought iron. Spikes jutting everywhere. A goblin face on the front.
Three land turtle ships—Hyunmu units—emerged from higher up the pass.
"Na, nani kore?"
The Japanese murmured in shock. Their volley halted at the sight of this unheard-of monster.
"Push!"
Inside the Hyunmus, Yiho Army propulsion teams strained at the wheels.
Screech—thud! Thud! Thud!
The heavy wheels dug into the earth, building speed. Three-ton iron masses rolling down the slope.
"Teppo! Teppo utte!"
The panicked commander shrieked. Matchlock men frantically triggered at the Hyunmus.
Ting! Clang! Patter!
Lead balls ricocheted off the armor. Na Dae-yong's masterpiece—pure steel plates, density hammered up by my thousands of blows with a sledge. No mere lead lump could pierce it.
"It ain't working! It's a steel turtle!"
Japanese screams echoed.
The Hyunmus didn't slow. They accelerated, shrugging off the shots.
Groooar—
The roar of the rolling iron sounded like a landslide.
"D-Dodge! It'll crush us!"
The front ranks broke in terror, scattering left and right. But the narrow path left no room—comrades shoved from behind. Nowhere to run.
Kaboom!
Impact.
Hyunmu Unit 1 plowed straight into the matchlock formation's heart.
Bodies flew. Bowling pins? Worse. Soldiers hit by the frontal ram crushed like pulp, soaring into the air; those under the wheels ground to paste without a sound.
Crack! Crunch!
Horrific ruptures sounded in chain.
Units 2 and 3 followed, ravaging the enemy lines.
"Aaaagh! My leg! My leeeeg!" "Monster! A monster's coming down!"
The Japanese formation dissolved into chaos. Lines shattered, command paralyzed.
But it wasn't over.
"Fire!"
Na Dae-yong's voice boomed from Unit 2.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Flames spurted from gun ports on the flanks and front. Swivel cannons and matchlocks mounted there.
Mobile fortress. Rolling pillbox.
Spear-wielding Japanese closing in ate grapeshot and dropped.
"Now! Charge!"
I burst from behind the boulder.
"Waaaaah!"
The Yiho Army main force followed. Hyunmu clearing the path, us mopping up the stunned foes. Perfect tactics.
I swung Mi-sook, leaping into the fray.
"Outta my way! Don't block the road!"
A samurai barred my path, slashing down.
Clang!
His blade bit my shoulder—but only tore cloth.
"Doesn't even hurt."
Mi-sook shattered his helmeted skull.
Splat!
The helm crumpled; he toppled.
"Captain! Behind!"
Choi Ga yelled. Three spear-wielding Japanese encircled me, thrusting.
"Hah!"
I hurled my iron flail, skewering one's chest, then jammed the other two spears under my arms.
"Where you gonna poke?!"
Muscle snapped the shafts. Then I grabbed their topknots with both hands.
Crack!
Headbutt. Foreheads collided; both dropped cold.
"D-Demon...!"
Nearby Japanese recoiled in horror. Invincible tank ahead, blade-proof giant behind. This was their hell.
But they had numbers. Over a thousand strong. Even with the front collapsing, more surged up from behind.
"Don't fall back! Their numbers are just bluff!"
I roared, rallying the men.
Then—
Screech—thunk.
Lead Hyunmu Unit 1 ground to a halt. Wheels clogged with too many corpses; drive axle jammed.
"Move! Push!"
Soldiers inside strained, but the wheels spun uselessly.
"Chance! Stop that scrap heap!"
The commander seized the moment. Japanese swarmed the stalled Hyunmu like ants.
"Pry the lid! Kill 'em inside!"
Despite the spikes, they used bodies as ramps, clambering up. Spears jabbed at gun ports.
Crisis. If Hyunmu fell, the crew inside was done.
"Choi Ga! Take Squad 2, cover Unit 1!"
"Yes sir!"
Choi Ga led men in, but the Japanese outnumbered them.
I gritted my teeth. I have to go.
Shoving foes aside with my body, I sprinted for Unit 1.
"Move it!"
Wham! Wham!
Bowling them over like pins, I reached it. Over a dozen Japanese already clung to the top.
I kicked off the ground and leaped.
Thud!
Landed atop the two-meter-high tank roof in one bound.
"Wh-What the hell are you?!"
The rooftop Japanese gaped.
I grinned.
"Here to wash the car, assholes."
Mi-sook in hand, I spun a whirlwind.
Whoosh—whoosh—thwack! Splat!
Narrow roof, no dodging. My bat sent them tumbling like leaves.
"Gaaah!"
Cleared the top in seconds. But more crawled up from below.
"Seal the hatch! Stay in!"
I bellowed at a gun port below, planting myself firm on the roof.
"This is my turf. Anyone climbing gets their skull smashed. You snake bastards."
Blood-smeared, bat raised atop the iron giant—I was pure demon.
The Japanese hesitated. None dared ascend.
Then, frantic drums from the Japanese rear. Not retreat.
Signal for a new unit's arrival.
Bursting from the woods: red-armored cavalry. Aura far beyond common troops.
A deputy general under Kobayakawa Takakage, by the look. He leveled a long spear (yari) at me.
"You're Joseon's oni?"
His voice pierced the din. "Word's spread already? Some runner blabbed. Call me a goblin, Joseon-style. See the sword in my chest?"
"Amusing. Let's test if my spear pierces your hide."
He spurred his horse. It whinnied, charging Hyunmu.
Boss fight? Nice. Tired of small fry anyway.
I leaped from the roof.
Thud.
Earth quaked.
"Come on. Let's see—your spear snaps, or my bones."
I regripped Mi-sook.
First named boss of the Imjin War. Joseon's Xiang Yu versus Japan's samurai. The real fight started now.