Entry into Jinju Castle
Kwaaang!
A massive explosion rocked the battlefield. It wasn't thunder. It was the sound of a three-ton iron behemoth smashing into flesh and bone.
"Kwaaak!"
"W-what the hell? From behind?!"
The rearguard of the Japanese forces besieging Jinju Castle turned into a slaughterhouse in an instant. They panicked. They'd been fixated on the castle walls, never imagining something charging at their backs.
And who could blame them? A house-sized iron cart rolling in like that.
"Push it back! If it stops, we're dead!"
I kicked open the rear hatch of Hyeonmu No. 4 and bellowed.
From Hyeonmu No. 1 to No. 4, the four land turtle ships formed a wedge and bored into the enemy lines. The shock-absorbing suspension Na Dae-yong had poured his soul into proved its worth. Even over the uneven piles of corpses, the Hyeonmu barely jolted, pressing forward mercilessly.
Crunch! Snap!
Bones shattered beneath the wheels. Horrific, but we couldn't stop. Halting here meant getting surrounded.
"Block it! Stop that mad cart!"
Japanese officers swung their swords and screamed. Pikemen charged in.
But Hyeonmu wasn't just any cart. Iron spikes bristled like a porcupine, blades jutting from every gap. Anyone who got close lost chunks of flesh on contact.
"Get out of the way, you bastards!"
I leaped onto the roof of Hyeonmu. From up high, the battlefield looked like a watermelon patch of enemy heads.
"Immature one, time to eat."
I drew the black ebony bat, Misuk-i, from my belt. Then swung it like a dance.
Whoosh—thwack! Swoosh—crack!
The heads of Japanese soldiers climbing onto Hyeonmu exploded. Helmets crumpled, swords snapped. The blow from my grip strength and the ebony's weight ignored armor, delivering pure shock.
"W-what the hell is that guy?!"
"A demon's riding the cart!"
Terror-stricken, they stumbled back.
But my attacks weren't limited to close range.
I sheathed the bat and unslung the bow from my back—the Black Seven-Horned Bow, Goggi-ri, gifted by Admiral Yi Sun-sin.
I drew the string. Taught tension bit into my fingertips.
Pfwing—!
The arrow flew faster than the eye could track, piercing the throat of a commanding Japanese officer.
"Gack!"
The officer tumbled from his horse.
"Good shot."
I loosed arrows in rapid succession. Pfwing! Pfwing! Pfwing!
Hundred percent accuracy. Every bastard in my sights dropped. Hyeonmu cleared the path, I rained fire from above, and the 1,000 Yiho Army following mopped up the rest—a perfect breakthrough.
Before long, Jinju Castle's north gate loomed right ahead.
The Joseon garrison troops atop the walls watched the scene, mouths agape.
"W-what is that? Friendlies?"
"A ghost made of iron!"
I waved my bow and shouted.
"Open the gates! Reinforcements have arrived! It's Kim Deok-ryeong of Damyang!"
My voice boomed like thunder.
Murmurs rippled from the walls. They suspected a trap. Fair enough—who wouldn't fear bandits in freakish carts demanding entry?
Then, from the gate tower, someone yelled.
"Open them! They're allies!"
A gravelly, powerful voice. Kim Si-min, the magistrate of Jinju.
Creeeak—thud.
The firmly shut north gate swung open. The four Hyeonmu roared through the gap. The 1,000 Yiho troops followed, roaring cheers as they entered.
"Waaaaah!"
"We're saved! Inside the castle!"
The gates slammed shut, massive bars dropping into place. We'd finally breached Jinju Castle's interior.
The scene inside was hellish. Wounded soldiers groaned everywhere, civilians huddled in terror. Women had whittled bamboo into spears after arrows ran out, their bloodied hands hauling stones.
Hell. An isolated island with no hope. That was Jinju Castle now.
"Halt!"
At my command, the Hyeonmu stopped. The propulsion squad soldiers—sweat-drenched—crawled out.
"Huff... huff... Boss... we'll really die..."
Choi Ga collapsed spread-eagled on the ground.
"Good work. Rest up."
I soothed the men and turned toward the walls. An armored general descended the stairs.
Kim Si-min. The Jinju magistrate himself. Just a local official defending the walls now, but in the future, the court would grant him the posthumous title Chungmu. He was a true hero whose name would chill the Japanese to the bone on land.
Exhaustion etched his face. His armor was dented everywhere, eyes bloodshot. But that gaze burned fierce—a tiger's unyielding stare, unbroken even before 30,000 foes.
I approached and bowed deeply in respect.
"Kim Deok-ryeong, righteous army commander of Damyang, at your service, Magistrate."
Kim Si-min slowly scanned me, the massive iron hulks (Hyeonmu) behind, and the 1,000 troops.
"You're... the famous Kim Deok-ryeong?"
"Yes. The rumors got pretty wild—demon, monster, that sort."
"Heh... seems the rumors are true enough. Charging through 30,000 with those beasts."
Kim Si-min gave a wry smile.
"Thank you. Truly. The local magistrates all fled, no one came... but you did."
His voice trembled faintly. How lonely it must have been, shouldering 3,800 lives in this forsaken fortress, no relief in sight.
"You're not alone. I'm here, and so are my men."
I turned and called Seo Baek-seol.
"Seo, unpack the supplies!"
"Got it! Hey! Squads one through five! Uncover the carts!"
At Seo Baek-seol's order, the Yiho troops stripped the tarps from the carts trailing the Hyeonmu.
"Gasp!"
Kim Si-min and the garrison swallowed hard.
Sacks of rice. Mountains of them. Five hundred seok—enough to feed the starving castle for days.
And that wasn't all.
"Gunpowder."
Na Dae-yong emerged, face smudged with soot, and opened a powder keg. Black gunpowder filled it to the brim.
"These are matchlock bullets, and these—Bi-geok-jin-cheon-roe."
"These... these precious..."
Kim Si-min's eyes reddened. Arrows and powder had run dry. These supplies were a godsend—lifeblood itself.
"How... how did you gather so much? Even raiding government stores wouldn't yield this."
"Eh, some 'donations' here and there. The Jeolla governor donated, and we took some from the Japanese."
I grinned cheekily.
"You lot... incredible. I'll never forget this debt, even in death."
Kim Si-min gripped my hand tight. A warrior's callused palm, hot with fervor.
"Why talk of dying? We came to win."
I clasped his hand back.
"You command, Magistrate. I'll handle the brute work. Where do you want these iron beasts and my crew?"
"North gate. Their fiercest push. I can trust you with it."
"Got it. We'll defend... no, delete the north gate."
We moved to the north gate immediately. Positioned the four Hyeonmu inside the gate, matchlockmen and archers atop the walls. Mi-ryeong unpacked medicines and treated the wounded. Seo Baek-seol cooked rice from our stores and distributed it.
"Eat up! Gotta fight on full stomachs!"
Garrison troops took the steaming rice balls, weeping as they ate. The sight tugged at my heart.
Sunset fell, darkness blanketing the castle. Outside was pitch black. But in that gloom, 30,000 eyes gleamed.
I climbed the walls and peered out. Japanese torches stretched endlessly—like a galaxy spilled on earth.
"A lot, huh."
Choi Ga beside me gulped dryly.
"Scared?"
"Nah! Bellies full, power surging!"
The kid bluffed. Cute bastard.
Then it happened.
Far off, red flickers blinked on the ridgeline behind the Japanese camp. One, two, three... irregular flashes.
"Huh? What's that? Will-o'-the-wisps?"
Choi Ga pointed.
I chuckled. Not will-o'-the-wisps.
"The Red Garment General."
"You mean General Gwak Jae-u?"
"Yeah. He kept his word."
Gwak Jae-u's righteous army was signaling with torches from the mountains—disrupting their rear, telling us you're not alone.
"See? Gwak's out there, we're in here. They're the sandwich."
"Sandwich?"
"Yeah, that thing. Crush 'em from both sides till they pop."
I unslung Goggi-ri from my back and patted Misuk-i at my waist.
"Prepare. They'll night raid tonight."
The killing intent from 30,000 poured over the walls. But I wasn't afraid. Solid comrades at my back, people to protect ahead.
And above all, I wasn't alone.
'Come on. I'll grind you all to dust.'
One night in October 1592. The curtain rose on the Great Battle of Jinju Castle.