The Conquest of the Archipelago (3)
Sergeant Samseongi chuckled as he pulled out the letter his younger brother Oseongi had sent and read it again.
The handwriting was crooked, of course, and even the drawing of their house made him laugh out loud without meaning to.
His father had used the money he sent along with what he’d earned through hard work to receive a plot of land in Bansong District on the western side of Hanseong and was building a house there.
Red bricks…
He knew what red bricks were because he had seen them before.
But they were supposed to be extremely expensive.
Yet here they were, building a house with those very bricks.
The world really has gotten better.
These days it was all the rage for wealthy people to build their homes with red bricks instead of the usual yellow clay.
They were sturdy, long-lasting, and offered excellent insulation. But more than anything, they simply looked good, so many people were willing to take on debt just to own one.
Samseongi himself dreamed of building such a house someday.
He didn’t know when that day would come.
Yet now even his father was constructing one with red bricks.
A factory at the Geompo industrial complex had begun mass-producing them, driving the price down dramatically.
On top of that, they were building a two-story house instead of a single-floor one.
The Joseon Bank offered industrial complex residents loans at a low annual interest rate of only twelve percent.
“Sergeant, sir, what’s so funny?”
His assistant gunner Chunsik asked, clearly curious.
“Take a look at this.”
Chunsik glanced at the picture Oseongi had drawn and let out a chuckle of his own.
“My father said he’s building with red bricks too. Looks like your family’s doing the same, Sergeant.”
Oseongi’s drawing was a mess, but he had colored the walls red, so anyone could tell at a glance it was meant to be a red-brick house.
“Your family’s building with red bricks as well?”
“Yes, Sergeant. They won’t allow thatched-roof houses in the industrial complex, so that’s what he said.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Bugs are one problem, but they say if a fire breaks out everything could burn to the ground.”
“Ah…”
These days people used something called briquettes instead of wood.
They were made by mixing black coal with dirt. Once lit, they burned for a long time without going out.
But they also produced invisible smoke that was harmful to the body. If you kept living in the old style of house, it could kill you.
That was why the authorities no longer granted permits for homes built with easily cracked yellow clay.
“So they’re laying pipes made of synthetic resin across the floor instead of using traditional ondol heating.”
“That’s fascinating.”
“It really is.”
Ever since the king had changed, the world itself had changed.
The old days of spring hunger were gone. Food was now plentiful, and strange new things kept appearing without end.
The most wondrous of all was the light bulb that could shine without even lighting a fire.
“But Sergeant, aren’t you worried at all?”
“About what?”
“Look at how many of them there are…”
Samseongi gazed at the countless colorful banners visible beyond the valley, then chuckled and pointed northward.
“With His Majesty right over there, what is there to worry about?”
“That’s exactly why I’m worried. They say those bastards came here to capture His Majesty.”
Samseongi chuckled again.
“Chunsik.”
“Yes, Sergeant.”
“You know the name of this operation, right?”
“Of course. It’s ‘Driving Them Into the Tiger’s Den,’ isn’t it?”
“Exactly. The enemy has already walked into the tiger’s den. We are the tigers. So what do you think will happen?”
“Still… there are just so many of them.”
“What about this?”
Samseongi gave the grip of his newly issued machine gun a solid pat.
His original assignment had been as a cannon gunner.
But instead of a cannon they had given him a machine gun.
They said cannons couldn’t be brought along.
He had been worried at first, but soon realized there was no need for concern.
The new weapon known as the machine gun, which he had learned during training, was utterly devastating.
The bullets, linked together in something called a belt, were made entirely of brass unlike the multi-hole gun ammunition.
Each one had a lead slug at the tip like a single-shot round.
Yet when the trigger was pulled, hundreds of these rounds screamed out every minute.
And they could reach all the way to where the enemy was making a noisy racket in their encampment.
“I can’t wait to fire this thing. I want to sweep every last one of those bastards away.”
Samseongi hadn’t forgotten the feel of it from the brief handling during training. He pulled back the bolt and squeezed the trigger.
-Clack!
It didn’t fire since no ammunition was loaded, but the heavy metallic sound eased the tension in his chest.
“So stop worrying and just make sure the belt doesn’t jam. Understood?”
“Yes, Sergeant.”
Yi Yeon sat at the summit of Mount Ushida, peering at the enemy positions through a telescope.
“Hmm…”
They too had built defensive lines along the ridges, just like the Hwaryeokgun.
Having heard about the power of the Hyuksin-jeon and Hyukmyung-jeon, they were keeping their distance instead of closing in.
“Your Majesty the Headmaster, the way they’ve gone completely silent suggests they’re planning a night raid.”
The enemy forces that had arrived at dusk the previous day had spent the morning hurling every insult imaginable and raising a ruckus.
Yet as soon as the sun began to set they had fallen as quiet as a graveyard.
“I don’t believe that’s the case.”
Yi Yeon turned to Jeong Yeo-lip and continued.
“This is the heart of their own camp. What they’re truly after is for us to lower our guard.”
“Ah… that makes sense.”
“It’s not just possible, it’s certain. Unlike us, these men have laid siege to countless castles. They will definitely drag this out into a war of attrition until we grow exhausted.”
“Then what should we do?”
“What else? We wait.”
Yi Yeon had never studied warfare in any formal way.
He had only watched videos on the subject together with Stephen.
That was how he knew reality differed greatly from war movies.
Even in a standoff, actual combat did not begin immediately.
Moving a large army required proper formation first.
“Then when do you think they will launch their attack?”
“After provoking us several times to gauge our strength. Therefore, instruct the troops firmly that even if the enemy approaches, they are to respond only with the multi-hole guns and not use any other weapons.”
“Understood, Your Majesty the Headmaster!”
Just as Yi Yeon predicted, the enemy began small-scale provocations the very next morning.
Sometimes a single warrior would ride out and boast about wanting a one-on-one duel.
But the Hwaryeokgun offered no response whatsoever.
The snipers begged for permission to drop the show-offs with a single shot, but the commanders who had received the king’s order simply told them to wait.
As these tedious days dragged on, it was the enemy who grew increasingly agitated.
Uesugi Kenshin stormed into Oda Nobunaga’s camp and immediately shouted.
“Nobunaga? Must we continue sitting here like this?”
“Why? Do you want to fight?”
“Of course I want to fight. I didn’t come all this way just to watch, did I?”
“Then go out and fight. I won’t stop you.”
“What did you just say?”
Seeing her fuming, Oda Nobunaga gave a small laugh.
Everyone called her the Dragon of Echigo, praising her bravery and sense of honor, but he knew the truth.
“By now three thousand of our soldiers have died at their hands, and two thousand of Shingen’s. So isn’t it your turn to step forward?”
Until now only the Oda and Takeda forces had taken turns attacking.
Each time, hundreds fell to the Joseon army’s gunfire.
“Then let’s change the formation. We couldn’t advance because of the Ota River.”
“Truly?”
“Are you mocking me?”
“Of course not. Come, sit down.”
Oda Nobunaga personally lifted the white porcelain teapot and poured into Uesugi Kenshin’s cup.
“Isn’t this quite magnificent?”
“What is?”
“This teapot and these cups.”
“Isn’t that why we joined forces in the first place?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Neither of them fully trusted Mori Motonari, the man both called the God of Strategy.
They had simply coveted the mysterious artifacts Joseon possessed.
That was why they had united.
Rather than fighting over the barren archipelago, they had agreed to conquer Joseon and divide the spoils.
It had seemed feasible.
As Motonari claimed, the Hwaryeokgun—Joseon’s main force—numbered at most thirty thousand.
The rest were worthless security troops that couldn’t even defeat boy soldiers.
The real problem had been drawing out the Joseon king himself.
Without capturing him, attacking Joseon would not be easy.
Yet just as Mori had promised, they had lured the Joseon king to this place.
He didn’t know how it had been done, but the man truly deserved to be called the God of Strategy.
After that, however, no further news about him had arrived.
Rumors even said his command over the Joseon Eastern Army had been stripped away.
That had made them suspicious, and they had been unable to act rashly.
“Doesn’t it feel like he’s hiding something?”
“Even so, we cannot simply sit and wait forever.”
“That’s why I summoned Hideyoshi and Ieyasu.”
“You’re abandoning the night raid?”
“They aren’t coming. What else can we do?”
“That’s true.”
Uesugi Kenshin set down her teacup and nodded.
Every time battle had broken out, the Joseon forces had not used even one of the terrifying weapons they were rumored to possess.
They had only fired those smokeless guns.
The original plan had been to force the Joseon troops to waste their ammunition, then deliver a decisive final strike.
But something felt wrong.
The reinforcements supposedly waiting at Shimonoseki had not arrived, and the Joseon warships stationed downstream on the Ota River had not moved either.
They had intended to ambush and eliminate them when they moved, then turn the captured weapons against the enemy.
In that case there was only one option left.
“When do you plan to strike?”
“Five days from now.”
“On the night of the new moon?”
“Yes.”
Oda Nobunaga nodded and added.
“So beginning two days beforehand, start launching exhausting attacks to wear them down.”
“Understood. But what about the traitors?”
“You mean the Joseon Eastern Army?”
“Yes.”
“Instead of Mori, Ukita Naoie was appointed commander, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“That man will simply watch which way the wind blows. His nature is to side with whoever is winning.”
“So we don’t need to worry about him?”
“Exactly. Appointing a man like that as commander—if Joseon loses this war, that will be the reason.”
Having taken command of a full thirty thousand men of the Joseon Eastern Army, Ukita Naoie was doing exactly as Nobunaga predicted—simply watching and waiting.
It wasn’t merely his personality.
If there is even the slightest sign of leaving your station without orders, the place where you stand will turn into hell.
The moment those words left the king’s mouth, he had gestured.
A tremendous roar had erupted, and the wooden palisade in front of the position had been pulverized into dust and vanished without a trace.
That had not been all.
When a Joseon soldier hurled an apple-sized metal object beyond the barrier, a dark red flash and black smoke had risen, accompanied by sharp popping sounds as countless holes riddled the defenses.
It had been terrifying.
He had been scared out of his wits.
Thoughts of betrayal had become unthinkable.
Joseon possessed even more weapons than he had heard about, each one powerful enough to shake heaven and earth.
So he had sworn loyalty once more.
Yet the Joseon king had ordered him to stay put and simply observe.
Even if the enemy attacked the Joseon Eastern Army encampment, he was only to defend.
After spending half a month that way, the enemy suddenly launched a frenzied assault at dawn.
Corpses piled higher and higher, yet the attacks did not cease.
So he had gone to see the Joseon king.
“Your Majesty, it appears the enemy will soon begin an all-out offensive.”
“I am aware. Remain in position and defend it.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
At the king’s resolute tone, Ukita Naoie—who had committed insubordination as easily as eating meals—began to harbor hope.
Hope that he might rule the archipelago in Joseon’s place.
But he did not know.
In the meantime the Joseon king had thoroughly investigated him and decided to use him as a hunting dog for the conquest of the archipelago.
Even though the roar of multi-hole guns was loud enough to burst eardrums, Samseongi lay peacefully asleep inside the position.
It still wasn’t time to use the machine gun, so he had nothing to do.
His assistant gunner Chunsik, however, was not resting.
Determined to kill even a single enemy, he kept firing the multi-hole gun at anyone who approached.
They died before they could get close, so it amounted to nothing but wasted ammunition.
After two days spent like this, night fell and silence blanketed the entire area.
Not even the sound of insects could be heard.
It was then.
“Pass the word! Everyone prepare! The enemy is coming!”
The command rippled outward from the left like a wave.
After the message had traveled around roughly ten times, a sharp shoooong sound rang out.
Bang!
A brilliant white light like snow exploded in the sky, so bright it hurt the eyes, then slowly drifted downward.
In that instant the enemy could be seen—countless black figures covering the earth and swarming forward.
It was not just one or two locations.
Unlike before, they were pouring in from every direction, attempting to surround the entire position.