Chapter 277 Aiding Korea and Fighting the Japanese (Twenty-Eight) Before the Battle of Okpo
While Li He was frantically seeking help from Daming's father in private, he ordered Marshal Jin Mingyuan to lead troops to defend the Imjin River. Marshal Jin Mingyuan was a veteran on the battlefield, and after receiving the order, he felt regretful and inspired at the same time.
Previously, Deputy Marshal Shen Ke's negligence led to the fall of the Han River. He felt very guilty and blamed himself for betraying the trust of his father. Therefore, he was eager to make atonement and ordered people to summon Shen Ke quickly and hold him accountable.
Shen Ke was stationed in Liangzhou, Gyeonggi Province at this time. After receiving the order from Marshal Du, he did not take it seriously at all. Instead, he said: "Marshal Du is cowardly and timid. Instead of losing face under his command, it is better for me to march on my own and restore the country."
Exclusively."
Jin Mingyuan was furious when he received Shen Ke's reply, and ordered Shen Ke to be punished for violating military orders if he did not return to the army.
At this time, the newly appointed Taoist Inspector Han Yingyin was granted arbitrary power to meet with Jin Mingyuan. Because Jin Mingyuan was the marshal of the capital and had a distinguished status, he was extremely dissatisfied with obeying the orders of junior officers.
Han Yingyin saw that Jin Mingyuan was concerned about his military rank and did not obey orders, so he repeatedly reprimanded him for being cowardly and mentioned the king's order again to demonstrate his pressure. Although Jin Mingyuan was furious, he had to bow his head and obey the order in the end.
Deputy Marshal Shen Ke learned in the military camp that a Japanese pirate squad of about a hundred people was marching towards the camp. He was overjoyed and immediately deployed an ambush. He easily annihilated the squad and cut off the head of the Japanese pirates.
He asked the king for merit. At this time, Marshal Jin Mingyuan of the capital had already reported to Li He, requesting that Shen Ke be severely punished for disobeying military orders and fighting cowardly due to fear of the enemy.
Li Hao was most afraid that his subordinates would not obey the king's orders. After learning the news, he almost didn't think about it and immediately ordered Shen Ke to be executed on the spot.
A few days later, the news of Shen Ke's victory in Liangzhou reached Pyongyang. Li He inspected the heads of the Japanese pirates and was shocked. He hurriedly ordered the retaliation, but unfortunately it was too late.
In Shen Ke's camp, the king's envoy was about to behead him. Shen Ke asked if the heads of the Japanese pirates had been sent to Pyongyang. The officer in charge of the beheading replied that he did not know. The soldiers in the camp asked to wait for the order, but although the officer in charge of the beheading did not know about the heads, he knew that the king
Recently, I was most afraid that Wang Ling would not be able to do it, so I just said no in any case. Things got serious and the soldiers almost mutinied. When Shen Ke saw this, he quickly stopped the whole army, sighed deeply, and knelt down to kill him.
Li Hao regretted the unjust death of Shen Ke, and he had the rare opportunity to meet with the people in person with his officials and his son, distribute food and provide porridge. When the people saw the king coming in person, they all shed tears of gratitude.
Li He promised the people: "I swear to fight against the Japanese pirates on the Imjin River. If the news of the victory on the Imjin River comes, it will be the day when all the people return home." The people thanked them again, and the mountains shouted for a thousand years. Li He was overjoyed and met with Gwanghae Lord.
Others continue to take care of the people.
On the other side, the Japanese divisions left one after another after being divided into different lanes in Hanyang. General Ukita Hideie left military advisor Kuroda Kanbei alone to drink tea outside. Ukita Hideie said: "Your Highness Kuroda, you have contradicted me before.
Your Highness, I urge you not to conquer, and I agree with your advice. Although our army is invincible, you must still be dissatisfied."
Kuroda Kanbei knew that Ukita Hideie was testing him, so he just smiled and said slowly: "His Majesty Taikaku is so wise and powerful that we cannot match it. For me to join the expedition is also to make me reflect on myself.
Now that our army is gaining momentum along the way, there is no need for me to make any suggestions. However, although the North Korean official army is not capable of fighting, the various militiamen cannot be underestimated. Their tactics and strength are superior to those of the North Korean official army.
In addition, they have sufficient troops, occupy dangerous positions, share the same hatred of the enemy, and are accustomed to surprise attacks. They can be dismissed without relief and appeasement. I have heard many reports that each division is often harassed when marching, and some even lose the battle and flee. If we continue to despise it, it may not be long.
From now on, our food routes will be cut off at all times and our army will be exhausted. This is a serious danger.
In my opinion, each faction should be strictly ordered to occupy the castle grounds, strictly guard the key roads, lure the enemy into encirclement, and gradually annihilate them. This should be supplemented by our army's strategy to win over the people's hearts and cut off their base of troops. Also, inspections are being carried out, and Kato Kiyomasa has also
I asked for advice and formulated a "North Korean State Tax Decree", which may be promoted throughout North Korea."
Ukita Hideie smiled and said: "Your Highness Kuroda is indeed His Highness Taikaku's right-hand man and has experienced many people. I heard that His Highness's son Nagamasa is equally brave and unparalleled, so it seems that he inherited it from you."
Kuroda Kanbei replied: "Your Majesty Ukita is laughing at you. Although Inuko has served under Taikaku, he still lacks experience. He was often blocked by the militia in the past few days and his advance was slow. I hope His Majesty Ukita will treat Inuko."
Take more care of me, the Kuroda family will keep it in mind. As for after occupying the entire territory of North Korea... I wonder what your highness will do?"
Ukita Hideie waved his hand and said: "I must follow Taikaku's military orders and attack the Ming Dynasty directly."
After hearing this, Kuroda Kanbei frowned slightly and advised: "North Korea is a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty will come to rescue it. If our army goes directly to the Ming Dynasty, Korea will be exhausted, the turmoil will not subside, and it will be far away from the country, and the supply of troops will be exhausted."
The supply is insufficient, so the outcome is unpredictable.
In my opinion, we can first stabilize Korea, restore farmland production, and integrate Korea with Japan. Only after three to five years of this can we conquer the Ming Dynasty and eliminate all worries. The Korea that His Highness Tai Ge wants is not a scorched earth thousands of miles away.
North Korea, please keep this in mind, Your Highness Ukita."
Although Ukita Hideie felt that it was reasonable, he didn't know whether Kanbei meant to delay. After thinking about it, he asked Kanbei again: "His Majesty Taikaku is eager for hope. If you stagnate, who can take the responsibility? The generals must also have
We are dissatisfied, so our army must still abide by Taige's military orders in all actions."
Kuroda Kanbei sighed and said: "His Highness Taikaku loves you very much, and you have Maeda Toshiie assisting you. Regarding the strategy of stabilizing Korea, I can explain the whole story to His Highness Toshiie and ask him to give His Highness Taikou some advice. It will definitely happen."
If you can get permission, naturally no one will dare to be dissatisfied again when the Taige military order is sent.
As for how to control the generals, as a general, you only need to stay in your own formation. During military meetings, you can listen to everyone's opinions, make clear rewards and punishments, and make arrangements in the middle. If you want to do something big, ask the Taipai for instructions. I believe His Highness Ukita has been at Taipai for a long time.
With you around, such matters are by no means difficult.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! In this victory, the General-in-Chief must take the lead, and even...even if it fails, as long as the military strength is preserved, the General-in-Chief will also contribute to the preservation of the army. Your Majesty Taige has ordered you to be the Chief General.
, it is out of this heart that I hope you will become famous again." Ukita Hideie was deeply convinced and thanked you for the advice with a smile.
After the Japanese army landed in Busan, Park Hong, the commander of Gyeongsang Province, who had experienced the Battle of Busan, saw the strength of the Japanese army and the disintegration of the Korean army, so he abandoned the city and fled back to the base camp. From then on, he suddenly felt fearful.
At this time, since the Kanto Fleet of the Maritime Trade Alliance was still in Misaki, and its attitude was still unclear, the tasks of the Japanese navy were only to transport troops, transport supplies, and wait for opportunities to attack the ports on the west coast of North Korea. Although the total number of large and small ships arrived was nearly a thousand,
However, it was less equipped with artillery and other heavy anti-personnel equipment. However, Pu Hong was as fearful of the enemy as a tiger. When he saw the Japanese navy approaching, he destroyed all his warships and fled in a hurry.
On the other side, Yuan Jun, the envoy of Youshu in Gyeongsang Province, had been trained for a long time. Although he was fifty-two, he still won the trust of the court. When Yuan Jun heard that the towns in Gyeongsang Province were falling one after another, Park Hong fled, hoping to fight the enemy decisively and cut off his sea route.
After detecting the movements of the Japanese pirate navy, he immediately led ten wooden house boats, eighteen hostage boats, and twelve abalone boats to go to sea to intercept them.
At this time, the commander of the Japanese navy, Kuuki Yoshitaka, gathered Todo Takatora, Wakiita Anji, Kato Yoshiaki, Kamishima Tsutsumi, and Sugano Masakage to start a military discussion.
Kuki Yoshitaka was the first to speak, saying: "Gentlemen, our army's first task is to transport soldiers and materials, protect the sea transportation line from Nagoya to Busan via Tsushima, and wait for opportunities to attack the ports on the west coast of North Korea to complete His Highness Taikaku's strategy of advancing both land and water.
Sooner or later, our army will encounter the main force of the North Korean navy... Mr. Kurushima, please convey to everyone the information on North Korean ships that has been collected so far."
Commander-in-Chief Kurushima passed on the information, and then said: "The main ship of the North Korean navy is called a wooden house ship. It has a large hull and can carry a hundred people. There are many artillery guns on both sides. It is supplemented by arrows during battle. The bow of the ship is
There is a giant copper beast guard underneath for impact, but the speed is slow and sluggish.
The rest of the ships, known as the escorts and the sailors, are escorts and clippers, with fast speed and weak firepower. The following is the list of naval commanders along the coast. Please take a look at it, His Highness Jiugui."
Jiuki Jialong said happily: "Okay, thank you for your hard work, Lord Laishima. Everyone, when our army encounters the North Korean navy, we should advance with the fish scale formation first, and suppress it with iron cannons and bows and arrows. Guanzhou and small morning boats should rush in quickly to avoid
Use the enemy's firepower to kill the enemies on the deck, cover the main ship with the left and right guards, implement a breakthrough in the middle, seize the ship in succession, and completely annihilate the enemy forces.
Kato-kun and Wakiita-kun, you two are His Majesty's favorite generals and have always been the most courageous in land battles, but today's naval battle also requires your efforts."
Kato Yoshiaki immediately expressed his willingness to fight to the death, and Wakiba Anji also said: "Kuki-sama is proficient in naval warfare and is famous far and wide, and the Murakami Navy to which Lord Laijima belongs is also a famous family in the country. We do not dare to be arrogant and obey orders."
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Kuki Yoshiro was extremely happy when he heard this. With the support of their two Taige favorite generals, the next thing would be easy to handle. Then, he arranged the tasks of the generals. First, he ordered Takatora Toudo to lead a fleet to go west to explore the coast.
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Takatora Toudo is known for his bravery. He joined the army of Hideyoshi, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's brother, more than ten years ago. He has made many military exploits since then. Later, it was discovered that he also had talents in fortification and diplomacy. He was deeply loved by Toyotomi Hideyoshi - oh, he
In the original history, "More Later" was still very popular with Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Takatora Todo led about forty warships. He saw what appeared to be the North Korean navy in the distance. He was overjoyed and said: "Oh! Is this the North Korean navy? Order the whole army to beat the drums and prepare for war!"
Todo Takao's fleet had a tight drumbeat and an astonishing momentum. Wonjun, the commander of the right river in Gyeongsang Province, saw this and ordered the drums to be beaten. He ordered the ships and the Baoshu ships to attack in batches and surround them, covering the main fleet and turning to defend against the enemy. However, Japan was in Gyeongsang Province.
The reputation of being extremely powerful, invincible, and brutal in killing has long been spread among the navy officers and soldiers in Gyeongsang Province, causing fear and low morale among the North Korean navy soldiers.
Just when the Korean Navy's ships and Baosuo boats attacked the enemy's Guanzhou Ship and the small morning ship, they first encountered intensive fire from Japanese iron artillery, that is, matchlock guns. The Korean Navy officers and soldiers fled in panic.
In addition, the Japanese ships came with Kanbune and small morning boats that had been improved by Jinghua craftsmen. They were far more agile than the original pure Japanese warships. The North Korean side's occasional counterattacks were actually difficult to cause effective damage. Some of the hostage ships exchanged fire with Kanbun.
When it was damaged, it was surrounded by enemy speedboats. The Japanese ship took advantage of its flexibility and fire suppression to get through the North Korean fleet first.
In addition, several Anzhai ships of the main force of the Japanese army were equipped with several large guns, which were actually smuggled second-hand Keihua No. 3 guns. Under the powerful firepower, the North Korean formation was in chaos.
Before the North Korean main houseboat could complete its turn, it was already attacked from the front and rear by the Kan ship. The North Korean navy was intensively fired at from a long distance by iron cannons and bows and arrows. When it was taking the string, it was thrown with baked jade. The fire started on the deck, and the ship's hull also exploded in many places.
The Japanese army took the opportunity to board and seize the ship, and with the support of the army division's invincible morale, they massacred North Korean officers and soldiers. Subsequent batches used cover and fire, and the North Korean navy was completely defeated.
Seeing that the situation was over, Yuan Kyun ordered a retreat and sent an order to Yi Sun-shin, the Jeolla Province's left water envoy, for help. Yuan Kyun reorganized the ship formation and fired a volley of artillery fire at the Anzhai ships, the main force of the Japanese army, causing damage to two Anzhai ships.
However, at this time, the North Korean navy's hostage of ships and boats had been dispersed, and the officers and soldiers abandoned the ship. Won Kyun led many wooden houses without support, and was immediately attacked by Japanese small boats. His current trouble with the ships and small boats was,
The wooden house artillery was difficult to aim and could only be blocked with bows and arrows. However, when the enemy was restrained, the fleet approached and fired rapidly with matchlocks. Due to the slow movement of the wooden house boats, the officers and soldiers were shot repeatedly.
Todo Takatora closed the ship to pick up the wooden houses, then threw the roasting iron, and boarded the ship to fight. Yuan Jun really had no good ideas to think of, so he was defeated and retreated while fighting. Finally, he led four wooden ships to break out, while the rest of the Korean Navy
All warships were captured by the Japanese army.
Todo Takatora laughed when he saw this and said: "If the North Korean navy is like this, our army will be able to seize all ports and plunder supplies within a few months. Someone comes and reports to His Highness Kuuki Yoshiryu that the Todo team encountered North Korea.
The main force of the navy has won a complete victory, and the west coast of Korea is unimpeded!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! After that, he ordered his troops to divide into two groups, continue to pursue the remnants of Yuan Jun, seize the port, and rest the fleet.
Kuuki Yoshiro was overjoyed when he heard about Todo Takatora's great victory: "Todo is so brave! I thought the North Korean navy was well-trained and should not underestimate the enemy, but I didn't expect it to be so vulnerable. This shows that our army has no worries about sea routes.
The North Korean military is so weak that it is destiny to return to the leadership of His Highness Taige. However, it is always necessary to prepare for a rainy day. It is urgent to find out the intelligence of the Korean naval forces in case of emergency. You should remember... Only the Ming Dynasty is worthy.
A match for our army!" All the generals responded with a roar.
Yuan Gyun then retreated to the area around Geoje Island, dealing with the enemy. Later, he received a reply from Yi Sun-shin, which contained four words: "Don't let him act rashly." Yuan-kyun was furious and angry that Yi Sun-shin refused to rescue him.
In fact, Yi Sun-shin and Won-kyun had known each other for a long time, but they had deep conflicts with each other. Seeing that Yi Sun-shin refused to save him, Won-kyun decided that Yi Sun-shin was avenging his personal revenge. Now that the Japanese army was approaching, Won-kyun immediately withdrew from Geoje Island and went to Yeosu Port in Jeolla Province.
I wanted to go and question Yi Sun-shin.
Li Shunchen, whose nickname was Ruxie, was in his forties. He had practiced martial arts and studied the art of war since he was a child. However, he had an upright temperament and repeatedly offended his superiors. He often had discord, so his official career was bumpy.
However, he was good at running the army. In the 19th year of Wanli, after being recommended by Liu Chenglong several times, he was finally promoted to the military governor of Jeolla Zuodao Navy. Ever since he heard about the fall of Pusan, Yi Sunshin had stayed put and only continued to detect intelligence on enemy ships.
, prepare the army for war.
After Yuan Jun rushed to Jeolla Province, he rushed to see Yi Sun-sin. As soon as he saw him, he scolded him: "Yi Sun-sin! Our army fought a bloody battle with the Japanese pirates, but you just watched and stood still. I think that although there is a gap between you and me, I will still recognize you in the past.
A person who is loyal to the emperor and serves the country, but this time I never expected that you would avenge yourself and ignore the danger of the country! Do you know that if I impeach you, you will be punished with death!"
Li Sunchen also said angrily: "Young Envoy of the Yuan Dynasty, don't spit blood here! You are also a veteran general in the army. It is a taboo for military strategists to rush into battle without knowing the details of the enemy. Moreover, you are incapable of running the army, and the morale of the army is scattered, leading to defeat."
It is inevitable. I advise you not to act rashly again, just for the sake of preserving the North Korean navy."
Yuan Jun said angrily: "You are so clever in your words. It's obvious that you are afraid of the enemy and are timid to fight, but you are just trying to cover up your sophistry. Little do you know that the Japanese army is so strong now that our navy in Gyeongsang Province will be completely wiped out, and your Jeolla Province will not be spared either. But
If you join our troops as soon as possible and defeat the few with numbers, we will surely win a great victory!"
Yi Sun-shin retorted: "With low morale, poor tactics, and no knowledge of the enemy, does Yuan Youshi want to achieve a great victory in his dream?"
Yuan Jun sneered again and again, but boasted: "I have experienced water battles for a long time. I can know the secrets of Japanese warships at a glance. If we fight again, we will definitely win."
Yi Sun-shin raised his eyebrows and said: "You can win a hundred battles only if you know yourself and the enemy. Since the invasion of Japanese pirates, Korea's sea and land have collapsed at the first touch. Without thorough preparations, defeat is inevitable. Now that the imperial court has few usable soldiers, we should be more cautious. In the past few days, I have been
Exploring the enemy's situation and looking for fighter opportunities, you must defeat the enemy with one strike, pursue the victory and comfort the king, soldiers and people."
Yuan Jun squinted his eyes and looked at him, and suddenly said: "If this is indeed the case, I am willing to do my best to help you. If you, Yi Sunchen, do not win completely, I will ask you to die!"
Yi Sun-shin didn't expect that he could do this. He couldn't help but straighten his face, thanked him first, and then asked: "Previously, a Japanese general in Gyeongsang Province named Okamoto Echigoshou surrendered to our army and stated
I have roughly drawn the structure of the Japanese ship.
The main battleship of the Japanese general was named Anzhai. The hull of the ship ranged from 500 to 1,000 stones. It was equipped with 160 small oars and 80 large oars. It could carry artillery. I heard that there were even artillery pieces from the Shang Dynasty, but I don’t know whether it is true or not. This ship
It is waterproof inside and armored with rafters on the outside. It has a solid hull and is equipped with gun holes and a police tower. It is both offensive and defensive.
There is also a medium-sized warship called Guanyuan, which has a slender hull and can accommodate hundreds of people. The oars on both sides range from forty to eighty, and are armored with bamboo boards. They are maneuverable and have complete firepower.
There is also a kind of small ship called Xiaozao, which is light and agile but has weak armor. It is often used in clusters for reconnaissance and communication, as well as for close-quarters harassment - is this true?" Yuan Jun nodded in agreement after hearing this.
Yi Sunchen nodded and said: "Even so, our army's main ship, the wooden house, has a flat bottom compared to Anzhai. However, according to the structure, the wooden house ship is more stable in the waves. Furthermore, the Anzhai ship's bow protrudes from the upper layer, and the wooden house ship's bow tends to
It is horizontal and equipped with copper beast guards, which is conducive to impact. The space of the Anzhai tower is too large and is not conducive to combat. Although it is a raft board, the artillery can hit it hard." Yuan Jun thought for a while and agreed.
Yi Sunchen asked again: "Since Yuan Youshi is fighting against the enemy, what is the Japanese army's tactics?"
This was a key issue, so Yuan Jun immediately said: "The Japanese fleet is centered on Anzhai, and is divided into vanguard, left and right center defenders, and left and right defenders in a triangular formation. The formation can be changed according to the battle situation. During the war, it uses drums, guns, and lights.
As a signal, I did not see many Japanese artillery in this battle, only a few Anzha ships each had a few guns, and the number was not too large.
The Japanese army always fired intensively with fire arrows and cannons, taking advantage of their speed to dash in and out. During close combat, they threw a gunpowder jar called baked jade to burn the deck and officers and soldiers, and finally boarded the ship to fight."
Yi Sunchen didn't seem surprised, but said happily: "In that case, Yuan Youshi, I will show you something again." After saying that, he led Yuan Jun to ride to the turtle boat mooring.
Yi Sun-shin pointed at the warship in front of him and said: "This is specially designed for charging into battle. It is called a turtle ship. The size of the hull is similar to that of a wooden house. It is twenty bays long and seven bays wide. It has two floors above and below, and is equipped with twenty oars.
There are seventy shooting ports on the top, equipped with fire arrows and cannons. The bow of the ship is equipped with a "Tian"-shaped cannon, which can also spit brimstone, flames and saltpeter. There is also one on the stern.
My turtle boat has a strong armored roof with spikes all over it, which not only prevents fire weapons from being shot, but also prevents Japanese pirates from jumping off the boat. The back of the boat is covered with water-soaked straw mats, which is not easy to burn. Although only one turtle boat has been built, nearly ten turtle boats will be built.
After they are all completed, if you make good use of them, they will surely frighten the enemy." Yuan Jun was amazed after seeing it and praised it repeatedly.
A few days later, Yi Sun-shin detected that only a few guards were left on the front line of Geoje Island to cover the rear military station. About 30 ships of Takatora Todang's fleet were anchored in Okpo Port, and Takatora Toudang himself led the troops ashore to plunder.
Seeing that the fighter plane had arrived, Yi Sun-shin said to Yuan Jun: "The Japanese pirates are anchored in Okpo today and the defense is loose. They can attack by surprise immediately."
Yuan Jun was surprised: "Aren't you facing the enemy head-on and hoping to win by surprise?"
Yi Sun-shin replied: "Nowadays, the Japanese pirates bully our army to be incompetent, extremely arrogant, and lax in their vigilance. It is the arrogant soldiers who will be defeated. Moreover, the morale of our army is low. Whether we are facing the enemy head-on or attacking unprepared, we must wait for the opportunity to win first."
, while the enemy is paralyzed and careless, the surprise attack will be a complete victory. At the same time, our army will suffer few casualties, and its morale will be greatly boosted, so that we can fight head-on again in the future."
Yuan Jun heard what he said was reasonable, so he readily agreed, and then the previous Yupu naval battle broke out.
Seeing this, Gao Pingshi finally understood the foggy situation in the Korean battlefield in the early stage, and pondered for a long time without speaking.
Liu Xin waited for a while and saw that Gao was pragmatic and seemed to be in a trance. She couldn't help but ask: "I've read these too, and there doesn't seem to be anything worth pondering for you for so long, right?"
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