Chapter 114

Chapter 114

Selling Ice Water to a Burning House (6)

This war is not a fight where just taking a few barbarian heads as souvenirs is enough.

The country’s future and survival are at stake, and a truly arduous journey where complex diplomatic steps with many countries move.

In that point, Yi Hwan’s expeditionary force personnel policy was to the degree of causing bewilderment beyond breaking convention.

“Appoint Lee Wonbeom as dochechalsa, appoint Shin Heon as builtopeonggun dowonsu, and appoint Kim Byeongguk as sunbyeonsa and plenipotentiary special envoy.”

“Your Majesty. Lee Wonbeom has no enfeoffment or official position-”

“However a body that learned from the superior country. Ministers receive my will.”

Shin Heon can be so.

He who experienced both the sepoy rebellion and Vietnam expedition and returned after returning to official position truly repeatedly promoted shockingly. Clear that the future Joseon army will be led by Shin Heon and Yang Heonsu.

Kim Byeongguk was also a pick never ordinary.

No matter how close Edo and Hanyang, the plenipotentiary special envoy position means he can make diplomatic decisions on the spot even instead of the king.

Gave such heavy power to the descendant of the Andong Kim clan. Now the king declared since the Andong Kim’s power appropriately fell will employ them again.

But Lee Wonbeom? Ganghwa brother?

“Seeing Wonbeom the height is eight feet giant and the build like a bear and the strength truly seemed would pull out Taishan. Yet in literature studied at Eton and Oxford of high reputation in the superior country and in martial graduated from Sandhurst University so truly worthy of recalling Huo Qubing and Nam I.”

Naturally, subjects of an absolute monarchy do not listen to the king’s words straight and always twist and listen. Because guys who listen straight are all naturally selected with neck and body separated.

‘Pull out Taishan? Xiang Yu?’

‘Huo Qubing and Nam I. Correct words but the metaphor a bit...’

‘Just giving military merit to a royal relative.’

The ministers’ heads became complicated whether the king will trust and use Wonbeom or will neatly eliminate in Japan, and as a result ultimately could not block Wonbeom’s appointment. The point that anyway negotiation Kim Byeongguk, actual command Shin Heon will do so no big influence also played a part.

The expeditionary force’s dispatch was not disclosed to the public. Did not want to do the stupid act of giving Qing the signal ‘now fine to hit’.

Postal bureau and secret agency agents held interviews with press company presidents and kindly notified that if reporting this dispatch before the day the court set will regard as treason and exterminate three clans. The introduction of Joseon’s first embargo concept.

Nevertheless Qing ultimately captured this. Not that great counterintelligence in pre-modern society, and thousands of armed soldiers moving here and there and the fleet gathering hoping this does not leak was greed.

Anyway swelteringly hot August 1863.

The Joseon expeditionary force 1st group 3,000 who raised the banner of [builtopeong ] landed in Yokohama.

“The traitors are in a place far away why must stop by this Edo.”

“That is all politics.”

How many hundred years since the Joseon army performed operations outside the border? Except the old days catching and killing Jurchen who lived ugauga across the Yalu River or the days burning Tsushima fine to see as the first in all Joseon history.

From the commander-in-chief to the lowest soldier, all officers and soldiers were tightly tense.

[Japan’s traitor party is shouting conquer Korea and claiming conquer Joseon like the Imjin year.

If we first caught and beheaded Toyotomi Hideyoshi before he became Japan’s master how would the Imjin year tragedy have occurred? Ah! Fortunately the successive ancestors protected and our king deep in virtue and grand in strategy joins hands with Japan’s great army Tokugawa and intends to destroy these traitors.

Officers and soldiers do not regard this fight as others’ fight. If leaving the traitors to rule the good Japanese people, those will become soldiers and invade Joseon across the sea. Anyway subdue and comfort so Japanese people can engage in livelihood at ease.]

“Said gold and silver overflow in Waeguk.”

“Heard Waenom are crazy about sodomy.”

“Euu. End of the world.”

“Be quiet! If doing acts even a bit against military law will abandon in Japan!”

No need to behead or not. Just with one word will abandon in Japan had to follow like a baby following mom at the mart.

The Joseon army advancing stomping military boot sounds precisely like even becoming one cluster matching ranks and files.

Japanese looked at the Joseon army’s march with eyes mixed with anxiety and unease, but at least in this Edo area full of foreigners there were none picking fights toward them.

War was approaching right in front.

***

Among Japan’s daimyo, there was no one who wanted war.

“How became this state?”

“Has the shogunate really gone crazy!!”

“Intending to sell the divine land to barbarians!”

‘Fuck fucked.’

‘Can win? There is?’

‘To rule these idiot bastards once must shout expel barbarians even with the mouth...’

The core of the anti-shogunate force no matter who says is Choshu and Satsuma, two domains.

Fierce secret struggles to seize power respectively inside Choshu domain and Satsuma domain are occurring, and there is also competition over which domain will become the center of anti-shogunate.

And in such a situation.

“I killed Joseonjing merchant bastards!”

“Set fire to the British legation!”

“Shelled foreign merchant ships passing the strait!”

Always the guy with the loud voice wins.

Moreover in the middle Satsuma was trampled by the Chosen army that flocked without even stretching hands or feet.

Choshu’s expel barbarians faction mocked Satsuma, and finally confirmed themselves selected as warriors to save Japan confronting the shogunate.

“Let’s go to Kyoto!”

“Of course! Must rescue the emperor from the traitor shogunate’s hands!”

“Japan manse! Emperor manse!!”

Their judgment was rational in its own way.

If securing the emperor’s person and declaring the shogunate and shogun as traitors the trend of the world will greatly change!

The Choshu army immediately dispatched toward Kyoto.

“B, block!”

“Absolutely cannot give His Majesty! No matter what must protect Kyoto!”

Fierce battle occurred, and the anti-shogunate army led by Choshu surprisingly captured Kyoto.

“Where is His Majesty!”

“Already left and none!”

However the shogunate succeeded in smuggling the emperor out by a hair.

The pursuit failed, and the emperor who flees well became a shape like a delivery box that went back and forth Okcheon Hub about 10 times, and the anti-shogunate army went around chattering the shogunate kidnapped the emperor the world’s dog bastards as a regrettable alternative.

The shogunate had to recapture Kyoto by any means.

But the fact that with Kyoto’s fall the daimyo’s loyalty is gradually fading was also clear.

“If recovering Kyoto and suppressing only the Choshu domain bastards the world will be peaceful.”

“Will it?”

“Didn’t Satsuma already get trampled by the British army’s hands! Who will defy the shogunate’s orders!”

“Eum... right.”

Called the Joseon army precisely because of this.

“Opening the country is the only way to live and enlightenment is the future we will advance, but frogs in a well who do not know how strong foreign powers are are only busy undermining the shogunate. Joseon also after experiencing Britain’s power the foolish conservatives gained enlightenment?”

“Truly so.”

“Received the emperor’s will. That His Majesty ordered to expel all barbarians was all mere documents fabricated by treacherous subjects, and His Majesty’s will was only in opening the country. Now scheduled to gather all domains’ armies and subjugate Choshu, if showing the power of foreign forces including the Joseon army then no one will be able to block the shogunate and opening the country!!”

But Joseon thought a bit differently.

Even if suppressing this time, how long can the shogunate endure?

Unknown.

***

Same year autumn.

The shogunate-Joseon allied forces that moved to Osaka advanced toward Kyoto where the anti-shogunate army was waiting.

The shogunate proclaimed a mobilization order to all domains of Japan, and theoretically could gather an enormous large force reaching 100,000.

However reality was not easy.

The shogunate’s real truly elite, the strongest Western-style army that would later be called <​Japan 1st Army> was tightly nailed in Edo. Because the emperor might have feet and flee, and rebels were agitating in other places like Mito domain too.

And the various domains that received the mobilization order struggled with desperate resolve not to respond to this.

‘Anyway must self-procure all military expenses, the more troops sent the more loss?’

‘If the shogunate collapses Choshu no one can resist the shogunate.’

‘Then will the shogunate leave the domains? If trying to become a new emperor who will block them?’

The shogunate was also worried what if these guys backstab. Right now how was the Edo shogunate established. Even looking at the Battle of Sekigahara ultimately the match was decided with betrayal upon betrayal.

Therefore the deployment of the shogunate-Joseon allied forces became a truly truly bizarre structure.

The shogunate army leading, behind that armies mobilized from various domains, and finally the Joseon army form. A deployment to quickly suppress when the mobilized troops betray rather than the Choshu army in front.

Finally.

The battle began.

Kwaang!!

“Ttahaang!!”

“Choshu bastards this strong!”

“Shogunate dogs get out!!”

And almost simultaneously with the battle start, the Choshu army poured artillery firepower fiercely then immediately charged toward the shogunate army.

No matter how anachronistic sword draw charge, that is to the end a story when jumping into a forest of well-trained line infantry.

The Choshu army full of zeal to collapse the shogunate surged at once and fiercely struck the front shogunate army, and the shogunate army not particularly overflowing with morale nor well trained began to crumble in an instant.

“Th, these guys! Keep the ranks! If just shooting guns all at once matching the commander’s order-”

“Banzaiaaaaaai!!!”

“Hieeeeek!! Run!! Are Choshu bastards monsters!!”

The various domains’ armies that witnessed this shocking appearance of the shogunate army all tasted some anomie phenomenon.

“W, we also withdraw back!”

“So shouldn’t have brought in foreign powers!”

“No. The formation is disrupted! All troops, join the Joseon army and reorganize the formation!”

One defeat all collapse.

Even Shin Heon who accumulated considerable experience hard to hold the mental string in front of this absurd situation.

“Dochechalsa Daegam! Must withdraw here!”

“What are those words?”

“Those ragtag of shogunate bastards fleeing are shaking even our army’s ranks! Like this seems we will also collapse swept by those remnants, and the traitors’ momentum is piercing the sky. Once escape and we must also soothe the soldiers!”

“I do not think so.”

Lee Wonbeom who always showed the posture of respecting elders and only yes yes to Shin Heon’s words disappeared.

“Fire.”

“...Yes?”

“How distinguish whether those entering our fire net now are mere remnants, or traitors trying to defy the shogunate? Sweep them all.”

“Th... those words are correct. All prepare to fire! Prepare the rotating cannon!!”

“And this small official will lead the cavalry!”

“W, w, wait! Daegam! Daegam!!”

“Gapsa! The general is here! Follow your general!!”

As Wonbeom advanced forward riding a horse the elite cavalry the Joseon truly cherished like a divine tablet responded.

“...Truly Huo Qubing and Nam I separate! From now I command the infantry! Immediately fire!”

“Shoot all?”

“Traitors! Shoot!!”

“Open fire!!”

Drururururuk!!

Finally the Gatling machine gun began spouting fire.

Truly a maddening thing.

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