Chapter 365: Suwon-dong
Park Deok-maeng’s face was ashen. He wore the coarsest cloth robe, his hair disheveled as he entered. Park Deok-maeng, who had been a very active young man, now looked like a different person.
Two guards followed closely behind. Feng Zongze sighed inwardly. He had a good guess as to Park Deok-maeng’s purpose in coming.
He performed the traditional grand bow from a great distance from Feng Zongze.
“Chief…”
“Park Deok-maeng, you may rise.”
“Yes, Chief.” Park Deok-maeng stood up and said respectfully, “This humble servant… I have a request. I beg for the Chief’s gracious approval.”
“Speak.”
“I was raised by my elder brother from a young age. From our exile of a thousand li to settling down in Jeju, it was always my brother who took care of me…” Park Deok-hwan’s voice broke with emotion, and he was already choking back sobs. “I know my brother’s crime is unforgivable, and he has betrayed the Chief’s trust. It is all his own doing,” he said, wiping his tears with his sleeve. “The laws of the Great Song are merciless, and I would never dare to plead for him. But once my brother is exiled, I fear he will never return to Jeju. In this world, there are only the two of us brothers. I cannot bear to be separated again…”
He wiped his tears again. “I wish to be exiled with my brother… I beg for the Chief’s gracious approval!”
Feng Zongze was silent for a long moment before he said, “Our Senate places the utmost importance on ruling according to law. There is absolutely no such thing as implicating relatives. Your brother is your brother, and you are you. Your request to be exiled with him is unreasonable and contrary to the law.” He stood up and took a few steps. “When our Senate employs people, we do not care about their birth, noble or humble, nor their level of learning. As long as they are loyal, reliable, and work with a sincere heart, we will trust them completely and will certainly not let them come to a bad end. Do not doubt yourself.” He stood up and paced a few more steps. “Go and do your work well.”
Ever since the failure of the arson and poisoning plot and the news of Jo Myeong-gwi and others being rounded up, the various groups gathered at the Kim family estate in Suwon-dong were like ants on a hot pan.
Kim Man-il, with his second-rank title, was not only a great magnate in the almost rigid social hierarchy of the Joseon Dynasty but had also squeezed into the yangban class. Among the locals, he was almost the embodiment of power, wealth, and status.
After Jeju D-Day, he took advantage of the chaos to annex a large number of government horse pastures, acquiring tens of thousands of official horses and cattle. He even incorporated the government slaves and garrison soldiers who looked after the pastures into his own command. His wealth and power on the island were immense.
The various landlords and pasture owners in the interior had always looked to him for favor. Now, they followed him even more closely, fearing that in this “chaotic time” on Jeju, they would not show enough loyalty and their own land and wealth would be swallowed up by Master Kim.
This group of people gathered at Master Kim’s Suwon-dong estate, ready to follow his every move. Besides ensuring their own safety and survival, they also hoped to fish in troubled waters. Although most of the government horse pastures had fallen into Master Kim’s hands, many around the three cities had been seized by the “Wo-Kun” (Japanese pirates). They had heard that the “Wo-Kun” had transported a large number of people, grain, and supplies to the island. If they could wipe out the “Kun” bandits in one fell swoop, although the lion’s share would inevitably be taken by the government troops and Master Kim, they could still get some scraps in the chaos.
Under this line of thinking, after Hwang Wun-u returned from the mainland with a letter from the Jeolla Provincial Army Commander, Shin Gyeong-yu, Suwon-dong had already begun to prepare for war and to summon a “righteous army.”
The first thing was to collect provisions from all over the island. A “righteous army” was cheap. They didn’t need any military pay, not even the postage for the summons. An order would be sent out, and they would have to come and fight for their masters. But they couldn’t fight on an empty stomach. To win, they had to be well-fed.
Although the water and temperature conditions on Jeju Island were not bad, the soil was not suitable for growing rice. They mostly grew coarse grains, and the yield was very low. The interior was also mostly pastureland, so the grain reserves of each estate were very limited. Despite their best efforts to gather provisions, they had only managed to collect enough food for four thousand righteous army members for half a month.
These actions naturally did not escape the eyes of the special reconnaissance team. Since ancient times, collecting grain has been the prelude to war. According to the recently issued officer self-study manual Essentials of Campaigning 1632 from the General Staff, war mobilization in an agricultural society usually begins with the large-scale collection of provisions. Once a farmer’s grain reserves fall below the subsistence level, the farmer can only choose between joining the local militia, the righteous army, or rising in rebellion. When the ruling authority has not been destroyed, farmers usually choose the former.
Although the Joseon government on Jeju Island had been destroyed, the interior was almost untouched, and the residents of the interior were mostly government and private slaves and tenant farmers with strong personal dependencies. Their masters were their heaven, and they had to do whatever they were told.
The special reconnaissance team had always maintained surveillance on them, paying attention to their movements.
After the 3.20 incident, the atmosphere around Suwon-dong suddenly became tense. Not only were a large number of righteous army members gathering here every day, but the special reconnaissance team also found that some smaller estate owners were “moving,” transporting their property and families to the Suwon-dong estate.
The “flawless” plan had ended in a complete fiasco. This caused the lords of the interior to panic. One faction advocated for concentrating their forces to defend a few well-fortified main estates, while sending messengers to the Jeolla Provincial Army Commander, Shin Gyeong-yu, for help, waiting for the government troops to arrive before rising in support.
Another faction believed that since they had already torn off all pretenses, waiting for the government troops was tantamount to sitting and waiting for death—who knew if the government troops would even come. The only way was to take advantage of the fact that the “Wo-Kun” had not yet established a firm foothold and mobilize all able-bodied men for a decisive battle.
Although the “Wo-Kun” were formidable in battle and had many firearms, some believed that during the Three Ports Japanese Invasion, a few hundred Jeju righteous army members had also sent the Japanese pirates fleeing in disarray. Even if these “Wo-Kun” of unknown origin were even more powerful, they had ten times the number of “righteous army” members. Even if they couldn’t annihilate them in one fell swoop, they could at least cripple them—at the very least, they could make them fearful and dare not invade the interior. They could then make further plans when the government army arrived.
In the end, everyone still believed that they should be prudent. After all, the fame of the “Wo-Kun” had also reached the interior, and most people were a little apprehensive. Moreover, by fighting in the interior, they were familiar with the terrain, the morale of the righteous army was easier to maintain, and it also saved on grain and transport.
The conscripted righteous army members began to work on a large scale to repair the fortifications. While they were working in full swing, a special advance punitive expedition had quietly arrived at Suwon-dong.
Suwon-dong was the nerve center of all resistance on the island. To knock out this place and capture Kim Man-il alive was equivalent to a “decapitation strike” against the remaining local forces of the Joseon Dynasty on the island.
Therefore, this special advance team was reinforced with three four-man assault teams—other punitive expeditions were only assigned one team to serve as guides, scouts, and snipers.
The special advance punitive expedition was centered around a platoon of the Fubo Army, reinforced with one company each from the Japanese Public Security Army, the White Horse Battalion, and the Jeju Advance Column of the National Army. It was also reinforced with two 12-pounder mountain howitzers as siege weapons.
The Yuanlao always felt that using a full-fledged special reconnaissance team and modern weapons to fight a regular war was like using cheat codes in a game. Using a special reconnaissance team in a place like Jeju Island, where the combat effectiveness was a joke, was like playing a very stupid game on EASY difficulty with cheats. They would probably be laughed at for the rest of their lives. But Xue Ziliang believed that this operation was of great significance to the strengthening of security on the whole island and had to be carried out with the posture of a tiger pouncing on a sheep.
On a mountain in Suwon-dong, two people were trekking through the forest. From their tattered clothes and weary faces, they were poor people from here and had been in the mountains for some time.
“Father, we won’t run into the Japanese pirates, will we?”
“Don’t talk nonsense, find the way!”
Kim Dae-ok and his son, Kim Ta-da, were carrying axes and freshly cut wood, looking for a way out of the mountain. The mountain fog had been very thick these past few days. These two righteous army members, who had followed a logging team into the mountains to cut trees, seemed to have gotten lost. Fearing they would encounter the Japanese pirates, they dared not leave the forest easily and were groping their way forward. It was already getting dark.
A person’s name often reflects the family’s expectations. Poor Chinese people love to name their children Bao (treasure), Fu (wealth), Gui (noble), while the rich love to use Wen (culture), Wu (martial), Chao (dynasty), and official families use De (virtue), Cai (talent), Xian (worthy). It’s basically naming them after what they lack. People are the same everywhere, and Koreans are no exception. From their names, you could tell this family was dirt poor. As tenant farmers, they didn’t even own the land their house was built on.
Last year’s grain was not enough to eat after paying the rent. As soon as spring arrived, there was a famine. While they were struggling, they heard that Japanese pirates had come from the sea. The landlord lent them two and a half dou of coarse grains on the condition that they come out and serve as righteous army members. Not only would they be able to eat their fill, but he also promised to waive half of this year’s rent.
Eating their fill and having their rent waived were, of course, good things. But what the father and son were most concerned about was that if they were really beheaded by the Japanese pirates, the landlord would surely think they had run away, and their wife, younger brother, and sister at home would probably not survive the winter.
Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly heard the sound of a bronze gong, followed by the wail of a conch shell horn. Fourteen-year-old Kim Ta-da wanted to run, but when he tried, he suddenly found that his legs wouldn’t obey. His father, in his thirties, gritted his teeth, grabbed his son, and stumbled out of the forest. Then came the boom of an iron cannon. Kim Dae-ok’s legs also stopped obeying. Then he felt as if he had been kicked hard and rolled to the ground.
Yaheibei, holding a rifle, chased down from the mountain ridge with three or four men. The injured old Kim had already wet himself, and blood stained his pants. This time, it was the son who grabbed his father’s arm and ran forward, rolling and crawling, tears and snot streaming down his face. In the blink of an eye, the Japanese pirates had caught up to them and kicked them to the ground. Yaheibei thought to himself that eating the Australians’ rice and fish every day really gave him strength. Back then, on Mount Tenno, he had also fled for his life in such a state, rolling and crawling. It was a pity his old father didn’t make it out.
If not for this inexplicable distraction, the heads of the Kim father and son would have been separated from their bodies by now. Although the Chief was not very interested in beheading people and did not use it to measure merit, Yaheibei, who came from a samurai family, always had a straightforward donkey-like desire to cut off the enemy’s head.