Chapter 366: Ten Minutes
But just as he raised his tachi, Yaheibei looked down and saw the terrified faces of these two penniless Korean ashigaru. He was suddenly overcome by a strong sense of déjà vu.
In the Battle of Osaka in 1616, which pacified the realm, he and his deceased father had been just as terrified and had fled in disarray. His father was shot and fell at the edge of the forest. A samurai ran over and cut off his father’s head. He dragged the body, and in his terror, he soiled himself. Another samurai’s sword was also aimed at his head. The one holding his father’s head turned and shouted, “What’s the point of a brat’s head? He hasn’t even had his forelock shaved. Are you going to shave it for him, you idiot?”
This scene often appeared in his dreams. Each time, his head was taken by a different person. After waking up, he didn’t know whether to hate or thank the other person. If his father hadn’t lost his head, he might not have been taken in by the church, and later he wouldn’t have participated in the uprising and become a fugitive. Perhaps he would have become a farmer somewhere, peacefully tilling the land for a landlord, or perhaps he would have served under some rural daimyo as a guard…
“Sigh, you, can you still walk?” He tapped the older one with the back of his sword. “Scared silly, huh? Mute? Deaf? Or just a natural-born idiot? How can an idiot have a son? Which idiot woman bore him for you?”
Yaheibei’s attitude was very arrogant. After the “devilish squad leader” Zichuan was wounded by an arrow, the corporals were promoted in turn. Originally, it wouldn’t have been his turn, a mere private, to become a corporal. But some of the genuine mounted samurai had been selected for the Yuanlao’s cavalry guard, and he, an ashigaru, was promoted to corporal of the ninth squad.
Although this last squad was under-strength—only five men including himself—at least he had four privates to command. Yaheibei naturally vented the countless “lessons of love” he had received on his subordinates. He enjoyed being a corporal.
Looking at these two poorly dressed Korean ashigaru, Yaheibei thought that since these two idiots were still alive, let them live. The Chiefs liked prisoners. Since the Australians had come, perhaps this damned world would become different.
The Japanese company swept away the scattered righteous army members outside Suwon-dong in their pre-dawn search. As Xue Ziliang had expected, the righteous army had not placed enough sentries on the periphery. They hadn’t even prepared the most common warning facilities like beacon towers. After interrogating the captured righteous army members, Xue Ziliang learned that these Joseon lords had not yet completed their defensive preparations. It seemed they didn’t think the “Wo-Kun” would attack so soon.
Xue Ziliang had grown accustomed to the poor military skills of the natives of this time, regardless of their level of civilization. But he had rarely seen such a low level. The other side was clearly clueless about warfare. In terms of skill, they were not even as good as the bandits he had fought on Hainan Island.
Xue Ziliang stood on the hillside, observing Suwon-dong through his binoculars.
The so-called “dong” (cave) was not a real cave—it was a unique place name in Korea. Suwon-dong was a large gentle slope in the inland mountainous area. The terrain was relatively flat. Although it couldn’t retain enough water for farming due to the slope, the pasture was lush, making it a good place for grazing cattle and horses.
Master Kim’s estate was on a hill on this gentle slope. Its form was very different from the Korean cities Xue Ziliang had seen. It was a simple mountain fortress. The estate stood on the top of the hill. The top of the hill had been completely leveled into a circular platform, surrounded by a thick wooden palisade built on a volcanic rock foundation, with wooden towers and gatehouses. Inside the palisade were many houses and courtyards, presumably Master Kim’s residence and the dwellings of his slaves.
On the hillside were concentric trenches, abatis, and chevaux-de-frise. There were only two narrow, sunken roads leading to the gatehouses, one in front and one behind. The defenses looked very tight—of course, this was by Jeju Island’s own standards.
Besides the mountain fortress itself, there were also three or four scattered villages and large areas of wooden sheds and stables nearby, presumably the residences of the estate’s herdsmen and tenant farmers.
Below the mountain fortress, five righteous army camps were temporarily set up around the hill, supporting the estate. The camps were also protected by palisades and trenches. According to the confessions of the righteous army members, each camp had about four hundred men, all equipped with Korean-made cannons and matchlocks.
In Xue Ziliang’s view, this defensive configuration was not worth mentioning. It looked impressive, but it was just a paper tiger. However, since the enemy had gathered together and adopted a defensive posture, waiting for reinforcements, it was for the best. Annihilating the enemy’s main force in one go and capturing enough prisoners was much more satisfying than launching a search-and-destroy campaign across the entire island.
But what Xue Ziliang was most concerned about was capturing or eliminating the local powerful families on the island in one battle, completely dismantling the grassroots ruling class on the island, and making political preparations for the next step of village consolidation and settlement.
The scouts had already marked all the possible escape routes from the estate. Xue Ziliang ordered the special reconnaissance team’s snipers and the Fubo Army to control these roads and capture prisoners. His forces were not large, so he decided to make a direct assault on the estate with a short, sharp strike to throw the enemy into complete chaos.
At 7:00 a.m. on April 5th, the Badao Team and the White Horse Team formed up in front of the estate. Although the White Horse Team only had bows and spears, their momentum was still imposing. The murderous aura emanating from their uniform clothing, equipment, and neat ranks immediately made the righteous army members in the camp go weak at the knees.
Seeing that the attackers were not genuine Japanese pirates, but all “Korean traitors” with long spears, and their numbers were not large, Kim Dae-hae’s morale soared. He decided to go out and fight a battle to show the “Wo-Kun” what they were made of. He immediately led a few dozen of his men, waving their swords to cheer on the “righteous army.” Under his curses and kicks, the righteous army members finally came out and formed up.
The righteous army that formed up numbered over a thousand men. Apart from the two hundred or so household retainers of the various lords, who were well-dressed and better-equipped, most of the righteous army members were armed with nothing more than the Korean-style “short spears.” This stabbing weapon, only as tall as a man, had little practical value in anyone’s eyes, but on Jeju Island, it was considered a decent weapon.
Although Jeju Island’s specialty was bows and arrows, not many among the righteous army could use them. Bows and arrows themselves were quite expensive and required constant practice. Apart from hunters and the like who made a living from them, ordinary tenant farmers and herdsmen-slaves rarely knew how to use them well. Therefore, the archers were all the household retainers of the various lords. In addition, there were fifty or sixty matchlocks of various types, some made by the Joseon government and issued to the government troops, and some left behind by former Japanese pirates.
This force of over a thousand men stood in a disorderly formation in front of the camp. Kim Dae-hae, to increase his chances of winning, did not let the troops advance too far, so they could be supported by the cannons in the camp.
However, even a frog in a well like Kim Dae-hae could see that the opposing force was a tiger and wolf army. Although his side had superior numbers, he was still a little apprehensive and knew that a fierce battle was inevitable.
The spring breeze caressed the earth. The pasture was a new green, covered with wildflowers. The spring on the pasture was beautiful. The conscripted righteous army members thought of their families at home and wondered when the war would end and they could go home. The lord had already made a promise: after driving away the “Wo-Kun,” each person would be given five dou of barley, and this year’s personal tribute and rent would be waived—at least they could catch their breath.
Suddenly, the “Wo-Kun’s” war drums beat fiercely. The righteous army’s formation was in turmoil. The household retainers acting as the rearguard shouted loudly, trying to maintain order.
Rows of soldiers wearing jingasa helmets began to emerge from the center of the White Horse Team’s formation. They were all carrying matchlocks. To the sound of the war drums, they walked out calmly and quickly deployed into a horizontal line in front of the battle line.
The drumbeat quickened from slow to fast. With a single sharp sound, the soldiers raised their matchlocks in unison and began to aim. The righteous army became even more agitated. The people in the front row pushed and shoved, trying to get behind others.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Kim Dae-hae quickly roared, “Archers, fire! Fire!”
He had not expected the other side to prepare to fire from such a long distance. The household retainers shot the first volley of arrows in a disorderly manner. Most of the arrows fell halfway, and only a few landed in front of the battle line. The entire formation did not move. The sound of the war drums suddenly stopped.
A volley of white smoke erupted from the battle line, instantly enveloping the entire formation. Lead bullets whistled through the air, tearing through human bodies, ripping through skin and muscle, and shattering blood vessels and bones. Blood spurted from the tattered bodies. Screams, wails, and shrieks immediately filled the ranks of the righteous army. The righteous army members in the front row immediately fell into chaos.
The spring breeze blew away the smoke. Through his binoculars, Xue Ziliang could clearly see that although the righteous army’s formation still existed, it was in a complete mess, front and back.
“Sound the charge! Fix bayonets, charge!” He had originally planned to fire a few more volleys, but now it seemed unnecessary.
With a stirring bugle call, the Japanese soldiers of the Public Security Army, with fixed bayonets, began a “boar rush,” howling. Yaheibei was at the forefront, waving a tachi and letting out a piercing howl as he ran.
“Order the artillery to fire on the camp with howitzers,” Xue Ziliang ordered. “White Horse Team, prepare to advance!”
“White Horse Team, prepare!” With the Fubo Army officer’s command, the White Horse Team lowered their long spears, preparing to follow the next wave of the assault.
Xue Ziliang immediately realized that there was no need for the White Horse Team to charge. The Badao Team’s boar rush pushed forward, and the righteous army, which was already in disarray, immediately collapsed. These genuine Japanese pirates, with their red eyes and gleaming bayonets, were the stuff of nightmares for the righteous army members, who had been frightened by stories of Japanese pirates since childhood. They could no longer stand firm and immediately scattered.
The explosion of the 12-pounder howitzer shells exacerbated the chaos. This force of over a thousand poorly trained righteous army members scattered and fled. The defenders who had remained in the camp also fell into chaos and opened the gates to flee.
At first, Kim Dae-hae desperately urged his household retainers to maintain order. When the cannonballs fell and exploded, he could no longer muster the courage for a “decisive battle” and led his household retainers to flee towards the estate on the hill.
Xue Ziliang folded his arms and looked at his watch. Only ten minutes.
He ordered, “White Horse Team, advance! Take as many prisoners as possible.”