Black Corporation: Joseon

When the Type-Eul war carts and cannons joined the battle, Oh Bang-seop’s expression showed relief.

“Phew… Now my blocked chest feels clear.”

Looking relieved as if his indigestion had cleared, Oh Bang-seop picked up his telescope again to observe the battlefield.

Looking beyond the battlefield that had been turned into a wasteland by the Type-Eul war carts and cannons, Oh Bang-seop gave a fierce smile.

“Oh ho~.”

Discovering Ayutawa and his group through the telescope, Oh Bang-seop immediately ordered a messenger.

“Go bring the divine gunner!”

“The divine gunner?”

“Man-bok!”

Shortly after, a soldier followed the messenger to Oh Bang-seop’s location.

“You called for me!”

“Oh yes! Man-bok! Good you’re here! Use this to look 100 jang (about 330m) back!”

“Yes sir!”

As Man-bok examined the battlefield with the telescope Oh Bang-seop handed him, Oh Bang-seop pointed out the target from beside him.

“You see those gathered 100 jang back! The one in the middle is their khan! Can you get him?”

“The one on the brown horse with white spots?”

“That’s right!”

After putting down the telescope and briefly gauging the distance, Man-bok turned to Bang-seop.

“I can get him!”

“Then take him!”

“Yes sir!”

Answering firmly, Man-bok quickly loaded his gun and aimed at the distant Ayutawa.

“The wind…”

Observing the smoke and dust rising from the battlefield to gauge wind direction and strength, Man-bok slowly controlled his breathing while aiming at Ayutawa.

Bang!

Watching Ayutawa in the distance through the telescope beside Man-bok, Oh Bang-seop immediately clenched his fist.

“Got him!”

***

“Kugh!”

“Khan!”

“Khan!”

When Ayutawa, who had been sitting perfectly fine on his horse, fell with a short cry, the warriors around him quickly dismounted and rushed to him.

The old warrior who caught the fallen Ayutawa in his arms looked at the blood on his hands and turned to the other warriors.

“He’s dead.”

“What?”

“How did… Kugh!”

Ping!

Suddenly, one of the surrounding warriors fell to the ground with a short cry.

“What in the-!”

“Everyone mount up!”

“Retreat!”

“The signal… Kugh!”

As surrounding comrades fell one by one spewing blood, Tak-si, the oldest warrior, urgently pressed himself flat against his horse’s back and shouted.

“Everyone retreat!”

With his shout, Tak-si turned his body while lying flat and shot a signal arrow into the air. In any other situation, observers would have admired it as a skillful feat.

Shrieeeek!!!!

As the signal arrow flew into the sky with a piercing sound, those who had survived until now pulled their reins and began to flee the battlefield.

However, the Joseon army wouldn’t let them leave so easily.

“War carts, don’t let them escape until the end!”

“We can’t let even one escape!”

At the shouts of Oh Bang-seop and the officers, soldiers fired the war carts and pulled their musket triggers at the fleeing Jurchen.

“If these bastards survive and return, they’ll come back even more cunning! Kill them all!”

The commanders who had gained combat experience in the north called elderly Jurchen chiefs and warriors “old tigers.” Though it was something of a wordplay using “tiger” instead of “barbarian,” its meaning was no joke at all.

-A tiger too old to hunt wild prey attacks humans. The problem was that such old tigers weren’t easy to hunt. Tigers that had survived to that age were extremely cunning, having accumulated all sorts of experience. Moreover, once something threatens them, they pursue it relentlessly until either they or their target dies.

-The Jurchen are the same. If you fail to thoroughly crush them once, they come back more cunning and seeking revenge. Once you decide to draw blood, you must eradicate them completely.

This was the Joseon army’s attitude toward hostile Jurchen.

No, it was the “law of the plains” that encompassed not just the Jurchen but the Mongols as well.

***

In the end, those who safely escaped after attacking Gamoksabo could be counted on one’s fingers.

“If only we’d had cavalry, we could have crushed them all.”

Regretting the mobile patrol that had passed through the fort just four days earlier, Oh Bang-seop gave orders to his subordinate officers.

“Clean up the battlefield. Especially, take good care of the chief’s body that Man-bok shot down. We need to send it to Hanseong. Ah! Make sure to collect any crests or talismans that can identify which tribe they’re from!”

“Yes sir!”

At Oh Bang-seop’s orders, the officers began moving with their subordinates.

But Oh Bang-seop’s work wasn’t finished there.

“Find out how many residents were killed or injured, both numbers and names. We need to report to His Majesty.”

“Yes sir!”

“And properly count the ammunition and flying thunder bombs expended by the Type-Eul war carts and cannons.”

“Yes sir!”

“Also compile a roster of soldiers killed or injured in battle, and those who distinguished themselves!”

“Yes sir!”

After giving these orders, Oh Bang-seop grumbled quietly.

“Writing reports is more arduous than commanding battle…”

Living up to its nickname as the “nation of records,” Joseon maintained detailed records of everything. Later historians would call them “record fetishists” seeing the mountains of almost obsessively maintained documents. However, there were benefits to keeping such thorough records.

Whenever questions of “who did it first?” arose, Korea had definitive answers.

“We have records, do you? Show us your originals?”

***

While cleanup was in full swing at Gamoksabo, there were others watching the Joseon troops.

At the top of a hill about 200 jang west of Gamoksabo.

Several Ming soldiers lay prone watching Gamoksabo.

Quietly observing the situation at Gamoksabo, Cheonho-ranked^[1] Jo Tae-nam turned to Bucheonho-ranked[[Deputy Thousand-men Commander) Ok Sang-ho lying beside him.

“Chasing those damn Jurchen led us to see something good.”

At Jo Tae-nam’s words, Ok Sang-ho quietly nodded.

“Let’s head down.”

“Yes sir.”

The two men quietly turned and descended the hill.

In the hill’s shadow, the Ming cavalry unit they commanded was hiding.

***

The cavalry unit commanded by Jo Tae-nam and Ok Sang-ho was part of a force ordered to subjugate Ayutawa’s tribe.

Though they had inflicted serious damage on Ayutawa’s tribe through continued subjugation operations, it wasn’t easy to chase Ayutawa’s tribe who fled on horseback abandoning most of their possessions.

Finally, orders came down to Jo Tae-nam’s unit.

-Pursue and annihilate them completely.

Following these orders, Jo Tae-nam’s cavalry had tracked Ayutawa’s tribe.

After a tedious pursuit ending with Ayutawa’s tribe fleeing to the Joseon border, Jo Tae-nam found himself in a difficult situation.

“Of all places…”

***

Ming and Joseon were locked in competition over the Liaodong region, with various matters still occurring secretly.

Therefore, the relationship between Ming and Joseon forces was “not too close, not too far” – that is, maintaining distance.

Ming and Joseon soldiers maintained cool, distant relations as any wrong entanglement could immediately become an international issue.

Thus, the situation became difficult as Ayutawa’s tribe approached the Joseon border.

***

“Ah! The imperial command takes priority! Continue pursuit!”

“Yes sir!”

Thus Jo Tae-nam’s unit continued their pursuit. This led them to catch up with Ayutawa’s tribe near the Songhua River passing north of Gamoksabo.

“Cheonho! There are no warriors!”

Looking at the tent village thrown into chaos by the Ming attack, Jo Tae-nam frowned at his subordinates’ report.

“Huh? Is it a trap? Or did they abandon these people? Find out properly!”

Shortly after, his subordinates reported the warriors’ whereabouts.

“Those crazy bastards went to raid a Joseon village!”

Jo Tae-nam was shocked at his subordinates’ report.

“Those damn fools! Move out immediately!”

“What should we do with these Jurchen?”

“Kill them!”

“Yes sir!”

Thus after killing all the captured members of Ayutawa’s tribe, Jo Tae-nam’s cavalry immediately rode out.

“Where’s the nearest Joseon village?”

At Jo Tae-nam’s question, the guide pointed east.

“Gamoksabo is across the river!”

“Curse them all!”

Jo Tae-nam cursed at the guide’s words.

“Of all places to mess with!”

The Joseon army’s tenacity was notorious even within the Ming military. When foolish Jurchen provoked them, Joseon forces, especially their mobile patrols, would pursue the offending Jurchen to the end. They frequently crossed borders in such pursuits, causing Ming and Joseon diplomats to quarrel over this issue multiple times.

***

Riding beside such a Jo Tae-nam, Ok Sang-ho made a joke.

“But this time we’re the ones crossing over, aren’t we? Let Joseon get worked up for once!”

“You think it works that way?”

Conversing thus while crossing the Songhua River at its shallowest ford, Jo Tae-nam’s cavalry approached west of Gamoksabo.

“I see a hill there. Let’s observe the situation from there.”

“Yes sir.”

After hiding their subordinates in the hill’s shadow, Jo Tae-nam and Ok Sang-ho carefully climbed the hill.

They could have headed straight to Gamoksabo, but the situation could become an international issue if mishandled. Therefore, they had to move with extreme caution.

Reaching the top of the low hill, the two men took out Joseon-made telescopes and put them to their eyes.

“How interesting to observe Joseon using Joseon-made goods.”

Jo Tae-nam nodded at Ok Sang-ho’s joke.

“The same item, yet what our merchants make is just not as good…”

***

When Joseon-made telescopes became popular, Ming also produced similar items. Of course, due to intellectual property issues they couldn’t make exact copies, and due to glass manufacturing problems, they made them by cutting crystal.

However, crystal itself was an expensive material, and items made by eyeballing the cuts boasted the worst cost-effectiveness.

As a result, Ming military officers typically acquired and carried Joseon-made telescopes.

***

What they saw through their telescopes while joking was Ayutawa’s tribal warriors being demolished by Joseon firepower.

“Hmm…”

“Oho…”

Jo Tae-nam and Ok Sang-ho observed the battle with fascinated expressions. Ok Sang-ho in particular watched while chewing on dried meat he’d pulled from his clothes.

What caught the two men’s eyes as they observed the battlefield was the sight of Type-Eul war carts firing rounds from the fort’s towers and the scene of Ayutawa falling to a sniper shot.

***

Finally, after observing until the battle ended with the complete annihilation of Ayutawa’s tribal warriors, the two men descended the hill and mounted their horses again.

Looking at his subordinates’ tense faces, Jo Tae-nam spoke.

“The Joseon army finished it.”

At Jo Tae-nam’s words, his subordinates’ faces showed a mix of relief and regret.

“We’re heading back. Don’t forget to gather everything we can when we return. There should be rewards when we report to His Majesty.”

“Yes sir!”

Leading his subordinates back, Jo Tae-nam turned to Ok Sang-ho.

“We’ll have much to write in our report.”

“Indeed sir.”

***

Meanwhile, on another hill northeast of Gamoksabo, north of the Songhua River, another group of people was observing the battle.

The people quietly observing the battle mounted their horses when it ended.

“Let’s return to the Taishi. We have much to report.”

“Yes sir.”