As Prophet - Chapter 12



Only Krnovel

Episode 12. The First Battle

“Report that 500 enemy armored personnel carriers are forming up towards the west gate. We will intercept them immediately.”

“Loyalty.”

The messenger who was standing next to Dalcheon turned his horse’s head and ran towards the main force. He trained a lot, so he is no different than usual. What is scarier than the enemy is that he has to be a jerk to be properly trained.

But the behavior of the men who came out through the west gate is strange. They are wearing armor that looks like it has been tangled up, and it is different from Joseon’s armor. This is because it is the first time I have seen Japanese pirates. The armor is dangling from their shoulders, and I wonder if they can stop arrows with it.

What was most unusual was that most of the soldiers were long-sworded. Some held long spears high, but not many. There were hardly any spearmen, as if they were thinking of something. And there were no archers.

Dalcheon screamed quite loudly.

“Hehehe, food for the archers, that’s food! In firing formation! Two rows, line up! Gather together!”

Those who were running made two rows, increasing the gap between them and cutting in behind each other, and then formed two thin, single-layer formations 150 paces in front of the enemy’s formation.

“When they charge, the center retreats and fires, and the wings on the left and right pour out fire to annihilate them!”

“Loyalty!”

Dalcheon measured the distance. Some of them jumped out and howled, just like dogs that can’t get out of the alleyway. They looked like they would rush here without even coming. And they were small. They were not even 5 feet tall, so that’s why they were called Japanese. It’s unbelievable that they were attacked by such guys. Dalcheon was not yet fully grown, so he was even smaller than that. I thought they were kids, so I looked at them again. They were as big as adults. Originally, they were just as big.

Dalcheon shouted loudly.

“Ready shooters! Fire three arrows!”

“Three shots!”

“Three shots!”

“Three shots!”

“Three shots!”

A hundred arrows flew across the sky at once. They were densely packed and their armor was weak. As the arrows flew in a parabolic arc and fell, a scream of death could be heard from the dense crowd. It sounded like a pig or a monkey. Since their armor was thin and they had no shields, they fell in vain with one arrow. The triangular helmets and shoulder armor did not penetrate, but if they hit another place, they would just stick in.

Pippipipiping!

Shooting at a similar tempo, reloading the arrow, and pulling the bow. This is the result of training.

“Shoot straight! Straight! Even if there are a million, I aim for one! Do you understand?”

“Loyalty!”

The polite Dalcheon ran left and right in front of the Iljajin and encouraged the soldiers. He fired three shots at a time, and quite a few fell. The square formation they had formed collapsed in an instant. The soldiers who came out of the castle joined them, but their formation was in disarray.

The thoughtless enemy general ordered a ‘charge’. He said to charge without even forming a formation.

Dalcheon blew the horn and beat the drum. The left and right of the long, straight formation closed the distance, and they surrounded the enemy on the left and right as if folding wings. They surrounded the enemy’s square in a ㄷ shape.

“Towards the enemy lines! Three arrows! Three arrows! Fire!”

Once again, the trained archers drew their bows. Having seen the enemy die with one shot, they gained confidence. The arrows that were lightly fired flew towards them like a swarm of bees.

As I ran, the armor of the Japanese pirates, woven together in a haphazard manner, shook violently, and arrows shot through the gaps, knocking them down. They fell as soon as I shot them.

But they didn’t stop and kept running. They ran with their weapons drawn, as if their only purpose was to close the gap. 150 sheets became over a hundred. They ran into the D-shaped mouth made by the Joseon army. After feeding them arrows, they withdrew their troops.

“All troops! Fall back a hundred steps. Do it!”

“Back off a hundred steps!”

“Back off a hundred steps!”

“Back off a hundred steps!”

He turned his horse’s head and retreated slowly. The cavalry retreated leisurely, and the men followed him tenaciously, but the infantry could not catch up with the cavalry. They could not catch up.

Dalcheon, who had run a moderate distance, turned his troops around again. He placed them within archery range, formed a formation in the shape of the wings of a goose so that they could cross fire, and ordered them to fire.

Hundreds of enemy soldiers rushed in, but most of them fell to the fire that was fired while they retreated three or four times. While they were shooting and retreating, shooting and retreating again, not a single enemy soldier who came out of the west gate was standing properly.

Dalcheon glanced at the main force of the Joseon army approaching from behind and examined the disorganized vanguard. Some who had been shot by arrows were crawling back to the castle on all fours, while others were left behind and screaming in pain. Some were running away in all directions in shock, while others were shouting at the entrance of the west gate to stop running. In short, it was chaos, but it didn’t feel like an army. It was like hundreds of people with swords, or who knew how to use swords, gathered in the middle of a market.

Dalcheon’s gaze settled calmly. With a gaze that shone as blue as ice, he gave orders to the Gyeongsan County cavalry.

“Put your bows in the air, everyone!”

“Put your bow away!”

“Put your bow away!”

“Put your bow away!”

“Put your bow away!”

“Forward, spearmen! Second row!”

“Forward, spearmen!”

“Forward, spearmen!”

“Forward, spearmen!”

“Forward, spearmen!”

About twenty spearmen stepped forward. At the word spearmen, they held their spears upright.

“After Jang Geum-su.”

“Behind the swordsman!”

“Behind the swordsman!”

“Behind the swordsman!”

Dalcheon’s order was followed. Even though they had trained, forming a charge formation was not easy. The cavalry that had retreated formed an arrowhead-shaped formation, and Dalcheon stood at the very front.

“Break through. Don’t try to kill everyone, just hit the ones you see in front of you and pass. Flathead uncle! You’re holding the spear upside down! Sodung uncle, you should hold the sword in your right hand and the reins in your left.”

The absurd remarks continued. Perhaps feeling anxious, he regrouped once more and ran towards the few barefooted Japanese soldiers who were still charging forward.

“charge!”

At first, they went slowly as if they were taking a walk, but their speed gradually increased. By the time they met the enemy’s vanguard, they were fast enough to fall over anything they encountered. Dalcheon, who was in the lead, swung the Cheongryonggeuk like a windmill. Using the power of the running horse, they struck, and as soon as they were caught, they fell over. Even if they raised their swords to block, it was useless, and even if they were wearing armor, they could not stop themselves from falling over while bleeding.

“ha!”

He struck the men who were running towards him with short bursts of energy to both sides. The two officers on each shoulder struck them with their swords and axes, and the spears of the soldiers who followed cut them down when they opened up the gap. The leader, who looked like an arrowhead, struck the center of the group.

The Japanese army, whose numbers were greatly reduced by the arrows, were terrified and scattered. To them, horses are just a means of transportation to the battlefield, and they do not attack on horseback like this. With their speed and strength, and the acceleration that came with it, they fell helplessly. They fell helplessly like autumn leaves falling in the wind.

The cavalry pierced the middle of the armor, and it split into two. Dalcheon, who had advanced far, grabbed the horse’s head. The remaining thirty or forty enemy soldiers ran toward the gateless wall. They seemed to think that their comrades on the wall would help them.

Hundreds of armors were knocked down. Victory brings confidence. The Joseon army gained confidence as they watched the Japanese easily overcome. They didn’t know what to do when they ran fiercely with swords, but they fell over with a single strike from a spear. The pitiful lower bodies of those who weren’t even wearing their lower garments were horribly torn apart.

Dalcheon charged once more, cut through the men, and then returned to the south gate.

* * *

When Dalcheon returned to the South Gate and was harassing the enemy on the wall with his bow, General Yu Sun-jeong approached. About twenty heavy armored cavalrymen on horseback followed him.

“Who are you?”

“Loyalty! This is Dalcheon, the chief of Gyeongsan County.”

“You’re good at using cavalry.”

“Thank you. The magistrate of Baeksa-ban, Nari, has instructed us to make sure that it is properly positioned.”

“Report.”

“Loyalty! Hundreds of enemy soldiers gathered at the west gate. They intended to attack the gate, bypass it, and strike at the rear of our forces. We harassed the men who had come out with 200 cavalry archers. When those who could no longer endure charged, we retreated and shot arrows to reduce their numbers.

After that, we changed to a charge formation and broke through with long swordsmen and lancers, annihilating the remaining men. It is estimated that there were about a hundred dead, and more than twice that number of wounded. I was so shocked that I couldn’t even count the number. The magistrate of Baeksaban, Na-ri, told us to be careful here. Loyalty!”

Yu Sun-jeong smiled brightly at Dalcheon’s report and turned around. Gyeongsang-do Defense Commander Hwang Hyeong raised his hand and pointed at Dalcheon.

“The young man I mentioned earlier is this guy. He is young and brave. He is amazing. Gyeongsan County may not be the county with the largest population, but it mobilized the most troops. There are also many cavalry. It is said that they brought all the government, the military, and the military. Their argument was that the country was in danger, so where is the distinction between governments?

But seeing him fight so bravely, I thought he was truly amazing. That’s why I asked him to take the vanguard.”

My mouth was dry as I praised Dalcheon and Gyeongsanhyeon.

“Your Majesty the Defender has done well. We will now divide into three directions and attack the enemy. Your Majesty the Defender, please take responsibility for each direction. Thanks to this young man, we have the opportunity to win. We will attack immediately and subdue that castle today.”

Udo Defense Commander Yoo Dam-nyeon expressed concern at the words of General Yoo Sun-jeong.

“I am concerned that the west is left empty.”

He was an old man with a careful face and a long history, but it was hard to tell whether he was a civil or military official. The other two leaders of the rebellion seemed to respect his opinions. Even without saying a word, a gathering of people can tell who has more say. Even if you gather three or four people, some will suggest going somewhere for a meal, while others will follow along as soon as a conclusion is reached.

“It means run away. They say that even a mouse will bite a cat when cornered. When the will to fight cools and the will to resist weakens, you will keep looking west. Open up a path of retreat and attack.”

The general who had been praising Dalcheon spoke again.

“It is a wonderful plan, but I am concerned about Your Majesty’s will. When I leave Hanyang, I feel that even if I beat them all up, it will not be enough.”

“How many officials have already been injured or killed? That’s understandable. However, while following His Majesty’s will, we must also minimize the damage to our troops. The spirit has already died down in many places. It would be right to pursue further measures after today’s victory.”

Yoo Soon-jung convinced the two that the strategy of leaving one side empty was not wrong.

“Loyalty, the commander’s thoughts were short.”

Dalcheon did not interfere with the conversation of the higher-ups, but quietly sat to one side and waited. Soon, the Joseon army, which had come in waves, surrounded Jepo Castle on three sides.

When Yu Sun-jeong saw that the siege was complete, he raised the flag and summoned the generals. Then, with a stern face, he looked at the generals with a fierce expression and said just one word.

“Within today! Jepo Castle! We will capture it!”

The secret commander of Gyeongsan County. Dalcheon is not qualified to attend the meeting due to his low rank, but since the Gyeongsan County army is guarding the south gate, he cannot help but watch the meeting taking place right in front of him.

Yu Sun-jeong speaks and looks around the generals in a commanding manner. I discovered a spirit of unmanned people that I had never seen in a small county. The force in his sharp words made the listeners unable to make a sound. There was an invisible force that led people and organizations.

It seemed to be a momentum that came from a certain attitude rather than the words used. It was a world of difference from the gentleness he had shown when he met Dalcheon, a low-ranking general, after the surprise attack on the West Gate. The person’s personality itself changed completely. It could be a personal characteristic, or it could be a very intentional attitude.

Unable to bear the silent stare, the general bowed and shouted, “Loyalty!” The intense pressure that seemed to threaten to kill him if he did not obey made the flying and crawling generals in our headquarters bow their heads and tremble.

“We will definitely! We will definitely! We will destroy the enemy, relieve the King of his worries, and protect the safety of the people.”

“Loyalty!”

“Loyalty!”

“Loyalty!”

Dalcheon, who had been listening intently, licked his lips as he thought a grand strategy would be discussed.