As Prophet - Chapter 9
Only Krnovel
Episode 9. The Imjin War
No one knows better than Bijang how diligently Dalcheon trained his troops. He barely managed to stop the magistrate from scolding him several times for doing useless things. He scolded him several times for not doing formation training during this peaceful time. It seems he looked like a bad officer who was making his subordinates suffer for no reason.
I convinced them that peace belongs to those who prepare for war, and that training was not something that looked good, but something that was absolutely necessary for our county, which is close to Busan.
“Is what you’ve prepared so far enough?”
“All we need to do is prepare the logistics.”
“Logistics. Phew, that must be the problem. We just got over the barley pass… … .”
“Will the defender help me?”
“They might yell at us to get it ready.”
As the two were talking, officers from the Bijangcheong came over and joined the discussion. Soon after, the county magistrate Baek Sa-ban called all officers from the Bijangcheong. While they were preparing for the meeting at the county office, two more urgent messages arrived.
“Loyalty! The meeting is ready.”
Baek Sa-ban is a civil servant. He is not completely an outsider, but he has been relatively negligent in military affairs. He stares blankly at the spleen, and the face that is receiving his gaze is truly pitiful.
“Don’t worry too much. Our military is well prepared.”
“What should I do?”
“You just have to move according to the summons. You will be given orders as to when and where to gather.”
“I guess so.”
“We are stronger than any army in Joseon.”
“I’m worried about what you’ve said so far.”
“It was natural for a peace-loving magistrate like you to say that. But you still helped me and encouraged me from afar during my training. I can’t tell you how grateful I was for the water and snacks I saw when I returned from training.”
“Was it so?”
“I will summon 500 people.”
“Five hundred.”
“There are about 680 people in the army, so I will narrow it down to 500.”
“Even if we take everyone, it won’t be enough… … I heard from a side story that there are over 5,000 Japanese pirates.”
“We have called up troops from Gyeongsang-do and Udo. It may not be as strong as our county, but if we call up 100 to 200 men from each county, we will have over 5,000. That’s how it should be. We won’t take everyone. There are sick people, and the farming season is approaching. We also have to maintain public order here… … We can’t take everyone.”
It is natural for the spleen and officers, but not for the county magistrate.
“Is that how it was originally?”
“Some of you have to take charge of the supplies. I don’t know how long it will take, but you can’t fight while carrying all the food on your back. We are all required to have three or five days’ worth of emergency food, but we need to supply it. The two defense officers coming down from Hanyang don’t bring food with them either. They handle it locally.
War is about logistics. Of course, winning a battle is important, but if logistics are difficult, you can never win. Fortunately, we are not far from the battlefield, so we can supply some of it ourselves.”
Only then did the magistrate nod. After reassuring the magistrate, the chief began the meeting. From the gathering, he focused on the provision of weapons and equipment, securing horses, and the operation of the logistics unit.
The formation was to be composed of five groups of a little over twenty men each, in front, center, rear, left, and right, and to make five hundred men. If five groups of 125 men each were made, it would be 625 men, but it was decided to adjust the guerrillas of the center and some of the rearguard to create four battalions. It was decided to supplement the insufficient troops with the fighting power of cavalry.
It took time to appoint the five Yeosu (旅帥) commanders as the commanders of the Bijangcheong and decide who would be the grand minister. If it were another county, it would not be able to form an army like this. They would barely be able to form one Yeo and go into battle.
The magistrate asked cautiously.
“Wasn’t it originally supposed to be the county magistrate or the mayor?”
“It’s true that each county has a small number of troops, but we have a lot of troops.”
“A lot?”
“We usually mobilize and train, so 500 people will be mobilized. Other counties won’t have the same conditions. I heard that there are quite a few places where the military government has collapsed.”
“we are?”
“Thanks to the consideration of the county magistrate, Nari, the army was well maintained.”
Dalcheon turned his head and smiled invisibly. It seemed that he was trying not to diminish the prestige of the county magistrate while explaining. It was frustrating, but he had to teach and educate them to raise their spirits. Bijang patiently explained and proceeded with the work through the meeting.
The magistrate, whose mind was at peace during the meeting, turned his head and met Dalcheon’s eyes. Dalcheon smiled brightly and bowed his head to show his respect. Only then did the magistrate see his distant cousin trying to dispel the concerns contained in his question. What he didn’t realize while watching was that the fear that was stirring in my heart was greater.
Dalcheon, who had previously contributed to solving the Segok Line incident. His white smile warmed my heart.
* * *
The Japanese pirates were causing chaos and the area was in chaos. The army led by the son of the Great Demon Lord gathered the people living in Waegwan and formed a 5,000-man army, and they roamed around causing chaos. They were more like bandits than soldiers.
The reason why the assembly point was set at Yangsan, which was quite far from where the men were causing trouble, was because they were worried about their advance northward. Busanjin had already fallen, and several coastal forts, including Jepo, had lost their defensive functions. Although Dongnaebu was still intact, they were worried that the men would target them while they were assembling, so they ordered them to assemble at Yangsan, which was a little further away.
The magistrate dropped the order. After reading the assembly of Yangsan, he must have tried to put it down, but it seemed that his hands were weak and it fell down. Bijang noticed that the magistrate was not normal, but he could not bring it up in front of the generals. The quick-witted Dalcheon quickly picked it up and placed it on the table in front of the magistrate who was loitering around.
“Yangsan gathering… … .”
“Is that so?”
The spleen approached and confirmed the order.
“Until the first three days of March. Then we have to leave tomorrow.”
“I see.”
The civil servant, the magistrate, was of no help at all in deliberating. He lost his composure in the unprecedented situation of war. Every word he spoke was filled with fear, and the meeting was interrupted frequently due to worry. Bijang took the lead in boldly moving forward. Dalcheon followed him, doing chores and supplementing explanations, and the plan was completed late at night.
Spleen-bound Baek Ui-hyeong asked Dal-cheon.
“Isn’t there a better way?”
“What?”
“I wonder if the magistrate can wage war when he is shivering like that.”
“How about giving him some Cheongsimhwan? I know it would be scary, but it’s a bit excessive.”
“Cheongsimhwan… … Okay, let’s do that.”
Dalcheon moved quickly. He went to Nae-ah and brought Cheongsim-hwan. He made the magistrate take it in front of everyone. Then he spread his palm and gently caressed the magistrate’s back.
“Phew.”
After half a month had passed, the magistrate came to his senses.
“The main building was too bad.”
“That’s a given.”
The magistrate’s fingertips trembled as he spoke. He took several deep breaths, looked over the already completed plan, and then looked at each officer in the secret service one by one.
“Although I am a civil servant and have no power, I will be with you until the end. Even though I am afraid and worried and cannot do it properly, I hope you understand that my heart is not like that. I will leave the military affairs to General Baek Ui-hyeong, so let us follow his words and make this war a success.”
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Dalcheon guided the magistrate to Naea.
* * *
Inside the inner chamber, in front of the dimly lit torch, a young woman stood. It was her daughter. Since local officials in Joseon were supposed to take office alone, they did not bring their families with them, but their family members often came and went. It was the eldest daughter, Baek I-jeong.
“father.”
“Okay, it’s over now.”
“You said it was war.”
“okay.”
Dalcheon let go of the arm he was lightly holding and sent it towards his daughter as if he was handing over the responsibility.
“Rest in peace.”
“Thank you, Dalcheon.”
As the father was going inside, Dalcheon asked his daughter a favor.
“We will assemble tomorrow morning and depart in the afternoon. The assembly point is Yangsan… … Tomorrow morning, put on your military uniform first. Put on your armor over that. It would also be good if you could put on two layers of cotton cloth inside.”
“All right.”
Even though we had similar faces, we kept our distance because of the difference between a man and a woman. Furthermore, we had to keep our distance even further because we were similar in age.
“Are you participating, sir?”
She held her hands together in front of her and wiggled them.
“Of course.”
“Please take care of our father.”
“I will make sure you win and return safely.”
“thank you.”
“Well then, that’s it.”
We weren’t close enough to have a conversation like this, but because of the circumstances, requests and promises were exchanged too easily.
Dalcheon turned around and came to Bijangcheong.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. You’ve improved a lot.”
“It’s really difficult when someone who is bold at work is not good at military service.”
“The shoulders of the spleen are heavy.”
“It is natural for the leader to also have military command, but since he is a civil servant… … there are difficulties.”
“Of course. You’ll do well.”
The spleen stared at Dalcheon from afar. He was so worried that he couldn’t understand what he was believing in and saying such things. I wanted to dismiss it as just empty talk, but it was a time when comforting words were desperately needed.
“That’s how it should be.”
“Get some rest. You have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”
“Will I be able to sleep?”
“Is this your first time in war?”
“That’s right.”
Dalcheon laughed bashfully.
“This is my first time too.”
He spoke as if he was answering a question and stepped back.
As Dalcheon was going to his quarters, the magistrate’s daughter appeared again.
“What’s going on?”
“no.”
“What about your magistrate, Nari?”
“He went to bed.”
“But why?”
“I would like to ask you again.”
Dalcheon smiled brightly and went into the Bijangcheong, bringing out Bijang Baek Ui-hyeong. The brother-in-law was the magistrate’s relative, and he was the sixth cousin of the magistrate’s daughter.
“Why? Don’t worry too much.”
“Whew. I was worried, that’s why.”
“It’s war. It’s not something a woman should be involved in.”
“I’m worried about my father.”
“All the leaders of Joseon’s eight provinces are also military commanders. It is natural for them to go to the battlefield during wartime. Don’t worry and go back. We will protect you, magistrate.”
“Brother… … I’m so worried I can’t speak.”
“A soldier protects the people. It is natural that he will die while doing so!”
“I wanted to ask Prince Dalcheon, who was a great martial artist, to take care of my father.”
Dalcheon scratched his cheek with his hand. He had wanted to ask for a favor, but he felt like he had brought up the issue for no reason.
The spleen-bearing brother looked back at Dalcheon. If that’s the case, he can be trusted. Baek Yi-jeong must know his martial arts. They often come and go, so he must know, but it’s a personal request.
Yi-hyeong walked toward the door with Lee-jeong. Dal-cheon followed him without thinking. He was carrying a load on his back and swaying, but he showed no sign of worrying about the situation. He barely managed to calm him down and let out a sigh.
“We have to go out quickly, phew.”
“Yes, I will hurry tomorrow.”
“You should go in and get some sleep. It’s late at night.”
“yes.”
Dalcheon answered dryly, went to the servants’ quarters, and went into his room.
* * *
The next day, he moved early in the morning. He issued a summons and mobilized the six vassals to gather the troops. He ordered them to prepare the weapons and equipment that he had been managing well, and to mobilize horses. He organized those in charge of logistics and formed a group around government slaves.
The soldiers began to gather in the wide courtyard of the county. The sergeants checked the names on the military register and provided weapons and equipment. They gathered horses north of the town wall, and there were close to a hundred of them. They sent out soldiers to search for those who did not respond to the call.
There was a lot of activity everywhere. Since we had gathered and trained as usual, things proceeded without much difficulty, but the atmosphere became cold as the words “real battle” and “Japanese pirates” came out.
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