Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 669

Episode 669: Stories from Other Countries (4)

The heads of the Gong family and all members of the family gathered at Kofukuji Temple in Nara, which can be said to be the progenitor of the Osube family, and held a ceremony.

The reason they gathered at Kofukuji was because this temple was the private temple (?? Ujidera) of the Fujiwara family, which can be said to be the roots of the Oseop family.

The heads of the official families who held ceremonies at Kofukuji Temple emphasized the meaning of this uprising to those gathered.

‘We will punish the shogunate thugs who blindside the Emperor and manipulate state affairs, and return to the Emperor’s own government system!’

‘Our will is most righteous and our will is as strong as steel! With the blessings of Amaterasu Omikami and God and Buddha, we will definitely win!’

It was a public uprising with grandiose slogans.

And when Mochiyo heard this slogan, he snorted.

“joy! Finding Omikami in a place where Buddha is worshiped! “Funny guys!”

According to the religious views of the Japanese during this period, Amaterasu was considered the incarnation of the Great Nippon Tathagata, which was said to be the union of Shin and Buddhism.

But if you look at it properly, it was quite funny.

Mochiyo couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the Gong family’s readiness.

“They don’t even know what combat is!”

All the retainers nodded at Mochiyo’s words.

* * *

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, when two emperors fought over each other, the feudal dynasties also participated in their own battles.

However, in the many civil wars that took place after that, the people who just sat back and watched were the communists.

Because of this, the Gong family was unable to properly adapt to the change in the way of war.

A clear example of this was this uprising.

The combined strength of the Gong family’s uprising forces, including the Oseop family, was about 60,000, and the Ouchi’s fighting force against them was about 35,000.

Although the Gong family overwhelmed Ouchi in size, the Gong family’s army had no musketry or artillery.

* * *

Gongga was also not unaware of the existence of musketry and artillery. Therefore, in the process of preparing for the uprising, they sought out lords who opposed the shogunate – especially lords who had their own muskets and artillery – and urged them to participate in the uprising.

However, none of the influential lords whom the Gong family wanted to join joined. Only a few lords with extremely limited power joined the Gong family.

There were three main reasons why influential lords refused to participate.

-Now the core of war is musketry and artillery. If we participate, we will immediately be put in the forefront and then reduced to expendable items.

-Now the shogunate is thinking of reforming the system. And both justification and skills are lacking to prevent this. Only by securing as many troops as possible can you incur minimal losses in future political transactions.

-Among the reforms of the shogunate, there is also a military reform. It is planned to establish a Japanese national army, similar to the golden army in the name of the imperial army. According to information received, it is said that the feudal lords’ private soldiers and samurai will be incorporated into the national military system. If you use this well, you can establish a foundation within the military.

Because of this calculation, the lords, who had their own muskets and artillery, rejected the Duke’s request to participate.

* * *

It was because of this background that the heads of the public family chanted ‘Amaterasu and God’s protection’ at Kofukuji Temple.

And the Ouchi vassals who heard the speeches of these noble families could not hold back their laughter.

“Omikami and divine protection? joy! “Did they raise the tribute properly?”

“I’m glad I didn’t mess with the shamans or nuns!”

He exploited the people by relying on vested rights passed down from generation to generation, and criticized public families known for their promiscuous private lives.

Those who said that also did not have healthy private lives.

* * *

The place where the uprising army of the feudal lords and the shogunate army clashed was Ikuta.

This Ikuta was the place where the Muromachi shogunate and the Ouchi fought a decisive battle, risking their lives.

And before that, Ikuta Shrine, which provided the starting point for the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate, was the site of the Battle of Ichinodani, which decided the direction of the historic Genpei War.

Thanks to this, the vassals of the shogunate were confident of victory.

“This is a place where we have already won! Victory is ours this time too!”

“Stupid Gongga bastards! “If you have to choose a location!”

“That place has always been a place where those who dream of reform have won!”

Looking at past history, there were some who were confident of victory and others who were confident of victory for other reasons.

“We already know the geography of the area well through the past war! “They picked the wrong place!”

But Gongga also had a reason for choosing this location.

The reason the Gong family uprising army chose this place as the site of the decisive battle was because it was very close to Kyoto and Osaka.

* * *

After the Ouchi shogunate secretly smuggled the emperor away to Yamuguchi, the people of Kyoto were hostile to the shogunate, regardless of whether they were high or low.

To what extent, in Kyoto, it was okay to shout ‘Ouchi is a traitor!’ in the middle of the street in broad daylight.

No, going one step further, they were even treated to free alcohol and food. This

was due to hostility towards Ouchi, which had cruelly crushed the pride of being the capital of a country where the emperor had resided for nearly a thousand years.

And the people who spent as much time with the people of Kyoto as the emperor stayed were the public family. Thanks to this, upon hearing the news of the Gong family uprising, many people living in Kyoto participated in the uprising.

“The cause is with us!”

“Let’s bring the Emperor back!”

The number of Kyoto people who joined the Gong family uprising army with these slogans was about 20,000. Thanks to this, the number of uprising troops quickly increased to 80,000.

“At this level, it’s worth trying even without guns and artillery!”

As the number quickly increased to 20,000, the owners of the Oseop family began to be optimistic about the situation.

In addition, there was an abundance of military funds and supplies obtained by pressuring merchants in Osaka. Thanks to this, the soldiers of the uprising army were able to replenish their energy and increase their confidence while eating their fill.

In a situation where confidence was so high, the words spoken by the vassals of the shogunate were heard in the ears of the heads of the feudal lords.

The heads of the Gong family snorted after hearing the rumor.

“joy! We know the terrain! That terrain is a land where no trick other than direct confrontation works! “If it’s a head-to-head fight, the odds of winning are absolutely with us!”

“That land is where the shogunate was defeated! “The shogunate is defeated once again!”

“Look at the example of Kyoto! “The public sentiment of the people belongs to us!”

The heads of the Gong family, who had absolute confidence in victory, also began to picture the situation after victory.

-After destroying the shogunate army, bring the emperor back to Kyoto!

-From now on, the very existence of the shogunate will be eliminated and the old consultative system between the emperor and the feudal lords will return!

With such rosy dreams about the future, the uprising army of the Gong family entered into a decisive battle with the shogunate army.

* * * In

the fall of the 3rd year of the imperial calendar,

a battle took place that would later be called the ‘2nd Mid-Autumn Festival Joint Battle’ or ‘2nd Ikuta Joint Battle’.

“What a nice weather it is!”

“Victory is with us!”

Looking at the clear autumn sky, the commanders on both sides were confident of victory.

Clear, cool fall weather and moderately well-packed ground.

“In this situation, the soldiers will not tire easily and the cavalry can easily charge! Victory is ours!”

The commanders of the uprising army made these calculations and were confident of victory.

This was the same for the commanders of the shogunate.

“The weather is clear and cool, so the gunpowder does not get wet, and the moderately well-packed ground is the best for digging trenches and moving artillery! “It’s the best weather!”

While the commanders on both sides were confident of each other’s victory, the heads of the Mochiyo and Oseop families, who had gone to the royal palace, waved their batons.

“Hit!”

* * *

With the drums sounding loudly, signaling the start of the battle, the vanguard of the uprising army began to advance.

bang! Quack! bang!

The shogunate’s artillery fired fire at the vanguard of the uprising army, and holes were created here and there in the vanguard camp of the uprising army.

“The momentum of the bombardment is weaker than expected! Move forward! “Go forward!”

With less damage than expected, the commanders of the vanguard encouraged their soldiers.

With the encouragement of their commanders, the soldiers at the forefront of the uprising army continued to advance.

As the vanguard continued to push in, the musketeers of the shogunate army lined up in three rows began to pull their triggers all at once.

Ta-ta-ta-tang!

With a loud gunshot and Choyeon’s sight obscured, the front line of the vanguard army collapsed.

“Advance! Advance! “Their eyes are covered!”

“Forward! “Those guys’ long guns take time to reload!”

Encouraged by their commanders, the soldiers of the vanguard army continued to advance.

Eventually, when the smoke cleared, the commanders of the shogunate army faced the approaching uprising army.

However, the commanders of the shogunate army were not embarrassed and gave orders.

“Shoot!”

Ta-ta-tang!

With loud gunfire and smoke blocking their eyes and ears, the shogunate commanders gave orders.

“Retreat!”

“Retreat!”

“Retreat loudly!”

At the command of the commanders, the soldiers took up their long guns and retreated, shouting all sorts of things.

“Run away!”

“Stand back!”

As the premiere drew to a close, the commanders of the uprising army, who saw the musketeers of the shogunate army retreating, shouted with excitement.

“Chase!”

“charge! charge!”

“Kill the fleeing enemies!”

“Wow!”

The soldiers of the uprising army, who saw the shogunate troops running away, became excited and began to chase the shogunate troops.

Meanwhile, the heads of the Wushe family, who were watching this scene from behind, immediately mounted their horses.

“The main base is also deployed!”

“Immediately mobilize all our might and attack!”

“hot!”

In this way, not only the heads of the five families but also the nobles of the Gong family all mounted horses and participated in the great chase along with the soldiers of the main camp.

And here a problem arose.

As the nobles rushed out of the main camp at the same time, the camp became mixed up.

Even among the nobles of the Gong family, there were some who did not know the art of war. However, the defeat of the shogunate army from the beginning paralyzed their reason.

They were nobles who were confident of victory even before the battle and dreamed of what would happen afterwards. In addition, military service was absolutely necessary to gain even the slightest advantage in future political struggles or to command a high ransom.

The nobles, paralyzed by greed, tangled with each other and set out to chase the shogunate army.

Meanwhile, Mochiyo, who was observing this scene through a telescope from a hill, smiled in remorse.

“You got caught.”

* * *

The retreat of the shogunate army had already been planned. By adjusting the speed of the retreat appropriately, the uprising army continued to chase, and the soldiers waiting in the middle intercepted it, preventing the uprising army from getting too close.

The distance they retreated while gently shaking the bait and striking a check was about 3 ri (approximately 1.2 km).

When the barriers and trenches erected by their comrades were seen in front of the retreating shogunate army, the commanders of the shogunate army gave orders.

“Observe order and pass through the entrance!”

“As soon as you pass through the entrance, take a position on the defense line!”

The shogunate soldiers who passed through the entrances of the wooden fence in an orderly manner headed to their assigned defense line under the guidance of their commanders. The shogunate soldiers who arrived at the defense line took a breath and prepared for the upcoming battle.

* * *

When the rear of the retreating shogunate army passed the barrier, the head of the uprising army appeared.

The morale of the rebel army that appeared was strong, but their faces were full of tired expressions.

And this was the shogunate army’s aim.