Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 820

Episode 820: Siege of Tenochtitlan (6)

When part of the Allied forces separated to intercept the Messica army coming down from the north, indigenous leaders were not the only ones to join in with enthusiasm.

High-ranking commanders in charge of the conquest army command center and units also came forward with enthusiasm.

-General Lee Jing-ok must command the main camp here and maintain contact with Shinji!

-In that case, the troops moving north should be taken care of by someone other than General Lee Jing-ok!

-The battle against those bastards like Messika or something is already a battle where victory is expected! As long as you don’t do anything stupid.

-Then this is the best opportunity for further promotion!

Whether it was a class in charge of direct combat or a class in charge of supply and administration in the rear, victory was the best stepping stone for promotion.

Therefore, in order to have the best opportunity to obtain the title of ‘general’, the commanders insisted that Lee Jing-ok should make himself the commander.

“I can clearly see what you guys are thinking…”

Lee Jing-ok, who was looking at his subordinate commanders with a laughable expression, immediately turned to a sharp expression and looked at his subordinate commanders.

“You haven’t forgotten what is the most important thing in our Imperial Army’s combat doctrine, right? “Let’s repeat it.”

The commanders shouted loudly at the same time at Lee Jing-ok’s command.

“Win with minimal damage!”

* * *

Even before the empire, the biggest problem of the Joseon military was ‘insufficient population’.

Especially as the Ming turned into the most powerful hostile force, this problem became one that must be resolved.

As a solution to this, King Sejong and the Joseon army chose artillery and freight cars.

– Actively use artillery and freight cars to reliably intercept hostile forces from a long distance.

– Avoid close combat and hand-to-hand combat as much as possible.

Based on this basic premise, the Joseon military changed its constitution.

It was not just about increasing the size of the combat troops, but also the size of the supply and fortification communication medics.

The standards for evaluating a commander’s qualifications were the same.

Even a victorious commander had to be criticized if there were many casualties.

-A commander who prepares properly is a master commander.

– Instead of consuming soldiers, consume bullets and shells.

This was the basic operating doctrine of the imperial army.

* * *

After the detachment left, Lee Jing-ok steadily carried out the work to capture Tenochtitlan.

All causeways leading to Tenochtitlan were cut off, and aqueducts supplying drinking water were cut off.

At the same time, wooden pontoon bridges and materials to reconnect the broken causeway, as well as boats and rafts, were built and stacked.

That wasn’t all.

The artillery units of the conquering army regularly fired cannonballs toward Tenochtitlan every day.

The artillery fired by the conquering army went around Tenochtitlan and reduced it to ruins.

“If we gather the magic created by those powerful magic tools in one place, we won’t have to wait or get cut off like this, right?”

Chicotencatl (the title of chief) of the Nahuatl tribe, the most powerful among the tribes of Tlaxcaltec, saw the bombardment of the conquering army and asked Lee Jing-ok.

Lee Jing-ok answered Chicotencatl’s question with an expression that said it was nothing.

“The enemy’s spirit will still be alive. If you push in recklessly, the damage will be great. “It is better to kill their momentum and then attack.”

“Oh indeed…”

In response to Lee Jing-ok, Chicotencatl nodded and walked away.

Lee Jing-ok, who was watching the chiefs of other tribes crowding around the retreating Chicotencatl and talking, asked the young officers nearby.

“There are two things that kill the most soldiers on the battlefield. What do you think one is combat and the other is?”

In response to Lee Jing-ok’s question, the young officers pondered for a moment and then began to open their mouths one by one.

“Isn’t there a shortage of food?”

“Isn’t it a disease?”

The young officers chose those two things first. Lee Jing-ok smiled and opened his mouth in response to the young officers’ answers.

“It’s similar, but it’s not the right answer. “It’s water.”

“You mean water?”

“That’s right. If you don’t have clean water to treat injured soldiers, their wounds will heal and they will die. If you make food with dirty water, it becomes poison rather than food. If you drink any water just because you’re thirsty, you’ll get a plague and die. That’s why water, to be precise, clean water is important. “One of the biggest losses to the Ming army in the last Battle of Liaodong was the dirty water of Liaodong.”

“Ah…”

The young officers nodded at Lee Jing-ok’s explanation. Lee Jing-ok continued speaking, looking at the young officers like a grandfather looking at his young grandson.

“This is why we make sure to take a water purification bottle with us when preparing for a military expedition, and this is why we always filter water that looks clear through a water purification bottle before boiling it before drinking it. And the same goes for the artillery firing bombs here and there on the enemy’s capital. Look at that enemy’s capital. “It’s in the middle of a lake, so why build a separate channel to get drinking water?”

“Because the water in the lake is dirty!”

“yes! Since the waterway has been cut off, there will soon be a shortage of drinking water. And as the artillery attacks continue like that, there will continue to be casualties. If you drink dirty water and treat the wounded, a plague will soon spread. That is our chance to attack.”

“Ah….”

“It also appeared in Sun Tzu’s Art of War, but victory without fighting is the best. And the same goes for our imperial army’s doctrine. “Always keep this in mind.”

“yes!”

“Then let’s take a look at things.”

“Yes General!”

Lee Jing-ok, who was looking at the young officers returning to their posts, muttered with a serious face.

“This is a problem. The time is approaching for those who experienced the Battle of Liaodong to step down, but there are too few young people with actual combat experience. Experience is not something that can be gained simply by listening or reading, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fight unnecessary battles or wars all the time…”

Lee Jing-ok, who pondered for a moment, walked towards his tent.

“I guess I should write a letter to His Majesty….”

* * *

When almost 15 days had passed, the detachment that had gone out to intercept returned.

“We won!”

“Good work. “What about the damage to our troops?”

“In the case of the conquering army, there were 35 injuries and 8 deaths. “The natives suffered a loss of about 2,000.”

“What is the size of the enemy and what is the damage?”

“The army numbered about 5,000 and was wiped out. “The only prisoners captured were 600 captured by the conquering army.”

“Did you bring any prisoners?”

“I left it behind in a nearby native city. “I have made a very strong request to keep him alive just in case.”

“You handled it properly. Good job.”

Lee Jing-ok congratulated the detachment commander by lightly tapping him on the shoulder and continued speaking.

“Then write a report and submit it. “I want to receive it quickly.”

“…yes.”

Lee Jing-ok, who dismissed the commander of the detachment, glared at Tenochtitlan located across the lake and muttered.

“If you hear that the rescue soldiers who were waiting for you have been wiped out, will you lose your spirit?”

Although a considerable amount of time had passed since the waterway was cut and the ground-breaking operation began, the Mesica people of Tenochtitlan were still stubbornly holding on.

“Hmm…”

Lee Jing-ok, who was thinking while looking at Tenochtitlan, soon came to a conclusion.

“I guess I’ll have to hit it now. “If we delay here any longer, this side will get tired first.”

Many of the soldiers in the conquest army already showed signs of exhaustion. Most of the volunteers were those who volunteered in anticipation of the end of the war.

The longer the war went on, the faster they would become exhausted.

The same was true for the natives who joined after the last battle.

They were unable to see the true firepower of the conquering army, and as time went by, they would not look at the conquering army with suspicion or be so intimidated as they do now. And it was clear that he would make his own political calculations.

Lee Jing-ok, who had made up his mind, called his staff.

“After three days, we attack the enemy’s capital. Gather the commanders and chieftains.”

“Yes General!”

* * *

Three days later, as soon as daybreak came, the artillery of the conquering army began firing at once.

bang! Quack! bang!

Unlike before, the bombs fired by the conquering army were concentrated around the expected landing site.

While the conquering army’s artillery was laying waste to the landing site and its surroundings, boats and rafts full of indigenous people began crossing the lake.

“Reconnect the road!”

“yes!”

As soon as the orders from the commanders of the conquering army were given, the waiting natives began to reconnect the broken causeway using materials and wooden pontoons that had been prepared in advance.

“Heavy artillery will have a hard time passing, but freight cars will be able to move.”

“It is quite possible.”

Lee Jing-ok, who was observing the situation while standing on the cart, raised his head and looked at the sky.

Lee Jing-ok muttered softly after checking the signal sent by the monk in the sky.

“Smooth!”

“The road continues!”

“Send the natives!”

“Yes General!”

As soon as the causeway was connected, well-armed native warriors began to rush up the causeway and into Tenochtitlan.

After the deployment of the indigenous warriors, the conquering forces, mainly using fire wagons and light wagons, began to push into Tenochtitlan.

* * *

The street fighting that took place in Tenochtitlan was fierce.

Although the Messicans were weakened by hunger and disease, they still showed formidable fighting power with their venomous faces.

This was the same for the attacking indigenous allies.

The indigenous warriors, who had suffered greatly from the human sacrifices and cannibalism committed by the Messicans over a long period of time, also attacked the Messican warriors with faces full of venom.

There was no humanity on the battlefield where these poisonous people fought against each other.

Neither side would leave the wounded alone or accept surrender.

* * *

As time passed, the situation of the war was heading towards the defeat of the Messicans.

This was because, in addition to being weakened by Lee Jing-ok’s high-stakes operation, the army was also pushed back in size.

And from this point on, the conquering army entered the situation.

If there were any points where the Messica warriors still stubbornly held out, the conquest army was sent in.

Tu-ta-ta-tang! Tatang!

When the camp of the Messica warriors collapsed under the fire of fire trucks and light trucks, the native warriors rushed in to finish the battle and ran toward the center of Tenochtitlan.

* * *

As the battlefield gradually moved toward the center of Tenochtitlan, the conquering armies following the native warriors began to frown.

“This is a bit harsh…”

“It’s fifty paces or a hundred paces…”

The indigenous warriors engaged in street fighting did not just pass over the nearby Messican houses.

There were many natives who immediately broke down the door, killed all the Messicans in front of them, regardless of age or gender, and headed to the next house.

“Should we stop this?…”

“It’s too much…”

While the soldiers of the conquering army were thinking about this, another soldier who was looking at the house shook his head.

“Just leave it alone.”

“why? “Isn’t that too harsh?”

“Come in and look at this.”

The soldiers of the conquering army who entered the house after being told by their colleagues were speechless when they saw what was hanging on one side of the wall.

There was a well-smoked human arm hanging there.

“These crazy people…”

“I forgot this…”

This was so common that most of the conquering army became bystanders.

“Let’s just leave it alone for now. “If you get tired of killing people like that, you will come to your senses.”

While ordinary soldiers said that and became bystanders, the commanders were waiting for their time, remembering Lee Jing-ok’s orders.

-If you see enemy monarchs or nobles, intervene unconditionally and capture them alive.