History Park: Starting with the Imjin War

In January of the 21st year of the Wanli reign, the cannon fire from Mudan Peak was a signal flare used by the Ming army to attack the city.

The cannon fire was deep and accurate, striking the sky north of Pyongyang and shattering the silence of the battlefield.

When the artillery was fired, the Japanese soldiers all retreated behind the battlements.

They were well aware of the power of the Ming army's cannons. The torches exposed in the open were the clearest targets. If they did not restrain themselves, they would be fatally hit by cannonballs piercing their chests.

Immediately afterwards, seven or eight Japanese soldiers worked together to remove the defensive wooden frame erected on the city wall.

These were the barricades and fences used to prevent the Ming army from scaling the city walls. They were hastily pushed to the base of the walls, serving as their last line of defense.

The arquebusiers who were originally lying behind the battlements with muskets in their hands lost their usual composure. They crouched low, moved swiftly, and changed firing positions.

The Japanese knew perfectly well that the cannon fire from Mudan Peak meant that the Ming army's siege artillery was about to lock onto the city walls.

Staying put means waiting to be picked off by artillery fire. Only by spreading out and hiding can one save their life and hold the northern defense line of the city.

Meanwhile, Li Rusong stood beneath the commander's flag at the front of the Ming army below the city, issuing the final orders before the attack.

"Send it again."

The messenger immediately knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and held his breath.

"Continue to observe the city from the mountain."

"Do not allow the Japanese troops any gap in troop deployment; report any unusual movements immediately."

After a pause, he added, "Don't fire the cannons indiscriminately."

The Ming army's artillery ammunition was precious, and its range and power were superior to those of the Japanese soldiers. Indiscriminate bombardment was not only a waste of combat power, but also gave the Japanese soldiers an opportunity to adjust their defenses.

Li Rusong was well-versed in siege tactics, and every cannonball had to be used to its maximum effect.

"Attack the firearms on the city wall, attack the wooden frames, and destroy the flags."

"Once the firearms are lit, their ranged combat capability will be crippled. Once the wooden frames are broken, their obstacles to scaling the city walls will be cleared. Once the flags fall, their morale and formation will be thrown into disarray. Without command and protection, the Japanese soldiers will be ready to break through the city with the iron cavalry of our Great Ming."

The messenger responded loudly, "Your subordinate obeys!"

Before he finished speaking, he quickly stood up and disappeared into the army formation.

Li Rusong then looked towards Pyongyang.

"Wu Weizhong is injured."

"Can the Southern troops still advance?"

The officer beside him replied:

"It's still possible."

"Qi Jin has been replaced."

Li Rusong nodded.

"Cha Da Shou".

Cha Dashou stepped forward.

"Your subordinate is here."

"The cavalry will bring up the rear."

"If the Japanese soldiers rush out from the east entrance or the south side, do not pursue them hastily."

"Wait for orders to intercept."

Cha Da Shou clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Yes, sir."

Li Rusong looked at the north of the city.

"Make the call today."

The generals stood around him, but no one spoke.

The siege of Pyongyang officially began at this moment.

But attacking a city is not a matter of rushing in all at once.

The order of ranks, flags, artillery fire, firearms, archers, messengers, and reinforcements must all be fixed.

Which route gets close to the city wall first? Which route is responsible for suppressing the firearms of the Japanese soldiers on the city wall? Which route protects the siege ladders? Which route keeps an eye on the city gate to prevent the Japanese soldiers from counterattacking? Which route leaves an opening to lure the enemy out of the city?

These things need to be clearly defined beforehand; you can't change them on the spot after you've already started.

Li Rusong raised his hand and pointed to the north of the city.

"North side, main attack. Overwhelm them."

"West side, ready."

"To the south, to create a diversion. To make a big commotion."

"Leave the east entrance to him."

"To make him think there's a way out."

The generals responded.

Li Rusong continued.

"Gunners, fire first. Suppress those muskets on the city wall."

"The musketeers are not allowed to fire prematurely. Wait until the echelon moves closer."

"The formation must watch the flag. The formation cannot stop until the flag falls."

"Withdraw immediately once the flag is down."

"Anyone who dares to pursue will be executed."

The orders were passed down one by one.

Before the drums even began to beat, the various Ming army units had already started moving.

To the north, the auxiliary soldiers in front of the gun emplacement lifted the tarpaulin and brought the flint rope close to the gate.

On the west side, the reserve team stood ready with their swords drawn.

On the south side, the flag bearers began to press forward.

The east entrance is empty.

The military order has been delivered to every general.

Next, it was time to fight.

The small cannons on the mountain continued to suppress the north of the city.

The artillery positions at the foot of the mountain are also being adjusted.

Several gunners used wooden wedges to pad the gun wheels and adjust the angle.

The soldiers beside them protected the medicine pack and the matchlock.

The Ming army's cannons were not used to indiscriminately bombard the city walls.

And the walls of Pyongyang cannot be expected to be breached with just a few shots.

The main purpose of cannons was to suppress the firearms positions on the city walls, and to shoot down wooden frames, exposed flags, and crowds.

As long as the arquebusiers, archers, and stones on the city walls cannot be fired down, the infantry can advance a few more steps.

These extra steps are enough to get the ladder to the wall.

Li Rusong looked at Han Shouyi.

"Forward camp."

Han Shouyi stepped forward.

"exist."

"Follow the southern troops, and proceed along the northern outskirts of the city."

"Protect the ladder, protect the flag, protect the firearms."

"Don't chase after them recklessly."

Han Shouyi understood what he was saying.

The vanguard battalion is capable, but it has a weakness: when they get into a winning streak, they are easily caught off guard.

Once the northern part of the city is breached, the Japanese soldiers defending the city will surely retreat. There may be ambushes in the alleys, and there may also be pre-arranged gun formations behind the city gates.

If they chase after them, their formation will break down, they'll become disjointed, and they might get attacked unexpectedly.

The commander's words were a preemptive statement that sealed the deal.

You can fight forward, but you must not chase after them, and don't do anything outside your purview.

Han Shouyi clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"clear."

Li Rusong then asked:

Where are the North Korean soldiers?

A general replied:

"To the right rear of the forward camp."

"Bring it up."

Soon, more than a dozen North Korean soldiers were brought to the vicinity of the central army.

The leader was a North Korean officer.

He was around thirty years old, with a thin face and deep-set eyes. His armor was old and blackened, and the scabbard at his waist was also heavily worn.

He was followed by an old soldier.

The veteran had gray hair and an old scar on his right cheek that stretched from his ear down to his jaw.

The two stepped forward and bowed to Li Rusong.

The officer said in broken Chinese:

"Kim Yun-jik of the Korean Army, obey the orders of the Ming army."

The veteran didn't speak, but simply bowed his head in salute.

Kim Yoon-jik and his dozen or so men were brought from Uiju.

They followed the Ming army and only did three things.

First, learn the way.

The Koreans knew far better than the Ming soldiers the layout of Pyongyang's streets and alleys, the location of its city gates, and the distribution of its granaries and wells.

Second, recognize people.

There were many Korean civilians in the city. When the two armies were fighting, they were so engrossed in the battle that they couldn't distinguish between civilians and fleeing soldiers, which could easily lead to accidental killings.

Third, filling in the gaps.

During a siege, the main force would suffer continuous losses. If the men guarding the ladders and flags in the front camp were to fall, there would have to be replacements to fill the gaps. The Korean soldiers were there to fill those gaps.

Li Rusong looked at them, secretly assessing the situation.

Confirm the status of this small force, and determine whether they are usable and can be entrusted with tasks.

The old soldier behind Jin Yunzhi didn't say a word from beginning to end; the old scar on his face was clearly from a Japanese sword.

You don't need to ask what this kind of person has been through; just standing there speaks volumes.

After a long pause, Li Rusong asked, "Are you familiar with the northern outskirts of the city?"

Kim Yoon-jik answered just as readily.

"Cooked".

"I served as the garrison commander of the northern city before Pyongyang fell."

His voice trembled slightly when he said the words "not trapped".

Li Rusong did not ask any further questions.

Breaching a city isn't just about charging in.

Only those who have defended the city know where the walls are high and low, where there are old shell craters where people can hide, and which section of the battlements might have Japanese musket positions.

Since Jin Yunzhi had guarded the northern city, he had a living map of the city's defenses in his mind.

Li Rusong didn't ask about the past, only about this one question, because every word spoken before the war had to be followed precisely, without being too much or too little.

It's pointless to ask how the city fell or how many people died now.

All he wanted was to know if Kim Yoon-jik could be used now.

The second question is more crucial.

"Do the Japanese soldiers recognize your armor?"

Kim Yoon-ji nodded. "I recognize him."

The armor of the Korean army was different from that of the Ming army; it was darker in color and the armor plates were thinner, making it easy for the Japanese soldiers on the city walls to distinguish them.

This is a disadvantage, but Li Rusong asked this question to consider one thing: how would the enemy react to seeing the Korean armor?

The veteran answered for Kim Yoon-ji.

"They'll laugh."

These four words were spoken very softly, but all the generals present understood them.

The Japanese soldiers laughed, not at their ugly armor, but at their reluctance to approach the city.

From the fall of Pyongyang until now, the North Korean army has been seen by the Japanese soldiers as a group of scattered and defeated soldiers, and it is already the limit for them to stand far away outside the city.

Near the city wall?

They don't deserve it.

After the veteran finished speaking, he tightened his grip on the knife handle even more.

He knew better than anyone what the Japanese soldiers were laughing about.

But he didn't say anything more, he just handed the words to Li Rusong.

Hearing this, Li Rusong had already made his judgment and gave a cold laugh.

"Then let them laugh their fill."

The enemy's underestimation of the enemy is a vulnerability on the battlefield.

Those who underestimate their opponent will react slowly, make flawed judgments, and act a beat later than usual.

This shot was exactly what Li Rusong wanted.

He turned to Han Shouyi and gave him orders, his words clear and logical.

"Select a few skilled men. Dress them in Korean armor and have them approach the city. Once near the city, await the signal."

Upon hearing this, Han Shouyi exclaimed, "Understood!"

"Don't expect them to trick us into opening the city. They won't fool Xiaoxi."

Konishi Yukinaga is not a fool.

A few pieces of Korean armor and a few unfamiliar faces couldn't fool him. But Li Rusong never intended to deceive Xiaoxi; he wanted to deceive the Japanese soldiers on the lower levels of the city wall.

"They're only deceiving the lower-ranking Japanese soldiers on the city walls. A moment's hesitation is a moment's loss."

In siege warfare, the section from the base of the city wall to the point where ladders are erected to scale the walls is where the most people die.

The gun muzzles, arrow slits, rolling logs, and boulders on the city wall were all pressed down here.

As long as the Japanese soldiers kept fighting, the Ming army would have to pay with lives, layer by layer.

But what if the Japanese soldiers stopped?

You don't need to stop for too long, just a short break will do.

A breath is a single breath.

On this battlefield, every breath is a few steps forward, a ladder approaches the city, and a swordsman and shieldman climbs the ladder.

In just a few breaths, a group of people can go up.

Once a breach is made in the city wall, the city's defensive advantage immediately collapses by half.

What Li Rusong wanted was to use these old armors and these skilled men to exchange for this last breath.

Han Shouyi turned his head and looked at Mo Qin and the others who had just come down from Peony Peak.

"You guys, come here."

Mo Qin, Lin Jun, Liu Gao, and Yan Qi stepped forward.

They were men who had just fought a tough battle in the mountains, and they still smelled of blood.

There weren't many people in the entire forward camp who could take on this job, and they were the most suitable group.

"Put it on."

Liu Gao was taken aback.

"Should I wear it too?"

Han Shouyi looked at his face.

"Yeah, you're dark-skinned, so you don't really look like one wearing that."

Liu Gaogang breathed a sigh of relief.

Han Shouyi then said:

"Then put on another layer."

"We didn't really expect to fool the Japanese army."

"Just one glance is enough."

Liu Gao had no choice but to accept it.

That North Korean coat was clearly ill-fitting.

After he put it on, his shoulders were stretched very tight, as if they were about to burst at any moment.

A young North Korean soldier next to him glanced at him, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

Mochin also wore one.

He is tall and has a large build.

The Korean armor was worn on the outside, but the sleeves were too short, and it didn't cover their legs.

Lin Jun glanced at it and whispered:

"Your clothes look borrowed."

Mochin looked down.

"It's not that it's similar, it is."

Jin Yunzhi looked at Mo Qin and said:

"General Mo, when we get close to the city, don't look up too early."

Mochin asked:

Why?

Kim Yoon-jik:

"The Japanese soldiers on the city wall like to look at eyes."

Mochin nodded.

"clear."

The veteran standing to the side paused, gathering his thoughts, before slowly beginning to speak:

"Your eyes are too fierce."

Mo Qin looked at him eagerly, his face full of questions.

Liu Gao couldn't help but chuckle.

Mo Qin said:

"What should we do then?"

The veteran said:

"When you go, don't look at the city walls."

"Watch your step."

Mochin remembered it.

"it is good."

Lin Jun asked Jin Yunzhi:

"How many abandoned ditches are there along the northern edge of the city?"

Kim Yoon-jik glanced at her.

There are two paths.

"The first line is shallow, covered by snow."

"The second one is deep, about thirty paces from the city wall."

"If you don't know where you are, you'll fall."

Lin Jun nodded.

Please walk in front of me.

Kim Yoon-jik was silent for a moment.

"it is good."

The sound of gunfire continued.

The cannons on Mudan Peak are not firing in a hurry.

On one side, there was a wooden frame specifically used to suppress the city wall.

On the other side, only lighters were lit.

The artillery below the mountain also bombarded the outer wall of the city's north side and nearby obstacles.

Some cannonballs missed their mark, landing outside the city wall and kicking up snow.

Some of the shells hit the wall, leaving only rubble and white marks.

But the Japanese soldiers on the city wall no longer dared to stick their bodies out and fire their guns as they had done before.

This is the purpose of a cannon.

Not every shot has to kill someone.

As long as the arquebusiers on the city wall can't raise their heads, the infantry can get close.

The musketeers and archers also began to advance.

The shield bearers walked in front, the ladder carriers were in the middle, and the reinforcements were behind them.

The flag bearer would occasionally glance at the central army flag.

The drumbeats began to change, becoming more intense than when they were taking Peony Peak.

Each sound was accompanied by a measured step.

Han Shouyi led his men to the front.

He said to Mochin:

"You should follow Kim Yoon-ji."

"Don't go too far away."

Mo Qin said:

"clear."

Han Shouyi then looked at Liu Gao.

"Protect the ladder."

Liu Gao patted the shield.

"clear."

"Is the shield about to shatter?"

"Then let's use someone else as a substitute."

Han Shouyi glanced at him.

"Luckily, Zhao Tou didn't hear what you just said."

Liu Gao was stunned.

Why?

He'll say your brain shatters before your shield does.

Mo Qin couldn't help but laugh.

Lin Jun also turned her face away.

But neither Kim Yoon-jik nor the old soldier laughed.

They looked at Pyongyang.

That was the city they had lost.

Now, they must follow the Ming army to take it back.

When the siege began, Konishi Yukinaga was already standing on the north-facing tower.

He heard the sound of cannons and saw the Ming army's formation begin to move forward.

Someone came to report:

"Korean soldiers are approaching from the north of the city."

"A separate team?"

The messenger bowed his head.

"No, there are also Ming soldiers mixed in."

How many?

"I don't know."

Xiao west looked out of the city.

He did not believe that the Ming army would expect such a disguise to trick them into opening the city gates.

Li Rusong wasn't that naive; this was simply to make the soldiers guarding the front lines a beat slower in their judgment.

And that one shot was enough for them to get close to the city walls.

Konishi gave the order:

"Firearms should be used with caution."

"Get within fifty paces, then fire."

"Recognize the flag, not the clothing."

"Second row of the north wall, prepare stones."

"Don't pour the oil in a hurry."

"They'll pour it out when they're going up the ladder."

The Japanese general accepted the order.

Xiaoxi added:

"The West Gate reserve team is not allowed to move without authorization."

"The Ming army wants to see how we will repair it."

"Don't show everything."

On the other side, Ginji Kito listened to the cannon fire, his face grim.

Several new recruits in the advance team stood at the back, already trembling with fear.

One of the players, watching the approaching Ming army formation, took a half-step back.

"もう心り杀れん. Kanagawa へ帰る!" (I won't guard anymore. I want to go back to Kanagawa!)

「こんな戦、俺にできるか……俺はただ……!」(This is not something I can fight, I just…)

His mouth was open, but the last word came out abruptly.

The blade sliced ​​open his throat, and blood sprayed onto the faces of several people nearby.

Ghost Head looked at the remaining people.

"Who else wants to leave?"

No one dared to speak.

Several Han Chinese players also lowered their heads.

They regretted it.

The reason for choosing the Japanese army was because they had a strong start.

It's because the rewards are high.

It's because they think that knowing history will allow them to hide behind the scenes and reap the benefits.

Now they realize that this is not a game.

They are just ants on the road, about to be crushed by the wheels of history.

Wiping the blood off the knife, Ghost Head said coldly:

"No one can leave."

"Those who don't want to defend will die by my hand first."

Then, he looked at Yinzhen, who had come with him.

In the end, the other side only brought a few peripheral members of the Qingliu Society, plus a few cannon fodder players.

As for the core combat forces, none of them were touched.

Ghost Head cursed inwardly.

"Your Highness, several thousand people have come to the Qingliu Gathering this time. But you..."

Yinzhen said calmly:

"These people are enough."

Upon hearing this, Ghost Head instantly lost his composure and sneered.

"Enough to send them to their deaths?"

Yinzhen looked out of the city.

"I have ordered them to retreat to Wangjing (Seoul)."

The ghost head stared at him, and Yinzhen turned to look at him.

"Pyongyang cannot be held."

"I already said that."

"It's your business if Kikugakusha wants to protect itself."

"The real show is in the next few matches! We'll make them pay a heavy price here!"

Fearing punishment from the club president, Kito was furious, but he had to remain calm.

He also needed to use the intelligence from the Qingliu Society.

It's not worth turning against them now.