Black Corporation: Joseon

Ikuta Shrine occupied a truly exquisite position.

The sea blocked the south, while the north was lined with highlands difficult enough to traverse that they could be called mountains.

Therefore, Ouchi’s forces had to pass through here to reach Kyoto, where the Shogunate and Emperor resided. It was also a strategic transportation point the Shogunate had to pass through to suppress Ouchi.

***

Ouchi’s main camp was established slightly southwest of Ikuta Shrine.

In front of the tent surrounded by splendid banners bearing the Ouchi family crest stood a hastily constructed wooden command tower, atop which Ouchi Mochiyo and Morimi observed the opposing Shogunate camp.

After observing the Shogunate camp through the telescope gifted by Joseon, Morimi lowered it and surveyed the surroundings.

Examining the terrain blocked by mountains and sea on either side, Morimi addressed Mochiyo beside him.

“Lord, truly exquisite terrain.”

“Monkeys?”

When Morimi expressed confusion, Mochiyo raised his hand to point at the Shogunate camp’s center.

“They’ve lengthened their spears.”

At Mochiyo’s words, Morimi nodded while observing the Shogunate camp through the telescope.

“Indeed, they are like monkeys.”

***

During this period, the spears carried by Japanese spearmen weren’t as long as those used in the Sengoku period of history before Hyang’s intervention.

The average length of long spears carried by Japanese spearmen was six to seven shaku (about 2-2.3 meters) including the blade.

Considering the Japanese people’s short stature, this was a sufficiently powerful length.

However, Ouchi had adopted long spears like those carried by Joseon’s sword-spear troops.

The main force behind introducing these truly long spears measuring one jang and five chi (about 4.5 meters) was the civil faction who had studied in Joseon.

***

The Guard Office protecting Joseon’s capital Hanseong and the Interior Guard protecting Gyeongbok Palace and the king regularly conducted training on the Han River’s sandy beaches.

These regular drills were such a spectacular sight that crowds gathered to watch.

As it was customary for the king to attend these drills, many concerned about the king’s safety tried to prevent commoners from approaching.

However, Hyang opposed these opinions.

“Seeing the might of the soldiers protecting them will raise the people’s morale and loyalty.”

“The people’s loyalty, you say?”

“Won’t they have less to complain about if they see how their tax money is being used?”

“Ah!”

Thus, Hanseong’s people were allowed to watch the military drills. As time passed, hearing rumors of the spectacular sight, people from the provinces began timing their visits to the capital to watch. Eventually, notice boards in government offices across Joseon posted announcements of when the year’s regular training would take place.

The birth of what would become a long-standing tourist attraction.

Though the training was opened to the public, not everything was shown. For safety reasons, artillery and musket training supervised by Sejong himself remained closed to the public.

The people could only watch the sword-spear troops and cavalry training, but they actually preferred this. The sword-spear troops moving like hedgehogs with their dense formation of long spears and the cavalry shaking the earth as they charged were more thrilling.

***

The civil faction who had studied in Joseon and witnessed these drills strongly advocated immediately adopting Joseon’s long spears.

“Aren’t they just needlessly long?”

Though all the samurai, starting with then-lord Morimi, tilted their heads skeptically, the civil faction continued pushing for Joseon-style long spears.

“They’ve proven clearly useful in actual combat!”

“Their effectiveness has already been proven on the battlefield!”

“Hmm…”

After long deliberation over adopting Joseon-style spears, Morimi soon reached a decision.

“Let’s adopt them!”

He decided to adopt Joseon spears because they were extremely effective at defending against cavalry.

Though Japanese cavalry was quite weak compared to Ming or Joseon, their battlefield value was still far from insignificant.

And Joseon’s long spears weren’t only effective against cavalry. In spear-versus-spear combat, the significantly longer spears provided an advantage.

***

Thus adopted after various trials, Joseon-style long spears soon began showing their worth on the battlefield.

The combination of matchlock muskets and long spears began achieving greater results than Japanese samurai had ever experienced.

Lords serving both Ouchi and the Shogunate, having tasted both victory’s sweetness and defeat’s bitterness, hurried to adopt muskets and long spears.

However, these lords who adopted muskets and long spears overlooked the most important thing.

Ouchi’s remarkable achievements were possible because of their standing army modeled after Joseon. Through rigorous training, Ouchi’s standing army had perfected the combination of different arms, resulting in battlefield success.

This was an army and achievements that couldn’t have existed without the Iwami silver mines jointly developed with Joseon and steady trade with Joseon.

This was why Morimi and Mochiyo mocked the Shogunate’s spear units as monkeys.

***

The first battle that began as soon as both forces properly established their camps was a war of words.

The Shogunate’s messenger arrived at Ouchi’s camp but, without dismounting, raised his voice toward Mochiyo and Morimi atop the command tower.

“Here this, rebels! You are complicit in the treason raised by the Ouchi family! His Majesty the Emperor has issued an imperial edict commanding the suppression of the treasonous Ouchi family! Here is that edict!”

The messenger raised high the imperial edict he had worn at his waist.

Shortly after, a mounted samurai emerged from the Ouchi camp to receive the edict.

After reading the contents of the edict brought by his subordinate, Mochiyo raised his voice.

“Hmph! Our uprising is not treason! We rose up because you evil officials oppress His Majesty and plunge the people into suffering! Who would believe His Majesty’s true intentions are in this edict! That this edict comes only now proves it’s not His Majesty’s true will! You evil officials obtained it by threatening His Majesty!”

“We have His Majesty’s envoy in our camp!”

At the Shogunate messenger’s protest, Mochiyo snorted again.

“Hmph! That envoy must be another evil official in league with you lot!”

Having denied the Shogunate’s claims, Mochiyo declared in a loud voice:

“If I have committed any crime! After suppressing all you traitors! I shall go before His Majesty myself and ask! Now get out!”

“What!”

“Be grateful we’re letting you leave alive!”

“Tch!”

At Mochiyo’s final warning, the messenger had to turn his horse around.

After the messenger left, Mochiyo looked at the sky. Seeing the red glow of sunset already appearing, he commanded his subordinates:

“Tomorrow will be the decisive battle, so make sure the soldiers eat their fill!”

“Sir!”

“And maintain strict vigilance against night attacks! These evil officials who blind His Majesty might try any cowardly trick!”

“Sir!”

After giving his orders, Mochiyo descended the command tower with Morimi.

***

Shortly after, a feast was held in Mochiyo’s tent, gathering allied lords and commanders.

Though tables full of food and drink prepared by Ouchi were laid out, hardly any lords properly enjoyed them.

“Alliance Leader. Shouldn’t we worry about the evil officials obtaining an imperial edict?”

When one of the lords expressed concern, Mochiyo answered with an expression suggesting it was nothing.

“There’s absolutely no need for concern.”

“But it’s an imperial edict and command, isn’t it?”

At this continued objection, Mochiyo emptied his cup and answered.

“As I said earlier, if this were His Majesty’s true intent, it wouldn’t have come only now. How many years have passed since we raised our army under the banner of suppressing traitors? There was no word all this time, but now that we’re at the Shogunate’s doorstep, an edict appears? What do you think this means?”

The lords nodded at Mochiyo’s point.

If it had been the Emperor’s true intent, an imperial messenger would have come to stop Ouchi as soon as they rose up, or imperial edicts commanding Ouchi’s suppression would have been spread throughout Japan.

But the imperial edict only emerged here, with Kyoto and Naniwa right before them.

Watching the lords’ reactions, Mochiyo drove his point home.

“After suppressing the traitors, I shall go before His Majesty and ask forgiveness for the crime of disturbing his divine heart!”

At Mochiyo’s firm declaration, the lords muttered internally:

He’s not even considering defeat.

Well, considering his achievements so far…

Go before His Majesty? He means he’ll enter the capital and announce himself as ruler of the realm.

Kyoto was modeled after Tang Dynasty Chang’an. Subsequently, entering Kyoto came to be called “ascending to the capital” or “entering the capital.” For lords, it meant not simply entering Kyoto but seizing power.

In other words, Mochiyo’s words were a declaration that he would overthrow the current Muromachi Shogunate and establish a new one.

Hearing Mochiyo’s declaration, the lords fell into deeper thought, calculating various gains and losses.

Will he succeed?

We’re in the same boat now, so we must do our best.

How can we gain more advantage after Ouchi takes power?

***

The next morning, as day broke, both armies began preparing for battle.

Starting with Mochiyo and Morimi, Ouchi family commanders and samurai gathered in Mochiyo’s command tent.

It was for the final strategy meeting before battle commenced.

Shortly after, allied domain lords and commanders also gathered in the tent.

“Now, let’s do a final review.”

The strategy meeting began with Mochiyo’s words.

Final adjustments were made regarding positions and opponents each lord would take, centered around Ouchi’s army.

After finishing the process of coordinating lords with different thoughts – some trying to minimize their losses, some willing to take casualties to gain achievements for the future, some just watching and unable to decide – the lords and their commanders returned to their armies.

Mochiyo addressed his subordinates and retainers remaining in place.

“Let’s make today the greatest day of our lives!”

“WOOO!”

As the commanders answered with a roar, Mochiyo and Morimi walked to the altar prepared in the command tent and pressed their palms together. Following Mochiyo and Morimi, the commanders and samurai prayed for victory.

After the prayers finished and everyone returned to their places, pages passed around cups and poured sake.

Holding up his cup full of sake, Mochiyo shouted:

“Let’s go!”

“Let’s go!”

Those who shouted emptied their cups in one go and threw the empty cups to the ground.

Crash!

Stepping on the shattered fragments of sake cups, Mochiyo and the Ouchi family members left the tent.

It was the beginning of a battle where they had bet everything on their family.