Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 896

Episode 896 Prologue (11)

The war between Habsburg and Hungary was attracting the attention of surrounding powers.

The great powers that had to compete for control of Italy could not miss the lessons of this war.

This was because it was an all-out war between troops armed and trained with proper gunpowder weapons.

Accordingly, the great powers mobilized their various connections and dispatched their own nobles or military commanders to the Habsburgs and Hungary.

This was the birth of the so-called ‘gwanjeonmugwan’.

But becoming a military officer was not an easy task.

To see the full picture of the war, he had to stay on the front line, which was a dangerous mission that risked his life.

If you make a mistake, you could lose your life from blind shells or bullets, or from attacks by soldiers who lost their senses in the chaos of close combat.

In the end, the military observers stayed slightly away from the front line and observed the battle. Additionally, to avoid the risk of being mistaken for an attack, they stayed in a highly visible location as much as possible, wearing their ornate uniforms.

It was the birth of a European military conquest that would later become famous for its splendour.

* * *

After risking their lives, the military officers wrote and submitted a report on how to fight the upcoming war.

The report written by the warring parties as well as military attachés was voluminous, but the conclusion was simple.

-If a well-trained unit attacks while maintaining strong morale and fighting spirit, it can break through the enemy’s defense line.

It was the birth of an offensive military doctrine symbolized by the French army’s ‘Attaque à outrance’.

The authors also meticulously recorded the evidence that led to this conclusion.

-It is true that the power of freight cars and cannons is enormous. However, both cannons and freight cars have problems with firing rate and duration.

-The cannon cannot fire continuously due to overheating issues.

-In the case of freight cars, their greatest strength is continuous fire that does not stop until the cartridges are empty. However, space is limited due to its large size. Weaknesses include slower-than-expected firing speed and the time required to supply and reload bullets, which consume large quantities of bullets. Well-trained soldiers can take advantage of this weakness.

Up to this point, it was pretty much the same, but there were some differences after that. However, the conclusion of all reports was that ‘only an unstoppable attack is the answer.’

The monarchs and highest-ranking noble generals who saw this report all nodded.

“Indeed...”

Most of them had seen demonstrations of freight cars and cannons. Therefore, I was able to sympathize with the weaknesses listed in the report.

And ‘vigorous attacking spirit’ was also a word that suited their taste.

This was because they were accustomed to the battlefield where, not long ago, the soldiers gathered in the field formed a camp and engaged in a defensive battle, and knights wearing iron armor charged with long spears pointed.

However, there were also those who raised objections to this.

“Aren’t you being too optimistic? Our opponents are not only in Europe! “We must not forget the ‘Land of Flowers’!”

“You saw them wipe out the bandits in Suez!”

“We are using freight cars that are more advanced than the ones we use. “Besides that, they don’t know what else they’ll bring to the ‘land of flowers’!”

Every time a counterargument like this comes up, the ‘attackers’ immediately start to refute it again.

The basis used by the attackers for their rebuttal was ‘distance’.

-The road from the ‘Land of Flowers’ to Italy must pass through the sea, desert, and then the sea.

-The ‘Land of Flowers’ has the most ships in Europe and the East, but the problem is Suez.

The Suez railway has limited transport capacity. Also, this railway is not monopolized by the ‘Land of Flowers.’ A complex consultation process must be completed.

-This means that there is a limit to the amount that can be transported at one time.

-The better the new freight cars made by the ‘Land of Flowers’, the more bullets they will consume and problems with supply will arise.

-In the last Liaodong War, our Empire and Ming were able to mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops. This was because both we and the soldiers had a sense of belonging as ‘Joseon people’ and ‘people from a famous country.’

-However, Europe has not yet resolved this issue of belonging.

-Just looking at Italy, the perception of people as ‘Florence, Venetian, and Genoese’ is stronger than that of ‘Italians’.

“for a moment.”

Hyang, who stopped the military officer, pointed out the problem.

“Looking at the recent war between Habsburg and Hungary, it seems like your sense of belonging is not weak?”

The military official responded immediately to Hyang’s point.

“Because it is Habsburg and Hungary. If the sense of belonging had been strong, it would have been a ‘war between the Holy Roman Empire and Hungary.’”

“Hmm... I see.”

After the satisfied scent withdrew, the military officer continued his remarks.

-In the case of Hungary, the sense of belonging grew stronger as Hungarians who felt unfairly pressured by the Habsburgs came together. And through that sense of belonging, we were able to endure a war of attrition like this war. The Habsburgs were also able to solve the problem of belonging because it was a problem for the Habsburgs alone, not for the entire Holy Roman Empire.

-If the upcoming war turns into a large-scale war of attrition, it will become very difficult for the European powers to wage the war.

-Not only is there a problem with war costs, but it is also difficult to supply troops.

-However, if there are countries that have their own solutions in this area, we can think of our empire and France.

-This is because a sense of belonging as a ‘French’ was created through the last war with England.

“...Because of this, our military judged this doctrine to be a false ideology. “If the European powers continue to insist on this doctrine, the war that will take place in Italy will not be a long-term war.”

Hyun, who was quietly listening to the military officer’s report, gathered his thoughts a little more and asked a question.

“What about our empire? Do you have the confidence to handle a long-term war?”

“If you ask me to, I will do it, but to be honest, it’s impossible.”

Hyun’s eyes lit up at the military officer’s honest answer.

“why?”

“The Empire is still short of people. And Italy is too far away and there is not enough justification.”

“Even now, natives continue to worship in various places in the new land?”

“Shinji’s power area continues to increase. “It’s so difficult to handle.”

Everyone gathered in the room nodded at the military officer’s answer. Hyun asked the question again.

“Then what preparations are the imperial army making? Variables keep coming out?”

“We are still planning around short-term warfare. The most important thing right now is the first battle. The goal is to overwhelm the enemy with overwhelming firepower in the first battle and make the opponent lose his fighting spirit.”

“Do you think it is possible in just one battle?”

“Considering the difference in firepower between the imperial army and European armies, we believe it is quite possible.”

At that moment, the scent gave me a strong feeling of déjà vu.

‘Nana! ‘Have I seen this scene before?’

-If I give you a nice kick, you’ll be scared and start negotiating, right?

This was the Japanese military’s strategy just before the start of the Pacific War. And the result was....

In the end, Hyang had no choice but to enter the game again.

“You could call it resentment, but I think the military’s analysis of the current situation is too optimistic. “I think it’s better to think that a long-term war will inevitably occur and make plans again.”

Everyone in the room froze at Hyang’s words.

The person who had more experience with war than anyone else in the room right now was Hyang.

That scent was now pointing out, ‘That’s your misjudgment!’