While laying groundwork using the Joseon cavalry, Choi Yoon-deok had laid additional groundwork.
“General! General!”
At Ming’s vanguard advance guard.
Commander Zhang Yide stepped forward at the urgent voice calling him.
“What is it?”
“The scouts have brought urgent news!”
“Urgent news?”
Hearing the words ‘urgent news,’ Yide rode his horse forward.
“Well. What’s this urgent news?”
To Yide’s question, a cavalry scout who had returned from reconnaissance pointed to the distance and answered.
“We discovered Joseon forces twenty li ahead!”
At the scout’s report, Yide tensely asked with urgency.
“Really? How many are there, and what are they doing? Are they preparing defenses?”
“Their numbers appear to be about 1,000, and they were loading supplies onto wagons!”
“Loading supplies onto wagons?”
“Yes! It seems they were preparing their final withdrawal!”
“Hmm…”
After briefly considering the scout’s report, Yide asked another question.
“You said there were 1,000 Joseon forces, but how many infantry and how many cavalry?”
“Almost no infantry was visible, they were all cavalry.”
“Hmm…”
At the scout’s report, Yide analyzed the situation.
Could it be a trap? No, too obvious to be a trap…
Yide took out the map he carried and pointed to the location in question.
Middle of open ground. Ambush would be difficult. Were the Joseon cavalry receiving supplies? That makes sense since cavalry needs supplies too. Let’s see… I have 2,000 cavalry available. A bit risky…
“Hmm… how much supplies were there?”
“A great amount, sir!”
Hearing the answer, Yide immediately made his decision.
“Gather all cavalry! And have the soldiers remove their armor, carrying only helmets, spears, and swords!”
“General?”
“We’ll move as fast as possible to seize the Joseon forces’ supplies! If we’re lucky, we might even get intelligence about the Joseon forces! Move quickly!”
“Yes, sir!”
At Yide’s decision, his subordinate officers began moving busily.
Yide continued issuing orders without pause.
“Select those with bravery from among the unarmored soldiers and have them ride double with the cavalry! And messenger!”
“Yes, General!”
“Report to the main force! Tell them we seem to have caught the Joseon forces’ tail!”
“Yes, General!”
After even sending the messenger, Yide urged his subordinates.
“Are preparations complete?”
“Almost finished, sir!”
“Hurry! We might lose the Joseon forces if we’re slow! This is a good chance to seize their supplies!”
“Yes, sir!”
After urging his subordinates, Yide forcefully suppressed the corners of his mouth that kept trying to rise.
Joseon forces’ supplies are famous for their quality. And when you properly seize enemy supplies, their losses double!
As Yide said, Joseon forces’ supplies were famous for their quality. Most famous were their field rations. Dissolving an appropriate amount in water and boiling it made a substantial meal. Even Ming merchants would seek out Joseon-made field rations for long journeys.
***
Half a time unit later, the Ming cavalry advanced under Yide’s direct command.
“Don’t forget to watch your surroundings!”
“Absolutely no rash moves!”
Under Yide’s command, the Ming cavalry rode at a fast trot.
“There are the Joseon forces, sir!”
As the scout had said, after riding about twenty li, the Ming cavalry discovered the Joseon forces. The Joseon cavalry, likewise spotting the Ming cavalry, were hastily mounting their horses.
Their numbers have decreased further! About 400-500! Perfect!
Yide, rejoicing internally, drew his sword and shouted.
“Attack!”
“Charge!”
“Waaaah!”
Seeing Joseon cavalry far fewer in number than themselves, Yide’s cavalry charged forward with battle cries.
The battle ended anticlimactically. Upon seeing Ming cavalry’s charge, the Joseon cavalry abandoned their supplies and fled as fast as they could.
“Hahaha! What cowards!”
“Complete rabble!”
The Ming cavalry, mocking the now-distant Joseon cavalry, dismounted along with the soldiers they had carried.
They headed for the supplies left behind by the Joseon forces.
“They were certainly in a hurry.”
The soldiers, examining the scene with half-loaded wagons and various supplies scattered about, soon began searching through boxes.
“Hey! Field rations!”
“This is alcohol! Good mixed with water!”
While excited soldiers were rummaging through items, Yide arrived slightly later and shouted.
“Gathering comes later, search properly first!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
At Yide’s command, the soldiers stuffed what they could into their clothes and began thoroughly searching the surroundings.
That evening, Yide presented a half-burned map to the vanguard general.
“This was obtained from the Joseon forces’ supply point we seized today. Looking at it, it appears to be their supply hub.”
At Yide’s report, the vanguard general compared the points marked on the captured map with his own map.
After briefly examining the locations, the vanguard general nodded.
“Indeed. It’s a good location for a supply hub. We’ll track the Joseon forces along this route.”
“Yes, sir!”
Hearing Yide’s response, the vanguard general turned to his other commanders.
“We need to increase our speed. From today’s situation, the Joseon forces seem to be retreating urgently. It’s a good opportunity, and if we do well, we might encounter such luck again like today.”
“Indeed, sir!”
The amount of supplies Yide’s unit had seized was considerable. Even excluding what the first-arriving soldiers had pilfered, there was enough for all the vanguard’s soldiers to have one hearty meal. The soldiers’ and commanders’ eyes were filled with greed at this unexpected fortune.
***
“Will they really take the bait, sir?”
To Lee Jing-ok’s question, Choi Yoon-deok nodded confidently.
“They’ll definitely take it. You know well too, don’t you? Soldiers are always hungry no matter how much they eat.”
Lee Jing-ok nodded at Choi Yoon-deok’s words. He had been the same when serving on the front lines. Every time they deployed, the first, most diligent, and largest gathering was of rations and ammunition.
Choi Yoon-deok continued.
“There’s a saying ‘guarding the stump waiting for rabbits’? Having tasted rabbit meat, now they can only come along the path we’ve set.”
Referencing the tale of the foolish farmer who, having gotten a rabbit that died hitting a tree stump, sat by the stump waiting for such luck to repeat, Choi Yoon-deok added.
“Additionally, we’ve openly shown them our forces fleeing desperately, even abandoning precious supplies, so they’ll look down on our Joseon forces. And their being a large army will also be their downfall. Once an army sets its course, changing direction isn’t easy, and this becomes harder the larger the force. Having already turned and started moving, they can only come along our desired route to our desired location.”
The subordinate commanders, including Lee Jing-ok, nodded at these words steeped in Choi Yoon-deok’s experience as a veteran commander.
And the Ming forces fell into that trap.
Receiving the urgent report ‘Joseon forces spotted!’, Yide immediately assessed the situation.
Looking at the distant Joseon position, Yide checked his location on the map and smiled bitterly.
“So they drew us in?”
****
“We’ve been drawn in.”
The vanguard general, immediately checking the map upon receiving Yide’s report, smiled bitterly like Yide.
The Joseon forces were now positioned at the eastern edge of Guangning. In the history before Hyang’s intervention, Joseon forces were waiting in position at the eastern part of what would become Panjin City.
Both Yide and the vanguard general said they had been “drawn in” because of the Joseon forces’ position.
North of the plain facing where Joseon forces had positioned was the Twin Crown Prince River, and to the south flowed the Great Liao River.
And now not only Ming’s vanguard but part of their main force had entered this area.
In other words, unless they could break through the Joseon forces blocking the exit, they couldn’t enter Liaodong Fortress or Joseon.
***
“A decisive frontal battle staking heaven and earth… Rather, isn’t this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”
Commander-in-Chief Han Yixin instead rejoiced at receiving the vanguard’s worried report.
“A frontal battle is exactly what we wanted! Though the Joseon forces’ position is dangerous ground, given our forces it can never become death ground!”
Waving his raised fist, Han Yixin raised his voice.
“Though Joseon forces’ firepower may be stronger than ours, it must have limits! Like endless waves breaking a seawall, push in our forces to break Joseon’s defenses!”
Han Yixin’s orders were immediately relayed to the vanguard.
Receiving the orders, the vanguard general maintained an aloof expression and called his subordinate commanders.
“We will be the vanguard of the charge. Distribute wine and meat to the soldiers.”
“Yes, sir.”
***
The battle later called the Great Battle of Guangning continued fiercely.
Ming forces fed in troops to break through Joseon’s six-layered wire entanglement walls, while Joseon forces expended enormous ammunition to stop them.
During this war of attrition that would go down in history, both sides continuously replenished their depleted supplies and manpower.
“What if we pulled back some troops to outflank via the Twin Crown Prince River?”
Ming commanders, exhausted from the war of attrition lasting over half a month, proposed a flanking operation to Han Yixin.
“That sounds good.”
Following Han Yixin’s acceptance of the proposal, about 20,000 infantry were selected to outflank via the Crown Prince River. However, these flanking forces were annihilated by waiting Joseon cavalry.
“Damn it all! What happened to the reinforcements!”
Han Yixin, receiving reports of the “separate force’s annihilation,” raged while seeking reinforcements.
When they had entered the Liaoxi corridor after passing Shanhaiguan, Han Yixin had been confident of victory upon hearing additional forces would join.
“The more the better, they say! Once reinforcements arrive, the outcome is already decided!”
However, the current battle was demanding enormous consumption of personnel and supplies.
“We need reinforcements, reinforcements! If we stop here, it’s just meaningless attrition!”
***
While Han Yixin was anxiously waiting for reinforcements, Choi Yoon-deok also wore an anxious expression.
“We’re holding out somehow, but we’re nearly at our limit. What on earth is the navy doing?”
What Choi Yoon-deok was waiting for was news from the navy tasked with “taking Shanhaiguan.”
“If Shanhaiguan falls, victory will definitely be ours…”
Day 20 of battle.
“General! Great news!”
Lee Jing-ok, face beaming with joy, presented a communication to Choi Yoon-deok.
“The navy has finally done it!”
“Oh!”
Face brightening at Lee Jing-ok’s words, Choi Yoon-deok quickly took the communication.
The message transmitted via signal lights was concise:
-Shanhaiguan collapsed. Ming supply route successfully cut.
The Joseon navy had destroyed Shanhaiguan, cutting off Ming forces’ supplies.
Confirming the message’s contents, Choi Yoon-deok unconsciously clenched his fist.
“Done! Now victory has passed to us!”