Thanks to the Jingtai Emperor’s firm resolve, Ming’s navy was quickly proceeding with preparations.
While soldiers and workers at every naval port facing the Yellow Sea busily loaded supplies onto warships, the Jingtai Emperor, Grand Secretary, Minister of War, Commanders-in-Chief, and naval admirals gathered around a conference table with a large map spread out in the imperial palace in Nanjing to discuss strategy.
“Preparations are proceeding smoothly so far. If all goes as planned, we should be able to depart around the Beginning of Winter (November 7-8).”
Hearing the report, the Jingtai Emperor slightly frowned.
“Isn’t the Beginning of Winter too late? Would Frost Descent (October 23-24) be impossible?”
At the Jingtai Emperor’s words, the admirals’ faces slightly hardened. The Emperor was now asking them to move the schedule up by two weeks.
‘He’s asking if it’s impossible, but he’s really ordering us to move it up!’
‘If we’re to advance by two weeks…’
Though they were cursing inwardly, this was the august Emperor’s command. Seeing the admirals caught in a dilemma, the Left Commander-in-Chief stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, I humbly report. We are dealing with the malicious Joseon. We must prepare with our utmost effort and check and recheck for any deficiencies. Therefore, while Frost Descent would be too difficult, we will complete all preparations before the Beginning of Winter.”
“I see. Our opponent is Joseon, after all.”
At the Left Commander-in-Chief’s advice, the Jingtai Emperor reluctantly suppressed his impatience and modified his order.
“Would five days before the Beginning of Winter be feasible?”
“We will complete all preparations by then.”
“Very well. Now, what is the operational route?”
At the Jingtai Emperor’s question, one of the admirals stepped forward. The admiral began his explanation, moving model pieces on the map with a long pointer.
- First, the fleet will be divided into two main groups.
- Fleet A, a diversionary force, will gather in the Weihai area. It will tie down the Joseon fleet stationed in the Lüshun area.
- The main force, Fleet B, will gather east of Qingdao. It will advance directly eastward to attack Seosan, the home port of Joseon’s Inland Fleet.
- After defeating Joseon’s Inland Fleet stationed at Seosan, Fleet B will move northward along the coastline, sail up the Han River, and attack Hanseong, the capital of Joseon.
“Hmm…”
While examining the map and listening to the admiral’s explanation, the Jingtai Emperor shared his thoughts.
“What about dividing the fleet into three?”
“Pardon?”
“Let me explain.”
The Jingtai Emperor explained his plan:
- Divide the fleet deployed for the operation into three parts.
- However, rather than dividing equally into three, take 20% from Fleet A and 10% from Fleet B to form Fleet C.
- Fleet C will primarily consist of medium-sized vessels with excellent mobility that can sail upstream.
- The purpose of Fleet C is to cross the Yellow Sea directly and strike at Hanseong, the capital of Joseon.
- When Fleet C advances toward Hanseong, Joseon’s navy will immediately move northward to block it.
- Fleet B will then be able to strike at the flank of the rapidly northbound Joseon forces.
“What do you think?”
At the Jingtai Emperor’s words, one admiral cautiously spoke up.
“It is truly an excellent strategy, but our naval warships are not abundant enough to be divided into three.”
“Are you saying there’s still a shortage after ten years of rebuilding?”
The Jingtai Emperor’s expression showed complete incomprehension. However, the admiral in question pointed out an unavoidable reality.
“We have recovered in size, but the issue is Joseon’s warships. To properly confront Joseon’s main warships, the Challenger-class vessels, our medium-sized ships need to attack at least three at a time.”
“Three ships?”
“At least three.”
“My…”
The Jingtai Emperor, who had been expressing disbelief, soon raised an objection.
“Don’t we have the Twin-Headed Flame Dragons?”
“The Twin-Headed Flame Dragons must be excluded from our calculations until Joseon’s Assault Turtle Ships are dealt with.”
“Ugh…”
Though the Jingtai Emperor groaned, the admiral continued to point out the reality.
“I, too, had considered a strategy to surprise Hanseong by sailing up the Han River. However, we concluded that it would be difficult without considerable force.”
“For what reason?”
The admiral explained why a surprise attack on Hanseong would be difficult:
- The fastest route passes north of Baengnyeongdo. However, this route is notorious for its strong currents even in normal times. If something goes wrong, we could lose a significant number of warships as non-combat losses.
- Even if we pass through alternative, safer routes, Ganghwado, which blocks the entrance to the Han River, is a problem. Joseon has built powerful defensive positions on this island.
- To effectively solve this, we would need to land a large force north of Jemulpo. The landed forces would split into two, both containing Ganghwado while advancing along the Gimpo area, moving upstream along the Han River to strike Hanseong.
- Simultaneously, we would need to push warships into the Han River, employing a coordinated land-sea advance strategy.
“…To succeed in this operation, we would need at least 50,000 troops and large warships to transport these troops and supplies. However, with our current situation, we lack the capacity to simultaneously destroy Joseon’s Inland Fleet and land at Jemulpo. If we wish to strike Hanseong by sailing up the Han River, we must first annihilate Joseon’s Inland Fleet.”
After pondering the admiral’s words for a long time, the Jingtai Emperor asked another question.
“Are you saying that an attack on Hanseong is possible only after we’ve committed our full force to destroy Joseon’s Inland Fleet?”
“Yes. Joseon is an opponent against whom tricks do not work.”
“Is that so…”
The Jingtai Emperor, trailing off, stared intently at the admiral in question before asking:
“What is your name?”
“I am Naval Commander-General Jin Wei.”
“Jin Wei… I understand.”
With a meaningful expression, the Jingtai Emperor concluded his words and continued the meeting.
“Then, let’s plan to complete all preparations and depart at least five days before the Beginning of Winter, and we’ll proceed with the operation as initially proposed, dividing the fleet into two. Do your utmost to return the humiliation we suffered from Joseon and display the dignity of our great nation.”
“We receive your command!”
“We’ll end here for today.”
As the Jingtai Emperor finished speaking, all meeting participants paid their respects and began to leave the conference room.
“Commander-General Jin, stay behind for a moment.”
At the Jingtai Emperor’s command, Jin Wei tightly closed his eyes, and his colleagues all gave him sympathetic looks before leaving the conference room.
After all participants had left, the Jingtai Emperor also ordered the eunuchs and imperial guards standing nearby.
“You may leave as well.”
“But, Your Majesty!”
“I said leave.”
At the Jingtai Emperor’s firm command, the eunuchs and imperial guards all left the conference room.
Finally, with just the two of them remaining, the Jingtai Emperor gestured to Jin Wei.
“Come closer and sit.”
At the Jingtai Emperor’s command, Jin Wei hesitantly approached and sat in a nearby chair.
“I will ask you. Can we win this war?”
“As the saying goes, ‘Do your best and leave the rest to Heaven.’ If we prepare our best and all officers and soldiers fight their hardest, we will achieve victory.”
“Is that so…”
The Jingtai Emperor, somewhat sensing the hidden meaning in Jin Wei’s words, trailed off.
“Sigh~.”
After pondering with closed lips, the Jingtai Emperor sighed, raised his head, and looked at Jin Wei.
“Then I’ll ask again. If we win this war, can we repay our past humiliation and bring down Joseon?”
At the Jingtai Emperor’s question, Jin Wei closed his mouth. When Jin Wei remained tightly silent without answering, the Jingtai Emperor urged him.
“Whatever answer you give, I won’t penalize you. So, answer without worry.”
At the Jingtai Emperor’s words, Jin Wei cautiously opened his mouth.
“Then I will share my thoughts. To conclude first, it would be ‘We will land a hard hit, but nothing will change.’ Even if we win the naval battle, attacking Hanseong would be impossible. No, rather than advancing to Hanseong, we would have to return immediately and focus on defense.”
“Why?”
“Because Joseon’s Inland Fleet isn’t their only fleet. Just looking at what we know, the Lüshun Fleet that Fleet A will be containing is of considerable size, and Joseon’s South Sea Fleet is twice as large as their Inland Fleet. Additionally, there’s the East Sea Fleet, whose exact size we don’t know. Not only that, if all of Joseon’s warships from their naval bases in distant oceans return, we would have to struggle desperately just to survive by focusing solely on defense.”
At Jin Wei’s words, the Jingtai Emperor immediately countered.
“We have the Twin-Headed Flame Dragons.”
“There are only three of them. And it’s still unclear whether they can gain an advantage against Joseon’s Assault Turtle Ships.”
“Then are you opposing this war?”
“I acknowledge its necessity. But it should stop at revenge; if it goes beyond that, it would be worse than not doing it at all.”
“So you’re saying we should be satisfied with delivering a strong blow to Joseon?”
“Yes. After that, we should immediately enter peace negotiations.”
“And if we want more?”
“We would have to prepare to lose everything we’ve recovered over the past 10 years and engage in a protracted war.”
“And if we lose that protracted war?”
At the Jingtai Emperor’s question, Jin Wei again tightly closed his mouth. At this silent answer, the Jingtai Emperor smiled slightly and continued.
“I understand what you’re trying to say. But you acknowledged the necessity. What does that mean?”
“After the last war, the people’s lives were devastated, and state affairs were in disarray. But now those wounds have healed, and the people’s morale is high. If we don’t engage in battle against Joseon now, the people will curse Your Majesty for being afraid. So this war is necessary. The issue is that we must not lose.”
“So, don’t be greedy, strike once, and immediately enter negotiations? Will Joseon really agree to negotiate?”
“If we have even one Twin-Headed Flame Dragon left while all of Joseon’s Assault Turtle Ships are destroyed, it’s entirely possible.”
“That is true…”
The Jingtai Emperor, trailing off and pondering Jin Wei’s words, asked again.
“You acknowledged the necessity of war but said anything beyond that would be greed. What would be needed for it not to be greed?”
At the Jingtai Emperor’s question, Jin Wei immediately answered.
“Time. If we had at least 5, no, 10 more years, it wouldn’t be greed.”
“Why?”
“Because we have in abundance what Joseon lacks most.”
“And what is that?”
“People. Our Ming has at least three times the population of Joseon. This is something Joseon can never catch up to, no matter how much time passes. As time flows, as our Ming’s population increases and becomes more prosperous, we won’t have to worry about life-or-death battles like now.”
“Then, should we stop this operation?”
“If you do so, the people will lose trust in Your Majesty.”
“Hmm…”
At Jin Wei’s words, the Jingtai Emperor fell into silence with a heavy expression.
‘This man’s words seem correct. The former Emperor also told me to add patience upon patience, and I thought I had been patient enough. But was ten years not enough?’
After pondering for a long time, the Jingtai Emperor made up his mind.
‘It’s already like a horseman pointing a spear! If I stop here, the people will mock me as a coward! I’ll trust in the Twin-Headed Flame Dragons!’
Having solidified his resolve, the Jingtai Emperor rose from his seat.
“I’ve heard your loyal advice well. Go back and do your best in your assigned duties. And return to me with news of victory.”
At the Jingtai Emperor’s command, Jin Wei immediately stood up, performed a ceremonial bow, and exclaimed:
“Commander-General Jin Wei! I will complete Your Majesty’s command with my life!”
***
Around the same time, Hyang and Shin In-seon were also putting their heads together in conversation at Gyeongbokgung Palace.
“If Ming doesn’t move this time, what do you think will happen?”
At Shin In-seon’s question, Hyang answered with a slight smile:
“Well, Wan or those who come after him will have a hard time.”