Ding-ding-ding!
At the loud ringing of bells, Ouchi soldiers who had been resting in their barracks rushed outside.
“Arm yourselves!”
“It’s a rebel attack!”
“It’s a rebel attack!”
At the words “rebel attack,” Ouchi soldiers hastily grabbed their muskets and ammunition belts.
They were in such a hurry that a significant number of soldiers moved while holding guns, wearing only their fundoshi (traditional Japanese underwear) and barefoot, with just ammunition belts and jinasa (conical military hats) on.
Just then, maintenance faction soldiers hidden in the darkness simultaneously pulled their triggers.
Bang! Rata-tat! Bang!
“Aaargh! Ugh!”
Ouchi soldiers who lost their lives or were seriously wounded in the sudden ambush rolled on the ground.
“Get down!”
“Find cover!”
“Move the wounded!”
“Find the enemy’s position!”
At the urgent commands of their officers, soldiers either dropped to the ground as soon as they came out of the barracks or threw themselves behind anything that could provide cover.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch…”
Having quickly secured safety, the soldiers seemed relieved now, grimacing as they nursed scrapes from the ground or scratches from barrack posts.
But right now, mere scratches were not the problem. The situation was such that even a small mistake could result in bullet holes in their bodies.
The soldiers peered around with their heads slightly raised while keeping their bodies as low as possible.
“Chikushō!”
Meanwhile, Yamashita Goro, a maintenance faction commander observing the movements of the Ouchi army from the dark shade of the forest, softly cursed. After catching his breath, Goro could not hide his disappointment.
“The Ouchi bastards’ reaction is faster than expected. So this is the Ouchi army…”
***
The original plan was to strike and immediately withdraw.
However, Goro, who was in charge of the operation, had confidently told his superior:
“When ambushed, the enemy will be in chaos! If we attack the confused enemy, we’ll achieve a great victory and even secure the weapons and equipment we lack!”
Seeing Goro’s confident demeanor, his superior sighed softly and replied:
“Don’t underestimate those Ouchi bastards. They’re battle-hardened veterans.”
“We have a sufficient chance of winning.”
“Just stick to the plan.”
“…Understood.”
Though he answered like that, Goro quietly muttered:
“Field command is the field commander’s responsibility. I can offset any punishment with achievements later.”
***
He had made his own calculations and started the battle, but as his superior had said, Ouchi was Ouchi.
The Ouchi army, which had been in chaos after the first gunfire, had already escaped confusion and was moving calmly.
Seeing this, Goro pounded a tree with his fist and spat out a curse.
“Chikushō! If we had the same muskets as those Ouchi bastards, the situation would have been different!”
The main muskets of the maintenance faction were Ming-made muskets used in the last civil war.
Unlike those used by the Muromachi Shogunate, they had rifled barrels, showing excellent accuracy, but they had a fatal weakness: they were muzzle-loading.
If they had breech-loading muskets like those of the Ouchi army, the Ouchi army would have suffered fatal damage before they could properly respond.
But while the maintenance faction soldiers who had finished firing were reloading their muzzles with gunpowder and bullets, the Ouchi army gained time to reorganize their posture.
Goro looked at the Ouchi army camp with a face full of regret.
“If we had just a few more troops, or even if we had imported Joseon composite bows…”
The best way to compensate for the disadvantage of muzzle-loading rifles was to mobilize many troops for sequential firing like three-rank firing.
Or to shower arrows during reloading time to keep the Ouchi army pinned down.
But the number of troops the maintenance faction had was too small to carry out the first tactic. They were still gathering people surreptitiously from Kyoto and the nearby Kanto region.
But because they were operating while avoiding Ouchi’s eyes, gathering people, training them, and procuring and supplying weapons were all progressing slowly.
The second tactic, using bows, also had many problems. Japanese bows were very large. The problem was that despite their size, their range was too short at about 20 jang (approximately 60m).
With such large size and short range, it was impossible to conduct ambush operations like with Ming-made muskets.
The only suitable bow for such operations was the Joseon composite bow. A properly made composite bow could easily fly about 100 jang (approximately 300m).
But obtaining Joseon composite bows was a pie in the sky. This was because Joseon prohibited their export.
Also, even if they were brought in, they were difficult to store in Japan’s natural environment.
Finally, Goro, unable to hide his disappointment, had to make a decision.
“Regrettable, but it’s best to stop here for now.”
Goro signaled to the soldiers around him. The soldiers who confirmed the signal began to quietly retreat.
***
The bombing operation in Omi was just the beginning.
Upon hearing the news from Omi, Ouchi immediately started preparing to send reinforcements to Omi by loading them onto iron horses.
“Those who carry out such acts cannot be in their right mind. But even if they’re not in their right mind, they’re thinking beings, so they’ll try to tamper with the railroad! Send orders to military camps near the railroad! Tell them to search the railroad!”
“Yes, sir!”
Shortly after, Yoshinori’s orders were transmitted using the light signal communicators installed along the railroad.
Interestingly, the communication code for the light signal communicator was the Jeongeum code used by the Empire. They transcribed Japanese pronunciations into Jeongeum and then transmitted them.
In the Ouchi military camps that received Yoshinori’s orders, soldiers were sent out to inspect the surrounding railroad.
***
Near present-day Himeji City.
“What are you bastards doing!”
At the shout of Ouchi soldiers searching the railroad, maintenance faction personnel who were setting up explosives on the tracks started fleeing toward the nearby forest.
“Chase them!”
“Stop right there!”
At the commander’s order, Ouchi soldiers gripped their guns tightly and began chasing the maintenance faction.
When the Ouchi soldiers reached the edge of the forest, maintenance faction warriors who had been hiding in the forest all drew their swords at once and charged at the soldiers.
“Ugh!”
“Block them!”
Unfortunately, the Ouchi soldiers who faced the attack of the maintenance faction warriors were new recruits. They had received training in bayonet close combat, but they were no match for the maintenance faction warriors who were skilled in swordsmanship.
After cutting down the soldiers in an instant, the maintenance faction warriors, covered in blood from head to toe, charged toward the remaining Ouchi soldiers around the railroad.
“Huh? Huh?”
The Ouchi recruits were slow to react to the unexpected counterattack, and the maintenance faction warriors did not miss this gap.
Before long, most of the Ouchi soldiers had fallen to swords, and a small number of soldiers fled after throwing away their muskets.
“Whew~.”
Himura, a maintenance faction warrior who exhaled a long breath, shook his sword to remove the blood and put it back in its scabbard.
“What are you doing! This is no time to show off! We need to collect the Ouchi bastards’ weapons and blow up the railroad immediately! Move!”
“Ah, yes! Yes!”
At the commander’s scolding, Himura hurriedly moved to search the dead Ouchi soldiers.
A little while later.
Boom!
The explosives set by the maintenance faction detonated, severing the railroad.
“We need to get away from here before the Ouchi bastards arrive! Move!”
***
Similar incidents to what happened near Himeji City occurred all over the railroad leading to Omi.
However, cases of success like Himeji were rare.
Ouchi troops commanded by hasty commanders immediately pulled the trigger as soon as they saw maintenance faction members trying to operate on the railroad.
More cautious commanders divided their troops into those responsible for searching and tracking and those prepared for ambushes.
The worst cases were the maintenance faction personnel who encountered Ouchi units with Bakuto-tai deployed.
Bakuto-tai members were warriors skilled in swordsmanship, and additionally, they were armed with handguns purchased from the Empire and distributed by the Shogunate.
Interestingly, Bakuto-tai members preferred these handguns over swords. The handguns, which had enhanced punching power rather than penetration power based on Hyang’s preferences and previous battle experiences, were demonstrating decisive lethality.
Enchanted by the handgun’s lethality and heavy recoil, Bakuto-tai members cherished these handguns, calling them “Six-Hole Cannons.”
Maintenance faction personnel who encountered Bakuto-tai members resisted fiercely but were subdued shortly afterward.
Maintenance faction personnel who were injured in battle and arrested were immediately dragged to the Bakuto-tai’s base. Those imprisoned in the base’s jail would soon have to endure severe torture.
“Where is your base!”
“Tell us who your comrades are!”
***
Nevertheless, even with just a few successes, the railroad was severed, and Ouchi’s reinforcements were stranded.
“Chikushō!”
Angry Yoshinori threw the report with a curse.
“Haaaah! Whew~.”
After calming his excitement with deep breaths, Yoshinori immediately issued orders.
“Start the reinforcement unit immediately! Tell them to move by railroad as far as the railroad is connected, and then move on foot from there! If time is delayed, those stubborn folks in Kyoto might do something stupid! We need to end this before that happens!”
“Yes, sir!”
***
As the activities of the maintenance faction became more active, the air in Yamaguchi also gradually became heavier.
“Those madmen might try something in Yamaguchi too. Assign escorts to officials of rank 4 and above.”
“Yes, sir!”
According to Yoshinori’s orders, high-ranking officials of the court, which had been integrated with the Shogunate, continued their commutes under strict escort.
And as Yoshinori had predicted, maintenance faction ambushes targeting these officials occurred.
Bang!
“Ambush!”
“My lord! My lord!”
Along with the sound of gunfire heard from afar, blood splattered on the palanquin’s canopy. Amid the urgent cries of the escorts beside the palanquin, the surrounding warriors and Bakuto-tai members looked around.
“Over there!”
“Over there!”
Seeing the fading gunpowder smoke around the second floor of a building a little distance away, Bakuto-tai members immediately drew their swords and ran toward the building in question.
Assassination attempts on important figures continued afterward.
As the number of important figures who lost their lives or were seriously injured by maintenance faction attacks increased one by one, Bakuto-tai thoroughly searched Yamaguchi city and tracked down maintenance faction members.
Bakuto-tai immediately captured and interrogated anyone who seemed even slightly suspicious.
In this process, innocent people were harmed, but because there was also the harvest of catching actual maintenance faction members, Bakuto-tai gradually increased the intensity.
During this investigation and tracking process, Bakuto-tai gained an unexpected harvest that they had not anticipated at all.
-The maintenance faction and the Emperor are connected.
Upon receiving the report, Yoshinori’s face became serious, and he issued an order.
“Blockade Kyoto! Make it so that not even a mouse can get in or out!”
“Yes, sir!”
***
While Japan was being drawn back into the vortex of civil war, the Empire was busy moving in a different sense.
–Let’s go punish those who wear human skin masks!
The New Frontier Punitive Force, led by Lee Jing-ok, had finally begun boarding ships.