Season 3: Chapter 254. Incheon Landing Operation (1)
Three ships versus seventeen ships. It was a lonely battle. Although many soldiers moved shells and lit fires behind him, Pang felt utterly alone.
After anchoring his ship on the narrow shore, Pang grasped the helm on the deserted island and shouted until his voice was hoarse, "Fireeeeeee!!!"
He had no support from the commander, no assistance from the vice commanders, and no help from the archer unit that once followed him. Only blazing flames, acrid smoke, and deafening cannon fire surrounded him.
Boom!!!
In that chaos, he had to fight alone. The fate of the ship rested solely in his hands.
'It’s broken...!'
The shot successfully shattered an Atakebune into pieces. However, they still had to face many more ships. Joseon's only advantage was that the Atakebune cannons had a shorter range.
Swoosh...!
The Atakebune approached to fire its cannons.
'They can’t bring in more than two ships.'
As expected, all those ships couldn't come in at once.
"Turning the ship! Hold tight!"
Screech!
Pang turned the helm with all his strength, causing the ship to veer sharply. Everyone on deck lost their balance due to the sudden, rapid turn. In the game, the person at the helm could control the ship's entire movement, including forward and backward motions for convenience.
[Advance]
Pang commanded them to move the ship, distancing themselves from the Atakebune. The large Panokseon fought its way through the rolling waters.
'Just five minutes.'
If he could hold the attention of the Japanese ships for just five minutes, the mission would be a success.
'They don’t know how many ships we have.'
The Japanese didn’t know that Joseon had only two Panokseon ships. They would assume more were waiting near the shore and would try to deal with these first. He needed to delay their advance as much as possible. The Panokseon had to flee and maneuver as cleverly as possible.
'We’re almost at land... going further is impossible.'
However, they soon reached the section where two islands connected and blocked the waterway.
'We’re here.'
Crash...!
The Japanese ships moved faster. With a loud noise, the Atakebune closed in.
However—
'Got it!'
Scrape...!
The shallow water made it impossible for the Atakebune to navigate properly. The Japanese ship became stuck due to the sandy bottom. They mistakenly went too far.
At that moment, Pang turned the bow.
"Turn! Right side cannons ready?!!"
"Ready!"
Splash!
With a surge of water, the Panokseon turned.
Clank!
The previously unused right-side cannons appeared.
"Fireeeeeee!!!"
Following Pang’s command, the Panokseon erupted in flames.
Boom!
The Atakebune, stuck in the sand, couldn’t respond and shattered.
Boom!
The Atakebune exploded into pieces.
"Whooooaaa!!"
Cheers erupted from the Joseon ship.
"Great! Next!" Pang excitedly called for the next target.
There was none. Only one Atakebune had followed them.
'What? Just one?'
Moreover, the recently destroyed Atakebune had an unusually small crew. A few soldiers jumped off quickly and their casualties were minimal.
'What’s going on?'
Click, click, click...!
Footsteps echoed from somewhere.
"Mr. Pang! Below! Below!"
Pang quickly released the helm and looked down.
"?!"
The Japanese soldiers were climbing aboard the ship. Coming this far into the shallow shore allowed them to climb up from land.
'Did they have Japanese soldiers on this island beforehand?'
The Japanese knew they couldn’t defeat the Panokseon in a sea battle with the Atakebune. They had driven the Panokseon to the shore to engage in close combat.
In other words, they had already landed troops on this small island and drove the Panokseon to the shore with the Atakebune. Given the cost and combat power, sacrificing two Atakebune to trap two Panokseon was a significant gain.
Moreover...
'Wait. There aren’t many troops here either.'
Most of the troops from the seventeen ships were still unaccounted for. Where had they gone?
'The main base!'
The Japanese were heading straight for Joseon’s main base. They had ambushed the Panokseon while the remaining fourteen ships headed directly to the main base. It would be over if those troops landed at Joseon’s main base.
"Damn! We have to move the ship back!"
He hurriedly grabbed the helm to steer them back to the main base.
Screech──!
A screeching noise echoed from the ship.
"Mr. Pang! We’re caught by the harpooners! We can’t move!"
"We have to fight!"
Harpooners were a special unit for close combat on Japanese ships, designed to prevent enemy ships from escaping. They could harpoon ships to immobilize them and prevent them from escaping. They weren’t often produced unless the plan was to engage in close combat.
'They’re determined.'
It seemed Japan had decided not to win through cannon battles after the second game. That was a wise decision.
Pang gritted his teeth and drew the gak strapped to his back.
Thunk.
"Shoot down all the ones climbing up!"
"Yes!"
Creak...!
Pang drew his bow and the soldiers drew their swords. Most of them came from the sword unit. Manager Kim dreamt of owning a house in Seoul, Agent Kim worked at a logistics center moving goods, and Gym Director Park ran a gym. They all gathered to draw their swords on the deck.
The Japanese soldiers appeared one by one, climbing onto the ship.
Thwack!
Pang released his arrow.
Thud!
A head was blown off, but one was far from enough.
"They’re coming!"
Whoosh.
Japanese soldiers agilely leaped onto the ship.
[Samurai]
These samurai possessed third era traits and abilities.
Clang
Their long katanas clashed with sparks against the Joseon crescent swords.
"Hyaaaaaa!"
"Hold! Push them back!" Pang shouted as he pulled back his bow and shot arrows.
His arrows struck their targets.
The crescent swords also dealt effective heavy blows against the samurai.
However─
"?!"
The situation quickly turned.
Roll...
Something rolled onto the deck.
"Smoke—"
It was a ninja’s smoke bomb.
Thunk.
Immediately, the Japanese soldiers covered their mouths and noses with cloth.
Sssshh!!
Thick, acrid gray smoke quickly filled the deck.
[Status Effect: Vision Disruption]
[Status Effect: Coughing]
“Cough! Cough!”
Coughing sounds echoed everywhere. More allies had clearly arrived, but Pang couldn’t distinguish their positions.
"Damn... Cough!"
"Aaaargh!"
Slash!
The samurai and ninja began their one-sided massacre. Pang, positioned at the rear, avoided immediate harm.
"Cough! Cough!"
However, he couldn’t escape the smoke's influence.
'Where... where is it?'
Pang desperately searched for something. It was the only weapon that could turn the tide. Even in the thick smoke, he was sure he could find it. It had to be somewhere on this ship. He felt along the floor, crawling toward it.
"Huff... Huff...!"
Thunk!
His hand found the cold barrel.
"You’re dead, bastards."
He pulled the barrel back with all his strength and turned it. Then, he loaded the cannonball and lit the fuse. As the smoke thinned, the shadows of the samurai became visible.
Most of the Joseon swordsmen had already fallen or got injured with slashes.
'Where should I shoot?'
With little time left, he struggled to decide the best target. The smoke hadn’t fully cleared, so he couldn’t see where the Japanese soldiers gathered.
Just then...
[Attack]
Ping!
A ping appeared.
"!"
Without hesitation, Pang adjusted the cannon and finished lighting the fuse.
"Dieeeeee!"
Boom──!
The cannon roared. The shot went flying toward the deck. He destroyed the deck beneath the soldiers.
Both Japanese and Joseon soldiers fell through the hole. Only the rear deck where Pang stood remained intact. The rest was too shattered to stand on. It was chaos.
"Whoa!?"
"What the hell!?"
"Aaaargh!"
Many fell to their deaths or had been killed by the blast. Pang glanced down and roughly estimated that most of the casualties were Japanese soldiers.
'It was precise.'
The commander’s order was accurate as always.
'But if she was watching here...'
Something happened at the main base.
[Escape]
Pang received an escape order and followed the ping. He climbed down the side of the ship.
He heard Malatang’s voice as he descended.
"Oh, you escaped! Captain!"
"Call me Emperor Pang."
"Emperor? Firing cannonballs like Emperor Buggy?"
Malatang had come with a small Hwaseon to pick Pang up. It seemed the Panokseon he had first boarded had been destroyed by the Japanese.
"Anyway, these are the survivors."
Malatang pointed to a group of just eight soldiers.
"... At least we have some left. Let’s go."
"Okay~"
Malatang took the helm and the Hwaseon returned to Joseon’s main base.
***
At that moment, on a beach at the edge of Japan’s main base...
Swoosh...
A few small boats quietly anchored. The white sails were folded and ramps were laid down.
Thud.
A single hoofprint appeared on the deserted beach.
"Whew. We’re almost there."
The rider was a young man dressed in a red robe with a bow on his back.
[Almond]
Behind him, many others dressed similarly disembarked. Slowly, about a hundred soldiers landed.
[Game time: 25 minutes and 17 seconds.]
The Joseon army had successfully landed on Japan’s mainland.
[Author’s Note]
The Emperor Buggy reference is from One Piece! One Piece is one of my favorite manga series of all time.