Season 3: Chapter 255. Incheon Landing Operation (2)
"Is Pang firing the cannon?!"
Pang had fired the cannon at his own ship.
"Whoaaaaa!"
The commentators and spectators alike erupted in cheers. With a single shot, the tide had turned from a situation where Japanese troops were advancing and only Joseon’s troops were dying.
— Wow, lol
— Such a satisfying bang~ (literally)
— The special Buggy cannon form is insane
"The decisiveness is incredible! He managed to survive!"
"The ship was destroyed, but it was already a lost cause anyway!"
"Pang! He’s covered in black ash, but he survived! He alone managed to survive the chaos!"
— That face says it all, lol
— ??? "Will our descendants ever know the suffering we endured?"
— Survived alone, lol
— Pang giving off apocalypse lone survivor vibes
— This is it~
Fortunately, Pang survived and escaped the hellish situation. However, Joseon's overall condition was far from favorable.
"Meanwhile, the Japanese forces have completely landed on Joseon's main island!"
Pang had only dealt with a small portion of the Japanese forces.
"In fact, the Japanese tied down the Panokseon ships and headed straight for the main island!"
"Yes, they turned a lure tactic into an entrapment strategy. Ringo is indeed very adept at these grand strategy battles!"
"Ah... the bombardment has started! The defensive towers are starting to collapse under the cannon fire!"
Boom!
Boom!
Several Atakebune ships anchored off Joseon's shore began bombarding them. The defensive towers along the coast collapsed helplessly. The Joseon troops defending the shore kept firing arrows to desperately hold the line. They took down the Japanese troops trying to disembark from the ships one after another.
[Attack]
The archers received attack orders to focus on the entrances of each ship and rained down arrows mercilessly.
"Basically, their range is longer and they deal more damage than muskets! At that range, they have to keep pouring out arrows and make it impossible to disembark!"
Thunk!
Thunk!
Dozens of Japanese soldiers couldn't even get off the ships as they turned into pin cushions.
"But watch out for the cannons!"
However, a few Atakebune aimed at the archers instead of the defensive towers.
Boom!
[Move]
[Move]
[Move]
Orders to move came just in time and the archers scattered.
"!"
Boom...!
The cannonballs struck empty spots and most of the archers went unscathed. Only a few who were slow to react died.
"Wow! They scattered! That’s insane!!"
"They’ve avoided it and resumed firing!"
[Attack]
After a brief movement, the archers resumed their attack.
Thunk!
They shot down a few Japanese soldiers who managed to get off the ships.
"Oh no! Japan will regret this! They shouldn't have come straight on! This is the worst battle formation for Japan!"
Ultimately, Japan seemed to temporarily give up on landing more troops. Instead—
[Smoke Bomb]
They dropped smoke bombs at each entrance.
Boom!
Thick smoke spread, obscuring the ships' positions.
"They still had smoke bombs!? They almost got caught!"
— Lol
— The ninjas have them too
— Smoke bombs are OP, damn
Joseon could only shoot at the marked [Attack] pings with the smoke obscuring their view.
"Japan is moving their ships!? Joseon needs to watch out... but the smoke is blocking their view!"
Japan subtly moved its ships. Then, they opened the entrances and soldiers disembarked in a rush. Seeing the scale of their disembark, the initial casualties seemed like nothing.
— Wow
— What's with the troop numbers?
— Did all of them come???
— Japan's all-in?
"Oh, the number of troops is massive! If not for the initial deaths, there could’ve been around 150 troops!"
“Whoaaaa!” the Japanese spectators cheered loudly.
Swish!
The samurai drew their swords and charged forward, followed by musketeers.
[Attack]
The attack targets for the Joseon archers suddenly changed as the commander ordered them to block the incoming attackers.
However—
[Smoke Bomb]
Boom!
Smoke spread out again, making it impossible to see the enemies properly.
"They’re using all their saved smoke bombs here!?"
Each ninja could use one smoke bomb.
Boom! Boom!
It seemed they were using all their smoke bombs now.
[Retreat]
Joseon archers retreated further into the main base filled with buildings.
"Right! Joseon just needs to pull back for now! No need to fight on the shore! It’s not feasible!"
The Japanese pursued them, firing muskets as they advanced.
Bang!
Bang!
Muskets fired and Joseon soldiers fell one by one.
"Japan is pushing in! But Joseon has landed on Japan's main island too!!"
"Japan doesn’t know their location!?"
Joseon landed quite differently from Japan. They had quietly landed on the edge of the main island. Their transport ships had no cannons, so they had to avoid direct confrontation due to the firepower disadvantage.
"Japan seems preoccupied with directing the battle on Joseon’s side! Meanwhile! Ah! Japanese troops are pushing further in!"
Japanese troops had now reached the doorstep of Joseon's main base.
"Oh no...!"
"Joseon has to attack Japan quickly! Otherwise...."
— Wow
— This is bad
— Come on, please
— We’re done
Bang!
Bang!
Muskets fired into the buildings of Joseon's main base. Bullets couldn’t easily destroy the buildings, but the fact that they were getting hit was problematic.
"Some Japanese troops are circling around to target the workers!"
"The archers are resisting by taking cover behind the buildings!"
Thwack!
Thwack!
Archers hidden among the buildings shot at the Japanese troops targeting the workers.
"The archers are fighting well!"
"It’s Bread, right!? Even the vice commander is using a bow! She’s shooting on the ground after dismounting!!"
Even Bread, who was in charge, used a bow and fought tenaciously.
"Hiding around the buildings makes it hard for the Japanese troops to advance!"
"Occupying the main base turns into urban warfare, which is completely different!"
In modern warfare, urban combat required separate training due to its unique challenges.
"Joseon is excelling in urban combat!"
Joseon coordinated well in urban combat, preventing the Japanese from penetrating deeper into the base and killing the workers.
However—
"Still! The troop difference is nearly threefold! It’s hard to hold out!"
Whoosh!
Major buildings in the main base caught on fire one by one.
"If the buildings collapse, it won't be urban combat anymore!!"
"Oh no...! The barracks! That’s where troops are trained. It’s on fire!!"
"But Joseon! Their strongest defensive building, the palace, is under construction right now!?"
As the main base burned, Joseon's palace building was still under construction.
[Joseon]
[4th Era — 78%]
Joseon was in the process of upgrading to the 4th era.
"Maybe upgrading to the fourth era wasn’t the right choice!"
"Japan aims to end this in the third era!"
Japan remained in the third era. They focused on troop numbers, weapon upgrades, and other productions. Therefore, Joseon found it increasingly difficult to defend.
Bang!
Bang!
Muskets fired everywhere and Japanese troops infiltrated every corner of Joseon's main base. The number of resisting archers dwindled from forty to thirty to twenty.
"In that case, we need to look at the Joseon troops who landed on Japan's main island!"
Joseon's main base was already under heavy pressure. Their only hope lay with the troops that had landed on Japan's main island.
— Do we need to go for an elimination match?
— Wow
— Is killing the supreme commander our only hope???
— Crazy
"The Joseon troops haven’t moved much!"
Perhaps it was despairing news. Joseon hadn't made a move on Japan’s mainland yet.
"Joseon! But interestingly! They were building structures there!"
The Joseon troops who landed hadn't rushed in. Instead, they constructed various buildings where they landed.
[Siege Workshop]
[Barracks]
[Blacksmith]
Among others, these buildings were necessary for immediate combat.
"Joseon! They’re planning to fight a bloody battle there!"
"But... the supreme commander is still at the main base! If she dies there, it’s over!?"
"Joseon! They need to attack now!!!"
"They need to go for an elimination match!!!"
***
“Neigh...!”
Numerous horses lined up as they prepared for the imminent battle. Around 130 troops gathered. Everyone knew that this all-out assault would decide Joseon's fate. Vice commander Coffee stood in front of them, gazing at Japan’s main base.
‘Soon.’
He thought the time to attack was near. It was already predetermined.
‘The moment we reach the 4th era.’
The all-out attack would begin when they reached the fourth era. That was the agreed time. The fact that such a time had been set suggested that the supreme commander would be in an environment where issuing commands was impossible.
It was an all-out assault with that level of determination. Therefore, they had to wait for the most certain moment.
"What’s going on... isn’t this taking too long?"
"Since the Japanese troops aren’t coming... they must be at our main base...."
There were anxious voices behind him, but Coffee gritted his teeth and waited.
‘The falcon hasn’t flown yet.’
Bread was in charge of the defensive forces. If reaching the fourth era seemed impossible, she would release the falcon. No such signal came yet.
‘That means it’s possible...’
Coffee waited. He closed his eyes for a moment, steadying his breathing. He blocked out all the surrounding sounds and focused on waiting for only one sound.
Thud.
The sound of the drum could be heard.
[Joseon — 4th Era]
Coffee’s eyes snapped open.
Swish!
At the same time, the vice commander’s sword gleamed in the sunlight.
"Josoeeeeeon!!"
He pulled the reins of his horse and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Full assaaaaault!!!"
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The hooves of the horses pounded the ground, causing an earthquake. It was an impressive sight to see 130 cavalrymen charging all at once. Even though Japan had more troops, they couldn’t compare to cavalry.
"Whoaaaaaa!"
From atop a tower, a Japanese soldier saw the scene of numerous horses charging down the hill accompanied by loud shouts.
"...!" He aimed his musket and shouted with all his might, "Enemyyyy──"
Thunk!
A blazing white arrow had already pierced his head. The same fate befell all the other Japanese soldiers.
Zap!
White streaks of light shot up from the cavalry, hitting the heads and torsos of every Japanese soldier on the towers and walls.
Thunk!
Thump!
Thunk!
"Whoaaaaaaa!"
That was the signal for war. Around thirty samurai, who had been lying in ambush on the side, rushed out.
However—
The mounted Joseon swordsmen charged past them, wielding their crescent swords as if cutting through thin air.
Slash!
The heads of many samurai flew off in different directions.
"Whoaaaaa!" the Korean spectators cheered.
There didn’t seem to be any remaining Japanese troops capable of stopping the charging cavalry.
Coffee broke through into the main base and shouted, "Burn the barracks! Burn the barracks!"
They needed to find the barracks. Japan would revive their fallen troops from the main base and send them here. Although the current defense force was around fifty Japanese soldiers, their numbers would keep increasing. Joseon had to eliminate them beforehand.
However—
"!"
Slash!
A sword flashed and grazed Coffee’s head.
[Honda]
‘What...?’
It was Honda, Japan’s ace swordsman. He looked down at Coffee from his horse.
‘Damn.’
Thud.
Coffee’s head fell to the ground with a thud. Honda’s sword gleamed with a darkish light. The samurai’s [Sever] trait activated as Honda beheaded him.
‘Why is the ace here?’
Japan had left Honda here and even set up an ambush, which meant... they had prepared something. Coffee, now a spirit rising to the sky, could see it. What had been the town hall in the first era was now a castle. It was a natural transformation through the ages.
However—
‘What?!’
Clank!
Cannons emerged from Japan’s castle.
‘This is...’
The castle’s defense system had been upgraded to the third era’s highest tier.
‘They gave up on the fourth era to enhance their defenses.’
Japan had forsaken the fourth era, opting instead to boost their immediate combat efficiency. It was a smart decision. Advancing to the fourth era wouldn’t offer any significant advantages right now.
‘Damn.’
Coffee realized Japan’s sharp strategy.
***
Meanwhile, on the eastern tip of the Japanese island where Joseon had landed, a lone soldier remained.
[Spy — 99%]
He underwent training at the Spy Center built after reaching the fourth era.
Thud.
"Oh."
After emerging as a spy, he carried a bow on his back and carried Joseon’s fourth era sword at his waist.
[Almond]
Almond was now a spy and the only soldier equipped with fourth era weaponry. He understood the weight of his current situation well. Another title was bestowed upon him.
[Vice Commander]
After Coffee died, Almond became the new vice commander.
"!"
Almond knew what this meant.
‘He’s dead.’
The previous vice commander had fallen shortly after the battle began. Almond lightly stretched his neck and shoulders.
"Let’s finish this quickly. Hiya!"
He spurred his horse and dashed toward the enemy base alone.