Chapter 34: Hanseong Reclamation Operation Part 5

“Retake Hanseong! Attack!”

Cannon fire rained down on the Japanese encampments entrenched in the outskirts of Hanseong.

Kuroki’s 1st Army, already worn down by Choi Ikhyun’s militia and Nam Sangdeok’s Imjingang resistance fighters, struggled even to hold their ground.

“I’ve been grinding my teeth ever since the Sino-Japanese War, you damn bastards!”

“We need to earn our own glory too!”

The Manchu army that once fled in defeat after the Sino-Japanese War, and the Han Chinese soldiers looking to make a name for themselves in this new era, they all fought together as one, launching a fierce assault on the Japanese forces in Hanseong.

The Japanese troops tried to hold their ground with Maxim machine guns, but the Imperial Korean Army surged forward without losing momentum.

***

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

“Shoot all you want! You think that’ll stop us?!”

Just a decade ago, the collapsing Joseon had invited both the Qing and Japan to intervene during the Donghak Peasant War.

Now, that same nation had risen to fight the Japanese with its own strength.

Of course, this was only possible because the Sapo led the charge.

Once dismissed as little more than local militia or as barbaric raiders from southern Manchuria, those same soldiers who had once looted for survival now charged forward to save their homeland.

A true imperial army could not stand idly by in the face of such determination.

The Battle of Hanseong had been in our favor from the very start.

For one, the Japanese were in disarray from the Korean imperial palace burning down.

They didn’t even know whether the Crown Prince was alive or dead, and amidst that chaos, the Korean army came crashing down upon them.

It must have felt like a hammer striking the back of their heads.

No doubt, even their high command was in turmoil.

After all, in just one night, the so-called Imperial Army had been thrown into chaos by a single woman.

The Crown Prince’s fate was unknown, and their forces were crumbling.

Even with the advantage of defense, holding out would be nothing short of a miracle.

And as expected, Kuroki’s army could not hold.

My multiethnic 1st Cavalry Regiment, leading the charge, broke through the disorganized trenches of Kuroki’s army, which was already suffering from shattered morale.

***

“The entire Manchu army has been wiped out. What makes you think you can win this war?”

“You damned Joseon wench!”

Word had already spread among Kuroki’s 1st Army.

The destruction of the Manchurian Expeditionary Force.

Of the 400,000 elite troops Japan had proudly marched into Manchuria, many had already been devastated in battles like Arasa.

Now, they were collapsing under the Korean army’s assault.

High-ranking officers knew the truth, and even the foot soldiers must have sensed it when they saw our forces surrounding Hanseong.

“A-Aaaargh! It’s the army that killed our men in Manchuria!”

“No, I can’t do this anymore!”

Some Japanese soldiers, having lost the will to fight, began surrendering on the spot.

If there had been even a sliver of hope for victory, they might have fought to the death.

But knowing it was all over, there was no reason to throw their lives away.

The Russian army was powerful, and the Korean forces had stabbed the Japanese in the back, grinding their best 400,000 troops into dust.

With no one else left in this war but themselves, ‘how could they possibly endure?’

I, for one, knew they couldn’t.

***

Tatadadang—Boom—Kwoooom!

The Japanese army was being humiliated by their own weapons.

Their ranks were steadily falling apart.

“Surrender! Your Supreme Commander, Oyama Iwao, and all the Manchurian Expeditionary Force commanders are dead at our hands!”

“If you want to survive this meaningless war, lay down your arms now!”

In the end, the once-mighty Imperial Army began hesitating, glancing at each other before slowly raising white flags.

Little did they know, their future held something worse than death—unpaid labor under harsh conditions.

But not all of them surrendered.

Some, under the command of incompetent officers, still insisted on fighting.

“The 2nd Cavalry Regiment has broken through their defensive lines!”

“Nam Sangdeok’s 2nd Infantry Regiment is ready to enter Hanseong!”

“Kuroki’s 12th Division has been completely wiped out!”

Those who resisted were mercilessly crushed.

***

As the battle shifted into the city, the Japanese troops resorted to bayonet charges.

These men had resolved not to surrender, no matter what.

After all, they had heard the fate of those who surrendered in Manchuria.

For them, fighting to the death was a more honorable choice than falling into enemy hands.

Some wanted to deal one final blow to Joseon before their end.

Some wanted vengeance for their fallen comrades in Manchuria.

But unfortunately for them, I was here.

“Die, you bastards!”

A Japanese soldier charged at me with a fixed bayonet.

I pulled out my pistol.

“Do these idiots grow thorns in their mouths if they don’t surrender properly?”

“I’ll never surrender to you filthy Joseon—”

Bang!

“Insolent invader. You talk too much.”

As I shot one down, another Japanese soldier, who had just been fighting the Jinwi, widened his eyes in fury and turned to me.

“Hiroki! You wretched bitch!”

“Why is it that invaders always act like they’re the victims? Can you answer that for me?”

Crack!

A Japanese soldier rushed at me in rage, but I split his skull open with my axe.

Unfortunately for him, he wouldn’t be answering any more questions.

“I can’t speak… because I’m dying.”

“I-I’ve seen that bitch before! In Manchuria! O-Oni!”

Another Japanese soldier fighting in the distance looked at me and gasped in horror.

‘Oni? In Manchuria? Ah, I see. No matter how many unarmed Japanese I captured, some must have escaped.’

‘This guy must be one of them. Yeah, that seems likely.’

“So, you’re one of the bastards who ran away from Manchuria? No wonder the numbers didn’t add up.”

“A-Aaaargh! D-Dieeee!”

Driven mad, he suddenly charged at me.

‘What a reckless fool.’

But the choices aren’t bad.

“If you’re going to die anyway, it’s better to put up at least some resistance.”

Bang!

“Of course, if you can’t reach me, it’s meaningless.”

As I dashed through the streets, clearing a path, the Sapo Corps followed closely behind.

“Do not be afraid! The Japanese are merely making their final stand! Wipe out those who refuse to surrender!”

The Japanese army was trampled under the cavalry’s hooves, and those battle-hardened Sapo Corps soldiers shot them dead before they could even resist.

Kuroki’s 1st Army had made a mistake by holing up in Hanseong.

If they had fought outside instead, Yong might have given them another chance.

“Damn it. Retreat! Fall back to the palace!”

“Sir, the enemy has driven them into the Imperial Palace!”

Nam Sangdeok, who had been stirring up the Japanese forces, reported.

Losing the urban battle, their decision was understandable.

At least, under normal circumstances.

The only way they could survive now was if they had taken the Crown Prince hostage.

“They have nowhere to go, so they’re trying to barricade themselves in the palace. That’s a logical move if they plan to defend.”

I’ve been on the attacking side when desperate survivors fought to protect themselves before.

Back then, they treated the school fence like a fortress wall.

Maybe that’s why this feels so familiar.

But it doesn’t matter.

No matter what they do, they can’t win.

Unless Kuroki was holding the Crown Prince hostage.

But if that wasn’t the case, our victory was already certain.

“Is His Highness truly safe?”

Standing before the palace, Lee Beomyun spoke.

“Yes. He is staying peacefully with the French ambassador.”

He still seemed worried about Ikhyun.

But by now, the French legation would have taken care of everything.

We just needed to secure Hanseong, and it would all be over.

This needed to be handled swiftly.

There was no time to waste.

“Isn’t it too much that the palace has caught fire?”

“Only a few buildings have burned.”

Of course, there were some… incidents in the process.

But the palace burning wasn’t my fault.

“A shame. Was there no other choice?”

“I only set a small fire. The foolish Japanese failed to put it out properly. Besides, we already have Seokjojeon, a Western-style palace. We can rebuild the rest with money taken from the Japanese.”

Might as well reconstruct it all while we’re at it.

The Crown Prince already approved it, anyway.

“Aren’t you thinking too simply?”

“Then tell me—how else would we have gotten His Highness out safely?”

That level of risk was necessary.

If I hadn’t set the palace on fire, not only would I have died, but Ikhyun, whom I was protecting, would have definitely been killed.

My bold decision had actually saved the Crown Prince.

“I suppose you’re right, but…”

“Life is war. The Empire has no time to hesitate. We can’t afford to waste time over a single problem.”

Life is war.

We need action, not endless worries.

The Korean Empire is in a rush.

Even taking reckless risks isn’t enough—we have to seize every possible opportunity.

“I’m just concerned this might cause trouble for you later.”

“The Sapo Corps is the biggest contributor to this war. And His Highness himself approved setting the fire.”

‘If I were the Crown Prince, I’d have done the same to survive.’

Honestly, I wouldn’t have cared if he died, but I did promise to protect him, so I had no choice.

“Still, shouldn’t we start urging their surrender? If we push too far, even if we save the palace, the nobles won’t stay quiet.”

‘Hmm, should we?’

Kuroki was probably hoping for negotiations at this point.

“Fine. We should make use of them anyway.”

Kuroki’s 1st Army must have had at least tens of thousands of soldiers.

Even if we captured just ten thousand, they’d make decent forced labor.

No need for ransom—we’d get free manpower instead.

“Surrender! If you do not, you will all die like your comrades in Manchuria!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I’d rather die than surrender to Koreans!”

“They refuse wine and insist on drinking poison instead. Sapo Corps, prepare the cannons! We’ll bring down the palace!”

The cannons brought in after the street battle were now aimed at the palace, ready to fire at any moment.

Feeling the pressure, Lee Beomyun shouted toward Kuroki.

“This is your final chance! I’m tired of bathing in your blood! If you surrender now, with foreign ambassadors in Hanseong, we will treat you as prisoners of war! But if you insist on fighting to the bitter end, you will be executed for rebelling against us!”

It was all part of the plan.

Prisoners would eventually be turned into slaves.

‘How could we waste the opportunity to secure thousands of them?’

Handling 250,000 might be too much, but capturing tens of thousands was easy enough.

***

A short while later, a man stepped out of the palace and approached Lee Beomyun.

“I am General Kuroki Tamemoto, commander of the 1st Army. We surrender. Please treat my soldiers as prisoners of war.”

So, Kuroki Tamemoto was here.

“Take them all and lock them up in temporary camps.”

With that, the 1st Army surrendered, and the Korean Empire successfully reclaimed Hanseong.

We disarmed the Japanese forces and greedily took their weapons.

That was a relief.

One of the reasons I pushed for a swift end to the Russo-Japanese War was that our army lacked resources.

“Sapo Corps, long live! Long live the Korean Empire!”

The citizens of Hanseong, who had suffered under Japanese occupation, cheered as they watched the Sapo Corps march into the city in perfect order.

It felt odd hearing cheers that should have been reserved for the Emperor.

But with this, the Sapo Corps had officially made their mark in the Korean Empire.