Sadamori was not the only one who was dumbfounded. His retainers also wore deflated expressions.
“To erect an impregnable fortress wall in just two months… This is no mere sorcery…”
As one of the retainers muttered with a dazed look, the surrounding retainers nodded in agreement.
Amidst the collective astonishment, the first to regain his senses was Hatoyama, the eldest among the retainers.
“If we were to attempt to breach that Joseon fortress wall, fire arrows would be utterly useless.”
Sadamori nodded at Hatoyama’s words.
“Indeed. Such a stone wall would render fire arrows ineffective.”
“The stone wall itself is not the issue. Did you observe the surroundings of the fortress wall?”
“I was so focused on the stone wall that I failed to take a proper look. What other tricks have those Joseon bastards employed?”
“They have cleared all the trees within a width of 10 jang (approx. 33 meters) inside the fortress wall and 30 jang (approx. 100 meters) outside. Even if we fire countless fire arrows, they will be rendered useless.”“I see.”
With Hatoyama’s explanation, Sadamori finally nodded in understanding.
“And there’s more.”
Another retainer chimed in, following Hatoyama’s explanation.
“If you look at the fortress wall, there are no protrusions on the side facing the enemy. However, on the inside, there are protrusions at various points. These spots are undoubtedly where they will place their cannons.”
“Cannons…”
Sadamori muttered with a troubled expression.
Sadamori and the other lords of Japan were not unaware of the existence of cannons. Ever since Choe Mu-seon had developed them, Goryeo and Joseon had been steadily employing cannons.
Among the Ming Dynasty, Joseon, and Japan, only Japan lacked cannons. To overcome this situation, the Japanese lords had approached Ming merchants in an attempt to acquire cannons.
However, even the Ming merchants, renowned for their willingness to overlook anything for money, adamantly refused to provide cannons.
In the end, Sadamori had no choice but to accept the situation.
“Since those Joseon bastards are building a fortress, it means they intend to focus on defense. I suppose that’s a small consolation.”
***
Not long after, Sadamori received an absurd report.
“There are bizarre rumors circulating among the people?”
“Yes, my lord. They are whispering that the Joseon people are employing oni (demons).”
“Oni?”
The retainer relayed the rumors spreading among the Tsushima residents to Sadamori.
Joseon had not conducted the fortress construction in secrecy.
Simultaneously with digging the foundations for the fortress walls, they had cleared all the surrounding trees. This served not only to improve visibility but also to use the felled trees as construction materials.
As the work progressed in the open space created by the logging, numerous Tsushima residents witnessed the fortress construction.
Moreover, a considerable number of Tsushima residents were hired as laborers to extract sea sand, remove the salt, and transport it to the construction site.
The Tsushima residents who were employed and worked at the site gossiped about what they had seen to their families and nearby neighbors.
“Those Joseon soldiers brought huge chunks of metal and assembled them in a jiffy, creating a contraption as large as a house.”
“And then what?”
“After making that contraption, they put some black rocks into what seemed like a furnace or a muzzle at the bottom and set them on fire.”
“They put rocks in and set them on fire?”
“Yes! The rocks actually caught fire!”
The neighboring men listening to the conversation waved their hands in disbelief.
“Hey! How can there be rocks that burn in this world? Didn’t you mistake them for charcoal?”
In response to the men’s remarks, the man explaining raised his voice angrily, his veins bulging on his neck.
“You fools! Do you think I can’t distinguish between charcoal and rocks? They were real rocks! The rocks caught fire!”
“Okay… So what happened next?”
“When those rocks caught fire, bluish flames shot up. And before long, a tremendous noise erupted from that contraption! I’ve never heard such a loud and terrifying sound in my entire life!”
“So? What did the Joseon bastards do with that contraption?”
“They connected pipes to both sides of the contraption. One pipe led to the nearby stream, and the other pipe was drawn to where the sea sand was located. But do you know what’s amazing? The water from the stream gushed out through those pipes onto the sea sand! And in enormous quantities!”
“Enormous? How much?”
“It seemed like the amount that would take all the people in our village half a day to scoop up if we worked together!”
“Really?”
From the next day onward, the residents who heard the rumors stealthily lurked around the construction site to catch a glimpse of the water-lifting machine.
Chug-chug-chug! Whoosh!
“Oh my goodness!”
“Dear me!”
“Namu Amitabha! Namu Amitabha!”
Whenever the loud noise and steam burst out from the steam engine powering the water-lifting machine, the Tsushima residents watching would be startled and create a commotion. However, after a short while, they would gather again to observe the machine in action.
“It’s extraordinary…”
“Forget that, what about those rocks? Rocks that emit such blue flames…”
As the Tsushima residents whispered among themselves, they were even more amazed when they witnessed the process of the fortress wall construction.
They mixed the sand, washed free of saltwater, with a never-before-seen gray powder. The mixture was poured between wooden molds erected where the fortress wall was to be built. After just five days, a seamless stone wall was revealed.
“They pour water, and when it dries, it turns into stone? Isn’t that like limestone?”
“It’s limestone, isn’t it?”
Even the Tsushima residents, who were ignorant of worldly matters, had some knowledge about limestone. Thinking it was gypsum, some residents sneaked closer to the fortress wall to investigate, only to be shocked.
“It’s stone!”
They touched it here and there, and some even secretly struck it with hammers, but the fortress wall before their eyes was indeed very hard stone. A seamless stone wall had appeared in just a few days.
As the situation unfolded, rumors began to circulate among the Tsushima residents.
– The Joseon people are employing oni!
– The contraption that draws water from the stream is a transformed oni!
– They mixed sand with a strange powder, and a stone wall appeared! This is undoubtedly the sorcery of oni!
– The rocks that burn with blue flames are magical objects that fuel the oni’s power!
As such rumors spread, the fortress wall built by the Joseon people came to be known as ‘The Fortress Wall Built by Oni.’
As the rumors snowballed, the Tsushima residents began to fear the Joseon military. Over time, this fear spread further, and those living near the fortress wall and docks built by the Joseon people left their homes, taking their families with them.
***
Upon receiving the report through his retainer, Sadamori muttered with an absurd expression.
“Ha! If we were to attempt to breach that Joseon fortress wall, would we need to seek the legendary Momotaro?”
Although he brushed it off with a joke, both Sadamori and his retainers understood the unspoken truth.
– As long as the people of Tsushima fear it, there is no way to conquer that fortress wall!
War was not something that could be waged with just oneself and one’s retainers. Soldiers who would serve as the hands and feet of the samurai at the lowest ranks were essential, and those soldiers had to be recruited from among the people of Tsushima.
However, it would be a guaranteed defeat to lead soldiers who were so gripped by fear.
In the end, Sadamori and his retainers reached a conclusion.
“For the time being, we should just observe.”
“Indeed, my lord.”
“With the increased wealth provided by Joseon, it would be wiser to focus on building our own strength.”
***
Joseon’s decision to conduct the construction openly was Hyang’s strategy.
“Wouldn’t it be dangerous to make it public? If we’re not careful, the Japanese might discern the structure of the fortress.”
As the ministers objected to Hyang’s plan, surprisingly, Jo Mal-saeng sided with Hyang.
“It’s just the construction of a simple fortress wall. It doesn’t matter if they see it. Rather than wasting time and money trying to conceal it, it’s better to do it openly and swiftly.”
When the Minister of National Defense stated that there was no issue, the ministers no longer persisted in their opposition. In particular, Kim Jeom immediately switched to agreement upon hearing that it could reduce time and costs.
Observing the ministers’ reactions, Hyang continued.
“There is another hidden scheme within this strategy.”
“Another hidden scheme, you say?”
“Yes. How did you feel when you first saw reinforced concrete or the steam engine?”
“It was astonishing. We were also envious.”
“That was even after I had explained the principles beforehand. What if you had been unaware of those principles? How did the people of Hanseong react?”
In response to Hyang’s question, Heo Jo answered.
“Hmm… Everyone was amazed. Especially the steam engine, it seemed like sorcery…”
As Heo Jo answered absentmindedly, he stopped mid-sentence and looked at Hyang with a surprised expression.
It was not just Heo Jo. The other ministers also gazed at Hyang with astonished eyes.
After a moment, Heo Jo calmed his mind and continued.
“Indeed, if one is unaware of the principles, it would appear as sorcery or magic. The Japanese people, in particular, have a great fear of various deities and demons… Upon seeing the steam engine or concrete, their fear would precede their curiosity.”
“That’s right. By nature, when fear takes precedence, people cannot fully display their own abilities. If we sow such fear in Tsushima, the Nine Provinces, and various parts of the main island, the Japanese will not dare to underestimate Joseon.”
The ministers all nodded at Hyang’s explanation. Amidst this, Lee Jik drew a conclusion.
“It is said that the greatest victory among victories is to win without fighting. Your Highness’s strategy is indeed the ultimate strategy.”
No minister objected to Lee Jik’s words. Thus, following the strategy devised in this manner, the construction was carried out openly in Tsushima.
Later, when Sejong returned from Hamheung and received the report, he glanced at Hyang.
‘This fellow’s schemes are unparalleled! Even the Martial Emperor (Cao Cao) wouldn’t be able to match your schemes!’
***
While the garrison was being hastily constructed in Tsushima, a fleet set sail for Japan.
There were three fleets heading towards Japan. One fleet was moving to establish trading posts in Nagato and Naniwa (Osaka), while the other two fleets were heading towards the Ouchi clan and the Navy Commander of the Nine Provinces, the Won family.
The fleet moving towards Nagato and Naniwa departed from the Gyeongsang Right Naval Station. It was a fleet that moved openly, conscious of the eyes of the Japanese merchants staying in Japan Trading Post.
However, the other two fleets were moving in secret, so they departed covertly from the Jeolla Right Naval Station and the Gyeongsang Left Naval Station.
In particular, the fleet heading to the Iwami silver mine had to employ a deceptive tactic, initially turning north and then changing course southward in the open sea.
As a result, the spies hiding in Japan Trading Post reported the following regarding the movements of the Gyeongsang Left Naval Station:
– A fleet departed from the Gyeongsang Left Naval Station to support the conflict unfolding in the Liaodong region.
***
After the deceptive maneuvers, when the fleet from the Gyeongsang Left Naval Station arrived in Iwami, a report was delivered to Ouchi Morimori, who had arrived in advance.
“People have come from Joseon.”
“Is that so?”
After a brief response, Morimori addressed his accompanying retainers.
“The time has come for us to move towards our clan’s long-cherished dream of becoming the ruler of the realm. Everyone, do your utmost.”
“Yes, my lord!”