Black Corporation: Joseon

Episode 970: Everyone is a brat except me…. (7) The

French and Spanish troops, who were furious, began preparing for defense in unison. A trench line with a greater emphasis on defense was built and the command system was refined to ensure smooth cooperation between the two armies. In this process, the commanders of the French and Spanish armies once again felt the fear of the empire and its troops.

“Imperial Army, what on earth have you crazy bastards done?”

Although the French and Spanish armies worked together, big and small explosions and chaotic disputes continued to pop up throughout the entire process that followed. However, in all the past battles, this was never revealed between the imperial army and the Florentine army. Even in the Battle of Pavia, where the Florentine army suffered the most damage, when the imperial army advanced, the tangled threads were instantly unraveled and the French army collapsed.

And this was something the Spanish army also felt keenly through the Battle of Alexandria. Although they trembled every time they mentioned the empire and the imperial army, the French and Spanish armies quickly and efficiently built a united front. If the imperial military commanders and instructors had seen it, they would have immediately evaluated it as a ‘clearance exam.’ While the French and Spanish troops, who had received ‘deep lessons’ from the imperial army, were preparing by making use of what they had learned, the Italian army advancing north was not at all like that. The biggest reason was the wrong judgment about the French and Spanish troops.

-It has already suffered heavy damage from the imperial and Florentine forces and has lost its power to a serious level.

-Looking at the results of the battle, it appears that the army is not as powerful as expected.

-After the battle, I stayed in Turin and its surrounding areas and just watched. Perhaps it was because the lost troops could not be replenished.

-Recently, we are preparing to withdraw.

“In that case, they will try to run away rather than fight. You can make an effort without much effort.”

The commanders of Milan, Genoa, Venice, Kingdom of Naples, and Duchy of Romagna, who made this decision, pushed back Florence and the imperial army. In particular, the commanders of the Kingdom of Naples and the Duchy of Romagna most persistently kept Florence and the imperial army in check.

“It’s sure to be an easy battle. It’s an opportunity we can’t miss.”

The commanders of the Kingdom of Naples and the Duchy of Romagna, who were the last to join, had no intention of giving up the main advantage. After receiving such fierce checks, the Florentine army and the imperial army were pushed to the rear. The Florentine army commanders were furious, but the imperial army commanders stepped in and comforted them. However, the imperial military commanders were not all in a good mood either.

The imperial commanders muttered in a cynical tone as they watched the ‘fools’ advancing excitedly.

“You see war so easily.”

“Did we fight too well?”

The Italian army advanced north with great vigor and encountered the French-Spanish combined forces near Turin. The Italian army’s offensive, which took place after two days of rest, was disastrous. The words written in the report sent by the imperial army that followed were not excessive, but rather wasted.

* * *

The first thing the commanders of the five factions, who had confirmed the information brought by the scout sent out only when they were within sight of Turin, was to divide them into compartments. They divided the area where the French and Spanish troops were stationed into five equal parts and drew lots.

“Crazy…”

The commanders of the Imperial Army who saw that scene gave advice while suppressing the swear words that were about to come out.

“Each unit has different strengths, so it doesn’t seem reasonable to allocate areas by drawing lots. Considering strength, it is best to divide the vanguard and follow-up and shorten the offensive route a bit…..” “Don’t worry!

”

“We’ll take care of it!”

Lee Si-ae, who saw the commanders of the five factions screaming before he finished speaking, immediately stepped back.

“I understand. I look forward to it.”

The imperial commanders who were watching the scene from behind muttered in unison.

“Just try whatever you want.”

Lee Si-ae, who came out of the meeting as if she knew how the commanders felt, gathered the imperial commanders together and gave orders.

“You learned about the conquest of Tsushima Island at the military academy, right?”

“yes.”

“Of all the mistakes our military made there, the biggest mistake was made here as well. Drawing lots, ha!”

Lee Si-ae shook her head and gave an order, mentioning the mistake made in the conquest of Tsushima Island in the first year of King Sejong’s reign.

“It makes me anxious to see what those idiots are doing. Be prepared just in case.”

“ancient!”

The armies of the five factions, knowing or not knowing that the Imperial Army and Florentine Army were looking on pitifully from behind, charged towards Turin’s trench line, aiming for the battle in front of them. And then it collapsed ugly.

* * *

The biggest reason for the conflict was that there was no cooperation between the five factions. If you calculate the troop size and firepower of all five factions together, they were superior to the French and Spanish armies. If the commanders fought properly in coordination, they could have achieved the results they wanted.

But since it wasn’t possible, it ended up being a waste of money. As the five factions, which had shown great momentum, collapsed ugly, the French and Spanish troops launched a counterattack. At that moment, the imperial army, which was observing the situation from behind, immediately launched a large-scale artillery bombardment. Once the wall of shells was erected, the French and Spanish quickly returned to their trench lines and took up defense. The problem came after the battle was over.

“I was just unlucky today! This will never happen next time!”

“exactly!”

The commanders of the five factions were still stubborn, insisting that ‘it is not possible’.

-If you show disappointment to Florence and the Empire here, you will have to continue to be dragged around! Such things must be avoided!

Lee Si-ae, who was looking at the five factions who were stubborn enough to be called stubborn, immediately backed away.

“I understand.”

Lee Si-ae, who returned to his military camp, gathered only the imperial and Swiss army commanders.

“It’s better. They got hurt this time, so they won’t act rashly. But they won’t bow down to us and the confrontation will continue.”

The commanders all nodded at Lee Si-ae’s prediction. Lee Si-ae smiled slightly and continued.

“Again, it’s a good thing. Thanks to those idiots’ stupid actions, France and Spain will also be able to hold out and we will have more room to maneuver. Then, we will be able to more easily attack Spain. It will be possible.”

* * *

And the situation went as Lee Si-ae expected. After that, three more attacks followed, but they continued to fail. The commanders of the five factions, who had suffered a major loss of power, requested help from Florence and the imperial army. Upon receiving the request, the Florentine army immediately moved its artillery forward and joined the battle. However, the Florentine army’s old imperial artillery was not enough to penetrate the trench lines of the French and Spanish armies. In response, they requested help from the imperial army, but the imperial army did not move.

“why!”

“We’re a bit short on shells.”

Accordingly, the commanders of the five factions immediately sent an urgent report to their leaders.

“Why isn’t the empire moving!”

Han Myeong-hoe responded to the criticism from the leaders of the five factions with an expression that it was no big deal.

“It is difficult to move right away due to lack of supplies.”

“The empire is short of supplies? Make sense!”

“Well, because some people were holding me back, I ended up spending a lot of money on the war effort.”

The leaders of Genoa, Milan, and Venice blushed at the words of the Boney Society. After saying that, Han Myeong-hoe continued speaking while drinking black bean tea.

“The soldiers dispatched to Italy are also very tired. So they have to be replaced, so unfortunately, it is difficult to move right away.”

“The front lines are still desperately asking for help!”

“But the impossible is impossible. And isn’t that an Italian thing?”

“Ugh…”

The leaders of the five factions groaned, but it was difficult to keep forcing them. It was because of what they said. In the end, the five factions gathered additional troops and sent them to the front. Meanwhile, France and Spain were also caught in the same situation. France and Spain, upon learning that their empire had fallen behind, immediately turned to hope.

“If you do this well…”

-The most powerful enemy on the Italian front is the Imperial Army.

-But the imperial army fell back. According to intelligence, this is due to lack of supplies and replacement of troops. This is something that takes a long time.

-The Italian army, excluding the imperial army, is not strong. This was confirmed in the current battle.

-If we don’t miss the time until the Imperial Army returns, we have a chance!

France and Spain, having reached this point, immediately began deploying additional military service to the Turin area. The problem was that the Italian army was not strong, but it was not weak either. As the battle continued, the Italian army broke away from the ragtag ragtag army of the beginning and transformed into a decent army.

Eventually, a war of attrition broke out in the Turin area. When France and Spain’s eyes were focused on Turin, the Empire hit Spain in the back.

* * *

After the naval fleet was almost completely destroyed by the Imperial Navy, Spain lost the ability to monitor the sea. If I were to compare Spain’s current situation to a person, it would be like having one eye. And the remaining eye was fixed on Turin.

And the empire did not miss this opportunity and moved. A fleet carrying troops and supplies departed from Sinji and headed straight for Gibraltar, and accordingly, many of the troops in Italy left behind and headed for Gibraltar. The Portuguese Navy also played a role in the Imperial Navy’s attack on Gibraltar.

It was the Portuguese Navy that went back and forth between the imperial fleet coming from New Earth and the imperial fleet stationed in the Mediterranean, coordinating the timetable and constantly attacking Spanish warships and ports to disrupt them. The Portuguese Navy’s active cooperation was not simply because they were allies.

-If the Empire takes control of Gibraltar and Algeciras, Spain will not be able to go out to sea!

-This means that one of our strongest competitors will disappear!

-If Spain is unable to advance into the sea, its national power will stop growing!

-If that happens, the dynamics of the Iberian Peninsula will change! Not only can the political dynamics change, but the size of the territory can also change!

Portugal, harboring such ambitions, actively cooperated with the empire.

* * *

The Empire’s invasion of Algeciras was a fatal blow for Spain. Spain, which had sent a significant portion of its land forces to Turin, was unable to react immediately. The Spanish army stationed in Algeciras and Gibraltar was a second-class unit and was wiped out without being able to properly resist the imperial army. The defensive batteries built in the port and on the coast collapsed under the bombardment of the Imperial Navy, and the landing force landed smoothly.

It was an imperial army that had already understood the characteristics of buildings and cities in the Mediterranean region in Italy and was accustomed to urban warfare. The Spanish army’s attempt to disrupt the landing of the imperial army through street fighting failed, and the imperial army pushed into the mountainous areas surrounding Algeciras and Gibraltar. The moment the imperial army that took control of the mountainous area planted the imperial flag on the mountain peak, Algeciras and Gibraltar became complete imperial territory.

And this was the moment when Spain and France announced their defeat in the war over Italy and the Mediterranean Sea.