BES: Interlude: Battle of Kuju

Uriyangkidai and the Main Mongol Army had crossed the Yalu and entered Goryeo. There were thirty thousand troops in the army, three Tumen, troops from as far afield as Novgorod and Kiev had ventured out to join the army that had mustered for the attack on Goryeo. It was a stunning sign of the Vastness of the Great Khan's Empire, stretching from the Black and Baltic Seas east to the East China Sea, from the frigid Siberian tundra to the deserts of Khwarzemia. With troops drawn from all across such an empire, one might be tempted to think the army would be unwieldy to command. This was far from the case, as Uriyangkidai had learned at the knee of his father, the famed Subotai, foremost general of the Great Chinggis Khan himself.

Of course, this was a fact the Goryeo forces in the peninsula knew well. It was also something that they could not count on themselves to any reasonable degree. This was because of the nature of the force that arrayed against the Mongols. King Gojong, or more specifically, Regent Ch'oe Hang, had withdrawn most of the professional troops, such as the famed Pyŏlmuban, back to Gwangmu and the other islands of the archipelago in order to protect the court. What had been left were the dregs. These included raw recruits, levies, and town garrison forces on the downswing of their military service. Because of that, a number of prominent noble clans had decided to add their own Clan Troops to the remnants of the Army in the peninsula.

This, it turned out, was a fatal flaw in the structure of the force that arrayed for battle against the Mongols near the City of Kuju. The Nobles may have elected Kyung Ryu of the Mungwha Ryu Clan as their leader, but in actuality were primarily a collection of bickering would-be commanders who only listened to the forty-two-year-old veteran general when it suited them. About the one thing that they all agreed on was to make their stand at Kuju, the site of previous victories against invading Steppe Nomads, first during the Third War with the Khitans, then again in the first invasion of the Mongols back in twelve-thirty-one. For reasons of morale and national pride, the Nobles agreed to make their stand at the City that has twice resisted invasion.

However, once they arrived, they found themselves greatly outnumbered by the Mongols. Three Tumen, or Thirty Thousand Troops, had come to end the Independence of Goryeo. Against such numbers, the Nobles had only managed to scrape together twenty thousand troops, with half of those being the dregs of the central army that had been too green or too poorly drilled to merit being called back to defend the court. Even in terms of total numbers, the Nobles were outnumbered by half again.

At a council of war, Kim Tongjeong of the Gwangmu Kim Clan argued that they ought to stay behind the city walls, where the numbers would count for less than preparation. However, Park Ion, head of the Miryang Park Clan, whose father had been the defender at the last Battle of Kuju, Park Seo, argued strongly in favor of offering battle, as the King and Regent were currently besieged, and he felt they could do better than the King's clearly corrupt regent. At the same time, he argued that had his father been more aggressive in his defense of the nation, he might have defeated the Mongols in time to aid Chae Seong-Nyeon and Lee Jae-seong at the Battle of Anbukseong. Had that happened, Goryeo may never have been forced to agree to the humiliating peace treaty with the Mongols to begin with!

Park Ion played to pride and arrogance with his actions. A young Clan Head, Park Seo, having only died a few short years previously, Park Ion was in a rush to solidify his position as head of the Park Clan further. A big victory with his plan as the impetus would indeed do that, and he argued for it well. So impassioned was his speech, and so well-targeted were his arguments, that the assembled nobility were moved to agree to Park Ion's plan over Kim Tongjeong's objections. After all, Regent Ch'oe Hang was clearly corrupt, having refused to hand out any of the offices he had taken for himself to men of merit. Surely they could do better than such a man? Their cause was righteous, after all. So many of the nobles agreed to Park Ion's plan that Kyung Ryu had no choice but to agree to it if he did not want to lose his army to desertion.

Thus was the fate of the Peninsula sealed. Not solely with battle, but with foolish arrogance, incompetent planning, and a heavy dose of noble politics. Many of the assembled nobility of Goryeo and their heirs, if they were of age, were with the Army at Kuju. Even with Park Ion's aspersions to the contrary, this army was every bit as hampered by politics as the one defending the court at Gwangmu. The Goryeo army marched out of the fortress at Kuju, following the advice of Park Ion. They hoped that the son would turn out to be as canny a general as the father and took a chance on that gamble, as well as on them becoming the new saviors of the nation.

The battle began with an artillery duel, one where the crude cannons that the Goryeo forces had available, copied from examples left behind after the last Mongol Retreat, faced off against the Rocket Carts and Improved Cannon that Prince Dalai had helped to innovate alongside Liau Yong Cho. In this, the Mongol Artillery, aided by a contingent of Chinese Siege Engineers from the territory they controlled in Northern China, proved far more effective than their Goryeo Counterparts. As the duel raged on, this swiftly became apparent, with more and more Goryeo cannons being knocked out of action.

Twenty minutes into it, the main lines of infantry, largely Russian, Persian, and Tibetan Forces, clashed with the Goryeo Infantry, locking the front into a bloody stalemate as the battle ground on. At the one-hour mark, several cavalry attacks had been exchanged on the wings, but the Mongol Cavalry had paused after driving off the supposed professional cavalry of the Goryeo Central Army units that had not been recalled, showing great discipline. The so-called Professional Cavalry of the Central Army was decimated and routed by an attack from Kipchak and Cuman Horse Archers backing Georgian Knights and Mongol Lancers. It was unlikely that they would be able to reform and return to the battlefield in time to do much of anything.

In the meantime, as the infantry stalemate ground on, a Combined Mongol-Khwarazmian-Dzungar Cavalry attack with Horse Archers and Lancers was only barely repulsed with heavy casualties among the Noble Clan Infantry on the right wing of the Goryaen formation. Even then, that was only due to luck and the poor quality of the Goryeo Artillery Crews, as a cannonball that was meant for a Mongol Arrow cart instead fell drastically short, plowing into the flank of the cavalry charge completely by accident in one of fate's little ironies. That cannonball took out several lancers, tangling up the charge that had been softened up by the Horse Archery and robbing it of the necessary power to turn the Goryeo Right Flank and result in victory. They could not count on that happening again.

Something had to be done, or the Goryeo Army would soon find itself bereft of artillery support, and the Mongol Artillery would be able to rain down shot and arrow fire on them with impunity. Even without such support, another Mongol cavalry attack might be enough to force the Goryeo Forces to throw their final reserve troops into the fray. If that happened, then the army would swiftly begin to disintegrate, as the last reserve was the worst quality troops. As he saw this and realized the implications, Kim Tongjeong unsheathed his sword, rallying the noble cavalry to his side with a shout.

"To me! Noble Sons of Goryeo! We have to take out their artillery!" Cried out Kim Tongjeong, spurring his horse forward as he did so and plucking a fallen banner from the Goryo Professional Cavalry off the blood-soaked ground.

"For Goryeo!" Came the cry, ripped from hundreds of throats as the Noble Cavalry finally committed itself to the battle.

Joined by his noble brothers and sisters from dozens of the most prominent clans in the Kingdom, Kim Tongjeong felt a sense of righteousness. So what if this wasn't the strategy he had preferred? It was the strategy they had gone with. Their cause was just, defending against an unprovoked invasion from a tyrannical overlord. Surely zeal and noble skill would turn the tide here and perhaps allow them to capture some of those new cannon and rocket carts to reverse-engineer? It would only be proper that they do such a thing. As the charge thundered into the withdrawing Mongol-Khwarzemian-Dzungar Cavalry Force, Kim Tongjeong found himself wetting his sword in the blood of the invaders with renewed zeal.

He struck out with his Geom, the double-edged blade punching through the rings of a Khwarazmian Cavalryman's mail, biting deep into the main's throat. His comrades did the same as he held the ragged, bloodied standard of Goryeo aloft in his left hand, spurring them on while he sliced the arm off a Dzungar Cavalryman who had wheeled his mount about to charge at him with his sword held high, slicing through the wrist as his opponent tried chopping down on Kim Tongjeong's head. Suddenly, he was forced to lean aside as an arrow fired from a Mongol Horse Archer came screaming in at him. He didn't have time to think about that, however, as a Khwarazmian with a horseman's pick came galloping toward him to try and crack open the heavier armor that Kim Tongjeong wore. Fortunately, as the pick came down on his left pauldron, Kim Tongjeong was able to twist with the blow just enough that the armor was left intact. His riposte skewered the Khwarazmian through the side, the lamellar leather curiass unable to stop the master-forged noble Goreyo steel.

They were doing it, though, savaging the withdrawing enemy cavalry as much as they could while giving the right wing of the Goryeo Infantry line time to recover. As they pushed forward, the tiredness of the Mongol Cavalry began to show. Kim Tongjeong had timed his charge for when they were retreating from a failed attack. The Mongol-Dzungar-Khwarazmian Cavalry hadn't had time yet to withdraw, rest, or change mounts. Kim Tongjeong gored into a Mongol who tried to raise the haft of his lance to parry, only for Kim Tongjeong to flip his blade about in a deft manaeuver with his wrist, turning a cut into a thrust that punched into the surprised face of the Mongol. The enemy was panicking now that their charge was working. They were beginning to withdraw hastily, and Kim Tongjeong knew that if they just pushed a bit further, he and his comrades would have a shot at the Mongol Artillery.

"Forward! They're retreating! Push them off the field and we can strike the artillery!" Roared Kim Tongjeong, raising the, by now, completely filthy standard.

His comrades followed him, roaring their battle cries. They pushed the Mongol-Dzungar-Khwarazmian Cavalry back and watched them retreat off the field. Kim Tongjeong paused then and reined in his forces for an attack on the Mongol Artillery. He knew the dangers of the feigned retreat, after all. Around half the Noble Cavalry listened, and Kim Tonjeong didn't have time to wrangle the other half. The Mongol Artillery would not be undefended for long, after all. He raised the ragged, bloody standard of Goryeo high, and the five hundred or so noble cavalry that hadn't gone haring off after the Mongol-Dzungar-Khwarazmian Cavalry followed him up toward the Mongol Artillery.

They made it roughly one hundred yards away from the Artillery when it happened. The hissing and whistling that preceded a bombardment from one of the Mongol Arrow Carts sounded out in the afternoon air. Kim Tongjeong turned to see more of those Arrow Carts had crested the hill that the Mongols had placed their artillery on and were pointed in their direction. This had all been a trap, not just the potential feigned cavalry retreat, but also the undefended nature of the Mongol Artillery. Kim Tongjeong had just enough time to register that before the arrows, propelled by black powder, began to rain down on his noble cavalry force. Men were scythed down dozens at a time by the deadly rain of fiery arrows coming down on them in sheets as thick as lead.

"Keep pushing! If we can just make it through, we'll have them!" Ordered Kim Tongjeong.

Then the screeching, whistling, hissing noise got louder as a rocket-propelled arrow came streaking down out of the sky toward Kim Tongjeong. There was a tearing sound as it punched through the banner of Goryeo, then pain blossomed for a moment in Kim Tongjeong's shoulder as the arrow punched through armor and into his torso from above. Kim Tongjeong had only a moment to register a sensation akin to falling as he toppled from his horse.

Then he hit the ground and Kim Tongjeong knew no more, trampled to death by the horses of his comrades as the doomed charge faltered. . .

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The Battle of Kuju didn't last much longer after Kim Tongjeong's doomed charge. The Mongol-Dzungar-Khwarazmian Cavalry had indeed been a feigned retreat. There were cavalry from the Jurchens waiting to close the trap shut, even as the Boyar Cavalry from Novgorod and Persian Lancers thundered into the left flank of the Goryeo force. Another cavalry charge of Mongol and Manchu Lancers and Horse Archers streamed forth to cut their way into the right flank of the Goryeo Army as well.

Bereft of Cavalry, with their artillery on the way out, and their infantry struck in both flanks, the Goryeo Army began to dissolve, the infantry breaking and running for the safety of Kuju. Many were run down by Russian, Persian, and Chinese Infantry as they tried to disengage from the fighting in a panicky rout, and still more were butchered by Mongol Cavalry reserves as they fled the field. All told, of the Twenty-Thousand troops that the Nobles of Goryeo had brought to the battle of Kuju, maybe three thousand turned up at the gates of Kuju, surviving the rout. Park Ion, who had been the impetus for the field battle, and Kyung Ryu were not among their number. Meanwhile, the Mongol Forces suffered only three-thousand casualties between the dead and wounded, largely in the first cavalry attack and feigned retreat, as well as the bloody infantry stalemate.

When Uriyangkidai arrived at the City of Kuju three days later to put it under siege, the forces inside were heavily demoralized. The Citadel of the City could normally hold out for months. However, it would surrender after just two months of siege, with two months of provisions left before rationing had to begin and with the Mongol Army still reducing the fortifications in preparation for an assault. By the time it did, though, the Mongol Army on the Peninsula would be too late to arrive at Gwangmu Island for the key battle there. Instead, Prince Dalai would face off against the best troops of Goryeo alone.

Victory or defeat in the Goryeo Campaign of Twelve-Fifty-Three would belong solely to the Son of Kublai Khan. . .

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AN: All right, so here's the next chapter. The Mongol's Penchant for trickery-based tactics on the field of battle, and the politicking of noble houses, combined to ensure a major Mongol Victory outside Kuju. A lot of prominent noble clans lost their heads and heirs in this battle, either killed or captured by the Mongols. In the event of a Mongol Victory, it's unlikely that anything like a Sambyeolcho Revolt will happen in the aftermath, especially as one of its primary leaders was Kim Tongjeong, who just got killed in the surprise Hwacha bombardment.

At any rate, the next chapter will be a return to Dalai's POV for the next phase of the island-hopping campaign to bring him closer to taking the current capital on Gwangmu Island. Then there will be one more chapter before the siege of the Gangwhasong Fortress begins.

Stay tuned. . .