Battle of Chungju
Battle of Chungju (Choryang Pass) | |||||||
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Part of Imjin War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Toyotomi Japan | Kingdom of Joseon | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Omura Yoshiaki |
Sin Rip † Byeon Gi † Kim Yeo-mul † Yi Il Yi Jong-jang † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
18,700 | 8,000~16,000[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
About 150 casualties |
Annihilation[1] Most drowned 8,000 Korean troops killed Yi Il fled Hundreds of captives | ||||||
The Battle of Chungju or the Battle of Tangeumdae was the last battle of the Chungju Campaign fought between the Koreans and Japanese during the
Background
On receiving word of the Japanese invasion, and the fall of
Sin Rip assembled his forces at Chungju, consisting of approximately 8000 men. Many of these soldiers had fled from previous engagement with the Japanese at Dongnae, Daegu, and other locations to the south. His original plan was to fortify Choryong Pass, where the terrain could be used to good advantage against the numerically superior Japanese. However, the sudden appearance of General Yi II, minus his armor, horse, and army fresh from defeat at the Battle of Sangju cancelled these plans, as the Japanese army under Konishi Yukinaga was already approaching the pass. Sin Rip then decided to meet the Japanese out on the flat plains near Chungju with his back to the Han River. On one hand, the flat plains would give an advantage to his cavalry, but on the other hand, the Han River made retreat impossible. [3]
In the meantime, a second Japanese army of approximately 20,000 man under the command of
Battle
As with previous battles at Busan and Dongnae, Konishi split his army into two. Sō Yoshitoshi and Konishi took the left flank and center with 15,000 men and the other commanders (Arima Harunobu, Ōmura Yoshiaki, and Gotō Mototsugu) with 3700 men took the right, fanning out into a large arc. Sin Rip lined up his cavalry division along the river. This classic Chinese strategy is known as bae-soo-jin (배수진, 背水陣 in Korean). However, as with previous engagements, the superior range and firepower of the arquebus-armed ashigaru soldiers inflicted heavy casualties on the crowded Korean forces while remaining out of range of the defender's bows and spears. Sin Rip did manage one cavalry charge, but found that various vegetation on the plain impeded his horses and that the Japanese forces also employed a considerable number of pikemen, who were able to break his charge before he could penetrate the Japanese lines.[3]
Sin Rip and a number of his commanders mounted on horses managed to escape the disaster; however, most of his men were cut down by the Japanese as they attempted to retreat. According to Japanese records, the Koreans lost 3000 men and several hundred were taken prisoner. As was customary, the heads of the slain were taken as trophies of war, but in this battle the number was too great, and it became the practice to take only the noses as "proof", needed when the soldiers applied for rewards. The Japanese took Chungju with minimal losses. Sin Rip later killed himself to atone for the defeat by drowning himself in a spring a short distance from Chungju. [3]
Aftermath
After the battle, the forces of
A messenger brought the news of the defeat at Chungju to King Seonjo on 7 June, causing widespread panic. Many fled the city with whatever possessions they could carry, including most of the guards. Although many officials urged King Seonjo to remain in the capital, Prime Minister
On 8 June, the vanguard of Kato's army reached the Han River, finding that all boats on the south bank had been destroyed, either by the Koreans, or by Konishi's men sent ahead to impede his progress. On the north bank of the river, Gim Myeong-won deployed his 50 officers and 1000 men to oppose Kato's crossing. Undeterred by the lack of boats, Kato ordered his men to cut down trees and make rafts, effecting a crossing of the Han River near what is now the
See also
- List of battles during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)
- Timeline of the Japanese invasions of Korea
References
- ^ a b Annals of the Joseon Dynasty http://sillok.history.go.kr/inspection/insp_king.jsp?id=wna_12901024_003&tabid=w
- ^ Turnbull 2008, pp. 23–24.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hawley 2005, pp. 250–292.
- ^ (in Korean) Japanese invasions of Korea 1592–1598 at Doosan Encyclopedia
- ^ (in Korean) Japanese invasions of Korea 1592–1598 Archived 2011-06-10 at the Wayback Machine at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
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- Rockstein, Edward D. (1993), Strategic And Operational Aspects of Japan's Invasions of Korea 1592–1598 1993-6-18, Naval War College
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