We have now arrived at the Autumn 1606 move of the campaign. There were some outcomes from the Summer turn, of course. The Siamese withdrew to Cambodia, the Vietnamese to Nyugen, while the Laotians licked their wounds and celebrated the liberation of their country. The Persians decided to remain in Mesopotamia. The Muscovite army in Latvia and the Ottomans in Bosnia both dispersed, while the Spanish withdrew their army and train from Île-de-France to Burgundy. The French, to make good the losses from their victory before Paris, dispersed their train in Champagne, while the Basque rebellion continued.
The move yielded a single random event. There was turmoil among the Circassians, leading to Erivan invading Ganja. That will be something a bit different. In the rest of the world, the Japanese tried and failed to bribe the Koreans in Kyushu to go away. This was rewarded by a renewed Korean attack to try to clear the island of Japanese forces. This time, however, the Japanese army was supported by their fleet. The Chinese raised an army based on their border with Vietnam. The turmoil in South-East Asia had clearly alarmed the Emperor. The South-East Asians managed a turn without a battle this quarter, with most of the borders crossed once this year, and everyone wondering if they will survive the Winter financial round.
In India, Vijayanagar made a move into the Karnatic and took over without a fight. Similarly, the Palatine moved into Wurtemburg and were welcomed. Various European powers (Bavaria, Austria and Venice) raised forces as well. The Danes moved an army and train into Pomerania, which impressed the Pomeranians not at all. The Spanish used a vast quantity of money to quell the rebellion in the Basque Country.
So, the turn now comprises a mere three wargames. The first is the outnumbered Koreans attacking a supported Japanese army. The second is the Circassians fighting each other, and the third is the Danish invasion of Pomerania. Simple.
The first action, as just noted, involved the Koreans, outnumbered, attacking a Japanese army. The Koreans had 4 cavalry bases, 3 bows, 3 spears, and 2 shot bases. The Japanese have 6 Samurai with yari, 6 ashigaru similarly armed, 3 shot, 2 bow, and a cavalry base. A total of 18 Japanese against 12 Koreans. Cut off from their homeland and supplies, the Koreans are getting desperate.
The Japanese are deployed to the left in the picture above. The terrain dice rolling was not very kind to the Koreans, as they ended up with a river to their rear. On the other hand, their infantry is mostly on a ridge. The plan was to outflank the Japanese with the cavalry and hope the infantry, with the advantage of firepower and the slope, could hold off the Japanese.
The Japanese, having learnt from last time, had the baggage just behind the infantry line, guarded by some ashigaru. To their right, nearest the camera, the archers are on a hill, with the general and some Samurai lurking nearby. On the far side, the Samurai cavalry and some ashigaru are to hold the left, while the infantry attack in the centre.
A few moves in and the Japanese flanks have looked too strong for the Korean cavalry, who have turned inwards to try to get on the flanks of the central infantry moving forward. The Japanese generals have stayed in tight control of their troops, and are now starting to consider protecting the flanks of the centre.
A few moves later on, the Korean cavalry are nearly trapped on their left (nearest the camera), and not far off on the right. This has not been helped by the fact that both cavalry blocks refused to charge their targets. Rubbish combat dice, of course. In the foreground, the cavalry are about to pay dearly for that hesitation, and the Samurai are nearly upon their flanks.
The crunch has come and gone. The Japanese cavalry on their left (far side) hit the Korean cavalry in the flank and routed both bases and the general. On this side, the Samurai hit the cavalry front and flank, and the Koreans vaporised as well. Bad dice rolling or bad generalship? You decide.
The Koreans went to ‘withdraw’ morale mode at this setback, but, with a river to the rear, there were not many options to withdraw to. So, on another morale throw, they decided to fight on rather than surrender.
That may not have been the wisest of moves, given that the Korean infantry line was about to be flanked on both sides. As it was, the Japanese left hit the Korean musketeers and broke a base easily. As you can see, the Japanese right is about to clobber the Korean left as well, but at the start of the demolition of the right, the Korean army routed.
The Korean invasion of Kyushu is now, therefore, over. As so often in history, what was envisaged as a pre-emptive strike by the Koreans to prevent the formation of a Japanese navy has landed up with them in a worse position. The Japanese not only have a navy, but it also controls the Sea of Japan. The Korean navy was sunk by storms, yielding the seas to their enemy. The isolated army in Kyushu, despite its initial success, found it impossible to finally defeat the Japanese and take control of the island, and was outnumbered and defeated by the defenders.
Quite what will happen next is an open question. Before the war, the relations between the two were reasonably good, and that might be restored. On the other hand, the regional hegemon, China, has shown itself to be unconcerned with goings on in the East, and more interested in defeating Mongol invasions and the fighting in South-East Asia. This might tempt the Japanese to land in a weakened Korea. On the other hand, both Korea and Japan are facing empty coffers, which could complicate matters.
Finally, putting 18 bases of Japanese on the table more or less fully depleted my resources of these very distinctive forces. Hence, I am trying to paint up some more. The next action, still in Autumn 1606, will be tumult in Circassia. But first, I need to work out some army lists and find some suitable troops.
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