Defeated Yuan Jun in the Battle of Yaohai in Japan, Yi Sunsin Yupu won the first victory

After the Japanese army landed in Busan, the Gyeongsang-do Sosu, who had experienced the Battle of Busan, made Park Hong feel terrified when he saw that the Japanese army was strong and the Korean officers and troops were crumbling, so he abandoned the city and fled to the camp. At this time, the task of the Japanese navy was only to transport troops, transport materials and wait for an opportunity to attack the ports on the west coast of Korea, although the total number of large and small ships was nearly 1,000, but few were equipped with artillery and other heavy anti-personnel equipment, but Park Hong was afraid of the enemy like a tiger, and when he saw the navy approaching, he destroyed all his warships and fled in a hurry. When Yuan Jun heard that the towns of Gyeongsang-do had fallen one after another, Park Hong fled, and wanted to fight a decisive battle with the enemy, cut off his sea route, and after exploring the movements of the Japanese navy, he immediately led ten banwu boats, eighteen hijacking ships, and twelve Baozuo boats to go to sea to intercept them.

At this time, the commander of the Japanese naval army, Kuki Yoshitaka, gathered Fujido Takatora, Wakiban Yasuji, Kato Yoshiaki, Kurishima Tsuto, and Kanno Masakage to start a military discussion. "Ladies and gentlemen, the first task of our army is to transport soldiers and materials, ensure the sea transportation route from Nagoya to Busan via Tsushima Island, and wait for an opportunity to attack the ports on the west coast of Korea, so as to complete the strategy of His Highness Taiko advancing by land and water. Sooner or later, our army will encounter the main force of the North Korean naval forces, and I would like to convey to you the information on the North Korean ships that we have collected so far. ”

Mr. Kurojima said: "The main ship of the North Korean Navy is called the Banwu Ship, the hull is huge, can carry 100 people, there are many cannons on both sides, supplemented by arrows during the battle, and there is a giant bronze beast guard plate under the bow for impact, but the speed is slow and sluggish. The rest of the boats, named Ship Bearers and Bao Zuo Boats, were escorts and clippers, which sailed at a light speed and had weak firepower. The following is a list of envoys of the naval forces along the coast, please take a look at the nine ghosts. ”

Nine Ghosts Jialong said: "Okay, I've worked hard to come to the island, everyone, when our army encounters the Korean naval army, we will first advance with a fish scale formation, suppress it with iron cannons and bows and arrows first, and quickly advance to avoid the enemy's firepower, shoot and kill the enemy on the deck, and cover the main ship with the left and right guards to carry out a central breakthrough, seize the ship, and completely annihilate the enemy." Kato-kun and Wakiban-kun are the confidants and favorite generals of His Royal Highness Taiko, who are brave in land battles, and they also need to be dominant in naval battles. ”

Kato Yoshiaki immediately expressed his willingness to fight to the death, and Wakiita Yasuji said: "Lord Nine Oni is proficient in naval warfare and has a great reputation, and the Murakami Navy to which Shima-kun belongs is also a famous family. The Nine Ghosts Jialong was overjoyed, and then arranged the tasks of the generals, so that the Fujitang Gaohu led a group to the west to test the coast.

Known as a brave general, Fujido Takatora joined the command of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's brother Hidecho more than ten years ago, and later won the love of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu with both castle building and diplomatic talents. Fujido Gaohu led about forty warships to see the suspected North Korean Navy in the distance, and was overjoyed: "Oh~ Is this the North Korean Navy Army, order the whole army, beat the drum and prepare for war!" Seeing this, Won Jun, the right water envoy of Gyeongsang Province, also ordered the drums to cheer, and ordered the ships and Baozuo ships to attack in batches to surround the left and right, covering the main fleet to turn to the enemy. However, Japan's momentum in Gyeongsang Province was like a bamboo, and the name of killing and brutality had long been spread among the officers and men of Gyeongsang-do, and the people's hearts were terrified and their morale was low.

The officers and men of the North Korean navy dodged in a panic, coupled with the dexterity of the Japanese ships, the occasional return fire of the DPRK was difficult to cause effective damage, and some of the ships and the ships were fired at each other, but they were surrounded by enemy fast ships when they were damaged by each other, and the Japanese ships used their own flexible advantages and shooting suppression opportunities to intersperse in the North Korean fleet, coupled with the large iron artillery fire of the main force of the Japanese army's Anzhai fleet, the North Korean formation was in chaos, and the North Korean main force Itaya ships had not yet completed the turn. The Korean naval army was fired intensively by iron cannons and bows and arrows from a long distance, and when it was connected, it was burned and thrown, the deck was fired, and the gun chamber was blown up, and the Japanese took the opportunity to board the ship and seize the ship, killing officers and soldiers, and the follow-up batch of cover shots, and the North Korea was defeated.

Seeing that the general trend had gone, Won Gyun ordered a retreat, and sent an order to ask for help from Yi Sunsin, the left water envoy of Jeolla Province, Won Gyun reorganized the ship formation, and fired a salvo of artillery at the capital ship of the Japanese Anza, and the house was damaged, but the Korean naval forces had already broken up the ship and Baozuo, the officers and soldiers abandoned the ship, and Won Gyun led a number of banya to lose their assistance, and was easily attacked and disturbed by the small hayaya boat, and it was difficult to aim at the guns of the Sekikan ship and the small hayaya boat, and could only resist with bows and arrows, but the enemy took advantage of the time when Korea was pinned, the fleet approached and fired rapid with arquebuses, the Itaya ships were slow to move, and the officers and soldiers were repeatedly shot, Fujido Gaohu connected the board house with the closed ship, and then threw the baking brand, boarded the ship to fight, Yuan was defeated, and fought and retreated, and finally led four board house ships to break through, and the rest of the Korean naval ships were captured by the Japanese army.

Fujitang Gaohu said with a smile: "If the Korean naval army is like this, our army will be able to seize all the ports within a few months, loot the supplies, and report to Lord Nine Ghosts Jialong, the Fujitang team encountered the main force of the Korean naval army, won a complete victory, and the west coast of Korea was unimpeded." Then he ordered the troops to divide into two routes, one way to continue to pursue the remnants of Yuan Jun, all the way to seize the port, and rest the fleet.

Nine Ghost Jialong was overjoyed when he heard that Fujitang Gaohu had won a big victory: "Fujitang is brave, I thought that the Korean naval army was well-trained and should not be underestimated, but I didn't expect it to be so vulnerable, and our army has no worries about the sea route." North Korea's armament is so weak, and it is also the destiny of heaven to be under the command of His Royal Highness Taige. To take precautions, it is urgent to find out the intelligence of the national navy, in case that the Ming State is the opponent who can match the combat strength of our army. ”

After that, Yuan Jun retreated to the area of Geoje Island and wandered around with the enemy, and then Yuan Jun received a reply from Yi Sunsin, but the letter said "Do not let the order move", Yuan Jun was furious, and was indignant that Yi Sunsin did not come to the rescue. Seeing that Yi Sunsin did not save him, Won Gyun decided that Yi Sunsin had a personal vendetta and the Japanese army was approaching, so Won Gyun immediately withdrew from Geoje Island and went to Yeosu Port in Jeolla Province to ask Yi Sunsin for his guilt.

Li Sunsin's word is harmonious, has been forty and seven, since childhood to learn martial arts, study the art of war, but the temperament is upright, repeated offenders have many discord with the officials, the career is bumpy, because of its good management of the army, Wanli 19 years by Liu Chenglong recommended several times, exceptionally promoted to Jeolla Left Province Sailor Jie Du Envoy. After hearing of the fall of Pusan, Yi Sunsin did not move, probed the intelligence of enemy ships, and reorganized his arms for battle.

Won Gyun rushed to Jeolla Province and rushed to see Yi Sun-sin and scolded him: "Yi Sun-sin! Although you and I have a gap, we still recognize you as a person who is loyal to the king and serves the country, but I never expected that you would declare your personal vendetta and ignore the danger of the country! If I play impeachment, you will be condemned to death. ”

Yi Sunsin said angrily: "Yuan Right Envoy, don't spray people with blood here, you are also a veteran, it is a taboo for soldiers to rashly meet the enemy without knowing the bottom of the enemy, and you have no way to govern the army, the army is scattered, and defeat is inevitable, I advise you not to act rashly, it is for the sake of protecting the Korean navy." ”

Yuan Jun said: "Clever words, it is obvious that you are afraid of the enemy and cowardly, but you don't know that your lips are dead and your teeth are cold, the Japanese army is strong, my Gyeongsang Province water army is completely annihilated, and Jeolla Province is not spared, if you meet with our troops as soon as possible, you will be able to win a big victory with the crowd!" Yi Sunsin ridiculed: "How can we win a big victory because our morale is low, our tactics are not cultivated, and we don't know anything about the enemy?" Therefore, Yuan Jun even boasted about Haikou: "This envoy has been in a water war for a long time, and the Japanese warships and ships can know at a glance, and they will win a complete victory in another battle." ”

Yi Sunsin said: "Knowing oneself and knowing that the other side can survive a hundred battles, since the invasion of the Japanese invaders, the Korean sea and land will collapse at the first touch, if there is no thorough preparation, the defeat of the army is inevitable, the imperial court has almost no available soldiers, we should be more steady, for the past 20 days I have been probing the enemy's situation, looking for fighters, we need to defeat the enemy with one blow, take advantage of the victory to pursue, comfort the lord and the soldiers and the people." Yuan Jun said indignantly: "If this is the case, I am willing to help with all my might, if you Li Sunsin cannot win completely, I will ask you for capital crimes!" ”

Yi Sunsin thanked him first, and then asked: "Previously, a Japanese general named Okamoto Echigo Mamoru surrendered to our army in Gyeongsang Province, and Chen said the structure of the Japanese ship, I have roughly drawn it, the main battle ship of the Japanese general is called Anzhai, the hull is huge and small as 500, as large as 1,000 stones, with 16 small oars, 80 large oars, can be loaded with artillery, built-in waterproof, with a plate as armor, the hull is solid, equipped with gun holes and police towers, both offensive and defensive. There is also a medium-sized warship, the hull is slender, can place hundreds of people, the two sides of the rocking oars are between 40 and 80, the bamboo board is armored, the maneuverability is flexible, and the firepower is perfect. There is also a kind of small ship Xiaozao, which is light and agile but weak in armor, and often fights in groups, used for reconnaissance and transmission, and close-quarters attack. Is that so? Yuan Jun nodded yes.

Yi Sunsin said: "Even so, although the main ship of our army is flat-bottomed compared to the house, according to the structure, the board house ship is more stable in the waves. In addition, the bow of the house protrudes from the upper deck, and the bow of the board house tends to be horizontal and is equipped with a bronze beast guard to facilitate impact. The large space of the tower is not conducive to warfare, although it is a slab, and the artillery can be heavily damaged. Yuan agreed.

Yi Sunsin asked: "Yuan You's envoy fought against the enemy, how was the Japanese army's tactics?" Yuan Jun then said: "The Japanese fleet is centered on Anzhai, divided into a triangular formation of the front guard, the left and right center guards, and the left and right rear guards, and the formation can be changed according to the battle situation. In wartime, the Japanese army always used fire arrows and bird guns to shoot intensively, taking advantage of the speed advantage to intersperse and advance, and in close combat, throwing a kind of gunpowder jar called baking, burning the deck and officers and soldiers, and then boarding the ship to fight. ”

Yi Sunsin said again: "In this case, Yuan You, I will show you another thing." After that, he led Yuan Jun to gallop to the turtle boat berth, Li Sunsin said: "This is specially designed for the purpose of charging into battle, called the turtle boat, the size of the hull is similar to the board house, 20 rooms long, 7 rooms wide, two layers up and down, 20 oars, 70 shooting ports on it, equipped with fire bolts, the bow of the dragon head is loaded with "Tian" artillery, can also spit sulfur flame nitrate, the stern is also set, the turtle boat is equipped with a strong armor roof, the roof is full of spikes, both fire extinguishers and prevent the Japanese from jumping ship, the back of the boat is covered with water-soaked straw mats that are not easy to burn, although only one is built, After the completion of nearly 10 ships, good use will surely make the enemy fearful. Yuan Jun was amazed and praised again and again.

A few days later, Yi Sunsin discovered that there were only a few garrisons left on the front line of Geoje Island to cover the rear military station, and about 30 ships of the Fujido Gaohu fleet were anchored at Yupu Port. Seeing that the fighter plane had arrived, Li Sunsin and Yuan Jun said: "Today, the Japanese are anchored in Yupu, and the garrison is lax, so they can immediately surprise attack." ”

Yuan Jun exclaimed: "Didn't you face the enemy head-on and want to win by surprise?" Yi Sunsin replied: "Now the Japanese are bullying our army incompetently, arrogant to the extreme, and lax in vigilance, and it is the arrogant army that will be defeated." Moreover, the morale of our army is low, whether it is to meet the enemy head-on or to attack him unprepared, we must wait for the fighter plane to win first, and take advantage of the enemy's carelessness to win a surprise attack, while our army will suffer few casualties, and the morale will be greatly boosted, and he will be able to fight a battle in the future. Yuan Jun agreed.

On May 7, the 20th year of Wanli, Li Sunsin joined Yuanjun's subordinate to gather 24 banwu ships and 57 small and medium-sized warships to Yupu. Yi Sunsin's fleet was about to arrive in Yupo, and the Japanese were looting on the shore without realizing it. The deputy general, Song Xili, returned from the investigation and reported to Yi Sunsin: "The Japanese army berthed at Yupu with a fleet of about 30 ships, but the main force was not found to settle down. ”

Adjutant General Jung Yun immediately proposed: "Okpo is the sea and land core of Jeolla Province and Chungcheong Province, and the Japanese army must be very aware of it, so they will take the lead in occupying this place." Before the Japanese army notices, the adults can immediately launch a surprise attack on Yupu and win a complete victory! Yi Sunsin said: "The Japanese army is still on the shore, and our army is quietly approaching and first firing artillery to warn them to board the ship to meet the battle, and our army will set up a large formation and wait for the enemy to board half of the ship before launching an artillery bombardment to completely annihilate the enemy!" ”

Fujitang Gaohu led 2,000 troops to plunder the village, gained a lot, and was drinking and having fun with the generals, and suddenly reported that dozens of warships of the Korean Navy had approached Yupu, Fujitang Gaohu was shocked and rushed to lead the army back to help. Seeing that North Korea was approaching, Fujido Takatora ordered the whole army to board the ship and set off, break through the Korean military formation at full speed, reorganize and destroy the enemy in the open sea.

Adjutant General Zheng Yun saw the Japanese troops boarding the ship and asked Yi Sunsin for orders to open fire, and Li Sunsin said: "Don't shoot, the enemy has not yet half boarded the ship, if the cannon is fired at this time, the enemy will abandon the ship and flee, at this time the generals must be as steady as Mount Tai and wait for the order." Seeing that the Korean navy did not launch an attack, the Japanese army was puzzled, and Fujido Takatora said: "In this way, the Korean navy wants to compete with us in a head-on decisive battle to wash away the shame, which is exactly what I want, and the whole army obeyed the order and immediately boarded the ship to prepare for war." ”

Yi Sunsin waited until more than half of the Japanese troops had boarded the ship, and some of the vanguard ships had pulled anchor and set sail, so he ordered the shelling of the Japanese ships, dozens of warships were lined up with artillery fire in turn to fire volleys, and the small boats were also supplemented by bows and arrows to kill, the Japanese ships were blocked from ramming each other, the counterattack was limited, the mast collapsed, the sails were broken, the fire spread, the outside of Yupu Port suddenly fell into a sea of fire, the Japanese army suffered countless casualties, Fujitang Gaohu ordered several times but had fallen into the dilemma of scheduling failure, the rear ship soldiers and those who did not board the ship abandoned the ship and fled, and the battle lasted for a long time. The number of people who threw away their armor and trampled on each other has increased, and most of the Japanese ships are trapped in the harbor. Zheng Yun was overjoyed to see the defeat of the Japanese army, and repeatedly hugged and cried with the sailors of his department, and hurried to report to Li Sunsin: "Twenty-six Japanese ships were burned in this battle, and the Japanese were killed and wounded heavily, while our army did not have a single person or a ship. Yi Sunsin shouted a great victory, and the whole army cheered, and the morale was greatly boosted. Yi Sunsin did not want to stay in Okpo for too long to avoid being besieged by the Japanese army, so he ordered a withdrawal to Geoje Island.