Battle of Ch'ungju

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 Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592. Chungju is located just south of the Han River and Seoul, Korea's capital. The failure to defend it led to the capture of the capital weeks later.

Chungju Battle
This story is an excerpt from The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty.

After having lost Busan, the Court in Hanseong (present-day Seoul) placed their hopes in a prominent general, Shin Rip, who had earned much recognition for his successes against the Jurchens in the North. Korean King gave to Shin rip a sword and power to command. so, he been able to recruited the Royal Guards and many expert archers.

Although Shin Rip was a notable general, he failed to protect Mungyeong saejae mountain pass in a military blunder and retreated to Chungju castle where he believed he could stop the Japanese. When Shin Rip learned of the Japanese approach, he decided to meet the Japanese out on the flat plains near Chungju. Since much of his men were composed of cavalry, Shin Rip wanted a field battle where he could take advantage of the forces at his command.

Shin 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). Although fighting on a flat plain seemed a reasonable strategy, the various vegetation that grew there at the time actually hindered mounted troop movements. Another factor that might have impeded the Korean cavalry would be their weapons. Their main weapon was the Korean composite bow. Considering that the Japanese employed a considerable number of pikemen, combined with the unfavourable terrain, the Korean cavalry might have had great difficulty charging the Japanese.

April 27, a Korean soldier, search out the enemy. but Shin rip killed him. He thought it was a lie. Meantime, Japanese General Konishi Yukinaga was staying in Sangju, and scouting around. He found out the strategies of Koreans. He was planning to invade.

April 28, Konishi Yukinaga attacked Chungju. He occupied castle in secret. Japanese Troops were ambushed in the mountains. some unit were moved along the river. Shin rip realized too late. Fire in town. Many peoples died. Korean cavalry fight back but already castle lost. The trumpet sounded from the castle. Suddenly, the Japanese attacked. Koreans were killed on Japanese swords. The Koreans were defeated and while Shin Rip escaped, he later killed himself. The Japanese killed 3,000 Koreans and took Chungju with minimal losses.

There are records in a book by Luis Frois, but he is not seen war. It is imagined, only just heard from someone else. In his writings, Konishi Yukinaga defeated 80,000 Korean cavalry and the ax-wielding knight. However, whether this claim is true or not, remains uncertain.

Aftermath
A messenger brought the news quickly to King Seonjo. The loss at the Battle of Chungju left no hope for him, and his entire family and court took flight to Pyongyang, where he hoped the remaining garrison could delay the capture of the capital of Hanseong (Seoul).

Source

 * "Annals of the Joseon(Chosun) Dynasty". http://sillok.history.go.kr/
 * "Historia de Japam" : Luis Frois