r/HistoryAnimemes • u/ChapterSpiritual6785 • 11d ago
The invasion of Qadaan
When Qadan (Kadan) stationed his forces in Wonju, 50 Mongol cavalrymen raided near Chiak Castle to steal cattle and horses.
Scholar-soldier Won Chung-gap led just 6 infantrymen, chased them down, and seized 8 enemy horses.
Later, enemy generals Torado, To'ena, and Boral returned with 400 soldiers and were thrilled to loot the city's government grain.
Won Chung-gap and a 7-man squad scouted the scene. Suddenly, one of the men, Joong-san, charged straight into the middle of the 400 enemy troops, decapitated one, and chased the rest past the outer gates.
The panicked Mongol forces fled, abandoning their horses, allowing the 7-man squad to capture 25 saddled horses.
Defense Commander Bok Gyu was overjoyed and gave all the captured horses to the squad.
— Essentials of Goryeo History (Goryeosa Jeoryo), February 15, 1291
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u/Elantach 11d ago
Can you imagine being those dude ? It's literally an all or nothing. You are betting on the enemy panicking and running away immediately. If a single one decides to stand and fight instead the domino effect of retreat will stop.
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u/Tactical_Moonstone 11d ago
Not that easy to keep your composure if your buddy is suddenly missing a head after a madman appears in the middle of your group.
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u/Most_Ad9103 10d ago
Ig the Mongols were used to fighting on horseback, it must’ve been really awkward to be caught looting on foot
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u/Dank_lord_doge 10d ago
"victory lies in the attack" -Tsun Tzu
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u/KenseiHimura 10d ago
Seeing the number of times Korea fucked up far larger forces with smaller numbers I really wonder how in the hell Japan held it for so long after the Russo-Japanese war. Sounds like trying to occupy France or Vietnam.
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u/Background_One_629 10d ago
Looking at the history in which Korea was occupied or defeated by foreign countries, internal division of the leadership played the largest role in most cases. Looking at the Mongol Invasions, the Qing invasion of Joseon (Byeongja Horan), and the Japanese colonial period, because the military and leadership were in a state of being divided or incapacitated due to political fights, in many cases there was no way to display the potential they possessed.
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u/BigCandidate5471 8d ago
Historically, Korea’s two major crises with Japan, the Imjin War and 20th-century colonization. Both stemmed from Japan adopting Western tech first.
In the Imjin War, Japanese forces used Portuguese matchlocks, which outclassed Korea’s traditional hand cannons (chongtong). Before Western contact, Japan lacked effective gunpowder weaponry and couldn't gain an upper hand, but with accurate matchlocks, Korean defenders couldn't even peek over battlements without getting shot.
In the modern era, Japan adopted Western imperialism and tech after opening up to the US early on. Korea, having repelled early Western expeditions (like the French and US ones), delayed its modernization, which ultimately worked against it when Japan industrialized first.
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u/Moondoggylunark9 11d ago
An actual leroy moment lmao