Hamgyong Campaign - History

History

After crushing small Korean armies, Katō's first real resistance was at Haejungchang. Katō met northern Korean contingents, who were renowned as elites among the Korean army. Korean cavalry charged the field and inflicted much damage upon the Japanese army.

Katō fell back to Haejungchang, a rice storage point, built cover from rice bags and kept the Koreans at bay with arquebus fire. Feeling confident about the first victory, the Korean commander ordered the cavalry to charge and harass the enemy under cover. Katō replied by heavy arquebus fire behind a "rice wall" and forced the Koreans back to a nearby hill. After nightfall, Katō silently led his troops to the foot of the hill. He then ordered an attack from three sides and destroyed the Korean army.

Katō then marched north, leaving the coast, and after the Battle of Songjin, captured two Korean princes, Prince Imhae and Prince Sunhwa, who were sent down south with an escort of 1,000 Japanese soldiers as a negotiation condition. After crossing the Tumen River, Katō arrived in southeastern Manchuria, which was outside the reach of Chinese authorities and where the Jurchens ruled. Here Katō attacked a Jurchen fortress and took it by heavy arquebus fire. The next day the Jurchens retaliated against the Japanese with 10,000 troops. The Japanese were practically surrounded by the Jurchen cavalry and after managing to pull out of the Jurchen attacks, Katō quickly retreated back across the Tumen River. This would be the first and last time Katō and the Japanese stepped outside Korea during the war.

The Japanese won victories in the early battles. However, Korean generals Jeong Mun-bu, Yi Bong-su and Choe Bae-cheon formed the Righteous army and won eight victories between 1592 and 1594 against an army of 20,000 Japanese troops in Hamgyeong Province. After the Japanese withdrawal, General Jeong erected the Bukgwan Victory Monument.