Treatise on Armament Technology

On the twentieth day, the armies advanced. By this time, the Japanese forces original: "Wa" (倭) had occupied Korea original: "Joseon" (朝鮮) for seven years. Along the coastal villages, they had divided themselves into three strongholds: Katō Kiyomasa original: "Qingzheng" (清正) still held Ulsan; Konishi Yukinaga original: "Xingzhang" (行長) held Suncheon; and Shimazu Yoshihiro original: "Yihong" (義弘) held Mangjin and Sacheon.

Ma Gui was stationed at Onjeong, facing Kiyomasa. Because the enemy had dug deep moats and built high ramparts, Ma Gui frequently dispatched light mobile troops Youbing (遊兵): flexible, non-permanent units used for scouting or harassment to harass and disrupt them.

Liu Ting was stationed at Suiyuan A strategic point near the southern coast to face Konishi Yukinaga. Yukinaga’s stockade was built right against the sea, which prevented the Ming naval vessels from moving in. Consequently, Liu Ting attempted to lure Yukinaga out to a meeting in order to capture him. At every appointed meeting time, Liu would wait alone on horseback along the road to prove his sincerity. Yukinaga gradually began to trust him, but a surrendered Japanese soldier Jiangwo (降倭): Japanese soldiers who defected to the Ming or Korean side under Liu Ting’s command leaked the plot. Yukinaga fled in terror. Liu pursued him with his troops; though the initial pursuit was unsuccessful, he pressed the attack even harder and eventually achieved a major victory.

Dong Yiyuan was tasked with facing Shimazu Yoshihiro. Dong personally went to Xuanfu A vital military garrison town on the Ming Great Wall to recruit House Retainers Jiading (家丁): elite, personally loyal private soldiers maintained by Ming generals, often better paid and equipped than regular troops. Before he could return, the assistant general Mao Guoqi requested to take the field against the enemy himself. Every day his men achieved kills and captures. Mao then drafted a formal proclamation Xi (檄): an official military manifesto or call to arms used to broadcast intent or sway the enemy's morale to instruct the enemy, aiming to sow discord among their ranks. Consequently, members of the enemy faction began to waver and desert...