[War and Management] The Tragedy of Jeong Chungmyo

The appearance of Jeongchungmyo located in Daessangryeong-ri, Chowol-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. [Image source=Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do official website]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] If you take National Route 3 from Seoul down to Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, you can see a cultural heritage signboard with the inscription ‘Jeongchungmyo (精忠廟)’ by the roadside. This Jeongchungmyo is a shrine dedicated to five generals who died in the Battle of Ssangryeong in 1637, the last battle of the Byeongjahoran War and known as the most devastating defeat in Korean history.

In particular, despite the Joseon army having far superior military strength compared to the Qing forces at the time, they suffered a crushing defeat, which has been remembered as a humiliating battle. During the battle, the Joseon army was equipped with 8,000 infantry armed with the then state-of-the-art matchlock guns, but they were completely defeated by the Qing army, which had only about 300 cavalry and 3,000 infantry. The commanders were seasoned veterans from the Imjin War, including Gyeongsang Right Army Commander Heo Wan and Gyeongsang Left Army Commander Min Yeong, both recognized as brilliant generals by Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

What led to this unavoidable defeat was the rigid bureaucracy of the Joseon dynasty. The military command was wielded not by field commanders with battlefield experience but by bureaucrats with no war experience, resulting in the disaster.

During the Battle of Ssangryeong, the command of the Joseon army was held by Sim Yeon, a civil official serving as the Gyeongsang Governor. Provincial governors at the time were typical administrative bureaucrats appointed from Hanyang (Seoul), similar to today’s governors. When King Injo and the Joseon court, trapped by the Qing forces in Namhansanseong Fortress, ordered an immediate attack, Sim Yeon urged Heo Wan and Min Yeong to quickly attack the Qing forces, but the two experienced generals were exercising caution.

Sim Yeon then instructed Do Gyeong-yu, his secretary, to go to the Joseon army camp stationed at Ssangryeong and order an attack on the Qing forces, commanding that any disobedient generals could be killed. When Do Gyeong-yu arrived at Ssangryeong and issued the attack order, the frontline commander, Vice Commander Park Chung-gyeom, resisted, stating that they could not advance without the Right Army Commander’s order. Following Sim Yeon’s directive, Do Gyeong-yu beheaded Park Chung-gyeom on the spot and issued the full attack order.

The Joseon army reluctantly attacked the Qing forces, but with the command structure in chaos, firing control was not properly maintained, and soldiers began shooting indiscriminately. Ultimately, they failed to inflict any damage on the Qing forces and quickly ran out of ammunition. Taking advantage of this, the Qing cavalry charged into the Joseon camp, leading to the annihilation of the command unit and a disastrous defeat. As a result of this battle, King Injo lost his will to resist and suffered the humiliation of Samjeondo.

The bureaucratic dysfunction of completely ignoring the opinions of field commanders and demanding unconditional obedience to higher orders is not just a thing of the past. It is happening in real time in many countries currently experiencing the war against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Then as now, the damage is borne entirely by innocent citizens.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.