⑨ The Battle of Noryang — A Final Requiem for a Million Lost Souls

Without Admiral Yi, There Would Have Been No Battle of Noryang

The Battle of Noryang could never have happened without Admiral Yi Sun-sin. Ming China, which held operational command of Joseon's forces at the time, wanted to end the war quickly. Once the Japanese army dug into fortified positions along the southern coast and settled in for a drawn-out war, Ming forces kept their distance from the fighting and spent their time instead extracting resources from the Joseon people. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi died on August 18, 1598, and the withdrawal order came down, the Ming army welcomed it, wanting nothing more than a quiet end to the war.

In mid-November that year, only days before the Battle of Noryang, Chen Lin — the Ming admiral commanding the allied fleet — accepted a bribe from Konishi Yukinaga, one of the retreating Japanese commanders, and was ready to let the enemy slip away in exchange for peace. Admiral Yi's answer was blunt: "A commander cannot speak of peace, and a sworn enemy cannot be let go." (Yi Chungmugong Jeonseo, Book 9, Haengnok)

Joseon's own ruling elite, for their part, simply deferred to whatever Ming wanted.

Seven Years of War, and a Million Souls No One Mourned

There is no precise count, but by some estimates, the seven years of war cost the lives of anywhere from several hundred thousand to over a million people of Joseon. To Ming China and to Joseon's own ruling elite, the lives of ordinary Joseon people meant little more than insects. But Admiral Yi thought differently. To him, neither the rewards handed down by the Ming emperor nor the title of Naval Commander of the Three Provinces granted by King Seonjo, the ruler of Joseon, meant anything at all. All he wanted was to console the grievances of the people who had died over the past seven years, and to win a "complete victory" that would force Japan into submission and ensure the war could never happen again. So the Admiral chose the waters of Noryang — a battlefield no one else wanted — as his final battlefield.

How Admiral Yi Actually Looked in Battle

When we think of Admiral Yi, we tend to picture the statue that stands guard over Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul.

The statue of Admiral Yi at Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul

But that statue, unfortunately, does not depict how the Admiral actually looked. Yi Sun-sin was not primarily a swordsman — he was, above all, an archer. His diary mentions him practicing archery again and again. I often find myself imagining how much more fitting it would be if the statue at Gwanghwamun held a bow, or was shown drawing its string, rather than a long sword.

Some claim that at the Battle of Noryang, the Admiral deliberately removed his armor and was struck by a bullet while beating the war drum. But I think this misunderstands the Admiral's whole approach to life.

The Annals of King Seonjo record it this way: "Sunsin was personally shooting arrows at the enemy when an enemy bullet struck him in the chest, and he collapsed on the deck." (Seonjo Sillok, 31st year of Seonjo's reign, 11th month, 27th day) This account reached the court just eight days after the Admiral's death, which makes it, I believe, the record closest to the truth.

Admiral Yi's last moments were not spent with his armor off, beating a drum. He was fighting in the thick of the battle, firing arrows at the enemy to the very end.

To say he deliberately took off his armor and was shot while drumming... I think we need to understand properly what he meant when he said, in the prison of the Uigeumbu, "Life and death are Heaven's will."

👉 Related post: ④ Life and Death Are Heaven's Will — If I Must Die, I Will Die

A Final Requiem for a Million Lost Souls and the People of Joseon

Just as his flagship had fought alone at the start of Myeongnyang, at Noryang too the Admiral threw himself into the center of the battle, prepared to die. At Myeongnyang he had needed to survive, to prepare for what came next; at Noryang, the enemy was already broken and in retreat, so there was no longer any need for him to survive to fight another battle — this truly was his final fight.

In the early hours of November 19, 1598, in the waters of Noryang, Admiral Yi met his end.

Was the Battle of Noryang not, in the end, Admiral Yi's final requiem — for the million souls who had died across seven years of war, unmourned and forgotten by their own king and country? In that last requiem, did the Admiral not offer himself as the final sacrifice, for the sake of the very people who had been his reason and his purpose for staying alive until then? Or was it Heaven itself that demanded him as that final offering?

The actual course of events at the Battle of Noryang will be told in full in its own installment of the "Re-reading Admiral Yi's Records" series.

👉 Next post: ⑩ Closing Words — Admiral Yi, the Lighthouse of My Life

— Momcheolhak