Katō now marches toward northeastern China, leaving…
January 1593 CE
Katō now marches toward northeastern China, leaving the coast, and after the Battle of Songjin, captures two Korean princes who are sent south with an escort of one thousand Japanese soldiers as a negotiation condition.
After crossing the Tumen River, Katō arrives in northeastern China, where Chinese authority does not reach and Jurchens rule.
Here Katō attacks a Jurchen fortress and takes it by heavy arquebus fire.
The next day, Jurchens retaliate against the Japanese with ten thousand strong troops.
The Japanese are practically surrounded by the Jurchen cavalry and while managing to pull out of Jurchen attacks, Katō quickly retreats back across the Tumen River.
Without the continuous supplies coming from Busan, the Japanese army loses their initial advantage and cannot proceed any further from Pyongyang.
This will be the first and last time Katō and the Japanese ever step outside Korea during the war; Japanese forces will not set foot on Chinese soil again until the twentieth century.