The Korean navy under Admiral Yi, having…
December 1598 CE
The Korean navy under Admiral Yi, having recovered from its losses, is aided by the Chinese navy under Chen Lin.
Intelligence reveals that five hundred Japanese ships are anchored in the narrow straits of Noryang in order to withdraw the remaining Japanese troops, hoping for a peaceful return home to the Tsushima Islands.
Yi and Chen Lin, noting the narrow geography of the area, lead a surprise attack against the Japanese fleet at dawn on December 16, 1598, firing volleys of cannons and fire arrows against the enemy ships.
The Japanese fleet hurriedly prepares for battle and sails toward the allied fleet through the strait, suffering much devastation from the bombardments as the ships become concentrated into bundles due to narrowness of the strait.
As Japanese cannon technology is far inferior to that of the Korean and Chinese, they cannot effectively return fire.
As the Japanese ships draw nearer, Chen Lin orders the Chinese fleet to engage in melee combat.
Fierce battle ensues but the Japanese begin to counterattack with their traditional boarding methods and arquebus volleys.
When Chen Lin's flagship is threatened, Yi comes to the rescue, entering the heat of the battle.
By lobbing mortars and fire arrows into the Japanese ships, Yi's fleet manages to immobilize much of the Japanese arquebus squads.
Admiral Yi personally wields a bow.
By dawn, nearly half of the Japanese battleships have been destroyed; as the Japanese begin to retreat, Yi orders the final charge to destroy the remaining few.
As Yi's flagship speeds forward, he is shot on the left side of his chest, under the arm.
Only three nearby captains, including his cousin, see this mortal wound, and Yi orders his captains to keep his death secret and to continue the battle so that the morale of the soldiers would not drop.
He dies in minutes.
The battle ends as an allied victory with a Japanese loss of nearly four hundred and fifty battleships out of the original five hundred.
Only after the battle do the soldiers learn of Yi's death.
It is said that Chen Lin lamented that Yi died in his stead.
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