8 months after the Imjin War broke out, Kato Kiyomasa led the 2nd Division of 22,000 men into Hamgyeong Province. This was driven by his personal greed to reach the Ming border faster than Konishi Yukinaga and claim all the glory.
At the time, the Hamgyeong government forces had veteran cavalry trained against Jurchen raiders. The commander Han Geuk-ham initially won the 1st Battle of Haejeongchang, inflicting significant damage and seemingly stalling Kato’s advance. However, he lost 300 cavalry in the 2nd battle, and the defense line completely collapsed.
Upon hearing of the defeat, Hamgyeong crumbled from within. Collaborators (Sun-wae) like Guk Se-pil, Guk Gyeong-in, and Jeong Mal-su surrendered to Kato without even trying to fight. They handed over local officials and even the two princes, Imhae-gun and Sunhwa-gun, as hostages.
The Joseon court lost Hamgyeong in an instant. Kato gave the collaborators official titles to control the region. Hamgyeong turned into a living hell under the double tyranny of the traitors and the Japanese army.
Meanwhile, Jeong Mun-bu (Jeong 6-pum rank), a local official, was hiding on the coast of Gyeongseong because he’d be executed if caught. A few local scholars and warriors, unable to endure the tyranny, gathered 300 men and asked Jeong to be their leader. He initially refused, but after seeing their sincerity, he became the Righteous Army leader at age 27. (1. Jeong Mun-bu’s Uprising)
Jeong appointed Kang Mun-u as his scout leader and targeted Guk Se-pil in Gyeongseong first. He tricked Guk into opening the gates by saying they should team up to fight the Jurchens to the north. Once inside, he executed only the hardcore collaborators and pardoned the passive ones, winning over the locals. He also used cavalry to cut off Kato Umanojo's comms in Gilju and wiped out a 100-man Japanese unit.
Having secured Gyeongseong, Jeong sent manifestos to the Six Garrisons (6-jin) calling for the purging of traitors. Influenced by the manifesto, locals in Hoeryeong set fire to the traitor Guk Gyeong-in's house at night, captured him, and joined the Righteous Army with his head. The news spread to Myeongcheon, where the traitor Jeong Mal-su was. When peasants rose up to surrender to Jeong Mun-bu, Jeong Mal-su used cannons against them, sparking massive outrage. Jeong Mun-bu attacked Myeongcheon with just 60 cavalry, and the locals joined in to drive the traitor out. He was eventually caught and executed while fleeing.
News of the traitors' deaths and the uprising spread across Hamgyeong. Hidden military officers and volunteers flocked to Gyeongseong. The scattered elite Hamgyeong cavalry rejoined Jeong, forming a massive force of 5,000. He picked 3000 of them, split them into three units, and marched south toward Gilju. (2. Battle of Seokseongnyeong - Jangdeoksan)
On December 3, 1592, 1,000 Japanese troops were returning to Gilju after looting a fishing village. They were ambushed at Seokseongnyeong Pass by 200 of Jeong’s men. Initially panicked, the Japanese realized they had the numbers and tried to form a defensive line.
However, 400 cavalry led by Han In-je and Jeong’s main force surrounded them, shifting the tide. The Japanese tried to break through with an elite shock troop unit, but they were annihilated by Joseon cavalry and fled to Mount Jangdeoksan.
The Japanese tried to retreat to Gilju Castle via the mountain, but Jeong Mun-bu had already taken the summit. The Japanese tried to climb while firing matchlocks, but were swept away by the cavalry again. Those who hid in the valleys froze to death in the Hamgyeong cold. By morning, the remaining troops were flushed out by fire. Jeong captured 600 heads and a massive amount of supplies.
Terrified by the defeat at Jangdeoksan, Kato Umanojo and his men locked the gates of Gilju Castle. Instead of a direct assault, Jeong chose a siege. By cutting off firewood and supplies, many Japanese soldiers starved or froze to death. Despite having 3,000–4,000 troops, they didn't dare attempt a breakout.
One day, a unit of 100 desperate Japanese soldiers came out for supplies, but Jeong’s cavalry immediately slaughtered them and hung their bodies 4km away from the castle. The Japanese inside were paralyzed with fear.
Hearing that Gilju was in danger, Kato (the main commander in Anbyeon) boasted he would "pacify the north again" and marched north with his main army.
Kato's vanguard reached Dancheon. Hearing this, Jeong dispatched his cavalry. The magistrate of Dancheon, Kang Chan, faked a retreat to lure them in. When they reached Baektapgyo Bridge, they were surrounded and annihilated just like at Jangdeoksan. Only 30 men survived to scramble into Gilju Castle.
Furious at the vanguard's defeat, Kato Kiyomasa gathered his main force and marched. Realizing he was outnumbered, Jeong lifted the siege and prepared to defend Gyeongseong while using cavalry for hit-and-run tactics, letting the brutal Hamgyeong winter do the work.
Unlike the Righteous Army who were used to the cold, Kato's men from Kumamoto (Kyushu) had prepared for a short war and had no winter gear. Just staying in Gilju caused massive casualties from frostbite.
Furthermore, with the Joseon Navy destroying the Japanese fleet, sea supply lines were dead, and Konishi Yukinaga was retreating from Pyongyang, moving the front line south.
If Kato stayed stuck in Hamgyeong against Jeong, he risked being surrounded by the Ming-Joseon allied forces. Kato eventually settled for rescuing Umanojo and retreated hastily under the cover of night. During this process, the two Joseon princes were also recovered.
Hearing of the retreat, Jeong immediately formed a pursuit unit and harassed Kato’s forces all the way to Hamhung. Kato had entered Hamgyeong with 22,000 men, but after retreating to Hanyang, he realized 8,500 were gone. The Japanese retreated to the southern coast, and Jeong reclaimed all of Hamgyeong. Jeong Mun-bu was promoted significantly for his feats, eventually becoming a high-ranking official (Puyun) after the Injo Restoration.
After his death, the Bukgwan Victory Monument was erected during King Sukjong's reign to commemorate this victory, and he was posthumously honored as Chung-ui-gong.
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