The Decisive Battles of World History

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cannons discharged a deadly hail. This monster plunged into the

midst of the Japanese ships, spewing death and destruction.

x While the creature wreaked havoc and confusion among the

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vessels, stood at a distance and bombarded the Japanese with

cannons and arrows.

x The Battle of Sacheon turned into a slaughter, with the confused

Japanese trapped between the guns of the impregnable monster and

the storm of missiles from the Korean ships that surrounded them.

x The battle marked the combat debut of the turtle ship. Over the next

decade, Yi and his turtle ships would play a key role in defeating

Japan’s invasions of Korea, and Yi’s actions would establish him as

one of the greatest admirals of all time.

The Opponents

x Yi Sun-shin was born in 1545 and decided to pursue a military

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Yi attempted to pass the rigorous military entrance examinations,

he fell off his horse, breaking his leg. Though he knew he had failed

the exam, he splinted the break using the branch of a nearby tree

and completed the exercise. After passing the exam in a later year,

he rose through the ranks, distinguishing himself in action.

x Advancement in the Korean political and military structure was

heavily based on favoritism and patronage rather than ability, and

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court, Yi was the commander of a small contingent of the Korean

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x Yi kept a diary that has mostly survived and is available in English

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descriptions it gives of major battles and key events surrounding the

invasion of Korea, it also offers a unique and humanizing portrait of

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