However, on February 5th, following a failed Korean assault which strained relations with the Joseon, a peace missive arrived from Kato. The allied leaders were now assured that conditions must be even worse then they seemed, and the testimony of Japanese captives confirmed it. But Yang did not accept; he wanted to force Kato to surrender not to negotiate.

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But the allied camp was not in much better shape. As the Japanese discovered, the besiegers were also getting low on food, but they were confident supplies could hold out until Ulsan fell. On February 8th it all turned out for naught when the advance forces of Mori Hidemoto’s naval squadron arrived on the banks of the Taehe River and swept the Ming holding force aside.

Yang Hao was thrown into panic and consulted his generals. Joseon court minister Yi Tokhyang advised leaving a small force behind to keep Ulsan surrounded while moving off with the bulk of the allied army to keep the Japanese from landing. But Yang was concerned that Kato Kiyomasa could break through in such conditions and did not move. When reports arrived that nearly 60,000 Japanese troops had landed, Yang Hao bolted for Seoul, fearing destruction. The allied army broke down, and the combined forces of Mori and Kato nearly crushed the allies between them.

The siege of Ulsan was over. But in the end the Japanese victory was bittersweet; it did nothing to change the ultimate course of the war. The Japanese withdrew from Korea within months, on orders from the ailing dictator Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the allied triumph was sealed by the naval victory at Noryang Point.

My question is: The Siege of Ulsan was a "very close run thing," and the Japanese victory was never assured. As Yang Hao, what would you do differently? Please give two examples below.

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