I Will Stage A Coup D’état - Chapter 66



Only Krnovel

EP.66 The Great Hall (3)

All the influential figures who could have been the center of the military were arrested by the Central Intelligence Agency or the Security Command.

70% of barons, 66% of earls, and 65% of marquises were interned in the Inquisition Office.

Security Commander Lee Jeong-yoon began to persuade the arrested individuals one by one.

“Teacher. I don’t know why you got involved in such a ridiculous matter, but I think there was a misunderstanding. Don’t you think so?”

“Of course. What power do I have that would make me think of such a ridiculous idea as treason?”

“I believe what you say, sir. But if you want to make Your Excellency and the cabinet believe it, you need evidence.”

“Evidence?”

“I am a patriot who has worked so hard for this country. Well, if you show me this kind of evidence, wouldn’t the voices calling for your release be strengthened? That’s what I’m saying.”

“Uh, what should I do?”

“First of all, since the country is at war, you should donate some defense funds. The larger the amount, the easier it is to understand our sincerity, right?”

If money could buy your life, it was a cheap deal.

“Yes, yes, let’s do that.”

“Of course, that alone is not enough to make the argument more persuasive.”

“That, that word?”

“I would like you to leave a statement stating that you voluntarily agreed to the bulk sale of the land.”

Mu-Ban trembled when he heard those words.

But when I thought about the few days of torture I received at the Security Command, I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

“Where should I file the report?”

The Muban surrendered to Lee Jeong-yoon.

It was a natural result, as those who still had the will to rebel were talking to the water in the security office.

Land reform soon became a topic that overtook the war.

As soon as we opened our eyes, rumors started going around that land distribution had begun somewhere.

Peasants were enthusiastic about land reform.

“So, if I pay this much every year, I can have my own land, right?”

“Yes. Instead, you must join the union.”

“Yes, I said so.”

The rural areas, where Lee Seong-jun’s support was already strong, began to worship him.

“In the history of this country, where has anyone cared so much about the lives of peasants like us and given us land? It’s all thanks to having met such a great king.”

“Yes. General Lee Seong-jun will have to lead this country for a thousand and ten thousand years.”

As a result, in rural areas, even if you found something similar to Lee Seong-jun’s fault, you would be beaten.

Of course, it wasn’t just the peasants who were happy about the land reform.

“What will happen to those talented military officers if land reform is implemented?”

“They are all ruined. How can a nobleman without land be considered noble?”

“Hahaha. Ten years of constipation is all gone. It’s great.”

The wealthy capitalists and conglomerates were delighted by the downfall of the Muban.

Thinking back to the days when the military officers used to meddle in the business and treat them like ‘lowly things’ made my mouth water.

“Now, Korea must become a proper modern nation. What era is this that the nobles are meddling in?”

“What I’m saying is, this is the era of our bourgeoisie.”

The capitalists were convinced that the Lee Seong-jun regime would soon reach out to them.

Who could be a more reasonable new political partner to replace the military aristocracy?

That prediction was not wrong.

“They said they would recommend our businessmen to fill the positions of Rep. Yoo Hyuk-hoe, who was recently cut off.”

“Really?”

It’s not that capitalists have not been interested in political power until now.

Some of them entered and exited the parliament wearing their member badges.

But there was never any real sharing of power.

The decision-making power always rested with the nobles of the military class.

The badge of the member of parliament was nothing more than a decoration given to the common people as a packaging for practicing Western-style democracy.

But today, that time of humiliation is over.

Capitalists were enthusiastic about Lee Seong-jun’s forward-looking measures.

“Let’s give Your Majesty a generous amount of political donations.”

If Your Majesty wants to rule a country, wouldn’t he need something called ‘governance funds’?

Capitalists sent huge political donations to the ‘Ilwon’ Foundation, named after His Majesty.

Lee Seong-jun did not refuse the money, but accepted it and used it to provide welfare for war orphans and the families of fallen soldiers.

Of course, Lee Seong-jun did not just accept the goodwill of the capitalists and wash his mouth.

“These are all vested interests that the nobility monopolized, and now you’re taking them all away and giving them to us?”

“Does it matter? Now they’re all dead bodies after being searched for.”

Forest logging rights, fishing grounds, mines, and rice trading posts.

Lee Seong-jun handed over the products of the land that the nobility had swallowed up to the capitalists.

It was an action intended to castrate the roots of the military.

Sungjun and the chaebols had been on good terms, but by exchanging benefits like this, they were able to close the gap in an instant.

All ten conglomerate leaders attended the banquet held at the Prime Minister’s residence, saving Lee Seong-jun’s face.

Among the conglomerate leaders, there was even one who was sick and came out in a wheelchair.

“Your Majesty. I don’t know how to express my gratitude for arranging this opportunity.”

“I thought I should set up a meeting with the various presidents, but I was late.”

Lee Seong-jun treated the conglomerate leaders as subordinates.

This was a deliberate rhetoric to clarify the hierarchy.

“Oh no.”

The presidents kept bending their backs.

“I think our presidents are the most important people in this country. After all, who is more important than the person who earns the money for the people to live on, or the person who spends it?”

“You are too kind.”

Lee Seong-jun repeatedly showed his favor to the leaders.

The conglomerate leaders expressed satisfaction after hearing the words of wisdom he gave.

‘Yes, the most important thing in this country is capitalism.’

‘But Your Majesty, you do know that the economy is important. You are different from the common military men.’

The conglomerates calculated that even if the Lee Sung-joon administration were to falter, there would be no need to withdraw their support.

With this, the imperial system was reconstructed into a solid tripartite alliance.

The National Salvation Military Committee (new military power) – conglomerates (capitalist power) – farmers (half of the population).

The stability of the Lee Seong-jun regime maintained a solid structure despite the purge of the opposition party.

“Lee Seong-jun, this guy did a great job. That’s how reactionaries should be dealt with.”

Stalin, who was watching the purge of the Korean military from afar, exclaimed in admiration.

“Comrade Beria, isn’t that right?”

“Yes, it is as Comrade Secretary-General said.”

“If I think about it, I was too generous. I should have uprooted everyone, just like Lee Seong-jun.”

Who? You, Stalin?

If it is generous to send a million people to the gulag, wouldn’t British and French colonial rule also be generous?

Beria, who was listening, wanted to refute, but said nothing.

No, I couldn’t.

“I really don’t like the idea of ​​releasing people who are suspected for various reasons, such as war or something. Even if we release them, aren’t they just swindlers who would be pushed around by Germany?”

To be fair, it was because of the propaganda of generals like Rokossovsky who had been released from the Gulag that the Soviet army was able to fight to that extent.

However, since he had no way of knowing the original text, it was not unreasonable for Stalin to be dissatisfied.

“So, how many people did you put on the list today?”

The military purge was virtually halted.

However, the purge in the private sector continued.

“250 people, comrade.”

“It’s not too little, but it’s not too much either.”

Stalin drummed his fingers on the desk.

“If Comrade Secretary-General has a figure in mind, I will try to match it.”

Finally, the secretary revealed his thoughts.

“Aren’t they Ukrainian partisans?”

In German-occupied western Ukraine, there were anti-German partisans fighting against Germany.

The numbers weren’t that great yet.

Because the Ukrainian people still welcomed Germany as their ‘liberator.’

“Yes, Comrade Secretary.”

“I heard those guys have a bad attitude. If we leave them alone and the separatists take over, it’ll be a headache when our army reclaims the area after the war.”

“What does Your Majesty say?”

“Whether you send them by plane or physically break through the German lines, send the NKVD agents to the liberated zones. And make sure they make ‘records’ there too.”

Beria was astonished at those words.

There was no way that an NKVD agent could have gone that far unscathed, but the order to sabotage a local partisan organization was truly shocking for a man who had overcome such difficulties.

“If we are not careful, our agents could mess up the work.”

Beria took an unusually cautious approach.

It was because I was afraid that the responsibility would come back to me.

“It doesn’t matter. The seeds of separatist reaction must be rooted out, whether in friendly territory or in the middle of enemy territory. If you’re going to do it, do it thoroughly like Lee Seong-jun. That way, the reactionaries won’t come at you again.”

Stalin’s intentions seemed to have been made up.

If the Demon King of Purge had expressed his intentions like this, it was impossible to change his mind.

Beria quickly followed the order.

“If you give me just one week, I can arrange a plane and send an agent.”

It didn’t matter if I didn’t arrive alive.

If you die, you can just send it again.

It’s a tragedy that we have to come here with such difficulty to do a purge, but what can we do?

You should regret being born in Stalin’s Soviet Union.

No matter how much I thought about it, the secretary was not human.

What if it was a great demon in human skin?

Beria packed his sweat-soaked handkerchief and left the Kremlin.