NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 109



Only Krnovel

All is well on the northern front (3)

Kwantung Army.

It is now a small army guarding Kwantung Province, just another overseas colony attached to Japan.

However, in the near future, it was an army that would run wild, teaming up with the great figure of Ishiwara Kanji, and would plunge Japan into an irreversible quagmire, handing Manchuria over to the Japanese Empire.

“Suga! Suga! Where are you, Suga!”

“Yes~ Did you call~”

“You little punk, where did you go when I told you to go to work?”

“Huh? Oh… … Is this your second time today?”

“Phew… … .”

… … Even so, for now, it was just an ordinary unit deployed in the rear.

The troops under his command were barely enough to handle public security duties, and even then, they were rear units that were not fully equipped or manned.

“Why is that?”

“How many times have I told you that if you keep wandering around like that and get caught by the officers, you’ll be in big trouble?”

“Hey… … Why do people who are so busy come all the way here? They should all go to a gisaeng house in downtown Dalian and have a drink.”

“But you idiot, there are still people who stop by the headquarters every now and then to stamp their seals!”

“Yes, I will be more careful when I work from now on.”

“Oh my… … After you finish, go see me separately and then quickly run to your workplace!”

As it was located quite far from the Kwantung Army proper, it boasted a relatively free atmosphere, which led to frequent incidents that would have been unimaginable in the permanent divisions on the mainland.

It was common for soldiers to skip work and just rest, and the unit was in chaos to the point where officers would skip work altogether and spend time at gisaeng houses or not even show up to work because they were hungover.

The only good thing is that, despite being such a mess, the unit is relatively free from absurdity and violence.

I guess it was because the unit was small, so there were a lot of familiar faces, and if there was something you didn’t like, you could just go outside and resolve it, so everyone felt a lot more relaxed.

It couldn’t be helped, because unlike the Korean Peninsula, where you could get shot or die from a bomb explosion every time you clash with the rebels, or Taiwan or the Pacific Islands, where even breathing makes you feel uncomfortable, Guandong Province was a peaceful place.

Because Japan had settled here for a long time, Koreans had never set foot here, and because it was a place specially managed by troops dispatched from mainland Japan, even bandits did not dare invade.

As peace continued without incident in this pleasant neighborhood, the previously strict military discipline of the Kwantung Army’s frontline units naturally collapsed one by one.

In the first place, it didn’t make sense to maintain such strict military discipline all year round.

“Hehe~”

“Whew… … . But still, where would you find a crazy guy who drinks in the office?”

“It’s okay, Private Gu-ri-da.”

“… …What are you doing here, Captain?”

“Huh? I was planning to go to Dalian, but I didn’t have enough money for a rickshaw ride, so I just snuck a few bottles of alcohol from the supply warehouse.”

“… … .”

The Kwantung Army, the strongest military force in Kwantung Province located at the very front of the Japanese Empire’s continental front and the future axis of the Japanese army faction, had a near-perfect military discipline that could be said to be a model for all Japanese armies.

“Why are you doing this to even the platoon leader?”

“What am I.”

“If you drink alcohol in the military and get caught by the company commander or battalion commander, you’ll be in big trouble.”

“It’s okay~ The company commander went to have a drink with the battalion commander and the parasites a little while ago.”

“… … ?”

Japan won the First Sino-Japanese War and received Dalian and the Liaodong Peninsula, but lost the Liaodong Peninsula due to the Triple Intervention of Russia, which involved France and Germany. Afterwards, Japan won the Russo-Japanese War and received back the Russian leased territories of Port Arthur and Dalian, leaving the entire Liaodong Peninsula as a neutral zone, laying the foundation for its advance into the continent.

The problem was that the Qing Dynasty, which had signed a treaty with the Japanese Empire, fell, and in the midst of the chaos that followed, the Chinese Empire and the Republic of China rose, and Japan clumsily included this neutral zone in its sphere of influence.

Of course, there was no official policy from the Japanese Empire.

It was just that the high-ranking official said, “It seems like there is chaos inside China, so wouldn’t it be great if we could also clean up the neutral zone bandits while we’re patrolling?” and the official bowed like a fly, rubbed his hands, and said, “Of course!” and that’s how it turned out.

As a result, the area that the Kwantung Army was now responsible for had expanded to an absurd extent.

The Kwantung Army was in a situation where it had to cover an area 1.5 times the size of modern South Korea with just six guard battalions.

Naturally, it was too much for them to handle alone, so in peacetime, a permanent army division was dispatched every two years to help, but now, due to the chaos on the mainland, it was a situation where it was impossible to know when it would come.

As a result, the entire wide area had to be managed by six battalions… … . Even for the Japanese army, which was known for overcoming any shortcomings with grit and mental strength, this was impossible, so in reality, except for major port areas such as Port Arthur and Dalian and their outskirts, there was no management at all.

“Sergeant, no matter what, you can’t drink alcohol in the unit… … and especially in the barracks.”

“Shut up. Commander Shirakawa of the Kwantung Army Headquarters is consoling the soldiers for their hard work, so what are you talking about? If you’re going to nag, go to the cafeteria and get some food for them.”

“… … .”

Lieutenant General Yoshinori Shirakawa, the current commander of the Kwantung Army, was a man who had graduated from the elite Military Academy and Army University and had been promoted to the rank of star for his achievements in the First Sino-Japanese War.

He was a person with no special characteristics other than the fact that he was hit by a bomb from Dr. Yun Bong-gil in Hongkou Park and then took an express train to the afterlife.

Commander Shirakawa was clearly exhausted by the endless rotation of the mainland divisions and the growing burden on his men by the day.

Eventually, Commander Shirakawa, unable to stand by and watch this, opened the warehouse within the unit to give them a comfortable day to rest, distributed alcohol and meat, and took care to ensure that everyone, from officers to soldiers, could rest comfortably. At this very moment, he could be said to be one of the most virtuous generals in the Japanese military.

“But the border guards… … .”

“Shut up! Why are you making such a fuss about some crazy guy attacking Dalian?”

Although some staff members at the Kwantung Army headquarters were concerned about this, the commander and chief of staff dismissed this opinion simply because there was no force in the Liaodong Peninsula that had developed a systematic and professional army capable of directly attacking Dalian.

In fact, Commander Shirakawa’s words are not wrong, as the independence movement has been greatly weakened since the Gando Massacre and the Jayu City Massacre.

The power of the independence army in Manchuria, Gando, and the Maritime Province was rapidly shrinking.

However, for those who were struggling to maintain their positions and rebuild their army, attacking Dalian was as difficult as picking up a jewel on the road.

And if we think about it more rationally, even if the rebels in Manchuria or Gando had somewhat recovered their power, they would not have attacked Joseon lands beyond the Amnok or Duman Rivers, and they would not have attacked Dalian on the westernmost outskirts.

Something like this had never happened before in the history of the Japanese Empire.

“Your Excellency Commander, there is no Class A Division from the mainland in Dalian right now, so if a unit from the Red Army were to invade, they could suffer great losses.”

“That’s stupid. How could those who can barely put food in their mouths know that?”

“that…….”

“And how big is the Liaodong Peninsula, and how many interpreters and border troops are stationed here and there? I don’t know for sure, but if we go all the way to Dalian, we will naturally hear about it, and then we will have plenty of room to respond.”

This was Commander Shirakawa’s judgment, and it sounded quite plausible.

The commander made such boasts and created an atmosphere of ease and enjoyment, and even the staff members who had opposed this began to enjoy this atmosphere with ease.

And that night, everyone got a little drunk and started passing out one by one.

“Whoa… … . I’ll live.”

“Rickshaw work isn’t easy either… … .”

“I won’t do this even when I go back to my hometown.”

“I agree.”

After a night of madness, and the streets became somewhat deserted, Dalian’s rickshaw pullers were finally able to rest a little more comfortably.

Their faces were all filled with fatigue, as if they were not used to this kind of work, but their hands were just as rough as those of other rickshaw pullers.

“Whew… … . Let’s just rest here for 5 minutes and then move.”

“Yes, I just wanted to get some rest.”

The rickshaw pullers were huddled together for one last rest before moving on to the next location, when in the distance an officer in a yellow uniform raised his hand with a face as red as a jujube.

“rickshaw!”

“Ha, sir… … .”

The officer, whose epaulettes bore the rank of second lieutenant, began to get annoyed at the sight of the rickshaw pullers not rushing to his aid immediately.

“rickshaw!!”

“Sir, the rickshaw service is finished today.”

The rickshaw pullers tried to send him away in brief Japanese, but he was no longer a subject of conversation or negotiation.

“rickshaw!!!”

Now he has long been nothing more than a lawbreaker on the road, with a red face and shouting for a rickshaw.

“Wow, this is driving me crazy.”

“Brother, what should I do?”

“What should I do… … .”

The rickshaw pullers glanced around.

“Do you want to do it? Or should I do it?”

“Write… How could a younger brother dirty his hands? Please leave it to my younger brother.”

“Yeah, I told you I took good care of my younger brother.”

“Human resources!!! Hey!!!”

When one of the rickshaw pullers got up and came trudging towards him, dragging a palanquin, the officer seemed to feel a little better, and as he calmed down a little, he approached the rickshaw puller.

“That’s why those Joseon guys… … . The problem is that if you don’t raise your voice, they won’t listen.”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry.”

“Tch, tch.”

The officer who had climbed into the palanquin leaned back against the backrest and gave orders to the rickshaw puller as if he were a king.

“To the front of the unit.”

“Which unit should I send you to?”

“What? Are you saying that you burned me without even knowing who I was? Ha! That’s why you Joseon guys.”

At the officer’s words, the rickshaw puller turned around, glared at the officer, and said:

“Do I need to know the name of the person who is about to die?”

“What? What did you just say, you little punk… … . Cough!”

The officer was enraged by the rickshaw puller’s words, but the short knife in the puller’s hand cut off the officer’s life.

A rickshaw puller covered in blood called out to the other rickshaw pullers who were resting far away.

“Brother, it’s all over!”

“Okay! You’ve worked hard!”

“I guess I should contact the main unit now!”

“Hey, don’t worry about that!”

At that moment, a sharp sound ripping through the air was heard in the distance, and then a large explosion occurred in the middle of downtown Dalian and the ground shook.

And at the same time, far beyond the horizon, fire began to flash and gunfire began to ring out.

“Hey… … . Is it starting already?”

“Okay, let’s go quickly.”

The rickshaw puller threw the officer’s body into a trash can, quickly changed into a dark green military uniform, took out the items he had hidden in the palanquin, and assembled them.

Things that were considered as mere junk were instantly transformed into the miraculous weapons created by Mr. Lee of Gyeongseong when they fell into the hands of a rickshaw puller.

“Wow… … . I felt this way when I was assembling it in the military… … . You really can’t tell it’s a gun until you assemble it.”

“I agree with you. You even worried about me, saying, ‘Why do you carry heavy extension cords around in your saddle?’”

“Kukukuk… … . I did that too.”

Those who had been transformed into soldiers in an instant put magazines into their guns when they saw the Japanese soldiers running outside in a panic due to the sudden artillery fire.

“Be careful of shooting because friendly and enemy forces are mixed up in the middle of the night, and the military base outside of Dalian is a concentrated fire zone, so drive the enemy there but don’t get close.”

“Yes, brother.”

“Oh, I should call you Captain.”

“Yes, sir, platoon leader.”

“… … Let’s stop talking.”

Some of the Japanese soldiers, who had not yet come to their senses, walked toward the independence fighters with reddened faces, holding guns.

[Are you a military policeman?]

[Mr. Military Police, what is going on?]

[It looks like there was an explosion over there. What happened?]

It didn’t take long for them to figure out the situation.

“We are not the Japanese army, we are the Korean independence army.”

[?]

[Is it Korean?]

[What are you talking about? Korean poison… …?!]

Soon the soldiers’ guns opened fire.

Oh, of course it wasn’t the Japanese military’s.

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 110