NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 111



Only Krnovel

All is well on the northern front (5)

Friedrich Hegel, the German philosopher who gave Napoleon the rare title of “spirit of the age on horseback” and was strangely used by Adolf Hitler, a cornered philosopher who had never even crossed the threshold of a university, once said this:

[The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only at dusk.]

Minerva is the goddess of wisdom in Roman mythology, and is naturally similar to Athena in Greek mythology.

Roman mythology and Greek mythology have been combined to form a mash-up for a long time, so there is no need to call them separate, but let me explain.

Anyway, people have different interpretations of what Hegel was trying to say with this, but it is usually interpreted as meaning that the outline of every event becomes somewhat apparent only after it is almost over.

The current appearance of downtown Dalian was similar.

“Don’t worry about what others think, just move quickly.”

“Hey! Stop rolling your eyes and move!”

After a night of madness, as the morning sun rose, groups of Japanese soldiers, tied together like oysters, began to appear one by one throughout Dalian City.

Most of the Japanese soldiers were either grimacing in pain, still not fully conscious, talking nonsense, vomiting on the floor, or looking around.

In the battle last night, most of the Kwantung Army was captured by the independence army and the unit was annihilated.

However, the casualties from both sides’ armies were virtually nonexistent.

The reason for this is that, whether due to misobservation or poor radiation, the artillery fire of the Korean Independence Army only destroyed the rice paddies and fields instead of the military bases on the outskirts of the city that were the original target, and the Kwantung Army was terrified by the sound of gunfire heard throughout the city along with the sound of artillery fire, and surrendered en masse to the Korean Independence Army on the streets.

Some of them mistook Chinese people passing by for independence fighters and even displayed the shameful act of kneeling and begging for their lives.

Thanks to this, the casualties on both sides, whether the independence army or the Japanese army, were not that great.

At best, the independence army suffered only about twenty casualties while trying to subdue the Japanese army, which was resisting fiercely, and no more than twenty Japanese soldiers died from being shot or other various causes while resisting.

There were quite a few other casualties, but they were not caused by the independence fighters, but were accidents that occurred while everyone was drunk.

“Ugh… … . It’s true… … .”

“Oh my… … . Someone please make me just one ochazuke… … .”

“Oh my god, I’m dying… … .”

Japanese soldiers who were captured by the independence fighters suffered from hangovers due to excessive drinking, and the independence fighters guarding them suffered from the terrible smell of alcohol.

“Oh, it smells like alcohol.”

“You drank a lot last night.”

“Don’t you need to wash up? My head feels dizzy just standing next to you… .”

“Ugh.”

Although there were various incidents and accidents, the independence army, which had been quiet since Cheongsanri, made a splendid comeback after three years.

The streets were filled with independence fighters in their dark green uniforms, and the half-burned Japanese flag was lowered forlornly from the Kwantung Prefecture headquarters in Dalian, replaced by the Taegeukgi.

Although no one had ordered them to do so, the soldiers and officers on the front line gathered the Japanese prisoners of war together, and while holding a flag-raising ceremony, they pulled down the half-burned Japanese flag from the flagpole, folded it carefully, and handed it to Lieutenant General Shirakawa, the commander of the Kwantung Army.

“Please guard the flag well.”

“… … .”

Lieutenant General Shirakawa, who simultaneously became the first general officer in the Japanese army to be defeated by the independence army overnight and the first general officer to be captured by the independence army, accepted the flag with a shit-eating expression and tucked it under his arm.

“Comrade General Kim Dong-sam, the commander of the Korean Independence Army, has ordered you to pay special attention to the treatment of prisoners of war, so you should go to Geneva… Geneva? Geneva? In any case, according to the convention, the rights of prisoners of war will be guaranteed.”

Hong Yong-hwan took out a crumpled piece of paper from his bosom and slowly recited the rights of prisoners written on it.

After explaining for a while, he looked at Lieutenant General Shirayuki and asked him.

“Do you have any questions?”

“… … .”

“Um… … That’s all I have to say.”

Lieutenant General Shirayuki quietly closed her eyes.

“Why are you closing your eyes?”

“It is said that as you get older, your eyes become sensitive to the morning breeze.”

“Oh, really? I made a mistake here. Let me in quickly before I catch someone!”

In this Battle of Dalian, the independence army not only annihilated the Kwantung Army, but also captured all of its leaders.

However, there were not a single death among the independence fighters, so it could be said to be a great victory that will be remembered in history.

While others went out to graze cows and goats with sticks in their hands, Hong Yong-hwan followed his father, holding a gun and oil in his hands, and ran away from the Japanese.

In the process, he lost his older brother, and his strong mother who had guarded the house whenever his father was away and never yielded to the harassment of the Japanese.

Not only his family, but also his peers, uncles, and fathers had great ambitions and entered the path of the righteous army, but now only he and his father were left.

The Japanese army was strong, and the volunteer army was weak.

No matter how accurate a marksman you were, when you faced the Japanese, you would often fall to the barrage of machine guns they would fire at you or lose your life to grenades they would throw.

Not every battle was like that, but when we fought the Japanese head-on, things went that way 100% of the time.

But today was a little different.

Although the Kwantung Army let its guard down, we fought them head-on and won, and at the Kwantung Provincial Office, which could be called the heart of the Kwantung Army, we lowered the Japanese flag and hung the Taegeukgi (Korean flag).

What would my father think if he saw this?

Hong Yong-hwan looked at the Taegeukgi fluttering on the flagpole and was lost in thought for a moment.

“Yong-hwan.”

As he was looking up at the Taegeukgi for a long time, someone called his name.

“Huh? Ah! General!”

Looking back, I saw General Kim Jwa-jin, who was leading the rearguard during the recent operation to conquer Gwandong Province.

“I know you’ve been busy preparing for battle since coming to Seogando, but why don’t you say hello to me?”

“Hehe, I’m sorry, General. Have you been well?”

“Those who followed us died, comrades were killed one after another, and the military government was scattered, but somehow we managed to make ends meet.”

“Oh, yes… … .”

Kim Jo-jin put his hand on Hong Yong-hwan’s shoulder and put his arm around his shoulder. Then, with a fierce expression on his face that made it seem like even a wolf would turn over and show off its skills, he asked him.

“I think this is the first time in such a big battle that my comrades have only been injured instead of killed.”

“Yes! I think so too.”

“I asked the commander in private the last time, and it seems he knew that the Kwantung Army was going to have a drinking party today.”

“Yes, that’s right!”

Kim Joa-jin smiled at Hong Yong-hwan’s answer.

“Really? You knew?”

“Uh… … . Since I had to manage the advance party, the commander explained this and that to me… … ?”

“I see, that’s what happened.”

Kim Joa-jin pulled Hong Yong-hwan closer, looked around a couple of times, and then asked again.

“How did our comrade commander know that the Kwantung Army would do something today?”

“That’s… … Isn’t that the information that Mr. Lee from Gyeongseong sent through the Chosun Ilbo?”

“It’s this teacher again.”

Kim Jo-jin looked away with a face that seemed to show that he was not happy with the word teacher.

“Who is this teacher that he provides food, weapons, ammunition, and even information to the independence fighters?”

“Well… … . Up until that point, I was fine with it… … . Among us, the only ones who have met this teacher in person are Comrade Commander, Comrade Chief of Staff, General Yu in Shanghai, and General No.”

“So you’re saying that there are only four of them: Kim Dong-sam, Ji Cheong-cheon, Yoo Dong-yeol, and Noh Baek-rin.”

“Yes.”

“Phew… … .”

Kim Joa-jin’s head seemed complicated with many thoughts.

‘I wonder what kind of person he is, that no matter what I ask, he either doesn’t know or no one really knows.’

Today’s victory was a joyous event, but it was not achieved entirely by the power of the independence army.

From Kim Jwa-jin’s perspective, he armed himself with guns and ammunition purchased with funds sent by a man named Lee Seon-saeng from Gyeongseong whose face and name he did not know, filled his stomach with food grown with fertilizer purchased with the funds sent by him, and planned his operation based on the information he sent him.

Thanks to this, I felt more comfortable physically and mentally than when I had to run around trying to get weapons and food and information about the Japanese military… … but on the other hand, I also had this thought.

‘How can anyone trust and do something with someone whose face and name they don’t even know? … .’

Kim Joa-jin was not the type of person to trust people easily.

This thought became even more intense after seeing a series of incidents in the Primorsky Krai, where the same independence fighters were pointing guns at each other, ignoring each other, and fighting over ideology and other issues.

From Kim Jo-jin’s perspective, he couldn’t help but look at the Korean independence army’s unwavering belief in the information sent by this man, a teacher whose face or name he didn’t even know.

‘I guess a separate investigation is needed.’

Kim Jo-jin, who had thought that far, secretly gave a secret order to his close aide, Lee Jeong, while the other independence fighters were rejoicing at their long-awaited, exhilarating victory.

“You go down this road and find out who this teacher from Gyeongseong is.”

“Investigation… … is that what you mean?”

“Yes, if possible, find out in detail who this teacher is and what he is thinking.”

“Am I going alone?”

“If I remove more people from here, others might start to suspect me. So it would be better for you to handle this quietly by yourself.”

“All right.”

Kim Jo-jin asked Lee Jeong, who had been with him through life and death on the battlefield, to open his heart to him.

“The Japanese military and police are in disarray right now because of the situation in mainland Japan, but since we are going to Gyeongseong, the heart of the enemy, we could be in danger at any time.”

“I know.”

“If it seems too dangerous, don’t bother digging, just run away and come back. You can always get information from this teacher later, but it’ll be hard to get someone like you again.”

Kim Joa-jin had firm faith in Lee Jeong.

* * *

And a week later, Gyeongseong.

In a dark warehouse, a man was tied up in front of a lightbulb that flickered dangerously.

“I heard that the independence armies of Manchuria and Gando had joined forces, so I went up there one day to get rid of those rats… … and then one of them came looking for me.”

Someone’s voice was heard in the darkness.

A voice that was neither too high nor too low, like a gentle breeze, flowed into Lee Jeong’s ears.

“Kim Jwa-jin, Lee Jang-nyeong, Lee Beom-seok, Kim Kyu-sik, Kim Dong-sam, Choi Dong-jin, Choi Un-san, Ji Cheong-cheon… … . Did you have a hard time attaching the photos so meticulously?”

“I, I just did what I was told!”

“Who? Who told you to sell out your comrades?”

The voice in the darkness changed.

What had been gentle like a spring breeze just a moment ago was now hitting him hard like a summer typhoon.

“That, that is… … .”

“You can sell out your comrades without any problem, but you can’t tell who ordered you to do this. Is that it? Wow, that’s some incredible loyalty.”

“… … .”

“It’s disadvantageous so I’ll keep my mouth shut? Fine.”

The storm-like voices quieted down, and soon a man wearing a Japanese military officer’s uniform walked out into the light.

“Lee Jeong, secretary to the general of the Seoro Military Government, staff member of the Korean Independence Corps, and staff member of the Korean Independence Army general.”

“… … .”

“Why did you come to me?”

“… … The general ordered me to find out about this teacher in Gyeongseong.”

“General? What general? Oh! Are you talking about Lieutenant General Shinnosuke, the commander of our Korean garrison?”

“… … General Kim Jwa-jin.”

The officer laughed as if he found Lee Jeong’s words amusing.

“General Kim Jwa-jin sent someone to Gyeongseong because he was curious about what I do?”

“exactly.”

“Um… … . Yeah. I see.”

The officer pulled his gun from his holster.

The German pistol he had acquired with his own money was aimed squarely at Lee Jeong’s forehead.

“This is usually how a spy ends.”

“… … .”

“Any last words?”

“Please, spare my life. If you spare my life, I will extract information from the Governor-General’s Office… … .”

The officer showed interest in Lee Jeong’s words.

“Information from the Governor-General? What information?”

“Well, that’s the internal map of the Government-General Building… … . Their future plans… … .”

Lee Jeong-eun was struggling to survive, talking nonsense, but the officer’s face remained cold.

“A map of the Government-General Building and future plans.”

“Yes! Just tell me and I will save you as much as you want… … .”

“Do you think I don’t know that?”

“yes?”

The officer spoke to him with a slight sigh.

“Ha, sh*t… … . I never thought I’d say this with my own mouth… … . Have you heard of the Ghost of Gyeongseong?”

“The Ghost of Gyeongseong… … . If so… … ?”

It was a name I had heard to some extent.

The greatest terrorist of this century who devastated Gyeongseong and turned the Government-General into a monkey frolic in the palm of Buddha’s hand.

“That’s me.”

“ah.”

Mr. Lee of Gyeongseong was the ghost of Gyeongseong.

It was information that everyone who needed to know knew, but he, the Governor-General’s top secret agent, did not know.

If he could survive here and report this to the Governor-General, it would be information that would allow him to live comfortably for the rest of his life without worrying about money.

As soon as he thought about it, Lee Jeong’s mind became filled with the thought that he had to survive somehow.

“Give my regards to the rats who went ahead.”

“Now, wait a minute.”

The trigger fired and Lee Jeong’s body collapsed on the warehouse floor.

I looked down at the cooling corpse and looked through the documents he had brought.

It contained detailed information about the Korean Independence Army.

If this had been passed on to the Government-General, it was written in such detail that the Korean garrison would have been dispatched immediately and attacked the headquarters of the Korean Independence Army.

“Even though we got rid of all those rats, there are still some left inside?”

It tasted a little bitter.

There were no particular problems with the provisional government, Uiyeoldan, and the Korean Independence Army because they had thoroughly cleaned out their internal affairs with the list of spies from the Government-General and the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai, but it seemed that spies were still running rampant in other independence movement groups.

‘The Emperor’s deputy in Tokyo is also very angry and is said to have swept away the military at the Imperial Council, so it seems likely that he will launch another military operation targeting the independence army.’

My plan was not to completely drive out Japanese forces from Kwantung Province, but to inflict severe damage on the Kwantung Army there.

However, whether it was because the independence army fought too well or because the Kwantung Army fought too poorly, the result was that Japanese forces in Kwantung Province were completely wiped out, if only for a moment.

This was a national defense issue that the Japanese Empire could never afford to ignore, and there was a high possibility that they would send troops, as they did in the case of Cheongsanri and Bongodong.

‘What a headache.’

As the chaos in the Japanese archipelago was slowly settling down, it seemed like a good idea to strike and get out quickly during this gap.

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 112