NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 152



Only Krnovel

RISE(3)

Winter, when the whole world is covered in pure white snow.

People in Hamgyeong Province, sitting on the floor and looking at the pure white snowflakes covering the world, look at the rice bins that are dwindling day by day with complicated feelings and wish that they were all rice.

Hamgyeong-do is known for having quite cold weather even within the Korean peninsula, but the temperature here does not rise as much as in other regions even in the summer, and it is slightly cool.

Winters in Hamgyeong Province were known to be several times harsher than those in other regions of the Korean Peninsula.

Hamgyeong-do is located at the northeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula, is an area comprised entirely of mountainous terrain, and is even colder than Siberia, which is famous for its cold winters.

As a side note, the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, the most horrific battle experienced by the U.S. Marines during the Korean War, took place right here in Hamgyeong Province.

They say that even the world’s strongest US military will see blood if they are not properly prepared in Hamgyeong Province in the winter.

However, even in this harsh Hamgyeong Province, there are a few places where people can relatively live. The first is Hamheung, famous for the Hamheung Plain, and the second is the coastal area bordering the East Sea.

What the two have in common is that in the harsh Hamgyeong Province where humans seem to be prohibited from entering, it is a warm place where people can live comfortably.

Nanam, located at the northeastern tip of Hamgyeong Province, is also a coastal city surrounding Cheongjin, a large city that was designated as an open port early on and developed into a large city. It is located next to Cheongjin, making it easy to supply goods, and the land is cheaper than Cheongjin, making it one of the warmest places in the cold Hamgyeong Province.

As the size of the volunteer army that crossed over to Manchuria after the loss of national sovereignty grew day by day, the Japanese military felt the need to deploy troops along the Sino-Japanese-Soviet border area created along the Tumen River. When they looked for a place to build a base, they found that there were not many places in Hamgyeong Province where they could build a base.

Hamhung, another large city in Hamgyong Province, met all the requirements of the Japanese military, but it was hundreds of kilometers from the border and could not be used as a base.

However, if we wanted to use other places in Hamgyeong Province as military bases, the terrible road conditions characteristic of mountainous regions were an obstacle.

After eliminating them one by one, the only thing that caught my eye was Nanam, which is located next to Cheongjin, a huge port city.

Considering the geographical location and other factors, there seemed to be no better place in Hamgyeong Province than here, so the Japanese military immediately established a military base in Nanam and deployed the 19th Division to monitor the border.

However, the soldiers from the warm south found it difficult to overcome the cold winter of Hamgyeong Province, even though it was relatively warm.

That’s why the 19th Division developed a tradition, not a tradition, of its activity level dropping sharply in the winter.

Anyway, the number of rebels who crossed the border and made a fuss was small, and they weren’t fools who would fearlessly push their way all the way to Nanam, so at the end of the year, regardless of social status, there was a tendency for them to gradually loosen up, which led to this result.

-Bang! Bam bang! Bam bang bang!

“Enemy shells falling! Enemy shells falling!”

“Where are you shooting from!”

“Since our artillery is counter-countering, we will be able to quickly determine the location of the enemy artillery!”

“What the hell is this?”

midwinter.

It was a day so cold that even time seemed to freeze.

That night, the stars twinkled in the sky and the moon shone as brightly as the sun.

A shell fell on the heads of a Japanese soldier who was fast asleep, leaning against a stove.

The attack, which began suddenly, continued for tens of minutes.

They continued to pour out shells without stopping, as if they had no intention of engaging our allies directly, and as a result, the Japanese casualties grew like a snowball.

“Who is the enemy? Has anyone seen him?”

The 19th Division headquarters, which had hurriedly evacuated to the relatively safe city of Nanam, tried to find out who was attacking them, but everyone had different opinions because the attack was so sudden.

“It might be a Korean armed group.”

“It could be the work of a bandit group supported by Bongcheon or his direct descendants.”

“Soviet troops? What about them?”

“That might be the case.”

But there was no way to know who the attacker was just by arguing like this.

The commander of the Japanese 19th Division, Major General Taro Ueda, was taken aback by the sudden attack by an unknown enemy, but quickly came to his senses and ordered his troops to counterattack.

“We can’t just let this happen. The enemy can’t keep bombarding us forever.”

“How can you be sure of that?”

“How foolish! How many shells could the enemy, who had to cross the river in this winter, have brought with them? This is all they have!”

Director Ueda believed that the perpetrator of this attack was the Soviet Union, with which there had been friction over border issues.

This was because, with the exception of the Soviet Army, there was no other army that could neutralize the border defense line in such a rugged Hamgyeong Province, drag cannons across the river, and push forward to Nanam, where the 19th Division was stationed.

The Chinese army on the Bongcheon side was a unit that maintained close relations with Japan, so in the first place, there was no need to cross the Joseon border to attack the Japanese army, and they did not have the skills to be able to attack Nanam so quietly.

Then, what was left were the Manchurian bandits, the bandits who were not much different from them, and the Soviet Army. Among these, the only unit large enough to operate cannons and capable of operating artillery in such a systematic manner was the Soviet Army.

So, isn’t it reasonable to think that the attackers here are the Soviets?

Let’s look into some details here.

‘Maybe the Soviets encouraged the rebels to cross the border.’

Since the time when Japan was rising to become an empire, Russia and the Japanese Empire had been at odds over every little thing, building a bad relationship.

After that, when the Russian Empire was collapsing, it sent troops to Siberia to fight against the Soviet Union, shedding blood again, so the relationship between the two countries could not have been good.

‘Whether it’s the mainland or the colony, there’s chaos. Are you trying to use this opportunity to test our strength?’

There, the Japanese Empire was in the midst of an unprecedented earthquake and armed conflict between the army and navy, causing the collapse of families, society, and even the economy, while in its colony of Korea, the police and military were roaring into a state of combat that was almost like a civil war.

On the mainland, it seemed that they were trying to mediate the situation, but since neither Commander Shinnosuke nor Governor Saito had any intention of compromising their pride, it seemed that the confusion would continue for some time.

As the empire began to falter in internal and external chaos, the wolves that had been drooling and prowling the empire’s borders began to show their teeth.

‘You really know Ueda Taro so well.’

Deep within Ueda Taro’s heart, anger began to slowly boil over.

“How dare you, sheep, invade our territory… …!”

The staff rolled their eyes here and there to check the mood of Major General Ueda’s anger.

The fact that no one knew until the enemy got close and started attacking meant that the 19th Division’s security operation had failed.

And whatever the outcome of this incident, it meant that someone had to take responsibility for it.

Major General Ueda, the division commander, will also bear some responsibility, but since he has some connections in the military, it will end with him stepping down from a minor position.

In that case, it was likely that the actual punishment would be received by the staff below him.

And since that staff member was most likely the one who had most likely offended Major General Ueda, they all wisely kept their mouths shut rather than getting caught for speaking out loud.

“Has the current damage situation been calculated?”

“… … .”

“Why aren’t you answering? I’m asking what the current damage situation is!”

Every time Major General Ueda shouted, a shell flying in from afar could be heard, a noise that shook the earth and seemed as if it would rip open our eardrums.

“It has not been investigated yet… … .”

“What? What have you all been doing up until now that you haven’t done even one thing properly!”

“… … .”

As soon as the shells fell over our heads, everyone hurriedly evacuated to Nanam, so where would we have time to investigate?

There was no one who could answer with courage.

He just hung his head low like a criminal and kept his mouth shut.

“Eight! Such incompetent people!”

Chief Ueda suppressed his boiling anger and gave orders to his staff.

“The shelling will end soon, so before that, check the status of the soldiers and the damage, then regroup the units that are still intact and prepare for the enemy’s attack that will follow!”

“……All right.”

“Is that the right voice!”

“Oh, I understand!”

Everyone was confused by the sudden attack, and it was unclear whether this was a full-scale invasion by the Soviet Army or a small-scale battle waged by someone else. Major General Ueda chose to fight instead of fleeing.

It wasn’t that he had thoughtlessly and recklessly insisted on a showdown.

‘Nanam and Cheongjin City are made up of high mountain ranges and gentle hills, making them easy to defend, and Cheongjin Port is behind them. So even if the siege is prolonged, we can still receive supplies at the port, and if necessary, we can escape to the sea.’

Add one more to that.

‘And Hamheung is ten days away from here. If you ask for support from here, reinforcements will come running straight away.’

While shells were falling heavily over his head, Major General Ueda was carefully formulating a plan to defend Nanam in his head.

‘If we can hold out for two weeks at the earliest, or twenty days at the latest, the siege of Nanam will be lifted on its own.’

Even Commander Shinnosuke, who is busy fighting the Governor-General, will stop fighting and send support if he hears that the enemy has crossed the border.

So, the 19th Division just needs to firmly defend Nanam.

However, if there is anything you are worried about.

‘What happened to the 75th Regiment in Hoeryong?’

I was worried about what had happened to the 75th Regiment of the 19th Division stationed in Hoeryong, which was much further north than Nanam and close to the border.

If they were fine, I would have asked for their help and helped them to fight the defense as quickly as possible, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find out about their situation or ask them for help.

“shit.”

Curses came out of Director Ueda’s mouth without his knowledge.

As I was about to finish my military service and retire, I couldn’t help but curse as I was about to experience combat again in my later years.

‘Hoo… … . No, no… … . Let’s calm down as much as possible. If we get impatient, things won’t work out well.’

However, as expected of a veteran who had been in the military for many years, Ueda tried to calm his anger as much as possible, control his emotions well, and command his unit calmly.

‘Twenty days. If you hold out for twenty days at the latest, support will come! So just hold out for that long!’

As Major General Ueda’s anger subsided to some extent, the enemy also stopped shelling, perhaps because they highly regarded Major General Ueda’s psychological control.

When the gunfire stopped, the surrounding area became quiet as if Nanam had turned into a giant tomb.

-Knock knock knock.

Then, a knock on the door broke Director Ueda’s peaceful silence.

“who is this.”

“… … .”

“Is that the Chief of Staff?”

The person on the other side of the door opened the door violently without even listening to the answer.

No, it would be more accurate to say that he kicked the door open rather than saying that he threw it open.

The door opened and soldiers wearing pure white uniforms that I had never seen before rushed in and immediately grabbed Ueda.

“What the hell are you doing! Let go! You guys!”

Ueda resisted actively, but each time he struggled, the soldiers used their hands and feet to calm him down.

And at a time when Ueda’s once neat appearance became that of a criminal being dragged in front of a man.

[Why does it take so long to catch one kid?]

A familiar Korean voice could be heard from outside, and an officer in a black uniform walked in.

The officer had a sharp appearance, sharp yet intimidating eyes, and a tightly shut mouth that made it seem as if something vicious would burst out of him at any moment.

[This kid is the boss?]

[Yes, General.]

[Good job. We finally caught him.]

Ueda, whose eyes had turned blue after being hit by an unknown soldier, raised his head and glared at the officer.

Then he yelled at him.

“What kind of guy are you?”

[What is this kid saying?]

[I ask what you do.]

[okay?]

The officer, dressed all in black like a grim reaper, walked towards Ueda, met his eyes, and answered.

[I am Kim Jwa-jin of the Korean Independence Army. And from now on, you will become a prisoner of our Korean Independence Army.]

“Korean Independence Army… …? What does that mean!”

[What are you saying now?]

[What is the Korean Independence Army?]

[Mr. Ha… …. Can’t you just interpret it into Japanese?]

[I can hear, but I’m not very good at conversation… ]

[Hey, shit.]

The officer in black beat his chest a couple of times as if he was frustrated and gestured to the other soldiers.

[Throw this kid in jail with those other soldiers.]

[All together?]

[Yeah, there’s no place to put it anyway.]

[Yes, General.]

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 153