NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 154



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RISE(5)

Shanghai French Concession.

This is the land that the French Republic, a European power, took by threatening the government of the Republic of China with a sword.

Although this was China, it was an area controlled by the French government, so even the Chinese government (which did not exist) could do nothing about it.

So, for one reason or another, people who had fled from someone’s surveillance and control began to gather in the French Concession, one by one. Among them was the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, which had fled to Shanghai to escape Japanese surveillance.

Until just a few months ago, they were so poor that the families of the provisional government were worried about their meals due to financial difficulties caused by the persistent pursuit and surveillance of the Japanese. However, thanks to the help of a man named Lee Seon-saeng from Gyeongseong who had come to Shanghai around the same time, their situation has now improved significantly.

In the past, both adults and children barely made ends meet by eating only one or two meals a day, but now, it is common to eat three meals a day without fail.

The only side dish we ate for every meal was salty pickled radish, and the rice we ate was made from grains of unknown origin, and kimchi was out of the question.

Because there wasn’t even that much, some people would make tofu elsewhere and get the leftovers to eat as a substitute for rice.

But an unidentified person who came from Gyeongseong.

Their situation improved somewhat after they began receiving support from a man commonly known as ‘Mr. Lee’ of Gyeongseong.

No matter how much you clean, the moldy smell of every corner and the strong smell of the previous owner linger, and rats run around the ceiling every night. People who occasionally fell behind on their rent in the old building are now buying up entire apartments being built in the heart of Shanghai’s French Concession.

The newly built apartment complex in the center of the settlement was originally a building built for foreigners to reside in, but coincidentally, the architect of the building was an acquaintance of Mazar of the Uiyoldan, so they talked things through and the provisional government was able to live there.

Naturally, all the money that went into purchasing this building came from Mr. Lee’s own wallet in Gyeongseong.

Thanks to this, the provisional government people, without exception, were busy preparing to move into the western-style apartments that would be completed soon.

Maybe that’s why, but the side dishes have been a bit shabby for the past few days, and the police officers from the provisional government’s police department who returned home after working guard duty late into the night expressed their dissatisfaction while eating an early breakfast and late dinner.

“You watch over the Japanese until late at night, and when you come back from patrolling the area, you ask for tofu? You aunties are really going too far.”

“That’s because the side dish today is tofu kimchi. And there’s also fish and potato pancakes on the side, so please eat those.”

“Yesterday! The day before yesterday! I’ve been eating only tofu for days, so I’m saying this because I feel like my mouth is going to smell like soybeans!”

“No, what… … . The aunties who cook for me like tofu, so what can I do about that?”

“Ugh… … At times like this, if you put a piece of sweet and salty codfish stew on top of warm white rice and eat it, the rice goes down smoothly.”

“Kiya. Now that you mention it, I suddenly want to eat some codfish roe.”

“Then, the Chief of Police will be visiting Mr. Lee’s house in a little while to receive next year’s sponsorship. Would you like to sneak along?”

“Good!”

-Exactly!

Someone grabbed the heads of the two who were happily laughing at the thought of getting a piece of codfish roe.

“If you serve it to them, they’ll eat it all. Why are you complaining so much, saying things like, ‘What’s wrong with the side dishes?’ Both of you have forgotten that just a few months ago, you couldn’t even eat a bowl of porridge properly and were whining!”

“ouch…….”

“Mr. Udang, you don’t even touch a dog while eating, so how can you treat people like this?”

The one who hit them each in the back of the head with a hammer was Mr. Woo-dang Lee Hoe-young, the older brother of Mr. Lee Si-young, the Minister of Finance of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, who founded the Shinheung Military Academy and trained numerous independence fighters, and is currently serving as an external advisor to the Provisional Government.

“Even though frogs don’t remember what happened when they were tadpoles, it was heartbreaking to see these guys complaining about side dishes when they couldn’t even get a bowl of porridge just a few months ago.”

“… … .”

“Isn’t it true that only tofu comes out every day… … .”

“How about tofu? It’s healthy and delicious!”

“That’s true, but if you eat it every day, you’ll get sick of it.”

“What? You’re biting? That’s because you’re full. Just three or four days… … No, if you starve for just one day, those thoughts will completely disappear from your mind.”

“… … .”

Teacher Lee Hoe-young’s nagging continued without any sign of ending.

If he had been forcibly nitpicking and scolding me, I would have just turned a deaf ear to it, but every word that Mr. Lee Hoe-young said was true.

“… … Right! And since we’re on the subject, did you buy everything you eat and drink, the clothes you wear, and even the townhouse you and your family live in with your own money?”

“Oh, no.”

“No? No! It’s all thanks to the hard work of this teacher who, even today, goes to Joseon on the other side of the sea to avoid the surveillance of the Governor-General and earn money!”

“… … .”

“Honestly, what are you doing here? Patrol around the provisional government, crack down on Koreans, and occasionally watch over the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai, that’s all.”

“… … .”

“Come to think of it, the gun on your waist and the bullets for it came from this teacher’s wallet. Hey! What are you complaining about when you’ve never gone out and earned a penny? You’re complaining!”

Mr. Lee Hoe-young’s nagging reverberated throughout the restaurant and the new building of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai.

“Haha, what’s going on that makes Mr. Udang’s shouts go beyond the threshold?”

Then Kim Gu peeked his head into the kitchen and naturally joined the conversation.

He must have been eating just a moment ago, because he had a greasy potato pancake in his mouth.

“I don’t know what these kids did wrong to Mr. Woodang, but they’re not bad kids. So please be lenient with them. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Baekbeom! You came at a good time. Well, these idiots were eating their meals but they started complaining about the side dishes, so I was giving them a quick lecture.”

“What?”

Kim Gu’s expression, which had been gentle until just a moment ago, suddenly changed, and he turned his head to quickly glance at the food the two men were eating.

A bowl of freshly made, warm tofu, a dollop of well-fermented kimchi, and as side dishes, a bowl of pickled radish, marinated bean sprouts, and bean sprout soup were served.

“These guys!”

Kim Gu also hit the heads of the two men one by one, each as thick as a bear’s paw.

“No matter how full you are, you are complaining about the side dishes after seeing the food that the kitchen ladies worked hard to make while losing sleep over in the early morning?! It seems like you both have completely forgotten that you were starving a few months ago, unable to even eat tofu scraps, let alone tofu itself? Huh?!”

As soon as Lee Hoe-young’s nagging ended, Kim Gu’s nagging began.

In a building that was not even soundproofed, the people who were light sleepers woke up one by one and came down to the restaurant. After hearing the situation, they scolded the two reckless agents, and I added a word each.

“Tsk tsk. That really hit the nail on the head.”

“Whose kids are those kids?”

“Wonil, don’t become like those brothers.”

“Yes, father.”

In this way, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, which had always struggled with obtaining independence funds, was able to resolve its financial difficulties with the help of this teacher, and was finally able to begin diplomatic activities by touring the Shanghai joint settlement in earnest.

The existing diplomatic activities were a struggle to prove at international conferences that the Japanese Empire’s rule over Korea was unjust, using money raised with difficulty, but now things were a bit different.

“I think we should let Dr. Lee Mi-ri-gyeon focus on his diplomatic activities, and we should establish a new diplomatic course on our own.”

“What activities specifically do you want to focus on?”

After the Provisional Government, which had been politically and ideologically divided and divided, was finally reunited and the chaos subsided, the new diplomatic policy of President No Baek-rin of the newly reorganized Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was, simply put, to find friends.

“The current Shanghai government is located next to several embassies, but they are not very pleased with our visits, so in reality they are no different from international outcasts.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“It seems that the Western empires each have their own colonies, so they don’t even listen to what we have to say.”

“That’s why we need to find new friends who will listen to our voices. If possible, big and strong friends.”

The provisional government’s State Council members questioned President No Baek-rin’s words.

“Why do these people listen to our voices?”

“Does such a place even exist in the first place?”

President Roh Baek-rin pointed to the country with the largest landmass on the world map.

“Ah, the Soviet Union.”

“Well… … . If that’s the case, then they’ll raise their hands.”

The Soviet Union had succeeded in seizing the entire territory of the vast Russian Empire through the success of the revolution and the subsequent victory in the Civil War, but as a result, it faced a state of international isolation.

Internally, the country suffered devastating damage to its infrastructure and few industrial facilities due to the aftermath of the Civil War, and the human casualties from the war that followed World War I were also at an unimaginable level.

The country was in a state of complete chaos, and in this situation, even Lenin, the leader of the country and the eternal idol of communists around the world, barely survived after being shot by an assassin, and the Soviet political world was in a state of fierce struggle over who would succeed Lenin.

“The state of the country is ridiculous… … .”

“What would we gain by joining hands with such a place?”

“That’s right. Rather than joining hands with such a place, it would be better to lobby powerful countries like Britain and France… … .”

As the State Council members were expressing their thoughts, Police Chief Kim Gu quietly raised his hand.

“Mr. President, I have a question.”

“Ask.”

“I understand that all information of the Shanghai government is managed by the Police Department. Is that correct?”

“Most of them are.”

“But… … . That information is something I’ve never heard before. If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask where you got that information?”

People’s faces showed confusion at the mention of information that Kim Gu did not know.

But Noh Baek-rin answered calmly.

“This information came from Mr. Lee’s home.”

“Yes? But this teacher is in Gyeongseong right now.”

“Although he is physically in Gyeongseong, he often sends various information to my home. The information he receives is well organized by Agent Na Seok-ju, who is working there, and he tells me that the most important information should be reported and judged directly by the President.”

“okay.”

Kim Gu nodded as if he agreed.

Noh Baek-rin continued his speech, revealing that his goal was not simply to be friendly with the Soviet Union.

“Moreover, Mr. Lee of Gyeongseong did not simply establish and end friendly relations with the Soviet Union, but requested that we intervene in the Soviet succession struggle based on the information we had and support a certain person.”

“You want to intervene in the succession fight?”

“No, who should I support?”

The provisional government people were confused by the sudden bombshell statement.

But Noh Baek-rin’s words were not over yet.

“This teacher supported Joseph Stalin, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party, and asked him to spare no expense in providing funds to the provisional government if necessary.”

“Who is that?”

“I don’t know much about the political situation in the Soviet Union, but the famous ones now are Trotsky, Zhidanoye… … Slave? P? Aren’t they people like that?”

“I don’t know that either.”

Because it was such an unexpected name, the provisional government’s cabinet members kept asking questions.

President Roh Baek-lin, tired of the constant questioning, shook his head and put the matter to a vote.

“I don’t think we’ll get anywhere if we just keep talking like this, so I’ll put it to a vote. Those who are in favor, please raise your hand, and those who are against, please don’t raise your hand. Okay, let’s get started!”

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 155