NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 157



Only Krnovel

RISE(8)

20th Division, Imperial Japanese Army.

It was the last of only 20 permanent divisions in the Imperial Japanese Army, and one of two divisions that protected the colonial Joseon, the bridgehead for the Empire of Japan’s expansion into the continent. However, despite these titles, they had not yet achieved any notable achievements in battle.

Their opponents were the police, a paramilitary organization, not the regular army.

There’s also the minor issue of it being the Imperial Police, not just the regular police, but let’s leave that aside for now.

Anyway, they had been unable to break through the police line for several months already.

“Is the Jolling defense line that good?”

“Huh… … . Don’t be ridiculous.”

The name Jolling means a pass that even birds flying in the sky have difficulty crossing. It is a natural fortress that has shown almost invincible results against enemies coming from the south to the north or, conversely, coming from the north to the south throughout the history of the Korean Peninsula.

In addition to the already difficult location, there were also strong fortresses built on the mountain from the Three Kingdoms period to the Goryeo and Joseon periods, so it was impossible for humans to overcome this.

“Are cannons for decoration? Fortresses built during the Joseon Dynasty weren’t made of steel.”

“Well… … I know what you’re trying to say, but even though I’m here trying to kill someone, that doesn’t make me an idiot.”

Commander Shinnosuke took me for a moment to show me the defensive line the police had set up.

The surrounding mountains and rivers had been hit by so many shells that the fortress of Jolling had long since collapsed, and the surrounding areas had also been completely destroyed by the continuous shelling, so the soil deep underground had all been dug up and the surrounding area was a mess.

Most of the trees were shattered into pieces, and even the ones that were still intact had their upper parts gone.

But even in this situation, the police were hiding in the rubble or in trenches dug behind it like cockroaches.

“No matter how many shells we fire at them, they won’t budge from there, so there’s nothing we can do.”

“But if you just pass that place, isn’t it a straight line to Gyeongseong?”

“Once we get past there, the third line of defense will be waiting.”

“… … ?”

“Didn’t you know? This place where you’re standing is the second line of defense of Jolling.”

“… … .”

The corners of Commander Shinnosuke’s mouth, whose face was filled with fatigue like that of an office worker on his way home from work, slowly rose.

He couldn’t help but giggle to himself at how funny it was.

“Kekekeke, five hundred soldiers died while passing one fortress ahead, and while attacking the fortress behind it, close to seven hundred died already.”

“There are a lot of dead people.”

“Yeah, a lot of people died. But do you know what the biggest problem is?”

“What is it?”

“There’s still one more left after this.”

“okay.”

Commander Shinnosuke let out a deep sigh and wiped the smile from his face.

Then he took heart and asked me.

“So where is the detour you know about?”

I quietly raised my hand and pointed to the mountain next to me.

“Juheulsan?”

“I came over there.”

“… … ?”

Commander Shinnosuke looked back and forth between Juheulsan and me, then sighed louder than before.

“Ugh… … . I expected it, but it’s my fault for expecting too much.”

“Just give me one company. Then, I will cross Juheulsan Mountain and attack the rear of the defensive line, and destroy the enemy’s defenses in one fell swoop.”

Since the army would have neither food nor shelter if they were caught here, they needed to break through here even if it meant pushing themselves a bit.

That’s why I volunteered to break through the enemy’s defenses, but Commander Shinnosuke refused my request.

“That mountain is not a place where people can pass.”

“I told you I came over there?”

“That’s possible because it’s you. Isn’t it impossible for an ordinary person?”

“You won’t know until you try. And it’s not that difficult of a place.”

“Then the enemies must have been prepared as well.”

“Your Majesty, Commander! I told you that I came over there! The police didn’t even leave any security there.”

But Commander Shinnosuke listened to my words with one ear and let them go out the other.

“Okay, I’ll think about it… … . You must be tired from coming a long way, so get some rest for today.”

“dismissal!”

Commander Shinnosuke returned to the barracks without saying anything.

“Tsk.”

The police and the military fought so fiercely in the colonies that they would not sit idly by in the home country either.

Right now, they may not be able to intervene directly because they are busy with various things, but that doesn’t mean they will just sit back and do nothing.

‘There must be pressure coming from the home country… … Why are you so calm?’

However, Commander Shinnosuke was as calm as he had been before, if not more so.

‘Have you given up? Or is it because you have more support than I thought?’

If he had just given up, I could have just coaxed him into reconciling with the Governor-General, but if he had a greater background than I had thought, it would have been a headache.

‘I don’t have time to look into it separately… … . This is driving me crazy.’

In any case, what I had to do now was to either make Commander Shinnosuke break through the siege and directly threaten Gyeongseong, forcing the Government-General to enter into negotiations, or to make him give up and enter into negotiations with the Government-General.

Only when the two of them can resolve this conflict, even if only outwardly, will Gyeongseong’s logistics transportation return to normal, and only then will it be easier for me to bring explosives into Gyeongseong.

‘Why don’t you just kill me?’

I thought about that for a moment, but then shook my head.

‘No, there’s no benefit to Commander Shinnosuke dying now. Rather, if this guy suddenly dies, it’ll look strange in its own way.’

It’s not like I’m going to break that guy’s butt, but considering the aftermath it might cause, I think it’s right to hold back for now.

‘If I’m going to kill him anyway, it would be better to die in front of many people rather than in a valley like this.’

It’s not hard to kill either Governor Saito or Commander Shinnosuke.

So, if you’re going to kill them anyway, it’s better to ‘dispose of them’ in front of everyone rather than somewhere no one knows about.

Wasn’t assassination originally about killing an important person in front of many people?

In that sense, it would have been better to deal with both at once when they were in one place.

‘The problem is that those two never want to be in the same place… … .’

This needs some thought.

“My head hurts.”

I had a feeling that things wouldn’t go smoothly this time, since both the governor and the commander were extremely stubborn.

‘Well, when was it ever that easy?’

After all, all plans are a kind of guideline.

Since people make plans and execute them, not everything can go according to plan.

So, you also need to have the flexibility to modify your plans at any time.

I am the same way now.

‘It’s a change of plan.’

Plan A is abandoned.

From now on, it’s plan B.

After gathering his thoughts, he pulled the pistol out of the holster and checked the magazine.

The magazine was full of bullets, ready to kill a man at a moment’s notice with just a pull of the trigger.

“good.”

Taking a deep breath, I followed Commander Shinnosuke, who had entered the barracks a little while ago, and headed towards his barracks.

Of course, no one saw me.

* * *

The tent, which had been spread out in the field for a long time and repeatedly exposed to rain and sun, had a musty, moldy smell, and the wooden furniture brought from Daegu was slightly worn in the corners, either from being used too long in the field or from being eaten by bugs.

Commander Shinnosuke sat at his desk again today, staring blankly at the map without saying a word.

At first, I started doing it because I thought there might be another way to get over the ridge, but now I was doing it for no reason.

It became my daily routine to just sit there and look at the map.

His staff no longer advised him.

Was it because they also knew there was no answer?

Commander Shinnosuke thought that maybe he just hated himself.

‘Nobody likes a general who keeps failing.’

Since he left Gyeongseong in a hurry, Commander Shinnosuke’s future is full of failure and defeat.

It was the same on that day when he abandoned all his subordinates and ran away from Gyeongseong.

He was caught off guard by the sudden police raid and was unable to make any excuses or rebuttals. Despite having thousands of soldiers under his command, he barely managed to escape and escape to Daegu.

Even without the help of Major Tsugimoto, he would not have been able to escape from there and would have been caught by the police.

Commander Shinnosuke, who had been reflecting on his past mistakes for a long time, felt sorry for himself and was foolish. To console his miserable feelings, he turned to alcohol.

Drinking alcohol made me feel a little better at first, but after drinking for a while, I felt even more ashamed of myself for being so drunk on the battlefield.

Eventually, when I felt sleepy in a state of neither here nor there, I would sleep, and if not, I would just drink alcohol until I felt sleepy. This was my daily routine.

“Phew… … .”

Today, as usual, I picked up a bottle of alcohol.

“It’s all that guy’s fault for being the ghost of Gyeongseong.”

Commander Shinnosuke believed that the so-called Gyeongseong Ghost was a fictional entity created by Governor-General Saito, the head of the Government-General of Korea, in order to extract more budget from the mainland.

Otherwise, the Imperial Police wouldn’t have been so easily defeated by a single man.

If that were true, that would be a problem in its own right, but given that the Governor-General rarely requested military support even in such dire situations, the Gyeongseong Ghost is definitely a fake.

The military is currently in disarray, and you can tell just by looking at the news that the ghost of Gyeongseong has died.

I got rid of it because it’s no longer needed.

“Kuuuuuu… … Saito, you raccoon-like bastard.”

Commander Shinnosuke poured himself another glass.

I don’t really have any idea what my future holds.

At first, they revolted out of anger at the Governor-General’s attitude of neglecting the military and even trying to frame them for crimes they did not commit, but the situation has become so chaotic that even their initial anger has long since died down.

In the mainland, people who had initially tried to appease him by beating around the bush and persuading him with nice words are now acting in a semi-threatening manner, openly demanding that he quickly reconcile with the governor and return.

I don’t know if it’s because the military situation in the mainland is not good, or if there’s another reason, but judging from the current situation, it seems like the mainland has also decided to abandon itself.

In other words, if we return to Gyeongseong like this, there is no future.

Whether it be death or life, we have no choice but to take over Gyeongseong or, if not, admit defeat and beg Governor-General Saito for our lives.

“They say that the way of the bushido is to die, but now I can’t even die as I wish.”

But Commander Shinnosuke couldn’t do either.

With the force he had at the time, he couldn’t break through the police defense line, and if he wanted to bow down to Governor Saito, he still had thousands of troops at his disposal.

“This is truly a frustrating situation.”

“?”

Commander Shinnosuke raised his head at the familiar voice and saw Major Tsugimoto holding his own bottle of sake.

“What’s going on?”

“How can a commander like you monopolize this precious wine all by yourself?”

Lieutenant Tsugimoto, who had said so, picked up the bottle of alcohol and poured it down his throat.

Lieutenant Tsugimoto emptied the bottle in an instant and roughly threw it on the floor.

“Your Majesty, we must seize Gyeongseong now.”

“That story again? If it’s that story, then like I said a little while ago, I’ll think it over carefully… … .”

“Now is not the time to worry, think, or make careful plans. Now is the time to run as fast as you can, until your flesh is torn, your blood is shed, and your bones are broken!”

“… … .”

“It doesn’t matter how many people die. If just one person survives and we can reach Gyeongseong and slap Governor-General Saito in the face, it will be our victory.”

“gibberish.”

Commander Shinnosuke dismissed Lieutenant General Tsugimoto’s words as nonsense and took out the next bottle of sake.

Then, this time, Major Tsugimoto snatched the bottle of alcohol from his hand and poured it all into his mouth.

Then he told the barracks to leave and continued talking.

“Ugh- Your Majesty! Do you know what is happening in the North right now?”

“North? You mean the 20th Division?”

“Yes, I heard that the 20th Division is about to be annihilated.”

“annihilation?”

Commander Shinnosuke’s hand, which was pulling out the next bottle of sake, stopped, and he raised his head again to meet Major Tsugimoto’s gaze.

“What does that mean?”

“They are the Korean Independence Army. They have now taken over Hamheung and are said to be attacking Nanam.”

“What? There’s no news from me… … .”

“Hamheung has been occupied. Don’t you know what that means?”

“It seems like the messengers sent to the North have been intercepted… … .”

I somehow thought that it was rare to hear news from the North.

Until now, I thought it was just because it was winter that the news was delayed, but it seems there was another reason.

“Where did you get this information?”

“The rumor has already spread throughout Gyeongseong. Even when I was leaving Gyeongseong, the people gathered in the market were chatting excitedly.”

“Huh… … . Then does that mean that the Governor-General is also aware of this fact?”

“Yes.”

Commander Shinnosuke, who had been complaining of suffering from alcoholism, suddenly had his mind clear.

“This is a big problem.”

“This is a big deal.”

“The Governor-General knew about this fact but hid it?”

“In any case, it is true that this fact was kept quiet and not made known.”

“This is really a big deal.”

“This is really a big deal.”

The Government-General concealed information.

That means there is a high possibility that even those in the mainland will not know about this news.

That is to say.

“Shouldn’t His Majesty the Emperor also know what is happening within his own domain?”

“You are doing it with all your heart.”

“This is really a big deal! Isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

A smile appeared on Commander Shinnosuke’s lips.

It was a smile I hadn’t seen in a long time.

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 158