NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 159



Only Krnovel

RISE(10)

19th Division camp near Jolling.

From early in the morning, messengers from Busan were busy going in and out of the commander’s barracks.

Perhaps a telegram had arrived from Tokyo across the sea, but for some reason Commander Shinnosuke didn’t say anything.

If you ordered something from the mainland, it would be normal to call your subordinate officers together and notify them or hold a meeting, or if you were pressured by the government, it would be normal to feel depressed and reach for alcohol.

That’s because that’s just the way he is.

But, surprisingly enough, there was no reaction.

‘Did you hang yourself inside?’

If he really did take his own life, I was starting to get worried because it was a headache in its own right.

So I decided to go and see for myself.

“Takeuchi.”

The soldier guarding Commander Shinnosuke’s barracks was nodding off, so I called his name and pretended to recognize him.

Then he opened his eyes slightly and looked at me with a half-asleep look on his face.

“yes?”

No matter what, the sight of him treating the officer like a neighborhood uncle shook my heart, which had been as calm as a calm lake, for a moment.

“Huh? Huh???”

When he showed an exaggerated appearance to the point of being a bit comical, Takeuchi also seemed to come to his senses and straightened his posture and saluted.

“Ah, Private Takeuchi Ryo!”

“Wake up.”

“sorry!”

“Is Commander Shinnosuke inside?”

“yes?”

I thought I had come to my senses, but it seems I was mistaken.

“… … Your Excellency the Commander, are you inside?”

“Oh, there you are!”

“Okay, get out of the way.”

“Uh… … . That’s… … .”

Takeuchi did not even hesitate to step aside when told to get out of the way.

“That’s… … . The commander said not to let anyone in… … . That’s… … . Uh… … . There… … .”

“What are you talking about? Get out.”

“yep.”

But what can a mere soldier do in front of such a great officer?

Takeuchi, who had been shyly resisting, immediately gave up his seat at the mere word “get out.”

Let me add one more thing.

“I… … . Supply Officer.”

“why.”

“I… … I want you to know that I didn’t fall asleep while I was working a little while ago, but rather, I closed my eyes for a moment and was lost in thought.”

“… … .”

“It’s true! That’s why… … . I would like you not to tell anyone else… … .”

“… … .”

I ignored it lightly as it wasn’t worth listening to any more and stormed into the commander’s tent.

He didn’t forget to say hello as he entered.

“Your Majesty, are you inside?”

“… … ?”

Commander Shinnosuke looked at me with an expression that asked, “What are you doing here?”

“The soldier guarding the barracks fell asleep, so I came in without waking him up.”

“Is that so? Hmm. I’ll remember that.”

I prayed for the repose of Private Daisuke’s soul and asked Commander Shinnosuke.

“I saw a messenger coming and going a little while ago. Is it a new order from the mainland?”

“Well… … . Right.”

“Oh! What’s that? Is this the mainland finally sending support?”

Commander Shinnosuke nodded.

At the same time, the corners of my mouth went up.

“I see. So, does that mean the government has decided to support us?”

This time he shook his head.

“Isn’t that so?”

“Yes, he is to reconcile with Governor-General Saito as soon as possible, return to his original mission, reorganize the army, and immediately deal with the group of evil spirits who are causing chaos in the north.”

“Huh, that’s easier said than done.”

“It’s not just words.”

Commander Shinnosuke thrust a document at me.

“The 1st and 4th divisions of the army are said to be crossing the sea, and two battleships from the 1st fleet, the Nagato and Mutsu, are said to be heading to Wonsan.”

“Oh… … . Two battleships and two army divisions… … ! No matter how cockroach-like those Joseon bastards are, there’s nothing they can do about this.”

“yes.”

I expressed my joy in front of Commander Shinnosuke by dancing and jumping around with slightly exaggerated gestures.

“I heard that you guys are having a hard time with this and that, but I guess you are paying attention to us too!”

“… … .”

Commander Shinnosuke’s expression was not good.

It seems that the government was somewhat aware of the colonial affairs.

Regardless, I pretended to be happy and watched Commander Shinnosuke’s reaction.

“Even without that, many soldiers were injured in various ways while fighting with the Japanese Government-General of Korea, so this is a really good thing.”

“… … .”

“A battleship has arrived in Wonsan… … If a battleship like a huge castle floating on the sea helps us, then the northern pirate ships will be like candles in the wind.”

“……yes.”

“My heart is already pounding with excitement as I think of the magnificent army that will cross the sea!”

“… … .”

At first glance, it sounded like they were saying that now that reinforcements had arrived, we could relax and have less to worry about.

However, just as words are different in ‘ah’ and ‘uh’, the content changes depending on how the listener perceives it.

I don’t know if you know, but Commander Shinnosuke heard what I said and said, “You pulled out the troops from the north and fought against the Governor-General, but you didn’t achieve any significant results, only injured our troops and breached the border. You’re a fool.

So, isn’t it true that they are somehow trying to squeeze out some energy to clean up your shit on the mainland as well?

Why would the Army and Navy, who fought each other so fiercely, join hands and come to Joseon? If you have any sense of shame, please come to your senses.

Have you ever heard of something like this?

Looking at the blazing eyes and trembling cheeks of the commander, I think my thoughts are correct.

“But, Your Excellency the Commander.”

I drove a wedge into the fragile heart of Commander Shinnosuke, who had been terribly beaten.

“If the army comes over… … . Who will have command over them? The Governor-General? Or His Excellency the Commander? If not that… … .”

“… … .”

When I mentioned the issue of command authority, which is the most sensitive issue in places like the military or civil servants where order and hierarchy are valued, Commander Shinnosuke’s face distorted pleasantly.

“Oh my… … . It seems I talked about useless things.”

“No, that’s a problem I was thinking about.”

Commander Shinnosuke tried hard to act calm, but his face was already wrinkled and his emotions were clearly visible.

“First of all, it would be better to reconcile with the Governor-General and focus on returning to the way things were before the incident.”

“Yes, Your Excellency! I agree with you, Your Excellency.”

It seems that Commander Shinnosuke’s fragile heart has been properly exposed.

Even though it was an order from the government, it was hurtful to bend down and ask for reconciliation first with Governor-General Saito, who had ignored him and been the cause of the incident, so it seems that he felt he could not tolerate being ordered by Governor-General Saito.

“You said earlier that you escaped Gyeongseong alone?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then, can I go back to Gyeongseong?”

That wasn’t difficult.

Anyway, since Gyeongseong was completely empty like it is now, it was easy to go in and out at any time.

“If you wish, I can cut off Governor Saito’s head and give it to you.”

“What? Hahahahaha!”

Commander Shinnosuke burst into laughter at the words that he would cut Governor Saito’s throat.

“Hehehe… … . Thank you for your words, but don’t forget that what I want is not that guy’s balls, but peace between the military and the Governor-General.”

“Yes, of course I remember.”

“So, would it be okay if you sneak into Gyeongseong and meet with Governor-General Saito?”

It seemed that Commander Shinnosuke wanted to handle this quietly.

But I have no intention of dealing with this quietly.

“Why are you doing that? After all, this whole thing started from a ‘misunderstanding’.”

“What? Misunderstanding?”

“Yes, that’s a misunderstanding. Think about it for a moment. That detective from the Government-General of Korea, Miwa, blew the whistle by saying he was going to catch the ghost of Gyeongseong.”

“hmm…….”

Everyone had forgotten, but the starting point of this incident was when detective Miwa of the Police Affairs Bureau of the Government-General of Korea forcibly caught sight of some kind of collusion between the military and the ghosts of Gyeongseong.

Naturally, there was no collusion between the military and the ghosts.

No, there was nothing to make a connection with in the first place.

However, with various unfortunate events occurring, such as the sudden discovery of the corpse of a special agent of the Governor-General’s Office in a warehouse, the soldiers, including Commander Shinnosuke, began to suspect a relationship between the Governor-General’s Office and the ghost.

In this way, the misunderstanding between the military and the Governor-General deepened and led to this catastrophe.

“So, we need to correct the misunderstanding.”

“how?”

“I am also involved in this incident, so I will go to Gyeongseong myself and bring the situation to a good conclusion.”

“Hmm… … . It seems dangerous.”

“What would I be afraid of if I gave up my life for the Empire of Japan?”

“Tsukimoto… … .”

I wouldn’t have cared so much about giving up my life if it were to (tear apart) the Empire of Japan.

* * *

A cold winter with a cold wind blowing.

I returned to Gyeongseong, under the gaze of the police officers who looked at me with eyes as cold as the cold Siberian air that blew through every alley.

The police followed me, nominally to escort me, but they were fully prepared to capture me at any moment.

Everyone had their hands on the knives or guns on their waists and their eyes were following me, which was quite murderous.

‘Looking at the mood of the police, even if they reconcile, it doesn’t seem like it will last long.’

I felt ridiculous for worrying that if I could somehow reconcile the police and the military, their relationship would return to normal, even if it wasn’t like before, with all the grudges forgotten.

“That’s the Government-General building.”

So, under police escort, I entered the Government-General building again.

Then, as if they had been waiting, the police inspecting the building in front of the Governor-General’s Office and the Governor-General of Korea, Makoto Saito, appeared.

‘Are you trying to instill a sense of intimidation? Not bad.’

Governor Saito seemed to have some idea why Commander Shinnosuke had sent me.

It seems that he got the information through the Chosun Ilbo, which has roots throughout Joseon.

After a rather raucous welcome ceremony.

Governor Saito led me into his office, had me sit down on a soft, fluffy sofa, and offered me tea.

“You’re Lieutenant Daisuke Jigen?”

“I pronounce it as Tsukimoto Daisuke, but I am usually called Tsugimoto, not Tsukimoto, so please feel free to call me that, Your Majesty.”

“Um… … . Okay, Lieutenant Tsugimoto.”

Governor Saito took a sip of strong black tea, savored its aroma and flavor for a moment, and then asked me.

“Is Commander Shinnosuke thinking that he can’t hold out any longer and that he’s going to turn his back on me and come under me? If not, is there another reason?”

“Haha, unfortunately neither of them. His Excellency the Commander wants to clear up the misunderstanding between the Government-General and the Joseon Army (Japanese Army).”

“Misunderstanding? Misunderstanding… … I wonder if there was any misunderstanding between us.”

Governor-General Saito’s appearance was the epitome of leisure.

I did the same.

“No, why didn’t the Government-General of Korea suspect that there was some kind of relationship between the military and the ghosts of Gyeongseong?”

“Was it? Maybe so.”

“Haha, of course, there is no connection between that guy and us. The Governor knows this very well.”

“Well… … I don’t know. It’s because the subordinates are lazy and tend to write reports late.”

Governor-General Saito pretended not to know, making excuses for his subordinates.

It seemed like he wanted to hold on to this situation in which he now had a subtle upper hand.

“Is that so? Well, since we’re on the subject, let’s call the person involved in question and have a talk.”

“party?”

“A detective named Miwa Wasaburo. As far as I know, he is the head of the Higher Division at the Police Affairs Bureau of the Government-General. Please call him.”

At my words, Governor Saito slightly shook his head and made a regretful expression.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can see him right now because he’s on vacation.”

“Huh… … . Now that the police and the military are having a blast, a vacation in this situation… … . How strange.”

There is nothing strange to me.

It was just a few days ago that I personally went to see the Chief of Police and asked for an extended leave.

But aside from that, when you look at the situation alone, it was quite strange.

However, Governor-General Saito did not lose his composure and answered.

“That guy made a great contribution to catching the ghost of Gyeongseong this time, so he was given a fitting reward.”

“… … You caught a ghost?”

“Yes, to be exact, he killed the guy on the spot.”

“Kill me… … . I see.”

Governor Saito looked down at me with the expression of a victor.

“If only we could have captured him and made him vomit out information… … . Isn’t that such a shame?”

“I see. It’s a bit disappointing.”

It’s just as I expected.

No matter what Commander Shinnosuke did, he could not show an equal attitude toward the Governor-General who had dealt with the big shot known as the Ghost of Gyeongseong.

Then all that’s left is to bow your head or ruin your place.

“Come to think of it, Your Majesty hasn’t heard the news yet?”

“tidings?”

If not, then I’ll have to force the other person down to my level.

“I heard that Hamgyeong Province has now fallen into the hands of the armed group Bulyeongseon. So it seems that there is a lot of concern even on the mainland.”

“… … .”

“I heard that the report has already been sent to the Governor-General’s Office… … Your Excellency didn’t seem to know?”

If Governor-General Saito were to say that he knew about this, it would be tantamount to being disrespectful and not informing the Emperor of the crisis, and if he did not know, it would be tantamount to proving his incompetence.

Of course, there may be an excuse that they didn’t know because of the conflict with the military in the middle, but the military already had plenty of evidence to prove otherwise.

“… … .”

The leisure disappeared from Governor-General Saito’s face.

And the poisonous old man’s face returned.

“… …What do you want?”

“Reinforcement is coming from the mainland. His Highness the Crown Prince wishes for the Government-General and the military to reconcile before the reinforcements set foot on Joseon soil.”

“… … .”

“Easy, right?”

All we have to do is bow down to each other a little.

But for two old men, their necks stiff from old age, to bow their heads is as difficult as for Hitler, hand in hand with a Jew, to climb over the wall and meet all the children of the world.

But ironically, it was because they bowed their heads here and there that the Governor-General of Korea, Makoto Saito, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Korean Army, Shinnosuke Kikuchi, were able to rise to this position.

“Just lie down for a moment like you did before.”

It’s not a difficult task.

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 160