NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 166



Only Krnovel

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 166

Dawn is Coming (2)

It is not that difficult to get from Gyeongseong to Hamheung.

All you had to do was take the Gyeongwon Line from Gyeongseong Station to Wonsan, then go up to Hamheung from there.

Unlike the Gyeongui Line, which was virtually suspended from service after Geumchon Station was destroyed, the Gyeongwon Line resumed normal operation as soon as the Government-General and the Joseon Army Command reconciled.

Thanks to that, I was able to arrive at Wonsan quickly and without much effort.

It is quite a distance from Wonsan to Hamheung, and the road is a bit dangerous because there were occasional skirmishes between the Korean independence army and the Japanese army, but I plan to take a boat from Wonsan Port and go up to Heungnam, which is right next to Hamheung.

Then, a distance that would take half a day to travel by road can be traveled in just three or four hours.

but.

“Heungnam? I’m not going there.”

“What are you going to do in that battlefield?”

“Are you Japanese? Or are you Korean? Either way, I can’t sail that way.”

The fishermen here were reluctant to set sail even when promised a large profit.

Not only the captains of ships anchored at Wonsan Port, but also the fishermen who went fishing nearby were all reluctant to go to Heungnam, which was like the front line.

I waved money in front of their eyes, but they all shook their heads and refused.

I wandered around the harbor for a while, but everyone just shook their heads.

“This is driving me crazy… … .”

Since there is no way to get on a boat, the only way left is to walk along the road from Wonsan to Hamheung, enduring the biting cold wind that feels like it’s tearing your flesh.

That method was not only time-consuming, but there was no guarantee that it would reach Hamheung.

Winter in Hamgyeong Province was a harsh time for both animals and humans, and since ancient times, Hamgyeong Province was famous for its abundance of wild beasts such as wolves, leopards, bears, and tigers.

‘You can’t catch a bear or a tiger with a 9mm pistol, right…?’

Therefore, it is impossible to go to Hamheung on foot.

‘Write. Then, should I pretend to be a war correspondent and follow the Japanese army moving north and go to Hamheung?’

It’s a little risky, but it’s safer than going up to Hamheung alone.

However, there is a problem that he has to get out of the army before the battle with the independence army takes place later.

‘Um… … . It’s difficult.’

At that time, I couldn’t easily choose anything and was just stamping my feet at the port.

An old man who had been watching me from afar for a long time, holding a bear cub in his mouth, spoke to me quietly.

“Oh, young gentleman, don’t you know how dangerous it is there? I told you that if you make a wrong step there, bullets will fly all around you.”

“I heard there are independence fighters there. I’m going to interview them, so it’ll be fine.”

“What? Are you a reporter?”

“Yes, it came from the Chosun Ilbo.”

When I showed the fisherman the Chosun Ilbo employee ID card that I had sneaked from President Namgung Hoon’s office, the fisherman accepted it and looked around.

Then, after seeing the large letters “Chosun Ilbo” printed on the back of my employee ID card, he gave it back to me.

“Ugh… … If it were anyone else, I would have said no, but since you’re a reporter, I have to let you ride.”

“Yes? Are you also going to the sea, sir?”

“There’s no law that says old people can’t go to the sea.”

“That’s true, but… … .”

At first, I was grateful that he gave me a ride, but when I saw the old man’s limbs, which seemed thinner than wooden chopsticks, trembled more than reeds swaying in the strong wind, I changed my mind.

‘Should we just walk?’

The boat the old man showed me looked as old as the years he had lived.

Even though I was just sitting on the railing, I could hear a cracking sound, and every time the old man tried to row the boat, the boat would rock, making anyone question the safety of the boat.

“Okay, just a moment. I’ll get off.”

“It’s too late! The ship has already sailed.”

“uh……?”

It was just as the old man said.

It seemed like we had just sat down, but the boat was already far away from the port.

“Young man, you’re going to Hamheung, not Heungnam, right?”

“That’s true, but… … .”

“Then, I’ll take you to Hamheung.”

The old man’s sailboat gradually gained speed, gliding across the water like some kind of motorboat.

“Hey, what is this?”

“What is it… … . It’s like riding the wind.”

“Is it a smooth ride?”

After hearing the old man’s words, he raised his head and looked up at the sails, which were patched up like rags and were so full of wind that they looked like they would tear at any moment.

“Sometimes a high wind blows from the East Sea.”

“Isn’t that the seasonal wind that blows in winter?”

“You know a lot. I guess there was a boatman in your family?”

“Yes, my father was a captain.”

“Oh really? Then your father must have died at sea when you were young.”

“… … ?”

The old man put the bear’s paw in his mouth again, took out the flint, and held it in each hand.

“The high winds blowing from the southeast rarely blow in the summer, but on rare occasions they blow in the winter.”

“Is that so… … .”

“Anyone who has been in these rough seas for a long time knows this, but newbies who haven’t often lose their lives.”

The old man skillfully lit the bear’s bonfire.

Then, the smoke rising from the gombangdae met the strong wind and flew far away toward the north.

I turned my head to follow the cigarette smoke floating in the air, but the port of origin was so far away that I couldn’t see it.

“Are you planning to join the independence army?”

“yes?”

“For a reporter, you have deep pockets.”

The old man tapped his waist with the stick he was holding.

“No one else but soldiers would carry a gun and head to war.”

“It’s rare for someone to point that out to someone carrying a gun.”

My hand went to the handle of the pistol hidden at my waist.

I had no idea what the old man in front of me could do to me, but my body moved reflexively.

In my head, I was already simulating how I would immediately pull out my gun and blow his head off if the old man did something.

“It was the same when my son left home.”

“… … ?”

“I only had one son, and I raised him like a jewel, but then something happened and he ran away from home, saying he wanted to fight the Japanese.”

“… … .”

“And there’s been no news since then. I wonder if he’s eating well… … . I wonder if he’s married… … . I don’t even know if he’s alive or dead.”

The old man’s gaze was directed far away, beyond the horizon.

“He’s such an unfilial son who drives a nail into his parents’ hearts… … but sometimes I miss him so much.”

At the old man’s words, my hand returned to its original position.

“So please, please do me one favor.”

“Please?”

“Are you planning to go to Hamheung by this road and join the independence army?”

“Uh, um… … . Well… … . For now… … .”

“Then, if not in Manchuria or Gando, could you please find a guy named Chang-sik who lived in the back alley of the Yaso Church in Wonsanbu, in the independence army?”

The wrinkled eyes of the old man, who had been hit hard by the passage of time, were filled with desperation.

“That’s not that difficult.”

“Thank you, thank you very much.”

Even though he hadn’t found his son yet, the old man was already rejoicing as if he had.

“As for how Chang-sik looked, he was young and while playing with a bull’s horn, the horn caught him and he got this big bump on his face… … .”

The old man, who had been groaning until just a moment ago, started talking about his son, and as soon as he started talking about them, he started dancing around, as if he was getting energy from somewhere.

When you talk about your son, you seem to forget the passage of time.

The old man’s story continued for several hours until our ship passed Heungnam and reached the Songchon River.

It was a bit of a boring story, but I listened to every word the old man said.

While doing so, I quickly drew the face of Chang-sik, who might be somewhere, in my mind.

* * *

Seongcheon River.

It is a river that originates in Sinheung-gun, passes Yeonggwang and Hamju, and flows through Hamheung to the East Sea.

Although the river was quite large, there were several small islands in the downstream that were formed by the accumulation of sediment that had been washed down from upstream, perhaps because the sediment had been mixed in between the river waters.

“It’s cold now and the ground is frozen, so don’t dig with a shovel like an idiot! You have a pickaxe! Break the frozen ground with the pickaxe first, then set it on fire and dig with the shovel!”

And here.

The lower reaches of the Songcheon River that flows through Hamheung City.

A small island located in the middle of a river.

The independence army dug trenches on this small island and brought in steel bars and concrete from a construction company warehouse in Hamheung to build bunkers.

“We’ve run out of cement here!”

“Go over there and bring me some cement bags!”

“Ahh… … . What is this after I was resting so well?”

“The Japanese are coming. Stop complaining and dig the ground properly.”

Like any other soldier.

The soldiers of the independence army were also dissatisfied with the sudden construction work in the cold winter, but they suppressed their dissatisfaction and focused on the work when they heard that it was to prepare for the Japanese army advancing northward to Hamheung.

“Ah… … .”

“Why again?”

“No, is there a bug in my ear… … . It keeps tickling.”

And among the independence army soldiers working hard, there was also Chang-sik, who came from the back alley of the Yaso Church in Wonsan.

“Tsk tsk… … That’s why I told you not to be lazy about washing no matter how cold it is.”

“I wash well too!”

“Do you wash well? It looks like you don’t bathe often because it’s cold.”

“But make sure to wash it at least once a week!”

“Once a week? Dude, I wash once a day.”

“Yeah, you’re good.”

Changsik kept poking his fingers into his itchy ears and scratching them, but the itchiness just wouldn’t go away.

Jeon Woo, who was watching the scene from the side, smiled and asked Chang Sik.

“Hey, who’s calling you names?”

“Who is cursing at me?”

“Who is he? Isn’t he the father of an unfilial son who came all the way to his hometown and didn’t even send him a single letter?”

“My father would have forgotten about someone like me and gotten married a long time ago.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

“Okay. Why are you so interested in other people’s family circumstances? Keep your mouth shut and do some digging with a pickaxe. The ground won’t dig.”

Chang-sik, perhaps annoyed by his friend’s constant talking, picked up the shovel again and thrust it into the ground with all his might.

“When you dig the ground, use a lot of force! Ah! When it comes to digging, technique is half the battle!”

“Yeah, you’re good.”

Changsik’s hands became increasingly rough.

“I told my father that I would chase out all the Japanese and return, but what about the letter?”

“But since you’re still close to my hometown, wouldn’t it be worth leaving a letter to let me know you’re still alive?”

“Okay. If I send a letter for no reason and the police see it, how much will it bother my father?”

“That’s true.”

When Chang-sik’s shovel touched the hard frozen ground in the cold weather, the ground dented like soft tofu being dug into by a spoon.

“If a man is sitting here writing a letter like a woman writing a love letter, wouldn’t it be better to have it published in the newspaper so that his father can see it?”

“You? In the newspaper? Your dreams are big too.”

“What’s not possible? If I wipe out all the Japanese who are flocking here, I can get my name written in the newspaper as big as a door!”

Changsik looked around the river.

An island in the middle of a river with a moderate width and located at a relatively high altitude.

And on top of that, there were trenches, bunkers, and other defensive facilities… … If the Japanese army underestimated them and pushed forward without thinking, preparations were underway to turn this place into a giant cemetery.

“Kekekeke, if your name comes up in the Chosun Ilbo, I’ll buy you a fort!”

“You promised?”

“Okay, so the future celebrity digs a trench for me.”

“hey!”

“What?! Chang-sik is going to be in the Chosun Ilbo? Then you should lay down some barbed wire for me!”

“Chang-sik! You lay some mines for me too!”