NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 167



Only Krnovel

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 167

Dawn is Coming (3)

With the old man’s help, we reached Heungnam in no time.

I walked overland and covered a distance that would have taken at least half a day, but I was able to do it in just one or two hours.

But now that we had arrived in Heungnam and were about to start sailing up the river in earnest, a problem arose.

“I think I might have to abandon ship.”

“Is it very damaged?”

“If it was just a little damaged, I could just patch it up, but this one’s keel is damaged, so it’ll be hard to repair.”

The old man smiled bitterly, patting his worn-out belly.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can give you a lift to Hamheung.”

“It’s okay. It’s not that far from Heungnam anyway, so it’s easy enough to walk.”

“Is that so? That’s fortunate.”

The old man’s gaze turned back to the boat.

The old man’s belly looked as old as the wrinkles on his face, but the difference between the two was that the wrinkles on the old man’s face were still there, while the old man’s belly had died.

“Tsk… … My son really liked going on boats when he was little, but now I can’t let him go.”

“I feel sorry for no reason.”

“You have nothing to feel sorry about, he was going to be gone soon anyway, just like me.”

“Huh? No, why are you saying that? You should live a long life too.”

The old man laughed at my words.

“What good will it do for an old man to live long? Rather, if he lives a long and useless life, his country will be taken over by thieves, and he will suddenly end up serving the Japanese as his masters.”

Now I understand why the old man had been sitting there helplessly at the harbor when I first met him.

The country where he had lived his entire life had fallen into the hands of the Japanese, and his remaining family members were all dead or their fate was unknown, so the elderly no longer had a purpose in life.

Today, I sat at the harbor and waited for my son, wondering if he might come back.

Then, after wandering around the port for a while, he saw a ship going north and remembered his son, so he offered to help.

“A better world will come soon.”

“Yeah, I don’t know if that world will ever come, but I don’t think I’ll be alive until then.”

The old man just laughed when I told him that a better world was coming.

I don’t think he took my words as a joke, but he thought that even if a better world comes, he wouldn’t be able to live long until then.

“No, I guarantee you that there will be good news very soon.”

“Good news… … I hope so.”

“Okay! First, please collect the boat fare.”

“What about the fare? I helped you because I felt like it. I didn’t expect money.”

The old man steadfastly refused my offer to give him the gift.

“You’ll need travel expenses if you’re going to Wonsan anyway, right? So, please use this for travel expenses… … .”

“I have money too.”

“Ah… … . I feel uneasy, that’s why.”

“Don’t be uncomfortable. If you really want to do something for me, go to Hamheung, have a good fight with the Japanese, and make sure you win.”

After saying that, the old man ran away without looking back.

“How stubborn of you… … .”

It was quite funny to see an old man running slowly, but not so much that it was laughable.

The old man may think he has left me behind, but he is mistaken.

A madman from Gyeongseong… … No, even Miwa and Gyeongbu couldn’t chase after me or dodge me, so how could a boatman who has been sailing all his life dodge me?

This is all just my acting to keep the old man from noticing the money bag dangling from his waist.

‘With that, you can buy a new boat and eat well and live well until better days come.’

I’ve said it many times, but my hands are quicker than my eyes.

Thanks to this quick hand movement, it was not difficult to save a life or steal something from someone’s pocket.

Oh, of course the opposite is also possible.

Just like now.

“good.”

Now it’s time to go to Hamheung.

‘I have to meet the commander of Hamheung and make contact with the independence army… … . If I reveal that I have already returned, information may leak to the Governor-General’s Office… … .’

For now, it seemed better to hide one’s identity.

However, the independence army would not have been happy with the person who came from Gyeongseong to help them.

This is especially true in a situation like now when a decisive battle is imminent.

‘I might shoot you the moment I see you, and at best I’ll just throw you in jail.’

So, if possible, it seemed good to have someone who was not suspected by the independence fighters, but who could help them freely.

‘It would be nice if it was someone related to the ghost of Gyeongseong… … But did I tell those people about the people around me?’

I thought about it carefully, but no one came to mind… … .

“ah!”

no.

There was just one person.

There was still one person left who had made direct contact with the independence army.

“Chunshik was there.”

Back in the day when I was working under the name of Kuroda Kyuichi, Chunshik was in charge of delivering goods stolen from the Joseon Army Headquarters warehouse in Yongsan to the Korean Independence Army.

Thanks to this, there were several instances of direct contact with the independence army.

There, Chun-sik is currently recovering from the physical and mental wounds caused by torture at a Japanese hospital in Gyeongseong with Ms. Kim Hu-dong.

Since Inspector Sasaki is keeping a close eye on the situation, Chunsik won’t be seen by the public for the time being.

Among the people I am connected to, I know people in the Korean Independence Army, and I am someone who will not be showing off my face for the time being.

Isn’t that exactly Chunshik?

‘It’s Chunsik after all.’

Chunshik was assisting me with all his might even in Gyeongseong, hundreds of miles away from here.

It was much better than the guys from the Operation Support Team who were stuck in a safe house located right next to the operation area in the future that has now become the past and who kept shouting for escape at all costs because support was impossible.

‘Thank you, Chunsik. When I get back, I’ll actively pursue your love life.’

We still had no idea how the independence army in Hamheung would deal with the Japanese army.

Perhaps, upon hearing the news that the Japanese army was coming, he gave in to boiling anger and decided to stay and fight the Japanese army.

But that might not be the case.

How much money has been poured into the independence army so far?

Although it was a short period of time, the money they sucked in was enough to cover Hamheung City’s annual budget.

‘Now it’s time to prove it.’

In this battle, the independence army had to prove its capabilities.

The fate of the independence army depended on whether or not they could repay the money they had sucked up.

If the independence army in Hamheung does not meet my expectations… … I will have no choice but to reconsider their treatment.

‘Funds are limited and there are many organizations that need help.’

Perhaps armed struggle may be completely omitted from the path of the independence movement.

“Phew… … .”

The reason I am going to Hamheung is not only to help the independence army but also to invite them as special guests to the fireworks display in Gyeongseong, but also to test the capabilities of the independence army.

“Shall we go?”

The port of Heungnam was bustling with people who were fleeing south for fear of being caught up in the battle upon hearing news of the Japanese army’s advance, people who were anxious because a ship that had promised to bring them in from Japan was tied up in the port, and people who had gathered for various other reasons.

What they had in common was that they all gathered at Heungnam Port and did not go outside.

I pushed my way through those people and walked north alone.

The destination is Hamheung.

This is Hamheung, where the Korean Independence Army is located.

* * *

The 20th Division (originally stationed in Pyongyang + temporary formation of troops from the 19th Division that should have been deployed to Hamgyeong Province) commanded by General Kanno arrived in Hamhung.

Thanks to the warm weather despite it being winter, the Japanese army was able to complete their march to Hamheung without any significant obstacles.

“I heard that among all the winters in Joseon, the winters in Hamgyeong Province are the harshest, but it seems like that was all a lie.”

“No, that’s because you haven’t experienced the winter in Hamgyeong Province. This kind of weather can only happen with the help of God!”

“Huh, is it that cold?”

“It’s not just cold, it’s the kind of weather where you could freeze to death if you don’t have any firewood at home.”

General Kanno, who had been quietly listening to the trivial chatter of his staff, suddenly joined the conversation.

“Then we must surely receive Amaterasu’s blessing.”

“Amaterasu… …?”

“Yes, the one who firmly protects the spirit of the Yamato men and leads the Empire of Japan to glorious victory.”

“Oh, yes… … .”

Now, General Kanno could see at a glance the large river, the small island between it, and the barbed wire densely spread on the low hill beyond it, which seemed to greatly restrict the movement of the infantry.

Behind the barbed wire, the enemy soldiers were digging trenches, with only the tops of their heads sticking out and looking this way.

And between the trenches, you could even see bunkers made of sturdy concrete.

Anyone could see that what was in front of the 20th Division was a well-prepared enemy defense line, and when the staff realized this, they froze.

However, rather than being overwhelmed by the enemy’s defenses, General Kanno showed great confidence.

“Look! Those Joseon people were born lowly, but when they saw the warriors of the Japanese Empire armed with the Yamato spirit, they were afraid and hid in the ground like moles.”

“Your Majesty, that is a defensive facility called a trench… … .”

“I know you were quite powerful in the last war.”

General Kanno had served in the Imperial General Headquarters Staff and the Staff of the 3rd Army under the command of Nogi Maresuke during the Russo-Japanese War.

“In Lushun, too, the less powerful Russian troops were trembling in their sturdy steel fortresses.”

“Oh, I think I’ve heard of it.”

“I heard that even then, there was a lot of damage caused by breaking through the enemy’s defense line.”

“Yes, the blood of countless warriors flowed on the ground, forming rivers, and the corpses piled up new mountains.”

General Kanno recalled the incident with a hazy expression, as if he had been there himself.

Of course, all he did was serve as a staff officer at the Imperial General Headquarters in Tokyo, the capital of the Japanese Empire, while the Battle of Port Arthur was taking place, and offer coffee to the generals and give them a few words of advice.

“The Russian army’s Port Arthur fortress was considered so impregnable that even birds could not fly past it, but do not forget that our Imperial Japanese Army planted its flag there and led the war to victory!”

“!!!”

“Your Majesty! Then, Your Majesty, do you know of a way to break through that defense line?”

The staff looked at General Kanno.

They too had heard of the infamy of the Fortress of Lushun.

The first thing you learn at military academies and military colleges is the lessons of the Russo-Japanese War.

However, there was a significant difference between hearing it from someone who had first-hand experience and learning it from a textbook.

That is why the staff listened to General Kanno’s words.

General Kanno smiled with satisfaction as he saw that attention was being drawn to him.

“What is needed to break through a well-prepared enemy’s defenses?”

General Kanno clenched his fist.

“One is the unwavering Yamato spirit that will not yield to enemy bullets! Two is the boundless loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor! And the last is the bayonet that symbolizes ardent devotion to the Empire!”

“… … ?”

“The attack is in exactly three days! Until then, the engineer battalion must prepare a pontoon bridge across the river by any means necessary, and the artillery must not stop firing until the enemy’s bunkers and barbed wire are neutralized!”