NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 171



Only Krnovel

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 171

Dawn is Coming (7)

The Japanese forces suffered considerable casualties in the raid last night.

More than half of the tents in the barracks were burned, and a significant portion of the food storehouse was burned, destroying much of the food.

Fortunately, the number of deaths was relatively small, but this small number only means that the number of people shot was small, and the number of people crushed to death in the midst of the chaos easily exceeded double digits.

“… … We are reporting that there were 372 deaths and 1,529 injuries, for a total of 1,901 casualties.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

The atmosphere in the conference room set up in Hamju-eup, the closest town to Hamheung, was so somber that it felt like it was going to sink into the ground.

No one in the conference room opened their mouths; everyone kept their mouths shut.

This was a reaction that came out because everyone instinctively knew that whoever spoke first here would be held responsible for this situation.

That’s why everyone just kept their mouths shut and quietly looked at each other.

“… … .”

“… … .”

I couldn’t even breathe freely, afraid that my breathing would catch the book.

But the same was true for General Kanno.

‘Even if the defeat in battle was due to my subordinates not understanding my commands… … it was my fault for not being able to stop this night attack.’

He admitted his mistake, which was different from his usual behavior.

‘Who should I blame for this?’

Of course, that’s only for a moment.

Now, as always, he was worried that the sparks would fly to him and was racking his brain to figure out how to pass over his mistake.

‘I heard that serious discussions about disarmament are starting to take place on the mainland… … . And the people who currently hold real power in the army are all people who regard the Choshu people as their utter enemies… … .’

At this time, the Japanese Army was in a situation where the Choshu faction, which had a firm hold on the army, was gradually being pushed out by a new force centered around the Army University.

This is especially true for Vice Minister Ugaki, who currently holds real power in the Army Ministry, and Tojo, who is a member of the General Staff and is closely attached to Ugaki.

Both of them were not from Choshu, but at the same time, they were people who had a negative view of the Choshu faction.

I don’t know exactly what Vice Minister Ugaki was thinking, but that crazy bastard Hideki Tojo has hated Choshu terribly since his father’s time.

So, if that guy takes control of the army, Choshu will naturally fall.

‘No, maybe it’s already in decline.’

As the conflict between the Choshu and Satsuma factions deepened in politics, the military, and within society, several people attempted to divide the power of Choshu and Satsuma in an attempt to end the conflict.

The Army was divided into the Supreme Headquarters, the Army Ministry, the General Staff, etc., and the Navy was also divided into the Navy Ministry, the Military Command, and the Combined Fleet, and its authority was greatly weakened.

At first, all three of these positions were occupied by people from Choshu or Satsuma, but elite-educated officers gradually took over the important positions and now completely pushed out the Choshu and Satsuma people.

In this situation, the sense of crisis that General Kanno felt was considerable.

‘I can be one of them.’

Of course, by now, Choshu has not completely fallen and disappeared without a trace.

Rather, key positions within the empire are still occupied by people from Choshu and Satsuma.

But… … . But you know.

Below that, it is filled with graduates from the Army University or the Japanese Naval Academy.

If Tokyo, the center of the military, is like that, what about the frontline units?

‘If I slip here… … I’ll never come back.’

He was able to get to this point because he was from Choshu and was smart.

But ironically, the fact that he was from Choshu and had a good head on his shoulders made Kanno nervous.

“Today, we will truly surpass Hamheung.”

“… … ?”

And this impatience pushed Kanno away.

“Yesterday, the enemy counterattacked and the ammunition depot was set ablaze, and last night’s night raid also severely damaged the tents where the soldiers were staying and the food warehouse where they stored food.”

“… … .”

“That means our forces are no longer in a position to stay here for long.”

At Kanno’s words, one of the staff members cautiously opened his mouth.

“Excuse me, Your Excellency, in the case of supplies, you can send a telegram to Pyongyang or Yongsan and have them delivered by train… … . Isn’t that right… … ?”

“The wind is getting colder and the days are getting shorter.”

“yes?”

“They say the days are getting colder.”

As Kanno said, the weather had been getting colder since they arrived in Hamheung.

They haven’t been here long, but when they first came here, it was a bit warm for winter, but now it’s so cold and windy that they can’t stand for even a moment without wearing winter clothes.

“If you make soldiers sleep in the open air while all their tents are on fire, how long do you think they can last?”

“Then how about we requisition the items our soldiers need from the surrounding villages?”

“If we take away the belongings of the Koreans who are already on our side mentally, they will harbor ill feelings toward us. It would be fortunate if it ended with just ill feelings, but the resentment of the Koreans is deeper and more severe than we think.”

General Kanno thought.

Our forces are in no condition to fight right now.

As shown in the previous Imjin River incident, the units stationed in Joseon, despite being deployed at the front lines, showed that their combat power was somewhat inferior to that of the various divisions on the mainland.

It would be nice if this was all just his mistake, but considering the various disgraceful behaviors the 19th and 20th divisions had displayed over the years, this was clearly true.

It is somewhat embarrassing, but the Imperial Japanese Army, despite its many embarrassments in Tokyo against the Imperial Japanese Navy, eventually broke through their thick defensive lines and almost captured the Imperial Palace.

On the other hand, what about the Joseon Army (Japanese Army)?

Even while fighting against the police of the Governor-General, no significant results were achieved.

Although the fight between the two was initially a surprise arrest operation by the Government-General’s Police Department, which resulted in the arrest of key commanders and a significant reduction in the unit’s strength, it was still a case of soldiers failing to gain an advantage over the police.

The only good thing is that they avoided defeat, but if you think about it, for a soldier, failure to achieve a goal means defeat… … . In reality, it was no different from defeat.

‘I didn’t plan on going to battle with these idiots in the first place… … .’

General Kanno regretted his foolishness.

Even when they first set out for this place, they came north with the intention of covering up the disgrace their unit had shown at the Imjin River with a victory.

The Bulyeongseon people he knew were armed with old-fashioned weapons, not very numerous, and a people who would run away when an army approached.

But what is this?

When we actually fought them, they were just as well-armed as the Japanese… maybe even better-armed than the Japanese.

As the commander of the unit, I am ashamed to say this, but the fighting power of the troops under his command is now greatly inferior to that of the Bulyeongseon people over in Hamheung.

To be honest, I can’t guarantee that he will be able to break through their defenses with just his strength right now.

To exaggerate a little, the guys under Kanno’s command right now are just guys with a lot of numbers, but they don’t know how to fight.

‘I came out to fight with these guys… … .’

You can never defeat them in a head-on fight.

That’s Kanno’s conclusion.

“We have lost all means of staying here for a long time, and the morale of our soldiers has also dropped significantly. Rather than wasting any more time, we should concentrate all our efforts on the offensive and destroy the enemy’s defenses. Otherwise, it would be best to retreat.”

“… … .”

“To break through the enemy’s defenses, we need sufficient artillery power, but do we have that now?”

“… … .”

Of course not.

The Japanese military has not placed importance on artillery for generations.

This is because they preferred heavily armed infantry with blood, steel, and sincere faith to go through enemy bullets and plant a flag on a hill rather than firing cannons from afar.

And never before has there been an artillery force in the East powerful enough to threaten the Japanese Empire.

Even the Russian Empire and its successor, the Soviet Union, which were somewhat threatening, had weak artillery power, so the Imperial Japanese Army did not feel the need to expand its artillery power.

That is why, even among the troops under General Kanno’s command, the number of artillerymen was smaller than that of infantrymen, and even then, a considerable number of them were lost to the artillery fire of the Bulyeongseon people.

That’s why General Kanno thought.

He said that his own forces alone would not be able to break through the defense line of the Bulyeongseon people right in front of him.

“Ah! Your Majesty! By the way, didn’t you say that among the reinforcements sent from the mainland, the Navy would send two battleships?”

“The Navy? A battleship?”

It was the first time I heard that story.

Someone reported it to General Kanno, but Kanno may have forgotten it or let it go in one ear and out the other, but in any case, it was the first time Kanno had heard of it.

“There are days when the Navy guys come in handy.”

But I didn’t feel bad.

Rather, I felt like I had received a surprise gift.

“If I remember correctly, two battleships were sent by the Navy and were due to arrive in Wonsan sometime around yesterday!”

“The battleships sent by the Navy are said to be the latest battleships, the Nagato and Mutsu, which are the pride of the Navy.”

As General Kanno’s face brightened, his staff members also thought they had seized their opportunity and unlocked the padlocks on their mouths, revealing all the information they knew.

And after listening to that for a while, Kanno quietly opened his mouth.

“Bring a map and writing utensils.”

Kanno intuitively felt that his last chance had come.

And Kanno had no intention of missing this opportunity.

* * *

Inside the trench of the Korean Independence Army in the middle of the Seongcheon River, two men were holding binoculars and spying on the Japanese army camp.

“The enemies are quieter than you think.”

“You must have had a hard time sleeping last night, so you’re probably all trying to catch up on the sleep you lost.”

“Um… … Then, should I report it to the higher-ups like that?”

“If you report it like that, you’ll get in trouble, right?”

“Oh, is that so?”

Changsik put down the telescope and scratched his head.

“Mr. Kim, how did you find out about my father?”

“I saw you briefly on my way here.”

“Is that so… … . Hmm… … .”

Changsik looked at me restlessly, fidgeting and hesitating like a puppy that needs to poop, as if he had something to say.

“just…….”

“If you have something to say, just say it. Do you think I’m going to eat you or something?”

“Well… how is your father?”

Chang-sik’s voice contained the heart of a son worried about his old father who was left alone in his hometown.

“I don’t know if your only family member is alive or dead in a foreign land. How do you think they will be doing?”

“… … .”

At my words, Changsik’s face turned ashen.

“Still, you’re in good health. You take good care of your stomach and seem to get along well with people.”

“Is that so?”

Only then did Changsik’s face brighten up a little.

“If you’re that worried about your father, why don’t you quit this difficult job and go home?”

It was a light remark made while thinking of the old man who helped me and Changsik.

But Changsik smiled and replied to my words.

“Other comrades are working hard to regain our lost country, so how could I alone neglect my responsibility and duty for the sake of my family?”

“Didn’t anyone ever give such responsibility and duty to Chang-sik, who lives in Wonsan?”

“I thought of it myself.”

Changsik continued speaking, looking back at the Japanese army camp in the distance.

“As Mr. Kim said, no one has ever given me this responsibility and duty. No, if someone had given me this responsibility and duty, I would have run away without being able to hold out for long.”

“… … .”

“It’s just… … It’s not that I have some grand cause or anything. But this Chang-sik is a very unfilial son of a bitch who doesn’t know how to take responsibility, not a son of a bitch who doesn’t know how to be responsible.”

“Hahaha, yeah, that’s what it looks like.”

“And men from Hamgyeong Province tend to have a somewhat rebellious nature against the government.”

“Phew! Yeah, that’s right.”

Every single word Changsik said made me smile.

“Hehehe, but how about sending a letter to your father? At least let him know that you’re alive.”

“……that.”

“Is there something else going on?”

When I asked him something, Chang-sik’s face turned bright red as if he was so embarrassed, and he answered in a voice as small as a mosquito.

“I, I couldn’t finish writing… … .”

“What? Sigh! I didn’t think Kim Chang-sik from Hamgyeong Province could even finish writing. Heroes don’t have to study. Is that what it is? Hehe.”

“Hey, a hero? I’m not that kind of person.”

“Okay, okay, later when the Japanese back out, I’ll write a letter for you and deliver it directly to your father.”

“Really? Thank you, Mr. Kim.”

Changsik kept bowing and expressing his gratitude.

I waved my hand at that kind of person.

“Thank you. Rather, I should be the one thanking you.”