NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 175



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NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 175

The famous snake (3)

“There was a commotion in the village.”

“It’s… nothing. The kids were out drinking and got into an argument with an army officer who was dispatched.”

The commotion that occurred at Heungnam Port soon reached the ears of the high-ranking officials of the fleet.

The staff and several officers reported that it was simply a matter of soldiers’ misbehavior, and under normal circumstances, it would have ended with a mere admonition to properly manage the soldiers.

“You got into an argument with an officer… …? An army officer at that?”

But here the army got involved.

This wasn’t just a fight between soldiers, but an incident where a drunk sailor confronted an officer.

This is a clear case of insubordination.

Since the military is a group that values ​​hierarchy as much as one’s life, the issue of insubordination is considered a serious problem that shakes the very foundation of the military as a group.

If it had been just an incident between ‘navy’ officers, it could have been somehow hushed up and passed over, but this was an incident where a sailor challenged the authority of an officer, and an ‘army’ officer at that.

In other words, it was an incident that couldn’t just be covered up.

Not only were the sailors punished, even if only formally, but someone had to take responsibility for this incident and apologize to the ‘Army’.

“Oh my… … . How on earth did you manage your subordinates to allow something like this to happen!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I said I would take care of it, but… … .”

“Is this what they call management? Those guys who are managed are walking around in broad daylight, drinking, harassing women, and fighting with officers!!!”

The admiral’s shout echoed throughout the bridge.

His voice was so loud that it could be heard through the bridge’s communication line and even echoed through the ammunition magazine and engine room located deep inside the battleship.

The admiral, who had vented his anger, still seemed to be angry and gave an order that would drive everyone into despair.

“As of now, alcohol is prohibited.”

“Are you talking about just the sailors?”

“Everyone. Except for the captain-level personnel, everyone!! Everyone!!!”

“!!!”

“And as for the sailors who caused the trouble, make sure to re-educate them so that no one will ever hear about them again, and as for the army officers… … . Phew… … . Adjutant, you go.”

Asking the sailors to re-educate was essentially the same as asking them to beat the crap out of them until they came to their senses, and sending an adjutant to apologize was essentially the same as the admiral himself going to apologize.

Originally, there was no need to go this far, but now the Army and Navy were engaged in a civil war, and relations were at an all-time low.

That’s why I was a little over-the-top in my formalities so as not to get caught by them.

However, there was one problem here.

“But who should I go to and apologize to?”

“I told you to do that to the person involved a little while ago.”

“Um… … . Yes. However, Your Majesty, I did not hear who that officer was.”

“… … ?”

The admiral turned his head and looked at his staff.

The staff officer also turned his head and looked at another officer, and the other officer looked at another officer.

After playing the train game so unexpectedly, everyone’s attention turned to the officer on duty.

The soldier on duty suddenly found himself the center of attention of a large crowd of people and shook his head in embarrassment.

“I, I don’t know anything!”

Soon the admiral’s boiling anger poured out.

* * *

The soldiers who were banned from drinking alcohol, which was the only pleasure in their military life, were shocked as if they had been dumped by a long-time lover.

“Don’t… drink… alcohol?”

“Whoa… …. What kind of son of a bitch caused this accident!”

“Hey! Bring those kids here right now!”

The sailors who had been involved in the accident were called here and there and felt the warm camaraderie unique to the Imperial Japanese Navy, but this alone could not completely assuage the resentment of the soldiers who were banned from drinking alcohol.

To the sailors, alcohol was a magical elixir that wiped away the tears of seamen who were tired of life on the rough seas and were beaten by people, and moistened their chapped lips.

And this was the same for Japanese sailors.

Their lives were just as hard, sorrowful, and painful as those of the sailors of the Age of Exploration, so for them, alcohol was a magical elixir that helped them forget the pain of life, and a milestone in life that allowed them to forget the hardships of today and look forward to tomorrow.

But this was taken away.

who?

This is from a very high and mighty person.

But in the Navy, where the hierarchy was tightly controlled, it was unimaginable for sailors to curse at an admiral who was far from their own (they would sometimes swing their fists at officers, but let’s ignore that trivial matter), and it was also unimaginable for them to take their anger out on their fellow sailors (there is a saying that if you don’t get hit even for a day, you will tremble in fear, but let’s ignore that, too, as it is a trivial matter), so in the end, their endless resentment was directed at an unknown army officer.

“Why is that officer meddling in other people’s business… … .”

“The guys who caused a ruckus there were wrong, but… … the officer who meddled in other people’s business didn’t do anything right either.”

“Right. That’s what I thought too.”

“He’s such a son of a bitch!”

But in a situation where they did not know exactly who was involved in the incident, their lost anger gradually converged into anger not only toward the army officers but also toward the army itself.

“Those damn army guys… … .”

“Those guys must be drinking a lot by now… … ?”

“My older brother was shot and killed by the army in Tokyo. They didn’t even say sorry.”

“Why do those Army guys act like they’re enemies with the Navy? If you look at it one by one, it’s all their fault.”

“Who says no? Those guys in the Army are born with a bad reputation.”

Whenever two or more sailors gathered together, they would start cursing the Army.

After being dusted off for not keeping the windows closed at night, he cursed at the Army. After being beaten up for touching the table with his arm during a meal, he cursed at the Army.

And that’s not all? Even when the NCOs harassed and harassed them by finding fault with them for no reason, he didn’t curse them, but cursed the poor army.

But no matter how much they cursed the army, the mood of the sailors who had been deprived of their only joy in life did not improve at all, and so they walked the streets every day with a sullen expression.

“Hey, ma’am! Did you put sand in the rice? Why is the rice so rough?”

“Why is this soup so spicy and salty! Did someone pour salt in here?!”

“That’s why those Joseon guys… … . Oh my.”

The absence of alcohol did not mean that soldiers had fewer accidents.

The difference from before was that while in the past they would get drunk and cause trouble while reeking of alcohol, now they were sober and making a scene while yelling for the mayor to leave.

“It’s said that the Japanese colonial government was ruled by army generals for generations. I don’t know if that’s why, but all the Joseon guys are like the army.”

“Hahaha, so you’re saying I’m slow and retarded?”

“I know right.”

That day, too, they were laughing among themselves, chewing out the army as usual.

But here a problem arose.

In that restaurant, not only sailors but also army officers dispatched to the fleet were eating together.

“hey.”

“??”

“What did you just say, soldier?”

After completing their daily artillery support mission, the army officers, who were having a late lunch, frowned at the sight of the sailors openly cursing the army and called them over.

“I was quietly listening from the sidelines, but it seemed like you kept badmouthing the army… … What affiliation do you have that makes you say such unspeakable things?”

“… … .”

“Am I talking to a wall right now?”

Things like this happened all over Heungnam.

The sailors would curse the Army almost every day, and would be caught by Army officers or soldiers and dragged into the Military Police, and sometimes fights would break out between Army and Navy soldiers.

As a result, the military police force was almost paralyzed by the excessive workload that was constantly pouring in, and the military police captain, unable to bear it any longer, went to see the admiral and explained his situation.

“Admiral Hara, please take care of the soldiers. The military police have a lot of work to do right now, so how long should I keep bringing in the sailors who are locked up in the detention center while keeping an eye on the police?”

“… … I’m sorry.”

“Please! Please! Please take good care of the soldiers! I will do my best!”

“Keep that in mind.”

And after another round of shouting on the bridge that day, a stay-at-home order was issued to all troops of the battleship Imji Squadron stationed in Heungnam.

The reason was that they had detected signs that the enemy had begun a rear-end operation, but the soldiers did not believe the lies from their superiors.

The sailors believed that all this was done under pressure from the Army.

“You real motherfuckers!”

“At first, you took away my bloody alcohol! Now, you’re even taking away my sweet rest!”

“Khaaaaaaah!!! Everyone gather under me!!!”

The sailors’ anger reached a critical point when they suddenly had their outings, overnight leave, and even vacations cut off, and it soon turned into a storm and poured out into the barracks.

The already tough life for the sailors became even tougher and more miserable, and with hundreds of people crammed into a ship with few bathrooms, cries could be heard everywhere.

As the already hellish military life became an even more colorful hell, the sailors, without exception, began to crave alcohol.

“Haa… … . Why does that crazy guy Yamada hold someone for three hours just because one button on his uniform is crooked? … .”

“I was called out to the office because I was sleeping at dawn when my senior was coming home from work. I was yelled at and beaten until the next shift.”

“Whew… … Don’t be ridiculous. I didn’t like the way Hayashi Gunzo looked so I beat him up.”

“Oh… … .”

The new recruits gathered together again today to clean up, and while doing so, they found small comfort in confessing the absurdities and violence they had experienced.

But this only happened once or twice. If this kind of endless routine continues, even the strongest of recruits will inevitably lose their spirit little by little.

“If I could just have one sip of alcohol, I would have no more wishes.”

“Arthur. Where is the alcohol here?”

“That’s true, but… … .”

At that time, a new recruit who called himself a student at Tokyo University adjusted his glasses and spoke to his fellow students.

“There’s no alcohol on the ship, but there’s an alcohol lamp, right? Alcohol is alcohol anyway, and since that’s alcohol, why don’t you drink that instead?”

“… … ?”

“… … .”

“!!!”

At first, everyone stared blankly at their Donggyeong University classmate with lifeless eyes, but soon their eyes came back to life and they all flocked to him.

“Wow! Are you a genius?”

“Wow… … . As expected from Dongguk University! As expected, there’s something different about it!”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. So you can really do it?”

A sailor from Dongguk University who was usually bullied by his seniors and ignored by his peers simply because he was a college student, opened his mouth in pride when his peers showed interest in him.

“The alcohol we drink is alcohol made for edible purposes, and alcohol lamps are made for industrial purposes… … .”

“So how do you do that!”

“First, take the alcohol out of the alcohol lamp, then light it… … .”

The Dongguk University student squeezed out all the knowledge he had and taught his classmates the secret of making alcohol from an alcohol lamp into liquor.

Of course, all of this was just so-called urban legends that he had heard from his seniors, and he had never actually done it, but whatever.

Everyone liked it, so what if it was this or that?

“Let’s do it right now.”

“I’ll bring the lantern.”

“Okay, I’ll go get some matches from the restaurant.”

It was a desperate struggle by poor people who were hungry for alcohol.

And this is not long after… … .