NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 299



Only Krnovel

Episode 299

Homecoming? (2)

From the time the Qing Dynasty collapsed with a loud noise until now… … .

China has been divided for too long.

As the old saying goes:

It has been said that what is divided will surely come together, and what is united will surely divide.

The great trend of the world is bound to divide and unite forever. The combination is bound to divide and unite forever.

The current Republic of China was exactly like that.

On the outside, it appeared to be united as one country, but on the inside, it was rotten and festering.

Since the Qing Dynasty burst into flames with a loud bang, the powerful have been gaining money and power throughout China.

As a result, numerous warlords ran rampant throughout China, and the people suffered miserably under the exploitation of these vicious warlords.

Sun Yat-sen, a revolutionary of the Republic of China, was saddened by this reality of the Republic of China and tried to somehow resolve the situation and put the country right, but his actions irritated those in power, namely the warlords.

Because of this, Sun Yat-sen was constantly chased by others, used by warlords, and betrayed throughout his life.

Still, he did not give up and tried to carry out his thoughts and will.

He worked hard like a mayfly flying toward the sun until the day his strength gave out and his breath stopped, but in the end, he was unable to achieve his goal while alive.

But that doesn’t mean all is over.

Because his disciple Chiang Kai-shek rose up in resoluteness to continue his master’s legacy.

Chiang Kai-shek successfully carried out the Northern Expedition by subduing and winning over veteran warlords from various regions in just a few years.

The greatest force in the Republic of China and the closest to unifying the country, they defeated Fengtian and Zhijie and entered Beijing.

The day Chiang Kai-shek entered Beijing.

Freed from long-term oppression, thousands of citizens took to the streets to welcome Chiang Kai-shek.

They regarded Chiang Kai-shek as a liberator and praised him as the future of China.

Now it really seemed as if Chiang Kai-shek’s world was right before our eyes.

It really seemed like that.

… …until the warlords who were dissatisfied with Chiang Kai-shek’s rule joined hands and rose up together.

* * *

“… … Therefore, we, the League for the Defense of Justice of the Republic of China, hereby swear with our blood to defend the freedom and justice of the Republic of China against the dictator Chiang Kai-shek!”

“I swear!”

Feng Yuxiang, supported by Zhang Zuolin of the Fengtian clique who had retreated to Manchuria and Yan Xishan who was eyeing the Central Plains from Shanxi, raised an army in the northwest.

Chiang Kai-shek was not an easy man, so he knew that Feng Yuxiang was a man who would rebel.

That is why he was not surprised by the news of his rebellion, but calmly ordered his arrest and tried to suppress the incident with his authority… … .

“Chiang Kai-shek is a dictator! He is the enemy of the people!”

“Chiang Kai-shek is a man who only cares about his own interests! He is no different from other men! No, he is worse!”

“That bastard is a bloodthirsty demon! Ever since he took power, there has been no end to the war!”

“Let’s drive out the oppressor Chiang Kai-shek!”

In response to Feng Yuxiang’s rebellion, minor warlords throughout the Central Plains began to rise up one by one.

Of course, they were not a warlord with such enormous power that they really made Chiang Kai-shek nervous, but the rebellions that broke out here and there were enough to leave a deep furrow on Chiang Kai-shek’s forehead.

“You little bastards… … .”

“We have dispatched elite troops to each region, so we will soon bring you good news.”

“That’s right, it has to be that way.”

“Your Majesty, you don’t have to worry too much.”

“What’s the point of worrying… … Should I be worried about those mayfly guys?”

“That’s true too.”

Even though rebellions were breaking out everywhere, Chiang Kai-shek did not lose his composure.

That’s because even if they were rebels, their scale was not that large compared to Chiang Kai-shek’s forces.

“What should Feng Yuxiang do?”

The only opponent that Chiang Kai-shek had to be nervous about was Feng Yuxiang, who had a certain amount of power and even received support from outside… … Even so, his power was not that great compared to Chiang Kai-shek’s.

“They are just a bunch of people with vested interests, so they can’t be considered my opponents.”

“Is that so?”

As Chiang Kai-shek said, Feng Yuxiang and his supporters were a group formed by the convergence of their respective interests.

The warlords who surrendered to Chiang Kai-shek during the height of his Northern Expedition began to covet the spoils of war after the Northern Expedition’s success.

But was Chiang Kai-shek the kind of person who would share the spoils with them?

Because in the first place, he wasn’t the type of person to share what he had with others.

That’s why Feng Yuxiang stood up.

Purely for my own greed.

“He’s just a scoundrel.”

Chiang Kai-shek was not afraid of Feng Yuxiang.

Because he was just an ordinary person who always committed betrayal and got to a high position by luck compared to his abilities.

There was actually someone else he was afraid of.

“Yan Xishan and Zhang Zuolin… … .”

Yan Xishan.

He outwardly supported Chiang Kai-shek and acted as his staunch ally, but it was impossible to know what he was doing behind the scenes.

Now, I had a suspicion that the reason Feng Yuxiang was acting so wild was because Yan Xishan was behind it.

And Zhang Zuolin.

He is now a man who fled to Manchuria after being pushed out by Chiang Kai-shek, but he was once at the top of the continent.

Unlike other warlords, these two managed their bases in Shanxi and Manchuria well, leaving them as strong hinterlands, and carefully growing their power, making them a great threat to Chiang Kai-shek.

Zhang Zuolin was consolidating his power in Manchuria, aiming to regain power, and Yan Xishan, although he bowed to Chiang Kai-shek, was not a man who could be trusted.

‘Feng Yuxiang is a guy that can be dealt with quickly, but those two are different.’

Chiang Kai-shek instinctively felt that those two were behind Feng Yuxiang.

But that doesn’t mean Chiang Kai-shek was in a position to do anything to those two.

Zhang Zuolin was in Manchuria, far from Nanjing, and Yan Xishan was also in Shanxi, quite far from the center.

The difference between the two is that Zhang Zuolin is his enemy, while Yan Xishan is an ally who could become his enemy at any time.

“Write… … .”

Chiang Kai-shek’s worries deepened.

‘If we turn our backs while subduing Feng Yuxiang, Zhang Zuolin will come with his army at any moment… … .’

His current worry was that Zhang Zuolin would attack him from behind while he was subduing Feng Yuxiang.

If things had gone according to history, Zhang Zuolin would have been killed by the Kwantung Army by now, and Zhang Xueliang, who succeeded him, would have joined Chiang Kai-shek and completed the unification of China.

And by the next year, the Kwantung Army, whose eyes had been properly opened, would have raised an army without the permission of the home country and swallowed up all of Manchuria… … .

However, the Kwantung Army, which should have been doing the work, had already been completely razed to the ground by the Korean independence army and was effectively disbanded, and Zhang Zuolin was still alive and well, causing trouble for Chiang Kai-shek.

Chiang Kai-shek’s worries deepened thanks to the rampage of the Korean Independence Army.

‘I wish someone would tie Bongcheon’s feet… … .’

I would have liked to leave the work to Yan Xishan, but I couldn’t trust him either.

Even though Yan Xishan had disbanded some of the troops in support of the cause of reducing the number of troops, he was holding on to the disbanded troops under the name of reserve forces.

In this situation, there was one place that crossed Chiang Kai-shek’s mind…

* * *

The Shanghai Concession, where the sun shines brightly.

A large, newly constructed building located in the middle of a wide, straight street extending in all directions.

This new building, designed by a Hungarian architect, was originally intended to be a hotel, but was sold to a wealthy Asian businessman just as it was nearing completion.

And now, it is also a building used as the headquarters of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.

This area was known for being unusually clean and orderly, even in Shanghai, where all kinds of crime was rampant. That was because the guys who ran around here without permission would disappear the next day without a word.

Thanks to this, this place was popular among both locals and foreigners visiting the concession.

At least here I didn’t have to worry about what other people thought.

In addition, this area is well-organized with various shops and convenience facilities run by Koreans, so you can spend the whole day here eating and playing.

Thanks to this, the streets of the Republic of Korea government were always crowded with people.

As people poured in, lively laughter and countless words were exchanged everywhere, and among them were members of the Uiyeoldan and police officers disguised as ordinary people.

“It is said that the Generalissimo of the Republic of China has sent an official request for support to His Excellency the President.”

“If it’s the Generalissimo of the Republic of China… … it’s Chiang Kai-shek.”

“Why did Chiang Kai-shek ask for our help?”

“Well, it seems like you were in that much of a hurry.”

“Well… … there were rebellions and chaos all around.”

The Uiyoldan members were having a late lunch at a Korean restaurant near the government building.

“So what did Mr. Jang say?”

“I think they said they would give us some money if we attacked the rear of Bongcheon with a unit operated by the government of the Republic of Korea.”

“What? Are you asking us to fight for you for a few bucks? Have you ever seen such a bastard?”

“Haha, Chief Park, calm down. Even His Excellency the President rejected it outright.”

“That’s right! You bastards… … .”

As before, Chiang Kai-shek asked the South Korean government to support the Fengtian clique.

And President Park Geun-hye rejected the offer outright, as she had done before.

“But is it really okay to reject the request of the Generalissimo of the Republic of China so abruptly?”

“That’s right. It feels good inside… … but won’t you end up getting hurt and kicked out later?”

“Um… … That’s true too.”

The people of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea left their hometown to escape Japanese surveillance and oppression and were living in China.

Naturally, since I was living in someone else’s house, I had no choice but to be mindful of the landlord’s feelings.

Of course, since the Shanghai Concession was not entirely part of the territory of the Republic of China, there was no need to be concerned about their reactions, but this could have caused problems for the safety of many independence activists active in other regions, that is, throughout the Republic of China.

And if he fell out of favor with Chiang Kai-shek, it was clear that even if he hid tightly in the Shanghai Concession, he would face all kinds of pressure from all over.

Then, eventually, the provisional government will have no choice but to leave Shanghai.

“No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to escape the life of being concerned about what other people think.”

“That’s true.”

“Everyone worked so hard… … .”

The members of Uiyeoldan felt frustrated because they had to be concerned about what others thought even though they tried hard.

Some of them felt a strong sense of skepticism.

“I feel sorry for the comrades who died during that time.”

“Oh, don’t say that.”

“No, that’s right. We all worked so hard, but in the end, we just end up worrying about what other people think… … .”

One of the members of Uiyoldan was pouring a drink into a glass with a voice mixed with complaints, when someone snatched his drink away and spoke to him in a low voice.

“Who drinks on duty?”

“?”

When the Uiyeoldan members looked up, they saw a familiar face downing alcohol from a bottle.

“Oh! This teacher!”

“Ugh~”

As soon as the Uiyoldan members who recognized this teacher stood up from their seats, the others also immediately stood up from their seats.

Regardless, the teacher, who had downed an entire bottle of alcohol, sat down in the empty seat.

“Even His Excellency the President doesn’t care about what other people think, so why are you guys talking nonsense like nothing has changed and that everyone is dying?”

“Huh? No, that’s… … .”

“His Excellency the President is preparing to return home day and night. You should be assisting him. Why are you doing this here?”

“… … .”

The members bowed their heads at the teacher’s sharp words.

Anyway, the teacher drank an entire bottle of alcohol and then stood up again.

“Ugh~ Everyone, stop talking nonsense and just work hard! Next time we’re liberated from the motherland, I’ll treat you to a big meal, so hang on tight until then.”

“Yes, sir.”

And so the teacher disappeared into the crowd.

A member of the Uiyoldan, who had been staring at his back, asked.

“When did this teacher come to Shanghai?”

“… … How would I understand?”

“Every time the teacher came to Shanghai, something big happened… … .”

“ah.”