NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 307



Only Krnovel

Episode 307

Homecoming? (10)

Clearly, the Japanese Empire did not provide any support to the Kwantung Army.

No, to be exact, I couldn’t provide any support.

Given the internal circumstances of the Japanese Empire at the time, they were preoccupied with dealing with the series of events that had unfolded in Tokyo and responding to the global economic crisis.

Of course, now that some time has passed, the chaos in Tokyo has subsided and the city is regaining its old appearance.

Now people were so hungry that they would not kill others for food or search through corpses to find something of value.

Everyone went back to their lives before the earthquake.

It was a time when I felt peaceful, even leisurely, and at ease.

Although the economy was struggling and it was difficult to find the same abundance as before… … Still, the outward appearance was returning to its former appearance.

That’s what it looks like.

Although Tokyo today appears to have completely regained its former appearance, there is a strange sense of tension in the city.

The Department of the Army and the Department of the Navy.

The two buildings that were destroyed during the last Tokyo Revolution were rebuilt facing each other across a street, representing the two institutions that could be said to be the center of the Japanese Empire.

Well, it was done with the good intention of ending the long-standing conflict and moving towards a new path of reconciliation, but is it really the case that people’s minds change so easily as if they were turning over the palm of their hand?

Of course not.

Even before the incident, conflicts between the Japanese army and navy were well known.

However, starting from the last Tokyo Tour, the Army and Navy had crossed a point of no return.

If before they felt like brothers who didn’t like each other, now they’ve become enemies who have to subdue each other.

The Japanese government, including Hirohito, was also well aware of this situation, so they deliberately made the Ministry of the Army and the Ministry of the Navy face each other.

If we do it this way, at least the two of them won’t join forces and turn the sword against the government.

Of course, there was also the option of turning Tokyo into a battlefield like the two did during the Tokyo Revolution, but that wasn’t something the government cared about.

From their perspective, if the Army and Navy were to go to war again, they could just step back, watch, and then raise their hand for the winning side.

anyway.

Given the circumstances in mainland Japan, it had no capacity to support other overseas colonies.

Because the Japanese government was solely focused on keeping its own military in check.

So the Kwantung Army did not receive any significant support.

Nevertheless, the Kwantung Army was quickly recovering its previous strength and growing larger than before.

How is this possible?

* * *

“Chief of Staff! Chief of Staff Mutaguchi!”

One day.

The Kwantung Army commander, Honjo, went to see Mutaguchi with a furious expression on his face.

“Yes, you called.”

Mutaguchi, who happened to be working in his office, greeted the commander who had called him, but unfortunately, Honjo did not seem to be so happy.

“You, you, what the hell is going on!”

“What… … do you mean?”

“Are you sticking your feet out now? I mean, conscripting Chinese people. Why are you taking up arms against the Chinese and incorporating them into the Kwantung Army? Did you get permission from your home country to do this?!”

“Oh, is that it?”

Lieutenant Colonel Mutaguchi shook his head.

Then Commander Honjo became very angry and attacked him.

“Have you ever seen such a crazy author… … Are you trying to start a rebellion or something?!”

Thanks to the magic of Mutaguchi, the Kwantung Army grew to a size far greater than its previous strength within a few months.

The Kwantung Army received a huge amount of military supplies from Tesla Armory, a military company owned by Lord Daigal, and Shanghai Armory, a mysterious military company located in Shanghai, China, to make up for the shortage of military supplies.

And in order to rebuild the Kwantung Army, which had collapsed from its foundations, he divided up the remaining land among the Chinese refugees who had lost their homes due to the long period of chaos and war and recruited them into the army.

Although there were many Chinese who were reluctant to serve in the Japanese military, most of them joined the Kwantung Army because they could not overcome hunger and poverty.

Mutaguchi armed them and greatly strengthened the quantitative aspect of the Kwantung Army.

Naturally, his actions were carried out without the permission of the Japanese government or the commander.

The reason Commander Honjo was immediately furious was because by the time he learned of this situation, three infantry divisions consisting entirely of Chinese people had already been organized.

“What if they find out about this back home? They’ll definitely think we had different ideas!”

Commander Honjo looked very angry.

He threatened Mutaguchi by growling like a ferocious beast, but Mutaguchi asked him as if it was no big deal.

“Your Majesty, if your country had been interested in us, would you have neglected us like this?”

“what?”

“No, think about it. Isn’t the home government not paying the slightest attention to the requests for support from overseas territories or colonial troops?”

“… … .”

“Even the government of our country is recommending that each person survive on his own… …Can’t we just wait forever for support that will never come?”

Mutaguchi’s words succeeded in slightly shaking Commander Honjo’s heart.

Commander Honjo was also growing increasingly frustrated with the government’s directive to rebuild the military by any means necessary while ignoring repeated requests for assistance.

But that’s that, and this is this.

Although soldiers were free to be dissatisfied with government directives, they could not go against the government’s will.

“So why are you building up your army like this? And what is your intention behind bringing Chinese people into the Kwantung Army?”

“Of course it’s for war.”

“war……?”

“Yes, I have received intelligence that Zhang Zuolin of Fengtian will soon raise an army to conquer the continent.”

“Information… …? Where did you get that? Is it certain information?”

“Yes, I would risk my life.”

Mutaguchi recalled the group of people in black coats who had come to see him a while ago.

Although the conversation wasn’t very deep, the subtle aura of intimidation emanating from their bodies felt familiar.

‘The Ghost of Gyeongseong, these are the people he sent.’

In fact, Mutaguchi’s sending the letter to the Shanghai Arsenal was almost a gamble.

While talking to Lieutenant Colonel Ishiwara, he recalled that the Gyeongseong Ghost he had met in Yeonil had treated him kindly and shared various information with him.

If it had been normal, Mutaguchi would have buried the fact that there was a ghost of Gyeongseong there, let alone sent a letter to that side, and taken it to his grave.

Because there was nothing good to come from getting involved with you!

However, even though he risked his life to escape from Yanji, crossed Manchuria, and reached Kwantung Province, the mainland only gave him a superficial promotion and medals and forgot about him.

Of course, Mutaguchi also understood the situation of the home government to some extent.

If news of Mutaguchi’s return spreads while discussions about the independence army and the return of prisoners of war have not yet taken place, the world will become abuzz with discussions about the captured soldiers.

The Japanese government found it very difficult to get those prisoners back.

The armed group that held the prisoners was a terrorist group designated by the Japanese government.

The official policy of the Japanese government was that there would be no negotiations with terrorists.

Well, that doesn’t mean they showed any intention to make unofficial contact with the independence army and rescue prisoners.

Complete neglect.

That was the policy of the current Japanese government.

So, for the Japanese government, Renya Mutaguchi was essentially a dead person until the POW issue was resolved.

He could not return to his hometown without the government’s permission, and he could not even set foot on Joseon soil.

If this isn’t prison, then what is?

Mutaguchi was deeply dissatisfied with the current administration, which treated him like a criminal.

But Mutaguchi was a soldier after all.

That is why, even though they were dissatisfied with the government’s policies, they never thought of staging a coup and overthrowing the government.

It’s not because he’s loyal, but because he didn’t have the guts or ability to do that in the first place.

But now, his shortcomings are by his side.

So, there was Ishiwara Kanji who could make up for his lack of grand strategy and ability to see the current situation.

Mutaguchi, who is the best in Japan in terms of execution power and connections, Ishiwara, who has the ability to plan grand strategies and situations, and the wealth of Daegal, the richest man in Asia, are combined… … .

“We will begin by attacking Fengtian and move forward to make all of Manchuria a new territory of the Kwantung Army.”

“What, what did you say… … !”

The Kwantung Army’s Manchurian invasion operation was decided.

“Are you crazy!”

At Commander Honjo’s last words, which were almost like a scream, Mutaguchi recalled what he had heard from Ishiwara and smiled quietly.

“In a crazy age, it’s impossible not to be crazy.”

“… … Chief of Staff!”

“What the Empire of Japan needs now is not time, but determination! While we hesitate, our enemy is running ahead.”

“Our… … enemy?”

“Yes! Our enemy.”

“Who is that?”

Mutaguchi declared confidently.

“The Navy, which tries to compensate for its incompetence with money and wastes the national budget, and the Army, which does not hesitate to turn its gun on its own people in order to preserve its own position, are the enemies of our Kwantung Army.”

“… … .”

Commander Honjo touched his forehead at Mutaguchi’s words.

“Do you know what you just said?”

“Yes, I know very well.”

Mutaguchi declared that he would create a new force within the chaotic Japanese military.

“Would the old people of the mainland just sit by and watch that?”

“What will they do if you don’t stay still?”

“what……?”

Mutaguchi did not believe that the military, which was struggling due to lack of money, could control the independent actions of the Kwantung Army.

By the time the government and military entered meetings to consider how to stop the Kwantung Army, his calculations were that the Kwantung Army would have captured Zhang Zuolin’s family in Fengtian and occupied all of Manchuria.

“Whew… … I’ll let your complaints be known to my home country and they’ll resolve it somehow, so stop it now. If it’s now, I can quietly cover this up and move on.”

“Stop. Heh heh… … .”

Mutaguchi laughed at Commander Honjo’s order to stop immediately.

“Does the Commander’s words sound unreasonable? Stop this damn plan immediately!”

“While I was a prisoner of war, I heard something very impressive from a Korean.”

“I don’t care about your life as a prisoner, so just shut up and follow my orders… … .”

-puck!

With a dull sound, Commander Honjo’s body collapsed like a rotten bundle of straw.

And behind him stood Major Ishiwara, holding a pistol.

“Commander Honjo will be kept tied up in a corner of the base until everything is over.”

“Don’t be too rough with him, he’s the one who’ll be taking the bullets when the job is done.”

“I will do so.”

Lieutenant Colonel Ishiwara glanced at Commander Honjo as he was being dragged by the soldiers and asked Mutaguchi.

“So what did you hear while you were a prisoner?”

“Huh? Oh, that’s what you mean? They say that even if a dog barks, the train will still leave on time.”

“The train departs even when the dogs bark… … This saying is perfect for the current situation.”

“I see, so how are the preparations going?”

“The new divisions have completed basic training and are moving to their starting positions. They will cross the border as soon as they hear that Zhang Zuolin has left Fengtian.”