Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 40



Only Krnovel

#40. Thank you for letting me drink really good drinks.

August 3, 1944, 2 p.m.

Government General Building Expeditionary Force Headquarters.

“…It was organized like this.”

Lee Kang-cheol, who returned to Korea, explained the results of his visit to the United States to his staff and brigade commanders who attended via video conference.

“ha ha ha! “The negotiations went much better than I expected.”

“you’re right. “Almost all of our demands have been met, right?”

“It’s Hokkaido! Hokkaido, Japan’s food warehouse! ha ha ha!”

“Isn’t Manchuria actually no different from what we agreed to take?”

Everyone was very pleased with the results of the agreement with Roosevelt.

“Don’t be too fond of it. In particular, if we are to pursue Manchuria, we will have to overcome many mountains in the future. Although the Kwantung Army has been reduced to a second-rate unit with greatly reduced troops and poor equipment, it is still a large army. Moreover, we will have to run into Chinese people later.”

“Commander, what you said is correct. “We must keep in mind that we are still standing at a crossroads.”

Chief of Staff Go Seok-man even joined in to calm his excited subordinates.

“All right. So when was the American squadron supposed to come?”

1st Brigade Commander Jeong Seon-ho, the only brigade commander who attended in person, asked.

“This will only be possible once the Battle of Leyte is over. In the original history, the Japanese Navy suffered serious damage there, but this time, since we decided to provide location information, they will not be able to avoid annihilation. If that happens, Japan and the Korean peninsula will be completely opened up, so I think it will come by then.”

In the upcoming Battle of Leyte, neither the Kurida fleet nor the Ozawa fleet would be able to survive.

“Hmm, the Battle of Leyte ends at the end of October, so we can expect it to be around November.”

“I guess that’s about it. “Because they said that the supplies we requested would be shipped only after the Battle of Leyte is over.”

“All right.”

“By the way, what happened to the Kwantung Army? “Does it make sense to remain silent until now when the south is completely blocked?”

“It seems that the situation in the Kwantung Army is worse than expected. “They have been seen making a fuss, but it seems that it is not feasible to withdraw troops.”

“okay?”

“Yes, it has now been confirmed that the formation of troops has been completed. Instead of the three divisions originally expected, it looks like about two divisions will be sent down.”

“Huh, after what those guys did. “Then are you going to come to the Yalu River?”

“I’ll have to wait and see about that too. “Originally, our prediction was that the Amnok River Railroad Bridge, which would lead straight to Pyongyang, was the most likely, but judging from what they are doing, the route has become so long that they may come towards the Namyang Bridge on the Duman River.”

“Then I have to come down to Hamgyeong Province?”

“Just watch for now.”

“I get it. 3rd Brigade Commander!”

– Yes, Commander.

“We will increase the artillery, so protect it thoroughly.”

– Don’t worry.

“Okay, let’s stop here for today.”

After the meeting, Lee Kang-cheol and Go Seok-man drank tea in his office and talked about things they couldn’t talk about.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes, I really had a hard time. Ha, how long does it really take to fly on a plane?”

“Hehehe! Was it that much?”

“Wow! Don’t even talk. Fortunately, our C-27J transport plane is a good one. The pressurization space of the B-29 bomber is narrower, more uncomfortable, and noisier than expected… Anyway, don’t say anything. The medical staff came and gave each other IVs. Next time I have to meet old man Roosevelt, I’ll have to ask him to come to Hawaii. “Washington is impossible in these times, it’s impossible.”

“President Roosevelt’s health appears to have improved.”

“Yes, modern medicine is good. After eating it for a day or two, a person’s complexion changed. When I first saw it, it felt like I was seeing a corpse. Anyway, did anything special happen while I was gone?”

“Well, nothing special happened. Oh, there were some unusual things.”

“What?”

“Commander, I found out after you went to the United States that the big names in the country were caught.”

“A big man?”

“Chae Byeong-deok, Kim Seok-won, Lee Eung-jun”

“Huh…”

Lee Kang-cheol could not close his mouth after hearing Go Seok-man’s name come out of his mouth.

Who is Chae Byeong-deok?

Wasn’t he the Army Chief of Staff at the time the Korean War broke out?

And Lee Eung-jun and Kim Seok-won are people who rose to the rank of colonel in the Japanese army. In particular, Kim Seok-won participated in the Sino-Japanese War as the vanguard battalion commander of the 40th Brigade of the 20th Division, where the famous ‘Malay Tiger’ Tomoyuki Yamashita was the brigade commander, and fought in China with one battalion. He was a Japanese war hero who became famous not only in Joseon but also throughout Japan by defeating a division of the Nationalist Army.

In addition, Lee Eung-jun served as the first Chief of Staff of the Korean Army, and Kim Seok-won was a veteran who established military achievements by leading the Battle of Jincheon and the Pohang Evacuation Operation during the Korean War.

That means they are big names in every sense of the word.

“I guess I forgot. “I knew that Chae Byeong-deok was working as a factory manager at the Bupyeong armory…”

“Me too. “I only focused on securing the arsenal, but I only found out after the commander left.”

“How did you know?”

“We found out when our technicians went to the armory to receive the handover. “At first, we thought he was Japanese because he said he was Oshima Heitoku, but later we saw that he was Chae Byeong-deok, so we were shocked and told us.”

“What about Lee Eung-jun and Kim Seok-won?”

“Lee Eung-jun was right in front of our noses.”

“huh? What are you talking about?”

“He was the commander of Yongsan Station.”

“…”

Lee Kang-cheol was so stunned that he couldn’t even answer.

“Well, Lee Eung-jun, his popularity is much lower than the other two, right? “Chae Byeong-deok is now a minor and a minor.”

“but···. “Then what about General Kim Seok-won?”

“Kim Seok-won was the head of the 1st division of the Pyongyang Military Department and was captured by the 1st Brigade. He was taken to Yongsan a few days ago. But still? Why did you say that only Kim Seok-won is General Kim Seok-won?”

“Did I do that?”

“Is that what you said?”

“I guess I’m stuck in your mouth…”

“You said it was in your mouth?”

“I am from Seongnam Middle School in Daebang-dong. “I was assigned to a different school in high school.”

“100 million! Is that true?”

“Is that so? Even in the late 80s when I was in middle school, I only knew General Kim Seok-won as a Korean War hero. “There was also a statue that has now been torn down.”

“Hehehe! “This is truly a connection.”

Kim Seok-won, along with Won Yun-su, a pro-Japanese mining tycoon, founded Seongnam Middle and High School in Daebang-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul in 1937, and Lee Kang-cheol happened to be a graduate of Seongnam Middle School.

“The relationship is a mess… “Anyway, where are those people?”

“Chae Byeong-deok is working at the armory under the condition that he wear civilian clothes because he said he would actively cooperate with the work of the armory. “He can’t run away with that fat body.”

“What about General Kim Seok-won and Lee Eung-jun?”

“He’s in a prisoner-of-war camp in Yongsan.”

“In one shot with the Japanese soldiers?”

“That’s not it. People from Joseon were accommodated separately, right? Since they are high-ranking officers, the two of them are alone. “But what do you plan to do?”

“What do you think? It’s clear that they are pro-Japanese and anti-nationalists, right? Leave it alone. “It will be decided at trial.”

“In the end, Lee Eung-jun will be punished the most.”

“Maybe so.”

Chae Byeong-deok honestly had nothing to do with the trial.

He was a graduate of the Japanese Military Academy and rose to the rank of major, but unusually, he was a man who had never served in the war.

It is said that he had always worked at an armory as a weapons officer, and that he treated the Korean workers well when he came to the Bupyeong Armory factory.

In addition, it is said that there were quite a few independence activists who approached to steal weapons, and although they did not steal weapons, they were also known to have never reported it to their superiors.

Therefore, it was clear that he would probably only be banned from public office.

Rather, this man’s problem is more likely to be that he became the head of the Korean Army and did it in a way that did not match his capabilities.

But Eungjun Lee is different.

Like Kim Seok-won, he was assigned to the 20th Division and participated in the Sino-Japanese War. Above all, he also fought against the Eighth Route Army, to which our independence army, the Joseon Volunteer Corps, belonged.

It may be natural for a Japanese soldier, but according to the expeditionary force’s principle of judging all merits and demerits at the present time, he was a man who could not avoid punishment.

At least Kim Seok-won was a little better.

So brilliant that he is called the greatest war hero of Joseon? He made military achievements, and when he returned, he attended a lecture on student soldiers participating in the war together with Lee Eung-jun, so he was an anti-national actor who could not be ignored.

However, he took care of the families of Generals Kim Gyeong-cheon and Ji Cheong-cheon, who were seniors in the Japanese Military Academy and committed themselves to the independence movement, and sponsored nationalist activists here and there, and showed a very complicated attitude in the student soldier rebellion in Pyongyang that would have occurred if the expeditionary force had taken over, so this could have been taken into account to some extent. Because.

That evening, Lee Kang-cheol quietly visited the Yongsan POW camp and summoned Kim Seok-won aside.

smart!

“yes”

Jump up!

“I brought you here.”

Kim Seok-won followed the security guard and came in, looking just like Lee Kang-cheol had often seen in pictures at school when he was in middle school.

In particular, seeing the unique Kaiser beard made me laugh.

“Please sit this way.”

“Who are you?”

“This is Lee Kang-cheol, Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.”

“Huh! “Why would someone like that me?”

“Just like that.”

“…”

Kim Seok-won was taken aback, but it was really just that.

Because he just wanted to see the founder of the middle school he attended.

“What about dinner?”

“Ate.”

“It probably wasn’t very good. “If you don’t mind, have a drink.”

Lee Kang-cheol removed the wrapping cloth from the tray that had been prepared in advance, revealing simple snacks and two bottles of soju.

“Why are you showing me this favor?”

“Didn’t you just say that? “It’s not because I’m interrogating you or have other thoughts, so please eat with peace of mind.”

“haha! You can interrogate me. “There isn’t much to burn.”

“Then eat it.”

Lee Kang-cheol smiled and poured alcohol into Kim Seok-won’s glass, and he drank it down in one go.

It seemed like he was quite thirsty for alcohol.

When the two drank a bottle of soju without saying anything, Lee Kang-cheol opened his mouth.

“Kim Seok-won’s pedestal is…”

“I’m sorry, but I am still a lieutenant general. “The pedestal was supposed to take place on August 1st, but now that I am a prisoner, the pedestal is unreasonable.”

“Oh, I see. In any case, even if you are another Korean-born Japanese officer or soldier, you will soon be brought to trial and punished along with other malicious people. Do you know?”

“Yes, I am prepared. “He committed a crime and must be punished.”

“Hmm? Do you think you have committed a sin?”

“of course. “If I, who betrayed my people and rose to the rank of lieutenant general in the Japanese army, had not committed a crime, would there be anyone in the eight provinces of Joseon who would be punished as a collaborator?”

It was said that he, along with Lee Jong-chan, were one of the few former Japanese military personnel who publicly reflected on their collaboration with Japan, and that appears to have been true.

“I’m rather relieved.”

“yes?”

“I had a close friend named Lee Jong-hyuk, who was my military classmate.”

“There was, right?”

“He died a while ago. “It’s an aftereffect of torture.”

“ah···.”

“That friend ran away when he was a lieutenant and joined the independent army. When I saw him again after a long time, he was literally a return mail, and I didn’t dare look at him directly. I can’t tell you how proud he looked, even though he had such a shabby appearance. On the other hand, why did I feel so shabby…”

“Huh…”

“So even though I have become a sinner, I cannot tell you how happy I am to be liberated.”

“Then why did you live like that?”

“What should I do? I entered the Korean Empire Military Academy and then went to the Japanese Military Academy through consignment training. Then the country disappeared and I suddenly became an officer in the Japanese army. “He ended up like this after spending so many meaningless years trying to find bread to live on.”

“It seems that Lieutenant Kim is truly reflecting, but he still cannot avoid punishment.”

“Of course. “I don’t even want that.”

“…”

Then, Lee Kang-cheol and Kim Seok-won remained silent until the remaining bottle of alcohol was emptied.

“nice! I don’t know what this drink is, but it’s really good. Thank you for letting me drink really good drinks. I will not forget the kindness of His Excellency Commander-in-Chief. then!”

Good!

Lee Kang-cheol faced Kim Seok-won, who gave a polite salute, and saluted him.

Although it was a bit unfortunate, Kim Seok-won should be punished.

If you listen to the stories of each of those who collaborated with Japan, you will find some truly unfortunate circumstances and even some who have been wronged.

However, it is about establishing a new country properly.

It is not possible to listen to each individual’s circumstances, and one has no choice but to take responsibility based on one’s own actions.

Otherwise, someday, traitors may sell out this country again.