I Will Stage A Coup D’état - Chapter 13



Only Noblemtl

EP.13 12. 8 Military Coup (1)

I started to hastily plan a coup on the spot.

The key to the operation is surprise.

Cut the spine of the Park Han-jin regime with a single attack.

If the military’s command system is paralyzed, the army is no better than a snake without its head.

Even in the case of the 12.12 coup, wasn’t the moment when they kidnapped Army Chief of Staff Jeong Seung-hwa, who was the martial law commander, the moment that decided the outcome?

We were no different.

However, there was one thing to keep in mind.

‘The military of this country is clearly a more formidable enemy than the South Korean government at the time of December 12.’

The opponent was the ruling power of the Great Korean Empire, a powerful country of a completely different level from the newly formed Republic of Korea, which was hastily formed amid the chaos of liberation and the Korean War.

To overthrow a well-functioning state with a system in place, there would inevitably be many opponents to neutralize.

However, it was difficult to expect that there would be an incompetent idiot like No Jae-hyun in Pyongyang.

I’ve compiled a list of enemies I need to subdue in advance.

0. Prime Minister Noh Jae-woo.

1. Marshal Park Han-jin, Minister of the Army and Commander-in-Chief of the Army.

2. Army Chief of Staff, Senior General Cho Beom-seok.

3. Army Vice Chief of Staff General Hae Young-geun.

4. Army Security Commander, General Lee Jeong-ju.

5. General Jin Kyung-chae, Commander of the Capital Defense Command.

Even just the key figures related to the military are like this.

In addition, the Imperial Palace, the Prime Minister’s Office, the broadcasting station, and the Army Ministry had to be taken over.

By taking control of all these areas, we must neutralize the 1st Guards Division, the core of the loyalist forces, within 6 hours.

It was already a daunting mission, but this was a fight with a time limit.

If the deadline is missed, the 12th and 33rd Infantry Divisions stationed in the metropolitan area will rush in, and when daybreak comes, the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps will intervene.

I took a map of Pyongyang and thought about how many troops to assign to each mission.

Once the coup begins, the members of the One-Way Council will begin to take control of the units, so there will be no shortage of troops to fight the Guard Division.

The problem was the troops that would be used in the coup preparation stage.

To capture the people who had to be neutralized in advance, we needed troops to deploy here.

‘If you move troops without permission, you will be caught by the Security Command and it will be revealed that it is a coup.’

If that happens, everything is over.

We needed a force to move while covering the eyes of the security forces.

There was only one force capable of doing so.

‘snowdrop.’

Come to think of it, those who kidnapped Chief of Staff Jeong Seung-hwa on December 12 were also military police.

If everything had gone as planned, they would have created collaborators in the Guard Division and the Security Command to catch the enemy off guard without having to resort to the help of the military police.

However, since the schedule has been brought forward, I will need the help of high-ranking military police officers who are beyond my reach.

I had Kim Jeong-gil compile and bring me the profiles of the major military police officers.

“Hmm. We only know each other by name.”

In the narrow society of the military, high-ranking soldiers, such as colonels, are usually familiar with each other as they go about their business.

Even if you don’t know the face, when you hear the name, you can think of it and say, “Oh, that person?”

But, as for whether we were close enough to persuade each other, that wasn’t the case at all.

In the first place, in the military, peers and seniors were competitors competing for a limited number of positions and positions.

Isn’t that why factions were created and lines were formed?

I had no connection to any senior military police officers.

No, I didn’t have time to make a line.

Even if it exists, the Security Command will not just stand by and do nothing.

What should I do?

While I was worrying, Jeong Gil said.

“General.”

“I was thinking about it. So what is it?”

“Is it really necessary to involve high-ranking officers from the military police?”

“What do you think, sir?”

“For the arrest operation, it would be enough to mobilize only the junior officers who are in charge of practical matters. There are also friends in the military police who follow the general.”

Junior officers are generally young officers.

And among them, there were many who agreed with my ‘national view’.

“I write to my followers.”

I thought about the idea that Jeong Gil had put forth.

There are difficulties in camouflaging movements without senior officers.

However, if we were to select young officers, there were several candidates who could be recruited right away.

There were some friends I made as followers while eating with them during my time as a division commander, and there were also some I became close with while working as an army policy researcher.

‘Is there no choice?’

I compiled a list of officers to recruit for Jeong Gil-i, and then called them to the Army Policy Research Office.

The purpose was to keep abreast of the military police’s performance of duties during military operations.

Three hours later, six military police officers sat side by side in the policy research office, which usually only had a few people sitting there.

These friends all have a tendency to follow Lee Seong-jun in the Sojangpa faction, and they showed me deep favor and respect.

This wasn’t something that could be explained in words.

Every little movement, every look in their eyes was different.

These guys, I can trust and use them.

I felt that way.

I started talking while offering them tea.

It started out as a trivial story.

And as the conversation got deeper and deeper, I started to get dangerously close to the truth.

There were other officers in the policy research office besides Jeong Gil, but it didn’t matter.

These guys were also my followers in the Sojangpa faction.

“The current Daehan is on the brink of ruin. It is because ‘someone’ has driven the country to a dangerous point. Isn’t that right?”

Even for those who are my followers, it was a difficult question to answer readily.

But it didn’t matter.

I decided to set an example by crossing the dangerous bridge first.

“I think we need to bring that ‘someone’ down. That way we can set this country straight.”

“!!!!!”

“Now, General. That is what I said.”

“Masters, would you like to start a revolution with Lee Seong-jun and me?”

Military revolution.

In fact, it’s a ridiculous pun.

In textbooks, they call 5.16 a military coup d’état, not a military revolution.

But that’s how human emotions are.

When we say revolution, it makes our hearts race and it sounds like we’re doing something great.

The revolution I spoke of is the same.

The vision that Lee Seong-jun has been talking about so far.

A blueprint for the future.

The word ‘revolution’ associated with them was enough to make the hearts of young officers beat faster.

From the beginning, the thinking of the junior officers of the Korean Empire was no different from that of the Imperial Way faction of the distant Japanese Empire.

The 20th century, the century of ideology, is the era we live in today.

In this era, it was common for people to risk their lives for their ideals.

Especially if it fits their own ideas of justice.

The word revolution that I brought out was a detonator.

One officer asked in a slightly trembling tone.

“What does the revolution you speak of mean, Your Majesty?”

“Revolution. Destroy all the old ideas of this country and create something new. That is the kind of revolution I think of.”

Reform this country from head to toe.

Just like the Meiji Restoration of the Japanese Empire.

In this way, we will change this country, Korea, from a crippled empire like in a webtoon to a country close to our lost homeland, the Republic of Korea.

“dismissal.”

“I think I have demonstrated my convictions sufficiently. What are the masters’ determinations?”

One of the officers in my unit suddenly jumped up from his seat and saluted me.

“Your Majesty, I will follow your Majesty’s revolution.”

Then the officers stood up one after another and saluted.

“So-gwan, Park Sang-gun will also join the cause of Yushin.”

This was true not only of the military police officers, but also of the officers in the research office.

“I would also like to join His Excellency Lee Han-yong’s revolution!”

“I feel reassured that you guys are helping me. It’s like I’ve gained a thousand troops. Thank you. Thank you all.”

I had Jeong Gil-i hand out oak leaves, the symbol of the union.

It was an homage to the Black Orchestra that tried to assassinate Hitler.

“General, what is this?”

“This is the symbol of our organization. When the operation begins, you will see people moving around wearing this symbol.”

I got the hands and feet of the execution stage thanks to the military police officers who swore loyalty.

The ranks themselves were nothing special, ranging from captain to major, but what was important was where they worked.

These officers were the frontline staff responsible for the Provost Marshal’s Office, the Army Criminal Investigation Division, the 11th Provost Marshal’s Company of the 1st Guards Division, and the 22nd Provost Marshal’s Company of the Capital Defense Command.

The small number of military police they led could be of great help in the surprise attack phase.

Of course, you’ll need some luck.

I immediately assigned these officers tasks.

“Captain Lee Seong-myeong.”

“Yes, General.”

“With the platoon of troops that can be mobilized from the Military Police Office, attack Park Han-jin’s residence. If they resist, you may shoot them.”

“I will accept it.”

“Major Park Sang-gun.”

“Yes, General.”

“I will leave the Army Chief of Staff’s official residence to you.”

“Don’t worry.”

I distributed tasks to various officers in turn.

The officers saluted with the aforementioned expression whenever they received a mission.

Now their direct superior was not the nominal military police superintendent.

It was me, Lee Seong-jun.

“The operation commences on December 8th. Prepare thoroughly and stick to the schedule.”

“Yes, General.”

I sent the military police officers away and saw the officers from the policy research office.

Even though they were friends who didn’t even have any decent positions, I felt like I had to give them some work since they said they would follow me.

“Major Lee Han-yong.”

“Yes, General.”

“You and your men are to come to our residence on December 8th. I need someone to run an errand for me.”

“I will accept it.”

I patted his shoulder lightly.

Now, everything is ready.

All that remained was to cross the Rubicon River.

(Note 1: This is the border of mainland Rome, and Caesar crossed here when he staged a coup.)