Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 179



Only Noblemtl

#179. Yellow Plan (4)

When I returned from Gyeongungung Palace, it was two hours before the event. The persuasion of Chief of Police Lee Yun-yong was still ongoing by Lee Yong-ik, and the movements of the artillery commander were also continuously reported.

Military Police Commander Min Yeong-hwan said that there was no particular movement. He remained silent without confirming or denying anything, so it can be seen that he was sending his intention that he was unaware of whatever was happening.

“Are you back safely?”

“His Majesty apparently had no reports on Japan’s military movements. He seemed quite surprised when I spoke to him today.”

“···Lee Geun-taek, Lee Ga-ga.”

Lee Kyu-tae and Jo Dong-yoon simultaneously called his name, followed by a string of insults.

They both hated Lee Geun-taek. Lee Gyu-tae thought he was extremely incompetent as a commander, and Jo Dong-yoon detested him for trying to undermine his intelligence capabilities.

“I guess we’ll have to get rid of that one too.”

“You are now under arrest. One more charge will be added. Since you intentionally omitted information to benefit the enemy, you will be charged with treason…”

Everyone was busy preparing until the very end. Outside, the 1st and 2nd brigades began to deploy on the outskirts of Hanseong and near Sadamun under the pretense of preparing for a change of duty, and the assault infantry regiments under their command also moved armed and, under the pretext of night training, each battalion to Jongno, where major government offices were located, the palace, and the artillery headquarters.

“···Now all we have to do is wait.”

“We have turned a great turning point.”

“What does that mean?”

We have begun to turn towards the turning point that is most different from the original history.

“It’s a turning point that could either lead to a day of judgment or a day of triumph.”

“This guy is so useless. Well, where would I bet you?”

“Let’s walk to Victory Day.”

“Are you confident? That you can win against that ferocious Japanese army?”

“This is not our army of the year of Gap-o, General. Although small, we are an army with a standing army of 100,000 men and a reserve force of 300,000 men.”

I said, putting a cigarette in my mouth. I should say that I was much more relaxed than when I was in the year of the sheep.

Lee Gyu-tae personally struck a match and lit the cigarette in his mouth.

The inexplicably pungent smell of burnt matches tickled my nostrils.

By the way, I definitely felt the difference in times. In the year of Eulmi, we had to scrape together 1,500 troops and hold out until the Russian naval corps arrived, but now we had the capacity to mobilize an army of over 20,000 men at once.

When I thought that this many troops were mobilized in such a coordinated manner, the comparison was so ridiculous that it almost made me laugh.

“That army is not targeting the enemy, but rather their own allies. It’s a little sad.”

“A divided family cannot survive anyway. If it cannot be avoided, we must take action first.”

And they would just wait for the Japanese to come, praying that we wouldn’t know what to do, so they had to move even more. Breaking the enemy’s expectations and moving was the first step to the most effective strategy.

Lee Gyu-tae silently lit the cigarette in his mouth, waiting for the appointed time to arrive.

It was still unclear whether today would truly be a great turning point, or whether they had joined hands with the devil and headed toward greater destruction.

***

And the appointed time arrived. At exactly 00:00 on August 10th, the Yellow Plan was launched within Seoul.

Armed troops moved slowly but steadily toward the agreed position.

They all wore white cloth wrapped around their caps and arms to indicate that they were allies, and were instructed to regard anyone who was not one of them as an enemy to be subdued.

In this way, the troops began to move. The 1st Brigade took up a position blocking the outskirts of Hanseongbu, the Han River waterway, and the entire access road to the Japanese military barracks in Yongsan, while the 2nd Brigade occupied the entire Sadamun Gate, blocking passage.

“Move quickly! The fate of this country is in our hands!”

“in action!”

The 1st Platoon, 1st Battalion, Assault Infantry Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Kim Si-jin, began to advance toward the artillery command post.

All fully armed and with a clear target in mind, they looked like an unstoppable charge.

And when they appeared in front of the main gate of the artillery headquarters, a surprised sentry and an officer commanding them hurriedly ran over and began to stop them.

“Stop, stop! Where do you belong?!”

When one of the sentries shouted while aiming his rifle, Lieutenant Kim Si-jin responded without even raising his hand. Thinking that he was a complete newbie, he laughed inwardly.

“I am Lieutenant Kim Si-jin, commander of the 1st Platoon, 1st Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment. I am currently in the middle of night training, so I would like to ask for your cooperation for a moment.”

“Uh, what do you mean, training···?”

“Night training, you punk. Is this your first time seeing assault infantry training?”

When I spoke so harshly on this side, the sentries were at a loss. It was understandable, since they obviously did not know that the Assault Infantry Regiment was training today, and that it would be conducted near the artillery headquarters.

And the thought of those infamous assault infantrymen standing in front of them must be terrifying.

Their voices were already trembling. It seemed that the momentum had already been clearly gained.

“Okay, I’ll check for a moment, so please wait···.”

“What? We’re pressed for time right now!”

“But there is a procedure, so hold on for a moment, Captain.”

They slung their guns over their shoulders and began to advance on the assault infantry company.

Lieutenant Kim Si-jin gestured to the platoon leader next to him, and soon a platoon surrounded the sentries.

“What, what are you doing?!”

“Ah, don’t think of anything stupid. You know they’re infantrymen, so you know they’re all dirty-tempered, and on top of that, we brought all the live ammunition for today’s training. If you yell or anything… handle it as you please, okay?”

Then he immediately disarmed the sentries, tied them up with ropes, and put out the lanterns in the outpost.

At that signal, the entire 1st Infantry Battalion, which had been lying in ambush at the entrance to the artillery headquarters, rose from the forest path and began to advance one by one.

It was a suppression without any gunfire or resistance. They quickly took over the artillery command post, disarmed all the soldiers, and confined them to the barracks.

It was a shame for the innocent officers and soldiers, but we could not release those who might resist without orders.

“What about Commander Lee Byeong-mu?”

“He is not in his seat.”

“what?”

“He left work early this afternoon. Even the officer on duty doesn’t know where he went.”

“What the hell.”

Kim Si-jin gritted his teeth. The person he absolutely had to secure this time was not here. If he ran away to Yongsan or another area and gathered the suppression force, it would be a disaster.

Fearing that something might go wrong, I reported this to the battalion commander right away, but the answer I got from him was unexpected.

“Don’t worry about it. Our goal is to take control of the artillery headquarters. It’s up to others to catch him.”

“What about the others…?”

“I don’t know. First, control the troops, secure the entire artillery command post, and send a messenger to report that this place has been taken.”

“Oh, I understand···.”

Something felt off, but I turned around with a sour taste in my mouth, thinking that there must be other trustworthy guys out there busy trying to catch him.

Additional troops were approaching from a distance.

Soon, lights began to turn on throughout the previously pitch-black Hanseongbu, and the entire city began to wake up earlier than usual.

***

“Hey, do you have training today?”

Today, as usual, the Japanese soldiers of the Gyeongseong Garrison waved at the Korean soldiers training at night.

Even though the governments were on bad terms with each other, those who lived and ate together in Hanseongbu were not on bad terms with each other. In fact, it would be more correct to say that they were on good terms.

We sometimes ate together and became acquainted with each other.

That’s why the Japanese sentries waved happily at the Korean soldiers, but today the atmosphere was a little strange.

“Hey, why are there so many of those kids?”

Unfortunately, today’s sentry sergeant Watanabe was taken aback by the number of Korean soldiers training in the Namsan area, which was greater than he had expected.

Moreover, the way they didn’t even respond to greetings, but instead approached me as if they had figured out my location, was a movement that was almost always seen in battle.

Only then did he feel something was wrong and immediately ordered the sentries to aim their guns, but those ahead of him were already looking in his direction with their guns aimed.

It wasn’t the kind of gun or look I usually saw from the Korean soldiers.

It looked similar to the hunting gun I had vaguely heard of that used to poke huge holes in the heads and bodies of the Boxer rebels.

“Put your hands up. If you don’t want to get a hole in your head.”

Sergeant Watanabe was at a loss as to what to do with the words that were full of life-giving spirit, even though they were awkward, and then they snatched the gun he was holding from his hand.

“As of now, we have secured the outposts in the Namsan area.”

As if giving notice, they spoke coldly and handed the new recruits over to another unit that had followed.

Although Sergeant Watanabe was bewildered, he could clearly sense that something strange was happening.

He released all his equipment and went down Namsan Mountain with his hands up.

If the officers had been there, they would have told him to fight to the death, but he had no intention of dying.

For them, who were a reserve force that would soon return home, there was no sufficient grounds to face death without knowing the reason or circumstances.

The lights of the other outposts behind him were seen going out one by one. Perhaps they had met a similar fate.

He continued walking with resignation.

***

“They say the assault unit missed Private Lee Byeong-mu.”

Standing in front of the messenger, Jo Dong-yoon grinned at me and said this.

“Oh, I can’t help but miss it. That kid won’t be there, Chief of Military Affairs. Isn’t it a well-known fact within the military that this kid sneaks out of work before his shift ends to drink and hang out with prostitutes?”

Oh, I see. They said that my life was more chaotic than I thought, but it seems like it wasn’t an empty rumor.

As I clicked my tongue, Jo Dong-yoon continued speaking.

“So, we picked out a few of our 3rd Division agents and scattered them around a few of the restaurants that he frequents. Then, as soon as 3:00 in the afternoon, he was drinking with his faction officers who had been inserted into the artillery command, a few Japanese embassy staff members, a couple of Gyeongseong garrison company commanders, and a gisaeng. Thanks to this guy, things got a little easier.”

···I thought he was a much more serious problem than I thought. Still, he said that he was able to defeat him thanks to the fact that he went into the fairy and brought other guys to a drinking party.

“The Gyeongseong Garrison kids will be confused. Suddenly, our army starts blockading them, and when they gather troops to assess the situation, only a few of their commanders are gone, and the embassy staff haven’t returned either. It’ll be quite a sight.”

“···That guy has really quite a good behavior.”

“Oh, there’s something even more interesting when you hear the story of the 3rd Section Chief who caught that bastard. Do you know what it is?”

“What is it?”

“When our employees barged into the room and started beating up everyone they could find and trying to arrest him, he ran away, wearing only his underwear and a sword, breaking the window with his fat body. When they chased him into a dead end alley, he shamelessly climbed over the wall naked, got hit with a club by one of our employees, and was dragged out, crying.”

He was a shameful person no matter where he was shown.

I listened to Jo Dong-yoon’s words with an expression of bewilderment rather than laughter.

“Anyway, thanks to you, we were able to completely subdue the artillery command and secure the identity of Min Yeong-hwan. The palace was completely taken over by the guards of Lee Yong-ik, and thanks to the last-minute change of heart and promise of cooperation from Police Chief Lee Yun-yong, we were able to completely take control of the major telegraph offices and government buildings in the Jongno area.”

It was a virtually bloodless coup. Hanseongbu was subdued in exactly two hours, no more, no less, without anyone being able to resist.

When the Japanese army staged a coup at Gyeongbokgung Palace, the initial estimated time was one and a half hours, right? Compared to that, it was about 30 minutes longer, but it was still remarkable that they completely took control of this vast Hanseongbu in just two hours.

“It ended much faster than I expected.”

Lee Gyu-tae clicked his tongue as he looked at the disarmed artillery command personnel and the national military police and police officers who, instead of offering resistance, voluntarily turned in their weapons when the brigade troops entered.

It was thanks to the Yellow Plan that it continued so quickly that they couldn’t even tell how far their people had infiltrated.

They did not delay and went straight to the Emperor at Gyeongungung Palace.

The guards guarding the Great Korean Gate were all replaced with the escort force, not the royal guard, and Maxim machine guns and 75mm field guns were placed on the mounds that had been built at unknown times, blocking all the paths.

The inner and outer walls of the palace were filled with our troops. No, it didn’t matter because they were originally our troops?

In any case, the sight of the coup d’état taking place without a single gunshot was similar to entering a city without resistance.

In the distance, cavalry squadrons were galloping through the quiet streets of Hanseong, shouting warnings that there was a commotion in Hanseongbu and that people should not come out until the operation was over.

Well, in the morning everyone will know what happened.

“Your Majesty the Emperor, the generals have arrived.”

Arriving at Gyeongungung Palace, in front of the Seokjojeon where the Emperor resides, Lee Gyu-tae and Lee Yong-ik came out with fully armed soldiers and shouted while holding swords.