Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 249



Only Noblemtl

#249. First Victory (4)

Everyone waited for his decision. There was no strength or means to fight any longer.

The last organized resistance had ended by evening, so further fighting here would only bring them one-sided massacre.

The thought crossed his mind that he would rather have these poor Satsuma sons returned to their homeland intact than have his own honor thrown to the ground.

“···Prepare a white flag. And tell them that the entire remaining force will surrender.”

The officers who remained around him were in tears, but they could not even spit out words about his decision.

Because they knew better than anyone that defeat was a certainty and that there was no chance left to turn it around.

***

“Ugh, I’m really out of my mind.”

The assault infantry regiment, which had been fighting with all its might all day, fought through battles and forced marches for over 15 km.

Although they were exhausted from the arduous maneuvers and battles, they sent a reconnaissance report from the cavalry regiment to Sunmuyeong that a regiment-sized enemy force was gathered at the bridgehead.

And immediately after that, a messenger came down again with the order to destroy them.

Although they knew it would be difficult, everyone obediently went into battle at the words to prepare for the final blow.

The cold and the chill were nothing if only they could drive the hated enemies from this land.

In any case, the sergeant warned that this might be the enemy’s last counterattack, and ordered that one battalion of assault infantry and a squadron of cuirassiers be sent first to block it.

Then, he gathered all the follow-up units, including the 5th Brigade and the Russian cavalry, which were sweeping out the enemy in the city of Jinnampo, and attempted to break through at one point.

Not long after, they encountered the enemy’s makeshift defensive lines.

Of course, the battle itself was fought much more lightly than expected.

This is because as soon as we broke through one very strong point, the enemies collapsed very easily and were busy running away.

After lightly breaking through the enemy’s defenses two or three times, the bridgehead leading to Songnim finally came into view.

And the enemies who were gathered there could also be seen through the telescope. While preparing for the final charge, a Japanese officer with a white flag was walking towards them from a distance on the firing line.

Lieutenant Kim Si-jin, who was commanding the vanguard, stopped the advance of his unit and walked forward without even wiping the blood that had not yet dried.

When he saw that his opponent was a lieutenant colonel, he saluted first and then listened to what he had to say.

And they immediately announced their intention to surrender.

“As of this moment, the 1st Guards Brigade of the Empire of Japan surrenders to you. Therefore, cease any further combat actions and immediately report to the most senior commander in charge of this area so that he can arrange for our brigade commander to surrender.”

On the other side, I could already see enemies gathering their weapons in one place.

Kim Si-jin nodded, glad that he would no longer have to fight, and answered them in awkward but understandable Japanese.

“Of course. The officers are permitted to wear swords, but I would like the rest of the soldiers to be unarmed.”

“There are many wounded soldiers. I have no shame in surrendering, but can you help them?”

Kim Si-jin glanced around at the Japanese soldiers looking at him with frightened eyes.

They were truly people who had no will to resist any longer. Their appearance was so miserable that even the hatred and venom they had harbored as their last offensive subsided.

Well, there must be a good reason why the so-called vicious Japanese army raised both hands and surrendered.

Instead of answering, he nodded and reported to the regiment.

The regiment sent out a medical team along with the soldiers, saying that they would take in the wounded of the surrendered enemies.

Meanwhile, the news of the surrender of the Japanese 1st Guards Brigade did not even take a few dozen minutes to reach the battalion and regiment and reach Sunmuyeong.

It was thanks to the hard work of messengers riding their horses here and there.

Thanks to that, I was able to quickly receive a reply saying that the police chief would arrive here in person within an hour.

“No, why did that guy come all the way here to cause a fuss?!”

“Excuse me, Captain. Shouldn’t we clean up and organize the corpses here? It’s not just anyone, but the superintendent himself who’s here to inspect this place…”

When he heard that the military governor was coming, the senior officer trembled as if he was going to hold a brief inspection.

Then, Prime Minister Kim Si-jin stopped the senior minister.

“Okay, Senior Sergeant. My brother is a gentleman who really hates formalities like that. If you have time, leave only the guards behind, and let the rest of you rest for a little while.”

The smell of blood and gunpowder filled the battlefield, but since they were the ones who ate, slept, and fought in such places, they probably didn’t care much.

“Oh, I understand···.”

After about 30 minutes, a squadron of cavalry and some escort troops could be seen approaching from a distance.

And in the meantime, the main character of this battle, Sunmusa, was there.

Although he was wearing the combat uniform of a common infantryman, rather than the splendid uniform of a general, the stars on his epaulettes and the “su” (帥) flag, which denoted the commander of the Sunmuyeong, clearly indicated who he was.

“Wow!!”

The soldiers who had already seen him coming took off their military hats and cheered, and the officers and instructors who had accompanied the escort were barely able to control them.

The sergeant took off his military hat and waved it in response to the cheering soldiers.

“Sergeant Major! How did you get here….”

“I heard that our soldiers fought very well in the cold and harsh environment. That’s why I came to see how well they fought.”

In addition, there were two officers, along with the glaring murderous cavalrymen, who were of the same age.

I vaguely heard that they were a spectator corps or something.

They were looking at the infantry and cavalry with curiosity, diligently writing something down, and behind them, the author, a war correspondent, was taking pictures with the flash going off.

“You’re all great guys. So, did you all have a nice hunt?”

In the middle of a battlefield that was still in disarray, the sergeant looked at his soldiers one by one and whined.

Instead of answering, they all shouted as before.

The turnip raised his hand with a look of great satisfaction on his face.

“That’s a great victory. So, where is the Japanese brigade commander who said he would surrender?”

“Over there, I’m waiting with a white flag.”

“okay···.”

Then, he winked at his younger brother, Lieutenant General Kim Si-jin, dismounted from his horse, and walked towards the remaining Japanese brigade commander and other troops waiting for surrender, along with other staff officers, cavalry regiment commanders, and assault infantry regiment commanders.

The Russian cavalry made their way forward with their lances drawn, and the drummers of the military band that followed with the escort began to beat the beat.

It seemed like they had brought him here to receive a somewhat formal surrender ceremony.

“My name is Kim Si-hyeok, the Army Deputy Commander of the Yangseo Police Command of the Korean Empire.”

The Japanese brigade commander looked dumbfounded as he watched the young commander speak so skillfully.

I couldn’t believe that this was the man who took the last breath of the Guards Division.

Of course, that didn’t mean he forgot that he was going to surrender, so he immediately took out the sword hanging from his waist and said.

“As of this moment, the 1st Guards Brigade of the Imperial Japanese Army surrenders to you.”

Then he placed the sword in the hands of the military commander. It was also a clear expression of the will of the top commanders to surrender to the enemy, handing over the sword or pistol, which symbolized their authority and honor, to the enemy.

But instead of accepting it, the sergeant shook his head and handed it back to the Japanese brigade commander.

“I accept your surrender, General. And you may take this sword back. I will not take the swords of the surrendered officers separately, for the sake of honor.”

In any case, perhaps out of consideration for not taking away my honor as a fellow soldier, he smiled very gently.

“Also, on humanitarian grounds, regarding the surrendered Japanese Imperial Army soldiers···.”

After exchanging various words of encouragement, they officially declared their surrender.

Are there as many as 2,000 people trapped here?

It’ll be a bit tough to control the prisoners for a while, but whatever. This is the sweetest victory ever.

***

“Captain, the police chief is looking for you.”

“Are you talking about me?”

As we were trying to clear the battlefield, the battalion commander approached us with a cigarette in his mouth and said:

“Okay, go and talk.”

“But this place is still···.”

“Go and come back. Can’t I even do this for you, who received the enemy brigade commander’s surrender first?”

The battalion commander answered with a smile. Indeed, thanks to this battle, the battalion commander’s victory was almost a done deal.

I heard them gossiping among themselves, and they said they might be transferred to the Marshal’s Office.

Chief of Staff Kim Si-jin saluted and strode briskly toward the command post where the commissioner was.

As I walked through the curtain, I could see my older brother, the chief of staff, chatting with the senior staff of the chief of staff, the Russian military officers, and the military attachés, sharing tea and cigarettes.

I saluted nervously so as not to make a mistake in a place where there were many people so tall that my head would spin, and in return, I received a hug from my brother who seemed happy.

Ignoring Shi-jin’s worries that gunpowder and blood stains might get on his clean military uniform, Shi-hyeok hugged his younger brother tightly as if it had been a long time since he last saw him.

“You really worked hard. You must have fought without resting.”

“Ugh… Ah, yes, sir.”

“What is inspiration… Gentlemen, he is the commander of our army who first received the surrender of the enemy commander in this battle. He is a member of the Assault Infantry Regiment, and more than anything, he is my only brother. He speaks a little Russian and French, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask. But let’s have a little chat between brothers.”

Everyone burst into laughter, perhaps because of the victory.

It was quite noisy, from the story of Russian officers trampling Japanese soldiers with their horseshoes, which looked quite stern, to the high-ranking staff of Sunmuyeong evaluating the course of the battle.

“Oh my, don’t be so manly and hug each other like you two big men, hyung. If you have time, go see your mother. She’s worried a lot.”

“Huh? Are you still in Pyongyang?”

“You didn’t even evacuate. We’re fighting for our lives in Pyongyang, so where would you go as a mother? I know you’re busy, but if you have time, come and see me.”

“Yeah, yeah. I guess I should just finish this battle and come visit you sometime···.”

Sihyuk, with a slightly tired expression, said as he adjusted his military cap.

“Anyway, thank you for your hard work. The enemies… probably won’t be able to move for a while. In the meantime, I will promote you to lieutenant colonel with my authority as the chief of police.”

“Me? I’ve only been promoted to the rank of lieutenant for a short time, so I’m sure I’ll hear a lot of stories from people around me. Is that okay?”

The turnip put a cigarette in his mouth, lit a match and said:

“Well, who can stop me if I do it? The military government, the military command, and even the personnel authority here are all in my hands. And I’m going to send the battalion commanders to Hamheung right now and order them to create similar units, so guys like you have to stay and maintain the units.”