Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 267
Only Noblemtl
#267. The opening of the second front (1)
After sailing for hours on the choppy sea, some of the soldiers seemed to have a hard time adjusting to the shaking ground after setting foot on land, but they still had no difficulty subduing the enemies who were just standing there blankly, unaware of anything.
“These guys are really stupid.”
“I’m sure they’re guys without combat experience. It’ll make things easier.”
I repeated the same things as before. I didn’t kill the enemies on purpose, not because I wanted to show them mercy, but because I didn’t want the gunshots to start ringing out already.
In the first place, the enemies did not come out to fight, but rather surrendered meekly when the Mauser pistols that they had secretly given to them by Deokguk were pointed at their chins or stomachs, so it ended at that level.
As we entered a little further, for some unknown reason, additional enemies were approaching.
However, it was not a battle stance and it seemed that they were entering for another reason.
Some were yawning, while others were just following along with their eyes wide open, staring at the road.
“It looks like a patrol. Subdue them.”
The order to subdue them was given immediately, without most people having time to think, and the first platoon at the front rushed to attack them.
The enemies, who had not even drawn their guns, were immediately subdued by the sudden attack.
Those who emerged from the darkness struck them with the butts of their rifles and struck the faces of their dumbfounded enemies with the grips of their pistols.
The one-sided ‘suppression’ continued until the enemy fell down with blood pouring from his nose and the enemy raised both hands after being hit with the butt of the gun.
“Stop it! Stop it! I’m dying from pain! You fucking bastards, what are you guys?!”
“Us? We are the Korean Empire Army. If you don’t want to get wiped out here, you’d better not raise your voice any further.”
Although the conversation was in broken Japanese, the meaning was clearly understandable.
These people, who were not even proper combat troops to begin with, hesitated for a moment, but soon gave up resisting and began to do as they were told.
The interrogation continued for a short while, but when the squad leader, who already had a grim expression, saw a man who appeared to be a veteran, he started to cry and say something.
“What is that guy saying?”
“Oh, Captain. They say they woke up all the guys sleeping in the barracks and sent them to check on our ship.”
“and?”
“They say that the guys currently being held here are almost all of the troops stationed on Ulleungdo. They are urinating without being asked and are slurping it out, but I don’t know if they are men or what.”
Well, looking at his ferocious face, no one can help but wet their pants.
Hong Beom-do smiled anyway.
It seemed like things were going to get a lot easier.
All that was left was to subdue the five or six men at the telegraph base in the northwestern part of the island, and the 10 or so police officers and remaining troops in the main city of Ulleungdo.
“This is going to be easy. The first squad will destroy the enemy’s southwest watchtower, the second and third squads will destroy the enemy camp, and the fourth squad will destroy the government office and police station. You may suppress anyone who resists during the operation with firearms, but avoid causing harm to the residents. Do you understand?”
“All right.”
From the port to the final intersection before reaching the real goal, they began to disperse as planned, reciting the content they had reviewed dozens of times on the ship.
Hong Beom-do himself also started running with the 4th squad.
Tutata tata tata! Tata tata tata tang!
A moment later, the loud noise of Madsen machine guns could be heard from all directions.
As they began to approach their real objective, the enemies began to fire back rather than surrendering readily. Perhaps it seemed that issuing one to each squad had a big effect.
‘Yeah, this suits us best.’
Hong Beom-do thought so and urged the 4th platoon, which was already moving quickly, to move even faster.
There was no reason to give the enemy time to respond to the gunfire.
Now that the enemy had discovered the identity of the ships anchored in the harbor, lights came on in key government offices and outposts, but it was too late to stop them.
“Hands up! If you don’t want to die, put your weapons down!”
“These damn Joseon guys-”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The few outposts were quickly subdued, and Hong Beom-do and the direct troops of the 4th platoon had almost reached the police station and the facilities that effectively controlled Ulleungdo.
Continuous explosions and sporadic gunfire could be heard in the surrounding area, and judging by the red flames rising, it seemed that the watchtower and the garrison area had been almost completely swept away and that they were now in the process of mopping up the remaining enemies.
“Stop!”
“Shoot it.”
One of the officers, holding his police sword in one hand, told them not to come near, but what followed was a cold gunshot.
bang!
A man collapsed on the ground amidst the cold winter sea breeze, and behind him, dozens of military boots were moving toward the new road.
They entered the center of the village without even making the usual sound of drums clashing against each other or the loud noise of water from a water jug being sloshed.
Residents who woke up to the sound of gunfire and explosions could only look out their windows in fear at what was happening, while the only busy people were the naval soldiers who were being pushed back by the enemy here and there and the few police officers who were holding guns and swords and shouting because they couldn’t figure out what was happening.
“Huh, they’re setting up a defensive line.”
“Get the grenades. We can’t let them pin us down.”
Hong Beom-do took out two grenades that he had stuffed into his bag and said at his subordinate’s words.
At the low wall of the police station and the government office right next to it, policemen and navy soldiers were aiming their rifles and firing madly, and between them they were building cover with debris.
It may be a laughable act, but it is not something to be looked down on.
Their purpose was to break through the enemy’s defenses with overwhelming firepower and maneuver, if possible, and to destroy their will to fight.
If we underestimate such attempts and leave them alone, we need to eliminate them as quickly as possible, because we don’t know if they will become a variable that will trouble us.
ping!
As soon as the safety catch on the grenade was pulled out and the sound of the fuse inside burning was heard, the entire 4th squad, including Hong Beom-do, accurately threw the grenade between the shelters and over the fence.
It was clear to see people flying around like toys amidst the repeated bangs.
In the meantime, there were screams, curses, and several very faint gunshots, but they were quickly silenced by another grenade being thrown.
There were also a few who came out with their hands raised, struggling through the thick dust.
“approach.”
Of course, the time to appreciate it was really fleeting.
While the enemy was paralyzed by fear after being overpowered by several grenades, the 4th platoon immediately rushed into the building with Mauser pistols and close combat equipment in both hands.
There was no further significant resistance.
In the first place, the garrison and security forces on Ulleungdo, numbering at most 40 people, could not stop two platoons from making a planned assault.
“Sir, we have captured the person in charge of this area.”
“Hey, you Joseon bastards! Our fleet will soon arrive and kill you all! The wireless telegraph station will have already relayed the information to Sasebo!”
“Oh my, I’m scared. Is that what you mean?”
Hong Beom-do muttered as he listened to the interpreter.
Where he gestured, a blazing flame was visible in the pitch-black space. It seemed as if it had been completely blown up with dynamite taken from a destroyer.
The person in charge’s face turned ashen when he heard that even the telecommunications facilities had been destroyed.
Well, it seems they didn’t know that the Army and Navy would boldly come in here, make an assault, and then come to subdue key facilities and government agencies.
“All of your naval telegraph facilities, observation posts, and government agencies on Ulleungdo have already been taken over by our Korean Army and Navy. The barracks and other areas have also been completely subdued, so any further resistance will be pointless.”
“What, what?!”
“Everyone, take good care of this person. There are many people waiting for him in Hamheung.”
“Yes, sir!”
The whole thing was over in just 30 minutes.
There were no casualties on our side, and about 10 enemy soldiers were killed and the rest were taken prisoner.
Now all that was left was to select those among the subdued enemies who might have information, put them on a ship, and leisurely return to Hamheung.
It was a very simple operation with very few casualties, but Hong Beom-do himself probably knew very well what meaning it would have in the history of war.
“We’ve started to reach a turning point.”
He watched the residents coming out cautiously, leaning here and there, smoking a cigarette slowly.
For a very, very brief moment, the Taegeukgi would fly on this island.
***
“Yes, I understand what you mean. If Sun Mu-yeong of Pyongyang wants it, then we should do it.”
I am sorry to inform you that an imperial decree has been issued by the Hamheung court and the Marshal’s Office.
As the Sunmuyeong in Pyongyang needed time for a tactical retreat and the evacuation of civilians, a new operation was issued to the regular units, including the Righteous Army that had risen up throughout the three southern provinces, the 9th Brigade in Honam, and the 10th Brigade in Yeongnam, which had retreated according to previous orders and had lost contact during that time.
The 9th Brigade in Jeolla Province, which had received strict orders from its superiors through the remaining landline, was holding out in Naju after gathering as many men and supplies as possible.
Neither the Japanese military nor the pro-Japanese cabinet could even conceive of disbanding or suppressing them.
They just kept making threatening remarks or trying to persuade me, but I didn’t get any response and they just remained silent.
“Give the order to the brigade to move. We will move north toward Jeonju and Gunsan.”
The superiors gave them a new order.
Come out of the safety of Naju and launch a full-scale counterattack.
The main content was to prevent the enemy’s main force from concentrating on Pyongyang. And the brigade commander was determined to carry out this order from his superiors.
They took control of the administrative power of the entire Jeollanam-do region, including Naju, Hampyeong, Unju, and Namwon, places that were too dangerous for the Japanese military and the new government to reach, and continued to call up new recruits to greatly increase their military strength.
As soon as the brigade commander hung up the receiver, he gave an order, and his staff approached him cautiously with worried expressions on their faces.
“Brigade Commander, this is dangerous. No matter how much Hamheung and Sunmuyeong demand it, it is no different from a suicide attack. If we were to attack Jeonju and Gunsan… it would be difficult.”
The brigade commander dismissed his staff’s concerns.
“That’s why we must advance even further. In order to achieve final victory, our northern troops must withdraw safely and reorganize their ranks.”
Since the Japanese had decided to go to war and the government and the Marshal’s Office had declared that they would make the northern region their main defensive line, they had to preserve their military power as much as possible, as it would eventually be depleted, and deploy it at the most critical and necessary time.
However, it was a little surprising that the time came sooner than expected.