Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 324
Only Noblemtl
#324. The Legend of Lightning War (4)
The immediate priority was to defend Gyeongseong, so troops had to be deployed accordingly.
However, it would be a waste to throw a special regiment made up of the miscellaneous troops remaining in Hanseongbu into the defensive line, so they had to buy time by throwing in the new government troops.
Then, if we can somehow attract troops from the southern region and defend the Jemulpo-Gyeongseong area even if we have to give up the Samnam region, we can devise the next method.
“Then who are you going to tell to take command? All the military officers of the new government army have been kicked out or disappeared, saying they are sick, so there are no people now.”
“······.”
Come to think of it, there was no one to command.
Originally, their command was supposed to be comprised of exiled former Joseon military officers, but that damned police chief’s coup resulted in most of them being captured, executed, or taken away somewhere and disappearing.
Perhaps this also contributed to the new government’s image of incompetence.
Hasegawa thought for a moment, then sighed deeply and said.
“Tell him to leave it to General Kwon Joong-hyun, who is the Minister of the Military in the new government. If he doesn’t even do this, I won’t let him off easy.”
Then he ordered a telegraph line to be connected directly to the home country, and instructed that a message be sent immediately requesting reinforcements.
If they could somehow buy some time, they might be able to send divisions that were still being formed on the mainland to provide support, even if they were not as numerous as the Yalu River Army.
At least if that happens, I think Gyeongseong itself can be defended for quite a long time.
“Your Excellency Commander, a telegram has arrived from the mainland.”
“No, did you get a reply already?”
“No, that’s not it… I will promote your Excellency the Commander to the rank of Army General and appoint him as the first Resident-General of the newly established Residency-General of Korea….”
“···Commander-in-Chief? Promotion to General?”
What kind of nonsense is this?
Hasegawa tilted his head as if he was dumbfounded, then soon started yelling at the command center to leave.
This was because they saw it as no different from an order to unconditionally die by raising their ranks so that they could not even surrender, let alone provide support troops.
“Hey, you damn desk-bound bastards! You didn’t even send me a single troop or ammunition, so what are you talking about? Feeling sorry for being promoted to general? Stop talking nonsense! If you have time to do that, at least tell them to send the troops properly!”
“Commander, calm down!”
“Whether it’s true or not, over 300,000 enemies are coming to trample us to death, and it’s obvious where the bayonets of the 300,000 Roske soldiers who won at Bongcheon are pointed, so you’re giving such an order?!”
He was barely able to control his anger after throwing all the things on the desk onto the floor.
Thanks to their stupid superiors who are only catching clouds, they can no longer avoid defeat.
He didn’t know when or where this war had gone wrong, but he knew one thing for sure.
At least the end of this war would be no different from their own defeat, and they would be in a deep pit of despair from which they would be unable to escape for a while.
At that moment, the sunlight setting beyond Inwangsan Mountain in the distance felt ominous.
The front line that had been visible since the outbreak of the war was now no longer visible.
***
“The magistrate will arrive here tomorrow.”
“···I see. Is everyone ready?”
“Of course.”
Inside Hanseongbu, the atmosphere became quite strange as they watched the ragtag group of new government troops quickly retreating towards Yangju-gun.
Neither the Japanese military nor the new government forces could shake off their anxious expressions, and although they had been acting in a much more oppressive manner in the past few days, it was not the contempt they had felt before.
Everyone could sense that the fear of death was deeply engraved in their eyes.
At the old Yukjo Street, the terrified enemies were gathering artillery and machine guns and cannons from unknown sources to Yongsan and deploying them to Gyeongbokgung Palace.
In addition, although he had stationed troops within the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the royal palace, they did not appear as sturdy as before.
No, rather, it now looked like it would collapse at any moment like a sand castle.
Just a month ago, we might have hesitated to rise up, saying that it was like an iron fortress.
However, those who were already on the brink of defeat could not find the same fighting spirit as before, and this soon led to contempt for the enemy and the anger that had been building up silently.
“inspiration.”
“The police officer is here too.”
“It is time for all of us to wash away the long days of shame. All the police torturers will be detained and locked up in prison just before the uprising.”
The situation has already tilted to the point where it cannot be reversed.
The police chief, who had been cooperating for a long time and was the main security officer in Gyeongseong, also promised to actively participate in the uprising.
“What about the weapons?”
“There are about 2,000 firearms stored in the police department. They seem to think that they can control over 500 of our police officers with just 20 or so advisors, but that’s not true at all.”
“Are there any gangs or anything like that inside?”
“The police department doesn’t raise kids like that. They’ve already dealt with all those kids.”
The police officer made a gesture of cutting his neck with his hand, as if showing contempt.
Indeed, it is likely that police organizations in the region would have actively cooperated with the guerrillas and the Hamheung government.
In fact, it became the main channel for transmitting a lot of information while pretending to tolerate Japanese rule.
“By the way, it seems like the situation has changed significantly.”
“That’s right. It will happen soon. And we will face the biggest role among them···.”
In the north, the great Russian army was advancing toward Yeosun, and counterattacks continued throughout the 13 provinces.
The 13th Provincial Army, which can be considered the successor to the 2nd Front, rose up in large numbers and turned the entire Samnam region into a wasteland.
Except for Busan and Gunsan, where there were relatively many Japanese, most major cities fell into the hands of the Creative Army.
Howell said that there were only 100,000 troops, but in reality, there were only half of that number, 50,000. However, they were divided into 50 battalions and began to shake up the entire Samnam region, so even the enemies that had seemed strong now seemed helpless.
The Japanese 1st Army and the remaining Korean Army forces that had to establish a defensive line toward Hansung were all isolated in their current positions, and now the creative forces were slowly advancing into an extremely dangerous area.
Yongin and Suwon, the main routes to Hanseong, both fell, and Namhansanseong in Gwangju also collapsed.
It’s an interesting story, but seeing that those who were secretly active within the new government forces directly opened the gates or even held their weapons upside down and attacked the Japanese soldiers, shows how much the Records Investigation Office was struggling to prepare for this counterattack.
Along with this, the emperor’s decree began to spread throughout the country.
And the content of the poem was short but thick.
“It’s called ‘bulwonbok’ (return soon)… It means that it will be returned soon.”
And that sound was circulating around, written in red letters at the top of the Taegeukgi.
The Japanese military and the new government judged these to be subversive and went on a rampage, vowing to eradicate them altogether, but they could not stop them from spreading throughout the country.
“I don’t know if it’s about reclaiming what is Your Majesty’s, or reclaiming what is rightfully yours for the people of your country, but···.”
“yes?”
“No. I’m just talking to myself. Anyway, you really did a great job connecting Hamheung to here, An Eung-chil.”
“No. I am so glad that I was able to find inspiration here. Now, the liberation of our country is just around the corner.”
“The liberation of the fatherland···.”
The man carrying the backpack turned around and said.
He was a former mayor of Seoul, and was classified as an active collaborator by the Japanese, and was now in charge of the administration of Gyeongseong.
An Jung-geun, who was next to him, was also able to easily secure a position within the new government thanks to the fact that he had previously been classified as an Asiatic and had been dismissed from office.
In this way, they had been extracting various information from Hamheung for quite some time, and were able to establish themselves as a core force in the resistance taking place within Hanseong.
As the tide turned, they gradually expanded their scope of inclusion, and quite a few people came over to them.
“Inspiration, I’ve been waiting.”
“Everyone is having a hard time.”
They avoided the cold stares of the Japanese military police and entered a store on a corner of Yukjo Street.
They may not know the end, but ever since the Records Research Office began its function, it had been used as a ‘warehouse’, and as such, it was filled with items prepared for emergencies.
“My heart races just from hearing it.”
“Soon, His Majesty the Great will lead the advance party of the 13th Provincial Army and head north. They don’t know of their existence yet. Maybe they know but are unable to respond.”
“Those guys went as far as they could. Well, it makes sense since there was chaos all over the country.”
Clicking his tongue, Kim Hong-ryuk opened a box.
There were Asikbo rifles that were produced without a single scratch, as if they had been produced yesterday, and right next to them were piles of ammunition that had not yet been inserted into the magazine.
And next to them, women and children were sitting in a crowded place, putting bullets into the shovel and filling the cartridge case to the brim.
The ‘Total War’ that the governor once spoke of. I thought that this was exactly what total war looked like.
Kim Hong-ryuk felt a chill run down his spine for a moment as he saw the image of all the people being used as potential reserve forces.
“The arrival of the vanguard of the Creative Army and the cavalry division of the Sunmusa will be the start of our uprising. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Of course.”
“Then everyone, get ready. It’s going to be a very long day.”
They prepared thoroughly until the very end and now they were just waiting for daylight to come.
Outside, the Japanese who declared a curfew were blowing their horns and even mobilizing Japanese from the Korean community to serve as night watchmen and shouting, but it was already too late.
The governor said this just before he went on a campaign. He said he would take back what was ours in a flash.
Perhaps liberation would come sooner than everyone expected, in a split second.
Preparations for the uprising for liberation were almost complete, and by tomorrow, blood would flow through the relatively quiet streets of Hanseong.
Everyone would wake up from the long night.
***
“This is a big deal! A telegram has come in from Busan saying that the rebels are on the rise again in the southern part of Joseon!”
“What? Not just a bunch of bandits? Didn’t Kuroki say he beat them all up a few months ago?”
“This time it seems a little different. These guys are moving in droves, saying they will advance on Gyeongseong! The southern part of Jeolla-do and the western part of Gyeongsang-do have already fallen into their hands. Our garrisons in various places have been isolated or annihilated!”