Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 326
Only Noblemtl
#326. Liberation from Oppression (2)
“Yes, I am Kim Si-hyeok, the Army Lieutenant General of the Yangseo Police Station. I am curious about what you guys are talking about, so tell me. I will listen.”
“Soo, you’re a turnip. Um, that’s-”
“Stop stammering and get to the point quickly. If you think you’re wasting time, I’ll cut you down right away, trample on your worthless defense line, and advance toward Hanseong.”
When I scolded him with a serious expression, he started shaking even more than before.
Perhaps the officers of the cavalry division behind me and the staff of Sunmuyeong looked like barbarian cavalry to him.
This may have been even more so when I met the author in person, who not only killed countless Japanese, but also performed miracles by turning even certain defeat into victory.
“I’m sorry, I apologize, please forgive my rudeness. Our commander wishes to surrender.”
“surrender?”
Surrender. I don’t know what the terms are, but it could be something like giving up the city in exchange for guaranteeing their lives, or fighting you with guns turned upside down.
If that were the case, it would be much better for me.
“Yes, that’s right. The war is already coming to an end, and the commander himself is said to have been deeply dissatisfied with the Japanese. So… he proposed that if we accept our surrender, he would open the gates of Hanseongbu.”
Of course, most of them are opportunists and are doing this to save their lives in the short term.
“You don’t need to hear any more, Turnip! This is their trap!”
“Ha, it’s not a trap! You really want to surrender. Why do we need to shed more blood between fellow countrymen?..”
The military officer who came as an envoy almost started to cry.
I once again ordered the people around me to be quiet, looked straight at the guy, and decided to give them the answer they wanted.
“Very well. I will accept your surrender.”
“Excuse me?”
“But there is a condition. Go right now and tell them to open all the gates leading to Hanseongbu. I will give you exactly two hours.”
I took out my pocket watch and looked at it.
It was exactly 10 AM right now, so I had time to grab a quick lunch.
“If the gates of Hanseongbu don’t open there… you’d better think about what happens next yourself.”
“I, I will pass it on! Thank you, Your Majesty! The promise will definitely be kept!”
Perhaps thinking that his life was saved, he immediately mounted his horse and headed straight back to the camp from which he had come.
Everyone looked at me with their lips pursed in regret as they watched that scene.
“Sergeant, if you let those guys go so easily···”
“I never said I would acquit them.”
“yes?”
I continued after laughing at them cheerfully in front of my staff and commanders.
I never intended to pardon them or anything like that.
However, I will only give you some consideration. There will be many traitors who will resist until the end anyway, so there would be no benefit in killing them now.
Rather, it only made those who were fully willing to surrender and had something to consider resist with all their might.
Now there was ample reason to accept them.
“Think about it. The Japanese puppets were dragged off as cannon fodder and were all killed, wounded, or captured in Gwanbuk. But at this point, they weren’t even dragged off as cannon fodder and were left here? Doesn’t that seem a bit strange?”
“Oh, I see.”
“Among those thugs, they are the worst. Those guys only want to surrender for one reason. To save their own pitiful lives. They have already betrayed their country and people once, so how can they not do it twice? Their only goal in life is their personal self-sufficiency and glory.”
And I smiled wickedly.
After all, their destination was only one.
“But since we need it right now, we can pretend to listen to it and then hand everything over to the Records Investigation Office. For now, let’s just let them play their role.”
Everyone laughed bitterly at the suggestion that we hand it over to the records investigation office.
Because it was an open secret how those authors treated pro-Japanese traitors.
And as promised, they immediately opened the passage and paved the way to Hansung.
Finally, having met the advance party led by Heo Wi, I ordered them to lead the remaining troops without delay and advance towards Hanseong, which was now beginning to burst into flames.
Somehow, one of the Green Berets’ slogans came to mind.
‘The oppressor is free.’
Liberation from oppression.
Now the time of true liberation was approaching.
And the one leading that liberation was none other than me.
I took hold of the reins and drew my long sword.
It was time to put an end to the long war and death.
***
“People of Korea! The Japanese are being defeated outside, and the governor has almost reached the outskirts of Hanseongbu with his cavalry! Now it is our turn! It is time to save our city, our parents and brothers who have been oppressed by the Japanese and their lackeys, with our own hands! Let us all take up arms and fight!”
“Long live the Korean Empire! Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”
“For our city, our homeland!”
Hanseongbu, with a population of 300,000, also began to slowly become immersed in the intense heat.
Despite the blood of countless governors and patriots, Hanseongbu appeared generally docile, but that was an illusion.
As the Japanese proverb goes, “The enemy is in Honnoji,” the enemy was within.
“The mob! The mob is coming!”
“Retreat towards the palace! There are too many of them!”
“Are you giving up the road?! If this place is cleared, the Hanseongbu government office and Yukjo Street are within walking distance!”
“There are no troops to stop them! Quickly withdraw to Gyeongbokgung Palace where the headquarters is! Now!”
At first, it was an uprising with only a few hundred people, starting in an empty lot in the old training center, but as time passed, people from all over Seoul joined in, and its strength began to grow.
The National Police Agency, which had been kept quiet under the control of Japanese police advisers, also rose up simultaneously.
After detaining a small number of police officers, they opened the armory and joined the uprising.
“The Joseon bastards keep coming!”
“Damn, even the police department guys got involved! What the heck?!”
At first, the Japanese army, which had moved toward Gyeongbokgung Palace, tried to suppress the riot, but they were overwhelmed by the rapidly increasing numbers and had to turn back.
Loud gunfire and explosive sounds began to fill the streets of Hanseong, which had remained relatively quiet even during the war.
The Japanese army brought in streetcars to build barricades and piled other debris on the streets to create a defensive line, but even that was of no use.
For those who thought barricades were ridiculous and started pushing forward with numbers, no method was meaningful.
“Commander! The enemies are returning to the rear!”
“What? When did these get there···.”
“The road here is too wide to defend! We can’t hold out here any longer!”
If this had been the old streets of Hanseong, their defensive strategy might have been effective in its own way.
Narrow alleys and unmaintained roads were the worst possible factors that could cause numerous difficulties for attackers.
In narrow alleys, not only was the superiority of manpower not a great advantage, but the artillery, which could be considered the main firepower, was also restricted in its movement, and at the same time, no matter how narrow the alley was, the troops attacking had no choice but to scatter, so it was easy to defend with a relatively small number of troops.
Ultimately, in order to occupy such a city, you had to break through numerous defensive lines one by one, and you had to be very patient and manage the damage from increasing casualties while occupying each street and each building in turn.
However, the situation changed significantly after the large-scale road and urban development of Hanyangbu led by Hanyang Mayor Kim Hong-ryuk in the late 1890s.
Not only were the narrow alleys and unkempt roads replaced by wide, well-paved new roads, but they were also connected to major roads, making the transportation of people and goods quite smooth.
“Inspiration, did you prepare the city in preparation for this?”
“Honestly, I didn’t mean to write it here. It was just because of the depressing experiences His Majesty the Emperor had.”
Military rebellions, military interventions by the Qing and Japan, and the two occupations of Gyeongbokgung Palace by the Japanese were enough to cause the emperor to develop a profound obsession.
The result of intensive reorganization was the construction of a main road between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Gyeongungung Palace, which was effectively the main military base in the capital, and then the area connecting Gyeongungung Palace to the foreign embassy area.
This was also part of a measure to allow for the rapid movement of troops and carriages along the highway in case the emperor fled to another region or to the safe foreign embassy area from a coup, or to allow for the early deployment of a large-scale suppression force on the outskirts of the capital area.
“···So that’s why the governor suggested abandoning Hanseong at the beginning of the war.”
“That’s correct. The city plan for Hanseongbu was built in close cooperation with the Provincial Office and the Marshal’s Office. In order to protect this large city, he’s right. We need 100,000 regular soldiers to even attempt a defense.”
Kim Hong-ryuk continued his explanation to Ahn Jung-geun as if he was excited.
Before the opening of the city, Hanyangdoseong had over 7,000 siege ramparts, and it was said that 30,000 soldiers were needed to defend it. However, as time passed, the military’s weapons and firepower greatly improved, and the city was gradually developed, the number increased to 100,000.
Warfare has become more advanced, and the number of places that need to be protected has increased.
“The chief thought well. Look at those guys now. They split up an army of less than 10,000 men into small groups and are getting destroyed.”
“That’s definitely true.”
The Japanese army, whose defensive line had been breached in several places, was retreating in a hurry.
Those who were unable to escape were either beaten to death with clubs or, if they managed to escape with their lives, were stripped naked, tied up with ropes, and left on the streets.
“Eww! Why are the rioters here! Stop them now, now!”
Even the new government’s cabinet officials who went to work in the morning without knowing what it was like could not be safe.
“Over there, that bastard Park Young-hyo is running away! Catch him!”
“Kill the traitors! They are the high criminals who betrayed His Majesty the Emperor and the people!”
“What, what are you guys doing! Fight back, now! Where are you running away to!”
Even the Japanese military police who had been escorting Park Yeong-hyo on his way to and from work seemed to have grown tired of his threatening behavior and abandoned him, marching towards Yukjo Street.
And he was caught by people and beaten mercilessly without being able to escape, but he finally saw Kim Hong-ryuk and Ahn Jung-geun and ran desperately.