NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 289



Only Noblemtl

Episode 289

Shadow Government (3)

The Korean independence army, which had suddenly emerged as the center of the incident, was living a peaceful life no different from usual.

In Yanji, where the main force of the Korean Independence Army was stationed, every day was the same.

People on the streets gave up their nomadic lifestyle and settled down here to start a new life.

Some are farmers, some are workers, and some are soldiers.

And among them, there were those who started a new life in a different sense.

“It’s cheap. It’s cheap!”

“This is a silk garment that just arrived from Joseon yesterday! It’s brand new, and the color is nice and pretty!”

“This is fresh mackerel caught in the Maritime Province. It’s salty and makes rice go down smoothly when you put it in your mouth!”

The streets of Yeongil were bustling with all kinds of merchants and businessmen sent by Daegal Daegam, the bizarre and greedy capitalist of Joseon.

With the support of the great lord, they each started a new business in Yanji, and thanks to this, new companies and enterprises were springing up like mushrooms in Yanji every day.

“Comrade Commander, today we received 32 applications for business start-ups, and 27 of them were accepted.”

“There are still many. Are they from the Daegal Lord’s side again?”

“Half of them were like that, but the other half seemed to be people who were starting new businesses with their own capital.”

“Really? Then we’ll have to allocate new subsidies to them.”

“Yes, I will do so, Comrade Commander.”

As capital poured into Yanji from Joseon and Japan, Yanji gradually developed.

Previously, it was a small town with a population of only about 100,000, including Korean independence fighters and their families, a small number of natives, and immigrants who fled after the Civil War.

Now, Yanji and its surrounding areas have grown into a large city with a population of 500,000.

“Phew… … .”

“Comrade Commander, why are you sighing so much?”

“As the city grows, so do the problems, and there are more things to deal with.”

“Ah… … I understand. The government in Shanghai should send some people here soon.”

“They said they’d send someone to handle the administrative work soon, so we’ll just have to wait.”

However, it is not always a good thing for a city to grow bigger. As people gather, all kinds of people gather, and the city never sleeps well.

Even for those sent by the Great King right now, that’s the case.

In Gyeongseong, where the economy had been depressed for a long time, there were more than a few people who had lost their businesses and were left to live on the streets, and there were more than a few people who preyed on them.

And these people were most likely people who had borrowed money from the Great King.

So, half of the people sent by Daegal Daegam are scammers.

The other half were those who had failed in business.

Since these people were going around stirring up smoke, saying they were going to do business, there was no way the smoke would be okay.

“Ugh! The fish is all rotten!”

“Rotten? It’s so fresh that you’d believe it’s a freshly caught fish, since its back is still bubbly.”

“This smells like blood and rotten flesh, and you think it’s fresh? You swindler!”

People who do business like this usually fail after only a few months.

But Lord Daegal had no worries.

Even if they perished, it would be no loss to him.

Because all the money they spent from the time they started their business in Yeonil until it went bankrupt was designed to go into the pocket of the great tycoon.

How is this possible? Let’s assume there is a businessman who borrows money from the great lord Daegal and goes up to the capital to Yanji.

When this person arrives in Yeonil and receives a business license, what will he do next?

Naturally, you will find a place to do business.

But all the good spots in the city were gone, so we had to find a new place.

But usually, new places don’t have places that suit the tastes of businessmen.

In some places, the land is too narrow or the traffic is inconvenient, making it difficult for people to come and go.

If they were an ordinary person, they would have lowered their standards to fit their capital and entered a place like this, but those who borrowed money from Daegal Daegam were a little different.

They didn’t consider that, because they could borrow a huge amount of money at a very low interest rate from the Yanji Bank, the personal vault and bank of the great lord of Yanji, and they started the business blindly according to their own standards.

Then the work goes to the construction company of the great general Daegal, who has the largest and best equipment in Yeonil.

Once the work begins, laborers who are mostly people who have lost their businesses or been caught committing fraud come rushing in and quickly build a building and start doing business.

I explained it very roughly, but this is what Yanji’s economy was like.

If you wanted to start something in Yeonil, you had to go through a company associated with Daegal Daegam.

There were other companies as well, but to get the best quality for your money, you had to go through Daegal Daegam.

So, from Daegal Daegam’s perspective, even though his money was coming and going from his pocket, it was like his money was growing while he was sitting there.

So, if we have to use a metaphor, people who had been completely ruined and had been living as laborers or porters in Gyeongseong and had their marrow sucked dry came over to Yanji and had their debts increase even more and were sucked dry.

Well, that’s the story.

But not everyone was like that.

* * *

“Whew… … So kid, this isn’t a place for kids like you to come play, this is a place for people who want to do business to come get permits.”

“I told you! I’m going to do business here too! And I’m not a kid! I graduated from elementary school and I’m already fifteen years old!”

The little boy, still soft and fluffy, raised his voice at the reception desk.

It would have been nice to frown at such a noisy sight, but everyone else was busy with their own work, and the boy’s appearance was so cute that everyone laughed and watched.

“Oh, really? So what kind of business does our fifteen-year-old kid want to do?”

“A car company! I looked around here and there was no car workshop.”

“What? Huh, look at this kid? How many people drive around here that they have to open a factory?”

“Nowadays only high-ranking officials drive cars, but soon many people will drive cars!”

The little boy’s bold remark caused laughter to erupt from those around him.

“Hehe, kid, how much does a car cost, you know?”

“Who would ride in something that expensive?”

“Your dreams are big, kid!”

“Never do business with that mindset. If you do business with that mindset, you will surely fail.”

But the boy didn’t care about the teasing and kept pestering the teller.

“Just give me the permit quickly! Whether I fail or not, I’ll take care of the rest!”

“No, I’m saying this because I have a son like you at home. Stop breathing in empty talk like business and go home and help your father with his work… .”

“What does it matter if I do it! That’s the law?”

“Huh, really… … Look at this little brat’s stubbornness?”

As the window was bustling with activity, Hong Yong-hwan, who happened to be inspecting the place, also showed interest in the little boy.

“Lieutenant Park, what’s going on?”

“Ah! Comrade Hong, well, this kid suddenly submitted an application for business without a recommender.”

The boy sensed that the person who greeted him at the counter was a high-ranking person and immediately asked Hong Yong-hwan.

“Teacher! I really want to do business here, but this person here keeps saying no and won’t let me through!”

Hong Yong-hwan noticed the general situation and sighed as he asked the boy.

“So kid, what’s your name?”

“This is Chung Ju-young from Tongcheon!”

“Yes, Jooyoung, you came here. Do your parents know?”

“A man leaves home with a dream. Do I really need to tell my parents?”

Hong Yong-hwan touched his forehead.

It was because the boy’s actions resembled his father’s actions when he was young.

“Oh my… … Yes, you’re right. But Tongcheon is quite a distance from here. How did you get here?”

“Of course I walked!”

“… … You walked that long way?”

“Yes! My father said that a man can do anything as long as he has two intact lower body beads.”

“after…….”

A deep sigh escaped Hong Yong-hwan’s mouth.

“Little one. The world is not as easy as you think it is.”

“I know! I’ve seen a lot of the world walking here!”

“No, what you saw wasn’t everything… … .”

“What did you do when you were my age?”

“… … .”

Hong Yong-hwan, hearing Chung Ju-young’s words, recalled his childhood.

I’m talking about that time when I followed my mother around in hiding without knowing anything, and later followed my father and fought the Japanese police and soldiers with a gun in my hand.

Looking back, he was exactly the same age as the little boy in front of me.

No, it was younger than that.

“… … Yes, if a man has a great ambition, he should achieve it.”

“Yes? Comrade Hong?”

“Give me those documents.”

Hong Yong-hwan accepted the boy’s business license application, wrote his name and that of the great lord Dae-gal in the recommender column, and stamped his seal of approval.

There was no particular significance to his including the name of the great lord Daegal in the list of recommenders.

I just put in Daegal Daegam’s name because I needed two recommenders.

It was difficult to name other people he knew, but it was okay if it was Daegal Daegam.

“I don’t know what you can do or how much you can do, but I hope you achieve your dreams.”

“Wow! Thank you, sir!”

“Elder, what are you… … When your business goes well later, don’t forget me.”

“Yes, sir!”

Hong Yong-hwan patted the boy’s shoulder a couple of times as if he found it strange, and then left.

Chung Ju-young stared at Hong Yong-hwan’s back and asked the teller.

“But who is that old man?”

Then the teller laughed in vain.

“Oh, right. Do you know General Hong Beom-do, the tiger of Mt. Baekdu?”

“yes!”

“His second son is Lieutenant Colonel Hong Yong-hwan. He is currently the Chief of Staff of the 1st Division.”

“Oh… … Are you a tall person?”

“If he is tall, he is a tall person. He is someone who works hard in everything and cares for his subordinates, so everyone likes him.”

“aha…….”

Little Jeong Ju-yeong looked back at the spot where Hong Yong-hwan had left, then turned to the counter clerk and asked him.

“So, the permit has been passed now?”

“Yes, now you are a proper businessman.”

“Then can I also receive startup support funds?”

“Startup… … what?”

“Startup support fund! I saw on the bulletin board on the way here that they were giving out 100 won as startup support fund?”

“Huh, when did you see that last time?”

“When can I get it?”

The counter clerk smiled faintly and handed me the application form.

“You just need to submit an application.”

“Oh… … .”

“By the way, is there an account in your name?”

“Account?”

“Yes, you need an account in your name to receive the subsidy and pay taxes.”

The teller asked gently, as if giving advice.

Even though he may have gotten lucky now, it was clear that the bank would not open an account for him because of his age.

“Yes… … That’s right. If you want to do business, you’ll need to open a bank account.”

Little Jeong Ju-yeong turned his head.

Then, the Yeongil Bank built by Daegal Daegam came into his sight.

And just in time.

In his hand he held a business license with the name of the great lord Daegal on it as the recommender.

“I’ll get it right away.”

“huh?”