Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 12.8 Military Coup (7)
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“Colonel Kim Seongju reports combat at the Prime Minister’s residence. He says he’ll block the Prime Minister’s escape at all costs.”
Block the Prime Minister’s escape.
There would be sacrifices, but it was the best move right now.
“Since things have come to this, the Prime Minister’s residence takes priority over the Army Ministry. Send the troops in the vehicles ahead to the residence.”
The cavalry regiment crossing the river would soon make up for any shortage in manpower.
“Understood.”
I set down the radio and thought it over.
In this militaristic Korea, seizing the Army Ministry mattered more than grabbing the Prime Minister.
But with my men risking their lives in the fight, I had no choice but to prioritize taking the Prime Minister into custody first.
*Chit-chit.*
“General, arrest warrant requested. General, arrest warrant requested!”
The radioman handed me the receiver—it was Colonel Gil Tae-hwan, chief of staff for the 16th Reserve Division.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Moments ago, General Lee Seok-gi arrived at the unit and is trying to exercise command authority.”
Lee Seok-gi?
Oh, the 16th Reserve Division commander?
I issued the order without batting an eye.
“Arrest him.”
“Understood.”
He must have rushed back from the Army Ministry to seize control of the unit, but it was too late.
In the heat of the coup, taking over a unit wasn’t that easy.
Especially when the key staff officers and regimental commanders were all part of our faction.
Still, I couldn’t dismiss the attempt to seize the unit lightly.
It meant the Army was still trying to disrupt our forces amid the chaos.
After a few radio exchanges, five minutes had already passed.
My throat felt dry.
I grabbed some candy from the car to quench my thirst.
As I peeled open another wrapper, the radioman spoke up.
“General, incoming from the Guard Unit.”
“Hand it over.”
There wasn’t even a moment to rest.
It was Colonel Baek from the Guard Unit, currently commanding the rebel CP.
“What’s going on?”
“The Marines are pulling large numbers of troops from various guard posts and moving them to the Prime Minister’s residence. The Provost Marshal is heading there too.”
Impressively detailed intel.
So the Provost Marshal was coming to the Prime Minister’s residence?
“Got it for now.”
The reason Colonel Baek Dong-seok, the operations staffer at the CP, had such a clear view of the Army Ministry’s movements was simple.
The rats in the Army Ministry—who’d decided the tide had turned—were reaching out to us and feeding us information.
Well, calling them rats was a bit harsh.
More accurately, they were collaborators who’d been “persuaded” by my followers.
Anyway, with things as they were, the Prime Minister’s residence was today’s decisive battleground.
It housed the Provost Marshal, the Security Commander, and the Prime Minister.
In other words, neutralizing the residence would blind and deafen the Army Ministry.
Once they were stumbling around blind, the Army Ministry could do nothing.
“Turn the car around. We’re heading to the Prime Minister’s residence too.”
“Yes, sir.”
My aide-de-camp, Kim Jeong-gil, sharply turned the wheel.
We chased after the vanguard of Guard armored regiment mechanized infantry vehicles.
*
The firefight around the Prime Minister’s residence showed no signs of letting up.
Security Commander Lee Jeong-ju bit his nails.
The enemy military police—seemingly not that numerous—were putting up fierce resistance.
They showed no intention of retreating from in front of the residence, no matter what.
‘Those rebel bastards.’
Lee Jeong-ju felt anxious.
He’d confirmed moments ago that the rebel vanguard was less than five minutes away from the residence.
Of course, that was under normal conditions. With barricades and tangled units blocking the roads everywhere, it would take at least ten minutes.
Even so, time was running out—that much was clear.
*Ring-a-ling.*
“Security Commander Lee Jeong-ju speaking. Yes? What? The rebels have crossed the Daedong River in greater numbers? Understood.”
Initially, Lee Jeong-ju had assumed the rebel follow-up units would take time to arrive, slowed by tanks lumbering across the Daedong River Bridge.
But the rebels had solved that by deploying the Guard Cavalry Regiment instead of infantry.
With the cavalry added, the enemy gained leeway to target new objectives.
‘This is bad.’
The Prime Minister’s residence and Army Ministry were already exposed to attack, and now this was piling on.
Lee Jeong-ju made some calls.
“General O? How’s the Guard dispatch going?”
“They’re en route. The Guard armored and artillery regiments are entering the city center, but it’ll take time. The infantry regiments are moving on foot—hold out for thirty minutes.”
It was all because of the chaos around the residence.
“Understood.”
“General Lee, hang in there.”
Even in this mess, the Prime Minister showed no sign of leaving the residence.
Did he really not care if the rebels captured him?
Lee Jeong-ju considered forcing him into a car, but that was impossible.
“General, it’s the Provost Marshal.”
“Yes, Security Commander Lee Jeong-ju here. The situation is extremely dire. Yes. The residence won’t fall immediately, but if rebel tanks arrive, we’re done for. Understood. We’ll wait.”
Fortunately, the Provost Marshal was rushing over on a military motorcycle.
Lee Jeong-ju stepped outside the main building to assess the situation with his own eyes.
The firefight was still raging on the road in front of the residence.
Presidential Security Director Ahn Won-tae, who’d dug a trench in the garden and was directing the battle from inside it, spotted Lee Jeong-ju.
“General Lee! What brings you here?”
At over seventy, the security director looked ridiculous in his suit topped with a steel helmet.
But that clownish sight perfectly captured the current predicament.
“We need to escort His Excellency out, but he won’t budge.”
“We can’t exactly escort him through a hail of bullets.”
“If we stay, the tanks will get us, Director.”
“Hmm.”
Security Director Ahn Won-tae had no intention of surrendering meekly to the rebels.
Having profited handsomely under the Park Han-jin regime, he wasn’t about to sit by and watch it collapse.
“Director!”
“Fine!”
Ahn Won-tae removed his helmet and headed to the Prime Minister’s office with Lee Jeong-ju.
At a glance from Lee Jeong-ju, Ahn Won-tae spoke first.
“Your Excellency, the situation has grown critical. If the rebels bring tanks, I can’t guarantee your safety. You must evacuate before that happens. The Capital Defense Command is ready to receive you.”
“The Security Director is right, Your Excellency. The man behind this rebellion, Yi Seong-jun, is a ruthless thug. He calls his actions a revolution and threatens bloodshed if necessary. Do you think your safety would be assured if such a man entered the residence?”
“Director.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Is the shooting over?”
That one remark from No Jae-woo shattered every prepared argument in the security director’s mind.
The very idea of dragging the head of the executive branch into a hail of bullets was absurd to begin with.
“Your Excellency!”
“Let me be clear: I’m not leaving. If you want me gone, clear up the commotion out front.”
Lee Jeong-ju felt his uniform straining at the seams.
On the way out of the office, the security director glanced around cautiously before whispering.
“General Lee, things being what they are, how about this?”
“Go on.”
“With the Prime Minister unable to judge the situation properly, it’s as good as incapacitated. Since we’re already in this mess, why not strip his authority and install a regent?”
An idea unthinkable in a normal democracy.
But this country was run by the military.
The Prime Minister could be replaced like a spare part if needed.
Of course, such a stunt carried massive political risk.
But better that than sitting idly by and losing.
“Prime Minister regent, huh.”
“Float it to the Army Ministry.”
Truth be told, Lee Jeong-ju had considered something similar.
He immediately picked up the phone.
“Army Ministry ops. Ah, General Park? It’s Security Commander Lee Jeong-ju. The Prime Minister has lost his faculties—we may need to install a regent. Yes. Have the cabinet nominate a suitable candidate.”
Lee Jeong-ju executed an idea the democratically minded Yi Seong-jun would never dream of.
Even if they captured the Prime Minister now, the Army Ministry could still control the government.
Which meant no need for the Provost Marshal to come here.
Lee Jeong-ju picked up the phone again.
“General O? Prime Minister’s residence. Yes. We’ve resolved the issue here another way, so don’t come. No, it’s fine. Yes. See you at the Army Ministry.”
As soon as he hung up, Lee Jeong-ju called for his aide.
“I’m heading out right away—take the car and go. What about you, General Ahn? Ride with me?”
“No point sticking around here doing nothing. I’ll go with you.”
Even if it meant breaking through gunfire, it beat waiting to die.
By abandoning the Prime Minister they were duty-bound to protect, the two generals had introduced a new variable.
Whether it would prove a gain or a loss, no one could say yet.