Chapter 29
Chapter 29
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Counter-Coup (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
March 28, 1938, somewhere in Pyongyang.
A gentleman wearing a homburg appeared at an office set up in the middle of the city.
At once, the men in plain clothes stood up and saluted.
“Sit down, all of you.”
The gentleman took a seat at the head of the table, then removed his hat.
The face revealed beneath it was gaunt and sharp.
His eyes were remarkably steely, reminiscent of a pine tree weathered by storms.
“General, we’ll begin the briefing.”
“Go ahead.”
One of the plainclothes men affixed a highly detailed map of Pyongyang to a slate board.
He picked up a pointer and indicated various spots on the map as he spoke.
“Yi Seong-jun’s movements are as follows. Every morning at 7 a.m., he leaves the Chief of Staff residence and heads to the Army Ministry. There are three main routes, but since yesterday, he’s been changing them irregularly and frequently.”
“What about his escort?”
“Suddenly, an additional company of military police was assigned. Judging by the rotations, it looks like at least three companies are involved.”
The gentleman swallowed a groan.
“We can’t get close enough for a sure kill on Yi Seong-jun. Plan B it is.”
Of course, the counter-coup side had prepared contingencies as well.
If they couldn’t break through the security detail to use a gun, they could deploy a sniper or a suicide assassin.
A shot from long range or a suicide bombing would create an opening, no matter how many guards Yi Seong-jun had.
“We’ll look for suitable sharpshooters among the disgruntled veterans from the disbanded units.”
“Do that.”
“But, General.”
“Speak.”
“Isn’t this a leak? The fact that Yi Seong-jun has beefed up his security proves they’ve caught wind of our movements.”
“It’s only natural if you think about it. Yi Seong-jun’s eyes and ears are everywhere in this world. The moment we move, information reaches his ears inevitably. After winning the war, just imagine how many follow him blindly.”
As everyone knew, the entire military trembled at Yi Seong-jun’s intelligence network.
So they had anticipated some leakage at this level.
“Doesn’t that put the safety of our organization members at risk?”
“Didn’t we stake our lives on capturing Yi Seong-jun from the start? Without that resolve, how dare we aim for the top of this nation? What do you think this operation is?!”
The men bowed their heads at the general’s bellow.
“What we’re attempting is a righteous restoration to set this country straight. Of course we must risk our lives!”
Everyone fell silent.
“Keep that firmly in mind. Nothing else matters. Just capture Yi Seong-jun. Once he’s taken, those young pups in the National Salvation Military Committee will crumble on their own. You there, Major.”
“Yes, General.”
“Track Yi Seong-jun’s movements even more thoroughly, without letting your teams get exposed.”
“Yes, General.”
“Major Park, use your contacts in the military to find out how much of our information has leaked.”
“Yes. I’ll check thoroughly.”
After issuing orders to his subordinates, the general donned his homburg.
“We’ll rendezvous in a week.”
“We’ll see you then. Unity!”
“Unity!”
The general waved in response and left the office.
When he reached the military vehicle, his adjutant looked at him with a worried expression.
“General, no matter how I think about it, it’s too dangerous for you to lead this operation personally. Even if we eliminate Yi Seong-jun, do you think his underlings will sit idly by?”
“I’m well aware of that. But we can’t just sit here and wait to die. What kind of nation is our Korea? It’s a country led by the noble descendants of our military houses. How can we stand by and watch Yi Seong-jun hand it over to those rootless rabble who know nothing of its foundations?”
As a descendant of the military nobility that founded the empire, the general could not abide the National Salvation Military Committee’s scum—peasant stock and commoners crammed full.
Just seeing their outrages as they roamed society everywhere made his blood boil.
How had the nation come to such a sorry state?
If things continued like this, Yi Seong-jun would solidify his rule under the banner of victorious leader and fully privatize the state.
Then the chance would be gone forever.
He had to set the nation right before he was forced out.
He had to eliminate Yi Seong-jun.
Even if just for the sake of leading the country in the proper direction.
Once that man was gone, everything would return to how it was.
To the militaristic Korea they had ruled.
For that, he was prepared to sacrifice anything.
‘Korea belongs to us, the military nobility.’
The general gazed at the distant Army Ministry building with blazing eyes.
*
“Eagle One here. Requesting motorcade position from Banwol-dong.”
“Eagle One, roger. Message received.”
The new radios I introduced right after taking power were proving invaluable for security as well.
Unlike the old ones that required a vehicle to operate, the new models weighed just 4kg, allowing signalmen to carry them personally.
Chief Secretary Kim Jeong-gil finished the radio exchange and reported to me.
Even though I’d heard it all beside him, he reported for appearances’ sake.
“We’ll take a detour of about ten minutes, Chief of Staff.”
“Do so.”
“Eagle Three, no anomalies on current route.”
The advance military police platoon scouted ahead for dangers or suspicious signs.
Military police motorcycles flanked us on both sides, and in the rear, nearly two platoons of military police rode trucks to counter any armed assault.
Honestly, with this level of protection, who would attack?
It’d have to be a madman.
After zigzagging like that several times, we arrived at the safe house a bit later than scheduled.
“Has the Chief of Staff arrived?”
The key figures of the National Salvation Military Committee standing in the courtyard bowed in unison.
“It’s good to see your faces after so long.”
“Please, come inside.”
After exchanging greetings with the generals, I took the head seat in the conference room.
The generals took their assigned seats in order of rank.
This gathering included all the major power players steering the Imperial Korean military.
I looked around at my “fellow revolutionaries” before sharing intelligence on the counter-coup.
The Provost Marshal, Security Command, and Capital Defense Commander had been fully briefed in advance, but the rest had not.
They couldn’t hide their shock at the revelation of a coup plot.
“Your Excellency, how dare these scum try to overthrow our revolution?”
“Why not use this chance to purge the military’s rats once more? Looking back, Your Excellency has been too lenient. Those old men deserved to be stripped of rank, yet you left them their chairs.”
Well, it wasn’t a bad idea.
But to wield the knife, I needed justification.
Initially, I’d used the razor-sharp atmosphere of the coup to behead generals, but now I couldn’t strip ranks or execute arbitrarily.
Pushing people to extremes without cause turns even the compliant majority into potential enemies.
I had no intention of stirring up trouble needlessly.
“You there.”
“Yes, Chief of Staff.”
“If we launch purges under the pretext of a coup, what would we look like? What would become of Yi Seong-jun’s reputation?”
“Ah.”
In an authoritarian regime led by the military, coup attempts are best ignored.
If they exist, pretend they don’t.
Announcing a coup advertises our weak grip: come try your luck.
I had zero intention of following Putin’s footsteps.
“But letting this slide isn’t ideal either.”
“I know that, too.”
“What’s Your Excellency’s thinking?”
All the generals were eager for my thoughts.
I didn’t have any brilliant ideas myself.
Just...
“How about making the suspects ‘disappear’ briefly for investigation?”
This was a favorite tactic of China’s authoritarian leader, Chairman Xi Jinping.
Alibaba’s Jack Ma had vanished that way for a while.
Make someone disappear for about 40 days, then brush off questions by saying they’re under ‘investigation’ for anti-government remarks or actions.
It’s not a purge—just a simple ‘investigation.’
That’s the difference between ‘ah’ and ‘eo.’
“There will be backlash.”
“That’s why I need your support.”
I planned to keep any news of disappearances out of the papers entirely.
Any outlet that printed it could be shut down wholesale.
Wasn’t the guy building a ‘Democratic Republic of Korea’ going too far?
Sure, but this was about my life.
Me first, Korea second.
Baek Dong-seok spoke as representative.
“We follow Your Excellency’s lead without question. You are the leader of our revolution.”
“We obey Your Excellency’s command!”
“Just give the order! We’ll carry it out.”
The generals poured out pledges of loyalty in competition.
This was North Korean-style unanimous consent.
From the perspective of someone high up, it wasn’t half bad.
On my way out of the meeting, I instructed Security Commander Kim Seong-ju.
“Don’t delay—start immediately today.”
“We obey.”
If house fleas are hard to catch, burn the place down if you must.
Damn right.
By its nature, power brooks no challenges.
I began a merciless crackdown on the counter-coup faction.