Chapter 17: The Military Coup of December 8th (5)

"Park Han-jin's arrest operation is complete. He's currently being transported to the safe house.""Hmm."

I forced a casual demeanor upon hearing this news.

Park Han-jin's arrest was a necessary task, so it wouldn't do to get too excited about it.

Soon, reports of successful arrests of the Army Chief of Staff and Capital Defense Commander came in. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the ɴøvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

The Prime Minister's residence was under constant surveillance.

However, we failed to arrest the Army Vice Chief of Staff and Defense Security Commander.

I'd half-expected the DSC commander's escape, but the Vice Chief's slip was unexpected.

The arrest team reported securing the residence as planned but had no idea where he'd vanished to.

Still, someone of the Vice Chief's rank could utilize the Army's official chain of command.

I dispatched the Training Units as planned.

The targets were the Prime Minister's residence and the Army Ministry.

I had no intention of avoiding engagement with the Guards Division if it came to that.

"Colonel Baek Dong-seok, you will command the CP. I need to go to the field."

"Understood."

I boarded the military communications vehicle from the Training Armored Regiment.

The 1923-commissioned radio was enormous; with Jong-gil and a signalman, it was cramped.

'Well, that's to be expected.'

This car was comparable to South Korea's Sibal car.

Expecting too much in this era would be disappointing.

Minutes after leaving the base, the radio crackled.

The signalman listened, exchanged a few words, and then said with a tense expression,

"General, it's the Chief of Staff, sir."

"Put him through."

I took the radio.

"This is Lee Sung-joon speaking."

"General Lee, you've gone mad!"

The old man's voice boomed through the radio.

"Do you realize what you're doing?"

"I do. I know very well."

"Withdraw your troops immediately! Are you trying to turn the Capital into a battlezone?"

"If we withdraw, we'll all die."

"Listen, General Lee! Can’t you see that you’re actions are only doing those Ching Chong’s a favor?!”

The Chief of Staff's tone gradually shifted from forceful to pleading.

"I didn't intend for this from the start. But with Park Han-jin ruining the country, what choice did I have?"

"General Lee. Given how things have escalated, I can't ask for an amicable resolution, but what crime have the Capital's citizens committed?"

"Hmm."

"So, let's make a gentlemen's agreement."

"What kind of agreement?"

"Refrain from using heavy weapons within the Capital."

It was a somewhat reasonable suggestion.

Unlike Yoon Sung-min, the Vice Chief of Staff during the 12.12 coup, the Chief of Staff wasn't spouting nonsense about both sides ceasing troop mobilization.

He deserved some credit for that, but why should I comply with his request?

"You're asking us not to use the Training Tank Regiment, but how can we deal with the Guards without it?"

"General Lee."

"Stop the Guards Division's mobilization first. Then I'll consider it."

"That's an impossible demand."

"Then forget it. And you'd better remove the MPs you've stationed at the Taedong River bridges. I'd rather not crush those poor MPs with tanks."

“General Lee, we have dispatched combat engineers to those bridges. Crossing the Taedong with tanks would be your last mistake.”

"You’re welcome to try to stop me.”

I cut off the radio, my fingers gripping the device tightly.

The contact from the Army Chief of Staf was undoubtedly a test.

He was probably trying to gauge how far we'd go and what we were capable of.

And he must have been shocked.

I showed the attitude that I'd ram tanks into the Capital to ensure the coup's success if necessary.

Of course, such a hardline response wasn't ideal as it would solidify the Army Ministry's resolve.

But I had no choice but to respond this way.

The reason was simple.

This would effectively nullify the enemy's suppression strategy.

Of course, if the Vice Chief of Staff reached the Army Ministry in time, things could change. But without a car, it would take quite a while to get there from the residence.

We just needed to use that time well.

I checked my watch, the second hand ticking relentlessly.

The time was already 7:45 PM.

*

"My friend, isn't that gunfire?"

"That it is.."

"Looks like all hell's broken loose."

"Let's get up for now."

At 7:15 PM, Major General Oh Gwang-se, commander of the 1st Guards Division, and Major General Ha Jung-yeon the Director of Operations at the Army Ministry hurried back to their division and the Army Ministry after hearing gunshots.

They were shocked to hear the DSC's information at their units.

Oh Gwang-se hastily called the Army Ministry, his voice trembling with urgency.

"General Park, what's the situation? Are we responding to the coup?"

"We've ordered the MPs to block the Taedong River bridges. I'll order the Guards Division to mobilize, so prepare your troops."

"Copy That."

Minutes later, when the Army Ministry's official order came down, Oh Gwang-se realized a real insurrection had broken out.

He dialed the phone to issue mobilization orders to each subordinate unit, his fingers shaking slightly.

The target was the rebel army advancing towards key locations in the Capital.

The Guards Division was already in loyalty training, so the units could quickly prepare and deploy.

Colonel Park Joon, commander of the 1st Guards Regiment, was ordered to intercept rebels advancing on the Prime Minister's residence.

Their opponent was the Training Unit Tank Regiment crossing the Taedong River iron bridge.

Park Joon couldn't believe that the seemingly kind superior he'd known in the Spanish Civil War was committing such a brutal act.

"Colonel, we're ready to move out."

"Let's go."

"Yes, sir."

Park Joon commanded from the front in a military vehicle, the engine's rumble matching his racing heart.

The Guards Regiment passed in front of the Army Ministry, where government offices clustered, and headed south towards the 3rd Taedong River iron bridge.

As they moved towards the 3rd bridge, radio messages from the rebel side kept coming in, crackling with static and tension.

Park Joon tried to ignore them but eventually answered, his jaw clenched tight.

He decided to hear what the other side had to say.

"This is Colonel Park Joon, 1st Guards Regiment commander."

"Colonel Park! This is the Training Unit. The tide has already turned. We have the Army Minister in our custody. Judge the situation wisely."

It was the Operations Staff Officer of the rebel Training Unit, his voice dripping with confidence.

"Colonel Baek. We're soldiers. A soldier's duty is to obey the nation's orders. Stop talking nonsense."

Park Joon repeatedly rejected the rebels' attempts at persuasion.

At 8:00 PM…

The trucks carrying Park Joon's Guards Infantry Regiment arrived at the 3rd iron bridge.

On the bridge, the Military Police Planning Chief, dispatched by the Provost Marshal, was busy blocking the bridge in cooperation with combat engineers.

"Is that Colonel Park?"

The officers, who had been worried about the rebels approaching, sighed in relief when Park Joon's unit arrived.

Just minutes after Park Joon's unit arrived, a rumbling sound was heard, and more than ten formidable-looking tanks appeared.

It was the arrival of the Training Armored Regiment, one of only two armored units in the Capital.

As the Training Unit Tank Regiment's tanks aimed their main guns at the bridge, both MPs and infantry swallowed hard, the acrid taste of fear in their mouths.

But the rebel tanks stopped in front of the bridge, and one came forward.

"This is General Lee Sung-joon."

The officers were startled to recognize Lee Sung-joon's voice, their bodies tensing involuntarily.

"Can't we just shoot that thing?"

"He's in a tank. Who's going to deal with the aftermath if we provoke them and shells start flying?"

Lee Sung-joon continued speaking through a loudspeaker from inside the tank, his voice echoing across the tense battlefield.

"Colonel Park. I know you're listening. I'll keep it brief. I understand that this situation, where we're aiming guns at our own comrades, is deeply regrettable and unfortunate. But in time, you'll understand that our decision was right."

After Lee Sung-joon's words, the MP Planning Chief, who had been quiet, nudged Park Joon, his voice a whisper.

"Colonel Park. Let's try to buy some time. If we can stall until the Guards Armored Regiment mobilizes, these bastards won't even be able to set foot near the Army Ministry."

Park Joon hesitated, then took the loudspeaker, his palm sweaty against the cold metal.

"General Lee Sung-joon. It deeply saddens and grieves me to face you, my former superior, like this. General, as a subordinate who once respected you, I implore you, can't you stop this here?"

"Colonel Park. That's out of the question. When has a revolution ever stopped halfway?"

"Did you just say revolution? This is nothing but a rebellion."

"Colonel Park. Then what would you call what Park Han-jin did?"

Even Park Joon found it difficult to answer that question, his jaw clenching tightly.

"Colonel Park. Our nation is on the brink of ruin. The war Park Han-jin started has put us out of favor with the great powers. Can Park Han-jin resolve this situation? If he could, he wouldn't have started the war in the first place."

"General. I admit our government has made mistakes. But rising up in rebellion is wrong. If everyone rebelled when the country went astray, how could any nation survive?"

"Then let me ask you. How else can we correct the Korean Empire's wrongs, if not through revolution? The parliament? The courts?"

That was true. In militaristic Korea, there was no legitimate way to change the regime.

Park Joon didn't deny this fact, his silence speaking volumes.

"Colonel Park. I had no choice but to revolt. This was the only way."

"That's a cowardly excuse."

"Yes, it's cowardly. But what can I do? This is the only way to save Korea. Colonel Park. I'm not asking for much. Just clear the way."

"I can't do that."

"Then you'll make comrades spill each other's blood? As I said, I'm in the midst of a revolution. Revolutions involve bloodshed. I'm prepared for that."

Park Joon looked at the faces of his subordinates, their eyes filled with uncertainty and fear.

It was a soldier's natural duty to protect the nation.

Park Joon had always thought of himself as a soldier faithful to his duty.

But was this regime really worth sacrificing the lives of his cherished subordinates to protect?

Park Joon couldn't answer easily, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts.

"Colonel Park. I can't give you much time. Decide within 5 minutes."

The loudspeaker fell silent, leaving an eerie quiet in its wake.

Park Joon bit his lip and looked at the officers beside him, tasting blood.

Colonel Jo Un, the MP Planning Chief, cleared his throat.

Unlike a few minutes ago when he insisted on stopping the rebels, it seemed his thoughts had changed now that lives were at stake.

If high-ranking officers were like this, what could be expected of the lower-ranking ones?

Park Joon heaved a deep sigh, the weight of his decision heavy on his shoulders.

"Colonel Jo."

"Y-yes?"

"Remove the barricade."

"A-alright."

After the conflict between the state and his subordinates' lives, Park Joon chose to surrender.

The tank crews of the Training Unit Tank Regiment soon began driving their tanks onto the 3rd iron bridge, cheering.

8:30 PM.

The Training Unit Tank Regiment, the main force of the rebels, entered the center of the Capital, the rumble of their engines echoing through the streets.

At the same time, units of the 16th and 17th Reserve Divisions crossed the boundaries of Pyongyang from the west, their boots pounding against the pavement, creating a unique symphony.

Meanwhile, the Defense Security Commander Lee Jeong-ju, grasping the entire situation, hurriedly headed for the Prime Minister's residence.

Given how things had turned out, the only option left was to escort the Prime Minister and the Emperor out of the Capital, their fate hanging in the balance.

***

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