NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 12: Loyalty Training (2)
Loyalty Training was an army exercise to protect the current regime.
A distinguishing feature of this training was that the soldiers' outings and overnight leaves were restricted.
One might ask, what's the point of controlling the soldiers' movements?
This was done to enable immediate deployment in case of emergencies.
Thus, all units engaged in the loyalty training were forced to maintain preparedness, with no expectations.
Consequently, the soldiers in these units suffered the most.
Every day the soldiers would undergo an intense riot control drill on the parade grounds since the loyalty training focused extensively on quailing internal 'problems'.
"LOUDER!"
"LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!"
During the training, senior soldiers gripped large batons and shields, preparing to suppress the 'rioters'.While the recruits threw stones and jeered at them.
"Boo~"
"ADVANCE!"
The suppression force slowly marched towards the recruits, enduring the barrage of stones and curses.
Then a whistle blew.
Tweet!
"CHARGE-!"
With a roar, the suppression force charged, scattering the 'rioters' like ants.
The senior soldiers chased down their juniors, knocking them over and mercilessly beating them with their batons.
Naturally, many soldiers were injured during training.
Fatigue and discontent among the troops were at an all-time high.
Yet, no one raised their complaints.
At least we're staying in the Capital for this Loyalty training...It's better than getting transferred to the frontlines...
Of course, some brave souls (fools) grumbled about the training among themselves.
Those who did it were mainly junior officers who followed Sung Joon.
"...Loyalty Traning when we are at war...The higher-ups must be out of their minds."
"Senior...Thank god I didn't have my weapon with me...I swear...If I had it I would have blasted those bastards on the podium...!"
While discontent about loyalty training simmered within the military, the top brass didn't set an end date.
The unspoken end date for the training was when the Empire won the war against China.
Once Nanjing1 surrendered, morale and popularity would recover and enough troops could be stationed around the Capital to protect the regime.
Thus, the Military wanted to drag out the training until then.
But, what if the war with China reached a stalemate?
Park Han-jin and his cabinet had a Plan B in mind.
It involved peace negotiations mediated by Germany.
The Korean government subtly approached German Ambassador Herbert von Dirksen2 about mediating the Korean-Chinese War.
And Germany's response was positive.
Understandably so, as both China and Korea were important trade partners for Germany, and Berlin didn't want prolonged conflict between Pyongyang and Nanjing.
With Germany's enthusiasm, the trilateral negotiations in Berlin were progressing smoothly by November.
Because of this, Park Han-jin's regime had no qualms about dragging out loyalty training.
The war will end in 10 weeks at most. Some soldiers might feel discontent, but that's a necessary sacrifice.
The Military heads sincerely believed this.
Following their plan, the intensity of the training stayed the same over time.
If anything, it intensified.
"LISTEN UP! We will incorporate mobilization drills for riot suppression. The daily march will be 60 kilometers to meet with the troops movements reported by the Army Ministry." 3
"What?"
It seemed insane, but it was an order from above.
Besides riot control, soldiers had to undergo mobility training for the top brass's true desire - 'coup suppression'.
"Arghh! Fuck this! What are they thinking?! This is bullshit!"
The stress among the soldiers reached its peak.
Yet no one suggested adjusting the intensity of loyalty training.
"LOUDER!"
"LOYALTY TRAINING! LOYALTY TRAINING!"
The soldiers' voices were tainted with a bitter rage.
A single thought dominated their minds.
They would kill any fucker who dared to riot after they suffered all these training sessions.
*
"Loyalty training, huh."
I pondered while sipping my coffee.
The reason for the training was rather obvious.
They were preparing for troop mobilization in case of emergency.
And that emergency?
Perhaps a coup suppression.
With this in mind, I tried to think of any coup attempts that would happen in this period, but...
There shouldn't be any, at least not in the webtoon.
The only coup cited in the Webtoon was the coup attempt that would happen in 1939. 4
Of course, it could be happening earlier, but I would've known if that were the case.
After all, I had my eyes on those who would lead the coup of 39.
Putting down my coffee mug, I called for Kim Jong-Gil.
"Yes, General?"
"Those bastards from the Security Command are still tailing us?"
"They are, sir."
"Leaches, the lot of them."
A few days ago, we noticed soldiers in civilian clothes following us.
How did we know they were soldiers you ask?
Simple, these knuckleheads were all using the same buzzcut most soldiers had.
And only one organization could tail a high-ranking General in civilian clothes.
The Defense Security Command. 5
"It'll be difficult to contact our Ilwonhwa6 members directly then."
"For now, yes sir."
Of course, I had prepared for situations where direct contact would be difficult.
The method was through newspapers.
On certain days, I conveyed my intentions to Ilwonhwa members through my editorials.
The method was simple.
Messages were conveyed by reading only certain letters in predetermined rows, matching diagonals or dates.
"Just In case the DSC tries to arrest our Ilwonhwa members, please check on their status daily."
"Yes sir. I'll confirm through our contact network."
Jong-Gil had established communication routes with junior officers, giving him enough intelligence to check on Ilwonhwa members' status.
"General...If I may..."
"Speak freely."
"What if, by chance, an Ilwonhwa member gets arrested?"
Well, isn't that obvious?
"Speed is the essence of war." 7
We must act before they make our comrade talk.
Speed is vital in a coup.
If we're caught, we must put a knife to their throat before they can do the same to us.
If we fail, we all die.
"But why do you ask?"
"There's word that Security Command is investigating Ilwonhwa officers in the Training Division."
"The Training Division?"
The Training Division is the key combat unit for this operation.
Though its name suggests a weak educational unit, its actual strength surpasses the combined 16th and 17th Reserve Divisions.
After all, the Training Division has a tank regiment under its command.
I learned my lesson in Spain of how crucial tanks could be on the battlefield.
Even outdated tanks can still kill.
"Yes, sir."
"Hmm...The Training Division..."
Those guys are known for their 'sticky fingers'.
In that division, various military equipment often gets 'displaced' and is traditionally sold by soldiers to supplement their living expenses.
It's not exactly a commendable practice, but considering the meager salaries in the Training Division, it's somewhat understandable.
If those DSC bastards are investigating embezzlement in the Training Division...
Our previous members might be at risk.
If they are investigating those whom I've only superficially befriended...
They must see me as a bigger threat than I'd thought.
"Jong-Gil."
"Yes, General."
"We need to move up our schedule."
There's a common saying in games or even in fights.
The one who strikes first wins.
Of course, there are counterexamples like the Japanese Empire's preemptive strike on Pearl Harbor8, but even that isn't entirely wrong.
After all, how else could the Japs even fight the US on equal grounds for a year?
It's because they fought dirty, drawing first blood.
I would do the same.
I had no intention of waiting for the Defense Security Command to put a knife to my throat.
"When does the general officer promotion review for each branch end?"
"December 9th, I believe."
"Then, we should proceed with our operation on the 8th, during the promotion review."
I decided to strike when the branch commanders were away from their units.
With the commanders absent, our Ilwonhwa senior officers and junior reformist officers could easily seize control of the units.
"That seems ideal, sir."
It's unfortunate we can't plan in detail with Ilwonhwa's members, but it can't be helped.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
So, I informed the Ilwonhwa officers of my decision to execute the coup through a newspaper editorial.
"The General whispered through starlight."
***
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