Free Web NovelRelief washed over me when I heard a familiar voice while I was still hiding.
“Boss, don’t move yet.”
As soon as I heard Igor’s voice, I tried to get up, but Manager Kim stretched out his arm and stopped me. Then he immediately issued orders to the security team.
“Check the area! Make sure it’s safe!” frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Half of the bodyguards who had been protecting me began scanning the surroundings, staying on alert.
Some of them even slowly descended the mountain, carefully confirming that the area was secure.
I slowly stood up and brushed the dirt off my clothes.
“Ha...”
They were still saying it might not be safe yet, but an unconscious sigh of relief escaped from my mouth.
Following Manager Kim’s advice, I didn’t rush out. Instead, I straightened my disheveled clothes and waited for Igor to arrive.
How much time had passed?
Only after Igor and the bodyguards confirmed that the North Korean troops had been annihilated did they approach me.
“Boss.”
Igor called out to me, his voice filled with concern.
I smiled faintly and patted his shoulder. Of course, I didn’t forget to thank him for his hard work.
Igor handed me a thick coat.
“I’m glad you’re safe, Boss.”
Once I put on the coat he gave me, I finally realized that I had been trembling from the cold.
Or maybe it wasn’t the cold.
I rubbed my arms absently and asked,
“Are there any injured?”
“No fatalities. The wounded are receiving treatment. But Boss, is that really what you should be worrying about right now?”
“You’re right. Still, I had to ask. Let’s cross the border as quickly as possible. Let’s go down.”
Igor and Manager Kim took positions on either side of me, escorting me.
When we followed them down to the road, the aftermath of the battle lay clearly before us.
The road was riddled with bullet holes, and blood and corpses were scattered everywhere.
Most of them belonged to North Korean soldiers.
I stared briefly at the miserable sight of the fallen troops before climbing into the military vehicle Igor had brought.
“Let’s go home now. I miss the comfort of Seoul.”
Once we crossed the Russian border, we would be safe.
No one in North Korea could cross the Russian border to pursue us.
* * *
General Political Bureau Operations Room.
Choi Ryonghae couldn’t regain his composure.
This had been an operation that should have succeeded.
He had been certain of it.
But every report that came in carried nothing but bad news.
“What the hell is going on?! Why can’t we contact the Pyongyang Defense Command?!”
The core of this uprising was the Pyongyang command.
Even though its size had been cut in half, it was still stationed close to Pyongyang.
And the number of troops there wasn’t much different from the Guard Command stationed inside the capital.
“The detained commander has been released.”
“What? What kind of nonsense is that?! Speak sense!”
“While most of our forces were moving toward Pyongyang, the officers who remained behind rescued the commander and restored his command authority.”
Choi Ryonghae slammed the desk violently.
Then he shouted in a sharp voice.
“Tell the commanders marching toward Pyongyang to ignore everything and continue advancing!”
“Yes, Comrade Director of the General Political Bureau!”
Choi Ryonghae had already ordered the elite troops of the General Political Bureau to seize the villa in order to secure Kim Jongil.
“What about the General? Have they secured the General?”
“That... we’ve lost contact.”
“What?!”
Choi Ryonghae gritted his teeth.
There was only one option left now.
Kim Jongil had to be secured at all costs.
Even now, there were still factions within the People’s Army that remained loyal to him.
The success or failure of the coup depended on a single word from Kim Jongil.
“Keep trying! You must secure the General no matter what!”
“Yes!”
Choi Ryonghae’s face changed by the minute.
By now it had turned deathly pale.
The more anxious he became, the more the other officers around him fell into confusion.
“Director.”
At that moment, Kim Youngchun approached and placed a hand on Choi Ryonghae’s shoulder.
“Marshal.”
“If the Director of the General Political Bureau trembles with fear, everyone else will become even more anxious. So steady your heart. Do you understand?”
“...Yes, Marshal.”
Kim Youngchun looked Choi Ryonghae in the eyes and continued.
“Contact Jiang Zemin. Tell him to move the Chinese army and cross the border.”
“What? That’s...”
“If we fail like this, we’re all dead men. And it won’t be a pleasant death!”
When Choi Ryonghae hesitated, Kim Youngchun spoke in a harsh tone.
“Does Jang Songthaek look like a kind man to you? Have you forgotten the bloodbath that swept through when he seized power?”
Jang Songthaek had used people’s fear during the purges.
It was his way of reducing the number of purges—by making the terror overwhelming.
When Choi Ryonghae remembered that time, his breath stopped involuntarily.
“Didn’t he grind people’s bodies with anti-aircraft guns? If you don’t want to die like that, get a grip!”
“I... I understand.”
Choi Ryonghae took a deep breath and picked up the phone in front of him.
“I’ll move to the underground command post at the General Staff Headquarters’ Cheolbonggak and take command from there.”
“...All of a sudden?”
“Isn’t it better than sitting here doing nothing? I’ll command the troops from there.”
“Then we’ll rely on you.”
If the Chief of the General Staff, Kim Youngchun, took action, it would be a tremendous help to Choi Ryonghae.
Kim Youngchun wore a gentle smile on his face.
But inside, he was already thinking something entirely different.
‘At least I have to survive.’
From the beginning, North Korea wasn’t a system where military coups were easy.
The only reason Jang Songthaek had succeeded before was partly thanks to Kim Muhyuk’s help.
But there had also been incredible luck involved.
This uprising, on the other hand, had been falling apart from the very start.
Kim Youngchun was already preparing his escape route.
If necessary, he would suppress the rebellion as Chief of the General Staff.
That was the only way he could survive.
And to do that, he had to leave this place first.
“I’ll make sure to capture Jang Songthaek.”
Kim Youngchun led the officers who had come with him from the General Staff Headquarters and left the command room of the General Political Bureau.
Watching him leave, the First Vice Director of the General Political Bureau whispered cautiously to Choi Ryonghae.
“Director... is it really safe to let Marshal Kim Youngchun go like this?”
Choi Ryonghae looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“What do you mean?”
“What if he joins Jang Songthaek? That could ruin everything.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Why would the Chief of the General Staff do that? And even if he did join them, do you think Jang Songthaek would spare him?”
“But still...”
Seeing the vice director’s anxious expression, Choi Ryonghae patted his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. The uprising will succeed. China is behind us, isn’t it?”
If Choi Ryonghae had been alone, he wouldn’t have been able to gather even half the officers currently assembled here.
It was because they believed China was backing them that such a large force had gathered.
Choi Ryonghae dialed Jiang Zemin’s direct line.
The ringing continued.
But no one answered.
Once. Twice. Three times.
The more attempts he made, the deeper Choi Ryonghae’s anxiety grew.
“Those bastards! Why won’t they pick up the phone?!”
When the fourth call also failed, Choi Ryonghae slammed the receiver onto the table and cursed.
“Damn those Chinese bastards! We should never have trusted them!”
Everyone in the command room stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him.
“What are you staring at?! Move! Now!”
Choi Ryonghae shouted at the officers.
The First Vice Director shut his eyes tightly.
This was the kind of man Choi Ryonghae had always been.
A thug who crushed others with the tiny bit of power he possessed.
At that moment, the door burst open and the head of the inspection department rushed into the command room.
“Director! Troops from the Guard Command have crossed the bridge with tanks and are advancing toward the General Political Bureau!”
“What?!”
“They crossed the bridge ten minutes ago!”
“Why are you only reporting this now?!”
Choi Ryonghae grabbed the broken telephone and hurled it at the inspector.
The phone barely missed his face and smashed into the wall behind him.
“Stop them! Even if you have to die, stop them! If we hold out a little longer, the Chief of the General Staff will arrive with reinforcements!”
“Yes, yes!”
The inspector rushed out of the command room.
“Call for reinforcements! Why are you all standing around like idiots?!”
Two battalion-level units were permanently stationed near the General Political Bureau headquarters.
Their numbers were smaller than the Guard Command’s forces, but if they defended this fortified position, they could buy enough time.
If reinforcements from the General Staff arrived and annihilated the advancing Guard Command troops, victory would still be possible.
Having finished his calculations, Choi Ryonghae raised his voice again.
“Contact the General Staff Headquarters. As soon as the Chief of the General Staff arrives, tell them to send reinforcements here immediately!”
“Yes!”
Choi Ryonghae moved toward the window, still burdened with anxiety.
Through the glass, he watched soldiers rushing to prepare defensive positions.
Seeing them, he tried to calm the frantic beating of his heart.
* * *
At that moment, General Won Seonghui, commander of the Guard Command, advanced toward the General Political Bureau with the troops under his direct command, acting on orders from Jang Songthaek.
Won Seonghui’s unit departed from the Moranbong District of Pyongyang, where the Guard Command headquarters was located. As they moved forward, independent brigades scattered across the city began joining his force one by one.
The citizens of Pyongyang trembled in fear at the sudden military movement and quickly disappeared from the streets.
Leading tanks and various specialized equipment, the unit crossed the bridge and arrived near the General Political Bureau.
“Prepare for combat!”
Won Seonghui’s command echoed from the loudspeaker mounted on a Soviet-made jeep.
Soldiers quickly began disembarking from the trucks, and the tanks that had come to a halt turned their main guns toward the General Political Bureau.
“Listen well, rebels! I am Won Seonghui, Commander of the Guard Command, here under the orders of the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission to suppress this rebellion. Throw down your weapons immediately! Otherwise, death is the only thing waiting for you!”
As Won Seonghui’s voice thundered through the loudspeaker, soldiers inside the General Political Bureau began moving rapidly.
“Surrender! The rebellion has already failed!”
But there was no response.
Clicking his tongue quietly, Won Seonghui issued the order.
“Advance! Kill every last one of the rebels!”
As soon as the suppression order was given, Guard Command soldiers began advancing with M1992 armored vehicles at the front.
Anti-tank missiles erupted from the armored vehicles and slammed into the main gate of the General Political Bureau.
Boom!
With a deafening explosion, the battle began.
At the same time, heavy machine guns installed on the General Political Bureau building opened fire, spitting out a storm of bullets.
However, the heavy machine guns could not penetrate the M1992 armored vehicles.
As if responding in kind, the machine guns mounted on the armored vehicles also began firing.
The bullets sprayed from the vehicles shredded the soldiers hiding behind the walls of the Guard Command compound.
Tatatatata. Dudududu.
Standing at a distance, Won Seonghui watched the General Political Bureau headquarters where the battle was unfolding and continued issuing orders.
Just then, a communications soldier waiting nearby called out to him.
“Commander!”
The soldier held out a communications device.
“It’s the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission.”
Won Seonghui snatched the device.
“Yes! This is Commander Won Seonghui speaking!”
— What’s the situation?
“The battle has just begun.”
— They dare resist? Those bastards!
Upon hearing that fighting had started, Jang Songthaek ground his teeth.
— There won’t be any reinforcements supporting the General Political Bureau. I just received word that Kim Youngchun, the Chief of the General Staff, has returned on his own.
“Ah...”
— The troops that departed from the Pyongyang Defense Command have also turned back. Once you clean up the remaining stragglers there, it’s all over.
“Yes! We will suppress them quickly.”
— No. Hold your current position. Our soldiers must not be injured!
“You mean maintain a standoff?”
Unable to understand the order, Won Seonghui asked again.
“We can suppress them quickly. We will capture all the reactionaries and present them to you, Chairman!”
— No. The Air Force will handle it. Wait.
The communication ended abruptly.
Won Seonghui stood there, stunned.
“The Air Force...? Did he just say the Air Force?”
He unconsciously looked up at the sky and muttered.
“Looks like they’re planning to completely wipe this place off the map...”
Coming back to his senses, he lowered his gaze and issued new orders.
“Hold your positions! Do not advance recklessly!”
“Yes!”
The subordinate officers quickly relayed the command.
Meanwhile, the commander of the 57th Air Regiment stationed in Nampo City had just received an unexpected order.
Holding the receiver of the phone that had just gone silent, he muttered blankly.
“Did I hear that correctly? He told us to bomb the General Political Bureau headquarters?”
But there was no room for doubt.
The voice he had heard through the receiver had unmistakably been that of Chairman Jang Songthaek himself.
“This is no time to hesitate.”
He immediately summoned the squadron leader who had been on standby.
“You called for me, Comrade Commander!”
“Launch the squadron immediately. The target is Pyongyang.”
“...Sir? I must have misheard.”
The squadron leader asked blankly, and the commander shouted angrily.
“Are you deaf? Launch immediately! It’s a direct order from the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission!”
“...Is that really true?”
“You bastard! We don’t have time for this! The target is the General Political Bureau headquarters in Pyongyang. Launch immediately! That’s an order!”
The commander’s sharp command snapped the squadron leader back to reality.
He saluted and ran out.
He quickly gathered the pilots, and soon the aircraft took off.
“Squadron Leader, what the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know either. I was only told it’s a direct order from the Chairman.”
The pilots continued asking questions over the radio, but the squadron leader had no answers to give.
With a faint sense of unease, the pilots nevertheless arrived in Pyongyang’s airspace without encountering any interference.
“...Now that we’re here, I understand. This really is the Chairman’s order.”
The air defense battalion protecting Pyongyang showed no reaction.
For decades, Pyongyang had maintained a dense air defense network.
If the order had been fake, they would have been attacked already.
But there was nothing.
The roads and buildings of Pyongyang came into view beneath them, and they were only moments away from the target.
“We’re almost there, Squadron Leader!”
At that moment, another transmission came through.
— This is the Air Force commander! Where are you now?
“We have just entered Pyongyang.”
— Good. Unleash everything! Leave nothing behind! Kill every one of those reactionary bastards! fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
The shocking order made the squadron leader doubt his own ears.
“Y-you’re serious?”
— This is an order. Use all firepower and wipe them out!
The transmission ended.
What snapped the stunned squadron leader back to reality was the report from one of his pilots.
“Squadron Leader! The target is in sight!”
The General Political Bureau had finally entered their view.
“What are your orders, Squadron Leader?”
“What do you mean what? If they say fire, we fire. Dump everything!”
As soon as the squadron leader gave the command, the pilots acknowledged in unison.
Moments later, the missiles mounted on the MiG-29 fighters were launched simultaneously toward the headquarters of the General Political Bureau.
