Ch. 12: Seeds of Rebellion
5:47 AM, July 17th, 1918, somewhere south of Keijō, Chōsen
It was mostly dark outside, despite the fact that the sun was peeking over the horizon. Outside of the city were railroad tracks heading Northwards. The tracks were in a quiet, isolated location. There were no trees or buildings nearby the tracks. The quiet silence of dawn was suddenly broken by some rumbling in the distance.
"WHOOT, WHOOOOOT!" whistled an upcoming train. The train was hauling a few boxcars to what appeared to be the city. A trail of smoke could also be seen rising into the air as the train went by.
Further down the tracks were two military trucks parked by the tracks. Waiting around the truck was a battalion of the Black Army. The battalion consisted of Park, Seo, Yi, and three newer recruits. All of them were wearing their new black uniforms, which allowed them to blend into the darkness with ease.
Park looked up ahead and saw the train's blinding light shining in his direction.
"Alright the train is here!" whispered Park.
"Good. Just like Zero said it would." responded Seo. "Alright men! Get into position and prepare for instant initiation of second phase!"
"Sir!" said everyone. Once done saluting Seo, everyone ran behind the trucks and ducked. Everyone except for Park was crouching down and covering their ears.
"Now remember, do it before it's over the marked area." whispered Seo.
"I know." responded Park who had his hands on the plunger handle of a detonator box. The box was connected to a wire that was connected to some explosives laid along a section of railroad track. As the train came closer and closer to the general area, Park's hands started to nervously shake.
"Wait for it. Wait for it." thought Park as he concentrated on the train. He then pulled up on the plunger and prepared to push it at the right moment. "Alright, 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...". Park then closed his eyes and pushed the plunger immediately.
A loud "BOOOOOM!" suddenly echoed in the air. The force was even strong enough to rattle the battalion hiding behind the truck. All of them then uncovered their ears and stood up to see a small crater instead of a section of railroad. The rumbling from the train suddenly became stronger.
"EVERYONE GET BACK!" yelled Seo at the top of his lungs. The battalion then prepared for the upcoming accident the train was going to have.
With a section of railway obliterated, the speeding train, along with two of the cars it was pulling, went offtrack and flipped over on it's side. The sound of metal screeching against one another filled the air. Once the train stopped skidding on the ground on it's side, the battalion prepared their next phase.
"INITIATE PHASE 2. REMEMBER, OUR MISSION IS TO GET WHAT THIS TRAIN WAS CARRYING!" ordered Seo. All six of them, all armed with rifles, charged towards the scene of the accident. When they arrived, the battalion immediately investigated the area. During the investigation, Park saw the engineer's body hanging out like a rag.
"ENGINEER HAS BEEN FOUND DEAD SIR!" yelled Park.
"GOOD! PROCEED WITH CHECKING THE CARS! BUT KEEP YOUR GUARD UP STILL!" responded Seo. Each of them then went to the box cars that the train was pulling. Yi went to the one boxcar that didn't turn on it's side and unlocked the side door via the set of keys found on the dead engineer's body. Upon opening the door, Yi was astounded with what was in it.
"SIR! YOU BETTER HAVE A LOOK AT THIS!" said Yi. Seo and the rest of the battalion went to Yi to see what he had found. When they looked inside, they too became shocked at what they had found.
Inside the boxcar was what appeared to be Japanese artillery.
"Are these artillery guns?" asked one of the new recruits.
"Yeah. The engraving on it says it's a Type 41 75 mm Mountain gun." said Park.
"And look over there. There are boxes of what appear to be artillery shells." said another one of the new recruits as he pointed to some boxes stacked upon one another."
"Well I got to say, Zero has really planned things out well." said Seo. "Anyway, let's get as much of this stuff in the truck before we're spotted by someone."
Everyone then grabbed as much as they could and placed it in the truck. Only a few artillery guns could be taken due to their size and weight. Once the trucks were full, the battalion drove away from the scene and headed towards one of the Black Army's rendezvous points.
12:30 PM, Keijō, Chōsen
At the Black Army's steam yacht, which was rechristened as the Dangun, Zero was examining and reading various charts, maps, and schedules in his room. He was too was wearing a black-dyed Imperial Japanese uniform. However, unlike the rest of the Black Army, Zero's uniform was single-breasted and had a stiff collar, along with some silver bars sewn onto the collar and shoulders. Another addition to Zero's uniform were the pair of black gloves he was wearing.
Suddenly a knock could be heard at the door.
"Hello Zero? It's me. Kim Gu. Can I come in?"
"You may proceed." answered Zero. Kim Gu suddenly came in with some papers in his hands. Since Kim wasn't a member of the of Black Army officially, he wore his typical suit instead of a uniform.
"Close the door please." asked Zero. Kim Gu immediately shut the door.
"Now Zero I've got some things..." said Kim Gu.
"When we're in private you don't have to call me Zero." interrupted Zero.
"Are you sure? I mean is it safe?" asked a concerned Kim Gu.
"You're my friend, not my subordinate. I don't feel it's appropriate for a friend to address me with such formality." responded Zero.
"Ok. Anyway..." continued Kim Gu. He then made sure no one was within hearing range. "Anyway Lelouch I have a report from the battalion you sent southward this morning. According to the report, the mission was a success and they managed to haul away four artillery guns along with some shells."
"Good. I presume they stored them in the designated spot?" asked Lelouch.
"Yes they did." said Kim Gu. Kim Gu then shuffled around the papers in his hands until he reached a particular one. "Oh yeah, the council was able to get contact with more resistance movements. The groups have been told about the Black Army's accomplishments and are eager to join us."
"Hmmm. More new recruits." said Lelouch. "Excellent. Have the council relay contact information to them. I would like to meet them before I enlist them."
"Of course." answered Kim Gu. "Man the Black Army is getting more and more recruits by the day."
"They are joining because they see this as an opportunity to achieve something." said Lelouch. "While acting independently on their own with no central leadership, the resistance groups stand no chance to the Japan's forces. Getting them together is also difficult due to the separate interests of each group. But our demonstration with the Kawachi shows that we can win if we drop our individual interests and start acting as one."
"Of course. Organization is basically one, if not the most important concept in warfare." said Kim Gu. "But my question is how are you going to command so such a large group over a large area?"
"This is how." said Lelouch. He then showed Kim Gu the map he was just analyzing. On the map was the whole Korean Peninsula.
"Since we are going to be a large organization, we are going to need a more elaborate chain of command. You see every group I have managed to contact is primarily operating from a specific city/region. I have hereby decided that each city/region will be overseen by different battalions, who will be instructed by me."
"And I'm guessing you have already planned for setting up such a communications network of such scale without notice?" asked a seemingly skeptical Kim Gu.
"I have managed to get a map of all major Japanese communication lines. Some of the newer recruits are experts in communications. I plan to have them rewire certain points in the system so we can use the same wires to connect me and the separate battalions." explained Lelouch.
"But won't the Japanese easily know that we're hijacking their lines?" asked Kim Gu.
"No they won't. You see this map shows that if one line between two locations is down, then it will be manually switched over to another line leading to the same location. So whenever we decide to use their lines, the Japanese communications control will basically rewire the Japanese communications to another line. This will at least make the Japanese less suspicious of our activities." answered Lelouch.
"Very interesting. You truly are someone who could make miracles." said Kim Gu.
"Thank you very much Kim." said Lelouch as he got up from his seat. He then proceeded to grab his peaked cap. Like the rest of the uniform, it was formerly an Imperial Japanese officer's cap, but it was black with a silver band around it instead of brown with a red band around it. "Excuse me Kim, but I have to get to our supply depot and assess our resources."
"Of course." replied Kim. Lelouch then put the cap he had on his head, basically symbolizing he was on duty as Zero once more, before proceeding to exit the room.
"So we managed to take a pawn this morning. It's a good start. But let's see what Japan will do when if I launch an attack with a knight and a few pawns of my own. I'm curious to see what their next play will be..." thought Zero as he exited the ship's cabin.
2:00 PM, July 20th, 1918, Office of the Governor-General of Chōsen, Keijō, Chōsen
Count Hasegawa Yoshimichi, the Viceroy of Chōsen, was sitting at his desk drinking some hot tea from an expensive porcelain tea cup. After taking a few sips of the tea, Hasegawa picked up the daily newspaper laying on his desk and decided to read it.
The front page of the paper was a large picture of former-Czar Nicholas II sitting with the rest of his immediately family.
"BOLSHEVIK OFFICIALS CONFIRM RUMORS SURROUNDING THE EXECUTION OF THE ROMANOVS. REST OF WORLD IS UTTERLY SHOCKED." was printed right below the picture. Hasegawa then proceeded to open the paper and read the story.
"The death of former-Czar of Russia Nicholas II, along with the rest of the Imperial Russian Family, has been confirmed. Officials from the Bolshevik-run Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic have recently released a report confirming that the Romanov Family was executed. According to Bolshevik sources, the former-Czar and his family, who were under house arrest, were executed by the Red Army via shooting. Officials state this was done due to the White Army surrounding them. Furthermore, the effect this has on international relations are great. Several governments around the world..."
"KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!"
Hasegawa's train of thought was instantly shattered when he heard the knocking on his door.
"Come in!" said Hasegawa. A young man wearing a suit and glasses came into the Viceroy's office. He was also carrying a folder full of papers. Once he saw the Viceroy sitting at his desk, the man slightly bowed his head towards the Viceroy before continuing on.
"My Lord. I think you should look at these reports being issued from all over the peninsula." said the man nervously.
"Just read them to me." commanded Hasegawa. The young man then cleared his throat before speaking.
"According to the various garrisons stationed all over the Japanese colony of Chōsen, the following acts of conspiracy and insurgency have been carried out:
3:08 AM, July 16th - Insurgents destroy sections of the Gyeongbu and Honam Railroad Lines via dynamite in Daejeon.
11:42 AM, July 16th - A surprise raid launched against military barracks in Suwon results in causalities and equipment being stolen.
9:01 PM, July 16th - A few truckloads of arms and ammo are ambushed in Cheongju.
5:49 AM, July 17th - A train carrying artillery and shells was derailed South of Keijō. Cause of derailment determined to be sabotage.
10:44 PM, July 18th - Two supply ships docked in Busan are destroyed via carefully planted explosives. A third supply ship is seen reported to be stolen.
1:05 AM, July 19th - A surprise attack is launched against Japanese forces stationed at the Port of Gensan. Three small torpedo boats have reported to have disappeared afterwards.
6:29 PM, July 19th - Several army vehicles stationed in Heijō are either stolen or destroyed.
11:56 PM, July 19th - An iron work facility in Kyŏmip'o is reported to have suffered extensive damage. Cause determined to be sabotage." said the young man.
Hasegawa immediately got up from his chair and placed in his hand over his forehead.
"First the Kawachi and now this?" angrily said Hasegawa. "What's the status of the investigation of these incidents?"
"Not well my Lord. This Black Army manages to attack and hide very quickly. There's also no one we can go to that can at least give us a general direction." said the man as he adjusted his glasses.
"I can't believe this. This great Empire, one that has put China and Russia in awe, is now being tossed around by mere terrorists." responded Hasegawa as he gritted his teeth. "Have you tried interrogating resistance members we have arrested?"
"Yes we have. The interrogations have yielded nothing. None of the intellectuals we have captured seem to show no knowledge of the Black Army." answered the young man.
"So, this Black Army is seemingly separate from the mainstream resistance groups." said Hasegawa. The room was then silent for about a minute as Hasegawa was in deep thought. "Concentrate most of our monitoring resources on anything regarding to the Black Army. Also look for any unusual movements of supplies, vehicles, or weapons. If the Black Army has stolen that many arms and supplies, then they have to have a spot to store it."
"Yes my Lord." said the young man as he bowed his head. As the man then prepared to exit the office, a sergeant wearing a Kempeitai uniform came in. The officer then saluted Hasegawa before speaking.
"Viceroy, we have an urgent problem." said the sergeant.
"What is it sergeant?!" responded Hasegawa.
"Another surprise attack was just reported." answered the sergeant.
"WHAT?!" yelled Hasegawa as he slammed his hand on his desk, causing the porcelain tea set on the desk to rattle. Hasegawa then proceeded to take a deep breath before continuing. "So what's the location, status, and damage?"
"Well, one of the Tokkō's counterintelligence offices in Jinsen were overran by men in black uniforms. Casualties: currently unknown. Damage: extensive" reported the sergeant. "Also, communication lines in the surrounding area were tapped afterwards. A message was sent to various colonial offices and outposts all over the peninsula. The message was "The Black Army is not afraid of anything. Zero shall lead the Black Army to victory. Justice will be brought to the oppressors at all costs!"."
"So, Zero's the name of their leader huh." whispered Hasegawa to himself. "Sergeant! Find this Zero guy for me at all costs! This guy has mocked me for the last time!"
"Yes my Lord!" said the sergeant before he left the office. The young man wearing a suit and glasses also proceeded to leave also. Hasegawa poured more tea into his cup.
"Zero, you will not make me look like a fool in front of everyone. I will personally hunt you down to the ends of the earth and present your head to the Emperor himself!" thought Hasegawa as he sipped some tea.
Author's Notes: The Tokkō mentioned by Hasegawa is a counterintelligence civilian police force that is ran by the Kempeitai. Just like the Kempeitai was Imperial Japan's version of Nazi Germany's SS, the Tokkō was Japan's counterpart to Germany's Gestapo.
The Black Army ship's name, the Dangun, is a reference to the character of Dangun, the supposed legendary founder of the first Korean kingdom.
I also want to remind everyone that some characters/events in my story (historical and fictional) are loosely based upon their counterpart in the actual Code Geass series. Obviously for example, Lelouch/Zero's counterpart is a mix of Kim Gu and An Jung-geun. I only mention this because I'm curious to see if anybody can see the Code Geass references I made. I will tell you that Clovis' loose counterpart has already been mentioned and I plan to have counterparts for Schneizel, Charles, and some other characters as well.