Ch. 18: Cat and Mouse
Members of the Black Army were either sleeping or surveying the passing countryside from within the various box cars being pulled by the steam locomotive. Zero was reviewing a map he had brought with him while Kim Gu sitting next to Zero, who was quietly reading a book on political philosophy.
"According to my calculations and how much time has passed since our departure from Changchun." said Zero as he looked at his pocket watch. "At the current speed we are going, I estimate we should be nearing Harbin in about 10 minutes."
"That's good. We'll probably be entering Bolshevik-held territory soon enough." replied Kim Gu.
"By the way, what made you decide to come with us today? Usually you avoid the front lines." asked Zero.
"Well, I figured that going to Russia with you guys to meet the Red Army personally will give me better insight in of their agendas and personality. Such info could be useful for the council." answered Kim Gu.
"I see. Well I appreciate it very much." responded Zero.
"Zero! You better have a look a look at this." said Capt. Gang as he stood at the open box car door.
Zero immediately got up and walked towards Capt. Gang, who was now looking behind the moving train. Zero held onto a part of the sliding door so he could keep his balance as he poked his head outside. It was then that Zero realized what Capt. Gang was so worried about.
In the distance one could see dozens of Japanese cavalrymen quickly chasing the train. From what Zero could see, each cavalryman wore the typical tan Imperial Japanese uniform and cap along with a rifle slung around their shoulders. As the horses got closer and closer, Zero then realized that each of them was brandishing a saber, which the Japanese held up with pride as they continued their pursuit.
"Alright. Everyone, prepare your arms! We mustn't let the Japanese board the train. Understand?!" said Zero.
"Sir, yes Sir!" everyone chanted as they saluted Zero.
Suddenly everyone in the boxcar were grabbing their rifles and pistols, making sure they were full of ammo, and positioned themselves in front of the open doorway. Park and Capt. Gang went to the sliding door on the other side of the boxcar and proceeded to slide it open.
Zero meanwhile yelled out to Lt. Jo and his men, who were currently in the boxcar behind the one he was in, about the situation. Lt. Jo immediately gave out the order to his men to arm themselves and prepare to shoot anyone coming near the train.
"Zero! I think you could use some more help." said Kim Gu.
Zero turned around and saw Kim Gu holding a loaded Mauser C96 in his right hand.
"You sure about this Kim? I mean, what about the council's reputation and nonviolent approach?" asked Zero.
"I joined the underground intellectual movement in order to save my country. I have sacrificed many things in my life, along with going through agonizing moments to try at least give people some hope liberation will come some day. From what I have seen, the Black Army has given more hope than any previous organizations. And if shedding more blood on my already stained hands will help spread that hope, then I will proudly do so." responded Kim Gu.
"Very well." said Zero as he slightly nodded his head as a sign of respect.
With everyone armed and in position, Zero looked outside once more to see how far were the Japanese cavalry. From what he could tell, they we going to catch up with the train in about a minute. He then retracted his head back into the boxcar.
The Black Army then aimed their rifles at the charging cavalrymen. Each one had their finger on the trigger, ready to shoot when ordered to.
"FIRE!" yelled out Zero. Suddenly the sound of multiple gunshots filled the air. In the distance Zero and the Black Army could see four cavalrymen instantly slump over before their whole bodies fell off the horse like a rag doll.
"Good we got some! But there are probably many more coming this way!" yelled Zero.
Volleys of bullets suddenly were being shot from the two open boxcars while the Japanese cavalry were being picked off one by one. Three cavalryman grabbed their pistol from their holster, carefully aimed it at the boxcar, and pulled the trigger.
"BING! BONG! BANG!" was suddenly heard as each bullet ricocheted off the wooden frame of the boxcar. Each shot that ricocheted sent wooden splinters flying in all directions. One of these splinters hit the arm of one of the Black Army soldiers. The young soldier grabbed his arm, which was starting to bleed.
"Keep it up!" yelled Zero as he shot a few rounds at the Japanese.
"Got it!" responded Kim Gu as he shot a barrage of bullets a some cavalrymen.
The Black Army kept up their defense by shooting the cavalry, therefore keeping them from getting any close to the train. The Japanese cavalry were now starting to use their pistols to shoot streams of bullets at the boxcars. Bullets were constantly piercing or ricocheting off the wooden walls of the box car. Some of the Japanese bullets managed to kill or wound four members of the Black Army. Still, the casualties did not affect the fighting performance of the Black Army.
As he was dodging and shooting, bullets, Zero quickly looked at his pocket watch.
"My inside man should be playing his role right about now." thought Zero.
South Manchurian Line - Imperial Japanese Signal Box, South of Harbin, China
Outside the city of Harbin was a signal box that was adjacent to the railway junction leading into the city. The junction consisted of many different tracks, each one heading in a different direction. Some of the tracks headed for the Russo-Chinese border in the Northwest while the others headed for Vladivostok in the East.
Inside the small signal box were two Japanese soldiers. One of the Japanese soldiers was at his small desk, reviewing various railway maps and timetables. The other soldier was quietly sitting next to the signal box's lever frame, which consisted of various metal levers sticking out of the floor.
The second Japanese soldier, who was somewhat bored and tired, turned to his left and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. Once his eyes saw the time, a faint, reddish glow suddenly appeared around his pupils. He then quietly got out of his seat, walked towards one of the metal levers, and immediately started to pull it.
The sound of screeching metal suddenly filled the room as the lever was being pulled. Surprised by the sound, the first Japanese soldier turned around and instantly saw the other soldier pulling the lever.
"What the hell are you doing?! Do you have any clue what you're doing?!" yelled the Japanese soldier jumped up from his desk chair. He then ran towards the lever frame, and tried to wrestle the other soldier away from the controls. The soldier then without any hesitation pulled out his pistol, aimed it at the first Japanese soldier's chest, and pulled the trigger.
A "BANG!" echoed throughout the small room as the Japanese soldier loosened his grip around the solider pulling the lever. He then gripped his blood-stained uniform, fell down onto the floor, and slowly bled to death.
With all distractions out of the way, the Japanese soldier proceeded pulling the lever. As he pulled backwards, the switch rail on one of the tracks outside started to move from one side to another. This change resulted in the arrow signal pointing right to now point left, indicating that trains will be taking the tracks leading to the Northwest instead of the ones leading to the East.
Once the lever couldn't be pulled back anymore, the Japanese soldier raised the pistol up to his head and pressed the barrel of the pistol against his temple. Without any signs of emotion in his face, he pulled the trigger, causing another "BANG!" to be heard along with the sound of the soldier's dead body crashing to the floor.
The shootout between the Black Army and their Japanese pursuers continued as the steam locomotive rushed across the railroad tracks. So far the Black Army was able to maintain their distance with the Japanese cavalry. Multiple gunshots could be heard on both sides as the chase went on. One by one the Japanese cavalry were loosing men since the Black Army was shooting at them as if they were targets in a game. The Black Army's casualties consisted of soldiers bleeding in various amounts along with some cold, dead bodies. The soldiers who were wounded but could still fight on continued their barrage of bullets on the enemy.
Aiming his rifle carefully at one of the cavalrymen, Lt. Jo, who was wearing a bloodied rag around his upper left arm, pulled the trigger. The bullet flew through the air and struck the Japanese cavalryman in the stomach. Though the shot didn't instantly kill him, the pain caused the cavalryman to loose his balance and fall off his horse. Lt. Jo could see in the distance the cavalryman being painfully dragged through the dirt since his foot was stuck to the stirrup.
"Eat that you lil bastard!" yelled Lt. Jo with pride. Before he retreated his head back into the boxcar, he turned his head towards the left and saw a sign indicating that the track was set up so the train would head towards the Northwest instead of the East.
"HEY ZERO!" yelled Lt. Jo at the top of his lungs.
Zero, upon hearing his name, stopped shooting and popped his head slightly out of the boxcar.
"WHAT!?"responded Zero.
"JUST PASSED A SIGN INDICATING A CHANGE IN THE RAILWAY TRACKS!" yelled Lt. Jo.
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT! THAT CHANGE WAS TOTALLY PLANNED AHEAD...!" responded Zero before he was suddenly interrupted by a bullet passing a few inches away from his cheek.
Zero and Lt. Jo then nodded at one another before each of them retreated into their respective boxcars. Zero then reloaded his pistol with some munitions from one of the boxes in the boxcar and shot into the Japanese cavalry. After a few minutes went by, their appeared to only be four cavalrymen left chasing them. Instead of pursuing them, the four of them suddenly slowed down and started to retreat. Once they disappeared into the distance, every soldier raised their arms in the air and cheered.
"Zero...I think we got them all." said a sweating Kim Gu as he placed his Mauser C96 into his coat pocket.
"You and the rest did good. But total victory is till yet to be attained." responded Zero. "Hopefully, though, we'll be able to relax a little bit before the Japanese send in another round."
"Yes of course. Anyway did the track change like you planned it would?" asked Kim Gu.
"Lt. Jo told me he saw the sign was pointing to the Northwest." whispered Zero.
"Excellent. That power of yours is once more really paying off." responded Kim Gu.
"Yes, yes it is." Zero said quietly as he simultaneously thought of all the terrible things geass had caused in his life.
The train eventually reached the junction, where it turned towards the Northwestern track that would eventually lead to Chita, Russia.
One Hour Later, Kempeitai Colonial HQ, Keijō, Chōsen
Tōdō was sitting at his desk reviewing files on the Kawachi Incident and the Battle of Heian-nan. His eyes moved back and forth as he quickly skimmed the various pages.
"Interesting..." the serious Marshal said as he wrote some notes on a piece of paper labeled "PROFILE: "ZERO" CONFIDENTIAL".
Suddenly his candlestick desk phone started ringing like crazy. Tōdō put down the paper he was writing on, unhooked the earpiece, and placed it firmly over his ear.
"This is Marshal Tōdō Isamu speaking!" said Tōdō as he raised the phone's mouthpiece towards his mouth.
"This is Harbin Joint Occupation Garrison speaking. Sir urgent report. Just managed to receive info from the cavalry you sent to pursue the enemy. Most of the 18th Cavalry is dead or wounded while the 12th and 23rd Cavalry have been obliterated." said the voice on the other end of the line. Tōdō's hand immediately gripped around the tube section of the phone so tight that it almost cracked.
"WHAT ABOUT THE TRAIN?! WHERE IS IT NOW?!" bellowed Tōdō.
"Sir this may be hard to explain, but they just sped right through the city of Harbin. They were moving so fast that our forces in the city weren't able to slow it down, and since there were very little trains active at the time, they managed to speed through with ease." said the voice.
"Can't you guys do anything right?!" yelled Tōdō.
"I'm very sorry sir." responded the voice.
Tōdō then pinched the bridge of his nose out of frustration before resuming talking on the phone.
"Ok. This is just a setback. We can still catch them. I want you to alert our forces between Harbin and Vladivostok so that they can..." commanded Tōdō.
"Sir, uhhhm, they didn't take the track leading towards Vladivostok, they are on the one heading towards Russia." responded the voice.
Suddenly Tōdō's patience shattered like glass upon hearing those words.
"HOW THE HELL DID THEY TAKE NORTHWEST TRACK?! THE CONTROLS TO THE SOUTH MANCHURIAN RAILWAY IS UNDER TIGHT SURVEILLANCE AND YOU'RE TELLING ME THE BLACK ARMY WALKED UNDER THEIR NOSES! WHERE THE FRIGGIN HELL WERE THE MEN STATIONED AT THE CONTROLS?!" yelled Tōdō at the top of his lungs.
"We've been trying to contact Switch box #12, the one that controls the junction between the Northwestern and Eastern tracks. So far we've had no luck so we decided to send a team their to investigate. We are still awaiting a response sir." answered the voice.
"WE CAN INVESTIGATE LATER. WHAT WE MUST DO NOW IS TO CATCH THAT TRAIN BEFORE IT FALLS INTO THE ENEMY'S HANDS! PURSUE THE TRAIN WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!" commanded Tōdō.
"Sir, you know that the railroads extending from Harbin towards Russia aren't under full Japanese extraterritorial jurisdiction. Sending our forces to follow the railroads into Russia could potentially cause an international problem sir." responded the voice.
"Is that so..." said Tōdō as he rubbed his chin. "Then you stay there and prevent any more problems to erupt while I'll contact Lt. General Grigory Semyonov. He should be able to get the job done for us."
"Are you sure about using some like him? He's very unpredictable and uncontrollable. Hell, he hasn't even made any direct contact with us since he retreated into Manchuria after his loss against the Bolsheviks." said the voice.
"Oh I know where to find him and he will do whatever we say. He knows that he's and his band of cossacks are only surviving because of our aid." responded Tōdō.
"Very well sir." said the voice before the line went dead.
With the telephone in his hand, Tōdō then repeatedly turned the phone dial to various numbers before he put the earpiece up to his ear once more.
"Operator. This is Marshall Tōdō Isamu. Connect me to line #554A1, passcode LW2641." Tōdō asked when he heard a voice on the other side.
Communications Office, Manzhouli, Manchuria, 1918
The small growing community of Manzhouli was a conglomeration of Russian and Chinese culture. Sitting a short distance away from the border, Manzhouli had been known to be a big hub for Russians in China. Small wooden buildings dotted the community, railroads were laid upon the ground, and telephone poles lined the city streets.
Since the city was under control of the White Russian forces, many cossacks could be seen patrolling the streets and nearby railways. Inside the town's communications office were some White Russian soldiers monitoring the various telegraphs and telephones in the room.
"RIIIING! RIIIING!" could be heard as one of the Russian soldiers reached to grab and answer the phone.
"Manzhouli Communications Office." said the soldier.
"This is Marshal Tōdō Isamu calling from the Kempeitai Colonial HQ in Keijō. I request to speak with Lt. General Grigory Semyonov immediately."
"Just give me a second." said the soldier as he put down the phone and walked over to one of the nearby offices.
Inside the office was Lt. General Grigory Semyonov, a young 28-year old of Siberian descent. He had a pronounced handlebar mustache and he wore a greenish, single-breasted, button uniform with golden straps sewn on the shoulders. He also had his traditional ushanka hanging nearby also.
"Sir, Marshal Tōdō Isamu is calling from Line 7. Shall I connect him to you?" asked the soldier.
"Let him through." answered Semyonov.
The soldier then left the room and told the communication operators to rewire the connections. Semyonov then proceeded to take the earpiece of his phone and placed it upon his ear.
"So Imperial Japan's "Shinigami" decides to call me. What do you need to tell me?" asked Semyonov.
"As Viceroy Hasegawa and the other Japanese officials have told you I am in pursuit of the Black Army terrorist group. We have just found out that a train full of food and ammunition has been stolen by them and that they are most likely trying to smuggle it to the Bolsheviks in Russia. They have managed to bypass our forces around the South Manchurian Railway, but now they've entered the Northern part." explained Tōdō.
"So since the Northern part is under my jurisdiction you want me to use my men to catch the Black Army? Very well, I'll deploy a few divisions of my men to pursue the train and its contents. However, I request more funding from your government." answered Semyonov.
On the other end of the line, Tōdō's hand was once again clenching the phone he was holding.
"Fine. I'll request my government to increase your funding. Just catch that train." said Tōdō.
"Don't worry Marshal. You're talking to someone who was born with the instinct to hunt things down." said Semyonov before he and Tōdō hung up their respective phones.
Northern Manchuria
The train carrying the Black Army and the supplies they were delivering continued speeding through the Manchurian countryside. The countryside was mostly empty except for some White Russian forces patrolling sections of the railway. These forces, however, were easily taken out by the passing Black Army. After a few hours, the train had sped right through the small cities of Tsitsihar and Hailar. Fortunately for the Black Army, the authorities in the two cities weren't fully informed about the train robbery, making it easy for the train to speed right through the city before any reports could be made.
"So where exactly are we now?" asked one of the Black Army soldiers.
"I believe we are halfway between the cities of Hailar and Manzhouli, meaning we should have about one more hour." answered Kim Gu.
"That's good to hear. I'm just want to get this mission done with so I can rest." added another soldier.
"Hey at least your not Roh or Yi who have to monitor the train's boiler constantly. They've haven't probably gotten any rest. However, both of them are tough and are capable of working ten hours straight if needed. Trust me, I've known them for some time now." Capt. Gang responded.
"I wish they would apply that strength and determination when they are assigned cleaning duty." said a third soldier jokingly.
Suddenly Capt. Gang and the other soldiers bursted with laughter. As the soldiers continued laughing, Kim Gu noticed Zero looking out of the open freight car door.
"Still looking out for trouble?" asked Kim Gu.
"One should never let one's guard down ever. I just want to make sure the enemy doesn't launch any surprise attacks on us when we aren't looking." responded Zero.
"Your are absolutely correct. Fortunately we've encountered very little resistance since we've passed through Harbin."
"That's what troubles me. We should've encountered more by now." said Zero.
Kim Gu then left Zero alone to observe the passing hills and trees. As he was looking, Zero started to think to himself about other things.
"It feels good to help these people achieve freedom and to deliver justice to those who have wronged them, but I mustn't forget that I do not belong in this world. Will I ever be able to return to my own world? What happens if I am stuck here forever? C.C., Nunnally, the Black Knights, Ashford Academy, will I never see them ever? I don't even have the slightest clue on how to get back and..."
"BANG!" Suddenly Zero's train of thought of shattered upon hearing the loud, sharp sound. "BANG! BANG! BANG!" Everyone then stopped with what they were doing, grabbed their weapons, and peeked outside. When Zero and the others scanned the passing landscape, nothing could be seen at first. However, Zero then started to notice movement coming from the forests in the distance.
"LOOK!" yelled Zero as he pointed. Everyone in the car looked forward. In the distance one could see dozens of horses being ridden by what appeared to be Russian cossacks. Due to their greenish uniforms they were wearing, Zero guessed that they were Transbaikal Cossacks working for Semyonov. The cossacks suddenly appeared to be charging towards the train.
"SIR!" yelled Lt. Jo from the next car over.
"WHAT IS IT?!" yelled Zero.
"I assume you see the cossacks approaching on our left side? Well they're also approaching our right side also!"
Zero suddenly gritted his teeth out of frustration and stress.
"Lt. Jo, you and your men cover the right side. Me and my men will cover the left!" Zero commanded. Lt. Jo immediately nodded before both he and Zero pulled their heads back into the freight cars.
"Alright! Load your guns! And FIRE!" Zero yelled.
A barrage of bullets was suddenly shot by the Black Army. A few cossacks in the distance instantly fell over. The soldiers in the freight car got more ammo, reloaded their rifles, aimed, and fire again. This sequence was repeated multiple time by Zero's and Lt. Jo's forces. Some of the cossacks pulled out their pistols and tried to aim at the moving freight cars. Most of the shots were misses, but one or two of those shots managed to take out one of the Black Army soldiers.
The sound of constant gunfire filled the air as the train continued to rocket towards the border. Dead cossacks and their horses started filling the surrounding landscape as they were attempting to approach the train. However, it seemed that the enemy had so many extra men at their disposal that they were able to replace their losses quickly.
As the Black Army continued shooting at the charging cossacks, Zero suddenly heard something above him. It sounded like footsteps, which just confused him until he realized what was happening at the last moment. Zero ran towards one of the ammunition boxes, grabbed a hand grenade, and put it in his pocket.
"Kim! Capt. Gang! Give me a lift!" yelled Zero. Suddenly Zero leaned out of the open freight car, grabbed onto the edge of the roof, and lifted himself with all the strength he had. Upon seeing Zero dangling from the roof of the freight car, Kim Gu and Capt. Gang immediately grabbed Zero's feet.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" yelled Capt. Gang.
"I DON'T HAVE THE STRENGTH TO PULL MYSELF UP ALL THE WAY! JUST GIVE ME A BOOST!" yelled Zero.
Both men followed Zero's command and gave him the necessary boost to allow him to pull himself onto the roof of the freight car.
Once on top of the freight car, the rushing air slammed into Zero's face and almost blew off the cap he was wearing. Zero kept his head down and looked around. He immediately saw two cossacks armed with sabers walking on top of the freight car closest to the driver's cab. Zero instantly pulled out his gun and shot the two men in the back.
"HEY THERE'S ONE OF THEM!" said a Russian voice in the distance. Zero looked behind and saw two tall, bearded cossacks climbing onto the rear freight car. As they were both ready to pull out what appeared to be either a saber or a pistol, Zero shot both of them in the chest, causing both men to fall off the moving freight car.
"HEY WHAT'S GOING ON UP THERE!" yelled Kim Gu as gunshots continued piercing his ears.
Zero, still laying low, leaned over and saw Kim Gu's head poking out.
"These cossacks have managed to catch up with our rear! They must've realized that we were vulnerable in the rear since all our forces on concentrated on the sides. That's why we need this train to go faster!"
"How are you going to do that!"
"I'm going to detach a few of the rear freight cars. The less weight to pull, the faster we can go!" Zero yelled.
"Are you sure you want to sacrifice a fraction of our delivery!"
"We either loose a fraction or we loose it all!" Zero responded as he heard a gunshot ricochet nearby.
"Ok then! I'll manage the forces in the car!" yelled Kim Gu.
Both men nodded and proceeded with their duties. Slowly lifting himself, Zero carefully balanced himself on the moving freight car and proceeded to run towards the rear cars. As he approached a gap between the freight cars, he leapt across, and continued on. The air hitting his face was cold, forcing him to squint his eyes slightly while random bullets would whiz right pass him.
Once Zero was towards the rear end, he climbed down the ladder connected to one of the freight cars so he could access the coupler connecting the rear cars with the front ones. Once he pulled the release lever, he immediately jumped back onto the ladder. Suddenly the distance between him and the freight car behind him increased. Before the distance became too great, Zero took out the hand grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it backwards.
As the few rear freight cars started to slow down, a group of cossacks pursuing the train suddenly slowed down in order to avoid a collision. The cossacks continued their pursuit by riding around the detached freight cars. Within a few seconds, the grenade Zero had thrown before went off, resulting in a large explosion that was capable of setting off the munitions inside the freight cars. The resulting explosion created a massive fireball that engulfed a chunk of the cossack's forces. Other cossacks nearby were thrown off their horses due to the force of the blast or because their horses got spooked.
The force of the blast was strong enough to cause Zero's foot to slip off one of the rungs of the ladder he was hanging on to. Dangling about a foot over the moving ground, Zero suddenly held onto the ladder with his life as he attempted to get his foot back onto the rung. Within a few seconds Zero was able to get his foot onto the ladder once more and proceeded to climb towards the roof of the freight car. As he was climbing up, he quickly looked behind to see large clouds of smoke rising in the distance along with many dead cossacks.
Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay. I was very sick and therefore couldn't work on the chapter.
This chapter was also tough to write since the Black Army is confined to a moving train while also being pursued by the enemy. Any thoughts or reviews on this chapter would be great since this was one of the toughest chapters to write.
For future plans, I hopefully will write about the true villain of the story soon. I won't say who it is, but I will let you know he's the Schneizel of this world and is a real historical figure. This guy, like Schneizel, will be smart, clever, strategic, and manipulative. He hasn't been depicted yet because he has so far been acting behind the scenes. He's also not affiliated with Marshal Tōdō (Bismark Waldstein/Tohdoh's counterpart) but is affiliated in secret with Prince Yamagata Aritomo and some other high ranking officials.