Ch. 30: Battle for the Peninsula
2:56 PM, March 10th, 1919, Black Army Emergency Base Theta
Northwest of the colonial capitol was an abandoned port town. The area was far away from any populated centers, making it a great spot to set up. At the docks was the Dangun, which was guarded by some Black Army soldiers. The town, on the other hand, was surrounded by a ring of trenches, observation points, and other fortifications. Various Black Army soldiers, along with some civilians that decided to join, patrolled the perimeter, making sure the enemy wouldn't be able to surprise them.
Meanwhile the core members of the Black Army, along with the members of the Zero Division that had arrived a few days earlier, were having a meeting in an abandoned building that was now being used as their headquarters.
"So who are we waiting for now?" asked an impatient Roh.
"We're waiting for Deputy Chairman Kim Gu and the rest of the council. I want them to be present before I make my next move." explained Zero.
"But Zero, it's been more than a week." said Kae. "They should've been here by now."
"They're probably taking their time due to all the chaos ravaging the peninsula. And with word that the army is getting involved, then that just make things worst." explained Zero.
"Zero! Several cars are approaching the front entrance! It looks like Kim Gu is driving one of them!" yelled a soldier looking out the window.
"Speak of the devil." said Zero as he gave out the order to let the cars pass the checkpoint. Zero immediately went outside to greet Kim Gu and the council.
"Zero! I'm glad to see you alive!" said Kim Gu.
"Same to you guys!" said Zero as he shook Kim Gu's hand.
Zero, Kim Gu, and the other council members, minus Son Byong-hi, immediately headed back inside so that they could discuss the situation that was unfolding.
"What happened to you guys? Where's Son?" asked Zero.
"We were overseeing the declaration process when we heard the police coming after us." said Kim Gu. "Most of us managed to reach the automobiles we had parked outside. As we drove away, some Japanese authorities noticed us. During the ensuing chaos, the car Son Byong-hi was in crashed. From what I could see behind me, he immediately got out of the car, but was immediately arrested by the Japanese. That was the last time we saw him."
"We can't let one loss deter us from taking action." said Park Eunsik. "Right now we must come up with a plan. Zero do you have one?"
"I think I do sir." said Zero. "As we speak, I'm trying to enlist new volunteers from the most rebellious areas. We're going to need them to give the Japanese a knock out punch at Keijō."
"But Zero, we don't want the Japanese think we're murderers." said Yang Gi-tak. "That was the whole point of not retaliating."
"Yang, the Japanese are sending in more forces than ever! We can't keep this peace charade any longer!" yelled Zero.
"Unfortunately Yang I must agree with Zero." said Park Eunsik.
"Sir, out of all people I am surprised you would actively condone this form of aggression." said Yang Gi-tak.
"We have given the Japanese enough chances to see the strength of our determination to not budge. But this recent behavior of them shows me that they are beyond negotiating with. Full-on armed force is the only feasible option we have as of now." said Park Eunsik.
"I would have to agree too." said Yi Sang-ryong. "Enough dealing with Japan. We have declared our independence from the Imperial Japanese Empire, meaning we must defend it as well."
Yi Dongnyeong and Hong Jin also expressed their support for Zero and his plan as well. Yang Gi-tak, now convinced that peaceful opposition meant nothing to the Japanese, offered his support as well.
"Zero, the council hereby approves your plan." said Park Eunsik.
"Very well. Since we're all in agreement, we shall therefore prepare a full strike on Keijō. Further more, our resilience and bravery here will show the entire world what we represent." said Zero. "Anyway, Dietrich, didn't you have some info for us?"
"Indeed I do Zero." said Dietrich as he read some papers he was holding in his hands. "The press shops and telegraph lines we control are distributing every single detail of the slaughter that started a few days ago."
"Good. The faster and sooner we get this message out, the sooner the world will finally see Japan's tyranny first hand." said Park Eunsik. "But what about our branches in America? What's their status?"
"That would be for me to answer." said Foreign Minister Won. "Currently our representatives in the United States are trying to attract more donations for our cause. Meanwhile Kim Kyu-sik has told me that he's still trying to bring attention to Korea at the Paris Peace Conference. Ireland has also reported that they are willing to send us some financial aid via banks in America."
"And what about Russia? Any word from them yet?" asked Yi Sang-ryong.
"Sadly no. The White Army/Japanese presence in Siberia has practically made all communications with Moscow impossible." Won responded.
Zero, the council, and the other core Black Army members, continued to read their various reports so Zero could come up with an appropriate plan.
Outside in one of the various trenches were various uniformed soldiers and civilian-dressed volunteers. Two uniformed Black Army soldiers stationed in one of the trenches were sitting on the ground talking to one another.
"Man look at all the new volunteers we got." said one of the soldiers.
"I know. The countryside I heard was overflowing with armed resistance once the Japanese started attacking." said the second soldier. "Just shows you the determination of the people and their faith in us."
Suddenly one of the soldiers felt a vibration travel across the ground and up his body.
"Did you feel that?" asked the first soldier.
"Yeah, I kind of did." responded the second soldier. "Weird, I wonder what it..."
"LOOK OUT!" yelled a nearby soldier.
The two soldiers sitting on the ground looked up and saw something in the air about to hit them. Before they knew it, the object impacted the ground where the soldiers were sitting and engulfed them in a large fireball.
Up in one of the watchtowers, a soldier picked up his binoculars and looked at the edge of the forest located across the empty field separating the trenches from the forests. Within a few seconds, several flashes of smoke could be seen coming out of artillery guns strategically placed in the forest. The soldier immediately dropped the binoculars and headed to the hand-cranked siren built into the tower.
A loud "RRRRRRROOOOOOMMMM!" sound suddenly echoed through the air as the soldier continued cranking the siren. Within a second, a shell made direct impact on the tower, causing the wooden structure to be blasted apart.
With the siren already heard, other watchtowers started activating their sirens as well. Immediately soldiers within the trenches positioned themselves and aimed their rifles from inside the trenches. Soldiers in the rear lines started loading artillery guns while soldiers in the front lines started to load their machine guns.
"FIRE!" yelled one of the artillery officers. Various Black Army artillery guns simultaneously shot their shells into the forest, causing some trees to burst into flames.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" yelled Kae as the meeting room slightly shook.
As the sirens from outside started to become audible, Zero immediately got up from his seat.
"This is not good." Zero said as the room shook once more. "Kae! Deploy the Zero Division to all four key positions! Jo, mobilize all reserves and command the front lines! Dietrich, send out orders for reinforcements from the surrounding area! It sounds like the Japanese are launching a surprise assault on us."
"How is that possible?! You said that all movements made were carefully disguised and hidden! How did they find out?!" yelled Park Eunsik.
"We don't know how, but that doesn't matter! We need to repel this attack and protect the integrity of the Black Army." Zero responded.
"Very well." said Park Eunsik. "What do you want me and the rest of the council to do?"
"Kim Gu, escort the council members along with the Ministers Gang, Won, and Yoo to the Dangun." Zero commanded.
"Why us specifically?" asked Gang.
"It's too dangerous here and we need at least some remnants of the Black Army's cabinet to survive." said Zero.
"But Zero..." said Kim Gu.
"Just do it! There's no time to explain!" Zero yelled.
"Mr. Kim, Zero is correct. Some of us must go into hiding for the time being. We cannot let everything we have worked for be for nothing." said Park Eunsik.
"But do where do we go?" asked Yang Gi-tak.
"We can go to Shanghai. I have some connections and allies there. It's outside of Japanese territory, so we'll be safe from them." answered Park Eunsik.
"Shanghai sounds good. Once we deal with this issue at hand we'll contact you as soon as possible." explained Zero.
"Then here is where we part for now." responded Park Eunsik. He then extended his hand forward so he could shake hands with Zero. Kim Gu then proceeded to shake Zero's hand also.
"Good luck Zero. We're counting on you." Kim Gu said.
Kim Gu and the rest of the council were escorted by some Black Army officers to the Dangun.
Zero then turned to face the remaining inner members of the Black Army.
"Soldiers, you know what you must do. If we stop Japan here, the pathway to Seoul is open for us!" said Zero.
Everyone in the room then saluted Zero as Zero saluted them. Once they were done saluting, everyone immediately went to their posts.
Eastern Trenches
"BANG! BOOM! BANG! BANG! BOOM! BOOM!" could repeatedly be heard as artillery shells went flying in the air while Japanese soldiers were shooting from their hiding spots in the forests. Black Army soldiers were constantly running down the trenches and peeking their head over slightly so they could fire their rifles. One group of soldiers running through the dirt trenches was instantly blown to pieces when a shell exploded near them.
As Zero Division members Jeong and Seo arrived at the front trenches, the team of soldiers following them were carrying two large boxes. They quickly opened them and took out machine gun parts. Once the guns were assembled and loaded, Jeong and Seo took positions behind each one. In the distance, both of them could see figures moving in the forest.
"TAKE THIS!" yelled Jeong as he and Seo pressed the triggers. Both machine guns immediately shot out streams of bullets into the forest. Within a few seconds Japanese soldiers could be seen being peppered by bullets and falling dead on the ground.
Other nearby soldiers immediately aimed their rifles and shot anything that was moving.
In the rear lines, Myo was commanding a line of aritillery guns. Teams of soldiers loaded the shells into each gun, adjusted the angles, and awaited their orders.
"FIRE NOW!" yelled Myo as he covered his ears. "BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!" suddenly echoed through the air sequentially. Four shells could be seen flying through the air and into the forests, causing large craters to be formed in the enemy's lines.
Southern Trenches
Machine guns and artillery continued battering the enemy in the distance. While Roh and Park, along with the majority of soldiers were using rifles and machine guns, Kae was using her own sniper rifle. Carefully aiming forwards, Kae looked for a potential target through her scope. It was then she saw two artillery guns, each one manned by a team of Japanese soldiers.
"Damn it! If I shoot just one of them, they're sure to know my position." thought Kae as she continued looking through her scope. She then noticed behind the artillery guns a box labelled "AMMUNITION". Though the target was small and far away, Kae still aimed her gun, took a deep breath, and quickly analyzed the environment around her.
"BANG!" was heard when she pulled the trigger. Due to Kae's exceptional precision, the bullet whizzed across the battlefield and slightly brushed against a hair of one of the soldiers. It then went flying into the box full of ammunition, causing it to instantly detonate. The explosion killed anyone within the immediate vicinity and caused the artillery guns to be destroyed as well.
"Yes!" yelled Kae as she pulled back the bolt of her rifle, causing a shell casing to be ejected. She then immediately pushed the bolt back in, which loaded another bullet into the barrel.
Black Army soldiers further down the trenches repeatedly shot their rifles into the Japanese lines while the Japanese were shooting back. Several Black Army soldiers instantly fell dead when incoming bullets impacted their heads. Other soldiers merely fell over due to pain from the bullet wounds they received. Various explosions from artillery shells could be seen all around, causing dirt to spring into the air and fall on top of some unlucky soldiers.
Black Army HQ
"Zero! Seventh Division wiped out in the East. Ninth Regiment has sustained heavy casualties in the South." yelled one of the communication officers.
"How are the lines doing?!" asked Zero.
"Both Southern and Eastern Lines seem to be holding for now. Enemy has made no attempts to advance forward!"
"Good. That should buy us some time." responded Zero. He then walked over to a large map of the battlefield laying on a table. Various little figurines representing the Black Army and the Imperial Japanese forces were placed in their corresponding locations on the map. Other Black Army officers in the room were constantly moving them as news came in from the front lines.
Suddenly Dietrich walked into the room. Zero immediately noticed him and approached him.
"What's the status on General Rozhkov's forces in the North?" asked Zero.
"It's not looking good sir." Dietrich responded. "Rozhkov has told me that he can't consolidate his forces. The Japanese have been launching ruthless raids on various villages in the region, causing many of his divisions to loose communications with him."
"And what about General Park and his Southern forces? What's his status?" asked a frustrated Zero,
"It sounds like he's facing the same dilemma to. The Japanese in the South are attacking us in pieces and not as a whole. Various divisions stationed in the various towns and cities have already been captured or forced to retreat." answered Dietrich.
"Damn it!" yelled Zero. "I need those reinforcements! Without them, we won't have enough to defend our Northern flanks! Dietrich try communications once more and send out a message requesting all Black Army forces to head to Emergency Base Theta this instant!"
The room suddenly shook once more due to a nearby artillery shell exploding.
"As you wish Zero." said Dietrich before heading off to the communications office.
Eastern Trenches
Corpses, craters, and machine gun parts littered the battlefield as the shooting between the Black Army and the Imperial Japanese continued.
"This is crazy! How many of these bastards are there!?" yelled Seo as he pulled the trigger of his rifle.
"How the hell do I know!? All I care about is surviving another day!" Jeong yelled back as he fired a shot.
As hundreds of bullets whizzed across the battlefield, General Jo, proudly carrying a sword on his side and a rifle on his back, walked to the front lines.
"General! It's a bit dangerous out here!" yelled Seo.
"This is my battle to fight also. I'm not simply going to let you guys have all the fun!" Jo responded. He then took out his rifle, aimed forward, and repeatedly shot and reloaded. Like a machine gun, Jo quickly shot a whole line of Japanese soldiers, causing their corpses to be knocked backwards.
Seo, Jeong, and many other Black Army soldiers instantly fired back also. The massive retaliatory strike was enough to chase the Japanese soldiers deeper into the forest.
"Alright we did it! They're on the run!" yelled Seo with joy.
"Now it's our turn to strike them when..." yelled Jeong.
"I don't think we're done yet." interrupted Jo.
"What do you mean?" asked Seo.
"It just seems strange that the Japanese simply ran away after a few slaps. They're much tougher than that." explained Jo.
It was then in the distance the faint sound of a bugle along with people yelling could be heard. As each second passed, the sound got louder and louder.
"I have a bad feeling about this. Soldiers! Prepare all defenses!" yelled Jo.
Suddenly, like a tidal wave, a wave of Japanese soldiers could be seen aiming their bayonets forward and charging towards the Black Army's lines. Their battle crying yells made them even look more intimidating.
"FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!" yelled Jo at the top of his lungs.
The sound of rifles, pistols, machine guns, and artillery guns could all be heard simultaneously as they fired. While the barrage of bullets and artillery shells managed to either halt their advance for a few seconds or cause pieces of their lines to be blown apart, the battle determined Japanese soldiers instantly recovered and continued their charge.
"KEEP FIRING! FIRE EVERY LAST BULLET OR SHELL IF YOU MUST!" yelled Jo as the Black Army attempted to thwart the charge.
"BANG! BANG! BOOM! BOOM! DUH-DUH-DUH-DUH!" could be heard as dozens of machine guns and artillery guns shot at the Japanese lines. Various Japanese soldiers could be seen being thrown into the air or being pelleted by a seemingly endless stream of bullets. Despite the many corpses littering no-man's land, the charge still kept its momentum.
"General! It's not working!" yelled Seo. Jo then gritted his teeth out of frustration.
"Don't these bastards know when to quit?" muttered Jo. "No matter, they still have to bypass..."
A wall of sharp bayonets continued to advance towards the Black Army's first line of defense. Bullets and shell fragments were flying all across the battlefield as the Japanese got closer.
Suddenly, when the first line of Japanese soldiers reached the halfway point, explosions could be seen coming up from the ground. The surprise explosions caused the Japanese advance to halt. Some of the soldiers who even stopped advancing were still blown up high into the air by large underground explosions. While the explosions distracted the Japanese, the Black Army used this as an opportunity to maul down any remaining Japanese forces.
Deterred by the sudden explosions flinging dozens of bodies into the air, the Japanese proceeded to reverse their advance and regroup in the forest.
Southern Trenches
Kae, Roh, and Park continued aiding the soldiers in the South. The Japanese in the South had also launched a charge towards the trenches. The battlefield immediately looked like what the battlefield in the East looked like.
"EAT METAL!" yelled Roh as he shot a whole row of Japanese soldiers with his machine gun. "Park! I need another magazine!"
"Ok!" yelled Park as he and another Black Army officer pulled out another magazine of bullets from a nearby open box. Both men then quickly loaded the magazine into the machine gun.
"ALRIGHT! BACK TO WHERE I WAS!" yelled Roh as he pulled back loading mechanism of the machine gun.
Kae meanwhile was moving to various hiding spots that would give her a good view of the charging enemy. Once she found another one, she carefully aimed at her target, calculated the delay of the shot and the environmental conditions in her head, and pulled the trigger. The bullet flew out of the barrel and drilled itself in between the eyes of an unwary solider. The soldier immediately fell backwards as his head started to bleed all over.
"Alright, who wants more?" thought Kae as she reloaded her sniper rifle. Within a minute, Kae was able to snipe out and kill three more soldiers. As she was preparing her next shot, geyser-like explosions came up from below the feet of the Japanese. Though far enough away, the force of the sudden explosion knocked Kae onto the ground.
"Kae! You alright!?" asked Park as he and some other Black Army soldiers came to her aide.
"Besides my ass feeling slightly bruised, I'm ok!" said Kae as she slightly rubbed her rear end while getting back up. "What the hell were those explosions?"
"Oh yeah, you weren't here when we set it up!" said one of the soldiers. Kae immediately looked at him with utter confusion.
"When we were setting up the defenses here, Zero had us set up an elaborate, disorganized, mine-field. The mines are activated via weight, making it an ideal tool in our arsenal." explained Park.
"Oh. I guess all those things I heard about Zero weren't an exaggeration." Kae replied.
"HEY! EVEN THOUGH THEY'VE HALTED THEIR CHARGE, I COULD STILL USE SOME HELP KILLING THESE GUYS!" yelled Roh in the distance.
Everyone then immediately grabbed their arms and resumed shooting any Japanese soldiers proceeding to fall back.
Eastern Forest Clearing
The makeshift Japanese HQ consisted of many trucks carrying ammunition and armaments ranging from rifles to artillery guns. Wounded soldiers returning from their attempted charge were immediately treated by a nearby field hospital. Soldiers who were unharmed regrouped with other divisions in preparation for their next orders.
Nearby under a small tent was a map of the area laying on top of a foldable table. General Ikeda, along with some other senior officials, were reviewing troop movements and enemy positions. Nearby on another table were several field telephones.
"Our charges from here and the South have both been repelled General!" said a Japanese Colonel.
"Then send out a second charge! They can't hold out forever!" responded a frustrated Ikeda.
"But the battlefield is booby trapped with what is suspected to be mines. Also their lines are just too damn strong. Another charge could be a huge waste of resources." suggested a Japanese Major General.
"Perhaps if we attack the North. According to intelligence, the lines in the North are a lot thinner. Our chances of breaking through there are substantially greater." responded the Colonel.
"But you fail to acknowledge the fact that such a move would force us to spread our lines thin. The resources we have now is all we got. If we stretch out our lines of supplies and communication, the Black Army could decided to launch a counterattack and break through our lines." said the Major General.
"What about the Shinigami's reinforcements we called out for earlier? They could surely provide us the manpower we need." said another Colonel.
"Tōdō has told me that he is currently attacking the smaller Black Army divisions in the countryside. He says that he'll come to our aid once he ensures that enemy forces around the peninsula won't be able to coordinate with themselves." replied Ikeda.
"So we have to wait for him?! If the Black Army keeps this determined defense up, we'll be practically exhausted by then." said the Major General. "We must do something now!"
"But what else can we do?! We have no other options at the moment. The best we can do is to outlast the enemy." the first colonel responded.
"There is one option we have. But I was told by the Viceroy to only use it in extreme, life-or-death, circumstances." added Ikeda.
"General this is one of those situations. We cannot let them win here." said the second Colonel.
One of the several field telephone started to ring. The Major General walked up to it and answered it.
"This is Major General Sasaki speaking. Uh uh, uh uh. What?! Ensure our lines don't fall apart!" he said before hanging up.
"What was it Major General?" asked Ikeda.
"Sir, 15th, 22nd, 57th, and 88th Regiment have suffered overwhelming casualties. We still have the several other divisions and regiments available in the South, but at the rate they are suffering, we might have an hour at best before retreat isn't an avoidable option." answered the Major General.
Clenching his fists with anger, Ikeda slammed his fist onto the map laying in front of him.
"Sir?" asked the first Colonel.
"Deploy the secret Gekka prototypes we have." responded Ikeda.
"The Gekkas? Are you sure General? Shouldn't we alert the Viceroy before..." asked the second Colonel.
"JUST DO IT!" yelled Ikeda. The second Colonel immediately went to the field telephones and sent out an order for the deployment of the Gekka prototypes.
Black Army HQ
"Any word from either Rozhkov or Park?" yelled Zero.
"Negative! No word from them. In fact, communications to four of our bases in the South have been cut off!" yelled a communications officer.
"Try another line then!" Zero yelled back. "General, how's the front lines been looking?"
"According to General Jo, it's practically a stalemate. Barrage of bullets, shells, and mines managed to halt multiple attempted charges made by the Japanese." he said.
"What about casualty losses? Heavy? Light?" asked Zero.
"Casualty losses have been moderate as of this moment. Enemy casualty losses seem to be about the same as ours. However, it also seems the enemy's rate of loss is slightly higher than ours. Basically it becomes a war of attrition." the General responded.
"Maintain all defenses and do not let the enemy reach our lines! That is our priority of this moment!" commanded Zero.
"Sir!" everyone in the room yelled as they were monitoring the ongoing battle.
"Even if Rozhkov or Park's reinforcements don't manage to reach us, we could still potentially win this battle. Once we win here, the whole world will see our strength and the flaws of the Imperial Japanese. The path to greater victory is just beyond the horizon now." thought Zero.
Zero's train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a buzzing noise. The noise was faint, but it slightly became louder and louder to the point everyone in the room stopped what they were doing. Eventually the buzzing noise became loud enough to caused some mild vibrations to be felt.
Wanting to know what the sound was, Zero carefully listened to it and determined it was coming from outside. He immediately ran towards outside of the HQ to find the source of the noise. Dietrich and the other officers stepped outside to also determine the source of the sound. Zero and the others looked around and only saw the trenches filled with confused soldiers along with the empty battlefield in the distance. Deciding to look upwards, Zero then couldn't believe what he saw.
"Dear god." thought Zero as he was in shock and awe at what he saw.
Above him in the distance were a few dozen bi-planes flying in formation. Once the planes started to pass over the first line of defense, Zero noticed what appeared to be a second figure sitting in a compartment behind the pilot's dropping cylindrically-shaped objects. It was then Zero realized what those were.
"EVERYONE BACK NOW...!" yelled Zero when suddenly a few of the cylindrically-shaped objects crashed into the rear lines of artillery and exploded.
Looking behind him Zero could see a large fireball dissipating into the air. Once the flames died down, all that was left were some charred bodies and pieces of artillery.
"KABOOM! KABOOM! KABOOM!" was suddenly heard as the objects falling from above hit the Black Army's defenses.
Once the planes completely passed over, they seemingly turned around and proceeded to drop more explosives on the Black Army.
Author's Note: Now we know what the Gekkas mentioned in the previous chapter are. The key cabinet members of the Black Army along with the council are fleeing to Shanghai via sea while Zero continues his struggle against the Japanese. However, the use of the Gekka prototypes given by the behind the scenes ambitious nationalists, along with the Black Army forces in the surrounding area being attacked before they even manage to organize themselves, threatens Zero chances for victory.
I will try to finish the next chapter as soon as possible. Thank you.