Chapter 33: Hanseong Reclamation Operation Part 4

Hanseong was tightly sealed like a fortress.

It seems like it’ll take a while to break through here.

If nothing else, Kuroki Tameoto’s decision to block Hanseong means that the lives of the people in Hanseong, Koreans, are at stake.

“At this rate, we might not even be able to use bombs inside the royal palace.”

So, I decided to sneak into Hanseong alone to get this done.

I tried to pass through the checkpoint, but unfortunately, the Japanese army was already prepared to block the entrance.

“You’re not allowed to enter Hanseong now, so get the hell out! Huh? A woman?”

“Shut the hell up.” Squeak

I took out a small axe and immediately cracked his head open.

‘How dare he, laughing like that? I wasn’t planning on dragging this out.’

If I wanted to resolve this at night, I’d have to be careful.

“What… What’s with this woman?”

“Kill her!”

“Not happening.”

I smashed the heads of a few Japanese soldiers who were nearby the guy whose skull was cracked.

In the blink of an eye, they were shattered, and their blood splattered. It was quite a sight.

Squeak, crack, splash!

With the last guy’s brain and blood scattered across the floor, I wrapped up dealing with the soldiers.

“These punks sure love to talk big.”

I grabbed a few more soldiers and ran through the streets of Hanseong.

The royal palace was clearly visible ahead.

Avoiding the soldiers’ surveillance, I jumped over some unknown walls.

Then, a man who looked a bit older showed up.

Since I didn’t see any guards around, it seemed like the ones I’d just dealt with were the guards.

“This is the Joseon royal palace! Who are you?!”

I didn’t know his name, but he seemed like a high-ranking officer.

“When did the great powers ever recognize the name ‘Joseon’? You filthy Japanese bastard.”

“You… What is the blood of that island you’re holding?!”

The man pointed at the blood flowing from the sword I was holding.

“This? I just cut down your subordinates earlier. Wow, your weapons are pretty good, but this sword is perfect for cutting people down.”

The last faces of the people who got cut by this sword were filled with fear.

It was quite a contrast to the noble faces of the royal army as they left this world in such a disgraceful way.

I used to be angry at the old man for bringing me here, but this isn’t so bad.

In fact, it’s quite enjoyable.

“So, you’re one of those people who shouldn’t be underestimated because you’re a woman, huh?”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three shots.

I was hit in the shoulder, chest, and head.

Even though I flinched a little from the close-range shots, it was actually kind of exciting.

The guy who was laughing when I flinched got shot right between the eyes and fell backward, but as he did, he gave me a twisted grin.

I shook my finger at him, as if to say “you didn’t stand a chance.”

“These guys just keep shooting their guns, you know that?”

“What… What?”

“I actually get pretty excited when I get hit.”

I had an ecstatic expression on my face.

Since they were going to die anyway, they might as well see my crazy face on their way out.

In truth, I realized something when I became like this.

Even if I’m hit with a deadly attack, I don’t die.

Bullets and swords don’t work on me.

I’m invincible.

With that came a strange feeling of superiority, a sense of being part of a chosen people.

It overwhelmed me as dopamine surged through my body.

“This… This doesn’t make sense. What the hell kind of woman are you?”

“And after becoming like this, I realized something else. Just seeing the kind of face you make is enough to make it all worth it.”

Slash!

It was just as enjoyable to slice through him.

This unnamed Japanese bastard spurted blood like a fountain from his neck, as if he was never meant to exist in this world.

The original me used to be carefree when I’d smash people’s skulls.

Now that I have this body, I have even more value to use.

“Hmm, seems like this guy’s pretty high up.”

‘But what kind of person is this? Is he someone important?’

I decided to ask on the Daeyeok Gallery forum.

***

[Daebung01: The army that was guarding the royal palace during the Battle of Hanseong was the 5th Reserve Infantry Brigade led by Aihara Tsuneo and the 13th Reserve Infantry Brigade led by Kawano Tsuko.]

[Jinwi Binguja: Lulz]

[Jinwi02: When’s the next update?]

‘Update? I’m not writing a novel. I’m crossing death lines every day.’

“Kawano Tsuko, is that his name?”

I poked the face of the dead Kawano, or whatever his name was.

Hmm, seems like he won’t come back to life like me.

However, there were still some soldiers nearby.

A group of soldiers was running toward me from a distance.

I’d probably killed around 20 of them by now.

I didn’t expect there’d be this many left.

Then again, for guarding the royal palace, this amount is to be expected.

“Kawano Tsuko has been killed by that woman!”

“Whether it’s one hundred or a thousand, let them come! I’ll kill them all!”

The battle that followed was inevitable.

I was hit by bullets and knives, but it didn’t faze me.

After taking a few hits, the sensation of bullets hitting my body became strangely stimulating.

Dopamine was flooding my system.

To my amusement, not a single Japanese soldier who charged at me survived.

It seemed like the gunshots had drawn in more soldiers, so I had to finish quickly.

“This is insane. What kind of woman is this?”

The last soldier left stepped back, shaking his head.

The look on his face, as if he had seen something that shouldn’t exist, was always new and thrilling.

“But you know, right?”

“I’ve already killed dozens of them by myself!”

‘Killing dozens by myself? That’s an exaggeration. I probably only killed about ten or so.’

But it was still going well, and I had to finish quickly before more soldiers arrived.

If things escalated more than expected, I might just have to go all the way.

“Where’s the crown prince?”

“I… I don’t know. I have nothing to say to a Joseon woman.” Rustle

I kicked the Japanese bastard’s head with my foot as I walked away.

If he’s not here, I’ll find him myself.

With the Imperial Guards coming, I’m sure they’ve upped security.

Considering I had met a few soldiers already on the way, maybe I should head toward the area where more soldiers are gathering.

‘Ha, using a sword in this era?’ Ridiculous.

I wouldn’t mind being caught if I could just shoot a gun freely.

Then I found a building.

“This is where the Joseon Crown Prince is! You…!”

The soldier who was guarding it kindly told me this was where the crown prince was.

What a bunch of idiots.

‘If I had come here to invade, I should’ve been taken as a hostage, and they should have tried to capture me first.’

I guess if some weird woman suddenly broke in at night, I’d probably be confused too.

“If you don’t even know how to capture a hostage, just die.”

Simple.

A soldier of my age stabbed a Japanese soldier with a sword, breaking a door as he entered, then pulled his sword out of the soldier’s body and struck down the Japanese commander without hesitation.

Without a moment’s hesitation.

Like it was so simple, as if capturing people like you wasn’t hard at all.

Inside, I saw a man dressed as the Crown Prince, staring at me with a foolish face.

“Ah, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Right. The Crown Prince, Yi Cheok. The future emperor, Sunjong.

Pitifully, the unfortunate figure who would become the emperor of a fallen nation stood before me.

It seemed I should show some respect to the Crown Prince.

For some reason, Crown Prince Yi Cheok took a step back.

“Hiiyiiik!”

‘Why weren’t there any court ladies around?’

The Japanese must have been planning something.

“The Crown Prince, they were treating you as our hostage.”

It seemed like they weren’t seeing the Crown Prince as a royal figure but as just a hostage of value.

“Your Highness, Crown Prince, is it? I am Ok Jinseo, the Chief of Staff of the Sapo and the Governor of Shenyang.”

Now, it was time to drag Yi Cheok, whom I had only seen in history, along with me.

The Crown Prince of the Great Empire, Yi Cheok, had been walking on thin ice for the past few days.

“The Japanese had killed his father.”

“After that, every day, someone named Kuroki or whatever came to pressure him to issue an order for the dissolution of the Ikkyo unit, threatening him, and they had wiped out all the righteous army in the three southern provinces.”

He spoke as if he was some kind of hero for the Great Empire, as if he had subdued the righteous army for the sake of the Empire.

Yi Cheok honestly felt like vomiting upon seeing the smug expression on his face.

It was because he didn’t know when he might die.

The ones who killed the Emperor and the Empress—’would they hesitate to kill the Crown Prince?’

Even now, the Imperial Palace was under surveillance and house arrest, with the excuse that the rebels were protecting the Crown Prince.

Meanwhile, screams and splashes of blood could be heard from outside, and then suddenly, a woman burst into the Japanese ship with a sword embedded in her body.

The Japanese soldier, who had become skewered, tried to resist by waving his arms, but the woman who had stabbed him in the stomach pulled the sword out, severing his neck cleanly.

“Hiiyiiik!”

“Your Highness, Crown Prince, is it? I am Ok Jinseo, the Chief of Staff of the Sapodai and the Governor of Shenyang.” Crown Prince Yi Cheok.

‘The Governor of Shenyang, Ok Jinseo.’

‘Before the war, she had been appointed by the Emperor as the governor.’

‘It was rumored that she single-handedly entered Fengtian and slaughtered the Manchurian barbarians. But why was the Governor of Shenyang here?’

“Sh…Shenyang Governor? How did you end up here?”

The Governor of Shenyang was admired by the French ambassador for her bravery, someone like a female Jandarque of Korea.

‘Could she have come to rescue him? Considering the number of dead Japanese soldiers around her and the sharp look in her eyes, it felt extremely dangerous.’

It looked like she would destroy anyone who tried to touch her.

“From now on, I will guide Your Highness to the French embassy. If you are at the French embassy, Your Highness’s Imperial army will reclaim Hanseong and end this war.”

“Is… is that true?”

The loyal Imperial army had defeated the Japanese in Manchuria and was on its way back!

Tears welled up in Yi Cheok’s eyes.

He felt great relief at the thought that he was alive and that the French ambassador’s words were true.

“Yes. Our Imperial army, numbering 100,000, has surrounded Hanseong. However, the enemy is holding the Crown Prince as a hostage, so I came personally to escort Your Highness. Once you’re at the French embassy, they won’t be able to do anything to you.”

That was a possibility, ‘but how was he supposed to get out of the Imperial Palace?’

Even if he had managed to break through the Japanese soldiers to get here, if he went out, more would surely swarm.

So, he cautiously asked the blood-soaked messenger.

“How am I supposed to escape the palace?” But, “Therefore, I, an unworthy servant, ask Your Highness this.”

Suddenly, the Governor of Shenyang lowered her head to the ground and made a request.

‘What kind of request could she possibly have in that state?’

“What… What request?”

‘A request? What kind of request?’

“I must set fire to the palace before those bastards come. We need to draw their attention.”

“Y…You want to set fire?”

‘Set fire to the palace? The hundreds-of-years-old Imperial palace?’

‘Even though it was necessary, wasn’t it too much to burn the palace down?’

“Well, since we have Seokjojeon, isn’t it fine? Afterward, we’ll receive reparations from the Japanese, and we can build a Western-style palace.”

‘A Western-style palace? There was no other choice.’

And just look at her eyes, full of murderous intent.

That’s the face of someone who looks like they could be the grim reaper in disguise.

If he didn’t listen, she might just burn him alive outside the palace.

Yi Cheok made an assumption.

He had resisted a little against Kuroki Tamekoto, but it hadn’t been as scary as this.

No, it wasn’t fear.

For the survival of the Empire, for the soldiers who couldn’t reclaim Hanseong because of him, Yi Cheok made a grand decision.

“Do it.”

Fwoosh!

***

After a while, the hall where Yi Cheok had been lying was engulfed in flames, and, of course, the Japanese soldiers guarding the palace became distracted by the fire.

If the Crown Prince died, everything would be over.

“What the hell is this! A Korean bastard comes in, kills our soldiers, and burns down the hall where the Crown Prince was?”

Kuroki Tamekoto doubted his own ears.

“Hurry up and put out the fire! Quickly!”

Kuroki, along with Ito Hirobumi, was horrified.

The Crown Prince was the most important card in negotiations with the hostage.

‘If the Crown Prince burned to death in that hall, it would be the end.’

‘A Korean? It’s that woman! Governor Ok Jinseo! She killed the Crown Prince!’

Kuroki’s army worked throughout the night to put out the fire in the Imperial Palace.

Meanwhile, Yi Cheok managed to arrive at the French embassy.

“You came suddenly like this.”

“Soon, our forces will strike Hanseong. Until then, I ask this. Isn’t it enough to say that the Crown Prince of the Great Empire came to the French embassy to build a relationship with the embassy?”

“I understand. That much is not difficult.”

At the French embassy, Ambassador Flancy wasn’t exactly welcoming, but since they were recently favorable toward Korea, they accepted him.

After that night, which seemed like a ghostly nightmare for Japan, the next morning arrived.

“Reclaim it! Kill the Japanese and protect our land!”

“Damn it, we still haven’t found the Crown Prince!”

The Japanese soldiers, who had been trying to put out the flames and search for the Crown Prince, were suddenly hit by the Great Empire’s full-scale offensive.