Chapter 129 – Warlord (1)
‘This is Lieutenant Colonel Lee Seong-bong. I have been temporarily entrusted with command of the inland troops.’
This is a military radio call I received while dispatching a drone to Yeosu recently to help survivors.
When I first heard this, what came to mind was that the Korean military was completely destroyed.
No matter how bad the situation was, the highest rank in the mainland defense forces was only lieutenant colonel. I thought this was too much.
However, Artemis corrected him that the concept of the mainland would have changed.
[As we have seen, the inland area is hell. Military units connected by land routes are having a hard time preventing the spread of infectious agents from moving south. Even if all the troops preserved on Jeju Island are mobilized, recovery of the inland area is impossible.]
“I won’t be able to come across anyway because of the giant monsters in the sea.”
[That’s right. In reality, the inland area is a wasteland. Although it may not be possible to completely eradicate it for political and ethnic reasons, the actual mainland is now Jeju Island.]
There was no fear found on the faces of survivors living their daily lives on Jeju Island. It was full of discomfort, anger, and stress. But where is that in this day and age?
“Then the nobleman in Yeosu.”
[It must be some kind of demotion. It can be seen as a military spirit to protect the fallen people.]
“Maybe both.”
As time went by, and the drone received additional radios, it could be seen that the situation was not as good as expected.
It was not simply because the army was weakened that the rank of the highest commander in the inland area was lieutenant colonel. There were higher-ranking people on Jeju Island and not far away.
However, both were of no help to Lee Seong-bong.
The superiors on Jeju Island had no intention of taking a single step from the island and had cut off material support because they could not operate motorboats.
The superiors nearby were of worse quality.
Our drones received radio signals from a military base in Goheung, next to Yeosu. The commander is a general.
[This is Lee Man-cheol, Major General of the Republic of Korea Army. I am based in Goheung and am the highest ranking member of the current Armed Forces. Repeat. I am the supreme commander.
This is a message to drone owners operating in our territory.
I will say it bluntly. Do you have any intention of using your skills and materials for greater public benefit?
We are also traveling inland to secure supplies and distribute them to citizens. Your drone will be very useful.
It has a completely self-sufficient infrastructure. You can get protection, stability and, if you want, a family.
I look forward to your wise decision.]
When I heard the radio, my head tilted.
“Didn’t you say that Lee Seong-bong of Yeosu was temporarily entrusted with military command? “They speak different words, right?”
In terms of rank, it is natural that Goheung’s Lee Man-cheol should be in command. Anyway, there is a huge difference between a lieutenant-level officer and a general.
There is one more question.
“Are there our drones providing public support in Goheung?”
Yeosu is obviously the only place where scout drones went down and were active.
However, Yeosu and Goheung are right next to each other. If an emergency situation occurred where a person’s life was at risk, Artemis may have sent it arbitrarily.
[No. Goheung has well-maintained defenses and survival infrastructure, and there are almost no active infectious agents. As I said over the radio, they sometimes send armored vehicles and military trucks to nearby inland areas to retrieve supplies. Yeosu was the only one who directly showed up and helped.]
“Then how did you know about that gentleman in Goheung?”
[It may have been reported by a subordinate active in Yeosu, or intercepted the communication of Yeosu survivors who thanked us. I think it’s the latter.]
Artemis said with confidence.
“Why?”
[Your tone of voice is so arrogant, telling me to join you without any end. If I had known about the existence of drone carriers, I would have spoken more politely.]
The operational radius of existing drones is short. You probably never thought that multiple combat drones could be docked on an airship and operated over long distances.
I guess they just thought there was a survivor or a group of survivors operating many drones nearby.
“The question is, between Lee Seong-bong and Lee Man-cheol, who is the highest commander approved by the government?”
In situations where conflicting claims are made, the side with the better class and power is slightly more persuasive. Historically, rebel forces were usually inferior to government forces.
The question of what happened was soon resolved.
[Colonel Man-cheol Lee. No nonsense and maintain radio silence. Just hearing your disgusting voice makes me sick. You are a human scum and a traitor who murdered your superior.]
This is because Lee Seong-bong intervened via radio. Unlike politely asking about our affiliation, the tone was sharp.
[What are you saying?! Those who abandoned their fallen people and territory and ran away are true traitors! You are a traitor to your country and people! The land restoration operation will continue. I am the supreme commander. Repeat. I have command authority. Be polite to a general, lieutenant colonel.]
Lee Man-cheol said.
[I will repeat this too, Colonel Lee Man-cheol. Maintain radio silence. I don’t want to hear a traitor grunt. You are a warlord who murdered your superiors, refused government orders, and acted without permission.]
Seongbong Lee refuted.
I rested my chin and watched the battle between the two commanders.
It seems that these voices, which are evil to each other, are not simply a matter of treason, but have been at odds for a long time. My intuition as a fellow soldier speaks.
Since it is a radio that can be intercepted and each person is in a different location, they seem to be refraining from double-talking.
Because you have respect not only for your subordinates but also for other survival groups that may be listening.
[Hey you bastard! Look at how young and short-sighted he is speaking informally to the end? Do you want to rummage? If you fall over, the baby that is within nose reach has a piece of liver sticking out of its stomach?]
Correct. Lee Man-cheol seems to have run out of patience.
[In terms of strength, the Yeosu garrison is inferior.]
Along with Artemis’ words, a power comparison table appeared on the screen. There is definitely a big difference in basic military size and equipment.
In addition, Goheung had the largest number of refugees except Jeju Island. From the military unit’s perspective, these are human resources that can be requisitioned at any time.
[If you want to come over, come over. I will make it into fish food.]
Seongbong Lee said.
Artemis uploaded a video. It looked like a bridge connecting Goheung and Yeosu in the south, and a guard post and machine gun position were installed at the entrance on the Yeosu side.
Even explosives installed throughout the bridge. Lee Seong-bong was ready to collapse the bridge at any time. If not there, you have to go around the northern inland, passing through the infected agents.
“It’s not about cutting off legs to prevent infectious agents, but to isolate yourself from fellow humans.”
It’s just confusing.
[Colonel Lee Man-cheol, the order you received was to escape to Jeju Island with the personnel and supplies gathered in Goheung. The fact that he killed his superiors and sat down to become a warlord was a clear intention to rebel. And this bastard!]
Seongbong Lee also seems to have run out of patience.
[What kind of general is the Jangpodae bastard with less than a year left until retirement calling himself? The rank insignia you are wearing now was taken by shooting and killing the superior officer who was leading the escape operation next to you! Did the smell of blood go away from the rank insignia, you bastard of the last-place long gun squad for 10,000 years? The reason I accepted you for being such a brat made me vomit.]
I couldn’t understand why the two of them were saying conflicting things and what happened.
[Haaa…]
Artemis sighed. I guess I lost my temper after seeing this bitter argument.
[Jinsu.]
Artemis called me with slight fear.
“Yes.”
[It’s just one assumption, but you wouldn’t want to fall under either of those two, right?]
He seemed worried that I, a former soldier, might act out of patriotism or military spirit.
“Not at all!”
Even though it was possible to be promoted to general, I gave it up and moved to a shelter in pursuit of money and safety.
[Okay. If you led them, you led them, the opposite is nonsense. It’s illogical. If you need someone to make an icon of, please know that there is no other option than me. Because no one can fill you like I can.]
“I know that very well.”
The two commanders seemed to have forgotten to appease me and were arguing fiercely. They say all sorts of things, such as saying that they will be executed by firing squad according to military law and that they will bomb it.
I just feel sorry for the soldiers who are accompanying them in the situation room.
I turned my attention away from their communications and looked around at the reconnaissance videos of Yeosu and Goheung.
Unlike Yeosu, which is organized in points and is almost an independent town, Goheung is fairly stable. A large-scale subjugation operation has been carried out in the past few days, and most of the territory has been brought under control.
Wherever the drone was scouting, young and middle-aged people were seen managing crops under the guidance of native elders.
Until the war, it was an area that was pushed back compared to Yeosu, but everything seems to have turned around just because it is a place that is less affected by infectious agents.
In addition, there was a drone industrial complex in the area, which operated a significant number of drones.
Thanks to this, even though we scouted outside their detection range as much as possible, we did encounter one another with drones.
Both that and these are combat drones. While they were hovering with their guns pointed at each other, a radio call came again. It was a young voice, perhaps not Lee Man-cheol, but an officer on duty.
[We do not attack our own people. This is not a recommendation to surrender or a threat. It’s just a guide to evacuate to where we are. We have warm beds, medical care, and plenty of food. All members will welcome you to join.]
Boom!
According to the pre-entered algorithm, the drone left the spot at full speed.
[What!]
A voice that seems embarrassed.
Ugh!
However, it immediately followed our drone. However, the performance difference was too serious.
This one is bigger, that one is a typical four-rotor quadcopter, and this one is a two-rotor tiltrotor. Comparison is not allowed in the output.
Artemis chuckled as she watched the other person’s drone moving away.
All of this is recorded video. This is because real-time communication is blocked due to the noise tree.
Lee Man-cheol was a man of quite good behavior. Military trucks and armored vehicles were dispatched to the bridge, perhaps as a demonstration of force.
The war of nerves between the two forces continued for nearly an hour, and only when threatening fire was fired from the machine gun position on the Yeosu side did the vehicles finally retreat.
[They are here! Will it blow up?]
Nothing was left out, not even the urgent voice of the guard leader guarding the guard post.
“It’s not Ssangpalnyeon or Panmunjom, what on earth is this doing?”
I massaged the bridge of my nose out of fatigue.
In this case, rather than helping in an emergency, we should be concerned about skirmishes between our own troops and looting.
Fortunately, nature mediated between the two.
[It will pour quite a bit.]
Snow was falling from the sky. That’s also eye-opening.
