At 7:00 PM on October 16th, night descended upon the Korean peninsula. The headquarters of the Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army was brightly lit.

At this time, both the Government-General of Korea and the Chosen Army Headquarters still existed. Although the two full Generals in charge had been retired, they were temporarily retained in their posts.

Following the operational model of the Imperial Japanese Army system, the Army General Staff proposed the establishment of the Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army, which was then executed by the Ministry of War via an Imperial decree after the Emperor's review.

At this stage, Tokyo had not yet nominated a commander-in-chief for the Expeditionary Army or staffed its various departments; only the name had been finalized. The current makeshift organization consisted solely of liaison officers. Among them, the highest-ranking officer was Colonel Nagata Tetsuzan, who naturally became the person in charge.

Just as Nagata Tetsuzan and the other liaison officers were confirming the completion status of the defensive lines, an orderly entered and reported, "Colonel Nagata, the liaison officer sent from Tokyo has arrived."

Hearing of this sudden arrival, Nagata Tetsuzan felt a flash of annoyance. At a critical time like this, wouldn't it be better to communicate specific matters directly by telegram? If they were going to send personnel, they should have sent a full staff of officers. What use was a single liaison officer?

However, Nagata was Nagata. Despite his displeasure, he did not show it. Deciding to use this opportunity to adjust his mood slightly, he put on his cap and went to the reception room.

Although the Japanese Chosen Army Headquarters technically still existed, it was effectively defunct. Under the orders of General Oba Jiro, the commander, the entire headquarters had been 'lent' to the Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army.

Walking into the reception room, Nagata Tetsuzan was surprised to see that the arrival was none other than a member of the Futaba-kai, which Nagata led: Lieutenant Colonel Isogai Rensuke, a staff officer of the 1st Division.

Isogai Rensuke stepped forward and saluted Nagata. "Nagata-kun, I have been ordered to come and place myself under your leadership."

A smile appeared on Nagata Tetsuzan's face. "It is excellent to have Isogai-kun join us! Come, sit."

Isogai Rensuke looked somewhat sorrowful. He took out a letter and handed it over. "Nagata-kun, this is Itagaki-kun's suicide note."

Itagaki Seishiro was also a key member of the Futaba-kai. Isogai Rensuke's words meant that Itagaki Seishiro had committed suicide. Nagata Tetsuzan, who had been too busy these past days to think of much else, was shocked but quickly understood the reason. Itagaki Seishiro had been the head of the 'He Agency,' the previous organization targeting the Northeast regime and He Rui.

Helplessly pointing to a chair, Nagata Tetsuzan held onto the table as he sat down. Isogai Rensuke sat opposite him and briefed him on recent events in Tokyo, especially the changes within the Futaba-kai.

At this stage, people were needed to take responsibility for the defeat. The two Generals in Korea had already assumed responsibility, and Chief of the Army General Staff General Uehara Yusaku had also taken responsibility, being ignominiously placed in the reserves and facing forced retirement.

If even three Army Generals were being sacrificed, the intelligence personnel fared even worse. The current heads of all China-related intelligence sections had been suspended and arrested, handed over to the military judiciary for investigation. Former 'He Agency' leaders like Itagaki Seishiro could not escape either.

Isogai Rensuke's expression was full of grief. "Ishiwara-kun, Itagaki-kun said that he would endure the humiliation and wait for the military police investigation so he could tell them everything he knew. The night the investigation concluded, he calmly committed seppuku at home to cleanse his honor. Before he died, he wrote suicide notes to his comrades in the Futaba-kai and to you, Nagata-kun."

Nagata Tetsuzan remained silent, staring blankly as he listened to Isogai Rensuke's account.

"Not only Itagaki-kun, but Doihara-kun from the Beijing Intelligence Section has also been ordered to return to Japan immediately for investigation. We don't know what will happen to him yet." Although Isogai Rensuke could not openly criticize these punishments, he felt a vague resentment regarding his comrades in the Futaba-kai.

Finally, Nagata Tetsuzan spoke. "What was the Military Affairs Bureau's final disposition regarding Itagaki-kun?"

Hearing that Nagata Tetsuzan cared about Itagaki Seishiro's final outcome, Isogai Rensuke was somewhat moved. "Nagata-kun, the investigation report hasn't been released yet. Because Itagaki-kun committed seppuku, the investigation against him was closed due to the death of the subject."

"Closed due to death?" Nagata Tetsuzan had not expected the Military Affairs Bureau to let Itagaki Seishiro off the hook.

Isogai Rensuke replied, "I heard Obata-kun exerted some effort."

Hearing this, Nagata Tetsuzan stood up and placed Itagaki Seishiro's letter into his breast pocket. "Isogai-kun, you have no time to rest. You must work with us immediately."

Isogai Rensuke actually felt very uneasy. Before this trip, he already knew the situation in Korea. Twelve divisions of the Northeast Army—four corps—were bearing down from north to south with crushing force. Isogai Rensuke asked, "Nagata-kun, can we hold?"

He expected Nagata Tetsuzan to hesitate, but Nagata answered confidently, "As long as we fight hard, we will definitely hold Seoul."

Perhaps it was Nagata Tetsuzan's resolute expression, or his sloppy uniform and stubbly face. Or perhaps for no reason at all, Isogai Rensuke was willing to believe him. He stood at attention and saluted. "Please assign me a task, Nagata-kun."

With Isogai Rensuke's addition, Nagata Tetsuzan felt the operational efficiency of the liaison office improve significantly. Isogai Rensuke was capable, and unlike Nagata and the others, he hadn't gone without sleep for days. Soon, Isogai understood the defensive system. He frowned, looking as if he wanted to raise an objection, but when he spoke, it turned into an inquiry about the arrangement of defensive points.

They worked until after 4:00 AM. Isogai Rensuke put on his cap. "Nagata-kun, I'm going to inspect the defensive positions."

"Thank you. Go ahead," Nagata Tetsuzan responded.

When Isogai Rensuke left the liaison office, Nagata Tetsuzan finally let out a sigh of relief. The comrades of the Futaba-kai were reliable, and Isogai clearly understood the new concepts of the defensive system. This concept was not entirely the same as Japan's current infantry defense doctrine; it had been proposed by Ishiwara Kanji. To understand and execute it in such a short time was beyond the ability of most Japanese officers. But Isogai Rensuke was not 'most Japanese officers.'

***

At 5:00 AM on the 17th, the Northeast Army's shelling began. Pyongyang's third defensive line began to collapse under the bombardment of 120mm heavy guns and the 150mm heavy guns the Northeast Army had captured from the Japanese.

Ishiwara Kanji, who had started getting used to sleeping tied to a chair with cloth strips, woke up immediately. Opening his eyes, he saw the lights in the command post swaying with the wires. The entire city of Pyongyang was shaking under the intense shelling. The bombardment caused not just tremors, but something akin to a small-scale earthquake—a sensation all too familiar to the Japanese.

As the orderly helped untie the cloth strips, Ishiwara Kanji asked, "What is the status of the defensive points on the Taedong River?"

Stepping on the vibrating floor, the staff officers immediately called to inquire. Only a few calls went through, and without exception, the defensive positions Ishiwara Kanji had deployed along the Taedong River had also come under artillery fire.

Ishiwara Kanji immediately ordered, "Retreat at once!"

Although it was a retreat, many staff officers felt a sense of relief. During the two days of defensive battles, everyone in the headquarters had felt death approaching time and again, their hearts constricting in fear. Although Ishiwara Kanji's command had ultimately repelled the enemy, Japanese casualties had skyrocketed. The original defensive force of around 7,000 men was now less than half that. Every staff officer knew that a single mistake would mean giving their lives for the Empire.

Even if some thought of the wounded, no one raised the issue. At a time like this, even a dishonorable retreat was their last chance.

The retreat plan had been prepared long ago. Ishiwara Kanji did not need to supervise it personally. He put on his cap and headed straight for the military hospital. Although the shelling was fierce, the Northeast Army was trying to avoid Pyongyang's residential areas. This was consistent with Ishiwara Kanji's prediction.

From before the war, Ishiwara Kanji had guessed that He Rui would minimize civilian casualties as much as possible, but this did not mean the Northeast Army would never attack residential areas. Therefore, when deploying positions, Ishiwara Kanji had not planned for urban warfare tricks but had instead set up clear defensive lines to counter the Northeast Army's advance.

The field hospital was currently located in a residential area. Although the ground was shaking, the hospital had not been hit. Moreover, Ishiwara Kanji had marked the field hospital clearly and even sent people to notify the Northeast Army. As a result, the field hospital was brightly lit, with doctors and nurses busily treating the wounded as soldiers carried casualties in and out.

Walking through the flow of people, Ishiwara Kanji went straight to the officers' ward. Forty or fifty field grade and company grade officers filled several large rooms. These were the lucky ones; several times that number of officers had already lost their lives.

Seeing Ishiwara Kanji enter, those officers who could still manage it struggled to sit up and salute. Ishiwara Kanji returned the salute to everyone before speaking loudly, "Gentlemen, the garrison is retreating. We cannot take you with us. Please forgive us."

No one answered. The expressions on their faces were either lost or surprised, but they could say nothing. Ishiwara Kanji, who had long detested the bad habit of suicide after defeat, couldn't be bothered with bowing or apologies. He stood straight and ordered, "I command you now in the name of the Liaison Officer of the Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army in Pyongyang. The war is still ongoing, and it will continue. Your battle is not over; your mission is to return to your hometowns alive. When that day comes, you must come to report to me that you have finally completed the mission I assigned to you. Do you hear me!"

Still, no one answered, but the atmosphere in the room had changed significantly.

Ishiwara Kanji said nothing more. He saluted the wounded, then turned and left. When he reached the perimeter of the hospital, he heard someone shouting from the crowd, "Ishiwara-kun, please wait." Turning his head, he saw it was Lieutenant Kurita. The Lieutenant's right arm was bandaged and suspended from his neck. Running up to Ishiwara Kanji, Lieutenant Kurita saluted with his left hand. "Ishiwara-kun, please take me back with you. I want to continue fighting."

"Your body..." Ishiwara Kanji felt that Lieutenant Kurita's body probably couldn't hold out.

Lieutenant Kurita pleaded, "Ishiwara-kun, I don't want to commit seppuku. Please, take me back to the unit. I still want to fight."

Hearing that his comrade from the Mirai-sha (Future Society), Kurita, no longer wanted to engage in the farce of suicide for loyalty, Ishiwara Kanji decided to take him.

By the time they reached headquarters, the documents that couldn't be sent to the rear had been gathered together, doused in gasoline, and set on fire. In the light of the flames, Ishiwara Kanji ordered, "Headquarters, retreat!"

They walked from night into dawn, and from dawn into morning. All the retreating troops ran until they were sweating profusely. Lieutenant Kurita's wound had reopened due to the accelerated blood flow, and the gauze above the wound was stained a dark red.

Ishiwara Kanji jumped off his horse and gave it to Kurita. He followed the troops, who had abandoned all heavy equipment and carried only rifles, as they continued south.

The units that still had mules and horses were the engineers. They had already placed explosives, and the horses were carrying detonators. With a series of loud explosions, railway tracks were severed, and bridges were destroyed. The defeated soldiers led by Ishiwara Kanji were not simply retreating; they still had a mission to complete.

Although Lieutenant Kurita was in severe pain and felt increasingly weak, he rode silently on the bumpy horse, retreating with the unit. In the two days of fighting, he had narrowly escaped death several times. Now, only one resolve supported him: to follow Ishiwara Kanji and continue fighting.

The troops retreated until 12:00 PM. Lieutenant Kurita finally couldn't hold on any longer. He slumped over the horse, losing consciousness, and slid off. Fortunately, the unit had just stopped, and a nearby soldier caught him, preventing him from crashing to the ground.

Ishiwara Kanji, dragging his blistered feet, hurried to the front. He saw Okamura Yasuji, who looked a size thinner and ten years older, waiting ahead. Okamura Yasuji saluted Ishiwara Kanji. "Ishiwara-kun, you've worked hard. Leave the next twenty-four hours to me."

Hearing this, Major Takeshita, standing beside Ishiwara Kanji, realized he had finally been pulled back from the line of death. Thinking of the hellish battlefield and the inner torment of the past few days, Major Takeshita was suddenly overcome with grief, and tears burst from his eyes.

Okamura Yasuji frowned, about to scold the Major for his lack of decorum. Ishiwara Kanji stepped forward, blocking Major Takeshita. "Okamura-kun, I leave the rest to you."

Blocked by Ishiwara Kanji, Okamura Yasuji couldn't lose his temper. He could only order the support troops to quickly receive this unit of just over 2,000 men.