Upon returning to Imperial General Headquarters, Ishiwara Kanji immediately received a clear order personally signed by the adjutant to the commander of the 2nd Army: "Please remain at headquarters. Do not leave. If you require anything, personnel are assigned to serve you. Furthermore, your bonus has been delivered."

This order signaled that his appointment as Chief of Staff of the 2nd Army had entered the formal approval process.

Sitting at his desk, Ishiwara began attending to personal matters. He wrote letters to his father and wife. How much of the bonus and salary should go to his wife? How much to his father? Soon, he would have no time to consider such domestic details.

After quickly finishing the letters and sealing them, Ishiwara summoned an orderly. Before the orderly could arrive, he heard footsteps. Ishiwara picked up the envelopes and turned, intending to hand them over, but saw a figure in a naval uniform with the rank of captain on his shoulder.

It was Yamamoto Isoroku.

The orderly maneuvered around Yamamoto to reach Ishiwara. Ishiwara stood up, handed the letters to the orderly with clear instructions, and then addressed Yamamoto. "Captain Yamamoto, does your role in the Naval Operations Section concern ship applications or landing operations?"

Yamamoto smiled slightly. "The commander has ordered me to stay at headquarters. This visit is to hear your views on the enemy's coastal defenses... The one most familiar with the situation is Yamagata, but he was serving as a military attaché at the embassy when the war broke out and is currently on a ship returning home. The Naval Operations Section sent me to speak with you first, to gauge the judgment of the likely future Chief of Staff regarding landing operations."

Yamamoto pulled over a map and laid out the Navy's assessment. "The areas relatively suitable for landing operations are the Pyongyang Plain on the west coast and the Hamhung Plain on the east coast. Landing on the west coast offers flatter terrain and greater convenience. Landing on the east coast allows for a direct strike against the enemy's supply lines, offering larger operational space."

After offering his own view, Yamamoto looked at Ishiwara. "I know nothing of naval matters and can only consider this from a land warfare perspective. At this stage, a landing on the east coast indeed offers significant operational space, but it also carries inevitable risks."

Hearing Ishiwara's response, Yamamoto pointed at the map. "Is the Army certain that it has no way to break through the enemy in the mountainous regions?"

Ishiwara hesitated, then nodded. "During the beachhead phase of this landing, follow-up troops must land quickly and advance into the interior. Fighting in the mountains requires rapidly breaking through the interception positions the enemy is undoubtedly setting up. The Northeast Army possesses corps-level rapid mobility, and our troop numbers are insufficient to completely open up the situation."

The analysis was dense. Even as a naval officer, Yamamoto could immediately visualize the rugged peaks and difficult mountain paths of those regions. Ishiwara's view aligned with the Navy Department's; they also believed the east coast was unsuitable as the primary direction for the landing operation. Even if diversionary units were deployed, the scale likely wouldn't exceed one division.

Yamamoto's gaze shifted to the west coast. North of there lay the Liaodong Peninsula, which could be used for feigned maneuvers, making it impossible for the Northeast Army to determine the Japanese Army's true landing location. On the west coast, from north to south, lay the Pyongyang Plain, the Jaeryong Plain, and the Yeonbaek Plain. The total length of these four areas suitable for landing was over 500 kilometers.

Yamamoto's finger traced across this length of several thousand *li*. "He Rui is the most proficient gambler I have ever seen. He understands the logic that 'if you play, you will eventually lose,' so he opened the casino himself. Does Staff Officer Ishiwara believe that Manchukuo and Mongolia have the strength to construct a defensive system across this entire region?"

"Iron walls and copper ramparts," Ishiwara analyzed decisively.

Hearing this, Yamamoto realized that deep down, he was still hoping for loopholes in the Northeast Army's defense line. This was the mindset of a gambler.

Ishiwara Kanji squinted, staring at the map. "Based on my judgment, the enemy has the determination and the strength to complete defensive construction. Because the longer time drags on, the more disadvantageous it is for the Empire. Therefore, constructing a fortress line capable of making the Empire dash its head against the wall is the most reasonable choice."

"The Empire cannot harbor any wishful thinking. The only way to victory is on the frontal front line. At this moment, the 2nd Army Command must resolve itself to execute a landing in an area where the enemy has no reserves. With the determination to create mountains of corpses and seas of blood, we must break through the enemy's heavy troop concentrations and execute an encirclement."

Yamamoto felt a surge of emotion. He felt that Ishiwara's bright gaze seemed to be burning with flames. He looked at Ishiwara and asked, "Captain Yamamoto, if the Empire were to fight the Battle of Port Arthur from the Russo-Japanese War again, could the Navy exert its full strength?"

Yamamoto nodded solemnly. "If we fight now, it is possible."

Ishiwara completely confirmed his judgment. "Regardless of where the landing point is set, please view this landing battle as a Battle of Port Arthur without a fortress, but where the enemy's strength is not weakened in the slightest."

Yamamoto was completely taken aback by this professional assessment. He raised a question the Navy could discuss. "Staff Officer Ishiwara, what is your view on feigned attacks?"

"Since we can execute landing operations, we must make the enemy feel that our army is feigning an attack, confusing them so they dare not dispatch their reserves. As Captain Yamamoto said, since He Rui has set up the gambling table and wants us to enter the game, we must be the dealer and let He Rui's subordinates take a gamble."

Yamamoto nodded. This domain was the Navy's specialty. Feigned attacks and intimidation could themselves probe the enemy's strength.

The two chatted until noon. Yamamoto Isoroku wanted to invite Ishiwara to lunch, but the adjutant to Vice Admiral Suzuki of the 2nd Army Command walked in quickly and ordered Ishiwara to proceed immediately to Imperial General Headquarters.

The discussion ended. The overall concept of the offensive campaign was clearly constructed in Yamamoto's mind. Its scale was in no way inferior to the famous campaigns of the European theater. Yamamoto, who had intended to stand up, sat back down and quietly smoked a cigarette. He could not judge who would win. Any mistake by either side would lead to the failure of this campaign. If both sides performed extremely well, the final result would be decided by which side could better endure the cruelty of the campaign's attrition—who could stand last amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Ishiwara Kanji had long possessed such resolve. Upon arriving at Imperial General Headquarters, facing the inquiries of the Emperor and Minister of the Army General Yamanashi Hanzo, Ishiwara Kanji laid out his judgment and plans in full. The two spoke for less than an hour before General Yamanashi Hanzo concluded the meeting and took the latest roster of the 2nd Army Command to the Imperial Palace.

Such personnel arrangements were decided by the Emperor, and neither the Cabinet nor Imperial General Headquarters could act arbitrarily. Everyone's heart was heavy; they were forced into this. Compared to He Rui, it really wasn't worth mention.

...

Meanwhile, in Shanghai, the Japanese Concession was much quieter than usual. The concessions of other countries nearby, however, were as lively as ever—perhaps even more so.

Japanese special agent Koike Taiichi and his team finally left the Shanghai apartment where they had been hiding for two days. They had been dispatched from the Japanese mainland. Koike Taiichi arranged his subordinates according to pre-scouted locations.

The target was leaving the *Northeast Daily* office in Shanghai. In the suburbs, with a large army presence, Koike Taiichi would not have found anything strange.

By a soldier's intuition, this was a stronghold of the Northeast Government in Shanghai. Based on intelligence gathered by the intelligence department, this was also a core stronghold of the Northeast Government.

The Northeast Government had flourished in recent years. Forces from all sides, seeing the rising power, were unwilling to offend the Northeast Government. Moreover, the Northeast Government had never been lenient; as long as the other party crossed the line—regardless of whether it was a warlord force or a local gang—they would face a merciless counterattack.

After waiting for about the expected time, the main gate opened, and a group of people walked out. Koike Taiichi, disguised as an ordinary worker, saw the target in that group. Just as he prepared to move, he heard a commotion on the street as a convoy arrived. The target and his entourage got into several cars and left under escort. Koike Taiichi and his subordinates had absolutely no opportunity to strike.

Koike Taiichi felt matters were developing unexpectedly. The purpose of this trip was Kim Gu. Kim Gu visiting the *Northeast Daily* station meant he had a connection with the Northeast Government. Since they had local support in Shanghai, Koike Taiichi could only continue tracking and send someone to the Japanese Concession to report the news.

Trailing them all the way, Koike Taiichi saw Kim Gu and the others actually being escorted to the train station. Because there were many guards, there was no way to act. Koike Taiichi could only return to the intelligence station in the Japanese Concession as quickly as possible.

Kim Gu himself was not as excited as Koike Taiichi. The result of this trip north was surprising. Although all of China was excited about the Northeast Army going to war with Japan, the war was, after all, completely borne by the Northeast Government. The Northeast Government had repeatedly issued public statements: they refused donations and would absolutely not solicit contributions. So, anyone soliciting contributions in the name of the Northeast Government was a fraud.

After several large-scale publicity campaigns, they actually caught a few fraudsters and held public trials. Although this made all strata of Chinese society feel the Northeast Government did things rigorously, it also, in a way, lowered the public's enthusiasm.

But Koreans in China were excited beyond measure. Especially for someone like Kim Gu, who had always aimed for the great cause of restoring the country. He had repeatedly tried to contact the Northeast Government's liaison points in Shanghai. The leaders of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, to which Kim Gu belonged, had also tried to contact the Northeast Government directly, but none had succeeded.

It wasn't until yesterday, November 25th, that Kim Gu received news inviting him to the *Northeast Daily*. He had thought they would discuss the issue of restoring the country. However, the Northeast side spoke very politely with Kim Gu for a while before informing him that if he was interested, he could go to Tianjin. The *Northeast Daily* station in Tianjin wanted to interview Kim Gu in more detail.

This disappointed Kim Gu slightly. If the Northeast Government really wanted to organize a restoration government, they should have let Kim Gu proceed to Shenyang. What was the point of going to Tianjin?

However, matters could not be forced, so Kim Gu and several comrades were directly escorted to the train station and boarded a train heading to Tianjin.

At the same time, Xu Youping also received a report from the comrades responsible for this matter: the actions regarding contacting the restorationists had begun. Xu Youping felt exhausted and anxious at this moment, so he asked the personnel responsible for the matter to give him a briefing.

After all, at this time, some comrades advocated causing more trouble for Japan, effectively lowering the labor intensity for the Northeast Army. If Korean groups could organize a government of some scale in the rear, it could help stabilize the local situation.

The key figure here was Kim Gu, not other more famous figures, which also made Xu Youping a bit curious. Because this person, Kim Gu, was selected by He Rui.

The comrades began to recount Kim Gu's story. Kim Gu was born in the Andong Kim clan (Old) in Haeju, Hwanghae Province. But in the mid-17th century, because the clan produced the traitor Kim Ja-jeom and invited the disaster of extermination, his ancestors fled everywhere, eventually settling in Baekun-bang, about 80 *li* west of Haeju City in Hwanghae Province, and were reduced to commoners. Born there on August 29th (lunar calendar July 11th) of the 12th year of the reign of King Gojong of Joseon (1876), his earliest name was "Chang-am." His father was Kim Sun-yeong, and his mother was Kwak Nak-won; he was the only son in the family.

In February 1893, having heard of the Donghak religion's miraculous skills of "calling upon the wind and rain" and "riding the wind," Kim Gu visited the Donghak leader Oh Ung-seon in his hometown. Oh Ung-seon came from the *yangban* class but used honorifics with Kim Gu and was very polite. He introduced the history of Donghak and its proposition to establish a new nation where everyone was equal. This captivated Kim Gu, who immediately became a Donghak believer, bringing his father along with him. He was very enthusiastic about missionary work and soon developed several hundred believers. He became a "Jeopju" (local leader) of the "Baby Jeop" (a lower-level organization), and was even called "Baby Jeopju." His influence even expanded to Pyongan Province, where believers called him the "Children's Lord." He also changed his name to "Chang-su."

On his return journey, while eating breakfast at an inn at Chihapo (located in Anak County) on the banks of the Daedong River, Kim Gu noticed a short-haired man acting suspiciously. Listening to his accent while speaking with others, although he claimed to be a man from Jangyeon in Hwanghae Province named Jeong, his accent was not from Hwanghae. He also carried a concealed sword under his clothes. Suspecting he was a Japanese spy in disguise, Kim Gu couldn't help but boil with rage. He kicked the man to the ground in public, snatched his sword, and stabbed him repeatedly. Fearing his accomplices were nearby, the people in the inn all knelt and begged for mercy. After confirming he had no accomplices, Kim Gu searched his body and discovered he was a Japanese Army Lieutenant named Tsuchida Josuke. He asked the innkeeper to post a notice reading "Kim Chang-su of Baekun-bang, Haeju, killed a Japanese for revenge" and left.

Due to his stay at home, Kim Gu was arrested three months later. During his trial in Haeju, he spoke impassionedly and scolded the Japanese: "In the so-called Public Law of All Nations, is there a clause that says you can kill our Queen? ... In the years I have left to live, I swear to avenge this national humiliation. If I die, I will become a ghost and still kill you all cleanly, only then will it be acceptable!"

The documents were sent to the capital. An official told King Gojong that Kim Chang-su (Kim Gu) had killed for the sake of "avenging the national mother." King Gojong was greatly moved and immediately ordered the Ministry of Justice to call Incheon to suspend Kim Gu's death penalty and retry him at a later date. On the day of the execution, Kim Gu was waiting for death when the news came. The attitude of the prison guards and prisoners toward him also improved significantly.

But Kim Gu was still locked in prison. Kim Ju-gyeong and other caring members of society tried every means, even bankrupting their families, to save Kim Gu from prison. To this end, they found the help of the Minister of Justice, Han Kyu-seol, and others. Kim Gu obtained some money and asked his father to bring a file when visiting the prison. On March 19, 1898, he and his fellow inmates broke through the prison wall with the file while the guards were drunk after being treated to a feast, and successfully escaped.

During Kim Gu's second imprisonment, he changed his name to "Kim Gu," adopting the name registered on the warrant, and also changed his courtesy name to "Yeon-ha." This name change was also to escape Japanese pursuit; this was his last name change. At the same time, he changed his pen name to "Baekbeom" (White Tiger), meaning he wished to become an ordinary person like a butcher (the lowest class, discriminated against in Joseon). He performed well in prison, and coupled with factors such as the death of Emperor Meiji and the ascension of Emperor Taisho, his sentence was reduced to 5 years. He was transferred to Incheon in 1914 and released in the summer of that year. He lived under surveillance at his home in Anak, making a living by farming.

In 1919, the March 1st Movement broke out. Many patriots and students went to public places to shout "Long Live." Kim Gu thought, "Is independence something that can be won just by shouting 'Long Live'?" He did not participate in the March 1st Movement, but instead seized the opportunity to escape. He went to Sariwon, boarded a train to Sinuiju, disguised himself as a timber merchant, and crossed into Andong, China (now Dandong, Liaoning). After staying in Andong for a week, he met with 15 comrades, took a ship of the British company Jardine Matheson, arrived in Shanghai on April 13, and began his 27-year life in exile in China.

...

As soon as Kim Gu arrived in the French Concession in Shanghai, he joined the Provisional Government. He was elected as a member of the Internal Affairs Committee and the Provisional Assembly. Later, he was appointed Commissioner of Police. For the Provisional Government, the Police Bureau was not responsible for general national policing, but for guarding against Japanese espionage activities, protecting the safety of government leaders, disciplining the traitorous activities of independence activists, and mediating between factions. In addition to this, he also joined the Shinminhoe (New People's Association).

After reading this person's biography, Xu Youping felt a boost of spirit, and his fatigue vanished. He felt he could understand why He Rui looked highly upon Kim Gu. Such a heroic and chivalrous person resonated completely with Xu Youping. Xu Youping himself had, holding his own writings, intercepted He Rui in Siping back in the day, asking to join because he believed He Rui had the ability to liberate China.

Having walked to this day, Xu Youping felt he would have no regrets even if he died. With a sigh, Xu Youping temporarily ended the reporting process.

On the way back to his office, Xu Youping felt some regret in his heart. The Northeast Government had plans for this war to hand over the entire Korean Peninsula to Japan. If they could not satisfy Japan's appetite with such a benefit, the peace talks would likely fail.

Complications would increase the probability of the peace talks failing. Even if he sympathized with Kim Gu, Xu Youping had no way to cooperate with him. However, Xu Youping felt he could understand why He Rui wanted to get close to Kim Gu. After the peace talks concluded, that would be a different matter.

This was politics.