Chapter 1164: Chapter 1164
Wiggins relaxedly leaned back. “So? How did the Prime Minister sound on the phone?”
Lee Hyeon-Su smiled awkwardly. “He didn’t sound happy, sir.”
“I’m not surprised,” Wiggins chuckled wryly while rubbing his chin. “War shouldn’t be taken lightly, after all.
“Well, there is that, but...”
Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled helplessly. “Master, you may not know this because you aren't Korean. Every Korean has thought about fighting a war against Japan at least once in their life. Either they fantasized about it or cooked up strategies based on reality.”
“However, everyone always arrived at the same conclusion. There’s nothing to gain by fighting a war. And the odds aren’t exactly in our favor, either. Then again, that’s what war is like, isn’t it?”
“Indeed, Mister Lee. War can be nebulous like that.”
“But now, a war is about to break out without any warning whatsoever. Of course the Prime Minister would be flustered. Even if the martial world is waging this war, at the end of the day, they are still his countrymen. And they are about to risk their lives to protect this country.”
Wiggins slowly nodded.
This story also applied in Europe. One of the things that always took the newly appointed high-ranking European officials by surprise was the existence of the Round Table.
Once the politicians learned about the Round Table, a European organization outside the reach of the rule of law that boasted a military presence all around the world, their perception of the world usually crumbled.
Most would eventually recover from the shock and accept the reality. But some would give up on the life of politics or try to reveal the truth to the world... Although, it didn't take a genius to figure out what might happen to such people.
A high-ranking government official had no choice but to think about the possibility of a war breaking out. Humans were never all that rational or wise, after all.
This rule was especially true in East Asia, more so if you were a Korean politician. The threat of war was like a shadow below their feet, always accompanying them everywhere and never disappearing even if they were not conscious of its existence!
“Let’s get back to the main topic,” said Wiggins. “So, the other side will protect anyone entering Korea via legal means. Is that it?”
“Yes, sir. It sounds that way.”
“There are two possibilities. This could be a ploy to protect their men diplomatically by having them enter the country legally, therefore giving them an advantage. Or...”
Wiggins cocked an eyebrow and finished his disciple’s sentence.
“Or, a large-scale smuggling operation?”
“Exactly, sir. In my opinion, the odds of that happening are much higher.”
“And your rationale is?”
From the Japanese's perspective, having their people enter Korea legally should benefit them the most. Legally entering martial artists winning the war would be a good thing, of course. However, in case they lost, the Japanese government could pressure its Korean counterpart diplomatically.
“Because I don't believe the Japanese will lodge a formal complaint, master. If this war only concerned South Korea and Japan, then sure, they might have. However, if the Japanese really try to dress up their martial artists as ordinary people and demand an apology, it'd only bring a firestorm of criticism from the rest of the world.
“First of all, both China and the USA most likely won't sit still. They have their own operations to think about, after all.”
Wiggins slowly nodded in agreement.
Three places around the globe dispatched the highest number of combatants to other nations. One of them was, of course, the Round Table. The other two, however, were China and the United States of America.
At least the Europeans used the pretext of upholding world peace, but the other two? Their reasons for dispatching their martial artists were completely different.
The Chinese government secretly dispatched Chinese martial artists to surrounding nations mired in armed conflict to either assassinate important individuals or annihilate the anti-government factions through force. In return, it strictly upheld the Chinese martial society's independence and protected its distinctive identity.
This was incomparably more effective and efficient than mobilizing the army. For one, the Chinese government didn’t have to worry about the Western media’s bad press. In fact, there wouldn’t be any press coverage, at all!
In that case, what about the USA?
As if to reflect the USA's relatively short history, its martial society had not been in existence for long, either. Perhaps to counter this, the government itself was nurturing its own martial artists. If other countries treated their martial artists as highly capable mercenaries they could call on, the American government viewed its martial artists more like a division of its military.
As such, the martial world usually treated American martial artists as soldiers, not actual martial artists like themselves.
Even now, these 'soldiers' were roaming the nations and their allies deemed the enemy of the United States of America. If the layman learned of just how many American martial artists were currently deployed into the Middle East, they would get the shock of their life.
That was the situation, so what would happen if Japan dared to treat their martial artists as ‘ordinary people’ and lodged a formal complaint through diplomatic channels?
The pressure from China and the United States alone might crush the Japanese government, in that case! Japanese politicians would surely never want to take on such a risk.
Wiggins continued to rub his chin. “In that case, why would the Japanese word their warning this way?”
“The Korean political sphere lacks knowledge on the martial world, after all. It could be a ploy to scare the Korean government,” said Lee Hyeon-Su.
“Hmm... Is that all?”
“No, master. There's one more. If the Japanese enter the country legally, they'll be forced to answer for the crimes they commit, too. Imagine what might happen if someone entering the country with a visa through the airport and leaving all those ID trails behind is implicated in a murder. That's going to create a serious problem.”
“Also, even if we forget about everything, I'm pretty certain that these Shinichi-kai bastards wouldn't want to leave such trails behind by entering through airports.”
Wiggins nodded again. Whether it was him or the other folks in the Assembly... Martial artists fundamentally didn't want to leave behind their traces in the surface world. That should hold true for the Japanese, too.
Even though they were invading another country's martial society, the Japanese would probably still avoid leaving behind their traces like a plague.
“In the end, they’ll resort to the same method as before?”
Lee Hyeon-Su nodded weightily. “I believe so.”
Wiggins held his chin while drifting into his thoughts. “The same method as before...?”
That didn't make sense. If using airplanes was out of the question, the only option remaining would be traveling on ships.
Koreans might see that as rather obvious since they had lived their entire lives here, but from the perspective of the one defending this place? That was an incredible geographical advantage.
As an example... The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Europe. Germany and Poland lurked in the north, while Austria and Hungary closely watched it from the south. Since its borders were all on traversable land, it must monitor every inch of its surroundings to prevent any unwelcome visitors from slipping into the country.
However, that was obviously impossible.
Only a handful of countries in the world did not share land borders with other nations. Other than a few island nations, not many countries could perfectly stop any and all invasion attempts from reaching their territories.
However, South Korea was surrounded by the ocean on three sides. And its only land border was 'protected' by the world's worst hooligan of a country that defied common sense and the rule of law.
...And that border was closely guarded by six hundred thousand steely-eyed soldiers, too.
Could the Japanese martial artists enter South Korea through the North? A few individuals might slip through that way. They were martial artists, after all.
However, when it was not a few individuals but an army of thousands...
Even before the Japanese set foot on Korean asphalt, their weight might increase several fold from all the bullets they got hit with!
So, in summary, the Japanese had no choice but to travel on ships, but...
“They’ll resort to the same method even after tasting that humiliation already?”
Lee Hyeon-Su shook his head. “They don’t have any other choice, sir.”
“Hmm...” Wiggins frowned deeply, still not convinced.
‘Sea route, is it? No other alternatives?’
Even if that was true, could they really succeed? To ferry that many people, the Japanese would need several large ships. However, even a small mistake could expose their ships to counter attacks during the voyage.
In that case, could they ride on civilian ships? Of course not.
If suspicious passenger ships were detected, the Coast Guard could be mobilized to arrest the Japanese. However, if the Coast Guard personnel were murdered or suppressed in some other way... That could prompt the Korean military to intervene.
The Japanese could have fought back had it been on land. However, how would they stop the enemy from puncturing the hull of their ship in the middle of the ocean?
They experienced so many losses the last time. Yet, they were attempting the exact same thing again?
Wiggins shook his head. “No, that can’t be it.”
Even if the method couldn’t be changed, the Japanese must’ve thought of a way to introduce a variable into it. They were betting their survival on this war, after all!
“Mister Lee, how are we monitoring the eastern coastline?”
“We're working together with the Korean Navy, sir. But we still haven't detected any major movements yet.”
Wiggins sighed. “It would’ve been nice if we could monitor the Japanese coast, too.”
“The Round Table is providing us with updates in that regard, master. They said there had not been any noticeable movements from the Japanese. Unfortunately, considering the unique geographical situation of Japan, it's impossible to monitor the entirety of its coastline. Besides, martial artists don't exactly need a dock to get on a ship, anyway.”
Didn’t the Martial Assembly already resort to that method before? Ordinary people needed the ship to dock first, but martial artists did not. They could get on board even if the ship was anchored a bit away from the coast.
Swimming a few kilometers, even in the dead of the night, shouldn’t be much of a problem to martial artists, after all!
“For the time being, step up the monitoring of...”
Just before Wiggins could say something, the office door was flung open, and someone rushed inside. “Chief Lee!”
“We received a call from the Round Table. Half of the people under watch in the airport have disappeared!"
“Say what?!” Lee Hyeon-Su cried out, his eyes powerfully quaking. “When did that happen?!”
“They can’t be sure, but according to their estimates, around eight hours ago, sir!”
“What the f*ck?! How could they discover this so late?!”
“They say the Japanese must’ve deliberately mixed people up to confuse us, sir! The half must’ve been the actual combatants while the other half were meant to stay behind in Japan.”
What a textbook way of confusing the enemy that was. However, failing to think of it ahead of time would turn a textbook strategy into an unexpected move of a genius instead!
“Goddamn it!” Lee Hyeon-Su shot up to his feet. He knew now wasn't the time to blame someone. No, he must think of a countermeasure, instead! He urgently asked the messenger. “Where did they disappear to? To the docks?”
“N-no, sir! They say they vanished inside the airport.”
Lee Hyeon-Su dazedly stared at the messenger. Vanished inside the airport? But, that couldn’t be?
That many people couldn't have dug a hole and gone underground, so where could they have disappeared to?
Wiggins grimaced. “They traveled on planes, then.”
“That seems likely, sir!” The messenger nodded.
Lee Hyeon-Su countered, “However, there have not been any concerning movements from the airport, master. Aren't we already checking everyone entering the country?”
“No, Mister Lee. Traveling on a plane does not necessarily mean your destination is Korea.”
That was when Wiggins was interrupted for the second time.
“Excuse me, sirs...?” Another messenger cautiously peaked into the office from beyond the doorway.
Lee Hyeon-Su shot him a glare. “What is it?!”
“Sorry for interrupting you when you’re busy, sir. But, I wasn’t sure if this situation warranted a report or not...”
“It actually involves the Coast Guard, sir. It might not be related to our current situation, but, uh... I figured I might as well report to you."
Lee Hyeon-Su scowled deeply. “Stop wasting time and tell us what it is!”
“Y-yessir! Apparently, several Chinese vessels have intruded into Korean fishing grounds at the same time. Since there were so many, the Coast Guard was forced into reassigning patrol boats from the southern coast to the west, sir.”
“Vessels from China?” Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head.
“Yes, sir. You know how often Chinese fishing vessels illegally cross the maritime borders and fish without permit. They seemed to be behaving themselves lately, but it sounds like they showed up in large numbers. The Coast Guard needed more patrol boats to crack down on their illegal activities.
“From the sound of their report, half of the patrol boats in the south will be sent to the west as reinforcement since they can't reassign people from the east coast.”
“What the hell? Those stinking sons of b*tches! Why now?! That's why they...” Lee Hyeon-Su suddenly clamped his mouth shut.
West coast? Chinese vessels? Large numbers of them? Finally...
“...Eight hours ago?”
It felt like he got hit in the back of his head.
The bastards huddling together in the airport had seemingly vanished into thin air. If they were traveling on planes, they must’ve gone to another country. But that country was not South Korea.
In that case, where could they have gone to?
“...! What the f*ck, those insane sons of b*tches!”
No nation should have been insane enough to let an invading army go through their territory. And it was even more unthinkable for a weaker country to "borrow" a stronger country's roads to invade another nation!
Unfortunately for Lee Hyeon-Su’s common sense, there was one man in China insane enough to allow this to happen.
“Dammit. We’ve been had.” Wiggins grimaced deeply after figuring it out.
“Hurry up and alert the Assembly Master! And redirect everyone in the east to the west coast, right now!”
Lee Hyeon-Su's urgent scream-like roar signaled the start of the war.