Chapter 771: A Change of Plans

I shared lunch with Lee Sang-geun, and we talked.

“I’m heading up to Pyongyang today.”

I set down my chopsticks and continued speaking.

“Things seem quite turbulent at Heavenly Group.”

Lee Sang-geun also put down his chopsticks and picked up his water glass.

“I’ve received reports of infighting between the Yang Woo-guk faction and the Im Hwa-soo faction.”

“How can things escalate this quickly when Chairman Yoo Sung-jin is gone?”

Lee Sang-geun set down his glass, a bitter expression on his face.

“It’s because of our limitations. No matter how smartly we dress or how fancy our offices are, we’re still just thugs who settle things with their fists. Unless we use stronger force, this will keep happening. That’s why I recommended Im Hwa-soo to you.”

Although it started with the Dong-soo faction, the current Heavenly Group was a coalition of thugs from across the nation.

“Boss, stagnant water eventually becomes murky. The Dong-soo faction’s monopoly, from Dong-soo to Yoo Sung-jin, will inevitably stir up internal discontent.”

“Do you really think they’ll give up their control?”

“That depends on the choice you make, doesn’t it? Heavenly Group can’t exist without the tacit approval of the authorities.”

At its current level, Heavenly Group was beyond the reach of police or prosecutors without evidence.

But my contribution was significant to Heavenly Group’s establishment.

If it weren’t for my help, the police wouldn’t have tolerated Heavenly Group’s consolidation of the underworld.

“Ultimately, they’re just your hunting dogs. A useless hunting dog that disobeys its master should be disposed of and replaced with a new one.”

Lee Sang-geun was right. Heavenly Group was initially created to manage the underworld with ease.

However, a difference of opinion was bothering me.

I considered Chu Dong-bin for the next chairman, while Lee Sang-geun favored Im Hwa-soo.

“Do you think Chu Dong-bin is lacking?”

“He’s not lacking. It’s more of a matter of attitude. When I talked to him a few days ago, he was already considering retirement.”

“What? Isn’t he too young to retire? Why would he think about retiring already?”

Lee Sang-geun gave a wry smile.

“I think he feels responsible for what happened to Chairman Yoo Sung-jin.”

“He’s a decent man.”

Even the most powerful people quit if they want to. I didn’t intend to hold back someone who wanted to retire.

“Then, I need to talk to Manager Ma again.”

I called for Manager Ma who was waiting outside.

“Manager, have a seat.”

After making sure Manager Ma sat next to Lee Sang-geun, I opened my mouth.

“It seems we should make Im Hwa-soo the next chairman instead of Chu Dong-bin.”

“Understood, Boss. I will carry out your orders.”

Manager Ma replied immediately. Lee Sang-geun chuckled at his unquestioning obedience and explained the situation.

“You’re still the same, Manager Ma. Chu Dong-bin is retiring…”

Manager Ma nodded after hearing Lee Sang-geun’s explanation.

“Chairman Lee, please assist Manager Ma with this matter to make sure everything goes smoothly. My schedule in North Korea is expected to take about a week.”

“Yes, I will.”

“I feel bad asking you to do this, given you barely managed to escape that life.”

As I spoke sincerely, Lee Sang-geun waved his hand and laughed.

“It’s no problem. I’m still half-involved in it anyway. This is a good chance for me to settle things for good.”

“I’m grateful you see it that way. Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

After that, we talked for about an hour on how to proceed with the matter.

“Boss, it’s time for you to depart.”

At Manager Ma’s words, I checked my watch and got up.

“Then, let’s meet again after I return.”

I shook hands with Lee Sang-geun and then moved to leave for Pyongyang.

* * *

It had been a while since I last visited Pyongyang.

After looking around the construction site of the Ryugyong Hotel, which was being rebuilt after its demolition, I immediately went to see Jang Seong-taek.

“President Kim Mu-hyeok! Welcome.”

“Indeed. It feels like it’s been a while since we last met.”

I shook hands with Jang Seong-taek, who greeted me warmly, and then we sat facing each other.

“You must be going through a lot.”

“It would be a lie to say otherwise. I never expected China to mobilize its army to apply pressure.”

I had also not expected this, so I had to nod.

“You know that President Hu Jintao was targeted for assassination? They say he hasn’t appeared in Beijing yet.”

“Yes. We’ve been trying everything through our agents in China, but we can’t find his whereabouts. I’m worried he might be under house arrest somewhere.”

“He’s probably safe. If he had died, Hu Jintao’s close aides would have been purged.”

Jang Seong-taek nodded, agreeing with my opinion.

“We think so too.”

“Is the Chinese ambassador still in Pyongyang?”

“Yes. I’ve called him in for talks several times, but he says he doesn’t know anything about this military action.”

“They moved without the knowledge of the ambassador in Pyongyang… It seems China isn’t really aiming for bloodshed.”

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like they were planning a war.

If they were really thinking of war, they would have first recalled the ambassador and other embassy staff, and then evacuated the Chinese citizens in North Korea.

“What is the military’s reaction?”

Jang Seong-taek’s expression darkened considerably.

“It’s not good. The hardliners are regaining influence.”

“There must be no armed conflict. It would be the end of everything.”

As China mobilized its forces, Jang Seong-taek also moved the 8th Corps of the Korean People’s Army towards the Sinuiju border.

The 8th Corps in Jagang Province was a force stationed with the possibility of war with China in mind.

Originally, North Korea had most of its troops stationed in the south, near the armistice line with Korea, but after the summit, they moved the units back.

At the same time, Jang Seong-taek reorganized the army and moved many units to the borders with China and Russia.

“I know. We have no intention of fighting China. It’s also hard to win.”

“Yes. If it’s not a preemptive strike, Korea and the U.S. will have justification to help. So do not engage in a preemptive attack under any circumstances.”

“Will the U.S. really help?”

Jang Seong-taek asked with a dubious tone. He had said several times that he didn’t trust the U.S.

“The benefits of helping outweigh the benefits of not helping. If North Korea completely falls under China’s control, the U.S. won’t just stand by and watch.”

Of course, not only the U.S., but also Korea was watching North Korea closely.

The Blue House was moving quickly, monitoring the rapidly changing situation in North Korea, and cooperating with the U.S.

Internally, they were even considering the worst-case scenarios, developing contingency plans.

“Even so…”

A hint of anxiety flashed across Jang Seong-taek’s face.

“I also don’t trust the U.S. It’s not about trusting the U.S., but about trusting the situation that forces their hand. Don’t lose your resolve. If the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission falls, North Korea will ultimately collapse.”

As I comforted him with a soft voice, Jang Seong-taek nodded with difficulty.

Looking at his sunken eyes, it seemed like he had been through a lot in the last few days.

“Let’s talk again tomorrow when Chief of Staff Medvedev arrives.”

“Okay. I don’t feel good.”

Looking at Jang Seong-taek’s somber face, I changed the topic to shift the mood.

“By the way, the atmosphere in Pyongyang seems to have changed quite a bit since I was here.”

“Right? Although we haven’t completely stopped rationing yet, recognizing private property and paying wages properly has improved the atmosphere a lot. It’s only in Pyongyang right now, but I believe it will eventually spread to the entire Republic.”

The rationing system couldn’t be cut off all at once. If that happened, countless people would starve to death.

Creating jobs slowly, and then establishing a structure where money flows, was better in the long term.

“You are doing a great job. I didn’t expect it to be this successful.”

“Haha. It’s thanks to President Kim Mu-hyeok sending people and helping us out. Let’s move and eat. I had a meal prepared for your arrival.”

We changed locations and talked until late into the night.

The next day.

Medvedev visited Pyongyang without prior notice.

With the military tension with China so high, the fact that Russia’s de facto second-in-command visited Pyongyang was enough to put pressure on China.

“Welcome, Chief of Staff Medvedev.”

Jang Seong-taek and Medvedev greeted each other first.

“It’s been a while, Chairman Jang Seong-taek.”

After shaking hands with Jang Seong-taek, Medvedev turned towards me and extended his hand.

“It’s been a while, President Kim Mu-hyeok.”

“It has been a while. Thank you for making the trip.”

I smiled and grasped his hand. After we shook hands, we sat down.

“I bring good news today.”

Medvedev opened his mouth as soon as he sat down.

“President Hu Jintao is alive.”

“Is that true?”

“Is that the truth?”

Jang Seong-taek and I asked simultaneously. Medvedev smiled and nodded.

“Yes. He is safe. I spoke with our President, so it’s confirmed.”

“That’s a relief. If President Hu Jintao is safe, things won’t escalate further.”

“Medvedev, where exactly is Hu Jintao, and what is he doing? Why is he letting this situation continue?”

Medvedev took a breath and answered my question.

“He was inspecting the North Sea Fleet when he was suddenly attacked, and he urgently returned to the Qingdao base by helicopter. He then moved to Yunnan Province, thinking it was too dangerous to return to Beijing.”

“Yunnan Province?”

Yunnan Province was an administrative district in the southwestern part of China.

“The governor and party secretary of Yunnan Province are said to be President Hu Jintao’s closest aides. So, he moved to a safe place to discuss countermeasures. They say he will return to Beijing in a few days.”

“He went far.”

“That’s how dangerous it was. President Hu Jintao was safe, but over five people died. President Hu Jintao could have been among those fatalities.”

At that moment, Jang Seong-taek chimed into our conversation.

“Chief of Staff Medvedev, how did he plan to retaliate? There’s no way he will sit still, is there?”

“I don’t know the details. He didn’t go into specifics.”

“Hmm. So, all we can do is wait for President Hu Jintao to return and order the army to withdraw?”

Jang Seong-taek spoke anxiously, and Medvedev’s eyes narrowed.

“Well, would you like to hear an even better option? A way to prevent Chinese forces from ever setting foot on North Korean soil?”

“What is it? Tell me quickly.”

Medvedev did not reply right away, pausing for a moment. He picked up the cup in front of him, took a drink of water, and then spoke.

“As we talked about before, we should station our Russian troops in Najin.”

“……But you said that wouldn’t be possible.”

“The situation is completely different from before, isn’t it? This is an opportunity to re-establish the old Soviet-North Korea alliance.”

“The Soviet-North Korea alliance?”

The Soviet-North Korea alliance treaty was a military alliance treaty signed in the 1960s between North Korea and the Soviet Union, which stipulated automatic military intervention in case of emergency.

During the Cold War, North Korea had a military alliance with China and the Soviet Union and was tasked with maintaining tension with Korea.

However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Korean president at the time visited Russia directly and demanded that President Yeltsin abolish the treaty.

Yeltsin had never had a good opinion of North Korea, and accepted Korea’s request, and abolished the treaty.

“That’s right. Use this opportunity to completely sever ties with China and forge a new treaty with us, Russia. No matter how crazy China gets, they wouldn’t want a war with us.”

“Wasn’t that a one-sided treaty that was broken before? Are you saying we should make a new treaty and trust Russia again?”

Jang Seong-taek asked, his brow furrowed. It was a treaty that was way too beneficial to one side.

“Our Kremlin believes that we can form an alliance as equals now.”

The conversation was more groundbreaking than I expected, so I couldn’t help but interrupt.

“A military alliance between our two countries is not acceptable.”

Both men turned their gazes towards me.

“It’s not a big issue to station a navy in the Rason Special City, but a new military alliance will cause a strong backlash from the U.S. This will definitely not have a positive impact on North Korea’s development, which Chairman Jang Seong-taek has in mind.”

It was best for the U.S., China, and Russia to keep each other in check and support North Korea.

“It would be an alliance where we would lose more than we gain. Both for North Korea and Russia.”

I had no intention of silently watching North Korea and Russia form a military alliance.