I Will Stage A Coup D’état - Chapter 175



Only Noblemtl

EP.175 Will to Power (2)

While I was briefly distracted by the China issue, my wife’s boat had an accident.

“Your Majesty, congratulations. You are a healthy young man.”

My wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy with a not-so-protruding belly.

‘I was prepared, but this turned out to be a headache.’

The legitimate successor appeared before any candidates for succession had been sorted out.

Although I had tried to keep the issue of hereditary succession in check, I could not know what would happen in the world.

An ambitious power-crazed tyrant could use my child, or the people could want my bloodline back.

Although we have put in place safety measures, we cannot prevent all possible scenarios.

The most certain way would be to make the child ‘nonexistent’, but that was something even the cold-blooded dictator Lee Seong-jun could not do.

‘Even a lion doesn’t eat its own cubs, so how could I?’

I told my wife that she had worked hard.

“Prime Minister. Was the child cute?”

My wife looked worried that I might not welcome the child because of my negative reaction to the inheritance.

That’s true, but I couldn’t show that to my wife who had given birth to the child.

“I think it’s because I look like you.”

It was fortunate that he didn’t resemble me.

Born with a feminine face like his wife, he was not destined to become a charismatic leader.

When I returned to the embassy and looked at the newspaper, it was full of stories about my child.

There was even a newspaper that filled pages 1 to 10 with my child’s story.

That was the case with Cho Joong-dong’s Koryo Ilbo.

‘With this kind of mentality, what kind of democracy are you going to have?’

As expected, this country still has a long way to go.

I thought so, but people around me thought differently.

“Your Majesty, this is not a matter to be taken so simply.”

“what do you mean?”

“The reason everyone is interested in Yeong-sik is not because they really want Yeong-sik to succeed to the throne. It’s because they don’t see a successor to His Majesty.”

So, the focus is only on the actual successor.

Jeong Gil said so.

“I can’t see what’s next.”

Of course, there was a solution.

Just show me a successor who will inherit my power.

But are there any guys who have the qualities to do that?

The work of nurturing Jeong Gil-i’s successor was now on track.

It was still difficult to tell whether the cotyledons were yellow or blue.

“So, you must show that Your Majesty will remain in good health until the succession plan is finalized.”

“How do you mean?”

If it’s propaganda, it’s been done sufficiently even now.

At this age, I also had another child.

What more should I do?

“I think you should resume your speeches to the nation. If they hear your voice every day and know your thoughts, they will understand that you are standing firm.”

It’s a speech to the nation.

After all, dialogue with the people has been quiet since the war, after the emergence of Korean-style democratic countries.

Because I’m worried about side effects.

However, now that the Yushin system has been abolished, there seems to be no need to worry about such things.

“Master, that’s not a bad idea. Let’s do that.”

That’s how I prepared my speech to the nation.

The topic of the first speech was not the issue of heredity.

Actually, there was a good reason for that.

If you bring up the topic of hereditary succession, the topic will inevitably turn to dictatorship.

Then, it would only give them an opportunity to attack the legitimacy of my rule.

Considering these points, I have avoided talking about hereditary succession in official settings whenever possible.

So I decided to make the topic of my speech something related to economic growth.

“Dear citizens, I am Lee Seong-jun, Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea.”

This time, since it was a situation where he had to show that the dictator was still alive, he used a firm and powerful voice like he did when he was a soldier.

“As a result of our hard work over the past year, Korea’s GNP has surpassed 25% of that of the United States and reached 60% of that of the Soviet Union. Now, we have become the world’s third-largest power in name and reality. In terms of power, economic power, and technological prowess, there are only a couple of countries that are above us.”

Everything I said was true.

Britain and Germany, who used to play above us, have now fallen to a position below our feet.

Now the real Tier 1 powers were the US, the Soviet Union, and South Korea.

“The driving force behind Korea’s remarkable development was the dedication and blood and tears of our people. As the leader of Korea, I bow my head to your dedication on behalf of this country.”

I expressed my gratitude to the people for their hard work.

But he didn’t say a word about repaying it.

If we talk about things like reducing working hours and raising wages, won’t we become less competitive?

I wasn’t Kim Jong-il, who got drunk and said whatever he wanted.

All the rhetoric used in his speeches to the nation was discussed with his staff beforehand before being spoken.

“But we must not be satisfied here. We must not stop. Now, when the Western powers are at odds, is the only chance for Korea to advance. Let’s run now. Let’s overtake the powers. Let’s overtake them the moment they hesitate. In this way, let’s pass on the number one nation, Korea, to our descendants.”

Of course, I didn’t know if we could overtake the United States.

Of course, how can you surpass the owner of the fraud map by giving a public speech and adding some buffs?

But if you tell people that you can do it, won’t they believe you and come running?

“A country that the whole world looks up to, Korea. A country that can buy the world with money. For that day, please run a little harder. We can run a little longer.”

So, let’s run while looking only at my back.

Don’t worry about unproductive issues like succession.

That’s what I meant.

“Korea, the world’s number one country, a country where everyone lives well. Lee Seong-jun will make that dream come true.”

The response to my national address was surprisingly lukewarm.

There was little talk on the streets about a national address.

But they said there was a strange atmosphere under the water.

“People are beginning to think that His Majesty will easily last another 10 years, given the new vision he has presented.”

That was it.

That was the correct answer.

As I showed signs of giving up power, people became obsessed with my successor.

But when Lee Seong-jun showed his will to power, he was trying to line up behind me again.

It may seem a bit bitter, but humans are originally like that.

I thought it would be a good idea to show a bit more will to power at this time.

What would be good?

When I saw the old monarchs living in luxury, I used to wonder why they did such useless things.

If you think about it, it was a kind of effort to re-establish one’s prestige and prove one’s own existence.

I also thought that maybe I needed some luxury in that sense.

Of course, I never even thought about personal luxury.

The luxury I have is,

“Are you saying we should prepare for large-scale military exercises?”

“Wouldn’t it be nice to have an event like that at least once?”

In order to show off the power of the Korean military to neighboring countries, including China, it was necessary to show a demonstration of force at least once.

I held a large-scale military training exercise in the waters off Nampo with the participation of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.

Diplomatic envoys and foreign correspondents from each country were present at the event.

Of course, I also filmed the video with a camera.

“The pride of the Imperial Navy, the Sungjun-class aircraft carrier, is passing by.”

A supercarrier with a full load displacement of 60,000 tons passed through the sea, showing off its enormous majesty.

It wasn’t just one ship, it was three.

Originally, only one ship was allowed for normal operations, but for this training, maintenance personnel were transferred to launch three ships simultaneously.

There were other aircraft carriers besides this one, but they were not mobilized as they would soon be scrapped.

Next is the battleship.

Four new battleships, including two super-heavy battleships armed with 18-inch guns, passed in front of the reviewing deck with their magnificent main guns aimed at them.

I need to scrap all of those too, but I kept them because they are suitable for coastal bombardment.

Dozens of cruisers and destroyers continued to pass by, then landing ships appeared.

“The Marines will come out from there.”

As the dock of the landing ship opened, the landing armored vehicles took off, creating a spray of water.

Representatives and reporters from the Republic of China looked at the scene with serious expressions.

That could hit them right now, so that’s probably it.

I understand.

In the sky, fighter jets and helicopters shook the sky with their engine noise, and on land, tanks and armored vehicles that had been waiting as opposing forces quickly advanced toward the shore and confronted the Marines.

The friendly forces’ movements seemed simple, but they were high-level maneuvers that could not be performed without considerable training.

When all movement ceased, generals from the Army and Marine Corps in cars approached the reviewing line and shouted loudly.

“Your Excellency the Prime Minister. I hereby report that the mission has been completed.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

I have once again demonstrated the power of the empire I lead to the world and to this country.

At the same time, it also showed Lee Seong-jun’s vitality in naturally handling such powers.

Should I give up power?

Can you control the military as you wish with just one wave of your hand?

Sometimes people have to see power for what it really is.

So I showed the power I had.

This means that Lee Seong-jun’s power is still intact.

After the review, I watched the event I had attended on TV.

This time again, Leni Riefenstahl did a wonderful job directing.

He always appeared with his back to the sunlight and his charismatic appearance was like that of a giant leading a nation.

‘The propaganda is a bit excessive, but this is the best medicine for now.’

At least until the succession issue was completely settled, it was necessary to demonstrate the will to power in this way.

Anyway, it turned out that he was able to protect his throne better than expected.

Since it has come to this, I have no choice but to pay more attention to my health.

I hope it can last for 15 years, but will that be possible?