Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 115
Only Noblemtl
#115. Unexpected development (3)
“No, a declaration of war? Who would declare war on whom?”
“It is said that our country has declared war on China in earnest. Our government has already delivered the declaration of war to the Grand Envoy to the Qing, Xu Su-bong, and will soon organize an army and cross the border···.”
“You’re crazy.”
I threw out my honest feelings.
Even though he had only won one battle, Emperor Gojong had already started to act wild like an unbridled calf.
It was not a good thing to react to Qing’s declaration of war just because you thought it was the right time.
Rather, it only served to solidify Japan’s wariness and justification for intervention.
It was a good thing to keep the nationalist consciousness alive, but it was strange for it to be expressed in this way.
When Colonel Puchata had not yet returned, I asked Foch, who was at the command post.
“Lieutenant Colonel Posh, I hear that our troops will soon cross the border in response to the Qing’s declaration of war.”
He answered while wiping his sweat with a handkerchief. When I took out a bottle of soda and offered it to him to cool down, he didn’t refuse it like before and drank it right away.
And only after his thirst and heat had subsided did he open his mouth again.
“Britain and Japan will never look kindly on you, because from their perspective, the very act of crossing the border is threatening, whether you are with Russia or not.”
His answer was very simple, but it was correct.
It was something that came close to provoking the two countries that were most nervous about Russia’s southward advance.
Although Britain’s full force was focused on South Africa because of the Boer War, it was only a matter of time before that happened.
Moreover, nearby Japan was an even bigger problem.
Actually, Britain was a problem too, but the real problem was Japan.
Will they really remain silent about the chaos unfolding along the Korea-Manchuria border? Even so, the authors who have recently been pursuing a conciliatory policy toward both Korea and Qing?
It was clearly a problem that needed to be intervened. They would either try to mediate the issues between the two sides, gain vested interests, or they would be greedy and drool over an opportunity to gain an advantageous position in the political and military sectors.
“It seems that your emperor harbors a grudge against the Qing Dynasty.”
“It seems like the problem of the Korean villages along the border and the conflict over the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and China all overlapped. It also seems like public opinion was not good…”
“If a war breaks out, will your country have the resources to handle it?”
“No, not at all.”
Besides, now was not the time to go to war in earnest.
As Foch said, the budget currently allocated to defense is tight, and if full-scale combat action is launched, it will be difficult for this country to handle.
Japan spent 20 million yen a month on the Sino-Japanese War, so if we had spent even half that amount of money, although not as much, it could have developed into a problem that would be fatal to our future modernization.
The 4th, 5th, and 6th Brigades deployed in the north were either newly formed or in the process of being formed, so it was difficult to expect anything from them.
“From the perspective of the great powers, your country is close to being a vassal state of Russia. A country like that is leading an army into Manchuria…? Who would look upon it favorably? If possible, we must stop it now. This is a problem that will only get worse.”
“Sigh, I’m going crazy···.”
My head is already getting complicated. You might wonder what the big deal is about sending a whole expeditionary force and then crossing the border in earnest, but these are two completely different things.
The expeditionary force I commanded landed in Tianjin and fought not with the aim of conquering the Qing Dynasty, but to rescue the diplomats and civilians from each country who were imprisoned in the international embassies.
That’s why 8 countries, excluding us, have formed a coalition and are moving forward.
But here, we suddenly drive troops from the mainland and cross the border, not to Tianjin?
Then the story becomes completely different.
From then on, the purpose becomes very clear.
Whether or not there was actual intention to do so, it gave the appearance of announcing plans to annex Manchuria.
“Your country’s leader must have known about this, right?”
“It must have been for political reasons that he kept silent. I don’t know the exact situation in his home country, but I think that’s the atmosphere. It’s like the Dreyfus affair in your country.”
“Let’s not talk about that.”
Foch drew a line at me with a serious face. Well, considering the repercussions of the Dreyfus affair in France, it seemed like a rather sensitive subject for a soldier like Foch, so I said nothing more.
“But apart from that, I think I have a rough idea of what the atmosphere is like. Haa, this is going to be a pain. It’ll be hard to stop it. The royal family, the government, and the public want war, so we’ll have to give them a suitable sacrifice to calm things down.”
“Even if it is a sacrifice that goes beyond your means?”
“Well, we have no choice but to set a limit to the sacrifice. And that limit is not in the hands of your government or your military, but in the hands of Russia, which can actually project power in the Manchurian direction.”
“Russia···.”
They too would soon break with their previous strategy and begin to deploy active forces in Manchuria.
The Qing had already lost the ability to control the Boxers and had begun to join forces with them to harm their own interests, so change was inevitable.
Originally, this would have been Russia’s intention to expand its influence in Manchuria by bringing the Qing imperial family to their side, but it was obvious what the giant would do if its rice bowl was attacked.
“You should report the matter to the Russian Federation through Colonel Puchata. He happens to be an expert on Asian military affairs within the Russian military, and if it is his request, I am sure that something will be done in St. Petersburg.”
He offered me an alternative. He weighed the fact that it was impossible to stop it anyway given the current atmosphere.
If he tried to stop it, he would be branded a traitor or a traitor and would be virtually ostracized from society, so I thought his alternative was the most reasonable.
“And Colonel, don’t try to create too many variables. Controllable variables can be very helpful to your war or strategy, but this is an uncontrollable variable. Don’t trust the hardened public and public opinion. They are not on the enemy’s side, but they are not on your side either. They are just wild beasts that move after smelling blood.”
“···I will listen with deep affection.”
It seemed to pierce right into my heart.
It seems that my intention to create a variable that Japan cannot control by supporting the media and other actions to bring forward the expression of the weak nationalism of the original history a little earlier has been completely read.
And the problem he pointed out was equally fatal. Something had happened, so it had to be fixed.
I urgently requested an interview with Colonel Puchata.
There are probably some pretty painful things about to happen, so you better brace yourself.
After I return from the war, I’ll have to think about what to do with ‘him’.
***
“The Korean government is opening war against the Qing?”
“Lieutenant General Proshenko, what on earth is going on? The Korean government suddenly decided to open war against the Qing?”
“This is not a good thing. The Minister of War and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The current actions of the Korean government are very worrisome.”
In St. Petersburg, the cabinet members continued their discussions with quite serious expressions on their faces regarding the Korean Empire, which had just declared war on the Qing Dynasty.
General Kuropatkin was glaring at Foreign Minister Muravyov, who was sitting directly across from him, and Finance Minister Witte, who was sitting next to him.
“The Korean government is going out of control because of you guys. How much of an impetus did you guys have?”
“No, that’s not what we wanted.”
Foreign Minister Muravyov vehemently denied the claims, looking extremely embarrassed.
Even before coming here, I had seen the French ambassador going on and on about what the hell the Korean government was doing in the Far East, so I couldn’t help but be bewildered when Kuropatkin was also criticized.
“When our troops approached Manchuria, we did not intend to coordinate with them, but rather to seek the understanding of the Korean government.”
“That’s different from what I heard. Are you saying that you will tolerate them to the extent that they start to manage the Korean communities across the border?”
“No, that was a request from the Korean government and the Emperor. It was not a decision made by our Foreign Ministry.”
“Come on, this is not the time to fight like this. If we leave it like this, the countries will think that we are annexing Manchuria with the Korean government at the forefront. If that happens, it will be a truly fatal blow.”
Admiralty officials spoke to mediate between the two sides.
The Admiralty was having the most headache right now.
The fortifications of Lushun and Dalian were not yet fully completed, the disadvantage in military power in the Far East was still present, and the Trans-Siberian Railway, which was supposed to provide support to the rear, was still not connected, so at present, the position could not help but be the most cautious.
Finance Minister Witte looked at it and wondered to himself where the belligerence of the 1890s had gone and only such cautious people remained.
Or maybe it’s because self-objectification is at its best at the moment.
“We must resolutely control the tyranny of the Korean government.”
“What will you do if anti-Russian sentiment dominates them? For the past five years, the pro-Russian and pro-royalist factions of the Korean government have joined forces to establish a government, but if we directly intervene and oppose this time, the problem will get bigger. We will not be able to satisfy either side, and we will be the only ones who will get all the hate.”
This was quite a headache for the Russian authorities as well.
Well, it was almost like a dilemma.
If we were to follow the will of the Korean Empire government, we had no choice but to keep an eye on Britain, which was returning after the end of the Boer War. At the same time, if we tried to block the Korean Empire’s advances, we also calculated that the fence we had painstakingly built in the Far East would backfire.
If the current cabinet, which is very friendly to Russia, were to collapse and the wrong people were to take over the government of the Korean Empire, Russia’s Far East policy itself would inevitably undergo major changes.
“Isn’t it inevitable that some of it will be accepted?”
“But the problem in Manchuria is ours and the Qing’s business, and the Korean Empire is an outsider. You should think carefully about it.”
The cabinet ministers looked intently at the map and pondered.
The conditions for not provoking Britain and Japan, while also not arousing anti-Russian sentiment in the Korean Empire, were extremely difficult.
Just like Goldilocks’ porridge.
Finding just the right balance between being neither too cold nor too hot can be difficult.
“No, what’s so important about a small country in the Far East? If they don’t listen, isn’t it a problem that we can just show them our power?”
“In terms of traffic···.”
When the silent Minister of Transport spoke of a hard-line policy, General Kuropatkin shook his head.
And then the enraged Foreign Minister Witte stood up and began firing off words as quickly as if he were firing a Maxim machine gun.
“The Tsar considers their position in the Far East important. What if we take a hard line against them and then it becomes a problem?”
“No, what, if you pressure us to withdraw our reserve funds deposited in the Central Bank of North Korea···.”
“And if they take away the gold bars that they have stored in the Shanghai Russo-Chinese Bank, how will you cover them? Furthermore, the stabilization of our ruble is also related to the gold bars imported from the Korean Empire. Why do they maintain the stable structure between Japan and us up to now? It is because we and Japan maintain the gold standard through the gold bars mined in the Korean Empire.”
Here, even the Russian cabinet ministers had nothing to say.
Since 1895, Russian companies have been expanding their businesses in large numbers in the northern part of the Korean Empire thanks to the consideration and special favors of the Korean government, and the supply of high-quality anthracite coal from the Russian Pacific Fleet, which was 30% cheaper than the average price, greatly increased their mobility.
That wasn’t all. It was difficult to secure food supplies in the Maritime Province and even in Siberia without the help of the Korean Empire.
Grain and cattle from Hamheung were like a lifeline to them.
The gold bullion produced from the gold mines there was also helping to stabilize the ruble in some way by selling a certain amount to Russia every year, so it could not be treated as such.
In any case, they showed their worth, and the Russian Empire chose them as partners in the defense and management of the Far East.
“Let’s admit some of it.”
“But that is a problem to be concerned about.”
“It’s just a crumb of a pie. This is going to be a huge pie for us to eat, so why can’t we give them a crumb?”
“What will happen after that? There will definitely be problems with Japan.”
“We will have to adjust this through future talks with Japan.”
“Then, how much of a ‘crumb’ would you allow the Korean Empire?”
“Let’s look at the maps first.”
General Kuropatkin pointed to a map showing the Far East theater, and the ministers’ eyes and minds were drawn to it.
And there were written the numbers of Korean and Qing troops stationed along the Korea-Manchuria border, as well as the Russian troops that would pour into Manchuria in the event of an emergency.
“The South Korean government has deployed about 30,000 to 50,000 regular troops and militias in its northern territory. If they cross the border in earnest, they will attempt to advance by crossing the two rivers called the Amnok and Duman.”
“How many Qing troops are there in that area?”
“As you can see, there are between 15,000 and 20,000 men. If the Boxers join, it could be more, but in any case, based on the ratio of Confucian to Fangzi, the Korean army will be at a disadvantage. However, the Qing army has a very big problem. The border is wide and the depth they have to protect is deep.”
“So, once the South Korean army decides to cross the river, it will be difficult for them to stop them?”
“Well, that’s true. Even if the Korean army is weak, it’s stronger than the rotten Qing army in Manchuria. And above all, they have a just cause. I mean, the Korean villages across the border.”
It is estimated that at least 30,000 people live there, but no details are known.
In fact, the Korean Empire did not even bother to find out the exact number. Since the intention had already been revealed and the justification had been prepared, the detailed figures would only become important later.
“Then the crumbs of the pie you’re allowing them are control over the Korean villages.”
“That’s what the Korean emperor said. He asked them to hand over the management and strategy of the Korean villages across the border. He hasn’t responded yet, but I think this will be enough to put them in chains.”
Foreign Minister Muravyov felt secretly relieved.
I was glad I didn’t accept their conditions right away.
If I had accepted it, I wouldn’t have been able to blatantly put chains on it like I am now.
“Based on this, try to negotiate with the Korean government. In exchange for recognizing their authority over the Korean villages in the Amnok-Duman area, ask them not to go any further than that.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Kuropatkin agreed with Muravyov’s answer.
He probably knew that the Korean government would not be satisfied with it, but he could see that Russian power had to be concentrated in Manchuria.
Originally, he did not want to intervene, but since war had already been declared, he knew that his country’s interests in Manchuria would be threatened, and he had no choice but to mobilize the military.
He even thought it was a good thing, because in Manchuria there was a fence that could assist, and perhaps even curse, Russia, rather than being the only one.
It is unclear how they will react, but Kuropatkin has decided not to care whether they accept Russia’s offer or not.
Depending on each person’s choice, the answer sheet they can take is determined.