Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 124
Only Noblemtl
#124. Beijing Express and Blue Red Army (3)
Meanwhile, unprecedented war specials continued in Seoul.
In addition to the dispatch of troops to Tianjin and Beijing, the imperial family and cabinet declared war on the Qing Dynasty, and the subsequent supply of military supplies led to a large flow of goods both domestically and internationally.
The government scraped together a previously non-existent budget and actively invested it into preparations for war.
The one that benefited the most from this was Choi’s company, which began to expand its business in earnest to Pyongyang, Hanseong, and Jemulpo.
Recently, they have been expanding in earnest under the business name ‘Hongik’.
This business name was also full of the business owner’s philosophy. As the company started in Pyongyang, the land of Dangun, the name ‘Hongik’ was chosen with the bold intention of selling things that benefit everyone.
It wasn’t just about making money, it also had the meaning of fulfilling some social responsibility, so it wasn’t a bad name in its own way.
“The Marshal’s Office requested that we charter additional ships, citing a shortage of official ships.”
“Not the ones appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry?”
“It seems that they contacted us directly because they are also saturated. The purpose is to transport troops between Jemulpo and Uiju.”
“Hey, don’t you know that all those ships are already leased?”
Maritime transport was also their main stage. At least within the Korean Empire, it was impossible to transport goods by sea without going through these companies.
It goes without saying that countries other than Britain, Russia, and Japan were now entrusting them with supplying materials, chartering ships, and hiring laborers to supply their own troops dispatched to Tianjin.
And there were several reasons why they became so big.
The biggest thing was the government’s special privileges and tax cut policies, and this was possible because the Central Bank of Korea had complete control over the transportation of currency issued by the government and the right to transport taxes in the provinces.
As if that weren’t enough, by monopolizing the supply of materials to the growing army, they began to grow by the day, and they had grown so large that they could completely block the future of not only Nippon Yusen Co., Ltd. but also of existing Japanese companies.
Japanese companies, who suddenly lost most of the coastal shipping routes on the Korean Peninsula, were desperate to control shipping routes along the South Sea and East Sea coasts, centered around Wonsan and Busan, but the West Sea was the sea that was the lifeline of the Korean Empire.
Should we say that it is not enough to stop Daehan Woosun Company and its parent company, Hongik, which have a firm grip on shipping on the West Coast?
Nevertheless, the fight continued tenaciously.
They were also the main agents of a proxy war between the Japanese embassy, which was trying to spur economic infiltration by using the First Bank of Korea’s notes, and the Ministry of Finance of the Korean Empire, which was trying to block it.
That is why they had no pride in the fact that they were handling the affairs of the country on their own behalf.
Of course, this was followed by enormous profits.
“We have requested to lease the ship again, as the enemy will pay double the current rental cost.”
“Ah, then I have no choice but to listen to the military officers’ requests first.”
“Then, let’s rent the Hyeonryongho, which went to Gunsan and is now returning to Jemulpo···.”
He hired a Belgian architect and received an order to build a beautiful red brick building in Myeongryebang, southern Hanseongbu.
And with that as the leader, other companies were not going to be left behind, and a competition that wasn’t competition was unfolding, with companies winning contracts from the government and the military, growing, and then building buildings next to those contracts.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was the number one financial district of the growing Korean Empire, to the point that the term Namchon, which was previously used to refer to poor scholars living there, seemed meaningless.
All the residents of Hanseongbu were excited about this area, where electricity was installed and running water was installed faster than in the palace. That says it all.
“Is the owner here?”
“Your Majesty, have you arrived?”
“Yeah, how have you been?”
Today, many high-ranking officials came and went. Yesterday, the Prime Minister himself came and praised the soldiers in front of the reporters, saying that thanks to this ship, our soldiers can eat well and fight well. Today, the Director of the Mint Bureau, Lee Yong-ik, came with us.
“This place is always amazing to see. There probably aren’t many buildings like this in Europe.”
“All the country’s logistics pass through here, so how could it not be splendid?”
“Look, Choi Ga, don’t forget that all that money came from our barn.”
“Of course, is there any chance? Come on, let’s go inside.”
Inside, people with topknots and others with their own unique hair and clothes were moving around busily.
They were all moving busily, and occasionally shouts could be heard.
“Were there this many employees?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. We’ve doubled our staff because of this war. There’s so much work to do, all the ships we have are out to support the war.”
“How much is the steamship?”
“If you include the small ships, it comes to just under 100, and if you include other ships that travel around the provinces, it comes to just over 200.”
Inwardly, Eo Yoon-joong was impressed by the business acumen of Choi Ga, who was walking beside him.
It seems that the story of their complete ruin during the last war is a thing of the past, as they are now doing business on a much larger scale than before.
“Is the firearms factory you built in Hamheung going well?”
“Well, it’s just enough to make ends meet.”
“The meaning of ‘full supply’ is a bit strange. Are you in charge of supplying the entire expeditionary force with hand guns and ammunition?”
“Your Majesty, weapons aren’t really worth that much money. What really makes money is the people.”
As they went up to the second floor, some very politely dressed people opened the door to a room.
Upon entering the place, it was filled with rare items imported from the West, as well as world missionaries and various documents.
“It’s shabby, but please sit here.”
It was a rather luxurious sofa imported from the West, but it was shabby. Anyway, when Lee Yong-ik sat down, Choi Ga also sat across from him.
“So, what brings you here today?”
“It’s nothing else, but there is some cargo that needs to be transported urgently.”
“Well, didn’t you always do that?”
“No, these are a bit different things.”
Then, Lee Yong-ik shoved a document at him.
Judging from the fact that the outer surface was stamped with the word ‘SECRET’, it was assumed that the cargo contained quite sensitive information.
“This time, our army has completely occupied Tianjin. Together with the armies of other countries. It has already been reported that we have achieved a great victory.”
“That is something to celebrate.”
“And there’s a secret telegram that came in. It says that our troops in Tianjin have seized three million taels of silver. The details are confidential, but I need your help with this.”
3 million nyang.
My mouth started to water. It was a huge booty, and thanks to that, they put everything else aside and mobilized not only laborers but also soldiers to transport it to the port of Tianjin.
It seems that they took advantage of the Allied Forces being busy looting Tianjin to take everything away.
“Okay, so tell me specifically what kind of help you need? As long as you pay the right price, we’ll do anything.”
“Good to hear that. Send two speedboats immediately to transport the hermits. So fast that no one will notice.”
“Very good. We have already sent two ships to Tianjin to supply military supplies. Let’s take them all.”
“And send one of them to Shanghai.”
“Hmm? Aren’t they all going to Jemulpo?”
“This is a message from His Majesty. He tells me to set aside one million taels and keep them in the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank.”
“Hmm···.”
It was a bit of a hassle. Why did they have to take out the silver and put it in an overseas bank?
The old Choi could guess what this meant.
There had been frequent rumors recently that the Emperor had his own slush fund, so it was clear that this had something to do with it.
“Just in case, this is something that only you and I should know. His Majesty does not like his actions to be known to the public.”
“I wonder if there is any doubt. However, if such a large sum of money suddenly comes into Shanghai, wouldn’t it be suspicious···.”
“Don’t worry about that. No one will suspect anything.”
Lee Yong-ik handed over a contract with the Emperor’s seal stamped on it in advance. The contents of the contract were quite good.
In exchange for 30 years of secrecy, he was to pay 1% of the silver transported in any form he wanted.
Whether it’s government bonds, promissory notes, or even new ‘business’ deals.
“So when should we prepare the ship?”
“I hope it’s fast.”
“Then I will prepare the ships to arrive today. I will send a telegram to Tenjin.”
Although my uneasy feeling still persisted, I had no choice but to accept it since it was a request from an important customer.
As soon as he finished signing, Lee Yong-ik took the first copy of the contract and left one last word that was almost like a warning.
“Please, I hope you will abide by the terms of the contract. His Majesty does not wish to lose such capable men over such a thing.”
“Is there any possibility?”
He kept a sales smile on his face until Lee Yong-ik left. However, he could see that the ship owner and crew would object separately to the sudden change in course and order them to return.
Well, what can I do? This is the work of the highest official in this country.
However, he could not keep this to himself. As soon as Lee Yong-ik left, he called his secretary who was close to him and had him send a secret telegram to the expeditionary force headquarters in Tianjin.
[Special cargo delivery from Tianjin to Shanghai]
With the content like this. Perhaps the bright young man will know what I am talking about.
***
“Troops are gathering in Uiju one after another.”
“Divide the expeditionary force into two. It reminds me of the Goryeo expeditionary force that conquered Liaodong.”
“Ugh, really, whose orders am I supposed to follow?”
Lieutenant Lee Gyu-tae was wearing a very pained expression in the barracks in Uiju.
Because there were two orders with conflicting contents left to him.
One was a very ordinary one, cooperating with the Russian army to eliminate bandits running wild across the border and comforting Korean villages.
But there was another problem.
“Continue to advance north with the advancing Russian army. Are you in your right mind?”
“It would be difficult for supplies to keep up. Besides, there are not only 15,000 troops under the command of a general in Pyeongan Province.”
In general, the expedition force was divided into two main groups.
The main force consisted of 15,000 soldiers from the Pyeongan Province Army led by Lieutenant General Lee Gyu-tae and 20,000 soldiers from the Hamgyeong Province Army led by Lieutenant General Lee Geun-taek.
If we add all kinds of reinforcements here, a total of 50,000 troops were gathered in the northern region, but this was only relative.
In reality, the axis that each unit had to take charge of was extremely vast.
Since the front line that had to be covered with a small force was wide, it was clear that it would be quite difficult to secure supply routes, let alone organic cooperation between units.
Since late June, the unit led by Lieutenant General Lee Geun-taek, which had been fighting in the northern Gando region across the border, had been experiencing serious difficulties.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Commerce, and Industry’s Department of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and the Department of Communications were mobilized in a hurry to assist their military operations, and even the Minister of the Interior stepped forward to dispatch police officers, making every effort to support the front line, but moving north was difficult.
It was good that the Qing army was destroyed, but the deeper we went into it, the more we were stuck in a swamp.
However, they protested that their plight was caused by the friendly forces in the northwest not advancing.
The misunderstanding in the center was somewhat resolved when it was revealed that the French officer who had been stationed there, Major Vidal, had not heeded the warnings that he had given to not advance before July, as he was not prepared and the Russian army had not yet moved.
Lieutenant General Lee Gyu-tae was concerned about this, so he organized those who could be used as cavalry among the artillery units into a separate unit under his direct command, but it was not a range that could be covered with just their mobility.
“It is difficult to connect Pyeongan and Hamgyeong provinces, so moving north while supplying each unit separately is no different from committing suicide.”
“Besides, that place is enemy territory. Even if we defeat the Qing army at the border and receive assistance from the Korean cadets, it will be difficult. It would be best to just follow the contents of the first order.”
“There aren’t many Koreans in the direction we’re going to go. They’re mostly concentrated in the Musan area, and since they’ve joined Lieutenant General Lee Geun-taek, the real enemies we’ll be facing will be the Qing army.”
Even with the order to advance immediately, Lee Gyu-tae was able to finish preparing thanks to his constant excuses and delays.
It was such a sudden outbreak of war that the troops in the border areas outside the metropolitan area had no capacity to launch an offensive.
It still took a tremendous amount of time and money to reorganize them and muster the artillery to form an auxiliary force.
“Furthermore, those Hyanggun guys who aren’t light troops, they’re a mess beyond words. I don’t know about the veteran units of the Jinwi Brigade, but the newly formed units are below expectations. If they send them out to the front lines like that, out of a hundred, every single one of them will die.”
The side effects of military reform are also gradually becoming apparent.
Rather than improving the quality of the army, the reason was that a large number of unqualified troops were incorporated into the local garrison units in an effort to expand the quantity immediately.
The central army, represented by the Royal Guard and the Guard, was not bad in quality, but war was not fought by them alone.
“Besides, this direction of Uiju is the route that the Japanese army chose during the previous Sino-Japanese War. How could the Qing army just sit still on the route where it is obvious what we will do? Even though the Koreans are responding, if we can’t cross the river in the first place, it’s over. Besides, it’s July now, and it’s about to rain heavily, so we need to think carefully.”
“Seong Ha-yeong, your insight has greatly improved since I last saw you.”
Lee Gyu-tae nodded and said in response to the half-angry words of Seong Ha-yeong, the chief of staff of the Royal Guard Brigade. There was nothing wrong with what he said.
“This was done too hastily. Or rather, why don’t we concentrate our troops in one place? Are we urging them to attack quickly while dividing our troops into Pyeongan and Hamgyeong provinces?”
“We were able to buy some time with the help of the French general, Cadual, who shared our views. However, he also said that this time we must go on the offensive. It seems that we can no longer withstand His Majesty’s pressure. And there is another problem.”
“What is the problem?”
“It seems that an order has been given by the French government to strongly prohibit the French officers currently in our army from serving in the army. They have been ordered to return to Seoul within a week. There have also been protests from outside of our country.”
Nam Man-ri Cham-ryeong shrugged his shoulders and said. Bad news was piling up one after another.
If even the French officers who had been maintaining the structure of the army returned to Seoul, Lee Gyu-tae and several high-ranking commanders would have to carry out all the work.
It was already obvious that I would be overworked.
In addition, the press was forming public opinion criticizing the army for not advancing steadily, and the emperor, encouraged by this, also sent telegrams urging the army to advance quickly.
Lee Gyu-tae was now being forced to make a decision.
“Live or die, I have to make a decision this week.”
“An infantry company has already been deployed as an advance party to Wihwado. You should cross the river while the water is still calm.”
“···Send a telegram to the northeast. We will cross the river within three days. Tell Lieutenant General Lee Geun-taek to make a choice as well.”
“Are you going to cross it after all?”
“We will only restore the Korean villages. We cannot go further than that. Even if we do, maintaining them is a separate issue.”
He took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.
This war was truly senseless now.
There was no reason to fight now, wasting precious troops and funds. It should have been sufficient to send an expeditionary force to Tianjin in the first place.
“Avoid unnecessary sacrifices or battles. Focus on repelling the enemy rather than destroying them, and consider stationing your troops in the Korean village area to block any attack the Boxers might launch.”
“There will be many blessings.”
“If necessary, then so be it. The goal this time is to build a castle, make progress, and create a way to protect the place for a long time.”
From a distance, I could see the company commanders scolding the sergeants for their foolish actions.
As the number of officers increased and local nobles were accepted in large numbers, many of them displayed shameful behavior.
There have been frequent reports of foolish acts such as ignoring superiors while claiming to be children of noble families.
The soldiers look at such pitiful officers and sneer at them, calling them ‘reference officers’.
If we continued on this path, one thing was clear.
That the result would be worse than doing nothing.
“I think Tianjin would be better.”
“It’s hell with the heat there.”
“At least I won’t have to see this mess. I have to keep going even though I know it’s obviously stupid.”
He spoke as he continued to smoke his cigarette. And now he had to think more about how he could end the stupid thing he had just said without suffering any losses. Lee Gyu-tae thought he had slept well today.