Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 133



Only Noblemtl

#133. Last days in Beijing (5)

···The battle was fierce, but ended monotonously.

The combination of assault infantry and Maxim machine guns proved more effective than expected.

The effect of the Dum Dum bullets that the infantry had been diligently modifying since yesterday afternoon was sufficient, and the wave of infantry and firepower pouring in was enough to drown the enemies in it.

The enemies who boasted of having 130,000 soldiers were melted away by the sea of ​​firepower unleashed by the Allied Forces, which numbered far fewer than that, at 20,000 soldiers.

Well, you can drown in dish water too.

“Shoot!”

In the distance, a company of light infantry was advancing, firing a volley of fire, and a group of Boxers who seemed to be at risk of death were completely trapped.

Those hit by the bullets would crawl on the ground despite the mad charge, or they would become incapable of moving their bodies but feel no pain and slowly die.

The men of the light infantry company, most of whom were former hunters, felt even worse than when they were hunting animals.

This is because, rather than being a normal reaction, he appeared to be in a much more bizarre state because he tried to relieve the pain by relying on drugs such as opium.

Leaving behind the groans of the fallen enemies, the infantry began to advance quickly.

“Forward! There’s a long way to go!”

A sweeping battle was in full swing throughout the city of Beijing.

I mounted my horse and entered the castle, escorted by cavalry.

The scene that unfolded could be summed up in one word: ‘horrible.’

On the one hand, my heart felt heavy.

The sight of the 300-year-old giant dragon that once ruled Asia fading away was not a glorious end, but rather a miserable demise.

And in the place where the dragon disappeared, countless things will rush in to claim its byproducts.

That was the beginning of China’s modern history and it would reflect the bloody 20th century. I expressed my condolences to the Qing Empire in my heart.

They will suffer for a long time under the new order and chains that we will impose.

No, perhaps it will sink quietly into the deep night that will never brighten.

As I was expressing my condolences for the collapsing Qing Empire, Lieutenant General Chappie and other American officers approached me.

They entered the international embassy area in high spirits and smiled broadly as they saw the American flag being raised.

“That’s great.”

“As promised, we have given you the honor of liberating the embassy.”

“I thought that in the East, the only people who could communicate were Japanese.”

Lieutenant General Chaffee said with satisfaction. The US military had already been able to gain the honor of being the first to enter the international embassy area, and Lieutenant General Chaffee had thus gained great honor.

Because it was a major that could stand out among the star-studded powers.

For a little while, they will be able to escape the inferiority complex of being a second-rate empire.

“Your infantry tactics and linkage with the machine guns were very effective.”

“You are too kind.”

“But I also got the feeling that it was a makeshift tactic because there was no artillery.”

“There is nothing better than this to break through a deadlocked front. Artillery firepower is important, but it is still the infantry that plants the flag on the high ground.”

This was the most important proposition that continued into the times in which I lived.

No matter how strong the artillery and air power became, it was ultimately the infantry’s job to wipe out the enemy and occupy the area.

Well, in modern warfare, the role of breakthrough and expansion has shifted from infantry to armor and mechanized vehicles, but in areas where they cannot maneuver, large numbers of infantry are still needed.

However, the gaze of the European officers, including Chappie, did not seem that kind.

It would seem that they are trying to temporarily overcome the artillery shortage by giving the infantry all sorts of miscellaneous tasks and equipment.

“One day, there will be a saying: Artillery is the god of war.”

“Artillery is already the god of war. Its caliber is getting bigger, its rate of fire is getting faster, and its range is improving by leaps and bounds. An army that does not rely on them is bound to be defeated. You may think you have discovered something new, but in the end, an army without basic skills cannot win a war.”

He spoke while holding the reins.

I smiled silently. In their eyes, our tactics were nothing more than a stopgap measure.

But even if I tell them, they won’t understand.

In the end, it will be something they will learn only after 14 years, when they face the enemy directly and shed blood.

“Anyway, I saw a rare scene. Where should I go now?”

“We must go to the Forbidden City. The retreating enemies are heading there.”

I pointed to the palace standing majestically.

The fleeing Qing army and the Boxers were also running toward that place.

As if wounded animals were fleeing and hiding in their lairs.

For those who locked themselves in a golden cage, there was no more respite.

***

“Inspiration, how are you?”

“I couldn’t be happier to see your face.”

Before advancing on the Forbidden City, the Allied forces set up a command post in the International Embassy area where the ambassadors of each country were imprisoned.

In principle, the expeditionary forces of each country were to be commanded by the ambassadors stationed in the Qing Dynasty and were to actively cooperate with them.

It was the same for me too.

Because he was to rescue Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Kim Ga-jin during the advance on Beijing and immediately take command of him.

He said that he expected today to be his last day, so he put on his formal attire and looked towards where Hansung was.

But today was not his last day. He sighed in relief as he saw the American soldiers who came to rescue him, and soon after, the advance party of our army also entered, confirming his safety.

“The fate of the Qing Dynasty is at stake.”

“The final period of that fate must be put by the inspiration. The Allied Forces are surrounding the Forbidden City.”

The atmosphere was tense. The Qing imperial family had already fled to Xi’an, and the officials who remained there attempted to negotiate, but there was no way they could succeed.

In fact, there were no officials to speak of. Most of them committed suicide or fled when the outer city of Beijing fell.

Only Prince Gyeongchin Hyeokwang remained to negotiate.

But everyone was gnashing their teeth at the thought of the long expedition, the disaster at Beijing, and the prospect of sacking the heart of a great empire.

Marshal Waldersee, the commander-in-chief of the Allied forces, who had arrived in Beijing with reinforcements at that time, threatened that there would be no negotiations until all Qing troops and Boxers disarmed, and that if that did not happen, the entirety of Beijing would be destroyed.

In the end, Prince Gyeongchin Hyeokwang surrendered to him.

An order was given to the Qing troops and Boxers remaining in the Forbidden City and other parts of the capital to disarm.

Some people refused to give in and resisted, but this only caused more trouble.

The furious Marshal Balderdeen virtually permitted three days of looting under the pretext of eliminating the remnants of the enemy within Beijing.

The armies of each country swept through the streets of Beijing like fish in water.

Those who had not yet been able to evacuate were either rounded up by the Boxers and arrested, or forcibly taken as laborers and forced to do menial work for the troops.

If you refused, you would be branded a Boxer and killed.

In fact, the Allied Forces did not really care whether the people who remained in Beijing were Boxers or not. They were all Chinese, so there was no reason to distinguish between them.

Looting was so rampant that the British Consul in Gasselle held an auction of looted goods every afternoon at his consulate.

They say they sell the loot they plunder here and distribute the prize money to the British soldiers.

It was such an incredibly sophisticated looting system that even I found myself laughing out loud.

A war of nerves over the loot broke out between France and Germany, to the point where Marshal Waldersee had to intervene personally to mediate.

Eventually, the two sides reconciled and decided to split the remaining loot exactly 50-50 and split the proceeds. It also seems that the astronomical observation equipment of Heumcheongam, which was the root cause of the fight, was dismantled and sent to each country.

It was only at times like this that I felt a sense of warmth.

It was quite ironic for a group of people who were accustomed to the terms “uncivilized,” “unenlightened,” and “uncivilized” nations and peoples.

Although the American and Japanese armies did less looting… Honestly, looking back now, they were all the same.

The only ones who officially banned looting were the US troops led by Lieutenant General Chaffee and us, but it didn’t have much effect.

I was punishing them as I saw them, but honestly, I couldn’t catch them all, since they were both officers and soldiers who were looting together.

For this reason, a telegram was sent to the home country requesting that a military police officer and a company be dispatched, but judging by the fact that they have not yet arrived, control was a cumbersome task.

Well, right now, the Russian army right next to them had nothing to say, since their commanders were already greedily grabbing the loot.

Admiral Alekseev was already busy collecting valuables to present to the Tsar.

“It’s no different even if they are the armies of the great powers.”

“They pretend to be gentlemen on the outside, but inside they are no different from barbarians.”

“Europe is bringing shame upon itself.”

Minister Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Kim Ga-jin clicked his tongue. It must be because he was seeing the true faces of the great powers that he had seen all along, who had been pretending to be noble and lofty.

“By the way, now is the time to fight not with the power of weapons, but only with the power of the brush and pen.”

“That’s true. If we quickly make a treaty with the Qing, we can prevent war on the border···.”

“War? War? What do you mean?”

Oh, this gentleman, I haven’t been able to grasp the situation at all because the telegram was cut off for a while.

I told him in detail what had happened during that time.

About what happened at home while the Minister Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and his party were trapped in Beijing by the Boxer attacks.

He listened to the story silently and then sighed silently.

“Your Majesty has been too greedy.”

“Where are you going?”

“We must negotiate with them. Manchuria is vast, but our power is still too weak to even rule beyond the border. We must end this useless war quickly.”

“I think the same.”

“Besides, I don’t know if Russia and China will take this kindly. Putting aside Japan and England, Russia and China will not be particularly pleased with us interfering in the Manchuria region that they want to make their own territory, which they treat as a fence. They may be getting along well now, but among the nations, there are no eternal enemies or eternal allies.”

He has been wary of Russia for some time now. He has been sending constant warnings that while Russia is doing well now, there is no telling what will happen if they get what they want.

I actually thought it might be part of Russophobia, but it’s a pretty traditional phobia.

It was a fear that arose from the moment Russia began to semi-forcibly cede the Primorsky Krai region from the Qing and began to share a border with us, as Russia continued to approach Gyeongheung.

They may be perceived as our saviors in the future, but if they take control of Manchuria and complete the Trans-Siberian Railway, and our need disappears…

There may come a day when I have to prepare for it.

“Now that the Qing Dynasty has fallen, the repercussions will shake all of Asia.”

“We will be like that too.”

“You should prepare yourselves too. It’s probably going to be quite noisy.”

From now on, it was time for diplomacy. The key was what Minister Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Kim Ga-jin could achieve and what he could protect.

And the army I led could be a tool to show what Joseon, once their prosperous nation, could now do.

I talked to Kim Ga-jin for quite some time about how he could use that tool.