Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 148



Only Noblemtl

#148. The Great Compromise of 1901 (3)

“Your Excellency the Governor.”

“Who are you?”

“I am Lieutenant General Kim Si-hyeok, Director of the Military Affairs Bureau of the Marshal’s Office of the Korean Empire. It is an honor to meet you, Your Excellency the Governor-General.”

And then the attendants behind me whispered to Governor Paul Doumer. He listened quietly, then offered me a handshake.

“I’ve heard a lot from our military officers who are serving in your country. It’s nice to meet you. But it seems like a big mistake to bring in the Germans.”

“It is not our intention. It seems that the Kaiser is trying to play tricks in the Far East.”

I tried hard to change the mood, but Governor-General Paul Doumer and his entourage remained cold. They seemed very unhappy that they had dragged in their sworn enemy, Germany.

I had to convince them to keep the status quo as long as possible.

“I don’t know whether the Kaiser is joking or whether he is trying to get Germany involved in order to escape the immediate crisis, but it is a very unpleasant thing for us French.”

“That is why we must persuade Russia and Japan even more, Your Excellency the Governor. If we leave things as they are, Germany will intervene in Asia under the pretext of war.”

The Kaiser’s greatest ambition was not Europe, but now East Asia. So he tried to increase the number of ships deployed in Asia through the Fleet Construction Act, and in fact, when the Boxer Rebellion was suppressed, he withdrew a squadron from the home fleet and sent in battleships.

“But what if we exchange Manchuria for the Korean Peninsula as Japan claims? That would be an easy path for us French.”

“Your Excellency, that would be suicidal for both Russia and France. Would Japan be satisfied with just the Korean Peninsula? They sent the largest number of troops after Russia to suppress the Boxer Rebellion. Their real goal is to go beyond the Korean Peninsula and annex the continent.”

I used typical domino logic to convince the Governor-General of Indochina. As much as possible, to make him feel threatened.

“Besides, the French Oriental Fleet and the forces stationed in Indochina are only a small part of all the powers of France. Can 11,000 ground troops and a dozen or so ships stop the advance of Britain and Japan?”

“I don’t know how you know so much about him.”

“This is basic knowledge, Your Excellency the Governor. We also have to protect our land and sea.”

I said it politely, but half-warningly, to let them know that whoever holds the information holds all the power.

“Coming back, if we exchange Manchuria for the Korean peninsula, Japan could become a real threat to France. In order to safely operate the colonies in Indochina, Russia and the Korean Empire must hold out, Your Excellency. If we do not stop them here and now, the situation will escalate into something uncontrollable.”

“Not only will Japan advance into Asia, but will the current problem escalate into a war in Europe?”

“That could be the case, or it could go even worse. For example, if they annex the Korean peninsula and aim for the continent, they will no longer have Russia as their only enemy.”

The governor still looked at me with suspicious eyes. After all, it seemed like we were just two Orientals talking about how great we were.

“Do you think Japan would dare to pick a fight with us, France?”

“Your Excellency, remember that immediately after the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion, the Japanese attempted to seize control of Fujian Province. This problem will not end with Manchuria. They will continue to expand, and if they do, the French interests in Yunnan Province, which you are now interested in, will also be challenged.”

“How could you···.”

“Yunnan Province, which borders the Indochina Governorate, is the defensive line that the French Republic must have. If it is challenged by Japan, it will be a big problem. Furthermore, if a war breaks out here, Germany will try to isolate France in Europe and Asia by taking advantage of Russia’s weakness. They are on the same side now as they did in the Triple Intervention in 1995, but they will strike back at any time.”

This is especially true in the German Empire, where the Kaiser acts as he pleases.

“First of all, if the French Republic takes an active role this time, we are willing to make the French Republic a joint investor in the construction of the Gyeongui Line and share the profits. Doesn’t Russia control the Dongqing Railway and doesn’t Britain control the Gyeongbong Railway?”

“Hmm···.”

As the Governor-General of Indochina, he seemed to be pondering what would be more advantageous for him to occupy the place.

“Your Excellency, Germany will gain nothing if we finish now. Disorder is the greatest excuse for intervention. If the talks continue to stall and stall, Germany’s influence in Asia will increase even more.”

If you touch on the hatred towards Germany, it can throw a huge variable into that calculation.

“I can never give anything to the Germans.”

“That’s why we need to propose compromises even more.”

Governor Paul Doumer then finished his calculations and told me what I most wanted.

“Then what should we do?”

“Please help us keep the Korean Empire as it is. For now, it is better for everyone if we remain in this state. If we go further or retreat further, it will lead to war.”

“A kind of buffer zone…like Siam?”

“It’s similar.”

Just as Siam was a buffer zone between Britain and France, it would have been good if the Korean Empire could have prevented war by becoming a buffer zone between Russia and Japan. After all, it was a problem that only needed to be solved by buying time.

“It can’t be helped, but I have no choice but to accept it, as I have to do whatever it takes to prevent war here, as per the orders of the home country.”

“Instead, regarding the Gyeongui Line, Lee Yong-ik, who is in charge of the Northwest Railway Bureau, will discuss the French Republic’s investment. Since it is about taking control of the most important logistics route from Japan through the Korean Peninsula to China and Siberia···.”

“We can match the British who took control of the Gyeongbong Railway.”

Governor Paul Doumer spoke as if he was finally making sense. After all, people’s true feelings are communicated not only through words but also through material means.

Governor-General Paul Doumer had been persuaded to some extent. Now, if only he could persuade Alexeyev properly, he would surely come out with some sort of stance.

I greeted them politely again, said I would see them at the meeting tomorrow, and left.

I don’t know if I’m doing a good job right now, but I wanted someone to at least recognize that I’m desperately trying to prevent war.

***

“That is an unacceptable condition!”

Admiral Alekseev was more hardline than expected. He vehemently opposed the suggestion that we should at least pretend to withdraw our troops from Manchuria, even if only temporarily.

Their argument was that they could not retreat an inch without the Tsar’s orders.

“Admiral, if war breaks out with Japan, it will be disastrous not only for us but also for the Russian Empire. The Trans-Siberian Railway is not yet completed. The fortification of Port Arthur is also far from complete.”

“Still, I can’t accept it. Will our ally, France, just sit still?”

“Admiral, the French in Indochina cannot be of much help. Their fleet and ground forces are small in number.”

“I know, I know. But this time it is different, Chief of the Military Affairs Bureau! With the French Republic and the German Empire by our side, how can those islanders stand a chance on the ground?”

“That was the Kaiser’s unilateral action. Admiral, remember the Treaty of San Stefano. The Russian Empire shed blood because it trusted Bismarck. The rights it had won in the war were lost because of those cunning Germans.”

They had to be persuaded carefully. In any case, if the conditions for Russia’s withdrawal from Manchuria were not met, Japan and Britain would have likely walked out of the negotiation table from the beginning, so it was better to persuade this side, which could be controlled.

But Admiral Alekseev did not heed the warnings that this war could have disastrous consequences in the Far East, let alone the diplomatic problems it could create in Europe.

I couldn’t tell if he didn’t believe me or if he was just trying not to listen. In the end, he needed to be persuaded in a different way.

“Admiral, we are not ready yet. Give the Korean Empire time.”

“What time?”

“War with Japan is inevitable. These talks will not lead to permanent peace.”

We had to make it clear to him that what we needed was not peace, but time.

That was true. The reason this meeting was held in the first place was to buy time.

A time to prepare for war, not peace.

“We have made reforms for six years since 1895, but we still have a lot to learn. However, war is imminent, and if we continue on this path, we will not be able to stop Japan.”

“So aren’t we behind your country?”

“Admiral, I will be frank. If Japan advances into Manchuria, Russia cannot stop them. Not at this time, not until the railroad is completed.”

“······.”

“Japan is aiming for that. There is no need to walk into the trap they have laid out for us. The Admiral must buy us time. Until the Korean Empire’s military is fully armed and at least has the power to defend the Korean Peninsula.”

Nothing would be of greater help to Russia than the Korean Empire’s armed forces being prepared and equipped to defend the Korean Peninsula.

For every week our troops held out, every month they held out, more Russian troops could be redeployed to the Far East. Admiral Alexeev was no stranger to this.

In the new Far East defense strategy recently introduced by War Minister Kuropatkin, the training of the Korean Empire’s army was precisely identified as important in that sense. That was why Colonel Puchata was promoted to brigadier general, and the qualitative and quantitative expansion of the instructor corps was also related to this reason.

“Then you want us to tell them we’re going to withdraw, even if it’s a lie?”

“Yes. After mentioning withdrawal three times by December 1903, if we don’t keep our promise, we will have a hard time maintaining the Gando region that we have secured this time, since there are no Russian troops in Manchuria anyway.”

As I mentioned earlier, the maintenance of the Gando region was possible entirely thanks to the support of the Russian military.

Bukgando was well-established because many Koreans lived there, but because the products of Hamgyeongdo were insufficient, they had to be supplemented with materials imported from the Primorsky Krai.

On the other hand, although the West Gando region was rich in the products of Pyeongan Province, it had few Koreans and was facing great difficulties in its immigration policy.

At the moment, the artillery power that could be mobilized for defense in the West Gando region was insufficient, so much so that the 5th Brigade deployed in that area had to call up some of its troops to maintain it.

Here too, without Russian support, it would have been difficult to defend the strongholds from the bandits who were slowly raising their heads again.

“It’s 1903… Will they accept it?”

“We have to give them a delicious carrot. If we lead the conversation by saying that our Korean Empire will reaffirm its independence from France, Germany, and Britain, including returning to the country, and serve as a buffer zone, they will have no choice but to accept it.”

And if we could buy just three years until war breaks out, we could prepare for it, however inadequate it may be.

“We must not forget why the Tsar wants to use us as a fence. The Russian Empire wanted to use us as a fence, but we also have our own reasons for becoming a fence.”

Because in the fucking late 19th and early 20th centuries, the only thing the Korean Empire could rely on was the Russian Empire.

We chose them out of our needs, and they chose us out of their needs, so we could at least ask them to do something to meet our needs.

“Then let’s promise just one thing.”

Suddenly, Admiral Alekseev looked at me with a polite but arrogant attitude.

I tried to erase my nervous expression and answered him.

“What are you talking about?”

“This means that if a war breaks out with Japan, the Korean Empire will automatically join the war, following Russia.”

“Are you suggesting that we sign a defense treaty?”

“No, even if it’s not such a solid piece of evidence. If war breaks out anyway, the Korean Empire will be the first to fall under the Japanese military’s boots.”

Well, as the Governor-General of the Far East, he also had a need to be guaranteed something.

Although I was skeptical, I had to accept his offer.

If war breaks out anyway, it will be difficult to overcome it without Russia’s support.