Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 154



Only Noblemtl

#154. Conscription or the Melting Pot of the People (5)

“Your Majesty the Emperor! It is difficult to introduce a conscription system right away. However, we should implement it in a limited manner over a period of three years…”

“No! The situation in the North is still not stable, and the conflict between Russia and Japan, which has now subsided, will soon flare up again. Three years is too long! Please implement a conscription system immediately so that we can defend this country!”

The Emperor personally presided over a cabinet meeting to decide whether to adopt a conscription system. He even summoned the newly established Privy Council, which was largely comprised of members of the Independence Association and the Imperial Association, and appeared to be gathering the people’s opinions.

“Your Majesty, according to the outline of the draft ordinance, our country can currently conscript 370,000 soldiers. However, mobilizing all of them will be very detrimental to economic development, so how about conscripting only one-third of them and assigning the rest to reserve forces or reserves?”

Various opinions were being discussed. The budget for the conscription system was somewhat prepared. This was because a large-scale land survey had been conducted along with a nationwide census not long ago.

This was because the Cabinet introduced a stamp duty when it was predicted that the issuance of land deeds and family registers would increase significantly due to the nationwide population and land census, which increased tax revenue by nearly 10%.

Of course, not everyone welcomed it.

There was considerable opposition, led by some ministers and Syngman Rhee, the editor-in-chief of the Imperial Newspaper, along with concerns that it would squeeze the poor.

There were many opinions that even though the modern postal system had already been established and the sources of revenue had increased, it was still insufficient.

It also meant that by standardizing logistics and customs clearance, the government would secure a state-led delivery system, thereby expanding tax revenues and organizing tax revenues that were straying, and whether collecting all fees incurred while sending and receiving mail was not enough.

Of course, the more a country modernizes, the more its spending increases, and as it becomes more highly developed, the more places it has to maintain, so it inevitably needs more money.

Just like how children and adults consume different amounts of calories.

The Korean Empire was just entering its growth phase, so the amount of money it needed was increasing at an enormous rate.

“Is it possible to make a frontal breakthrough like this?”

“Just leave it to me, Your Majesty.”

Although the support was higher, it was impossible to ignore all those who opposed it.

In addition, the Independence Association was now split in half. The hardliners led by Syngman Rhee and Ahn Kyung-soo, who had gone into exile in Japan, were leading the opposition, separate from the moderates of Seo Jae-pil, who were secretly supported by the government, which made things even more difficult.

First, the cabinet voted in favor of the conscription system itself. Although there were differences of opinion about the timing of its introduction, most of them did not oppose its introduction because they had faced the crisis of 1901 firsthand.

But the Privy Council was the problem. Nominally, the draft ordinance needed to be passed with the approval of two-thirds of the 50 members of the Privy Council.

“Out of the 50 seats in the Privy Council, 25 belong to the Imperial Association, and they will all follow my will. However, don’t the remaining 25 belong to the Independence Association?”

“That’s right. However, securing 33 seats is definitely a safe line… Hardliners, including Lee Seung-man, editor-in-chief of the Imperial Newspaper, who recently entered the Privy Council, have gained power.”

Next to me, I could hear the Emperor and Chief of Police Lee Geun-taek chatting away.

They were right. Of the 25 seats controlled by the Independence Association, more than 18 had gone over to Syngman Rhee’s hardliners.

It was a rather unstable variable, considering that it was opened to inform not only the Emperor’s will but also the will of the courtiers.

“Do you have a plan, Chief of Staff?”

“We must persuade them. They are not Iljinhoe, Your Majesty. In other words, they are not people who should be ruled by clubs and bayonets. We must have dialogue and compromise.”

“Is the name of the sword and cannon you carry on your waist Dialogue and Compromise?”

“······.”

“Nongilse.”

The emperor threw a joke at me, but when I didn’t respond, he smacked his lips in embarrassment.

“Then would you like to step forward?”

“As Your Majesty wills.”

I nodded and looked at Syngman Rhee, who was giving a long speech in the Privy Council.

He certainly looked young and strong. It was not for nothing that he became a powerful figure in the Independence Association despite his young age.

“Dear ministers and members of the Privy Council! The conscription system that our government is currently trying to implement is a shackle for the people and a waste of tax money! The Korean army is sufficient to guard the border and maintain domestic security. The current increase in the army is nothing more than a scheme by the royal family and the government to mobilize the people privately and to close everyone’s eyes, ears, and mouths when it is disadvantageous to them, not in times of emergency!”

Although the content could be refuted, his words had power. It seemed that the rumor that the gentleman was good at speaking was not without reason.

“Then, what alternative does Representative Rhee Syngman have?”

Park Jeong-yang, the chairman of the Privy Council, asked cautiously.

Then, Syngman Rhee shouted even louder than before.

“Our current army is maintained at 60,000 men, and aren’t there 1.2 million civilian militias recorded in the books nationwide? If we systematize a militia organization like the civilian militia, there is no need to increase the standing army to be maintained in peacetime!”

“The bill to organize the Minbo Army into a military force has already been passed in the northern region-”

“It is to expand it nationwide. Then, 370,000 conscripts will take up pickaxes and sickles instead of guns and swords in their hands for the economic development of Korea, not for the military! Isn’t that true patriotism?!”

“Right!!!”

The members of the upper house who supported him applauded.

Gil Yeong-su, the head of the Hwangguk Association, looked at me with anxious eyes. It was a gesture that seemed to tell me to do something.

I had to shrug my shoulders and step forward to the podium.

“Mr. Chairman, may I have the floor?”

“Very well, Chief of Military Affairs.”

I carefully raised my hand to gain the right to speak, then came up to the podium.

The reaction was mixed. While the Hwangguk Association cheered him on, calling him a patriot of Korea, the hardliners of the Independence Association jeered at him, calling him the emperor’s dog and a lackey of the regime.

“These ungodly people!” said Commissioner General Lee Geun-taek, but the Emperor stopped him.

He must have known that the hardliners of the Independence Association were deliberately provoking them.

“Dear Cabinet Ministers and Privy Council Members, I am Lieutenant General Kim Si-hyeok, the Director of the Military Affairs Bureau and Commander of the Assault Infantry Regiment of the Marshal’s Office of the Korean Empire. I was very impressed by Representative Rhee Syng-man’s story on the conscription system.”

Before getting into the main topic, I looked at the hardliners in the Privy Council one by one.

Then they too, without avoiding my gaze, looked at me intensely. If it had been sunlight, my eyes would have burned.

“However, conscription is an indispensable institution in the modern era. Many European countries, including the small country of Belgium, have also introduced conscription to protect themselves.”

“But there is something wrong with what the general said! We are not European countries!”

“What Congressman Rhee Syngman said is correct. We are not European countries. And, the reality is that it is difficult for us to protect our sovereignty under international law like European countries.”

It was a dark story. For a short while, those who were blinded by the excitement following the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion tried to ignore it.

“Our army is only 60,000 strong. As Congressman Rhee Syngman said, the civil defense force organization across the country has 1.2 million people on paper, but in reality, less than 10% of that number remains.”

“That’s why I’m suggesting we reorganize them, General! If we reorganize the Minbo Army into something like the Minutemen of the Mireukyeon, we can have an army ready for wartime. I’ve even come up with a fancy name for it. The National Defense Forces…”

I felt like I was being dragged into a snarl. The National Guard. I waved my hands, feeling as if they were trying to drag that dark, dark incident here. I could barely keep the snarl from rising around my neck.

“That is already a matter being discussed by the Marshals and the military, sir.”

“But why do you insist on introducing a conscription system?”

“That is the reality. Japan has had a conscription system since the 1880s, and by 1903 they plan to organize an army of 250,000 men in 12 divisions. Perhaps in three years they will be able to mobilize up to 600,000 men in wartime.”

Then, a sigh escaped from the audience. The power of the Korean Empire, which did not even have a single division, was not enough to stop them.

“As we have seen in the past, we are still not capable of defending our own country. With our current strength, we are not even ready to defend Hanseongbu.”

Because at least 100,000 men were needed just to defend Hanseongbu. That was also the reason why they actively accepted the idea of ​​abandoning Hanseongbu, which would suffer a great loss of manpower if war broke out, and withdrawing to the northern region, which was advantageous for defense.

“Isn’t that dereliction of duty on the part of the military and the Marshal’s Office?”

“No, sir. The absolute total number of troops is insufficient. Even now, the staff and personnel of the Marshal’s Office and the military are running around trying to find a way, but the situation is still bleak. The enemies we will face, and I won’t point out anyone specifically, but all the surrounding countries except Qing have adopted a conscription system to satisfy both the quality and quantity of their own armies. Only our Korean Empire still adheres to a volunteer system.”

“It is absurd to equate us with them!”

Yes. It would be absurd to equate the weight class and the time and effort poured into modernization, which are all different. However, the event that brings together all the most irrational things in the world is war, and war does not take such internal circumstances into consideration. Since war is something that is decided by the current military and national power, it is impossible for the other party to avoid it by not equating it.

Rather, they will rush in, saying that you are an easier opponent.

“But war does not spare such circumstances. What would happen if a war that no one had been sure would happen were to break out at this very moment? Our army would fight bravely and as prepared as possible, but it would not be able to bear the losses and would slowly melt away like a snowman placed under the spring sun.”

And in war, replenishing troops and supplies was also a way to guarantee victory. An army lacking these would inevitably show its limits, no matter how well it fought.

“Without the introduction of a conscription system, we will not be able to find a way to replenish the number of troops, let alone the losses.”

“Since when has this country been in such a desperate situation that it is contemplating such a show? By the last compromise, we have been recognized as independent by the great powers! Why do we want more troops when we have them? Or is it to eliminate those who oppose our will?”

Syngman Rhee also seemed to have come out armed with a solid logic. He especially cited the example of the United States to present his opposition to the introduction of the conscription system, and the cheers grew louder each time he did so.

“Therefore, the introduction of a conscription system is absurd, and the introduction of a tax on recognition for it must also be abolished!”

“Right!”

When the cognitive tax was introduced, it was not the general public that was hit the hardest.

Rather, it was the landowners who supported the Independence Association. They were going to try hard to block the conscription system, as it was predicted that there would be additional tax increases, not to mention the deeds for those numerous lands.

Some landowners were also worried that their tenant farmers would be taken away by the military and their harvests would suffer.

“It seems like things are getting heated, so let’s take a break for now. Tomorrow, we will invite His Majesty the Emperor again and discuss the pros and cons of conscription.”

As the atmosphere became increasingly tense, the chairman of the Privy Council, Park Jeong-yang, declared a recess.

The hardliners of the Independence Association continued to shout “Manse!” and increase their opposition to the conscription system, while the Imperial Association and the moderates looked bewildered as their opponents became more aggressive than expected.

“No, didn’t I just ask you to leave it to me? Instead, they’re gaining momentum!”

“They seem to have prepared better than I thought.”

I answered, clearing my throat.

It was a look in his eyes as if he was telling me to do something.

“Well, I knew this would happen. Some factions of the Independence Association are doing this out of selfish interests.”

“What should we do now?”

“Your Majesty, I will meet with their leader, Privy Council member Lee Seung-man, separately. We should be able to communicate well, but…”

But the emperor showed an incomprehensible smile. It seemed as if he knew what I was going to say. He nodded and said only this one word.

“Don’t be too rough with it.”

It seemed like he thought I was trying to scare him. Of course, if it was someone who would be swayed by that, he would have done it. For example, Seo Jae-pil, who had a lot to protect.

In the first place, I gave him a lot to keep in mind, and as I gradually got used to it, he started listening to me. That’s why I supported him.

However, in the case of Syngman Rhee, who was the editor-in-chief of the Imperial Newspaper and had just been elected as a member of the Privy Council, he had always written things in the newspaper that were unpleasant to the government, so he had a strong dislike for it and could hardly receive any support.

That’s the kind of person he is, and he doesn’t have much to protect, so even if I threaten him, it won’t work.

On the contrary, he will come out tomorrow and try to use it as a weapon to turn public opinion around.

As I was leaving the conference room, I asked Chief Cho Dong-yoon to send a few people from the Records Investigation Office 5.

“I guess the director needs to go out for a drink?”

“I wanted to go for a walk at night.”

He roughly understood the meaning and handed over five or six people from the records investigation room to me without saying a word.

And then, I just waited for the late night to come.