Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 161



Only Noblemtl

#161. Dipping your feet in the angry waves (6)

It seemed that even if they were twisted, they were firmly twisted. Lobbying was also slow, and even in the home country, they had shown a high-handed attitude until just before the last Great Compromise in 1901, and it seemed that this was because of the problem of the embezzled funds by the dismissed Customs Commissioner McLeavey Brown flowing into the First Bank.

Although Hayashi felt resentful seeing the king of a small country claiming to be the emperor, he had to endure it.

Now is not the time for emotions to become attitudes, and if we are to judge right from wrong, it is clear that Japan made mistakes.

Even in the home country, instructions were handed down to treat the Korean royal family and government conciliatoryly rather than pressuring them.

‘If only the British hadn’t started a useless war in South Africa.’

Mr. Hayashi cursed inwardly.

He requested the British ambassador to Japan to send a fleet to Jemulpo to demonstrate force regarding the dismissal and deportation of McLeavy Brown, but was flatly refused.

This was because the current situation was not conducive to military action.

He said that if he mobilized the fleet now and staged a show of force at Jemulpo, he could bring about the collapse of the pro-Russian government of the Korean Empire, but the British minister was afraid of the impact this would have on them due to the collapse of the Great Compromise in the Far East in 1901, and so he firmly refused to take any further action.

Of course, thanks to that, Japan is in the midst of a final negotiation with Britain that could completely turn the tide of the war.

“Your Majesty, isn’t there a celebration for the 40th anniversary of your accession to the throne this year?”

“Well, that’s true. Wouldn’t it be faster to inquire about that with the Imperial Household Department rather than the luggage?”

As expected, he had a grumbling expression.

But, thinking that he would not react in the same way to the words that followed, Hayashi took a bold move.

“His Majesty the Emperor has kindly promised to donate one cruiser currently in operation by our Empire of Japan in order to specially commemorate the 40th anniversary of the accession to the throne of His Majesty the Emperor of the neighboring Empire of Korea.”

“Oh, right… Wait a minute, what did you just say?”

“They said they would donate one cruiser.”

As he watched Emperor Gojong’s expression, which had been calm until just a moment ago, change in real time, Minister Hayashi chuckled.

The introduction of splendid ships was his long-cherished wish, and the fact that the introduction of these naval ships did not suit his temperament was a perfect fit.

“Th, all those gifts···.”

“This is the way to Japan-Korea friendship. We will donate a ship to commemorate the 40th anniversary of His Majesty’s accession to the throne, and this will be of great help to the newly launched Korean Imperial Navy.”

“I am deeply moved by your generous gift from your country.”

Gojong treated Hayashi in a completely different manner than before. Hayashi was not impressed by this.

“The ship will be approximately 3,000 tons, which is ten times the displacement of the destroyers currently introduced by the Korean Empire. It will also be equipped with eight guns, which will allow it to display powerful firepower.”

That wasn’t a wrong statement. First of all, it had a large displacement and could carry that many guns.

“Oh, well… But the home country has already decided to introduce 6 destroyers and 8 torpedo boats, so I don’t know if there will be enough room to operate cruisers.”

“Your Majesty, torpedo boats are useless in the circumstances of the Korean Empire. Their survivability against large ships is low, and even if torpedoes are launched, it is difficult to expect results. Please recall that during the Sino-Japanese War, the Sino-Japanese torpedo boats fired several torpedoes at our Japanese naval ships at very close range, but failed to cause any significant damage.”

In fact, it was because the Qing Navy did not operate it properly.

Rather, there were many cases where the torpedo penetrated the ship because it was too close, or collided with the ship before it could generate propulsion, preventing it from functioning properly.

Since Emperor Gojong could not have known about this, he spoke confidently.

“Hmm? You mean a torpedo?”

“I am aware that the Mirigeon Corporation has previously proposed to His Majesty a land-based torpedo battery, but such torpedoes are not suitable equipment for the actual Korean Empire. In order to defend the West Sea region, which is the lifeline of the Korean Empire, large cruisers will be strongly needed.”

“The construction company understands Jim’s feelings very well.”

Gojong laughed heartily. Since the 1880s, Korea had been busy trying to introduce cruisers from Britain, and in 1892, Korea had finally given up issuing its own currency on the condition that it receive ships free of charge from the Qing.

At least, Hayashi concluded that Emperor Gojong had no choice but to fall for Japan’s trickery.

“The cruisers that our Empire of Japan will donate will be able to project His Imperial Majesty’s majesty upon the seas and bring severe judgment upon those who threaten the seas.”

“Very good, very good! Then when can I get it?”

“If Your Majesty could show just a little bit of… sincerity, I could provide it within half a year.”

“Huh? Didn’t you say it was a donation? A token of my gratitude?”

“That’s it···”

Minister Hayashi whispered to Emperor Gojong in a low voice. As expected, Emperor Gojong accepted his suggestion, shook the minister’s hand, and repeatedly expressed his gratitude. Minister Hayashi left the palace, behaving politely as before.

“Sir, what happened?”

“I got over it. The Emperor of Korea is simpler than I thought.”

“If the Korean military or the Marshal’s Office found out, there would be chaos.”

“That would be even better. There would be some really interesting things happening.”

He walked out of the Daehanmun Gate, giggling. As expected, what the home country had planned was a great strategy.

The assessment that the Korean emperor was the focal point of the pro-royalist and pro-Russian factions, while also being the key to dismantling them, was correct.

“Now, building the fleet of the Korean Empire is going to be quite a pain.”

“Can I just watch?”

“Of course. Let’s watch closely to see how they behave.”

Hayashi returned to the Japanese embassy in Namsan, laughing for the first time in a long while.

***

“No, what are you talking about all of a sudden? Are you saying we should cancel the introduction of eight torpedo boats?”

“All that remains is to sign the contract with France, Your Majesty.”

In the middle of my work, I received a call from the Emperor and ran to him. Jang Gi-ryeom, who had arrived earlier, was talking to the Emperor with a bewildered expression on his face.

“Why have you summoned the curators?”

“Oh, it’s good to see you here. Chief of Military Affairs, aren’t we introducing eight French-made torpedo boats this time?”

“Yes, that’s right. The destroyers are coming in soon, so we need to discuss that.”

“How about canceling the introduction?”

“yes?”

Suddenly? I think I know why Jang Gi-ryeom made that expression earlier.

The sudden cancellation of the introduction of torpedo boats, I suddenly wondered what this meant.

“Actually, the Japanese ambassador said he would donate a cruiser to commemorate the 40th anniversary of my accession to the throne.”

“Are you talking about a cruiser? That can’t be possible···.”

I thought about it. In the current situation, there were no cruiser-class ships that Japan could afford. No, in the first place, Japan was busy preparing for a naval war with Russia and ordering ships from home and abroad to increase its size.

Since Japan was in a situation where even one cruiser was a pity, and was forcibly repairing and using the ships it had introduced before the Seinan War, there was no way it could give them a good one.

“Your Majesty, something is fishy. They wouldn’t just give us a cruiser. They’re looking to bolster their fleet right now, and they wouldn’t just give us one of their precious ships.”

“So, are you saying that the Japanese ambassador was mocking Jim?”

Judging from his expression, he seemed annoyed. It seemed that he was now uncomfortable with the very idea of ​​arguing about something he had decided.

“Wouldn’t one 3,000-ton cruiser and six destroyers that Japan is donating be enough to protect our seas?”

“Your Majesty, even if it were a proper cruiser, it would be difficult to operate. Normally, the crew required for one cruiser would be equivalent to the crew of the six French-made destroyers we have introduced.”

“So, let’s withdraw the eight torpedo boats. How about transferring the personnel and funds to the cruisers?”

“Your Majesty, I don’t know what the Japanese minister said, but cruisers are not suitable for the current Korean seas. Furthermore, I do not know the detailed name of the ship the Japanese minister proposed, and their intentions are suspicious in many ways.”

I spoke cautiously. I was quite suspicious of Japan’s intentions. They were suddenly donating cruisers at a time when the navy was still being built up, and it seemed as if they were plotting something I couldn’t understand.

However, what was certain was that they were trying to hinder the naval construction project that Jang Gi-ryeom and I were planning.

“Torpedo boats are absolutely necessary in the Korean seas right now. From the perspective of our navy, which is short on large ships, torpedoes are the only means of sinking large ships in times of emergency!”

“I heard that many torpedoes didn’t work properly even during the last war!”

The emperor raised his voice at Jang Gi-ryeom’s words. It was a mixture of great annoyance and frustration.

The Emperor explained to us an anecdote from the Battle of the Yellow Sea that he had heard from the Japanese ambassador, but this was immediately refuted by Jang Gi-ryeom.

No, in the first place, the way the Japanese Navy destroyed the main ships of Weihaiwei’s Beiyang Fleet was by using those torpedo boats.

“Your Majesty, it is not only because the Qing did not manage it properly, but also because the Japanese Navy actively uses torpedo boats in their naval tactics. Since recent naval battles are battles between ironclad ships, it is impossible to sink a battleship with just a little cannon firepower! Furthermore, please remember that although Jeongwon and Jinwon withstood the concentrated attacks of the Japanese Navy in the naval battle of the Yalu River, they were ultimately sunk in a single attack by torpedo boats in the Battle of Weihaiwei!”

“Isn’t that why Jim asked to bring the cruiser?”

“Your Majesty, in order to have a proper force, you need to have a certain number of cruisers. What can we do with just one cruiser donated by Japan?”

Although the rebuttals continued point by point, the emperor, fixated on the three letters ‘cruiser,’ acted as if he did not want to hear any more.

“I can’t afford to pay a single penny for the purchase of a torpedo boat!”

“your majesty!”

“Come to think of it, you also refused to name the destroyer that unloaded the cargo. I suppose you need to explain that as well, Director of Liberation?”

“I’ve already explained that in detail! Those names are not for small destroyers, but when proper ships are introduced….”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I haven’t heard anything about it.”

No, the 1 million nyang invested in the naval project in the first place wasn’t even his own money…

I was starting to get annoyed too. Now, he started bringing up the issue of the name of the ship every now and then and started expanding it to other issues.

In other words, if you don’t follow his advice, he’ll bother you with old and trivial issues. In times like this, you have to remind yourself of reality, but…

“Your Majesty! What will you do about the agreement with the French Republic?”

“The Director of Military Affairs will tell you more about that.”

“That is not the issue, Your Majesty. It is a matter of trust between nations. You cannot simply change your mind and reject something. Please consider this again.”

“That can’t be done. I have already decided to accept the cruisers that Japan will provide, so you should devise a naval strategy and operational plan accordingly.”

“your majesty!”

“Please step back now.”

He ignored even my words that reminded him of reality. It was a truly unexpected move. At such a time, the Emperor’s eyes turned to the cruiser.

The spirit of Jang Gi-ryeom, who came out grumbling, must have been so angry that he kicked the door of the enemy’s office and hurt his ankle.

Even while receiving treatment at the newly built Army Hospital in Hanseongbu, he could not control his anger and gave a long speech opposing the gift of the cruiser to Japan.

Of course, it is not common for opposition from the front lines to change the minds of those at the top. This was the case in this case.

In the end, the Director of the Liberation Bureau could not break the Emperor’s stubbornness to have a cruiser.

At the end of 1901, the emperor sent Lieutenant Lee Dong-hwi, the Minister of Liberation, to Yokosuka, Japan, to take charge of all matters related to the ship donation project.

Dipping one’s toes into the raging waves was never easy.