Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 170



Only Noblemtl

#170. 11:59 (3)

“Japan will advance through Uiju at the mouth of the Yalu River, as in the war of 1894, and into Lushun. And if it operates throughout Manchuria, it will also try to secure the port cities of Hamhung and Wonsan in the northeastern part of the Korean peninsula, and if the Korean army can stop it here, it will have a chance of winning.”

Kuropatkin slowly proposed his own strategy. However, Admiral Abaza and others still had doubts and began to nitpick his words.

“Can you trust their army, Your Majesty the War Minister?”

“They are, after all, just like the Japanese. Right now, they depend on us because their safety is at risk, but if war breaks out, can we guarantee that they, who are also Asians, will not side with Japan?”

Kuropatkin himself did not think that the Korean Empire would actively participate in the war. However, he said that if they intervened, he could also try to win the war. However, an unexpected voice flew towards them.

“They hate Japan.”

“your majesty···?”

“Their queen was murdered by the Japanese, and they have experienced numerous conflicts throughout history. Rather, if Japan were to invade, I think they would choose to resist like their ancestors hundreds of years ago.”

The Tsar spoke as if he had a firm belief in the Korean Empire. He was personally very curious about the Korean Empire, and thanks to that, he was able to hear stories and history about them through the Governor-General of the Far East.

Looking at their history, they may seem like a peace-loving people at first glance, but at least if their country was invaded, they were a people who could fight to the death and overcome it on their own.

That is why he had no doubt that if Japan and Russia went to war, the moment the Korean Empire recognized the ‘true aggressor’, it would fight shoulder to shoulder with the Russian Empire.

The Tsar, dismissing the opposition’s words, decided to follow Kuropatkin’s proposal.

War was no longer avoidable. If it continued to be avoided, Japan would demand more, and the only thing that would end up would be the collapse of the Far Eastern economic bloc or war under even more unfavorable circumstances.

“···I guess I should send a special envoy to the Korean Empire.”

“Isn’t there a Russian ambassador to Korea, Sir Pavlov?”

“Shouldn’t we make our intentions known to the Emperor of Korea? We need to let him know that if war breaks out, he too will have to fight for his life, as long as he belongs to our Russian ideals.”

Then he looked at Bezobrazzoff.

He bowed his head, at a loss as to what to do under the Tsar’s gaze.

“I would like you to go to the Korean Empire and inform them of Japan’s plot. And if possible, I would like to sign a treaty.”

“What kind of treaty is it···?”

“Let’s call it a secret defense treaty. In the event that either Russia or the Korean Empire is attacked, the other side will provide military and diplomatic assistance.”

“Oh, you mean the Korean Empire? But they are on equal terms with us and are worthy of signing a defense treaty…”

“Haven’t you heard the story of the war?”

The Tsar spoke coldly. Niki was not so foolish as to not act even after hearing Kurpatkin’s story, even though he was his favorite.

At least some insurance was needed to follow the new path that Bezobrazzoff and his supporters were shouting about.

“If we are to protect our interests in the Far East, I believe that we need to continue to stabilize our relationship with the Korean Empire. What do you think?”

“If we insist on involving the Korean Empire, our relationship with Britain will also worsen.”

“Britain has already announced to the world that it will ally with Japan against us, so there won’t be much of a problem if we sign a defense treaty with the Korean Empire now.”

“Your Majesty! Are you planning to burn Vladivostok to protect Seoul?!”

“···Ironically, it is also true that in order to protect Vladivostok, you have to protect Hansung.”

Niki stood up carefully. He said, grabbing the arms of the attendants beside him.

“As the warlord said, it is also important for the Korean Empire to make public its promise to be our fence since 95 years ago. So, Lord Bezobrazzoff, you will go to the Korean Empire according to my orders. Then, explain the current situation to the Korean Emperor and, if possible, sign a defense treaty with them.”

“Oh, I understand, Your Majesty.”

Kuropatkin felt a strange sense of relief and anxiety at the same time. The Tsar was clearly clear-headed and had his own way of looking at the world.

But at the same time, he had a strong desire for the Far East and a distorted belief in Russian ideals, and sometimes did uncontrollable things.

“War wound.”

“Give the order, Your Majesty.”

“I will appoint you as commander of the Manchurian army, so prepare for war with Japan at once.”

“I will do so.”

He greeted the Tsar politely.

War in the Far East no longer seemed inevitable.

Kuropatkin felt uneasy as he looked at the hour and minute hands on his pocket watch.

Ominously, it was 11:59.

***

I myself thought that the Great Compromise of 1901 was only a stopgap measure, but I had no idea that it would explode so quickly.

In 1902, even the military parade that Emperor Gojong had been preparing with great care was canceled due to the cholera epidemic, while Japan continued to strengthen its military power.

We too were preparing for war through conscription and the formation of a fleet, but judging from the recent news, the state of Japan was completely different from before.

“Director General of Military Affairs, a secret telegram has arrived from our military attachés stationed in Japan.”

“What do you say?”

“The Japanese are massing their 12th Division in Yokohama and preparing for battle at their main bases and ports. The air is tense.”

“What about Gyeongseong Garrison, Busan, and Wonsan?”

“It’s no different than usual, but···.”

Chief Cho Dong-yoon trailed off, looked around, and then spoke to me.

“The amount of encrypted communication has increased by more than three times the usual amount. Not only the garrison, but also the embassy and each consulate have begun to go into emergency mode. In addition, it seems that Prime Minister Katsura has issued a special order to fully prepare the entire army for combat.”

“These are real···.”

I felt a pulling sensation in the back of my neck.

The road to war was opening up much faster than expected.

Japan deliberately excluded our government and presented Russia with a peace proposal that was almost like an ultimatum, which Russia then passed on to us.

The fact that Bezobrazzov was dispatched as a special envoy this time and that Kuropatkin was appointed as the commander of the Manchurian Army during the war is probably proof of this.

“There is no time, Chief of Staff. Russia will not back down this time.”

If history were true, Russia would have taken a step back in 1903 when it realized that Britain was behind Japan’s hard-line proposals, but now was not the time for that.

Britain was in a situation where its sense of crisis about Germany was growing due to the Great Compromise of 1901, and although it had formed an alliance with Japan, it did not want to go to war with Russia, so it took a passive approach.

As Britain tried to avoid war, Russia was bound to take an even tougher stance against Japan.

Moreover, since Japan no longer hid its ambition to annex the Korean Empire, which had claimed itself as its own fence, there was no reason to avoid war with Russia.

“Director of Military Affairs, do you know that too?”

“What do you mean?”

“Foreign Minister Komura presented the following demands to his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Ramsdorf: the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Manchuria by the end of April 1903 and the immediate withdrawal of even Yongampo.”

“Isn’t that something they would naturally say?”

“White rice is the last requirement. These madmen proposed dividing the Korean Empire in half with the 39th parallel as the dividing line and using it as a kind of buffer zone.”

“Those damn bastards.”

I responded with a curse. You want to divide us? This was essentially a kind of declaration of the Jeongmyeonggado, very polite but with many sharpened blades inside, aimed at Russia and us.

A similar proposal was made to the Qing Dynasty. Around June 1894, the Qing and Japan jointly proposed to reform Joseon’s politics.

When the Qing refused, Japan immediately attacked them… and the situation developed into one that everyone knew about.

This time, Japan was the same. They would use a two-front war strategy, outwardly trying to negotiate peacefully while in reality attempting a surprise attack.

From the Sino-Japanese War to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the repertoire was the same.

So, while Russia was at a loss as to what to do due to the shock of the strategic surprise attack, it also intended to take over the entire Korean Empire and attack Manchuria.

Simply put, the proposals made by Foreign Minister Gomura were the last diplomatic rhetoric to make a minimal excuse.

“Who else knows about the 39th parallel division plan?”

“It’s just me and the military affairs director.”

Chief Cho Dong-yoon said with a frown.

“Things are getting very strange. Can we really avoid war?”

“······.”

I couldn’t answer. Russia was much more aggressive than in the original history, and with Britain’s checks lessened, there were fewer obstacles to war with Japan.

The result of my running around here and there, trying to win over the great powers and gain security through them to buy time was something completely different from what I expected.

Perhaps, it may have stimulated Japan’s paranoia.

“Director of Military Affairs?”

“Oh, sorry. I’m just thinking about it for a moment. Let’s check everything we can to prepare for now. Mobilize the entire Records Investigation Team 3 to investigate all those connected to Japan and prepare a list in advance.”

“That’s already there. Do you have any use for it?”

Of course, the head of that sly intelligence group would know something like that. He knew everything, but he insisted on asking me.

“If war breaks out, shouldn’t we deal with internal enemies first?”

Then he nodded silently. Perhaps, if the crisis of war with Japan were to escalate, pro-Japanese bureaucrats, officers, or Iljinhoe members would certainly begin to manipulate public opinion and disrupt the government atmosphere by calling themselves the peace faction.

Even the Emperor’s will, arguably the most dangerous existence there, could be shaken.

“Are you sure you are drawing up the one plan that was left blank in the war plans of 1898?”

“···You mean the Yellow Plan?”

I said cautiously. Plan Yellow, unlike the other four war plans, it was something similar to a kind of great purge code to subdue internal enemies and enter wartime.

Those who are wearing the peace faction’s label will be eliminated by physical force, and the anti-war faction will advance to war as the Marshal’s Office comes to the forefront.

If you want to avoid war, you want to avoid it as much as possible, but when it gets too close to avoid, facing it head on is also a good method.

“If the war crisis escalates, Your Majesty will act very indecisively. He will run around here and there, trying to prevent war by any means necessary, and spread our intentions everywhere···.”

Cho Dong-yoon said sarcastically. Well, if he were the emperor, he would be able to do that. Just like he arbitrarily dragged Germany in during the last great compromise and provided the starting point for the current division, he could be said to be the person in charge of the probability of something that should not have happened.

“To prevent that from happening, please strengthen surveillance on Japan, or rather, on everyone related to Japan.”

“Understood, Director. I hope that peace will continue forever in Asia.”

He spoke coquettishly, but there was a hint of anxiety in his voice.

I too held onto my wavering heart. If war were to break out, there would be two major enemies to deal with.

One is the real enemy, the Japanese army, and the other is the traitors who claim to be their lackeys and are trying to disrupt the emperor.

I was not going to repeat what I had experienced in the history of the original country.

This time too, they would start a war on their own, but they were determined to show that it would not be them who would end it.