Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 172



Only Noblemtl

#172. Evil Alliance (1)

I calmed my trembling heart and smiled slyly at Bezobrazzoff.

Then he spoke in a very small voice to Lee Yong-ik, who was right next to him.

“We are in a hurry, but they are also in a hurry. Please take your time and deal with them, Your Majesty.”

“Okay.”

I had already been able to obtain information about them. Their secret telegraph and various communications had to go through the telegraph office in Beijing or the telegraph office connected to Vladivostok, and at least the Korean Empire had a fairly good technology for this.

It was almost the only area where we had an advantage in the field of signal intelligence. Thanks to the dedication of the agents of Section 5 of the Records and Research Office, the support of the staff of the Telegraph Bureau, and the information provided by Brigadier General Puchata and the Russian Military Instructors, who at some point began to actively cooperate with our side, we were able to realize that the Russian Empire was currently in a very difficult situation.

And this information was passed on not directly to the emperor, but to Lee Yong-ik, one of the emperor’s close associates.

He was the godfather of the pro-Russian faction, but he did not blindly follow Russia. If we were to be exact, he was a rather complex and subtle nobleman who was a mixture of royalist and nationalist.

He immediately responded to the information I had brought (which was of course necessarily refined) and reported it to the Emperor, who then summoned me, Chief of Staff Jo Dong-yoon, and Lee Yong-ik to discuss countermeasures.

And the conclusion of that countermeasure was to induce Russia to conclude a defense treaty on terms as favorable as possible.

If that was not possible, we prepared a second-best option: at least a promise of military support from them.

In the history of the Yuan Dynasty, Russia had issued empty promises to send troops to the Korean Empire, only to be denied their help when it was most needed, due to a lack of troops and the deliberate blocking of moderates within Russia who wanted to avoid war. This time, such a mistake could not be made.

Of course, the emperor also made a ridiculous remark that he should negotiate and cooperate with Japan on the spot, but he immediately kept his mouth shut due to Lee Yong-ik’s rather cold response.

“Lord Bezobrazov, we too were aware that Japan had effectively issued an ultimatum to Russia.”

“···The information has leaked.”

“Rather than saying it leaked, let’s say that our counterintelligence capabilities against Japan are amazing.”

Lee Yong-ik had taken the initiative in his fluent Russian. The fact that he already had all the information greatly reduced the range of cards that Bezobrazzov could choose from.

“And we admired Russia’s choice. It was because they wanted to convey to us a story that was supposed to be buried among the great powers, and it seemed to us that they were willing to support our independence. We should be grateful to the Tsar for this.”

“······.”

“However, the Korean Empire cannot be easily turned into a battlefield.”

“I don’t understand. If Japan invades, the Korean Peninsula will be the first to be hit.”

“You may declare neutrality before that, Your Majesty the Tsar.”

Lee Yong-ik responded while taking out the cards he had prepared in advance.

“If we declare neutrality and open a path for Japan to advance, we can avoid war.”

“That is the way to annex yourselves to Japan. Think wisely and say the following.”

“But to that end, we have such… bad feelings and ill feelings toward Japan. They killed our queen, and they waged war on our land, taking away the lives and property of countless people. Rather than surrender to them, we will stand tall and die proudly.”

Lee Yong-ik’s words were full of power. In fact, his position as a pro-Russian can also be seen as a reactionary act based on hatred and disgust toward Japan.

In fact, if you think about it, it could be said that the fact that the solidarity between the pro-royalist and pro-Russian factions was not broken and lasted for a long time, contrary to Japan’s expectations, was their karma.

“I understand that Russia’s defense strategy in Manchuria is currently impossible. That is why the Tsar sent you here.”

“No, we, Russia, are fully capable of defending Manchuria on our own. With 100,000 troops in Manchuria, how can we stop the Japanese?”

“···Do you really think so?”

I spoke to him in the rather broken Russian I had learned while serving with the Russian instructors.

The slightly delayed parts were helped by Lee Yong-ik, who was standing next to him, and Kim Hong-ryuk, the mayor of Hanseong, who volunteered to act as an interpreter at the emperor’s side.

“As far as I know, the Russian army in the Far East will not be properly reinforced until after the war has started for over a month. Do you think you can defend that vast plain with an army of only 100,000? In addition, most of the army is deployed in Lushun and Vladivostok, and in the most important Yalu-Tumen River area, you can only deploy less than 20,000 front-line troops.”

“······.”

“Besides, the 1st and 2nd Siberian Army Corps are considerably weaker than the forces that Japan will mobilize, and I understand that the Russian forces in the Zaamur, Priamur, and Baikal regions are small in number and poor in quality. In the end, we will have to reinforce our troops from mainland Europe, but what do you plan to do to bridge the gap in the meantime?”

We were well informed about the Russian Far East deployment, and fortunately, we were able to obtain copies of the reports prepared by Kuropatkin and Alexeyev, the Governor-General of the Far East, this year.

There, we could check the total number of Russian troops, the time it would take to deploy to the Far East, the layout of railway carriages, and many other issues.

Although the reports of Kuropatkin and Alexeyev had different directions, they had the same conclusion: the consensus was that if war breaks out, it cannot be won.

“We can turn the wheel of the Russian Empire’s destiny, perhaps in a different direction. We will accept the ‘destiny of Sevastopol’ ourselves, and the Russian Empire will win instead.”

Bezobrazzov felt uneasy. The description that came out of the mouth of that old Kuropatkin was also coming out of that young man. He wondered what kind of person he was. He also felt that there was another person named Kuropatkin in the Korean Empire, not just in the Russian Empire.

“Do you know what that means when you say that?”

“It is true. If war breaks out, we will inevitably become a bridgehead for the Japanese army, as Kyung said. That is why we wanted to train a navy, but war is imminent, and we have to make a choice.”

I sighed, my shoulders back. There were so many things hanging on my words, and the words I would say again.

“If war breaks out, we will fight against the invaders. We cannot give them even a single square foot of our land.”

I spoke with determination, awkwardly but with emphasis on each word. Bezobrazzoff and Admiral Stark opened their eyes wide as if they were surprised by my words.

“And we have the same goal with the Russian Empire. To defend our lands from invaders. And thus to preserve peace in the Far East. To preserve peace in Asia from the alliance of invaders, the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, and to preserve the legitimate rights of each country. We can unite.”

And he placed his palm on the map, carefully, as if for everyone to see.

“We demand the full support of the Russian Empire. More specifically, in the name of His Imperial Majesty, we demand a defense treaty between the Great Russian Empire and the Korean Empire.”

Calming my trembling heart, I looked at Bezobrazzoff’s expression.

Surprisingly, his expression did not change. Because of his silence, an uneasy silence filled the place for a while.

“We would like to hear your response to our proposal.”

“···In addition to explaining the current situation to the Korean Empire, the Tsar has given another order.”

I swallowed without realizing it. After all, even if the Russian cabinet formulated a policy, the reality was that one word from the Tsar would ultimately determine its fate.

Although I knew that the Tsar was very interested in the Korean Empire and the situation in the Far East, I couldn’t help but feel nervous, because whether he could risk ‘burning Vladivostok for Hansung’ was another matter.

“The Tsar ultimately wants a defense treaty with the Korean Empire for the sake of stability in the Far East.”

“······!”

I tried it just in case, but they needed us too.

For Russia, we were the strongest spear and shield they could wield, giving them the time and space to defend the Far East. And we were able to do that, and were prepared to take on the ‘fate of Sevastopol’ they wanted if necessary.

“We, Russia, will reject Japan’s unjust demands. Whether it’s the withdrawal of troops from Manchuria, or the Yongampo garrison, or the division of the Korean Empire along the 39th parallel.”

Even the lava cannons were a bit tricky, but it seemed that Russia had no intention of avoiding war with Japan this time.

Of course, it was possible to pull this off because the Korean Empire, due to its geopolitical location, was able to significantly influence Russia’s Far East policy.

“Soon, General Kuropatkin will be appointed Commander of the Manchurian Army. The Korean Empire should also prepare for war.”

“What will happen to the negotiations between Russia and Japan?”

“Foreign Minister Ramsdorf will probably meet with Foreign Minister Komura, but it won’t be significant. It will just waste time.”

He spoke quietly. Emperor Gojong, who had been listening to the whole story, made a face of displeasure, but since the Tsar’s intentions and our opinions had already coincided, there was no way for him to change his mind.

Naturally, the Tsar’s emissary discussed the terms of a defense treaty, exchanging the terms offered by Russia with those offered by us, and, considering the special circumstances of the impending war, agreed to draw up the text of the defense treaty within a few days.

***

“Does this make any sense?! The Korean Empire signed a defense treaty with the Russian Empire on relatively equal terms?!”

“These guys are finally choosing war. It’s a good thing!”

As relations with Russia worsened day by day, Japan’s Imperial Council was gradually being taken over by hardliners. However, the current content is bound to be quite shocking.

“Aren’t you talking about opposing the alliance with Britain?”

“A bear married a rabbit. It must be quite a sight.”

“That is not the problem. It is a problem that leads to talk of the Korean Empire giving up its neutrality. If that happens, we will have to prepare for war not only with Russia but also with the Korean Empire.”

“Wouldn’t it be over if our imperial army just tramples those guys?”

“They are not to be underestimated. We are certainly stronger than the Korean Empire and can easily defeat them, but the problem is their intentions.”