Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 174



Only Noblemtl

#174. Evil Alliance (3)

“I heard that the reason the Qing army was defeated was because the castle was attacked from three sides. Shouldn’t we just give them room to maneuver in the first place? If we block them in a fortified position, even if they are trash conscripts, they can do their job. If we block them in that way, we will be able to induce the end of their offensive.”

“We can’t just stop at defense. We have to make them bleed as much as possible on the front lines…”

“Let’s build the first line at Hwangju, the second line at Songnim, and the third line at Junghwa, and continue to build obstacle areas in between. If we do that, at least the road to Pyongyang will become quite difficult.”

After selecting the main routes into Pyongyang, he calculated the necessary materials and manpower and handed them over to me.

The supply of timber and charcoal is currently the most important. It will also be necessary to make plans to purchase from domestic or Russian forestry companies currently located in the Yalu and Tuman river basins.

“It would be great if they built the forts out of concrete, but I don’t know if they would be of any significant value to your country.”

“60,000 tons are imported for industrial use every year, but since the main import source is Japan, it is better to set it aside.”

I said this while looking around the terrain of the Pyongyang area. It was proven in the war between 1950 and 1953 that even without concrete reinforcement, a fort, logs, and machine guns alone could create tremendous synergy, so that alone would be more than enough.

“Oh, is there enough barbed wire?”

“It is still in production.”

It would have been nice if there had been something like circular barbed wire. In a reality where we were struggling to produce firearms and ammunition, we didn’t have the luxury of producing something like that. We had to be grateful for even the linear barbed wire we were using now.

“Then I guess I’ll have to work hard. The blueprint I’m working on right now is quite extensive.”

Before he knew it, he was smoking a cigarette, adding a blank piece of paper to the map and drawing some very detailed lines one by one.

“The devil’s anvil will unfold here, so you can look forward to it.”

Well, that was the nickname for the fortress. Well, it didn’t matter. If it was a blueprint for the northwest defenses that someone as skilled as Major General Roman Kondrachenko could provide, it could be used for a long time.

The blueprint was completed in a full day, and I had a copy made of it and gave it to Army Vice Marshal Min Yeong-cheol, who had been appointed Commander of the Gwanseo Command, with earnest instructions.

“No matter what happens, it must be completed by December of this year.”

“December? There are only four months left… and His Majesty has also ordered the construction of the Palace of Landscapes. If we do that at the same time, it will require more funds and manpower.”

“This is also an order from the Chief of the Military Affairs Bureau of the Marshal’s Office. The current situation is chaotic, so please complete it by any means necessary. If you formally report the necessary budget to the Marshal’s Office, we will provide it specially.”

“···Ugh.”

Although he had a very unpleasant expression, an order is an order, so there’s nothing I can do. He was an Army Lieutenant General, one level higher than me in rank, but since the Military Affairs Bureau of the Marshal’s Office was a much higher level in terms of rank, I had no choice but to obey.

Major General Roman Kondrachenko rushed back to his garrison as soon as his appointment was over, saying that the fortification work along the Lushun and Yalu Rivers was also urgent.

The pungent smell of war was now wafting in the air.

***

“Our Korean Empire would like to avoid war as much as possible.”

“Your Majesty, didn’t your country already sign a defense treaty with Russia? The government of your country is very angry about this.”

Gojong usually had conversations with the ambassadors of each country, but recently he had been meeting with the Japanese ambassador Hayashi more often than not.

It was unclear whether he was frightened by the growing threat of war between Russia and Japan, or whether he wanted to show himself as a “balancer” internationally once again by taking the lead in ending the crisis of war, as he had done during the Great Compromise of 1901.

However, in Hayashi’s personal opinion, he thought neither of them were true.

I can only vaguely guess that the reason he is acting so arbitrarily is his strong distrust of his subordinates who are currently leading the situation.

In particular, it may have been the inexplicable jealousy and suspicion towards the young general who had led this treaty that had the strongest influence.

Because the Emperor of Korea has many elements that remind him of the nightmare of 1884.

The young general must have irritated the emperor because he had, in addition, seized the command of the actual army and, unlike Kim Ok-gyun, had achieved numerous successes.

“This was just something the maternal vassals did as they pleased, and it was different from my will.”

“Oh, I see···.”

Hayashi smirked to himself. He already knew. He knew that some officials within the Korean Empire government had obtained the contents of a de facto final ultimatum to Russia, though he did not know the route, and as soon as the Korean emperor found out about it, he called his closest aides and plotted something.

In the end, even if this defense treaty was not the Emperor’s will, the Emperor himself had already created the pretext for it.

Now, it was time to move smartly to use this. Especially if the Emperor, who had been a powerful ‘alliance’ between the pro-royalists and the pro-Russian/pro-French factions since 1895, were to leave… the Japanese Empire would have an unparalleled opportunity.

“I was very offended when you suggested dividing this country along the 39th parallel.”

“It is not a story truly told to the Korean Empire, but rather to pressure the Russian Empire. Please look into it.”

The issue of the 39th parallel division was passed over in a hasty manner. The emperor seemed half in doubt, but eventually showed an expression that he understood.

“Well… I understand that there is such a thing as diplomatic rhetoric. But if war breaks out, will we be able to stand up to Japan? The head of the Imperial Guard, Lee Geun-taek, said that we would collapse in a month.”

Hayashi toasted inwardly. There were high-ranking Korean military generals who had been in contact with the embassy recently, and one of them was Lee Geun-taek. Originally, he was branded as an anti-Japanese figure and was under special surveillance, but at some point he changed to be pro-Japanese. Perhaps after realizing the true difference in power, he completely changed.

As Foreign Minister Gomura had previously reported, he was also the best person who could bring ‘the Korean Empire into a state of psychological civil war’.

“If Your Majesty could give me a little help, I could try my best to bring lasting peace not only to Russia and Japan but also to the Korean Empire…”

“How can Jim help you?”

“Your Majesty, we will appoint to the cabinet people who can show loyalty to the Empire of Japan.”

Hayashi slyly took out a gamble. He had already secured quite a few collaborators within the Korean Empire’s cabinet and Privy Council.

Of course, breaking through the Korean Empire’s counterintelligence network was not an easy task.

It could be said that this was an achievement that was achieved by losing one third of the 2,000 or so collaborators that had been built up since 1895.

Even Gomura Construction was in a state of nervousness as he rebuilt the collapsed information network, but after he took office, it was as if many of the checks and balances had disappeared, almost like a lie.

The reason was still unknown, but thanks to that, the destroyed information network could be rebuilt, and the work was now possible, so I continued talking while feeling a small sense of gratitude in my own way.

“By appointing people who are well-versed in Japan, I think it is necessary to think a little more carefully so that the current situation within the Cabinet and Privy Council of the Korean Empire does not lead to decisions that are biased toward one side.”

“Hmm, but I’m still worried. There’s talk going around that the Japanese Empire is trying to annex our country, just as our country annexed Ryukyu.”

“Ah, Your Majesty. Ryukyu and the Korean Empire are different. Ryukyu is just an island similar in size to your country’s Jeju, and has been a vassal of our government for a long time. But isn’t the Korean Empire different? Although it was a vassal state of China, it has maintained an independent dynasty for a long time. How dare we, Japan, try to annex Korea? It’s outrageous.”

Of course, even within Japan, there were many different opinions about what to do with the Korean Empire.

Ito raised the issue of a dual empire between Korea and Japan, like the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the moderate faction in the cabinet wanted to make Korea a satellite state and use it as a springboard for future plans for Manchuria and Russia.

And the military, led by Yamagata, showed its desire to make the Korean Empire a complete colony of Japan.

The grain that poured in from the three southern provinces and the abundant mineral resources in the northern region were suitable for filling Japan’s stomachs.

Although punishment for these people was still pending, the mere thought made my mouth water.

Hayashi carefully whispered a word to the Korean emperor, thinking that perhaps he could shake up this evil alliance.

“Accept the refugees?!”

“Your Majesty, please stay still and listen. This is an opportunity for Your Majesty the Emperor as well as the Korean Empire to preserve its national system.”

Naturally, the Emperor was furious. And that was understandable, for the Japanese exiles were unforgivable traitors to him.

“Hold fast and listen? What are you planning by sending those traitors back to me? Are you trying to kill me too, like the empress who died a violent death?”

“That is not the case, Your Majesty. It was simply an unfortunate incident caused by extremists within the Japanese government. I, too, cannot help but feel deeply sorry about this. However, this leaves Your Majesty the Emperor with three questions.”

He continued his story quietly, trying to stop the sullen emperor. Hoping that the emperor would come to terms with this.

“Your Majesty, by accepting the refugees, we can restore the Japanese Empire’s trust in the Korean Empire. They are people who are close to our Japanese Empire, and at the same time, they are people who can serve as a bridge between the two countries.”

“Not your puppet?”

“Although they have fled to Japan due to unavoidable circumstances, can they deny their roots? They still consider themselves subjects of the Korean Empire, and if Your Majesty calls them, they will gladly not refuse to live as Kyeonmajiro.”

“···That’s what you call a blue mountain stream.”

“Please accept this as advice for the glory of Your Majesty and the Korean Empire, and for its continued existence for eternity.”

Hayashi said, nodding his head.

“Furthermore, if Your Majesty forgives them and forms a national cabinet, Korea’s seemingly one-sided political situation will be able to remain neutral. If a neutral national cabinet is formed, it will serve as a basis for the Korean Empire to declare itself as a neutral nation in the event of a possible war, and above all, the Japanese Empire may be able to recognize the Korean Empire’s efforts and avoid war.”

After all, that would be the best scenario that could only come to fruition through some far-fetched developments. Hayashi said with an expression that said, “I wasn’t lying.”