Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 176



Only Noblemtl

#176. Yellow Plan (1)

“···Is this true?”

“Yes, Director. I don’t think we can avoid any more conflicts.”

The 4th Division, newly established to strengthen anti-Japanese intelligence capabilities, has hit the jackpot.

This is because some very important information was extracted through An Gyeong-su, one of the exiles.

“Ahn Kyung-soo said that the activities of the 12th Division in Yokohama, Japan have greatly increased and that the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently gathering refugees.”

“I didn’t know he could be this helpful.”

Chief Cho Dong-yoon clicked his tongue and said, This poor guy, he would still be fooled into thinking that the head of the 4th division was an employee of the Imperial Household Department.

And with the vain hope that through him he might be able to return to his homeland.

Of course, the Emperor might not know what he was doing. He was probably lucky that he wasn’t planning to kill him the moment he returned.

“Is this cross-referenced information?”

“It is certain. Our sources have confirmed this, and from what we have been able to obtain within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it seems clear that they are trying to gather refugees and hatch some kind of conspiracy.”

And that was not all. When Japan rapidly increased the use of military telegraph lines installed within the Korean Empire, they carried out large-scale sabotage by disguising themselves as members of the Hwalbindang along the Gyeongbu military telegraph network that stretched from Busan to Daegu, and then to Chungju and Hansung.

When the connection between the embassies and consulates in mainland Japan and the Korean Empire and the garrisons in each region was cut off, they had no choice but to use the Gyeongin Telegraph Network, which was controlled by the Communications Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry and the Communications Department of the Marshal’s Office, and as a result, leaked a considerable amount of information.

“These guys had no intention of negotiating from the beginning.”

“It seems that they were already prepared from the moment the defense treaty was signed. They planned for war with Russia during the Chiefs of Staff meeting on June 8th, and it seems that we have also been organized as a second front.”

Although the deciphering is not yet complete, and we are not able to extract all the information, we were able to extract at least the important ones.

In particular, the information that two battalions of the advance force commanded by Lieutenant General Hasegawa would first enter Hiroshima from Jemulpo on August 10th and that six battalions would head to Hansung on the 11th and 12th was quite specific.

“The exact date is unknown, but it is predicted that the Japanese forces will begin moving in earnest between August 14 and 16. The Combined Fleet is also on standby in Sasebo, ready to sail.”

At this point, the invasion was practically a done deal.

Jo Dong-yoon clenched his fist and asked the next question.

“What about the other units?”

“It also seems that they are preparing for wartime mobilization. They will mobilize 200,000 troops within three weeks to control us.”

He let out a deep sigh at the words of the head of the fourth department.

The news coming in was bordering on despair.

Although he had a lot of information, he was inwardly astonished to see Japan truly preparing for a showdown with Russia and making final preparations.

“Oh, and Director.”

“What else is there?”

“Those who are presumed to be remnants of Donghak have joined Iljinhoe in large numbers and are once again gaining influence not only throughout the three southern provinces but also in Hanseongbu. The radicals who left when the Independence Association split have also been absorbed by them, and these people have been meeting frequently with the Japanese embassy recently. It is clear that they are plotting something, but as of now, it is unknown what connection this has to the current situation.”

“What the heck? The Japanese are just laying the groundwork before starting a war.”

They were indeed a very sophisticated bunch. And they still couldn’t answer the question of whether they could really stop them.

“The military affairs director was right···.”

“There is no time now. We must persuade His Majesty the Emperor.”

“···Could it be that Your Majesty did not know about this?”

He asked his subordinates about his doubts, but he did not receive any answers. He always told his direct subordinates: Do not have doubts about information, and report all important things without omission. He, as the leader, will make the judgment, so you, as subordinates, should not judge the importance of information.

That’s why he didn’t dare to judge the subordinates in front of him. He just organized the information he had and presented it.

In the end, there was only one person in the Korean Empire who could definitely use the value of information. He would definitely come up with a great method. I had to meet him as soon as possible.

“···I need to meet the Director of Military Affairs. Where is he?”

***

“The air has been quite suspicious lately. I have not seen anyone since Your Majesty issued his edict.”

“There are only rumors.”

I rushed to the palace with Lee Yong-ik to find out what was going on with the emperor’s edict, but the emperor refused to meet me and did not come out of the Seokjojeon Hall.

First, let’s summarize what is known so far: the Emperor declared that he would accept the exiles back, dissolve the current cabinet and Privy Council, and form a national cabinet.

“The Prime Minister···.”

“I submitted my resignation as soon as His Majesty’s imperial decree was issued. I was told that former Jeolla Province governor Lee Wan-yong would be appointed as the new prime minister, and that Park Yeong-hyo and Yu Gil-jun would be appointed as the finance minister and the internal affairs minister, respectively.”

“Huh? Are you talking about them all of a sudden?”

“Well, it’s something I heard too···.”

Lee Yong-ik also mumbled. Perhaps he had not heard the details, and he had been unable to erase his anxious expression from earlier. It may have been because it was a surprise attack that even his closest aide was excluded.

And from far away, Chief of Staff Cho Dong-yoon of the Giruk Bureau came running in a hurry. He looked around as if he had found something important, and then he noticed Lee Yong-ik standing next to him.

“What’s the matter, Chief Records Officer?”

“Um, this is a bit urgent…”

“Is this something I shouldn’t hear?”

“No, that’s not it, but it’s something I need to report to the Director of Military Affairs immediately…”

“Then let’s talk. What is it that makes you act so out of the ordinary?”

Perhaps because Lee Yong-ik was the emperor’s confidant, Jo Dong-yoon hesitated a bit, but eventually opened his mouth. As if it was something everyone would know anyway.

“There are a lot of eyes watching here, so go to the headquarters and talk.”

“Good.”

Well, Lee Yong-ik was also the commander of the escort unit, so it’s not like he had no connection. And now, in the empty war room of the Marshal’s Office, the telegram data he brought was enough to surprise me and Lee Yong-ik.

“What is this?”

“These are intercepted telegraphs from the Japanese side of the South-North communication line and the Western communication line. It seems that they were sent not only to Hanseongbu but also to the consuls and garrisons in Jemulpo, Busan, and Wonsan, so it is not normal.”

Lee Yong-ik flipped through the documents he had handed him with trembling hands. I was the same, but the last paragraph kept catching my eye.

“The opening of war…?”

“Chief of Military Affairs, our 4th Division has already confirmed all movements of the Japanese army.”

He sighed and shoved a secret message at us that had arrived a few days ago.

“Former exiled military minister Ahn Kyung-soo testified to our staff that the Japanese 12th Division is increasing its training in Yokohama and is trying to gather exiles. This is also reliable information. It is intersected with information provided by collaborators inside.”

“An Kyung-soo?”

I was surprised that he was still alive. He should have been executed by Emperor Gojong in 1900, much earlier than this, but it seems that Cho Dong-yoon intervened to have him remain in mainland Japan.

“Well, I played a little with his mind. But that’s not important. The Combined Fleet is currently in Sasebo, the Army’s 12th Division is preparing to move from Yokohama to Jemulpo, and ahead of that, the Korean main force under Vice Admiral Hasegawa will move from Hiroshima to Jemulpo in four days.”

“Korean parking lot?”

“Currently, the Japanese military has four company-sized garrisons in the Korean Empire. Including the Gyeongseong garrison, the line-laying unit for protecting military telegraph lines in Busan, Wonsan, and Chungju, and the military police, there are about 1,000 troops, and it seems that they are planning to establish a headquarters with a total of six battalions under the command of Hasegawa.”

And all of these could only be seen as intentional arrangements. In addition, the information provided by An Gyeong-su was quite accurate and surprising.

“The detailed troop deployment is as follows. If what An Kyeong-su says is true.”

The data that Jo Dong-yoon showed was quite specific. The plan to land two battalions on the 10th and a total of six battalions on the 11th and 12th at Jemulpo and enter Hanseongbu meant nothing more than trying to reenact the night of July 23, 1894.

Of course, our capital defense power has been strengthened since then, and we will not be acquiesced as before, but the problem was the Emperor’s actions.

“Can’t we stop that, Chief of Military Affairs?”

“Yes. Even in the 3rd section, we believe that the assault infantry regiment and the 1st Brigade of the Guards Division outside the capital can stop them right away… The problem is the coded telegram that was just deciphered and sent to the 12th Division and the combined fleet. They have already been ordered to mobilize starting on the 12th, and they plan to set up bases in Jemulpo and Gunsan respectively.”

The meaning could only be seen as a strong message against invasion.

The sharpest spearheads of the Japanese army aimed at Korea would be the 12th Division and the Combined Fleet, and their simultaneous movements meant that they would soon go to war with Russia and would subdue the Korean Empire.

“First of all, our records bureau is reporting that Japan will take full-scale military action on August 13th and 14th. Today is August 6th, so there is only about a week left.”

“However, His Majesty the Emperor suddenly issued an imperial edict today to establish a national cabinet, dissolve the existing cabinet and the Privy Council, and accept back the exiles.”

“You must have been fooled by the Japanese. The kids who were working for the Japanese ambassador recently told me this story.”

Chief Cho Dong-yoon had a really wide range of information. It was to the point where I couldn’t help but think that he might have organized and stored a lot of information about our personal history.

“It is said that he often talked to his employees about putting the Korean Empire in a state of psychological civil war, and although we continued to investigate this by sending people to investigate, we were unable to find any other evidence of suspicion···.”

“There is a sense of guilt in His Majesty the Emperor’s movements?”

“Yes, General. In addition, the dregs of Iljinhoe that were cleaned up a while ago are showing up again. Does your Majesty know anything about it?”

“Hmm, I see that you have been spending more time talking with the Japanese ambassador recently, but there hasn’t been much change. However, if what you say is true, then there is a very high chance that they have been toying with His Majesty.”

Lee Yong-ik looked at me with a serious expression.

“Shouldn’t we announce a general mobilization order right now?”

“That would be the way it should be, but His Majesty will not permit it. Director of Records, when did you say the Japanese advance party would arrive?”

“It is scheduled to dock at Jemulpo between August 10th and 11th. It will probably bring the refugees with it.”

I was left deep in thought as to whether I should finally take out the card I had been fiddling with.

Even if it were another story, the information that An Gyeong-su conveyed was quite strong.

It was clear that they would replace our cabinet in an unorthodox manner and use the resulting chaos as a springboard to once again seize the initiative.

That is why we also had to prepare countermeasures accordingly.

It was important to hit the player before we got hit. We didn’t have to hit them even though we knew where all the patches were.

“And this is my personal opinion, but I think His Majesty the Emperor is truly afraid of the imminent war and has chosen to negotiate with Japan. We must take action before the cabinet and the Privy Council are both replaced.”

“Record Director, how long will it take to prepare the Yellow Plan?”

“Are you really going to take that card out?”

“There is not enough time to respond. If I had even a month, I would have found a way, but Japan has already decided to go to war, and we have figured out their intentions. If Your Majesty is taking the wrong path, I should, as a subject, set you back on the right path.”

The Yellow Plan had to be launched within a week. It was the conclusion of serious discussion and discussion about what the military could do when faced with a crisis like war and problems like today.

That was the Yellow Plan, a sort of ‘Great Purge’ button that would mobilize military forces within the metropolitan area to detain pro-Japanese ministers and organizations and advance into full-scale war.

So, while I was reviewing the detailed plan with Chief of Staff Cho Dong-yoon since last year, I even joked, saying, “I just hope this doesn’t become reality,” and at the very least, I firmly believed that this would not come to fruition because of Emperor Gojong’s intervention in concluding the defense treaty with Russia.

But whatever moved him, the Emperor was trying to flee from the inevitable flames of war.

Of course, there was no paradise where they ran away.

He may not be unaware of the logic, but rational judgment seemed impossible at the moment. He was personally destroying the strong ties and balance of power between the imperial family, the military, and the bureaucracy that had existed since 1895.

And if my guess is correct, the Japanese government would have targeted the weakest link, the Imperial Family and the military/bureaucracy. So the indecisive Emperor would have done something like that at the last minute to avoid war.