Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 177



Only Noblemtl

#177. Yellow Plan (2)

“Yellow Plan···?”

Lee Yong-ik asked me cautiously, as if it was the first time he had heard the story. And I told him this with a stern expression.

“It is time for our military to step forward and eradicate the enemies who threaten His Majesty.”

“Do you mean a coup, sir?”

“I have drawn my sword once against the enemies of my country, and now I will not. Outside, a pack of wolves are trying to tear us apart, and at home, traitors are opening the gates to let them in.”

“Think again. There must be another way.”

“Your Majesty, Japan has already decided on war. We have two choices left: war or surrender. And the Emperor is walking down the path of surrender, beautifully wrapped in the name of peace. Your Majesty knows better than anyone else the meanness of the Japanese. If we surrender without even putting up a fight, we may suffer under Japanese rule for tens or even hundreds of years. Do you want to leave such a country to our children?”

I already came from such a world. A terrible world where we had been under Japanese rule for decades, and where countless lives were reduced to ashes in the aftermath of that.

I couldn’t give them that fate again.

If someone who already knows how to return does not move, it may be even more foolish than the person who was ignorant and suffered.

“······.”

“If it was taken away in a fight and lost, it would be okay, but it is not something that can be given away without even being able to resist. What was taken away in a fight and lost can be reclaimed, but what was given away without even being able to resist can never be recovered. It is time for our generals and high and low officials to take the lead and fight. Just as a small spark can burn the fields and mountains, if we ourselves burn, we will be able to light up this direly dark dawn.”

“Are you going to become a martyr?”

“You may die fighting, or you may be captured by the enemy and die if you fail to overcome the great tide. But at least you will have a face to show to your descendants and to the royal family. The longevity of the Korean Empire depends on today’s choice, General-in-Chief.”

At the mention that the Manse Ilgye was in his hands, Lee Yong-ik continued to groan as if calculating something.

It is unclear how his loyalty to the Emperor will be expressed, but at least this time, it was time to make a ‘decision to save the country’. If he didn’t, the country would be ruined.

“I know that your loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor is deeper than anyone else’s. However, true loyalty lies in helping the monarch follow the right path. Your Majesty, it is time for us to step forward.”

“···Okay. I also don’t think I can hand over these beautiful mountains and rivers to the Japanese. I can’t just bow my head to those brats. I’ll follow your opinion. But there’s a condition.”

“Please speak.”

“Your Majesty’s safety must be guaranteed unconditionally. I’m telling you not to pressure the Crown Prince to abdicate or abdicate.”

I could see what he meant. He was telling us not to do anything like stage a coup and depose the emperor. There was no way to guarantee what kind of aftershocks would come if we did.

If there was any chance that it could be seen as a coup d’état, it was clear that everyone would rise up in revolt, even if they were traitors and the coup succeeded.

“If His Majesty’s safety is guaranteed, the guard will support you.”

I accepted his proposal without hesitation. The path to a new history may be filled with nothing but the smell of blood, gunpowder, and death, but at least I can proudly tell everyone what I did.

***

“Have Lee Wan-yong, the special officer of the Imperial Household Department, come in.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The emperor refused to meet with any cabinet or Privy Council members who opposed this edict, and instead summoned Yi Wan-yong, who had been appointed as the former governor of Jeolla Province and special adviser to the Ministry of the Interior.

Outside, ministers who opposed this decree were submitting petitions, and the Privy Council also took collective action.

Even the Privy Council members from the Imperial Association, who had supported the emperor, began to protest in front of the Great Korean Gate, strongly criticizing the current reality.

“It’s really noisy outside···.”

“Your Majesty, shall I suppress them all?”

When asked by Lee Geun-taek, the chief of the Imperial Guard, the Emperor shook his head.

“Well, what if the Japanese embassy gets involved? We need to maintain a balance between Russia and Japan right now, and we can’t take sides too clearly. For now, let’s leave them alone.”

He had no intention of shedding blood now, and he especially wanted to avoid war. That was why the Emperor followed the advice of Minister Hayashi.

It was a tiny sliver of hope that if the exiles were pardoned and a national cabinet formed with them to overcome this crisis, peace in Asia might be preserved.

“Your Majesty, I have heard from Special Adviser Lee Wan-yong.”

“Come in.”

Finally, the door opened, and Yi Wan-yong bowed his head to the emperor.

“Your Majesty, how have you been?”

“Welcome. Jim asked me to come here because he has a special favor to ask of you.”

Yi Wan-yong smiled faintly. The emperor had brought him back to his post after dismissing him from his post as governor of Jeolla Province for the purge of the Iljinhoe, and it was clear that he wanted to find a way to resolve the current situation.

“Doesn’t Kyung know better than anyone that the current crisis of war between Russia and Japan is escalating?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It is truly a tragic event.”

“So Jim wants to give Kyung the important task of being the Prime Minister of the National Assembly.”

“Oh, are you talking about your beliefs?”

“Yes. You are in a position to satisfy both Russia and Japan, and you are not biased towards either side, so I have decided that you are the right person to take on this important responsibility. I will appoint you as Prime Minister effective August 12th, and I hope that you will lead this country in crisis.”

“Following Your Majesty’s orders is a priority, but before that, there is something Your Majesty must do.”

“What is it?”

“We need to replace Lee Yong-ik, the commander-in-chief of the National Guard and the director of the Military Affairs Bureau, Kim Si-hyeok, who promoted the North-South Korea defense treaty. If they were to take their place in the national cabinet, there would certainly be opposition from Japan.”

“Well, but those two are the subjects who follow my will better than anyone else… and above all, since I have Lee Byeong-mu as the artillery commander located on the outskirts of Hanseongbu and Min Yeong-cheol as the commander of the government office, I will be able to keep them in check sufficiently.”

Above all, they were the ones who controlled the money and the army, so even the emperor could not easily get rid of them. If you messed with them, you never know what might happen.

Moreover, the military following them was spread throughout the metropolitan area.

They were now the strongest shield protecting the emperor and the capital, but if they turned their backs, it was a well-known fact that who would naturally be put on their neck would be the one to whom the guns would be put.

That is why the military showed a rather inadequate performance in terms of internal personnel adjustments. They only took personnel measures to the extent of keeping them in check.

“Besides, with the Commander of the Military Police, Senior Superintendent Min Yeong-hwan, and Superintendent of Police Lee Yun-yong also commanding the police forces, we will be able to neutralize their attempted coup in no time.”

He would replace them someday, but right now he didn’t seem to want to provoke them.

Yi Wan-yong was frustrated with the emperor who hesitated at a critical moment. If he had made up his mind, he could not make a decision even when it was time to do so.

“Your Majesty is the highest authority in this country. Do you wish to ruin the peace of Asia by fearing those mere subjects?”

“······.”

“To avoid war, monarchs must make a decision. Replace them with others.”

“···I’ll think about it.”

Yi Wan-yong grimaced. As long as they were there, Yi Wan-yong knew that his position would not be guaranteed, so he was even more determined to get rid of them.

Even though it is a shame to waste their abilities, what can we do? Sometimes, we have to learn to give up precious things for the sake of the national plan.

However, since the Emperor’s intention was like that, Yi Wan-yong decided to step down for the time being. It was a great achievement just to be nominated as Prime Minister.

However, he needed to keep an eye on the movements within the military, so he decided to meet with the Gyeongseong Garrison Command Post in Yongsan, the Military Police Commander, and Lee Byeong-mu, who had been appointed as the Artillery Commander.

First, it was necessary to concentrate the forces they commanded in the capital.

At the very least, it was necessary to replace one brigade of the Guards Division and an assault infantry regiment stationed in Hanseongbu. It was necessary to keep them apart at least until the Japanese arrived.

Oh, by the way, didn’t you say that some refugees were coming into the country ahead of the Japanese army late tonight? Yi Wan-yong was planning to have them gather at the embassy as soon as they arrived.

Because there was a need to discuss with them in advance the direction of the national cabinet and what to do going forward.

***

“···So you’re going to do the yellow plan?”

“This is the only way to save the country now. We have to do it quickly and without conflict, if possible.”

“Okay.”

“yes?”

Lee Gyu-tae accepted my proposal so simply.

He was likely to oppose, and above all, he was quite loyal to the Emperor, so he even thought that if that didn’t work out, he should be suppressed, but surprisingly, he supported the Yellow Plan.

“Why are you making such a blank face?”

“Oh, no, that’s···.”

“What, did you think I wouldn’t accept it? I know how to discern right from wrong, and I’m just waiting to see what happens now. I also know full well that Your Majesty is on the wrong path, and it’s time for loyal subjects to step up.”

Well, he didn’t say anything, but it seemed like he had a lot of complaints. Perhaps the beginning of his complaints was that since the outbreak of the Qing War, the imperial family had not solved the various problems in the newly acquired territories, such as the West Gando and North Gando regions, but had been preoccupied with increasing the lands owned by the imperial family.

“Your Majesty is human and can make mistakes, but the timing is not good right now. It’s the early morning of August 10th, which is perfect. That’s when the troops in Hanseongbu are being replaced, so we can deploy all of our troops inside and outside Hanseong accordingly.”

He informed me that one of the brigades stationed in Suwon, Hanseongbu, was coming up on the pretext of a change of unit. It would not be strange for the troops to be moved, so they would be mobilized without any hesitation.

“By the way, it seems like there are some people in Hansung who will resist.”

“It’s just the Artillery Commander, Lee Byeong-mu, and the Military Police Commander, Min Yeong-hwan.”

I had some idea about those two. The 3rd Division of the Records Investigation Office was going to be mobilized to detain Lee Byeong-mu at a certain place on the day of the incident, and Min Yeong-hwan was going to be unable to mobilize actual troops because he had been mobilized by the commander of the National Military Police Battalion and the company commanders.

Of course, as in the case of the 12.12 incident, the military police often sided with the suppression forces, but since the one who arrested the Capital Police Commander Jang Tae-wan was the head of the Capital Police Command’s military police department who had been persuaded by the coup forces, all that was needed was to secure those who were actually commanding the mobilized forces.

“Lee Byeong-mu is the biggest problem. If he runs away, there will be a problem.”

“Where would that pig-like bastard go if he ran away?”

I laughed at Private Lee and said, “He was a case where he openly followed the pro-Japanese line and his military life was completely ruined, but this time he was waiting for us and he was appointed as the artillery commander.”

Given the circumstances, it seems that he came up because there was no one to call, but it was impossible.

The idiot author was acting so obviously.

The long tail always gets stepped on, and it was an open secret even within the Marshal’s Office that he received funds from Japanese ambassadors and military attachés.

Based on this, Chief Cho Dong-yoon had already prepared enough data to make him rot in prison for several decades.

“We must prevent the Japanese embassy in Namsan and the Gyeongseong Garrison in Yongsan from being mobilized.”

“Don’t worry about Yongsan. Our 1st Brigade troops will block it.”

“Ah, Spirit Park Seung-hwan. I can trust you.”

“Our 2nd Brigade will take charge of controlling the four gates. Instead, the internal cleanup will have to be done by the assault regiment.”

The 1st Brigade Commander of the Guards Division, Park Seung-hwan, and the 2nd Brigade Commander, Lee Ki-pyo, were to block the inner and outer areas of Hanseongbu, and the 3rd Brigade stationed in Gwangju and the Seong Ha-yeong who commanded them in Gyeonggi Province said they would respond. At the same time, they were determined to hang all the remnants of the Iljinhoe in Gyeonggi Province.

“Let’s see, then your battalions will be in charge of quite a few places. Gyeongungung Palace, Hanseong Telegraph Office, Hanseongbu government offices, Gyeongmu Office, and the Artillery Command of the Three Armies. Just five major places.”

“We must also take control of the remaining palaces, including Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, and Gyeonghuigung, as well as Bukhansanseong. If by any chance His Majesty escapes….”

The escorts were supposed to be there, but the possibility of something happening couldn’t be ruled out. If they were to hide on purpose, that would be a problem in itself. Just wasting time would be disadvantageous.

“Still, it’ll be a lot easier than what the Japanese did. They’re going to start work in two days, so keep giving them the link.”

“All right.”

I left the Guards Division camp located in the training center, feeling a little fortunate.

Although impromptu, the implementation of the plan, which was based on a blueprint that had been set in advance, went more smoothly than expected.