Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 180



Only Noblemtl

#180. Yellow Plan (5)

On the balcony, the Emperor looked bewildered and sleepy, but soon realized that the situation had completely changed and began to tremble.

Already, Vice-Principal of the Military Academy Daiwa Ninstedt, along with Russian and French officers carrying swords and revolvers, were there to greet us, offering to “escort” the Emperor of Korea from the unruly mob, and several missionaries were also standing with us.

“Ah, ahh···.”

“Your Majesty! The Marshal’s Office and the Royal Guards Division stepped forward and subdued all those who dared to block Your Majesty’s eyes and ears and hand over the country to the Japanese. Your Majesty’s posthumous approval is required, so please grant permission.”

It was a virtual semi-threat. No one pointed out that we were carrying swords and pistols, and the Emperor came down in a hurry and ran towards us without even telling us to come in.

“Are you here to help me with the luggage?”

“Your Majesty, the heads of your steeds are not facing the palace. We are the shields that protect Your Majesty the Emperor and the Great Han, and the spears that hang on the necks of the enemies. Please punish the traitors.”

“That, that’s right···.”

“Our records office has confirmed that all of the edicts Your Majesty issued were fabricated by these traitors. Please just sign here.”

The documents presented by Director of Records Cho Dong-yoon contained a list of traitors prepared in advance, along with a dense collection of ‘evidence’ of their treasonous acts, prepared as separate materials.

The Emperor began to sign with trembling hands, holding the pen handed to him by General Lee Yong-ik, so as not to offend the fierce generals standing right before him.

“At the morning assembly this morning, a correction to the incorrect ordinance will be issued again, Your Majesty.”

“Are you saying we should go to war with Japan right now···?”

“Haa, Your Majesty.”

I looked down at the terrified Emperor with a sigh.

It was the first time in a long time that I had seen his frightened expression.

He, who had been leading the conversation with a sly smile, seemed unable to exert much strength in the face of the force right in front of him.

“I told you this earlier this afternoon. I will find a way to overcome the situation Your Majesty is in.”

“Ah, that’s right···.”

“Your Majesty’s mistake has brought about this result. The generals have taken measures to prevent bloodshed as much as possible, so don’t worry too much. The generals are not the evil ones.”

After smiling as gently as I could, I took the signed documents and turned around.

Now that Hanseongbu was completely under control and the Emperor’s safety was secured, there was nothing to be afraid of.

By the way, seeing this coup d’état end so smoothly was a bit unsettling. If it goes too well, it will leave a bad precedent for a long time.

“I hope there are no more soldiers like me.”

I muttered quietly to myself. Seriously, I didn’t want to stage a coup like this.

***

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty!”

Hayashi opened his eyes to a loud shout.

He was in the midst of a sweet sleep, thinking about how he could get word out that he had handled the Korean government well together with Vice Admiral Hasegawa, who was to arrive at Jemulpo the next day.

“No, it’s still dawn. Why did you wake me up all of a sudden?”

“Ha, there’s chaos in Hanseongbu! Some Korean officials have just escaped to Yongsan, and the military is said to have staged a coup!”

“No, the entire army rebelled?!”

“It’s a big deal, a big deal. Korean troops have entered the outskirts of Yongsan. The embassy is also now surrounded.”

No, what about our outposts on Namsan? He had more than one question. The outposts should have warned us already, but what on earth were they doing, and why did they leave us alone until the Korean army came all the way to the embassy?

“What were our military outposts doing?!”

“It looks like we’re already in trouble. All the lights are out. We need to move quickly!”

He was embarrassed. No matter how cornered they were, they were no ordinary high-level guys who attacked the Japanese military outposts in Namsan and cut off all information.

“Huh, send a letter to the military police commander and the police chief and ask them to send suppression forces, quickly!”

“Commander of the Military Police, Min Yeong-hwan, disarmed his subordinates. Furthermore, it is said that even Superintendent Lee Yun-yong fell for their persuasion at the last minute, leaving him without the power to resist···.”

···Hayashi was left speechless. All the immediate forces capable of suppressing the coup had been absorbed by the coup forces or had surrendered.

Even the Gyeongseong Garrison troops had to be mobilized. Some of the 3rd Battalion had been defeated while defending the outpost, but there were still two battalions left in Yongsan. If they had been mobilized, they might have been able to stop the coup forces.

“Tell them to mobilize the Gyeongseong Garrison, now!”

“That, that···.”

The employee whispered to Hayashi, unable to hide his bewilderment. The news he was relaying was absolutely absurd.

“It is said that two company commanders of the Gyeongseong Garrison were drinking with the artillery commander Lee Byeong-mu early yesterday afternoon and were all detained. That is why they cannot move freely now.”

“what?”

pop!

Everyone fell to the ground in surprise at the sudden explosion.

Hayashi got up again and quickly turned on the light, and saw a group of troops moving towards the embassy from afar. He was completely outmaneuvered.

“Contact our consulate in Jemulpo quickly! Tell Lieutenant General Hasegawa to come to Seoul immediately!”

“It’s too late. The telegraph line has been completely cut off. They have intentionally cut off all the telegraph lines leading to Jemulpo and Chungju.”

It seemed like they had already made thorough preparations.

Even though the employees outside were hastily tapping on the telegraph equipment, it was still a mess as they were kicking it with their feet to see if it was working.

Minister Hayashi, who could not just sit still, quickly changed his clothes and tried to leave the embassy with a group of security guards, but was immediately stopped.

“You can’t take a single step out of here.”

“What?! You dare threaten the Imperial Japanese Empire? And what’s that loud noise?!”

“Your Majesty, we apologize for the inconvenience, but there is currently a disturbance in Hanseongbu. For your safety, we have come to protect the embassy, ​​so please wait a moment until further notice.”

A Korean officer spoke politely in fluent Japanese, but the atmosphere behind him was completely different.

Their guns and artillery were pointed at the embassy, ​​even though they were protecting it, and the atmosphere was that their troops were continuously increasing.

“Sir, the atmosphere is tense. Let’s go in first.”

Lieutenant Colonel Nose said, “It just won’t work out,” as he withdrew the embassy guard company.

It was a power difference that was simply impossible to deal with.

The Gyeongseong Garrison was probably in a similar situation. All company-level barracks would have been surrounded, and all communication with the outside world would have been cut off.

“Even if Lieutenant General Hasegawa comes, this will be difficult. There are 25,000 Korean troops inside and outside Hanseongbu, so if all of them participate….”

“······.”

The power cost was more than 25 times higher. Even if the Korean Army Headquarters came, it was more than 4 times higher, so Hayashi had no choice but to bite his lips and go back.

And as the day dawned, everything began to become brighter.

“Please help me… There is a disturbance in Hanseong….”

“Bring him in quickly.”

Whether he had barely escaped while sleeping or not, Lee Geun-taek, the head of the Imperial Guard, escaped to Yongsan with only his body intact, and so did Lee Wan-yong.

Listening to them, the situation was more serious than I thought.

Lee Byeong-mu and other senior members of the Iljinhoe were all arrested by surprise, and the Russian and French ambassadors entered Gyeongungung Palace early in the morning and effectively supported this coup.

And then there was something even bigger.

“Some of the exiles who had gathered at our house and were planning to head to the embassy were arrested by them···.”

“What?!”

It was a disaster. It seemed that An Gyeong-su, Woo Beom-seon, Lee Du-hwang, and others who had entered beforehand had all been arrested. It was a very painful loss, but now was not the time to worry about that alone.

“These are···.”

“By the way, what about Lieutenant General Hasegawa and the rest of the exiles who will land at Jemulpo? If things continue like this, we’re going to get into trouble.”

“We must inform the home country at all costs. The Korean Empire has completely fallen out of control!”

There has never been a more disastrous situation than this. The Korean emperor’s naive approach to the military resulted in this outcome.

If I had known this would happen, I should have called in the Korean parking lot forces sooner, but it is already too late to regret it.

The root of the problem was that he was so absorbed in his small success that he left the young military affairs director alone.

“···One way or another, this incident will come back to haunt you. Sir, first, lead your troops and withdraw to Chungju.”

“Are you saying that they occupied the entire inner and outer areas of Hanseongbu?”

“Our ships that have come to supply supplies to the Gyeongseong Garrison are anchored at Yongsan Port. If we withdraw to the southern side of the Han River right away, it will be difficult for them to stop us.”

If you can get to Chungju, you can use the telegraph installed there, so if you do that, you can probably find a way.

Now they had no choice. Leaving behind only those who would handle sensitive documents, Hayashi hurriedly moved to the port of Yongsan with Major Nose and some of the guards.

It would be correct to say that they caught them by a hair’s breadth, as the cavalry was chasing them from behind.

Some of the guards who were unable to escape tried to climb onto the ship, but were beaten badly by the cavalrymen who followed them and dragged away, disarmed.

“Hey, Japs! Run away if you can.”

One of the Western advisers raised his middle finger and taunted them.

“There is no paradise where you run away from hell, this baby!”

“······.”

He started swearing excitedly and continued swearing until the ship was far away.

With heavy hearts, Hayashi and Lieutenant Colonel Noz had to head to Chungju. Perhaps they had buttoned up the wrong button from the start of the war.

“···Sir, is this really okay?”

“It’s already too late. Report the situation quickly so that the headquarters can make the right decision.”

He gritted his teeth and appeased his hungry stomach by chewing on a kudzu root that a soldier had dug up somewhere.

And now he has finally made up his mind.

Without eliminating these cunning men, it would be difficult to protect the lifeline, let alone the interests, of the Empire of Japan.

We must no longer promise them paradise, even as an illusion.

There will be no mercy for them in war.