Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 184



Only Noblemtl

#184. The Road to War (4)

“Oh, and did you hear that, Commander?”

“what?”

“It is said that the Japanese ambassador declared to Foreign Minister Ramsdorf that he was essentially giving up on a diplomatic solution.”

“Those cheeky bastards.”

A fierce diplomatic battle was also taking place in St. Petersburg, but even that seemed to be coming to an end.

Ambassador Gurino threatened to withdraw his embassy to Foreign Minister Ramsdorf, saying, “Negotiations with the Russian Empire, which threatens the independence and territorial integrity of the Korean Empire, are no longer meaningful.”

“With Japan taking a hard line, the coup in the Korean Empire may have given us an opportunity. It seems that we can buy time to strengthen our defenses in the direction of the Yalu River.”

“No, my thoughts are a little different. The Korean Empire should hold out longer, if only to defend the Lushun area.”

Kuropatkin had a firm policy on the defense of Manchuria that suited the current situation. His policy was based on an extremely defensive strategy, as he had no choice but to allow a preemptive strike by Japan according to the Tsar’s will.

Initially, he intended to buy enough time in the northern region of Korea by mobilizing the Cossack cavalry regiments drafted from Chita, Zabaykal, and Ussuriysk in the eastern region to wage a delaying war, assuming that the Korean Empire would attempt neutralization and that the Japanese military would not encounter resistance from the Korean military or government.

This was because it was necessary to strengthen the Fengtian area, which was expected to be the main battlefield, with troops mobilized from the Far East and the West.

But now the situation was different. The entire force in the eastern region had to be mobilized to fully support the Korean army and destroy the Japanese army’s intentions from the beginning.

If there was a most effective way to thwart an enemy, it was to paralyze their intentions, just as Marshal Suvorov had long crushed the Ottomans who had ruled the East, and broken Napoleon’s pride at having the strongest Grand Army in Europe.

“If Korea had not resisted, the Japanese army would have gathered from Jemulpo to Pyongyang and Uiju in about 45 to 50 days, but now the situation is different. The Japanese army has no choice but to waste more than 100 days. This is an even better opportunity for us.”

“It’s time to concentrate our defensive forces a bit more.”

“Yes. So we will support the Korean army with the small number of units that can be mobilized immediately and establish a defensive line in the northern part of the Korean peninsula. Then, the eastern part of the Manchurian Army Command will actively cooperate with the Korean army and hold out until the reinforcements from the mainland arrive.”

He said all this while looking at the brave Ukrainian who was standing on the right side. As far as he could think of, among the many generals now in the Manchurian army, there was not a gentleman so fine and brave as Mishenko.

If that’s the case, I expected that he would be able to achieve better results than expected under the border.

“So, Major General Pavel Mishenko, there is something you can do for our troops in Manchuria.”

“Just speak.”

“Lead the advance cavalry detachment and the 3rd and 6th Eastern Siberian Infantry Divisions and cross the Korean border as soon as the order is given. I have already dispatched the Aihun and Cheetah regiments there. If possible, cooperate with the Korean army to block the Japanese advance south of Pyongyang.”

“All right.”

Of course, even if we call it a division, it is only about 5,000 people, as it is a force gathered from places with sparse populations such as Javaikal.

Since the numerical main force on the entire Korean peninsula would be the South Korean army anyway, he thought he had nothing to lose. Throwing in 16,000 troops and buying Russia the time it wanted would be enough.

“Delay the enemy as much as possible. If you hold out for one day, we in Manchuria can get three days. If you hold out for a week, we can get a month from the mainland. Do you understand what I mean?”

“I understand.”

He nodded. With his vigorous and disciplined spirit, he could easily lead the Cossack cavalry regiments and block the Japanese advance.

Kuropatkin now thought that since he had played his cards, he would have to wait for Japan to play his cards.

***

“What are you doing?! Put your gun down right now!”

“Shut up! Drop all weapons!”

The 3rd Battalion of the 6th Cavalry Brigade and the destroyer squadron in Wonsan, who had secretly received a secret telegram from Hansung the night before, immediately subdued the Japanese garrison in Wonsan as soon as the sun rose.

Artillery and machine guns were aimed at the Japanese army’s Wonsan garrison barracks, and armed police officers and military personnel were lined up throughout the city of Wonsan, blocking all possible escape routes.

The Japanese commander of the Wonsan Garrison was detained by the 3rd Battalion Commander, who had summoned him to discuss the current situation, and was able to completely subdue the Japanese troops by immediately taking over the barracks without any major conflict.

Several Japanese flag ships assessed the situation and prepared to set sail or tried to escape to the open sea, but destroyers had already taken control of the area around Wonsan Port and refused to allow them to set sail or captured them if they did not comply with orders.

“Are you all crazy?! Doing this to the main office right now will have a huge impact on Japan-Korea relations!”

“That’s right. I heard that you guys caused a big accident in Hanseongbu and almost caused a coup.”

Navy Spirit Jang Gi-ryeom chuckled with a cigarette in his mouth as he responded to the words of the Wonsan Garrison Commander standing before him.

“Due to an incident in Hansung, we will temporarily restrict your movement, the Wonsan Garrison, and the Wonsan Port area. We ask for your understanding.”

“You’re crazy, you’re crazy! Our military won’t leave you alone!”

“That will come later, for now we need to worry about you and the residents.”

In Wonsan, a reserve force consisting of civilians and artillerymen was urgently organized, and local gentry who had received training and returned home led them and surrounded the entire Japanese residential area.

The resident group had also been provided with weapons and had trained on their own in preparation for such a situation, so they tried to resist based on those, but the difference in numbers and firepower was so great that they could not hold out for long and eventually surrendered.

The opponents that the residents’ association had assumed were armed bandits or so-called ‘righteous army’. Even those had completely disappeared a few years ago, so they were no match for them. What appeared in front of the armed residents’ association were those supported by machine guns and field guns.

“I have disarmed everyone.”

“Send them all back to the barracks and the settlements. Then set up guard posts to keep an eye on them.”

“All right.”

The 3rd Battalion Commander, Lieutenant Noh Baek-rin, moved according to Jang Gi-ryeom’s orders.

Captain Shin Sun-seong was returning to Wonsan Port after capturing three Japanese ships that had escaped.

They were coming in to transport military supplies to the garrison in Wonsan, and the supplies were seized and transported to the barracks.

“Commander, the telegraph line has been connected. And orders have arrived from the Marshal’s office.”

“anything?”

“The Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Three Provinces, Lee Gyu-tae, has declared a state of emergency in the entire Gyeonggi, Hwanghae, and Gangwon provinces as of now, and has ordered the Army and Navy to prepare for wartime. He has also ordered the governors and county magistrates of each province to cooperate with the military and police in their regions to carry out the general mobilization order···.”

“···It has finally come.”

Jang Gi-ryeom clenched his fist and shouted. He had already expected that war would break out soon, so he had some idea that such an order would be given.

“Give orders, Commander, lower left. The Navy is ready.”

He looked at the captains of the destroyers standing in front of him, and at Shin Sun-seong, the captain of Baekdu, the number one destroyer, who was commanding them.

These pure and unsullied souls were the bravest soldiers he had ever seen, and they were not afraid of the rough waves of the sea. With them, perhaps, he could achieve what he had set his mind to.

“···Now the only thing our Korean Navy can do is find a way to die as coolly as possible on the battlefield. Prepare to sail, prepare your guns and torpedoes! We will give them an unforgettable nightmare.”

Instead of the cruiser Yangmu, it would have been more reliable if there had been French torpedo boats, but at least we had to fight with the resources we had, so I thought it would be a pity to lose one, and smacked my lips.

Jang Gi-ryeom did not have the skills of Admiral Yi Sun-sin or the ships to overwhelm the Japanese, but he was ready to fight in any way he could.

Even if an unstoppable wave were to come crashing down on them, they would find a way. At least, the navy they were leading would find a way to face that wave and die in style.

***

“Oh, stop sleeping and wake up.”

He slapped An Gyeong-su, who was lying on the floor in a military uniform without a rank insignia, and ordered those around him to raise him up and sit him down on a chair. Then he immediately sat down at his desk, which was piled high with documents, and began to pressure him in an overbearing voice.

“This kid, judging from what he wrote in his autobiography, he’s a complete liar.”

“What, what do you mean! I wrote it all down without lying…”

“Everything you said about those guys locked in the room next door is different, you punk. I don’t know what those traitorous bastards are up to, but my eyes can’t be fooled.”

“I’ve told you everything I know! So please stop….”

An Gyeong-su tried to be as mean as possible, begging for help, and even hurled a bunch of curses at them when he got angry, but it didn’t really work.

They wanted him to tell them the answer sheet that only they wanted, and if he strayed even a little bit, they would beat him with a club or pour a bucket full of water over him, promising to clear his head.

“Oh, you bastard. I can’t give you a fight, and even if you clear your head, you won’t listen, so there’s nothing I can do. Hey, go get that.”

That? An Gyeong-su began to feel afraid because he couldn’t figure out what these authors were trying to do this time.

A moment later, they groaned and brought something that looked ordinary but had a bunch of strings attached to it that had no idea what they were doing.

“Hey, Mr. An Gyeong-su. Among the execution devices of the Mirikien, other than shooting or hanging, there is one called the electric chair, which was discovered through a rather great discovery. Have you heard of it?”

The investigator who said that brought in a live pig, slaughtered it with electricity in an instant, and then killed it.

“S-save me! I’ll tell you everything I know!”

“No, that’s not necessary. I think we need a new teacher who was brought in with the civilization to properly deal with these rotten traitors. If I had known that the electricity we brought from Edison was only for lighting up the night, I would have wished you peace in advance.”

Then he put on his gloves and showed me something that was making scary-big sparks.

He felt that he would die if it touched him and struggled, but the men held him down and forced him into a chair.

“Save me!

“You’re still lying. Sit that kid down. I’m going to show him a taste of what it’s like to be a teacher.”

An Gyeong-su, who had been struggling to survive somehow, screamed with all his might because he felt like he was going to die. And whether the heavens heard him or it was intentional, the door to the interrogation room opened wide, and a man who looked to be of a fairly high rank came in carrying a load on his back and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, I told you to be polite, but you’re kicking people.”