Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 216



Only Noblemtl

#216. Time Race (1)

Everyone was surprised that the story of the Baltic Fleet came from a person other than the Navy, Nogi. And amidst that surprise, there was also a sense of awe at the real threat and true fear.

From the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters’ point of view, the Baltic Fleet was a disaster disguised as a battleship and the sailors who operated it.

It was something that could change everything the moment it arrived. It was something that was perhaps even more frightening than the reinforcements from mainland Russia.

“Therefore, we must subdue Lushun before they arrive and create an environment in which the Navy can fight a decisive fleet battle.”

“Well, Commander Nogi’s point is quite correct. The naval gunfire and blockade ships alone cannot deal with the Roske fleet, which relies on the coastal batteries of Lushun.”

At that moment, the Navy also provided support fire to Nogi. It was frustrating to see the army guys acting as they pleased, but Nogi’s words also had some merit.

“So… even if it means suffering casualties for the 1st Army, we must eliminate the South Korean forces in Pyongyang and its surrounding areas. Furthermore, the 1st Army Commander, Lieutenant General Kuroki, is a veteran and fierce general, so he will easily crush the South Korean resistance with powerful maneuvers.”

Nogi’s words had a lot to point out, but they were also things that could not be helped but be accepted.

Common sense would suggest that the best strategy would be to reorganize the damaged units, provide supplies and replacement troops to reinforce the fighting force, and then strike at the enemy’s weakest point to bring them down, but such a ‘method’ could not be established at the moment.

“We must sort out the situation before the variables created by the enemy become uncontrollable. And what can destroy the variables created by the enemy is an offensive that is carried out at the right time. We must act before the Korean army and the Russian army in Manchuria become deeply entrenched.”

And there was a very good example just over ten years ago, when the Qing’s huge field army was destroyed before it could even move, thanks to a bold offensive.

The Qing army, which was said to have 600,000 men, was defeated one by one without even offering any significant resistance to the relentless advance of the Japanese army, and collapsed all too easily.

“If we destroy the enemy’s field army in Pyongyang, the South Korean army’s will to wage war will also drop sharply. Just as we defeated the Qing army in Pyongyang and Seonghwan. The moment the South Korean army links up with the Russian army, our war plan will be disrupted.”

“So, this means a quick and easy solution···.”

Everyone recalled Nogi’s words. In the end, everything depended on a quick decision.

“We must act before it is too late. If we destroy the South Korean army, the strongest shield Russia relies on, in Pyongyang, we can use that momentum to completely destroy the Russian fleet in Lushun. The choice is up to us here at the Imperial General Headquarters.”

“······.”

This was the alpha and omega of Japan’s war against Russia, and the key to victory.

“Commander Nogi is right. Kuroki needs to step forward a little more boldly. Pyongyang will be the center of this war, and Lushun will be the Metz! Send a telegram to the 1st Army immediately. And tell Kuroki to bring a very precious gift to present to His Majesty the Emperor around the time of the Emperor’s birthday! Tell him to bring forward the offensive scheduled for November 13 to November 3!”

The silence that had been lingering in the Imperial Headquarters for some time was broken by Field Marshal Oyama Iwao, who had been silently listening to Nogi’s story until then.

He wanted decisive action by his country’s troops dispatched to Joseon.

He had been raising his voice to Kuroki for some time, telling him to make Pyongyang into a Japanese garrison and Lushun into a Japanese garrison.

The solution to the transport convoy that was destroyed in the outer seas of Busan was ultimately concluded as a ‘quick victory in Pyongyang.’

Even the Navy, which had barely escaped the crisis, and Admiral Oyama Iwao, who had supported Nogi’s argument, agreed, so the Imperial General Headquarters gave its approval very easily.

Yamagata and Terauchi, who no longer had any reason to oppose, immediately sent an urgent telegram to the 1st Armies in Jemulpo and Gyeongseong.

[In celebration of the Ten Thousand-Year-Old Festival, prepare a gift to present to His Majesty the Emperor.]

***

“Hands up! Move or I’ll shoot!”

“Shoot, don’t shoot! This person is a reporter!”

“What? A reporter?”

A foreign reporter who had been wandering around the forest for a while and a young servant boy who seemed to have been hired by him suddenly saw these people with guns and raised both hands.

“Why on earth did that damn reporter crawl all the way here? Are you crazy because you want to die?!”

Looking at the person yelling, he appeared to be a commander.

Looking at the still neat military uniforms and the guns in their hands, the reporter sighed in relief, thinking that he had come to the right place.

He had the servant boy introduce himself and tell him why he had come all the way there.

“What is the author saying?”

“This, this is Frederick MacKenzie, a reporter from the Daily Mail newspaper in Yeonggili. He came from Jemulpo to interview you-”

“Are you crazy!? Young Gil-li? They are allies with the Japanese. Bringing the people of a potential enemy country here?”

Rather, the atmosphere seemed to be getting more tense. The man, who was believed to be a Korean military commander, holding a revolver in his hand, looked ready to pull the trigger, but someone else stopped him.

“Stop it. Aren’t you a reporter? Have you forgotten that there are things in international law that you shouldn’t touch, even on a battlefield?”

“But the interest may be for spying on the Japanese.”

“Oh.”

As I gave him a stern look, the man holding the revolver stepped back. Then, the man with the faint smile began to say something to MacKenzie.

The servant boy interpreted it.

“This is Lieutenant Hong Beom-do, commander of the 3rd Brigade Reconnaissance Company of the Republic of Korea Army. He asks for your generous forgiveness for his rudeness to the reporter during this wartime situation.”

Instead of saying it was okay, MacKinsey nodded as if he understood.

“And he said that this place is so dangerous. He wondered why they came here instead of the safer places of Hansung or Jemulpo for reporters.”

I bet you’re really curious.

Why did he wander around and ask around, only to end up in such a dangerous area? In the middle of a battlefield, where he could be mistaken for an enemy spy and shot to death, and he would have nothing to say.

“When I first set foot in Jemulpo, one of the Japanese officers said something like this. They said they had come to liberate Korea from Russian oppression. At first, I believed their story, but….”

The servant boy would often recite his story, telling it as if English were his native language to the men holding guns right in front of him.

“I changed my mind after the last battle. This was not a holy war between Asians and white people, nor a war to liberate Joseon, but simply a war of aggression.”

“Hmm, you’re quite eloquent, sir.”

Hong Beom-do laughed heartily after hearing the story through the interpreter, but he still kept his hand on the gun holster without letting his guard down.

It was also a warning posture that he would shoot immediately if he made a mistake.

Still, McKinsey thought they were much better than the hypocritical Japanese officers.

It was as if the people of Tyrol were resisting the French Grande Armée led by Napoleon.

In a fight that may seem lonely at first glance, those who fight for freedom without giving up always appear noble.

“That’s why I took the risk of coming here to cover those who resisted the invasion. The battle on the Gyeongin Highway was so embarrassing for the Japanese army. I never thought they would resist to this extent, and as a result, the number of casualties overflowed to the point where the Japanese army field hospital in Jemulpo was full.”

“······.”

“The invaders come with all sorts of rhetoric, but the invaded resist silently. And usually, the world’s attention is focused on the stories of the invaders. The invaded have no words. It was not for nothing that the Japanese military accepted war correspondents from all over the world. They will soon become the eyes, ears, and most importantly, the mouths of the Japanese Imperial Government and military, preaching the legitimacy of the war.”

Personally, MacKinsey hated that image. Numerous articles and photographs in the press focused on the invaders marching through foreign territory in solid formations, wearing fancy uniforms and carrying new weapons, while the people they were invading were consistently silenced.

So, rather than join the Japanese army, he decided to report in detail on the situation in Korea with Ernest Bethell and escaped immediately.

Of course, the British Consul General stationed in Seoul threatened that “you may be arrested if you enter the inland of Korea without permission,” but no one took it seriously.

Bethel’s words, “If you want to stop it, try to stop it,” still rang in my ears.

“So what is your point, reporter?”

“I will speak for those who are being invaded, for you and the country you are defending. So please let me come with you and report. I will not reveal anything about you.”

“···This is a place where I can barely survive. Go back, reporter. We will go to Pyongyang and reunite with our main force there. The road there is too dangerous. We cannot protect you, a civilian reporter.”

Pyongyang? The place where the main force of the South Korean army retreated?

McKinsey continued speaking without even thinking.

“It’s okay. We’ll follow along, so just allow us to join the army.”

“Hmm.”

He told them to wait a moment, then called his subordinate officers and discussed it for a while. Perhaps he thought it would be difficult for a foreigner, especially a British reporter who was an ally of Japan, to risk his life and go all the way to Pyongyang through enemy dens. However, after a few moments of heated debate, they nodded.

“We have decided to allow you to join the army. However, if you fall behind or get injured, we will not be able to help you. If you strictly follow our instructions, we will allow you to join the army and cover the story.”

“That alone is enough.”

McKinsey said with a sly smile.

The bundle the servant boy was carrying on his back contained things like canned food that he had prepared in advance for the military campaign.

He took out his camera and notebook and immediately started doing what he had to do.

Hong Beom-do looked at the servant boy who followed him as he took pictures and scribbled something in his notebook.

“How old are you that you followed me to this dangerous battlefield? Get out of here right now.”

“I can’t do that because I’m in a position where I get paid to work. Reporter Young-gil Lee said he pays me very generously, but if you want to get me out of here, you’ll have to pay me twice that amount.”

“Huh, what a cheeky guy.”

Hong Beom-do clicked his tongue at the sight of this servant boy who, despite being in the middle of enemy territory, was not discouraged, but rather boldly asked for twice the daily wage that reporter Yeong-gil had promised to give him in order to get him back. They say kids these days are ill-mannered, and it really seems to be true.

“What’s your name? Let me tell you. Do you know? If you die in the middle of a battlefield, I’ll at least remember your name so I can tell your parents.”

“What is my name?”

The servant boy laughed and acted cheekily.

“My name is Yeo-ga Yun-hyeong. You can just call me Mong-yang.”

“What a brash guy.”

Hong Beom-do patted the servant’s head and then walked back the way he had come.