Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 218



Only Noblemtl

#218. Time race (3)

“Whew… Commander of the Guards Division, let’s look at reality. The outskirts of the restricted area that extends from Gyeongseong to Gaeseong, Busan to Daegu, Jeonju to Gunsan are still beyond our reach.”

Division Commander Inoue sighed and said, “War was a three-dimensional thing made up of points, lines, and planes. Only by controlling all three could we achieve a total victory, but the Japanese army was still far from that.

“We only control Jemulpo, Gunsan, Busan, and Gyeongseong, and most of the other areas and lines are in the hands of the enemy.”

His words were true. They were barely able to connect the dots, relying only on the thinnest of supply lines and the local administrators in Joseon who had informed the occupying authorities that they were willing to cooperate, albeit in a somewhat unstable manner.

“Do you trust the Koreans? They say they will cooperate with us on the outside, but if the situation becomes unfavorable for us, they will quickly turn their backs on us. If we continue to have this anxiety, not only will we not be able to control each point, but even that will be cut off, and our military will not be able to exert its full force.”

In the history of war, the emphasis on rear logistics and supply has always been emphasized.

The Japanese military’s control at this time was extremely weak, and they were barely able to exert any force throughout the Korean Peninsula.

That said, the area under control was only slightly beyond the area of ​​open ports recognized by Joseon after the Ganghwa Treaty.

“Furthermore, in the Battle of Gyeongin-ga, our army suffered casualties similar to those suffered during the Sino-Japanese War. If we go to Pyongyang, where the enemy’s main force is lurking, we don’t know what will happen. We have to attack the enemy’s defense lines one by one, one by one, with a proper strategy…”

“That’s why we must go even further to Pyongyang. If we destroy the enemy’s main field army in Pyongyang, they will collapse in one blow. We have to give the most decisive blow to the fearless and rampant enemy to have a chance of winning!”

When I thought of the two of them, the frustrated Choshu guy and the Satsuma guy, who had been drinking seawater for so long that even his brain was pickled, my emotions were running high.

“But Commander, didn’t the Central Command directly issue an order to control the press regarding the number of our casualties?”

Commander Hasegawa of the Korean Garrison looked at Commander Kuroki cautiously and said this.

And the words he uttered were ones that could have put the Choshu faction, which opposed an immediate offensive, in quite a difficult position.

“That’s true.”

“Then, both domestically and internationally, people will be wondering why we are not rushing to advance into Manchuria via Pyongyang and Uiju as planned… If we move as the 12th Division Commander says, there won’t be any good excuses, right? On the contrary, there will be an uproar over the fact that the unit isn’t moving.”

Hasegawa looked at the 2nd and 12th Division commanders with an expression that seemed to be saying, “What are you going to do?” It seemed that he was planning to personally release information to the reporters if they ignored the orders from the headquarters and did not move.

Those who thought they had been properly bitten by the cunning Satsuma bastards had no choice but to keep their mouths shut.

“Oh, I see.”

“Both sides are right, but I think the Guards Division Commander’s judgment is a little more correct. Our troops haven’t taken any particular action for about two weeks since we occupied Gyeongin Island. We need to show our home country something.”

Commander Kuroki listened to Hasegawa’s words and secretly sighed. Even now, when an important decision was imminent, Choshu and Satsuma were divided and fighting.

Of course, he himself was from Satsuma, but he thought that the current offensive was a bit too much.

“So I think it’s not a bad idea for the headquarters to decide to launch an offensive against Pyongyang on November 3rd, ten days earlier than originally planned, to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the nation. It’s also a good idea to boost the morale of our troops, who have been hit hard by the shock of the war.”

“I don’t know if that will really boost morale….”

Besides, if the ambitious Lieutenant General Asada, the commander of the Imperial Guards Division, were to get out of control and cause an accident, it would only have a negative impact on the Satsuma faction, so I wanted to move a little more cautiously.

“Wouldn’t this be a good opportunity to coordinate our forces while dealing with an easy enemy? Let’s come up with a plan to raise morale while dealing with the so-called artillery and civilian security forces in northern Gyeonggi and Hwanghae Province, which are weak enemies. In any case, we need to take some action now. Don’t you think Commander Kuroki wants to go on the offensive?”

Hasegawa thought that this would be especially true for Kuroki, who was known as a blind general.

He was a Satsuma warrior with a reputation as a hero among heroes. In addition, unlike other generals, he had one rather unique experience.

“As befitting the one who mercilessly blew away His Majesty the Emperor with sumo.”

Commander Hasegawa spoke with a smile from the side. The man who had properly thrown the current emperor, who had been pestering him to do sumo for fun, into the middle of the ring was none other than Kuroki.

Everyone was declaring and thinking that Kuroki would take some kind of aggressive stance.

But, contrary to the expectations of all the officers present, he shook his head.

The Choshu officers, who had expected him to insist on an immediate offensive, were surprised, as were the Satsuma faction, who had no doubt that he would follow their advice.

This is because the current situation, which has emerged from long experience and intuition, was judged not to be overturned by a simple offensive.

Even if he was a fierce general, he couldn’t just charge in without any preparation.

First of all, I decided to use the excuse that the preparatory work for the offensive had not been done, no matter what.

“An offensive is done according to the time and place. We don’t know what will happen in northern Gyeonggi and Hwanghae. After sending the cavalry to conduct sufficient reconnaissance, we will gather information on other situations and have the commander decide on the time and place for the offensive.”

He coldly ignored Hasegawa, who was looking at him with resentment, and then immediately turned his head away.

He ordered the cavalry of the Guards Division to be deployed and began a wide-ranging reconnaissance of the northern part of Gyeongseong, and then the Gaeseong and Hwanghae regions.

Time continued to pass, and no one could have dared to predict what effects this would have.

All I could do was pray that the fog of battle would clear a little so that I could make a clear choice.

***

“Your Majesty! Our fleet in Vladivostok and the Korean Navy have achieved great success!”

The court and cabinet of St. Petersburg cheered.

It seemed that I could now play a requiem for the Varyag and the Koryets, who had fought like the Russian Imperial Navy, never giving up resistance until the very end, in fierce revenge for the surprise attack by the cowardly Japanese at Jemulpo.

“Is that true?!”

“That’s right! In the naval battle that took place yesterday, our fleet succeeded in sinking eight out of eighteen Japanese transport ships! The two enemy cruisers and four torpedo boats that attempted to counterattack our fleet were also all sunk!”

“Eight feet?”

“The remaining ten ships also suffered minor and major damage and barely managed to escape to Busan. Out of fear of being pursued by the Japanese Navy, the fleet is currently returning to their home port while maintaining radio silence.”

The Tsar too was astonished at this incredible feat.

With most of the battleship force trapped in Port Arthur, even a small force could greatly disrupt the enemy’s ability to wage war.

“All the captains below Rear Admiral Bezobrazov who achieved a great victory in battle, and all the officers of the Korean Navy, should be awarded medals. If they are brave, they deserve to be awarded the medals of the Russian Empire.”

The Tsar, in a good mood, ordered them to be decorated with medals. And this was only natural.

Everyone obeyed the order to award this decoration, which only the Tsar of the Russian Empire could issue.

“We are regaining the balance of the battlefield that the enemy took by surprise thanks to our brave sailors and the trustworthy Korean Empire army. If they buy us enough time….”

“The great encirclement of Japan will soon be completed. Your Majesty, we, the Russian Empire, will be able to negotiate on a favorable basis.”

The Tsar had already been briefed on the progress of the ground war.

Kuropatkin was concentrating his forces in Mukden and preparing to support Lushun, Dalian, Vladivostok, and the entire Korean campaign.

Even the 2nd Siberian Army Corps commanded by Major General Pavel Mishenko was already on its way to Korea, and a mobilization order had been issued for all districts in Siberia.

“If we can hold out like this for just one more month, just one more month, we can turn things around.”

The Shinnosun group led by Bezobrazzoff was confident that no matter how strategically Japan launched a surprise attack, they would ultimately win.

“The Trans-Siberian Railway is not yet completed. We must not be intoxicated by small victories.”

Of course, there were still people who opposed them, such as Witena Ramsdorf.

“Except for some railways, we have now started operating locomotives and passenger cars.”

“It’s only temporary. At best, we can transport one battalion per transport, so when will we be able to move our elite units from the West to the Far East?”

“So, we are sending troops from the military districts throughout Siberia.”

“They are few in number and poorly trained. If we leave them to face the elite Japanese army, they will be slaughtered, one hundred out of every one of them. And there is a bigger problem now.”

Lamddorf and Witte spoke with very serious faces. The war was not only taking place in the Far East. If Japan’s enemies were Russia, the Korean Empire, time, and winter, Russia’s enemy was Russia itself.

“Japan’s support for war is extremely high. Accordingly, the unity and morale of the people are also sky-high. They will not even admit defeat now, and will try to annex the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria by gathering more ground forces and fleets.”

“Not so with our Russia. If we are obedient subjects···.”

“There are signs of unrest among these obedient and innocent people. We have been mobilizing the secret police to monitor and arrest workers and those who are hostile to the system, but even that is no longer possible.”

Interior Minister Flewe was also aware of this problem.

In areas under Russian influence and control, such as Poland, Finland, Georgia, and the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Belarus, the Japanese government was openly providing funds to those who dared to claim independence, thereby causing unrest in the rear.

In response to these attempts, the Russian Empire oppressed its subjects and all powers within its sphere of influence with increasing brutality, and the resistance became more and more violent.

“Moreover, the seditious ideas that are spreading among the workers are greatly hindering our war effort. The antagonism between workers and entrepreneurs is now spreading to us. Your Majesty, our Russian Empire is facing an unprecedented national crisis.”

“Vitae said, swallowing hard.

“This is a national crisis that is even more serious than the Crimean War. The serfs who were liberated for the development of the empire are being exploited again by the industries and enterprises that were also fostered for the development of the empire. Contradictions are rampant both institutionally and socially.”

“What’s the point, Finance Minister?”

“We have to come up with a stopgap measure. How long are you going to suppress them with the secret police? With the outbreak of war, we can no longer focus solely on domestic issues.”

“······.”

“So, even now, when we are faced with war, we must change. Shouldn’t we at least pretend to listen to their stories?”

Thinking that something truly irreversible could happen if they were not careful, Beate wanted to advise this together with Ramsdorf.

Of course, it may not sound pleasant to other nobles, especially the hardliners of the Shinnosun group, but I wonder if their voice has ever been pleasant to them.

“Your Majesty, please give me a clear answer to this question.”

“···If the disloyal rebel and resist the rule of the Russian Empire, won’t our brave army and loyal police force repel them?”

“Tea, Your Majesty?”

“It is extremely unpleasant to pretend to listen to the stories of those seditious people who are trying to deceive our innocent Russian subjects, let alone deal harshly with them.”

Contrary to expectations, instead of the Tsar’s usual benevolent demeanor, a cold-hearted expression appeared.

The moderate ministers, bureaucrats and nobles could not help but be horrified at the sight of such a Tsar.

“The rioters can only be given bayonets and nightsticks. The Minister of the Interior will make a sufficient example of such people.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

It’s ruined.

Witte and Ramsdorf looked at the Tsar with pale faces, but he remained unmoved.

“If the war drags on like this, there will definitely be problems. We need to be more moderate in our approach…”

“I don’t want to hear any more of this story. The only stories I’m interested in are those of victories on the front lines and of our obedient subjects. Not those of those who would become rabble!”

In an instant, the surroundings became quiet.

The Shinnoseon group licked their lips and turned their heads away, pretending not to know with an expression that said, ‘Well, that’s right, then,’ and the Tsar’s wrath fell on the moderates.

“Please don’t make me tell the same story twice, everyone. That’s all for today.”

The moderate group just stared at each other blankly, as if they couldn’t figure out when the Tsar had become so cold-hearted.

If this were to happen, the Tsar would have fallen for Japan’s trick.

The sun was slowly setting in St. Petersburg.

In many ways.