Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 221



Only Noblemtl

#221. Time race (6)

“I don’t understand, but can you explain?”

“Of course.”

I nodded and said. In general, the staff of the Marshal’s Office and the Sunmuyeong, based on information from the Sino-Japanese War, expected the Japanese 1st Army’s attack on Hanseong to be in mid-November.

However, the navy’s bold attempt at destroying trade to stop the enemy’s advance seemed to have stimulated their impatience.

“Although it is only temporary, the enemy is in a very desperate situation as their supply line has been cut off.”

In such cases, it would usually be better to hold onto your current position and wait for the troops and supplies to arrive rather than launch an offensive.

The Japanese military was in a somewhat special situation.

The situation was such that the 2nd and 3rd Armies had to break through Pyongyang and Uiju and go to Manchuria immediately to gain momentum for the attack on Lushun.

Moreover, the already precarious situation could have completely tilted towards us, so it was impossible to turn around defensively.

“So the enemy will try to quickly capture Pyongyang and find an escape route. The date of the offensive is estimated to be November 3rd, the birthday of the Emperor, which the locals call the Emperor’s birthday.”

They murmured in fear that the enemy would soon attack.

Of course, the previous operational meeting hosted by Sunmuyeong had told a completely different story with the same information. It was viewed more positively there, but the people here didn’t need to know that.

Providing more information than necessary will later come back to you like a boomerang.

“If the Japanese attack was delayed, wouldn’t this be a disaster?”

“This can’t be happening. I haven’t even disposed of half of my assets yet…”

I could already see people whose faces were pale. Since the businessmen had no way of knowing the detailed circumstances, such reactions were natural.

Everyone was just stamping their feet, wondering what to do with the assets they had not yet disposed of and the materials they had not been able to evacuate to Hamgyeong Province.

“So, I have a request to make of you. Our Sunmuyeong will fight a fierce field battle against the enemy’s imminent offensive.”

“Are you crazy? Against those vicious Japanese?”

“If the enemy has advanced their offensive, aren’t your troops also insufficient?”

That was certainly the case. The call for reserve forces and the reinforcements promised by Commander Kuropatkin were just around the corner when the advance party was just about to arrive.

“Sunmuyeong’s forces are, yes, as you said. They are insufficient. Three brigades of cavalry, one cavalry regiment, one infantry regiment, and artillery units are significant forces. So we urgently need your help. Please stop the withdrawal and support our military’s operations.”

“···I don’t know what kind of mysterious trick you’re using, but are you planning on dying together with those evil bastards coming, Commander?”

“No way. I’m going to show our enemies a really smart way to show them what war is like in the early 20th century.”

In fact, I would like to withdraw everything. I would like to wipe out the entire industrial area beyond the Ural Mountains and start a Great Patriotic War, just like Stalin did in World War II, but I don’t have the time or the means to do so now.

The Soviet Union had a well-developed railway network centered around Moscow and heading toward Siberia, so they could dismantle all the machines in various industrial zones and move them, but this country at the time had neither trains nor cars.

No matter how hard we try, it will be difficult to withdraw precision machinery, and at best we will only be able to take away skilled workers.

Well… Fortunately, they can just buy the machine back, but that won’t be much of a consolation to them.

After all, for businessmen, a war that takes place on the mainland, especially in their own business base, is nothing short of a disaster.

“Of course, I’m not asking you to stay for free. The money related to this… will be requested from the Ministry of Finance by Sunmuyeong, so let’s get rid of all the difficult-to-handle raw materials and inventory here in advance. When the battle breaks out soon, we’ll need everything you produce.”

All the industries that currently existed here would have been critically needed for the war.

The millions of seoks of grain that had not yet been disposed of in Pyongyang and the fabrics that had been unloaded and piled up in Jinnampo just before the war were excellent military supplies.

In addition, hundreds of wagons and a similar number of carts were also needed immediately, all of which were absolutely necessary to extend the supply lines of our army.

“Oh, that’s true, but···.”

“I heard something from someone in the cabinet. The government and the Marshal’s Office have already announced that they will gradually retreat to the northeast, so shouldn’t there be time to dispose of or hide the company assets that cannot be moved? But, Commissioner, do you think this makes sense? They are asking us to stop the withdrawal until the field battle is over. Isn’t that like telling us to die?”

“That’s true. In the end, isn’t it too selfish of you to ask us to stay behind when you can’t even guarantee victory or defeat?”

Everyone reacted strongly. The backlash was especially intense among businessmen with roots in the northwest.

“But if you withdraw now, our power will be greatly reduced. That is why I earnestly ask for your cooperation. If you do not leave and stay here to support us, we may win or lose. However, if you leave, we will definitely lose.”

There is a big difference between ‘might lose’ and ‘will definitely lose’. ‘Might lose’ implies, on the other hand, that you might win.

But losing also meant facing defeat with no room for return.

“Whether you withdraw or hide and dispose of your assets, I ask you to do so after the battle we are preparing for. We must defeat the enemy in the field to give you enough time. I am not giving you orders now. I am earnestly requesting your victory.”

“No, no matter what, it’s like that···.”

In fact, it was possible to conscript everything under the authority of the Yangseo Police Commander, but it was obvious that the atmosphere would be ruined if they did so. Furthermore, if they were to arbitrarily seize the assets of those who could be called the “buds” of national capital in the name of war, it would be no different from the Japanese army in the Sino-Japanese War, so they had no choice but to go with the most attractive appearance of “cooperation.”

“President Kim, you said it well.”

The old man who had been keeping silent suddenly stood up. The other bosses tried to cheer him on, thinking that he agreed with the opinion that the military was going too far, but the story that came out later was completely different.

“But didn’t we personally experience how frugally the Japanese were scraping away at us in the year of Gap-o? It wasn’t even 10 years ago that we were saying that if the Japanese were a comb, the Chinese were a real comb.”

Then he took out a piece of paper that he had been holding in his bosom. The colors had faded and the letters were worn away by the passage of time, but he could guess what it was. Everyone looked at it and their teeth chattered.

“Last year, in the year of Gap-o, the Japanese stole our precious assets and left behind this useless piece of paper. This cannot happen again. We, Hongik, will remain here and operate the factory as the military demands. Wouldn’t it be better to support the military and organize it, bosses?”

He winked at me, then looked back at the businessmen and said:

“And seeing how confident our army is, wouldn’t it be worth taking a gamble? I believe that the military officers here will be able to lead a sufficiently elite army to protect us from the invasion and plunder of the Japanese.”

“We will stay.”

Then, all of a sudden, someone stood up and raised his hand.

“Our business is rooted in Hanseongbu and its surrounding areas anyway, so there isn’t much to dispose of here in the northwest. However, the food supplies for the government and the military, as well as the refugees coming to Pyeongan Province, must pass through our rice mill for work to proceed… I will run the factory vigorously, thinking of it as donating defense funds to the fatherland.”

“Who is that person?”

“I heard that he is President Lee Hoe-young, who runs a large rice mill and flour mill business in Hanseong.”

Oh, Lee Hoe-young was here. I wondered what he was doing with his huge assets, and he had jumped into the Sam Baek industry and opened a very large rice mill and flour mill. It is said that the dry bread and millet powder supplied to the military passed through their hands.

It was said that the rice and soybean markets would not function without him, and it was impossible to even dream of exporting rice and soybeans to Japan without his help.

Because it is such a place, he kindly explained that it has a considerable business scale along with Hongik Industry.

“Huh, if that’s what the CEO is going to do, we should stay too. Anyway, since we’re mainly supplying to the military together with Hongik, we have to stay whether we like it or not.”

Choi Jae-hyung, who entered the Upi market along with the civilian firearms business in Hamheung and won the business license to supply various supplies to the military, also helped them.

“Ultimately, the start and end of the war may be decided by those on high, but the process cannot be operated without entrepreneurs like us. For now, we will remain in Pyongyang and support the government and military as much as possible, so those who wish to go, please go.”

With the atmosphere like this, the other bosses couldn’t help but take notice.

When the three most successful businessmen in the Korean Empire came forward to actively cooperate with the military, it was evident once again how great their influence was as others began to change their opinions one by one or to postpone their withdrawal.

In any case, it was encouraging to be able to receive promises from them regarding expansion of supply lines, which are most important for a counterattack, and support for rapid troop transport.

***

“The reconnaissance reports that have come in are very positive. The enemy has emptied and withdrew from the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, including Gaeseong, and even Hwanghae Province.”

“There are no militias or resistance forces in the area either. Your Majesty, this is your chance!”

The results of the reconnaissance by the cavalry sent earlier were quite encouraging to the Japanese command.

He ordered an entire cavalry battalion of the Guards Division to reconnoiter quite deep into the area, but said that no defensive lines or troops were visible.

What was even better was that the so-called “righteous army” rioters, who were expected to put up fierce resistance, did not rise up.

Last year, in the year of the Goat, such rioters sprang up one after another, and the Japanese military quartermaster garrison had to stay in their strongholds, and they were fully prepared for this.

“Wouldn’t there be much better opportunities for us if there were no such thing as Itki?”

“In a way I never expected, the most difficult road leading to Pyongyang was opened.”