Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 271
Only Noblemtl
#271. The opening of the second front (5)
“…The armies of good and evil are armed and confronting each other more fiercely than ever before in history. Great Americans have fought on the frozen Delaware, on the plains of Gettysburg, and on the hot soil of the Philippines. Just as righteous Americans fought for freedom against slavery and tyranny, so must we fight darkness with light.”
Amid thunderous cheers, a fairly young Korean man was giving a speech in the US Senate.
He was raising his voice to the senators in fluent English with all his might, and he was not stopping in his denunciation of Japan and the independence of the Korean Empire, emphasizing every word and sentence.
And while looking at him like that, numerous reporters were diligently writing something down in their notes.
Perhaps, as early as today’s evening edition, or at the latest tomorrow’s morning edition, there will be an article on the front page about the war in Asia and the Korean Empire’s resistance.
“Is the author Prince Lee?”
“Yes. They say he is a famous orator even in the Korean Empire. Judging from the fact that he went to the Senate this time, it seems like the Korean Empire has done some lobbying for him.”
“They said they were going to meet the Secretary of State tomorrow along with Congressman Dinsmore, but we are one step behind.”
There were also a few uninvited guests.
Several Japanese Foreign Ministry officials were watching the speech with displeased expressions.
While on the battlefield, both sides were engaged in a fierce battle with weapons and troops, in the Americas and Europe, a fierce confrontation was going on for a long time with pens, speeches, and the press at the forefront.
Diplomats from both sides criticized each other every day for the legitimacy of the war and the unfair actions of the other side, and each side did everything it could to gain an advantageous position.
They were throwing money at each other for lobbying, roasting the media on their side, and causing a lot of sabotage on each other.
In France, an author named Hong Jong-woo called for Korea’s just struggle and independence in the French Third Republic every day, and in England, the Korean ambassador Lee Han-eung gave passionate speeches in front of reporters every day.
“Damn, the headquarters needs to catch that Hoover guy.”
“It seems that neither the Imperial General Headquarters nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can do anything about him because he is American.”
“People friendly to Korea are frequently gathering around Congressman Dinsmore, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Korea during President Cleveland’s term. Shouldn’t we also respond to this?”
I don’t know about Europe, but in the US, the Japanese Foreign Ministry was being pushed back hard. It was all because of that damn Hoover.
As the president of the Korea Mining Corporation, he was working thoroughly for the benefit of the Korean Empire.
By distributing the profits from the massive gold and silver mines to politicians and bureaucrats in Washington, the power of those friendly to Korea continued to grow.
This financial support was especially vital for the Democratic Party, which had been at a complete disadvantage since the Civil War, when every administration except for President Cleveland had gone to the Republican Party.
“The gold of the Joseon people is flowing to America, not us.”
“It won’t be just here.”
There was also evidence that the funds they had prepared were also being used diligently by European politicians and the media.
In particular, it seemed that the gold paid to the imperial family was used in that way.
“Even though darkness covers the entire Korean Peninsula and my homeland, we will fight until the last moment, the last shot, waiting for the light of dawn! And the manifest destiny of righteous Americans is approaching once again!”
Clap clap clap!
Once again there was thunderous applause.
It is not known whether it was because they could not ignore the steady influx of funds, or because of their own beliefs, or because they wanted to go against the pro-Japanese stance supported by the president and the ruling party, but the Democratic Party members in general were relatively friendly to the Korean Empire.
“The good news is that the current president and the Republican Party are in power in the United States. In particular, the current president is very friendly to Japan. Their struggles… will end up as a storm in a teacup. No matter how much you say, their country will eventually fall into our hands.”
As one of the young staff members spoke mockingly, a voice even louder than before was heard from the podium, as if responding to his mockery.
“On October 14, 1903, the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy launched an armed invasion under the delusion and paranoid mindset of annexing the Korean Empire by force and seizing hegemony in Asia. Our brave and patriotic Imperial Japanese Army and Navy launched a heroic defensive operation to defend their homeland, preserve their territory, and protect their people. This barbaric and illegal act of aggression by the Imperial Japanese Government and military leadership is an unforgivable crime!”
“Savage? Illegal? That Joseon guy···.”
“Hold on. This is neither Japan nor Korea.”
A senior employee calmed down another excited man.
The choice of words used by the Korean on that podium was definitely intentional.
It seemed as if they were trying to dazzle the senators with provocative yet courageous messages about their struggle to protect their sacred sovereignty and freedom.
The Korean on the podium drank a glass of water, perhaps because his throat was parched, and continued speaking, once again receiving cheers from the Democratic Party members.
“But they were defeated by the counterattacks of our patriotic and courageous Army and Navy. In the repeated battles in the northwestern part of the Korean peninsula, the Imperial Japanese Army was forced to retreat with 50,000 casualties under the fierce attacks of our Army. They are unable to break through the resistance of our army and people, and if necessary, my homeland, the Korean Empire, will forever fight the enemy on the defensive line, under the watchful eyes of the world!”
“That crazy guy···.”
“Dear Senators, the army of light is facing the army of darkness. The light of righteousness in the world is shining brightly in a small country in the East. From this place, I speak to the Senators of the United States of America on behalf of the twenty million Korean people. May the Almighty bless this great and noble war of defense.”
“That son of a bitch.”
“You take advantage of the fact that we are a small country better than anyone else. Lord Oishi was really upset because of that···.”
After the speech, the Democratic Party members kept shaking hands with the Korean man as he came down from the podium.
Anyone could see that the main character in this place was not the Japanese Empire’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but that Korean.
The man on the podium looked at the Foreign Ministry staff for a moment, then shouted loud enough to drown out the voices of the Democratic Party members.
“My dear members of the House of Representatives! There are the Japanese diplomats! I know what they are thinking, what they intend to do to our country, what they will do in the future while they talk about peace in the East! But our country, our heroic army and navy, and the twenty million Korean people will shout at them:
“What is that crazy guy talking about?”
One of the senior employees said with a distorted expression on his face.
It was obvious that they were trying to introduce themselves as the mouthpiece of the invasion and make themselves the target of criticism and ridicule.
“A single grain of wheat must fall to the ground and rot before it can sprout, so today, we will remain here without fail and, even if it means we all die, we will be prepared to die to protect our territory and people! Only by dying like that will the sprout of this country and people grow strong without dying!”
It was a much more intense sentence than before.
The Korean looked as if he were Washington crossing the Delaware River.
Although Republican senators booed, the Foreign Ministry staff, who had been receiving cheers and glares, had no choice but to leave with a frown on their face, having achieved nothing.
***
“It’s dangerous to go here. Let’s go back.”
“Sir, my name is Ernest Bethell, a war correspondent for the Daily Chronicle. I have permission from the Japanese commander to cover the scene.”
Towards the Japanese officer speaking awkward English, the lanky British reporter spoke in fluent Japanese, showing his permit and the armband on his arm.
Once the Japanese officer saw this white man speaking their language fluently, his face brightened and he treated him much more kindly than before.
“You speak Korean quite well, sir. I’m a little surprised.”
“I’ve lived in Kobe for 15 years, so it’s strange that I can’t do it. Do you want to smoke?”
“Okay.”
As expected, once we became close, the conversation progressed quickly.
They passed cigarettes to the officer and the soldiers next to him, struck a match, and while they smoked the cigarettes, they talked about this and that.
The stories they told, while interesting to Bethel, had no particular impact on his mind at the moment.
Something new was needed.
And speaking of that new thing, he heard a pretty funny story a while back.
It was the story of a reporter named Mackenzie who had recently disobeyed orders from the Japanese military command and crossed into the Korean military camp while reporting.
He suddenly left, taking a servant boy with him, saying that he wanted to hear the story of those who were struggling to stop the invasion, not the invaders. Bethel wanted to do the same, but he couldn’t because the surveillance had become more intense since then.
Because we were followed by three or four military police whenever we went outside of Seoul, we could not conduct any meaningful reporting, and dissatisfaction was running rampant among the press corps.
However, as the Japanese army suffered several defeats and the mood quickly worsened, it was risky to openly go against their wishes.
“Sir, I know it may be presumptuous of me to pass through here and interview some Koreans, may I?”
“Oh, that’s a little difficult.”
He pointed to the direction where black smoke was rising along with flames in the distance, but the officer who had been treating him politely until just a moment ago suddenly changed his behavior.
As if I had seen something I shouldn’t have said.
“Is there something that should not be done in that place?”
When Bethel asked cautiously, they whispered among themselves. Then the officer put his hand on his hip and said,
“That’s why it’s a dangerous area. There are frequent riots, so even our military can’t enter without being heavily armed. If you go in by mistake, you’ll be in big trouble, reporter. They’re extremely hostile to foreigners, so no matter what happens, we won’t be able to save you.”
“mob?”
“How should I explain this… These are people who are resisting the new government and our military’s control that has just been established in Gyeongseong, and are holding up weapons. They are extremely cruel and uncommunicative, so if you go in there, you never know what kind of trouble you might encounter.”
Then Bethel’s eyes sparkled with even more interest.
If you can’t go to the front lines where the two armies are in a fierce confrontation, then you can get a lot of scoops from a completely new perspective.
He said he understood to the officer who was looking at him with suspicious eyes, and decided to first look for a way out by heading somewhere else.
‘There aren’t that many soldiers here, so I guess I can always find a gap.’
Bethel headed back to his lodgings to plan how to get out of Seoul and head south.
Gunfire and explosions rang out from somewhere nearby, like the background noise of a social gathering.