Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 325
Only Noblemtl
#325. Liberation from Oppression (1)
The Imperial General Headquarters and the War Cabinet, which had been holding daily imperial conferences to establish control over Gyeongseong and to make this place Japanese territory by establishing the Residency-General in order to annex the Korean Empire just before the end of the war in earnest, were in a state of shock.
The defeat in Bongcheon was already at a point where it was impossible to deny it even if one wanted to.
Although strict measures were taken to ensure that the fact of defeat was not reported, the news had already spread throughout the country, as if words without legs could travel a thousand miles.
He threatened to punish anyone who spread this rumor, saying it was just a rumor, but it was no use.
The decline in productivity due to excessive taxes and the conscription of a large number of young people, as well as the resulting devastation of rural areas, had reached a point where even the powerful police force of the Japanese Empire could no longer control them.
If they had won the war, it would have been different, but as the unstable situation of continued defeats unfolded, it soon developed into a very scary situation where dissatisfaction with the system was spreading.
“How can this be…? Did the news of the defeat in Bongcheon spread to Joseon?”
“I guess we should see it that way. It’s been almost two days since plaintext communication from Wonsan was cut off.”
“···If this fact spreads, they will move in an instant.”
“Now, we have no choice but to quickly convert the military headquarters into the Residency-General and solidify our actual ruling system. That is the only way for us to properly control the Korean Peninsula and extend our lifeline for now.”
Now, we had no choice but to admit that the main force of our own army was virtually gone.
So, they had no choice but to enter into negotiations when it was advantageous to them, and before that, they judged that Joseon had to be placed under their control, so they established the Residency-General and were planning to appoint the current commander of the Korean army as the Residency-General of Joseon.
“Already in Portsmouth… our plenipotentiary is in contact with Roske and the Korean plenipotentiary for negotiations.”
“No, why are those Joseon guys···”
“The Roskeites said they would not negotiate unless all the warring parties were invited.”
“···I guess they’re going to take care of me because I’m a hunting dog.”
Although the United States took upon itself the role of mediator in this war, in reality it was closer to the Japanese government requesting mediation.
Even before the Battle of Fengtian, European powers, wary of Japanese expansion in the Far East—especially the German Emperor, who had recently spread the Yellow Peril theory to a fever pitch throughout Europe—began to directly pressure for an end to the war.
The enormous war expenditures mentioned above were no longer something the Japanese Empire could afford.
This was right after the Imperial Treasury had already issued dozens of cries that the debt could not be repaid in full even after 1920.
The Japanese Empire, which was already on the verge of bankruptcy, was in a normal financial situation, but it was barely holding on thanks to the purchase of bonds by Western capitalists who detested the Russian Empire.
“Although our forces were unfortunately defeated at Fengtian, Admiral Togo’s combined fleet remains, and we control most of Port Arthur and Joseon, so there should be no problem negotiating for now. The Roskeids will no longer be able to continue the war.”
“How can you be sure of that? If over 300,000 Roske troops all at once move south and advance towards Lushun and Joseon-”
“They don’t have the capacity to do that. They are an army that has retreated repeatedly for a single battle in Bongcheon, and has gathered troops and supplies, but has exhausted them all this time. In other words, they cannot deploy any more troops to expand their battles after the victory. Even if the Roske attack, they will be a small number, so they will be able to stop them somehow with the troops they have currently gathered. Rather, what is dangerous right now is the situation on the Korean Peninsula.”
Army Minister Terauchi looked down at the map with concern.
If it was judged that they had advanced to Wonsan, there was no longer any army left to stop the large-scale forces of the Koreans throughout the Korean Peninsula.
Even more so if the explosion was all well-coordinated up to the rear uprising.
“The 300,000 Roske Army in Bongcheon is far away, but the 300,000 Joseon soldiers in Hamheung are close by. Perhaps the rebels who are currently in action are collaborating with them. The Park Geun-hye Army is too much.”
“Then… how about sending reinforcements to Joseon?”
“The mainland defense force is also severely lacking. Firearms and ammunition are severely lacking, so it would be fortunate if we could give them captured enemy rifles. In the end, since the army has failed, it is time for the navy to step in. They do not have it, but we must make a final showdown with the fleet power that is the only thing we have.”
“···I agree.”
The Minister of the Navy nodded and said.
Of course, I didn’t like the army, and it was refreshing to see them, who had always been noisy, now struggling with a big nose, but the war couldn’t end with a total defeat.
In any case, the confrontation between the army and navy could only exist as long as the Japanese Empire continued to exist.
“Your Majesty, please make every effort to defend Port Arthur and the Korean Peninsula. Our navy will gather all of its fleets here in Jinhae to intercept the Roske fleet. Admiral Togo’s fleet is already on alert for an enemy fleet coming from the Tsushima Strait…”
As before, the end of the royal meeting was always greeted with silence, but this time the silence was colder than usual.
The headquarters will continue to deny it, but even they are now feeling a sense of unease deep within their hearts.
***
As we advanced frantically from Hamheung to Wonsan and then to Hansung, we were able to arrive at what could be called the outskirts of Hansungbu, the current Uijeongbu and now classified as Yangju County.
In front of me, the soldiers of the new government army, who seemed to have just been deployed, were hastily forming a defensive line, but as soon as they saw us arrive, they frantically prepared for battle. However, they looked extremely clumsy and terrified.
Meanwhile, the flags of the Sunmuyeong and the Taegeukgi raised by the riders fluttered in the wind, and at the same time, the soldiers of the cavalry division shouted and cheered.
It was also a cry that they would seize the initiative from the beginning.
“Haha, are these a bunch of idiots who gathered to stop us?”
“I guess so. You poor bastards, we can’t just leave those traitors alone!”
The Harcourt adviser sat on the saddle, looking down on his enemies with a proud air.
They looked more like a bunch of men holding guns than an army.
The results of the past four days of nonstop advances have been very encouraging.
The recovery was very quick, as the small enemy garrison was either completely defeated by the unexpected appearance of the cavalry, or was annihilated by a massive uprising by the local population, or was simply so frightened that they fled the towns and villages.
In fact, I could count on one hand the number of times I encountered enemy soldiers above the company level.
At best, we were dealing with a platoon-sized unit, and even then, more than half of them were missing, and we only fired a few shots.
In most cases, when the soldiers of the cavalry regiment charged at them with screams, drawing their cavalry swords or swinging their halberds, they were busy throwing down their weapons and running away.
So this is where we arrived.
It was understandable that they would be tired from the advance, but most of them were complaining that they were tired because they had not met a worthy opponent.
So, as soon as they saw the enemies right in front of them, they all shouted to charge straight in and trample them down.
“Let’s wipe them out right now. I’ll only feel better once I catch those traitorous bastards and hang them up.”
I stopped Army Chief of Staff Kim Seok-joong, the temporary cavalry division commander, from taking out his cavalry sword from his waist in a fit of impatience.
“Come on. They are a clumsy enemy, but they have already taken control of the Yangju city center and are establishing a defensive line. If we break through there, there might be quite a lot of casualties. It might be better to find a detour and advance to Hanseong.”
“It’s too dangerous to leave the enemy behind. Even if there is some damage, if we break through now, there will be no regrets later.”
Looking at the spread out map, there were many places where I could take a detour.
However, the strength of the provisional cavalry division was not sufficient, because more than half of the division’s strength, about 4,000 troops, were diverted to recover Gaeseong and the northern part of Hwanghae Province.
I now had only about 3,000 troops at my disposal, so I had to avoid unnecessary sacrifices as much as possible.
If we could break through their defense line as they claimed, we could quickly head towards Hanseong, but looking at it now, it looks sloppy, but they had placed troops and obstacles along each expected route, so it seemed like there would be a lot of trouble.
“That’s true, but the cavalry should conserve its strength as much as possible in case of an emergency. The enemy’s main force is deployed all over the southern part of Hansung. They could intercept us at any time… But if we get through here, we can join up with the advance party of the Creative Army led by Heo Wi-gyeong. If we do that, they’ll be finished.”
However, it is a bit disappointing because once you pass through Yangju, that is, Uijeongbu, you only have to travel a distance of less than half a day to get to Hanseong.
Even as I hesitated for a moment about what to do next, the soldiers continued to shout.
“Until the enemy raises both hands and surrenders-”
“Scream louder! Those little bastards will wet their pants just from hearing our voices!”
It was a moment when everyone was building up their momentum while singing ‘The Last 5 Minutes’.
“Over there, a guy with a white flag is coming from the enemy camp.”
“Hmm.”
I picked up the telescope and looked where the staff member was pointing.
As expected, a man who appeared to be a military officer of the new government army, holding a white flag and mounted on a horse, was approaching us.
Some soldiers tried to shoot with their rifles, but were stopped by officers.
“Shoo, don’t shoot! This is a messenger from Commander Kwon Jung-hyun! I have a proposal that must be delivered to the commissioner!”
“Hey you! How dare you bring up the governor with your dirty mouth! Governor, there’s no need for that dirty talk. We must cut off the heads of these traitors and reclaim Hanseong!”
“That’s right. You’re trying to call the Japanese while wasting time like this! Let’s cut them down and trample on their defense line right away!”
As everyone was yelling at them, the officers of the new government army, who were wearing Japanese military uniforms with only our rank insignia replaced, began to tremble like aspen leaves.
Now that I look at it, no matter how well he was treated, he looked like a weakling from a wealthy and well-connected family, wearing a baggy military uniform that didn’t even fit him and a sword.
I smiled at the sight and raised my right hand.
Then the cavalry officers who had been chattering noisily fell silent.
The gaze mixed with hatred was still sharp and pointed.