Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 332
Only Noblemtl
#332. Terror on the Sea (5)
Admiral Rozhestvensky’s expression gradually distorted as he took out the order and read it.
This was sent by ship after a hasty meeting, as the telegram that arrived immediately after setting sail from Kamran Bay was not received.
Surprise and bewilderment appeared on the faces of the admiral and his staff.
What kind of luck did it take to detect and encounter the movements of a fleet sailing in the open ocean?
What the hell are those Korean Navy guys doing?
Along with such questions, the content of the telegram was also quite shocking.
“Do not allow movement to the Korea Strait, and instead return to Tsugaru or Soya?”
“Yes, Admiral. The Korean government and military have relayed information that the Japanese Combined Fleet is in ambush in the direction of Jinhae. Accordingly, I have given the order to divert in order to ensure safe passage to Vladivostok.”
“hmm···.”
He passed the order to the naval officer standing next to him.
Their faces also distorted as they read it.
To those who were exhausted, it seemed like a crazy thing to ask them to abandon the shortest route and take a detour of over 2,000 km.
As that thought crossed Admiral Rozhdestvensky’s face, a look of annoyance appeared for a moment.
“As you know, Admiral, we have no more time left.”
And next to them, a Korean naval officer spoke to them in fluent French.
The other staff officers were shocked at how he dared to act so brazenly towards Zinovy Rozhdestvensk, who was called a mad dog, but he himself responded as if he found it interesting.
I didn’t know that there were people in the East who spoke French so well.
He decided to continue the conversation by thinking about the French he had learned as a child and a cadet at the Naval Academy.
“Who are you?”
“Sorry for the late introduction. I am Shin Sun-seong Jeong-ryeong, captain of the destroyer Baekdusan of the Korean Empire Navy. Please forgive my rudeness.”
He bowed his head and continued speaking.
“If we break through the Korea Strait like this, your fleet will be completely destroyed by the Combined Fleet.”
“But didn’t you guys break through there?”
“We only returned south of Tsushima with two fast ships, but we could tell that their defenses were tight as we passed by. There was no need to get caught in their net. After all, your fleet’s purpose is not to fight, but to enter Vladivostok.”
Rozhestvensky glanced at the map.
Jinhae was also the best place to attack the friendly fleet passing through the Korea Strait.
Moreover, if even the Manchurian Army General Headquarters issued such a warning, it was not a problem that could be easily overlooked.
However, the supply of coal, the fleet’s power source, was now a problem.
The Borodino-class ships were particularly problematic.
Even if it ran at cruising speed, it would only be 4,800 km, so it was clear that it would be a very tight schedule if it went around the archipelago without passing through the Korea Strait.
Of course, we overloaded coal to prepare for this, but it was unclear whether that alone would be enough to solve the problem.
“Admiral, this is our sincere warning for the survival of your entire fleet. Please do not ignore it.”
“···I would like you to understand that coal supplies are tight for the entire fleet to maneuver.”
“But if it’s a breakthrough through the Tsugaru Strait rather than the Soya Strait… it might be possible.”
The Korean Navy officer said with a bright smile.
“The Japanese naval surveillance network along the east coast of the Korean peninsula has already been destroyed by our army and your army.”
“What does that have to do with this?”
“If you return to the Tsugaru Strait and enter Vladivostok, the enemy will not dare to intercept you. Even if they confirm that your fleet has returned to Tsugaru, the entire east coast axis is in ‘our’ hands, so how dare you come forward?”
“hmm···.”
It was certainly information and logic that could change one’s mind.
Rozhestvensky looked down at the map intently.
If we change direction at average sailing speed and return to the Tsugaru Strait area… it is a very, very tight route, but not impossible.
“Moreover, if it’s Tsugaru, it’s no different from hitting the enemy where it hurts the most. This is the strait between Honshu, the center of the Japanese archipelago, and Hokkaido. Furthermore, since you’ve already sent a coal supply ship to Shanghai, the enemy will firmly believe that your fleet will pass through the Korea Strait. Even though it’s unintentional, you’ve deceived the enemy… You’ll be able to send them to hell in many ways.”
The Soya Strait is the safest, but considering the fuel situation of your fleet, it is difficult… If it is the Tsugaru Strait, you can kill two birds with one stone.
The ability to preserve the fleet by avoiding enemy ambushes and completely destroying the enemy’s will to wage war.
Rozhestvensky thought that it might be possible, so he had his staff check the remaining coal.
And soon after, we received reports that there were enough supplies left to somehow break through the Tsugaru Strait and barely make it to Vladivostok.
Then he laughed heartily and said with great confidence to the impudent Korean naval officer.
“I didn’t know there was such a big navy in the Far East. Very good, very good. Our fleet will change course according to the information from the Manchurian Army Headquarters and your side. Let’s see the Yaponskis scream.”
“I appreciate your great decision, Admiral. Now the end of the war is in sight.”
“By the way, do you have any spare binoculars?”
Rozhestvensky smiled and asked Shin Sun-sung, who handed him a few binoculars left on the destroyer.
It seemed that he knew that the staff members were on edge because everything had been destroyed.
Immediately afterwards, the admiral ordered the fleet to change course.
Thus, Rozhestvensky’s fleet began to move with the goal of breaking through the Tsugaru Strait, drastically changing its original course.
Although they were tired, the sailors willingly followed the admiral’s words that this was their last voyage.
It was thanks to their belief that they could lead to victory even at the end of hell, as long as it was the order of their admiral who had brought them this far, maintaining their formation without letting a single ship fall behind.
So the two destroyers of the South Korean Navy began to return the way they came.
***
In Hakodate, Hokkaido’s largest port city and a city directly facing the Tsugaru Strait, cheers were heard.
Because in the distance, very dark, and slowly visible, are the smokes that the Imperial Fleet had been spewing out as it sailed bravely through the waves.
A considerable number of Japanese people living in Hakodate were waving the Japanese flag and cheering when they learned that the Combined Fleet, the strongest fleet in the East, had finally destroyed the Roske Fleet and was heading to attack Vladivostok.
“This is definitely going to be a big deal.”
One of the reporters there quickly put down the cup of green tea he was drinking and described the people and the galloping fleet in his notebook, smiling as he imagined that his article would be featured on the front page of the newspaper tomorrow.
Even the Hakodate police and the soldiers in the fortress came out one by one to see them and wave their hands.
“It looks like we won the war!”
“As expected, Admiral Togo, he is the greatest admiral our empire has ever seen!”
“You sent those damn Roske’s deep into the sea!”
It would not be an exaggeration to say that this city of tens of thousands of people, with its mix of joy and happiness, had an almost festive atmosphere.
Of course, as a result of the aftermath of the Boshin War, this area became the last stronghold of the left wing faction, and many vassals from the shogunate or those who sided with the shogunate were driven into the area as if they were expelled, so discontent with the current government was high, but for now, it was enough to subside.
“Long live the Empire of Japan!”
“The Empire has won!”
Now, even school students were running out with their teachers and singing Kimigayo while waving the Japanese flag that had been prepared for some time.
At this point, tomorrow’s headlines were certain.
I was thinking, “Is this a good title for an article about the imperial subjects rejoicing in victory?”
“But, reporter, is that really our fleet?”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
One of the reporters who had been taking pictures nearby tilted his head and said.
He frowned as if something was strange, then looked at the reporter again and spoke.
“My brother is in the Combined Fleet right now.”
“however?”
“The last letter I received from him said that they were heading towards Masanpo, Joseon, but I doubt if that’s really our fleet. I’m not a sailor, but no matter how fast the combined fleet is, it won’t be able to circle the archipelago from Masanpo to Tsugaru in a few days.”
Now that I think about it, the reporter also felt something was strange.
I remembered that, although there was a press ban, I had seen an article in circulation some time ago that said the fleet was still in southern Korea.
“no way···.”
A bad thought crept up his spine.
He quickly looked for his telescope, and just in time saw an elderly gentleman standing awkwardly on the beach, trying to look at the fleet with his poor eyesight.
He took the telescope from the old gentleman’s hands without even saying that he would borrow it.
I turned away from the old gentleman’s anger and looked out at the sea where the fleet was approaching, where black smoke was spreading out in thick clouds.
“······!”
And he could see.
On the mast, where the proud Rising Sun Flag of the Imperial Navy should have been unfurled, was a completely unfamiliar X-shaped flag hanging.
And I could also see the sailors on the deck wearing military uniforms that were not the familiar black uniforms of the Imperial Navy, but rather those wearing pure white uniforms, looking at me with a curious look.
“Ro, Rosqueda···.”
The reporter dropped the telescope on the floor and took a step back, unable to control his trembling hands.
“Huh, reporter?”
“Hey, what kind of person are you that you take other people’s belongings without permission! Go to the police station right now…”
“That’s not our navy! Roskeda, the Roske fleet is coming here to the Tsugaru Strait!”
He started running away from the beach, screaming as if he had lost his mind.
And even though it was a little late, those who had followed him and seen them through the telescope also started to run away shouting that they were Rosukes, and in an instant, the beach and city of Hakodate became a scene of chaos.
The police began to hastily control the people, but once the fear spread, especially when Rosuke’s huge fleet appeared in Hakodate, which seemed far from war, it became even more terrifying than usual.
People were rushing to escape deep into Hokkaido, people were clamoring to board ferries to Aomori on Honshu, and police and garrison troops were rushing out to control them, adding dignity to the chaos.
And the knight who was taking pictures while looking at them was finally able to face the Roske fleet that had gotten closer.
They looked tired from the long voyage, but they put aside their anxiety for a moment, thinking that they had finally reached their destination, and waved their hands, showing their yellow teeth, toward the Japanese people who were out on the beach.
So they all now knew for sure.
The end of the Empire of Japan, and of the imperial state that was thought to shine brightly forever, may be just around the corner.