Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 335
Only Noblemtl
#335. To end it all (3)
He politely asked the Emperor to return, but he refused.
The reason was that the entire recovery area had not yet stabilized, and large and small skirmishes were breaking out.
In any case, if the emperor had returned to the capital, it would certainly have been possible to secure internal stability and externally to solidify the victory in the war, but it was not easy to see him sitting there in a dazed state.
After all, the Korean Empire was still an absolute monarchy, and in such a country, the separation of the emperor and the government led to a significant increase in political, diplomatic, and military inefficiency.
Of course, important tasks that were needed immediately were being carried out separately in Hansung and Hamheung.
However, it was not possible to completely pass over the emperor, so in the end, the only way to unify this was to actively use telegraph lines and telegrams.
But the problem is that each and every one of them costs money.
Considering how much national treasury money was spent on telegrams, which cost more than 1 won per character, even though they were cheaper than in 1901 for a mere 20 characters, it was a problem that even the Minister of Finance, Eo Yun-jung, would have to grab by the scruff of the neck to get over.
And considering that major agenda items start with a minimum of 20 pages of reports, it was only a moment of silence for the Ministry of Agriculture, Commerce, and Industry and the Ministry of Finance after the war.
In addition, considering the security issues of the entire body and the minor problems that occurred when converting and sending the message into Morse code, the current process was extremely inefficient.
“Of course. The Tsar of Russia sent a personal letter to the Emperor?”
Anyway, I nodded and answered what Foreign Minister Lee Beom-jin said.
Indeed, the pressure to end the war from the European powers, especially France and Britain, was quite strong.
No matter what anyone said, it was clear that he was not happy with Russia’s power concentrated in the East.
“I have proposed a three-nation peace negotiation in Portsmouth under the mediation of Mirigyeon, but I am hesitant as to whether I should accept it.”
“Well, is there any reason for the Minister of Foreign Affairs to worry about that?”
“That’s because our military hasn’t completely recaptured the mainland yet.”
He spoke with concern. It goes without saying that the direction of the armistice negotiations that were attempted after the mainland had been completely recaptured and those that were not were completely different.
In the former case, they could take the lead in negotiations while holding a considerable upper hand, but in the latter case, they had to continue a headache-inducing fight over how to withdraw the enemies remaining on the mainland and what they would have to give up in return.
Of course, the areas that are currently unrecovered are relatively small, but the fact that they control all the major ports poses a dilemma for us, who cannot help but think about the post-war period.
“His Majesty has entrusted me with the role of plenipotentiary… I can’t think of a good way. A good way to secure our sovereignty while recovering our lost territory. They will pressure us with that… Furthermore, most of the cabinet members, including the Prime Minister, are acting tough, saying, “What kind of peace negotiations are we having with the Japanese who swept away our territory?”
“At times like this, please stay calm. We have not lost the war. On the contrary, their defeat is certain, so don’t worry too much. As long as our army and the Russian fleet hold out, they won’t be able to make unreasonable demands. By the way, has the Russian side made any promises to us?”
“It was made clear that compensation or territorial cession was absolutely impossible. This was not only the order of the Tsar, but also the will of the entire Russian people···.”
“Then the story will become more comfortable.”
I walked towards the tactical map showing the entire Korean peninsula, carrying my luggage on my back.
“If Nosua has decided on that policy, we should do the same.”
“However, they recovered all the areas except Lushun, Governor. They are different from us who lost our country.”
“What’s the difference, Foreign Minister? The war is already over, so would you break the negotiations just to hold on to a little bit of this tiny piece of Korean land? They will never do that.”
Then he looked at the areas marked in red that were still occupied by the enemy.
“Besides, the European powers want to end this war quickly. Their reasons are different. England does not want the fall of the Japanese Empire, which must enforce its interests in the Far East, and France does not want Russia’s military power to be held in the Far East too long due to the war of nerves with the Turks. In such a situation, what Japan can do is to restore the situation before the war as much as possible.”
“For example, should we go back to the system of the Hanseong Treaty concluded in 1901?”
“That’s it, Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
I said, snapping my fingers!
“We have to make the most of that gap. We have nothing to gain from Japan anyway. They are poor, they can’t even afford to pay reparations, and they have to worry about the collapse of the postwar imperial system itself.”
I heard that the Japanese Empire fought a war that was shorter than its original history, but consumed 15 years’ worth of the Japanese national budget in war expenses.
Perhaps only the benefits of World War I could be restored, and no one knew what they would become in the meantime.
Will a revolutionary government with a bright red flavor come to power, or will the Japanese Empire, completely blackened and even more delusional than before, sharpen its sword and burn with hatred toward us?
However, considering the tendencies of the Japanese Empire’s politicians and military, it is much more likely that they will take steps in the latter direction while burning the happiness circuit to the maximum.
“The collapse of the arch-rival isn’t so bad.”
“This is bad, Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
I shook my head.
If the Japanese Empire were to collapse now, it would certainly be the case that the great chaos of the Boxer Rebellion would once again erupt in East Asia.
That was the only thing we had to avoid, because we couldn’t withstand the storm unless our capabilities and wills were clearly aligned.
Above all, it was even more important to remember the principle that ‘an empire does not wish for the death of another empire.’
No one would want the chaos brought about by the Qing Dynasty to once again overturn the table that was set so nicely for eating in East Asia.
“Shall I be honest with you two? Our Korean Empire is completely unprepared for the aftermath of the collapse of the Japanese Empire. His Majesty the Emperor would not want the Japanese Empire to collapse. The Empire led by the Emperor does not want another empire to die.”
“What do you mean, Commander? We must cut off the enemy’s breath when the opportunity arises. If we leave them alone, they will stab us in the back again someday! Do you know what has happened since they forced us to sign the humiliating treaty at Ganghwa Island-”
Of course, he was right.
The Japanese Empire would at any time seek to re-establish its power through a fleet and trade befitting its maritime power, and on that basis to realize its long-held dream of advancing into the continent.
But that was in the future, not right now.
Rather, diplomacy had to be carried out as an extension of the Belle Époque-style diplomacy that required that balance be maintained at all costs.
This was especially true when we consider the status of the Korean Empire, which was so fitting that it was called Russia’s “watchdog.”
“We must be realistic, Minister of Foreign Affairs. I know that the members of the war cabinet are burning with hatred and revenge against those Japanese, but they must remain cool-headed at such times. If the Japanese Empire collapses, will Russia and the Soviet Union treat us as they did before?”
“······.”
“When the hunt is over and the rabbit is gone, the hunting dog is boiled. Now that the great beast called Japan has disappeared from the Far East, we, who served as hunting dogs, may no longer have any value to them.”
This was a realistic horror.
It is a matter of speculation whether or not Japan might attack at some point, but the safety of the Korean Empire, which had lost its raison d’etre under the Russian Empire, was an immediate fear that had to be faced.
“We have secured our position, trained our army, and controlled the Far East economy through the consideration and needs of Russia. But if Japan disappears, that too will become unstable. Furthermore, if Japan collapses, will England remain silent?”
“It is an open secret that Russia, England, and France have entered into secret negotiations over the Deokguk issue…”
“Therefore, balance must be maintained even more.”
This could be called hostile symbiosis.
The Anglo-Japanese Alliance threatened our lives at the time, but in return, thanks to that crisis, we were able to place before us a huge shield called the Russian Empire.
Moreover, there was another practical reason why the Japanese Empire should not be pushed into too deep a corner.
“After the war, we won’t stop communicating with them forever, and we’ll probably resume trade, right?”
“That’s true, but···.”
“We also need a market for reconstruction. That is why the Japanese Empire must survive and be held in place by the great shackle of food.”
“Food···.”
This was the will of the Minister of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry, Cho Byeong-sik, who passed away recently and was called “Mr. Banggokryong” by many diplomats, including the Japanese.
‘Don’t sell even a single grain of rice or a single bean to the Japanese.’
I feel sorry for him, but I can’t do that.
As with diplomacy, the international market is ultimately a situation where one side cannot set conditions for a one-sided deal.
In order for the Korean Empire, which had a weak industrial base, to overcome the post-war situation, it had to restore the huge rice market called Japan.
As Osaka and the Kanto Plain, which had already provided a large amount of food, began to urbanize and industrialize, the stabilization of the Japanese Empire was soon linked to the supply of rice.
As the war continued, internal unrest was severe due to the inability to supply this rice.
So, no matter what, we had to annex the Korean Empire, which was our food supply base. Since that was impossible, it was clear that they would negotiate quite actively to lift the grain ban that we were currently imposing, no matter what.
“Perhaps the abolition of the ban on military service would make it easier to conclude armistice negotiations.”
“It’s a valley···.”
“The ban on gold exports that has been in effect since October 1903 is still in effect. If we go along with it and abolish the gold export restrictions on Japan, we might be able to achieve meaningful results.”