Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 336
Only Noblemtl
#336. To end it all (4)
In fact, playing around with the Banggokryeong and threatening them is only once or twice, but if it goes beyond that, it will be recognized as a serious threat to the Japanese Empire.
Moreover, it was necessary to be careful that in the early 20th century, during the interventionist era, American corporations, armed with the ideals of a free market, were trampling on the market.
Already, American refrigerated ships were destroying European markets, loaded with the country’s vast agricultural produce.
If food supplies from the nearby Korean Empire could not continue, Japan would look to join hands again, and American companies, which believed in free markets, would certainly be happy to join hands.
Then nothing good would have happened to us.
Their countryside will collapse, but so will ours.
It was also inevitable to worry that the food prices that had been met and maintained due to the quantity demanded by Japan would suddenly collapse.
It’s a card that requires us to take damage equivalent to the amount of shit our opponent takes.
This is a very important and last card to use in an emergency situation, and it is too good a waste to waste it now.
“···What should we do if they still ignore us?”
“At that time, I recommend that you sell my name. Commander Kim Si-hyeok will immediately swarm the 300,000-strong army and wipe out the entire area where the Japanese are gathered. Of course, they will agree before that happens. It’s not a situation where they can demand anything.”
I said to him with a smirk.
Then, Lee Beom-jin burst into laughter. It was a smile as if he had found the right person for the job.
“I was looking for a deputy plenipotentiary for the war delegation, and you, the governor, are the perfect candidate. I will report to His Majesty the Emperor immediately, and you and I will go to Portsmouth.”
“I’m sorry, but that can’t be done.”
It was an expected reaction, but I shook my head.
Then, as if he was embarrassed, Lee Beom-jin opened his eyes wide and asked me a question.
“Why is that? Shouldn’t someone like the governor, who is fluent in foreign languages and well-versed in international affairs, be the one to go?”
“I am only a front-line commander. If a soldier starts interfering with the affairs of the cabinet, uncontrollable things will happen in the future. And moreover…”
“furthermore?”
I started to speak, but then stopped.
Actually, if I were going to Portsmouth, I wouldn’t have that kind of card.
Since you have a general idea of what will happen in the future and the inner workings of each country, you will be able to gain an advantage with that.
But I was not a contemporary, but a person of the future.
And coming from a place where the premise was that ‘the military is under the control of the civilian government,’ it would have been better to leave these matters to outside bureaucrats who were experts.
Thus, by establishing the basic principles regarding the military and civilian government, it was possible to achieve political stability by approaching it from the extremely modern perspective that ‘war is an extension of politics.’
Moreover, if I had stepped forward, there would have been concerns from overseas that the military’s influence within the Korean Empire was unnecessarily large, and above all, it could have unnecessarily provoked Japan.
To them, I was the grim reaper and the main reason for their defeat, and I was probably the number one target that needed to be eliminated right away.
In the end, I calculated that leaving contemporary issues like today to the people of the present, and me, as a person of the future, stepping back for a moment and providing support would lead to better results.
This is like a credit card installment plan.
For now, you can sweetly ‘flex’ the immediate gifts by following the blueprint presented by the future man, but the price will come flying back with a lot of interest someday.
My role had to be limited to bringing victory on the front lines and putting pressure on the enemy, as one day the seeds I had sown could cause problems that would be difficult to deal with.
Moreover, I was not particularly pleased with the prospect of the hierarchy between the military and the civilian government collapsing.
“Your Majesty will not like it. If I leave, the enemies who remain here may do something, and it would be more beneficial for me to stay here and help the delegation.”
“Well, you’ve been worrying about this and that for a while now. You’re especially afraid of the police.”
Lee Beom-jin also seemed to know roughly what he was talking about.
He spoke to me, grumbling.
“Still, I would like to take you with me, even if it is not as a regular officer, but as a vice-admiral, or even as an advisor. I would like to get permission from Your Majesty.”
“Well, if that’s what you mean···.”
I said as if I was taking a step back, but inside I was sighing.
Since the Emperor did not want my personal influence to grow anyway, it was clear that he would come up with some excuse to oppose it.
Still, it was clear that the war was gradually heading towards an end.
***
“Hmm? Should we make the chief plenipotentiary and send him to Mirigyeon?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Chief Plenipotentiary Lee Beom-jin personally sent the telegram.”
The emperor frowned while wearing his glasses.
When he complained that he would stay in Hamheung, the cabinet and the military said, “If that is the case, Your Majesty, please stay here until your safety is ensured,” and left without saying a word.
It’s like looking at a little child throwing a tantrum.
It’s like, ‘Mom is going to go, so you live here for the rest of your life.’
Originally, since the emperor was said to remain, the court was at a loss as to what to do, so they had to preserve the emperor’s authority and clearly show where the center of the country was, but the emperor was very dissatisfied because things did not go as planned.
“I don’t allow it.”
“Yes? Your Majesty, but the only person in the court who is fluent in English, French, and Japanese and who knows all their intentions is the governor. If he goes to the negotiating table himself, he can negotiate from a favorable position.”
“What if the Japanese invaders attack again while the governor is away? The only thing they fear is not the Korean Empire, but the governor himself.”
The emperor handed the telegram to the eunuch and spoke curtly.
Then the embarrassed external official lowered his head even further.
“It makes no sense to send him away while the Japanese are still encroaching upon this country’s territory…”
Deep down, I felt a little different.
The Emperor could not help but know how hard he had worked and how devoted he truly was to his country.
Thanks to that, he was able to not only maintain his position, but also create his current opportunity by fighting against enemies in a place where there was no hope of survival.
So at first I trusted him and loved him, but as time went by, I gradually began to doubt him.
His love for his country did not immediately translate into love and loyalty to the Emperor himself.
It didn’t take long to realize this.
Perhaps, it was a case of ousting the emperor in the name of saving the fatherland and turning the country upside down together with the republicans and constitutionalists, who were no different from a group of traitors.
He had already attempted a coup twice with his own army, so it was clear that a third time would not be difficult.
In such a situation, if he were to become a national hero and someone who received considerable attention from the world, even he, the emperor of an absolute monarchy, would be helpless.
“Rather, instruct me to bring Army Vice Minister Min Yeong-hwan, the Director of Operations and Commander of the Military Police, as the Plenipotentiary. Sir Min Yeong-hwan also has experience in many countries, so his understanding of foreign languages and current affairs should be no less than that of a commissioned officer.”
It was clear that it would be much better to send Min Yeong-hwan, who was a political enemy but did not dare to speak against the emperor.
I had thought about sending Lee Yong-ik, who was good at Noryeok, as the deputy envoy, but I decided against it because I thought I would not be able to plan for the post-war situation if I sent him, who was a leader of the Geunhwang faction, along with the management of Naejangwon.
“Anyway, tell them that the dispatch of the police chief is not permitted.”
“Oh, I understand, Your Majesty.”
Now it was time to think about the aftermath of the war.
The emperor himself was a victorious monarch who protected his country, but at the same time, he had to devise new ways to regain his lost authority and power.
It was necessary to clearly show them what an emperor was, an absolute monarch who had been in power for five hundred years.
***
“next.”
For a long time, checkpoints and guard posts were set up at every intersection of the road from Gyeongin-do to Jemulpo, and armed soldiers were lined up in a row.
The 3rd Jinwi Brigade, which had fought bravely at Juansan and was virtually disbanded, was reorganized and deployed here.
And the police officers and military police officers who had been escorting the civilians were looking around with chilling eyes.
They carried rifles or pistols and drew diagonal lines on their name tags while looking at the passes handed out by the Japanese.
A temporary ceasefire was held while talks were being held in Portsmouth, and the Japanese side had requested that Japanese nationals detained in Seoul or Japanese nationals who had been unable to escape be repatriated to the mainland prior to the ceasefire.
Of course, there was a lot of debate between Sunmuyeong and Wonsubu regarding this.
There was an emerging view that since they too had been waging war as a reserve force for the enemy as a resident group, they should be viewed as prisoners of war rather than civilians. However, due to pressure from outside sources to release them, especially from the Russian Empire’s request to show the appearance of benevolent victors before going to the negotiating table, they were released.
“Everyone, be on your guard. There is a possibility that traitors who joined the new government may escape by mixing in with the residents.”
“All right!”
Although the fighting had stopped, gunshots could still be heard occasionally.
The noise was clearly that of the 3rd Brigade troops chasing the fleeing men.
People were terrified, but soldiers at checkpoints and guard posts soon restored order.
“This place is full of Joseon guys, damn it.”
In the meantime, Noda Heijiro, or rather Song Byeongjun, who had barely escaped from Hansung and was living in hiding, was quietly living among the Japanese while wearing rags.
Thanks to the consideration of the Japanese consul stationed in Jemulpo, who implicitly told him that he was Japanese, I was able to obtain a pass, but I could not receive any further help.
This is because the Japanese side also did not want to give up the negotiations that had begun while taking a short break to save that one.
In other words, he would be given a pass, so it was entirely up to him to get out of Jemulpo on his own and board a ship bound for Shimonoseki, Japan.
He was angry, asking if this was the extent of his loyalty to the Japanese Empire, but he couldn’t help it.
Those who did not receive even that were either captured by the guerrillas or hid somewhere in Seoul and were caught by the military and police who were searching for collaborators, and their life or death was unknown.
He tried to survive no matter what, just to avoid that.
“next.”
As the officer who was sitting on the chair checking the pass shouted, he realized that it was Noda Heijiro’s turn and quietly handed over the paper.
The officer looked at him suspiciously as he tried to cover his face, but quickly took it and shouted for him to pass.
Song Byeong-jun let out a sigh of relief and tried to pass by without anyone noticing, but the officer suddenly called out to him briefly.
“Hey, stop for a moment.”