Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 376



Only Noblemtl

#2-32. Goodbye to all plans (4)

Not only did the growing population begin to turn the cities into slums, but the lack of food, jobs, and fuel began to push them into poverty, giving rise to various social unrests.

It was quite a headache to try to utilize the Chinese population that had come in for development. They had a strong sense of identity and often refused to follow the orders of the Russian Governor-General, and they often took collective action, causing riots.

Moreover, as problems such as escaping Russian control and relying on bandits from Manchuria arose, the Chinese people flowing in were increasingly viewed as potential bandits.

Above all, the fear of the Yellow Peril theory was causing vague fear among the practitioners of the Russian Empire.

There was a growing fear that if the Chinese population increased further and more, they would overwhelm the Russian population and naturally, over time, the entire Far Eastern territory would become Chinese territory.

The cities of Mukden and Port Arthur were already beginning to experience unstable security conditions, and were therefore attempting to continue to block the influx of people through measures such as a residency registration system and strengthening of security forces.

However, it was contradictory that not only were there not enough troops to manage the entire border, but the security forces that had been built up in the first place were all “Chinese loyal to Russia,” except for the command and high-ranking officers.

In this situation, the Russian Empire government and the Governor-General paid attention to the actions of the Korean Empire, which could represent their interests in the Far East.

At that time, the Korean Empire, which had already taken over the southern Manchuria region, which was a pie that could never be fully digested and which the Russian Empire would eventually have to reclaim, was expanding its power by exercising administrative and security authority in the region and aggressively building settlements.

“We respect the sovereignty and defense rights of the Korean Empire over South Manchuria as resolved at the Portsmouth Conference.”

As if making a public statement, Beate spoke fluently to Minister Honno Ichiro in French, which could be called the language of European diplomacy at the time.

And there was a very important implication here: Russia was hoping that Korean settlements would come in instead of Chinese ones, which would naturally stem their population growth.

Unlike the Chinese population, who were not only uncontrollable but also had many signs of becoming a source of social unrest, the Korean Empire, which was friendly to them and had a government that could communicate with them, was much better for them.

Therefore, the Far East Governor-General and the Primorsky Krai region attempted to restrain the growth of the Chinese population by tacitly allowing or actively encouraging the entry of Korean settlements.

“However, if the Korean army enters Yeonggu, Geumju, and Shanhaiguan, unnecessary chaos will surely occur in Manchuria. Your country must mediate. Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs will persuade the Chinese authorities, so if you persuade the Korean Empire… … .”

Still, Vite was somewhat conscious. Jang Jag-rim, who had been walking a tightrope between the Far East Governor-General and the Beiyang Government recently, would not have been so bad if he had irritated the Korean government and had his power weakened.

If that happened, Jang Jag-rim, whose power had been greatly weakened, could once again come under the control of the Russian Governor-General.

And as the Japanese ambassador said, if he completely collapses, there’s no telling what will happen next, so we had to end it on an appropriate note.

In any case, Jangjakrim was acting as a breakwater to block the Mongol bandits who were continuously invading Russian territories in northern Manchuria.

“Well, I understand your concerns. First, let’s contact the Far East Governor-General’s Office and arrange for mediation… … .”

Although his tone was not at all trustworthy, Honno Ichiro could not possibly question him since he had come to ask him a favor.

In fact, there was nothing to be gained by asking for it. He had to step back, earnestly asking for mediation once more, and Vite sighed as she watched the back of the construction.

“Summon the Korean ambassador. We must prevent the fire that started in the west from spreading to the east.”

He stood up, speaking to the person next to him. The burning of dry firewood was enough in Europe, and especially in the Balkans.

***

“Stop further advance?”

This was the content of the urgent telegram that arrived while the Jangjakrim Army on the outskirts of Yeonggu was being defeated and a fierce artillery attack was being poured into the city.

The timing was perfect, as it would only take 12 more hours of bombardment before full-scale ground force deployment would begin.

“This is an urgent directive from the External and Marshals. Cease fire at your current location and await further orders.”

“Ugh.”

I said as I slowly put down my baton. Even if it’s not Jinju or Shanhaiguan, Yeonggu needs to be completely destroyed so that Jangjakrim won’t provoke me again.

“It looks like the pressure is coming down hard from St. Petersburg.”

“Tch, you’re taking out your anger on us after killing someone in the Balkans.”

Looking at the cityscape from afar, with black smoke rising in thick clouds, I licked my lips in regret.

Well, it wasn’t that hard to understand. If Zhang Zuolin disappeared, the Russian Empire would be worried that our power would grow too much, and the moderates in the Marshal’s Office would be worried that if they launched more attacks than necessary, they would needlessly provoke the exiled Sun Yat-sen, the Chinese Alliance, and the Kuomintang, and the cooperative system would collapse.

However, even if I had to endure that, I wanted to get rid of Jangjakrim much sooner than the original history. If I left him alone, it was obvious that he would become a great trouble that would plague our borders for the next ten years.

“It seems that the neighboring countries do not want any further escalation of the war. The Japanese plenipotentiary is said to be conducting peace negotiations between us and Yuan Shikai.”

“I bet Won Se-gae will accept it well.”

“It seems that the Japanese government is putting a lot of pressure on us. After all, didn’t we actually crush their scheme?”

Although I was not sure, the commanders and staff members present had bright expressions on their faces.

“If we had responded in a standard manner, there was a possibility that the Japanese government or military would have intervened in this incident, but the general blocked that from happening. Diplomatically and politically, we have already dealt them a blow.”

“… That alone is not enough.”

I spoke softly as I looked at the front line through my telescope. When the order to cease fire was given, I saw soldiers hastily building trench lines while looking bewildered, preparing for any possible attack.

Along with that, the formidable roar of the 12-inch guns from the sea ceased. Only the reconnaissance aircraft that had not yet received the cease-fire order were hovering in the permanent sky, showing off their engine noise.

“It’s a shame that this time we really should have rooted out those guys who would be a constant threat to our border.”

“But the battle might resume.”

“That won’t happen. Both Russia and Japan are strongly requesting a cessation of hostilities… … .”

I slowly returned to my seat and agonized for a moment. I wondered whether I should just cut off the airway of those who would be a lasting trouble if I didn’t listen to their orders.

But there was always only one right answer for me on this matter.

“When the government orders, the military will only follow. Any sudden action on the front lines is strictly prohibited until further orders are given.”

“All right.”

A bad precedent should not be set in such a place. The military, which holds weapons, cannot arbitrarily ignore orders that have been handed down through proper command authority, no matter how justified the reason.

If that happens, like the Japanese military during the Manchurian Incident, as time goes by, the ends will justify the means, and as those ends become distorted, they will eventually transform into something so bizarre that it is untouchable.

Furthermore, weapons are only sophisticated and reliable when the person holding them is in control; otherwise, they are nothing but a source of fear.

And I have seen such forms of military juntas in the past, and I have no intention or desire to repeat that history here.

-What? Are you saying that they have already entered Manchuria? If that is the case, then there is nothing we can do. We need to spend special military funds from the budget.-

That kind of dialogue is only suitable for the Japanese, and it cannot be used as a twisted and distorted story that suits us.

“What are you so worried about?”

“Just this and that.”

Well, I didn’t want to go so far as to reveal it to my subordinates, so I responded indifferently and decided to focus on the negotiations that would follow.

The clock was ticking toward July 1914, and it was hoped that negotiations would be concluded before the war to end it all began.

***

“… … .”

In Yeongguk, which had been reduced to ashes after three days of bombardment, Jang Jag-rim stood there blankly, looking like he had lost his mind.

Soldiers who had been holding out between the shelling stumbled and crawled out of the broken buildings or from deep trenches. And everyone looked at the city that had become quiet for the first time in a long time.

And it didn’t take long for me to feel that this silence was not so much a peaceful atmosphere as something eerie, something you only hear after everything has been reduced to ashes.

“Damn it, there’s nothing left… … .”

“Here, send people here! We need to rebuild the defense line quickly!”

The place that was once a market, the place that was used as a military barracks, and the docking facilities that could have been used as a port were all destroyed long ago.

Although it was pushed out by Lushun and Dalian, the city that had been developed with ambition was completely burned down by enemy artillery and naval guns.

“older brother…….”

The woodcutter called him in a voice that sounded like he was crawling, but Jangjakrim just kept his mouth shut, clenched his fists, and looked at the burning city.

The northeastern army, once boasting of a force of 100,000 men and capable of surpassing Zhili and Anhui, has now dwindled to less than 50,000 men. Thirty thousand were lost in Andong, and 20,000 deserted when the city center was bombarded.

Their eyes were bloodshot from the terrible cannon fire that they couldn’t even sleep properly. The battleship cannon fire was so powerful that all the roads that had been well-paved for the transport of troops and supplies were destroyed.

No, it wasn’t destroyed, it was just a hole in the middle of the road that was completely destroyed. The roads that were hit directly by the shells were completely destroyed, and the shock waves from the 12-inch shells that landed between 100 and 300 meters were enough to ruin the rest of the roads.

Even if they dug deep into the ground and hid, they could not stop the shock wave of the shell from reaching every part of the interior. The defense forces inside the fortress were already exhausted.

If the enemies had advanced towards the city center like this, he would have no way of stopping them. While he was pondering whether he should chase down the remaining troops and flee to Geumju with tears in his eyes, he was able to survive thanks to a miracle.

The survivors were gripped by fear of the future, but an even greater humiliation awaited them: they had taken everything from them except their lives.