Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 385



Only Noblemtl

#2-41. The End of Peace (3)

“Hurrah! Hurrah!”

Upon entering Hanseongbu, I held a disbandment ceremony at Yongsan as scheduled and then reported the expedition to the Emperor as a courtesy.

The Emperor’s expression was better than expected, perhaps because the farms he controlled, such as Altolan, had not suffered much damage despite this incident.

The emperor smiled brightly and said that he would award me with a medal and a monetary reward for my hard work, but I didn’t feel particularly good about it.

It was because he could not stop the life of someone who would be a long-term trouble. Of course, rationally, he could agree with the words of General Cho Dong-yoon, the director of the Records Bureau, and the moderate ministers, who said that if Jang Jag-rim was alive, it would buy him some time to manage South Manchuria.

But I couldn’t ignore the unpleasant feeling. The ‘smell’ I could smell in South Manchuria was something extremely unpleasant, a mixture of blood and gunpowder that would come in the next ten years.

And I couldn’t shake the thought that Jang Ja-rim could bring it about. When I think of Jang Ja-rim, who was beginning to arm himself with hatred toward us, the Japanese Empire that could buy his hatred at a high price, and the collaboration of World War I that would soon break out… it was even more so.

“Director! Please tell us your thoughts on this war with Jangjakrim!”

“How do you think the situation in the Far East will change as a result of this incident?!”

As soon as I left the palace, I saw reporters flocking to me. I just gave them the usual answers and walked towards the special vehicle, and every time I did, the number of questions they asked increased by two orders of magnitude.

“Military police, what are you doing? Set up a cordon to let the chief’s vehicle out!”

“Oh, I understand!”

As it turned out, the crowd had grown so large that the vehicle couldn’t even get out. It seemed that the people who heard that I was going out had come running to see me, who had defeated Jang Jag-rim’s army in less than two weeks.

The leader of the military police platoon in charge of my escort hurriedly set up a cordon with his subordinate soldiers, and the police officers from Jongno Police Station, who might have rushed out at any moment, cleared the way for the vehicle to leave, and the soldiers guarding Gyeongungung Palace also helped them.

“This is no joke.”

“That means you are loved by that many people. You can be proud.”

“… Adjutant, people’s attention is a double-edged sword.”

Moreover, the Emperor, who was trying to regain his authority through the power of the people, would not look kindly on this. Somehow, I felt a chill run down my spine as I thought that the Emperor might be watching this from a corner of the Seokjojeon building.

“By the way, you’re not attending the victory banquet… … .”

“Do you want to go? You can go alone, Adjutant.”

“Oh, no. I also don’t like places like that because they’re quite complicated.”

“It’s pointless.”

They said there would be a victory banquet this time, but I declined to attend. Right now, I just wanted to go home, where I could relax the most, rather than meet someone.

“I hope the border will be quiet for a while.”

With the adjutant’s words, a familiar silence fell over the car. Scenes that could be seen on the usual commute home passed by the car window, and the car continued to rattle on the road that was not yet well-maintained.

After running like that for about ten minutes, I finally came into view of a familiar house. I closed my eyes for a moment, and as I felt the car’s speed slowly decrease, I adjusted my clothes.

“Director, I have arrived at your home.”

“Oh, you’ve worked hard. You can go home early and rest today too.”

“Yes? But it’s still lunchtime. I’ll go to the headquarters and finish some work before I leave.”

“It’s okay. The adjutant has had a hard time during this campaign, so he’s telling you to go home early and rest. Don’t go around drinking and wandering around.”

Then the delighted adjutant nodded, and I got out of the vehicle and said.

“I guess I should spend some time with my family after a long time. Then I’ll see you tomorrow when I go to work.”

“Understood, Director. I hope you have a pleasant afternoon.”

Then the car slowly started to turn back towards the way it came.

“dad!”

As soon as I opened the door, the person who greeted me was my daughter, the kind of person I would never mind putting in my two eyes.

“Oh my, my princess.”

I lifted my daughter with both hands, and her laughter, like rolling silver marbles, echoed throughout the house.

The noises I had heard on the battlefield and the heavy burden I had been carrying in my heart felt like they were melting away.

“I’m here.”

“joy.”

And behind that daughter, you could see Roha pretending to be angry. She must have been really angry because she left home without even stopping by right before leaving for the expedition.

I went straight to Yongsan Station because I was afraid I would be trampled by others, but now that I think about it, it was a bit too much. I should have just said hello and left.

“… No matter how important the affairs of state are, how can you go to a battlefield for weeks without even seeing your family?”

“I’m sorry. I feel like I’ll be stepping on your face for a long time.”

I held my daughter in my arms and said to her with an apologetic expression. These days, she is teaching children diligently and is holding textbooks in her hands.

Perhaps, right before I came, he was looking at the textbook and thinking about how to teach it.

“… Go wash up and come back.”

“uh?”

“You’ve been out in the field for a few days. Come back after you’ve washed up. I’ll make you a warm meal.”

She tied her hair up tightly, picked up her daughter who was hanging on to me, and spoke.

“And the stories we couldn’t tell you until now, we’ll talk about them separately later tonight.”

Then he headed to the kitchen, whistling, with his usual mischievous expression on his face.

“… It’s still the same.”

I smiled in relief at her always playful and confident appearance. Yes, no matter what anyone says, that kind of smile suits her face.

The place of happiness and joy now was much bigger than the place to hold tears and sadness in her small, white face.

With that thought in mind, I went into my room and took off my military uniform. I had no idea the sword and pistol on my waist were so heavy.

After a long time, I came out wearing casual clothes, and there were some things that were quite excessive for lunch. It seemed as if they had prepared for me as if they had known I was coming.

“My legs are about to break.”

“… Do you know how worried I was after you left the house? If you feel sorry, you should eat all of this.”

“Please take a look at that… … .”

“No. I don’t like it. Since I showed off my skills, I’m going to eat everything I couldn’t eat in the field here today.”

And then she placed the sweet-looking white flesh of the fish, with the bones removed, on top of the rice that was rising in a wisp.

“Mom! Why are you only giving it to Daddy?! Give it to me too!”

“Okay, okay. Got it.”

And with a daughter who was nagging him, something like this couldn’t help but be a small happiness.

While we were eating like that, we were chatting about various things.

“What about you, Young Master?”

“I still have work to do there, so I’ll be back next week or so.”

The younger brother still had work to do there. Because of the war with Jangjakrim, the bandits who judged that the security of both sides was in shambles were causing a great deal of chaos.

That’s why my younger brother volunteered to stay on the scene, saying, ‘I will show you the strict laws of Korea and the power of the assault infantry.’ He was currently working with the local militia and the police to suppress the bandits.

“You too, my lord, are very consistent.”

“That guy is always like that. He won’t listen even when I tell him to find a good partner and get married.”

In front of a well-prepared table, I spoke while eating. After eating for a long time, I was in the middle of feeding my daughter, who was throwing tantrums.

“By the way, what day was it today?”

“It’s June 28th, why?”

“It’s June 28th… … .”

I couldn’t shake the feeling that my complicated mind was briefly turning white on a day that seemed familiar to me.

June 28, 1914 was also the day when the loudest gunshots were fired in the world.

“… the time will come when the loudest gunshot in the world will be heard.”

“What does that mean?”

“Please call your father in advance. The world is going to get noisy from now on.”

I said, emptying my bowl.

“What the heck is that… I get scared every time I hear something I don’t understand… … .”

Roha tilted his head, but didn’t really respond to what I said. I think it was because he often heard me say things that I didn’t understand.

“A storm that we can’t handle is coming soon. Ask your father to inspect all the factories.”

“Are you saying that a war even bigger than this one is going to break out?”

“perhaps.”

She asked me with concern. I nodded, but opened my mouth to reassure Roha.

“But this is a war that will not be fought here, but far away, in the distant western lands.”

“You won’t be leaving the house for a while, abandoning your family… right?”

“Of course. Where would I go leaving behind a wife and children who are like rabbits?”

I looked at my daughter, who was drawing and playing on a piece of paper, with a faint smile on her face.

According to the old man, seeing Roha’s appearance as a child in his granddaughter reminded me of what he said when he grew up that he would make many men cry.

“Dad, is this something you drew? Isn’t it cool?”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s cool.”

“When I grow up, I want to be a cool soldier like my dad!”

“…Okay, okay. Anything is fine.”

I smiled and patted my daughter’s head hard.

“… Are you serious?”

“no way.”

I shrugged my shoulders at Loha’s quizzical expression and finished my meal with my daughter sitting on my lap.

And even though it was a long time ago, I had to regret what I said that day. Even though it was only a dozen years later.

“It’s peaceful.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

She also smiled at me and said, Of course, even as I was doing this, the time when the gunshots from Sarajevo would be heard 8,400 km away was approaching.

Of course, I had no intention or desire to get deeply involved in the apocalyptic event known as World War I. It was a war in Europe, not in Asia.

Rather, it was an event that should have been an opportunity to improve the lives of civilians who had been devastated since the last Far Eastern War and to promote domestic industry as a special benefit of the war.

It was impossible to bring the smell of death from the West to the eastern lands. Well, in fact, I didn’t think that we in the Far East could do anything in this great war.

“Dad, look at this! Did you draw it?”

Although it is crooked, the painting, which I put my heart into, shows me in my military uniform.

After such a hearty meal, I was able to enjoy a sweet rest for the first time in a long while. I talked to Roha about things I hadn’t finished, and since it was time to make a younger sibling, we talked about this and that, and before I knew it, the next day was approaching.

“Take care on your way!”

Somehow, Roha waved with a face that looked much more fluffy than yesterday, and I smiled as I got into the special vehicle and headed to work at the headquarters as usual.

“Director, Director!”

Just then, the adjutant who had sent me off work early yesterday came to my desk with a telegram.

“Director, read this! Something happened in Europe!”

I opened it in silence, and as expected, it contained a very short article.

“… Crown Prince Austria has been assassinated.”

As it should be, it was an urgent telegram from our embassy in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. From Sarajevo in the Balkans, preparations were being made to mark the beginning of an event that would claim countless lives over the next four years.

“The Minister of the Army, the Minister of the Navy, and the Chief of the Marshal’s Office have now urgently entered Gyeongungung Palace. Perhaps those of higher rank than director general will also be ordered to enter the palace urgently.”

“… Okay.”

I tried to speak calmly, but I couldn’t describe the feeling that was throbbing deep in my chest.

I never thought I would witness with my own eyes the beginning of the Great War, which I had only seen in textbooks, countless history books, novels, and movies.

Perhaps it was a thrill. Of course, the war had not yet begun, and Europe would have a period of respite for a month or so after the assassination of the Crown Prince.

And so, the event that would go down in history as the most catastrophic war that was believed to end everything, but did not end everything, was approaching.

“Director, I heard that the Russian and French ambassadors have arrived at the palace in a hurry.”

“It is said that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia will also hold an emergency meeting with the Prime Minister this afternoon.”

“If we continue like this, won’t we get involved in this?”

The media had already been reporting this news everywhere, and the overall mood was getting tense. Naturally, even within the Marshal’s Office, there were voices of great concern about this incident and of various things being said about what would happen in the future.

“Nothing is certain yet, so don’t act rashly. The Marshal’s Office will not take any action without the government’s orders.”

“Oh, I see… … .”

In these chaotic times, I need to be in the center and control the traffic.

Of course, I also tried to calm my pounding heart and gave orders to the officers of the Marshal’s Office as if nothing had happened.

But somehow, my pounding heart didn’t calm down easily. Was it excitement or fear?

Then, all of a sudden, I realized what was making my heart beat so fast. It was anxiety.

Because, in that distant western corner, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the sound of the war drums was trying to draw us in.

Part 2 Prologue fin.

[Author’s Note]