Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 400



Only Noblemtl

#2 Part 10. The Giant’s Ultimatum (2)

He started first with the Imperial Household and the press. He appointed Shin Chae-ho, a young and enthusiastic editor-in-chief of the Hwangseong Sinmun and Daehan Maeil Sinbo, and an extreme hero-obsessed man, as a ceremonial officer in the Imperial Household and instructed him to search for evidence of the old territory of South Manchuria.

And with the financial support of the imperial family, he began to pour out what the emperor wanted. Starting with the Eulji Mundeokjeon, he poured out a series of turbulent writings about Manchuria, the former territory of Goguryeo, and soon the intellectual class, especially young students, began to be influenced by them.

In this way, the emperor began to manipulate the interests of the people as if he were playing with puppets through the power of the press, and based on that, he put pressure on the cabinet and the Marshal’s Office.

Any cabinet ministers or members of the Privy Council who made even the slightest concessions or showed a compromising attitude regarding their vested interests in South Manchuria were subject to harsh criticism, and as a result, more than four prime ministers were removed from office between 1907 and 1910.

And the Emperor was gradually regaining what had been taken away from the cabinet and the Marshal’s Office, which had been hesitating under the pretext of public opinion.

Finally, they had reached the final stage, almost ready, but they had overlooked one thing. Even the emperor, who boasted of having a hundred-level sense of humor, had overlooked the fact that Russia, faced with an unprecedented war, was not as rational as before—or indeed, it is not clear whether it was.

St. Petersburg, which had witnessed the reality of the battlefield, was in a state of collective panic. That is why they were demanding a settlement from the Korean Empire, using South Manchuria, which had been left as a deposit rather than a down payment, as a hostage.

And the way of settlement was more vicious and barbaric than ever. I suddenly remembered the words of General Kim Si-hyeok, who said that civilization is hypocrisy and honesty is barbarism.

They were trying to escape their crisis by shedding their pretense and showing their savage side, even if the target was someone they had fought with and shed blood together with 10 years ago.

“… If this happens, Your Majesty will not be able to properly implement the solution to the South Manchurian problem that you have been preparing for a long time.”

“There were two reasons why Jim insisted on Kwantungshu.”

But now, at what could truly be called the final stage, things went wrong.

“If this happens, the public opinion that was on Your Majesty’s side may turn hostile. It seems that the attempt to confirm the exclusive position in South Manchuria by declaring war and sending troops as an excuse has offended Russia.”

“What should I do with this… … .”

The Emperor was deeply troubled. The lifeline of the West Sea, which the Marshal’s Office had been calling for to be absolutely protected, was suddenly threatened by Russia’s sale of Kwantung Province.

“If we continue like this and surrender to the enemy, our country will be surrounded on three sides by the enemy. No matter what happens, we cannot tolerate Russia’s decision.”

Above all, it was a matter in which the position of the emperor himself, who had been recovering what had been lost by prioritizing public opinion, was in great danger. The people’s attachment to South Manchuria was already an object that went beyond political and economic advantages.

“If this fact is revealed at the Privy Council meeting tomorrow, something unbearable may happen. I should meet the Governor-General of the Far East… … .”

“No, that won’t happen.”

Suddenly, a good idea flashed through the Emperor’s mind. Perhaps it was something that could be used to solve all these problems, drive the thorny cabinet and military into a corner, and send their chief, the Director of Operations, to a distant battlefield.

“This could be a good opportunity, if we just change our perspective a little bit.”

“I don’t know what kind of… viewpoint this foolish god has.”

Perhaps this one thing could solidify public opinion on war participation and deployment, which was being half-forced.

“Russia sold Kwantung Province to Japan, but there is no mention of Harbin and Changchun, which are still connected to the Eastern Qing Railway. What does this mean?”

The Emperor spoke, pointing to the text in the telegram.

“I, So-shin, am dull and do not know much about the movements of the nations… … .”

“Look carefully, this is nothing more than giving us another chance. After all, if Japan wants to discuss the strategic value of Lushun and Dalian, the Kwantung region, then it has to expand to this very place, right?”

At the emperor’s fingertips was Hebei, which could be said to be the center of the Eastern Qing Railway route.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“However, the fact that they have informed us that they will sell only Kwantung Province to Japan without handing it over here indicates one important fact. If we send troops, we can discuss this region later.”

“But how can you trust Nossua?”

“Japan is actively supporting their war effort, so we should take it as meaning that they will treat us as they deserve. And they are also giving us a breathing space.”

As the excitement gradually subsided, the Emperor saw a phrase at the end that seemed to have been inserted by the Tsar himself.

“The Tsar himself has explicitly stated that he will recognize the exclusive position in South Manchuria that our cabinet and the Marshal’s Office so desperately desired.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Then this is a very good opportunity for us. Even if Kwantung Province is sold, if we can control Changchun and Hebei by sending troops and suppress them, we may be able to confine the power that the Japanese Empire can project there.”

The Emperor said with a sly smile. Even if he did not have the ability to do so, the Marshal’s Office and the Cabinet, who were loyal to the Korean Empire and not the Emperor, would be able to cleverly block them.

“Will the Cabinet and the Prime Minister listen to me… … .”

“They may be disloyal to me, but they are at least more devoted to their country than anyone else. If a situation like this comes up, they will move to find the best way, even if it is not necessarily my intention.”

Park Je-soon rolled his eyes for a moment, then nodded. He wanted to say a lot, but for now, it was a wise choice to quietly agree with what he said. It’s because of this lack of awareness that many of the gun barrels have been blown away in this place.

“That’s true.”

“And I can tell my subjects this: while the Cabinet and the Marshal’s Office have been forcing themselves to maintain neutrality, we have lost the fruits we deserved. The anger that would have been directed at me will be directed at the Cabinet and the Marshal’s Office… … .”

“It seems that public opinion may be formed that we must participate in the war in order to secure even the remaining half.”

“That’s it. If that’s the case, we can put great political pressure on the cabinet and the Marshal’s Office to go to war even now.”

The Emperor, whose excitement had completely subsided, was satisfied with the result of his cool-headed calculations. This seemed like a desperate situation from a national perspective, but it was applied in a slightly different way to the Emperor personally.

Of course, it is risky, but if this logic is accepted, it could greatly shake up those who still want to remain neutral.

‘Perhaps this will be the key to dealing a crushing blow to the arrogant cabinet and the arrogant military.’

If a crisis had come, it would not have been a bad idea to look for the positive side in this way. While the cabinet and military, forced to make an unavoidable choice, were finally concentrating their energies on the issue of sending troops, they could build up their own power.

“A crisis always brings with it an opportunity. Nosua’s choice this time is no different from an ultimatum, but it may bring about a good result.”

The emperor said as he poured two spoonfuls of sugar into the steaming cup of coffee. He had been waiting for this day to come, so he added a little more sugar than usual.

Then, instead of the bitter aftertaste of coffee I was used to, the sweetness of refined sugar stimulated the tip of my tongue.

“…Have the contents of this telegram immediately secretly transmitted to the Official Gazette and each newspaper. As soon as day breaks, the world will know what is going to happen.”

“I am afraid that Your Majesty will be criticized.”

“That won’t happen. Isn’t this the media that was prepared for such a time?”

Although he looked slightly reluctant, Minister of the Imperial Household Park Je-sun nodded his head and expressed his agreement.

“Let this be done immediately.”

“I will do as Your Majesty commands immediately. Oh, and His Royal Highness the Prince has requested to return to the country. What should we do about that?”

Prince Ui, who had been in Europe as a special envoy for almost a year, personally sent a telegram to his home country. It was a question asking when he would be able to return home.

Park Je-sun, who had repeatedly refused the offer with various excuses, decided to ask the emperor directly when he ran out of excuses. However, the emperor’s tone of voice that he received in return was colder than before.

“Do I need to know your intentions about that? I believed that you would fully understand my intentions and carry them out without any orders.”

“I am, Your Majesty, sorry. I will immediately send a telegram informing you that your permission has not been granted.”

Park Je-soon lowered his head as if he had made a mistake and immediately went outside. Perhaps he had no intention of tolerating any thorn in his side that could threaten his throne, even if it was his own son.

“… Oh, and did you say that the Director of Operations was attending the banquet held at the Sontag Hotel in Yongsan today?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. They should have set off by now.”

The Emperor smiled. It was a meeting between the Director of Operations, who was practically the head of the Marshal’s Office, and the businessmen. He secretly looked forward to the outcome of this meeting.

“I hope they were able to convince the Director of Operations, yes.”

“Just in case, how about putting in more surveillance?”

“Do as you wish, Your Majesty. I have left it up to you to move the subordinates.”

Entrepreneurs were already looking positively at the prospect of participating in the war, perhaps judging that it would open up new business opportunities.

“I’m going to go now. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”

Park Je-sun nodded silently and went outside. In this way, the giant’s notice began to spread slowly from the nine-story palace to the entire Seoul.

***

Meanwhile, completely unaware of what was going on, I was getting ready to head to a rather fancy hotel. It took a while because I was on my way home from work, but I was able to get home faster than expected.

“It’s Sontag Hotel… … .”

Since Mrs. Sontag established the hotel in the 1880s, she was appointed as the Western Court Lady of the Imperial Household of the Korean Empire with the trust of the Emperor, and she had been expanding the hotel business in Hanseongbu on a large scale. And as time went by, it began to expand to various places.

“… He said he just wanted to have a simple dinner.”

It started out in a two-story building in Jeongdong, but as demand grew, it opened its first magnificent branch in Yongsan, where a new station had been built, and then expanded its business by building new buildings in Pyongyang, Hamheung, and even Dongrae in the south.

And today, I heard that there was a dinner party planned here with many entrepreneurs and capitalists, including the craftsman. At first, I thought it was just a simple family dinner, but later, I remembered how surprised I was when I suddenly received an invitation.

“I envy you, Director. You’re going to such a great place.”

“Aren’t you going to accompany me and come in with me anyway?”

“But would only the director who received an official invitation do it? This is my first time going to a place where my hair grows. It’s a new feeling for me to go to a place where His Majesty the Emperor himself has visited several times.”

Even the adjutant, who was usually old-fashioned and didn’t laugh at anything, seemed excited when he heard he was going there in the evening, and for some reason he seemed to be hurrying his steps. I got out of the car and just smiled faintly instead of answering.

“It’s a place I can’t even dream of with my local salary, but thanks to you, Director, I’ll be able to eat a big meal.”

“Go and eat something moderate. Wouldn’t it be frustrating to eat something delicious and get a stomachache?”

As the adjutant said, it was a place where it was difficult for average people to even afford to stay for one night on their salary, and even then, it was rumored that reservations were fully booked and that one would have to wait more than a year to rent it.

If Japan’s luxury hotels are represented by the ‘Imperial Hotel’, then the Korean Empire has the ‘Sontag Hotel’, which must have a great reputation among both domestic and foreign citizens.