Chapter 18: I will go to Pyeongan!

“Your Majesty, as a count, I will persuade Russia. I will tell them that Your Majesty has been waiting for the right opportunity.”

“If we eliminate the remaining Japanese forces in Manchuria and on the Korean Peninsula, and establish a completely independent nation, then Your Majesty will become the emperor who restores Manchuria—something that has not been achieved since Goguryeo’s attempted conquest of Liaodong.”

“Even Emperor Taizu himself could not accomplish this, but Your Majesty will!”

At my words, Gojong’s wavering focus sharpened.

‘See? This always happens when they hear something they want to believe.’

“That’s right.”

Gojong nodded as if possessed.

Ambition and greed gleamed in his expression.

Despite the Japanese army still being stationed in both Hanseong and Manchuria, he seemed to believe in the possibility of success.

“I will escort Your Majesty.”

‘Hurry up and follow me. If the Japanese forces in Manchuria discover us, they might invade Shenyang before I even get there.’

Although Lee Beomyun wouldn’t stand by idly, he wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.

“We must bring the ministers as well.”

“No, right now, Your Majesty’s safety comes first.”

‘Is this man insane? If we move the government so obviously, it will be seen as an official relocation. The more people we take, the harder it will be to move. Naturally, it will also become a greater nuisance. We must minimize the number of people being relocated.’

“The Japanese forces won’t be able to act immediately anyway. First, we will evacuate Your Majesty and then bring the Crown Prince and the Empress.”

Once the emperor is secured, what happens next will be clear.

This man prioritizes himself above all else, so he wouldn’t insist on bringing his son, Yi Cheok, and the Empress along at the same time.

“But if the governor of Shenyang is correct, then the Japanese could make a move while Your Majesty is away.”

“As Minister of the Army, I will block them.”

The one who stepped forward was Prince Uichin.

‘So, because history has changed, Prince Uichin has become the Minister of the Army at this time?’

‘Well, whatever. If he willingly walks into his own grave, that only makes my job easier.’

“Your Highness?”

“Just in case, take some members of the Imperial Guard and the Palace Guard as an escort force. I will defend the palace with the remaining troops. What are you waiting for? Governor of Shenyang, escort His Majesty to Shenyang immediately!”

Members of the Imperial Secret Intelligence Bureau and part of the Palace Guard were assigned to protect us.

‘This is becoming a much larger group than expected. Will this be okay?’

“Yes, Your Highness.”

‘The Japanese forces probably aren’t thinking much of it yet. But no, I can’t be sure. If there’s anyone who knows Gojong as well as the Koreans do, it’s the Japanese military. If they realize the emperor is missing, they might assume he has defected to Russia. That means we need to move quickly.’

Unfortunately, what Ok Jinseo had blurted out to persuade Gojong was actually something the Japanese had already planned.

As proof, Kuroki Tamemoto had taken charge of Hanseong’s defense under the pretext of preparing for a potential Russian landing.

Kuroki’s objective was to be ready to seize Hanseong at a moment’s notice if the Russo-Japanese War took a turn for the worse.

He was also preparing to secure the emperor swiftly in case of another infuriating Korean ikki (popular uprising) seeking revenge against the military.

However…

Before long, Kuroki, who had been preparing to take control of Hanseong, received a report that made him doubt his own ears.

***

“What did you say? The Korean emperor has disappeared?!”

“W-what should we do?”

Hearing his subordinate’s report, Kuroki pressed his fingers against his forehead.

“Unbelievable! I ordered you to monitor him closely! Where has the Korean emperor gone?!”

That pathetic monarch had fled once again? No, it wasn’t even likely for him to run away in the first place.

‘Hadn’t the Empire of Japan shown him countless acts of generosity?’

‘If he had simply submitted quietly, Japan would have treated him with benevolence.’

Yet, somehow, he had sensed the danger and escaped.

“We must find him immediately.”

“Could it be that, with the war against Russia turning against us, he has fled to Russia for protection?”

This was the same Korean king who had already defected to Russia once before during the Agwan Pacheon (the Korean royal refuge at the Russian legation).

He was likely doing the same thing again—placing his own safety above his people.

It seemed he had inherited the blood of the Joseon kings who had been quick to flee during the Japanese invasions of Korea (Imjin War).

Kuroki quickly mobilized the 1st Army and advanced toward the palace. Unfortunately, by the time he arrived, Prince Uichin’s Palace Guard was already defending it.

***

“I had my doubts at first, but it turned out to be true.”

Prince Uichin furrowed his brows.

“Prince Uichin, Japan is your country’s ally. Where is His Majesty?”

“Ally?”

Prince Uichin scoffed openly at the word.

‘Was this how an ally acted—pointing guns and storming the palace?’

There was no way he could yield to them now.

“So you’re finally showing your true colors. His Majesty has left Hanseong! Hahaha!”

Prince Uichin laughed mockingly.

“Damn it!”

As he taunted them, Kuroki clenched his teeth in frustration.

“We already knew that if the war with Russia turned unfavorable, you would betray us!”

Kuroki’s face twisted in anger.

‘How had they prepared for this so quickly? Did Korea’s intelligence agency even have the capability for such operations?’

“Damn it. At this point, we have no choice. The 1st Army will take control of Hanseong!”

In the end, Kuroki decided to seize Hanseong immediately.

A rebellion (ikki) could break out at any moment.

They had to conquer the Korean Empire now, before being defeated by Russia.

“Enough of this nonsense! Come at me, you damn Japanese!”

And so, the battle began.

***

The Honor Guard and Royal Guards of Prince Uichin fought a bloody battle against Kuroki’s 1st Army, relying on the royal palace to defend Hanseong.

However, it was impossible to stop the Japanese army with just a handful of guards.

“Stand your ground! Kill every last one of these Japanese bastards!”

“Hah! You fight to the end, just like the Imperial Army. But with such a small force, you won’t achieve anything!”

The royal palace was quickly overrun, and Hanseong fell into Japanese hands in an instant.

Upon hearing the news, Ito Hirobumi was beside himself with rage.

“What good is it to occupy Hanseong if the Joseon king has escaped? How can this be? Where is the empire headed?”

It seemed these damn Joseon royals had a knack for fleeing.

They were nowhere to be found.

But then, not long after—

“The Joseon king has been assassinated!”

“What… What did you say?”

Ito Hirobumi could hardly believe his ears.

‘The sovereign was dead? In the middle of this chaos, the emperor of Joseon had been killed?’

‘If this was true, peasant uprisings would erupt across the Korean Peninsula.’

The rebels would continuously harass the Imperial Army, making the already difficult war even harder to manage.

Ito Hirobumi staggered for a moment but quickly steadied himself.

‘It feels as if the empire’s future is growing darker.’

***

On the road to Pyeongan, the inevitable happened.

“Capture the Joseon king!”

Unfortunately, Lee Kang’s forces had not been able to hold out against Kuroki’s army for even half a day, and Kuroki had already dispatched a pursuit force.

‘If only they’d held out until we arrived… But at least they made it this far.’

They had reached the outskirts of Pyeongan.

Kuroki had only sent a portion of his cavalry in pursuit, so a few well-placed strikes could still turn the tide.

Slash!

My sword sliced clean through the neck of a bald-headed Japanese soldier.

After fighting and killing Qing soldiers so many times, I felt as if I had grown strong enough to take down an entire gang of apocalypse survivors by myself.

I had lost count of how many times I had done this.

“How can a woman be this strong?”

The emperor and his ministers, meanwhile, seemed lost in their own world.

If I played my cards right, I wouldn’t even need to kill this emperor.

I could just play the part of a loyal retainer and turn the Korean Empire into my own zombie state.

After all, war with Japan was now inevitable.

‘If it had come to this, then why not take Emperor Gojong hostage, force the British and Japanese to sign an alliance treaty against their will, and personally send a letter to the tsar, persuading him to intervene?’

But there was one problem.

“Can’t we just take the Pyeongan garrison and reclaim Hanseong?”

This damned royal nutcase wanted to march the Pyeongan troops south and retake the capital.

Even if I ran all the simulations in my head, I knew it would fail.

If Lee Kang’s guards hadn’t been able to hold, what could the remnants of Pyeongan’s garrison possibly do?

The enemy was Kuroki’s fully entrenched 1st Army.

The odds were grim.

“It’s impossible,” I said flatly.

“The emperor himself is asking, and yet you dare to be so firm!”

I sighed.

“I understand Your Majesty’s desire to reclaim the capital. But what is war without soldiers? Even if we had General Kang Gunbami of the Goguryeo era or General Kwon Yul from the Battle of Haengju during the Imjin War, it would still be a difficult task. And pulling reinforcements from Gando would take too much time.”

Of course, if I personally took the lead, it wouldn’t be impossible.

‘If I charged into Hanseong alone, cutting down Japanese soldiers left and right, their forces might break in terror.’

‘Then, the remnants of Pyeongan’s garrison could strike and drive them out. It wasn’t entirely impossible.’

‘But if I did that, the emperor’s authority would be restored, and I would truly be seen as a monster.’

“Tch. What a shame.”

“Don’t say it’s a shame,” I muttered. “I’m one step away from smacking you in the head like a roasted chestnut.”

No sense of reality.

No sense of strategy.

With men like him and all these useless Confucian scholars running the country, no wonder it had ended up in this state.

‘If I wanted to strip the emperor of his power, I needed to ensure a decisive Russian victory in the Russo-Japanese War.’

“As long as we persuade Russia, we can drive the Japanese out of Hanseong.”

‘If there were another viable option, I would consider it. But Britain was too deep in its Great Game with Russia.’

Japan was already eyeing the continent, and Russia was determined to move southward.

Korea had to choose between Russia and Japan—there was no middle ground.

Britain was unreliable.

And Japan wasn’t even worth discussing.

“But what about Manchuria?”

Even now, he was worrying about Manchuria.

Truly delusional.

‘If Korea wanted Manchuria, it would have to fight Russia for it. And if Russia decided to send its European forces in full force, then what?’

‘Even assuming the Bloody Sunday incident never happened, did Korea realistically have the capability to manage Manchuria?’

Absolutely not.

Not unless its security was guaranteed.

The troops Korea could muster right now barely amounted to half of Russia’s Far East Army, and its logistics relied heavily on foreign support.

“It must be difficult. You might even have to give up the position of Shenyang administrator that His Majesty granted you.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Even if it was unfortunate for him alone, the one who caused this mess was right in front of me.

A scrawny little thing, looking like the type who would get bullied into running errands for the class.

Yet, when it came to ruining a country, he was an absolute master.

‘This is all your fault, you bastard!’ That’s exactly what I’m saying right now.

“Now then, let’s hurry up and go.”

***

“But first, we should head to Pyeongan.”

No.

‘Go to Pyeongan? When it’s probably completely locked down by now? Pyeongan, of all places? Does this guy even have a brain?’

‘If Kuroki had any sense, he would have already blocked the route to Pyeongan, where at least some defensive forces might be stationed.’

“This is an imperial decree. It would be best to follow it.”

“You’re right. If we can recall the Manchurian army, there’s a chance.”

Lee Yongik and Min Yeonghwan were being a nuisance.

‘Ha, if I had known things would turn out like this, I would have just given up on everything. Maybe I should have used my knowledge of the future to enjoy an easy life in America and just supported independence activists from afar.’

‘Or should I just kill them all here and now? No, for now, there’s Lee Beomyun in Gando, so there’s no need to go there immediately. If I ignore Gojong’s orders and head straight north, who knows what he’ll do afterward?’

This is getting really annoying.

Fine, I’ll go as far as Pyeongan.

But that’s it.

Beyond that, I have no intention of following along.

“Understood. Let’s do that, then.”

They need to face reality.

***

Up to this point, everything was fine.

I was going to show these fools the reality of the situation.

It was all good—until now.

Of course, things never go smoothly.

As we neared Pyeongan, we ran into Kuroki’s soldiers.

They had already advanced right up to the outskirts of Pyeongan.

“Your Majesty, where are you? The Russians could move south at any moment, so we must escort you immediately.”

Oh, for—

“Didn’t I tell you this would happen?”

“What is the royal guard doing?!”

Tch.

The royal guard stepped forward to confront the forces Kuroki had sent.

But there were barely a handful of them.

Meanwhile, Kuroki’s pursuit force had significant numbers.

If we were to compare combat strength alone, this army had no chance of defeating Kuroki.

That meant our best option was for His Majesty to head to Manchuria while I bought time.

He’s at least good at running away, so I figured he’d listen to me on his own.

“I’ll clear a path, so His Majesty should head for Manchuria—”

“While the royal guard buys time, we’re going into Pyeongan!”

‘Oh my god. This bastard is seriously ignoring me.’

“Ah, for fuck’s sake, just listen to me!”

Bang! Tatatatang!

Gunfire rang out in the clear sky.

At the same time, a battle broke out between the royal guard and Kuroki’s pursuit force.

The problem was…

Kuroki’s men had actually landed a meaningful shot.

“Ugh!”

Yeah.

Not long after the gunfire, and just my luck—

That damn Gojong collapsed, blood spilling from his body.