Chapter 29: Let’s make the hierarchy clear

The meeting with the Japanese Ambassador to Korea, Jordan, was truly a meaningful occasion.

That guy actually says he’ll support our side.

Well, it’s not so much our side as it is that Russia has already been defeated, so at least he’s considering using the Korean Empire as a buffer zone.

Still, there was some good news.

Judging by their actions, it was clear why the British, who had turned a blind eye to Japan taking the Korean Empire, suddenly changed their attitude.

The Pacific and Baltic combined fleets and the Japanese combined fleet at the Battle of Tsushima.

In the end, Russia won.

Even though the Bloody Sunday event happened in Russia, it must have been a huge blow to Japan, and the British could no longer just sit back and watch.

“And then.”

Suddenly, I looked outside and saw the Korean Empire and Russian forces together removing the Japanese soldiers’ bodies.

The situation had changed to the point where they no longer aimed their rifles at each other.

All because of my existence.

The country of the Korean Empire, which had been left with nothing but a shell, had now finally bought some time.

“I know Count Okbaek helped our Russian victory, but the Koreans were still the ones who pointed their rifles at us. It would have been better to at least take them as prisoners.”

However, the Far Eastern Army Commander-in-Chief, Kuropatkin, tried to say something later.

“It was that incompetent emperor who sent them, making him Japan’s puppet. What could he know? Please, let’s make this a special case with the commander-in-chief’s discretion.”

The area around Bongcheon was filled with Japanese bodies, so it seemed it would take quite a while to clean up.

Of course, they weren’t all dead.

‘If they captured hundreds of thousands and killed them, is it reasonable to think they missed anyone?’

Those they missed would be captured again and used for the reclamation of Gando.

“I wonder if they’ll become ghosts.”

“To be honest, they were just following their country’s orders.”

Kim Insu muttered while watching the soldiers clean up the Japanese bodies.

“They’ll probably become ghosts.”

Having experienced death myself, I don’t care if they turn into ghosts.

Just cleaning up these corpses will take a long time.

“Kuroki Tamemoto’s 1st army is still left.”

“Let’s capture them.”

Kuroki Tamemoto’s army will be finished too.

Well, they killed many people, so now Kuroki Tamemoto’s army will be forced to participate in the modernization efforts of the Korean Empire.

‘Where else would we get tens of thousands of free labor?’

“Did the negotiations with the British Ambassador go well?”

Kim Insu has a lot of questions, doesn’t he?

No matter how I look at it, it’s annoying that someone who’s not even a diplomat is talking about international diplomacy.

He must be trying to say something like that.

“At least we’ll be able to cut ties with the Japanese, so there’s no downside for us.”

Now that the Russo-Japanese War ended in Japan’s defeat, the Korean Peninsula will no longer be in danger of becoming a Japanese colony.

As long as Nicholas II is alive, I’ll hold out, and Russia won’t try to swallow the Korean Empire.

“French officers visiting Gando called the Governor of Shenyang Korea’s Joan of Arc.”

Korea’s Joan of Arc.

That actually feels good.

Maybe France helped me because of such treatment.

“Korea’s Joan of Arc, huh? Just luck.”

Honestly, there are many similarities between me and Joan of Arc.

It’s no wonder the French liked me.

Especially since their ally, Russia, cherishes this country, they might have wanted to target me on purpose.

If things go well, modernizing the Korean Empire may not be so difficult.

After the Russo-Japanese War ends, I can begin modernization with the money I collected from the Qing Dynasty and Japan.

“But, the staff really hates the Japanese.”

“Isn’t it strange not to hate Japan in this era?”

He’s talking nonsense.

If I stopped a random person and asked, “Do you hate Japan?” they’d say yes right away.

The Anglo-Japanese Alliance and all that were things King Gojong did when he got obsessed with Manchuria.

“No, I mean, Japan shouldn’t even exist.”

Oh, he gets it.

“Yes, that’s it.”

“I believe Japan shouldn’t exist.”

“Of course. Japan must also be defeated so that Korea survives. With the Treaty of Shimonoseki, Japan became a semi-colony, and now that their military capacity is shattered, Japan is struggling. While Western powers are momentarily friendly with Korea, that’s how we survive.”

‘What will Korea’s future look like?’

Colonization, division, and constant pressure from neighboring countries.

Japan was one of them.

Of course, I’m not someone who mindlessly hates Japan, but for Korea to survive in this era, Japan must never again rise from the islands.

Japan has already sweetly embraced imperialism, and the damage is significant.

It’s impossible to be friendly with them now; we’ve crossed the point of no return.

One of us must die, and as a Korean, we must beat them down so they can’t even pretend to be a country.

But before that, I have to revive this damn country.

Now, we’re back at square one, and we can finally lay the foundation to revive it.

With the mighty British Empire temporarily supporting us and Nicholas II having me by the nose, this is now possible.

“How far are you looking?”

“What do you mean?”

He suddenly asks how far I’m looking.

I feel a bit wronged.

“In the end, if Korea builds strength, you’ll have to fight Qing and Japan again because of your grudges.”

That’s true.

“Maybe they will form an alliance.”

“Of course, this is assuming the Qing doesn’t fall apart, but sadly, the Qing Dynasty’s lifespan is coming to an end.”

“The Qing will collapse soon, so it won’t be hard to strip them. They’ll have to beg us for peace, and Japan—well, they’ll have to exterminate the Yamato people and turn their proud shrine into a massive cemetery. That’s how we secure the survival of the Korean people.”

The extinction of the Yamato people.

‘Isn’t that the wish of the Korean Empire, or more specifically, the Korean people?’

And securing the survival rights of the Korean people.

“Unlike Japan, which took control of Manchuria and fought the Sino-Japanese War, China is now fragmented with warlords fighting for independence. If we manage to separate them, we can use the revolution to take control of the Russian lands full of resources.”

“Hahaha, you’re going a bit far with the jokes.”

“Does it look like a joke?”

As I chuckled, Kim Insu clamped his mouth shut.

Sadly, I can no longer live under the same sky as Japan.

They killed the Emperor of the Korean Empire, and tens of thousands of their soldiers perished by our hands.

We’ll cry for revenge against each other.

In the end, it’s all about revenge.

I’m surprisingly attached to life.

Since I’ve already made a name for myself in the Korean Empire, I have to stake my claim here.

To do that, I have to end things with Japan.

In the future, excluding political issues, I might even travel to Japan and see them as just another country, but for now, it’s inevitable.

The reason I wiped out tens of thousands of their soldiers is so that one day we can have a final showdown.

We must carry this grudge to fight again later.

But turning the Japanese islands into hell would be difficult with ordinary strength.

‘So, how about using overwhelming air force to destroy all farmland and spray poison gas all over the major cities?’

That might be the only way.

“What, how far can a woman’s body go?”

“Cough. Once we deal with those guys, we’ll start moving south.”

Seems like this guy still thinks it’s all lies.

“If Russia moves south to the Korean Peninsula, it’ll be troublesome, so we need to hurry with preparations.”

But while moving south at a reasonable pace, I plan to slowly head towards the south under the guise of negotiations.

It’s time to deal with those conservative scholars who are obstructing reform.

I don’t have to handle them directly—I’ll let the Japanese army take care of them.

The scholars will be dealt with, and later, it will be easier for Lee Beomyun to take power.

***

“The meeting will begin soon in Fengtian.”

“So?”

“In order for the chief of staff to realize the world he wants, the Sapo Corps will have to overthrow it, right?”

Ah, if someone overheard this, they’d think it’s treason.

“Overthrow? Anyone who hears that would think it’s treason.”

But that’s not my intention.

I’m just naturally playing the game of “use the enemy to defeat the enemy.”

The Japanese army has already turned the cabinet into a mess, and in Manchuria, the Sapo Corps is being praised.

Park Seo Sangmu’s Korean Empire Army is now in a delicate position.

When I fought, they were just backup in terms of numbers, but they ended up being collaborators with the men who killed the Emperor.

Now is the time to uproot the public sentiment against the royal family.

Actually, they exploited that situation.

In the end, constitutional monarchy seems like the best option.

“So, are you aiming for a constitutional monarchy?”

“That’s probably the answer, for now.”

Whether it’s in the British style or the Japanese style.

If there’s one thing I truly admire, it’s Japan’s modernization.

Right now, Korea is far too late, so after finishing the war completely, I must use the current public sentiment to let the Sapo Corps take power.

Now, before that happens, I need to see how the military meeting is going.

***

The Korean Empire Army under Park Seo Sangmu and the Sapo Corps, along with the joint command, were formed.

“I felt pity for those Japanese once I saw them die.”

“These guys really thought they were fighting for Joseon and the East.”

‘Fighting for Joseon and the East?’

I could overlook that, but the higher-ups are different.

They’ve been tightening Joseon’s grip with unequal treaties until now.

The Japan-Korea Protocol is a prime example of that.

“Do you think they really thought that?”

“That’s right. The Japanese always act like that.”

“If King Gojong had fled to Russia like he did in the Gwangmu Reform, it would have put Japan in a difficult position.”

“Even if a pro-Japanese government were set up, all that time would have been wasted, and if Gojong, who had become a puppet of Russia, had encouraged the righteous army, Russia would have been able to resist a little longer.”

“If that had happened, Japan would have been stuck and doomed.”

“After that, the Korean Empire would have been a Russian protectorate, but still. That just shows how much Japan risked in the Russo-Japanese War.”

“Well, I guess it’s a minority.”

“How many of them truly believe that? They always talk about fighting for the East. It’s just an excuse. In the end, they’re trying to carry out imperialism. Based on the Russo-Japanese War, they began Korea’s colonization efforts. Fortunately, it ended with Russia’s victory, so it didn’t happen.”

“Now, in this situation where we need to move south, the chief of staff seems relaxed.”

“Relaxed? Well, compared to the commander’s army, I guess you could say so.”

Here, they can fight as much as they want, but the Korean Empire Army is different.

Though they joined forces with the Japanese army here, they still fought alongside Japan.

So, here, the hierarchy and order must be clearly addressed.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Because you’ve been the collaborator of Japan who killed the Emperor.”

It may seem like there aren’t many actions, but even after the Emperor died, the Korean Empire Army remained allied with Japan for several months.

They only found out late and changed their stance, but still.

“That was a mistake! We had no idea about that!”

Park Seo Sangmu glared at me, shouting as if feeling wronged, but that’s all it was.

I know perfectly well.

Park Seo Sangmu is the kind of man who would commit suicide if the army was disbanded.

But here, I had to manipulate things a bit to secure the Sapo Corps’ superiority.

“How many Koreans would understand that? Anyway, it’s true that an army of 80,000 fought alongside the Japanese.”

I spoke nonchalantly while turning my head.

“The Liaoning official is being too harsh!”

“We’ve also been deceived by those guys!”

The staff under Park Seo Sangmu were swallowing their anger.

On the other hand, the officers of the Sapo Corps, who had become fierce war machines alongside me, were grinning.

“Is it harsh? So what?”

“The reality is reality. No matter how we feel, we did ally with Japan, didn’t we?”

“You trust the Japanese? I’d rather trust a cat in a fish market.”

“Though there wasn’t direct combat, in the end, we united to fight Russia. Russia also saw the Korean Empire as an enemy. So here, the Sapo Corps must lead. That’s what I’m saying.”

“So, what are you saying?”

“We’ll take the lead.”

“The Sapo Corps will take the lead? You want to take credit, don’t you?”

At first glance, it seems like a divide-and-conquer move, but we need to solidify our position before and after the war.

We need to make sure we’re not just running around in places like Gando and Manchuria, but we need to solidify our presence here.

“This isn’t about taking credit. It’s our rightful claim. I even stopped the proposal to hold the Korean Empire Army as prisoners in Arasa.”

“Then what exactly is the Sapo Corps?”

‘What exactly is the Sapo Corps?’ That’s a harsh question.

‘Do they think I’m some Russian soldier?’

“The Korean Empire’s army. That’s why we should be the ones to lead. At least, the army that won the Manchurian War should be the one to lead the southward push, don’t you think? It’ll be much more fitting than the army that fought alongside the Japanese.”

I’m not wrong.