Chapter 36: Cunning old man

Ito Hirobumi’s conditions were simple.

“Let’s just end this war now.”

In other words, he was saying, Let’s end this war, please consider Japan.

To begin with, we were already pushing forward in a situation where we had been completely drained.

Even now, as I act tough, it’s all just a bluff.

Since the battlefield had become the Korean Peninsula, the Korean Empire was bound to suffer damages.

Especially in Gando, where we had already exhausted all our gathered strength—this war needed to end here.

We had to take a break for a while, using the money Qing had handed over and the reparations from Japan.

“That is exactly what we in Korea have been hoping for. We’ve already spoken with England about it, and surely Japan has already reached an agreement as well, haven’t they?”

“Britain is Britain. Korea and Japan must negotiate separately.”

‘Damn it. He’s trying to trick me in a one-on-one negotiation.’

‘Does he think I’m too ignorant to see through this?’

‘Even if I lack knowledge in this area, does this bastard really take me for a fool? I at least understand this much.’

“So, how far is Japan willing to make concessions?”

“We are willing to concede on the reparations. Japan will help Korea modernize. So please, spare Japan.”

“There must be a set of terms for the armistice that you’ve received from your homeland. Hand them over.”

I snatched the conditions from Ito and read through Japan’s demands.

***

The Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire recognize the full independence of the Korean Empire and affirm the inviolability of its territory.

The Korean Empire acknowledges itself as a neutral state and buffer zone between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire.

The Empire of Japan will withdraw its troops from Manchuria, the Korean Peninsula, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands.

The Empire of Japan recognizes Russia’s fishing rights in Japanese territorial waters.

There will be reparations, but no territorial cessions.

***

Utter nonsense, not even worth reading.

Just looking at the second clause—it basically means [We will withdraw, but in return, Korea must declare its own neutrality.]

How absurd.

‘Ito isn’t an idiot, so he surely didn’t bring this as the actual set of demands.’

This was probably just an initial proposal from his government, which Ito Hirobumi decided to embellish a bit.

‘Would a country that still needed to block incoming invasion forces really submit peace terms this quickly?’

Ito was likely throwing out something ridiculous first, expecting negotiations to follow.

***

“I don’t understand why you’re saying this. The second clause is already a problem. Whether Korea aligns with another country or remains neutral—that is our decision. You, as the defeated party, are in no position to impose conditions on us.”

“As for the third clause—Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, fine. But there are no remaining Japanese troops in Manchuria or the Korean Peninsula, are there? Well, unless you count the few stragglers wandering around in rags.”

“This is just a draft, so of course, we can negotiate. But still, this is rather shameless, don’t you think?”

Ito Hirobumi clenched his fists tightly.

To think that this was the same Ito Hirobumi—reduced to such a pitiful state.

The defeat in the Russo-Japanese War was about to change everything for Japan.

I understood.

In order to keep their government intact, people like Katsura Taro back in Japan must have felt compelled to draft something like this.

Of course, given how terrible the terms were, revisions were inevitable.

They would try to hold on to reparations and avoid territorial cessions as much as possible.

“Naturally. This is the bare minimum for maintaining the Imperial Cabinet. I will handle the negotiations, so for now, just stop Russia from invading the mainland.”

“For an old man, you sure have sharp ears.”

Well, considering his achievements, it’s no surprise.

I might not like him, but I had to respect one thing—he took Japan, an isolated island nation at the mercy of foreign powers, and elevated it to the point of drooling over its neighbors.

Now, I had to do the same.

I had to build up the Korean Empire and make sure Japan suffered regular beatings.

“When a nation is in crisis, one must listen carefully.”

“I am nothing more than a powerless woman. What could I possibly do? And stopping Russia’s invasion? Do you think I am some kind of Russian minister?”

“I know full well that you were the one who negotiated with Britain! That means, in due time, a mediated settlement will be reached. That time is now! Enough of this!”

He must be really desperate.

I could see the bloodshot veins in Ito Hirobumi’s eyes.

“Does this mean you are ignoring Britain’s proposal?”

“I have already accepted Britain’s peace proposal, even against my homeland’s original orders. This draft is merely to discuss points that require adjustment. What more do you want?”

‘He still thinks he can fool me.’

‘Wait a minute.’

‘There’s no way this cunning old fox doesn’t know what he’s doing.’

This is a trap.

A direct negotiation with me, designed to corner me.

No, the moment I agreed to meet with Ito, I had already fallen into it.

I hadn’t contacted any external parties—Ito had approached me directly.

Just this fact alone would cause problems later.

Ito Hirobumi was aiming for that.

Even if Japan was doomed, he wanted to create leverage against me.

If I simply ignored him and relied on Britain alone, the hardliners back home would surely criticize me later.

They’d say that I failed to gain anything from negotiating with Ito and that I had recklessly met with him alone.

Judging by Ito’s expression, that was exactly his intention.

I needed to produce some kind of beneficial outcome from this.

If I sat still, Britain would eventually secure peace on its own.

But since he had come to me first, I had the opportunity to push back with threats of my own.

I couldn’t afford to waver.

***

“You don’t plan to accept this proposal as is, do you? You’ll try to wriggle out of parts of it.”

“We will accept it unconditionally.”

“We have no intention of returning the prisoners.”

“Are you asking for ransom?”

‘Ransom?’ I already knew they had no money to pay.

They still had loans from Britain and America to repay.

And on top of that, if they had to pay us reparations too, they’d have nothing left.

I needed to extract something tangible.

Using prisoners as unpaid, legal labor was only natural.

I shook my head lightly.

“No. Once you pay all the reparations in this negotiation, will you have any money left to ransom prisoners? No, we’ll just make use of them here.”

This was also to prevent them from adding a clause in the peace treaty demanding the immediate return of prisoners.

They were already going to struggle under the weight of their debts.

Handing over territory would actually be cheaper for them.

“And?”

“We will be taking Tsushima.”

I declared triumphantly.

I was going to take their land.

“What? You want to be ceded Tsushima Island?”

Well, of course, they’d be furious.

The Korean Empire, which seemed to have stabbed them in the back, now wanted to take their land too.

It must feel unfair.

“I’d like to obtain other islands like Iki as well, but that would be asking for too much. However, Tsushima is not just Japan’s land—it has deep historical ties to our Korean Empire as well. Back in King Sejong’s time, we conquered and subjugated Tsushima. Using that as a justification, we seek to reclaim it.”

“You’re asking for too much.”

‘Too much? If anything, I was willing to settle for just what Britain had proposed.’

‘And yet, here he was, having arranged a solo negotiation with me just to corner me, only to spew nonsense.’

I had to secure whatever I could, if only to prevent future Korean officials from saying pointless things.

Just as this cunning old man had drafted his own initial proposal to squeeze out as much as possible, I had to prepare to extract my own gains.

“After all the suffering Japan has inflicted on us, isn’t this much luxury justified? Besides, we’re not simply claiming Tsushima as spoils of war. Who knows when your country will attack again? At the very least, we must have the means to monitor the Japanese archipelago.”

Later, if Britain pressures us about this, we can leverage it for other concessions.

“You mean to say you don’t trust the Empire?”

‘Oh, for fuck’s sake. Did he seriously just say that?’

‘Who was it that started all sorts of underhanded schemes, beginning with the Unyo Incident?’

Of course, the Joseon court had been foolish enough to fall for it, but that didn’t justify Japan’s actions.

“On the contrary, is there any benefit for Korea in foolishly trusting Japan again? Starting with the Unyo Incident, then the Treaty of Ganghwa, the First Sino-Japanese War, and the warship scams—these are just the major events I remember. Who knows how many more I don’t?”

Truly absurd.

Trusting Japan would be more foolish than going back to serving China.

“It’s quite troubling to hear such misconceptions. Korea was the one who accepted our Empire in the first place. The Shinmiyangyo—you refused to open your ports even to America, which had brought even stronger warships than ours. But during the Unyo Incident, you let us in. Isn’t that right?”

‘If you really break it down, that was simply because the damages from the Byeonginyangyo and Shinmiyangyo had accumulated.’

But the way he phrased it made it sound infuriating.

‘Did he really think that if we had resisted, Japan wouldn’t have set its sights on us?’

That made no sense at all.

“Even if Joseon hadn’t accepted it back then, judging by Japan’s actions until now, there’s no way you would have abandoned the idea of ‘Seikanron’ (the theory of invading Korea). No matter what you say, our court’s incompetence does not justify the Japanese invasion based on that principle.”

‘Waenom’ (derogatory term for Japanese).

At that word, Ito Hirobumi frowned.

I never liked dragging out conversations.

Ito Hirobumi probably understood that too—especially now, when his own country was in danger.

Japan had gambled everything on this war, but they had lost.

Now, all that was left was to determine how gracefully they would accept defeat.

“Give me a moment to think.”

“Whether you think about it or not, you don’t really have the time. Even now, your territory is being burned to the ground.”

To be precise, we were merely playing along.

It was Russia doing most of the burning.

After this, as Ito had predicted, Korea and Japan might not openly fight, but we would surely regard each other as eternal enemies.

After all, they had been defeated by the very Joseon they looked down on.

“If you handle diplomacy that way, you’ll only end up earning the resentment of nations across the world. For the sake of both our countries’ futures, diplomacy should not be conducted in such a harsh manner.”

“That won’t be an issue. This applies only to Japan. If I handled diplomacy recklessly, do you think the Tsar would be my steadfast supporter? Would Britain have abandoned your country and held secret talks with me instead? As for Qing, you already know the nature of our relationship, so I won’t waste my breath.”

No matter how much he resisted, it was futile.

“Sir, our forces have landed on Japanese soil alongside the Russians.”

Right on cue, Kim Insu entered and loudly announced it, ensuring Ito would hear.

We’ve landed in Japan.

That must be thanks to the Tsar’s firm resolve.

But this wouldn’t last long.

Russia wasn’t in a position to prolong the war much further either.

Soon, we would need to reach a settlement.

“So, we march on Tokyo next. Well then, Lord President of the Privy Council? I believe it’s time for us to renegotiate.”

“I’m the superior here, and you’re the subordinate. So don’t try to play tough—just listen to what I say.”

***

“What?”

“It would be wise to accept quickly. Otherwise, by the time you contact the Tsar, won’t Japan already be in flames?”

At my words, Ito Hirobumi’s eyebrows twitched in anger.

Such a short-tempered old man.

He wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.

‘Should I try to take Okinawa as well? No, that would be difficult. Britain wouldn’t allow it, fearing we might become too close to Russia.’

So, the limit was Tsushima.

Besides, acquiring Tsushima wasn’t just about territorial expansion.

The island would serve as a strategic base to monitor Japan and as an airfield location.

That way, we’d always be ready to strike.

“Fine. I accept.”

“Just in case you try to backtrack, let’s also finalize the war indemnities.”

“War indemnities as well?”

“That’s right.

“Britain had agreed on the principle of indemnities, but they hadn’t specified an exact amount. If Japan suddenly claimed, ‘We’re broke, here’s ten million yen,’ that would be a disaster.”

“So we had to make it clear.”

“It’s not like we can simply say we’ll accept any amount, right?”

“Fine. How much are you expecting?”

By now, Ito had completely given up, merely waiting for my response.

“I always had one rule.”

“If you want to get what you desire, you have to start by demanding even more.”

“Make the other party feel like they successfully negotiated a reduction—let them think they won. Even if it makes you sound ridiculous.”

So, I planned to go big.

“Three hundred million yen.”

“Do you even know what our national revenue is? Russia will demand even more!”

Ito shot up from his seat, fuming.

I didn’t care how much they had to pay Russia.

Besides, they’d probably lose Fujian Province too.

“Korea, Gando, Manchuria. The Russians fought in the Far East, in Manchuria and Sakhalin. But we fought on our own land. Considering that, isn’t this a modest request?”

We fought a war on our own territory.

Of course, compared to the Imjin War, the damage was much less.

The militia forces led by the aristocracy had been wiped out, but unlike during the Imjin War, our land wasn’t completely devastated.

“You’re taking Tsushima, and now you want to seize our remaining fleet too, not to mention the three hundred million yen? If we must cede land, shouldn’t that at least reduce the indemnity?”

I was wondering when he’d bring that up.