Chapter 43: Taking advantage of Japan

The Empire of Japan

Ito Hirobumi’s life these days felt like hell with each passing day.

Threats of assassination were the norm, and without his bodyguards, Ito Hirobumi might have become something that once was “Ito Hirobumi.”

“Dammit. Now I even have to carry bodyguards with me.”

“We must somehow persuade Ambassador Igris.”

“We must somehow persuade Ambassador Igris.”

“At the very least, we needed to extend the deadline for repaying the loan.”

“Welcome. You certainly have taken your time showing up.”

“Apologies. The country’s situation is urgent.”

“Not long ago, a terrorist attack occurred at the embassy building. What do you plan to do about this?”

MacDonald pointed to the outer walls of the embassy building that had been shattered, with bricks scattered everywhere.

Ito Hirobumi swallowed hard.

“Since Igris, our ally, must think that the Empire has abandoned them, the colonists had even attacked the embassy.”

If possible, he wanted to kneel down right there.

“Apologies. Ambassador, please show mercy.”

MacDonald felt sorry for the old man in front of him.

However, what could he do? His home country had mercilessly tightened the leash on Japan and issued strict orders.

“Our British Empire is still your friend. Well, the results are not good, but we inflicted quite a bit of damage on the Russian Pacific Fleet.”

“Then, surely?”

“You shouldn’t get too excited. You should listen to what they say to the end.”

“Russia has occupied the Korean-controlled Tsushima, and the Russian fleet is now docked there. We must keep them in check. This is because of the fleet your country wiped out. Although our alliance was broken, we still need to check Russia, so we are willing to give your country as much help as possible.”

‘Is Igris giving the Empire another chance?’

“Then!”

Ito Hirobumi smiled brightly like a child and waited for MacDonald’s next words.

But what came out of his mouth was something devastating.

“This was mentioned before, but if you were to cede Okinawa, then we would reconsider.”

Not just occupy it, but cede it.

They had clearly planned to take it.

“Our Empire has fought hard for Igris. Would you not give us some more time?”

Sone Aresuke, who had come with Ito Hirobumi to the embassy, made a small attempt at resistance.

“It seems you’re still under some illusion. Will your fleet be restored just by giving you time? What about the Russian fleet in the meantime? Our actions are also to protect your homeland.”

“You are protecting us? What do you mean by that?”

Ito Hirobumi felt a chill running down his spine.

‘What could that possibly mean?’

“It sounded just like when the Empire said it would protect Joseon because it didn’t yet have the strength to modernize. Surely this must be some misunderstanding.”

“Our home country still values the alliance, so we are considering making your homeland a protectorate.”

“Protectorate? What does that mean?”

“That meant the Empire would become a vassal state or colony of Igris, doesn’t it?”

Ito Hirobumi collapsed onto the ground.

“!! No. Please, not that!”

“Then, cede Okinawa. And the surrounding islands as well.”

The defeated had no opportunities left.

Japan, having only recently annexed Okinawa, had to cede it to Britain, even though it had been less than 100 years since it was incorporated.

Ito Hirobumi started to seriously think about whether he should just send away his bodyguards.

He wasn’t living a real life anyway.

Thus, Japan went bankrupt.

The conglomerates collapsed, and everyone became poor, while the national fortunes that had once been thriving plunged to the bottom.

Especially in the Yokohama industrial area, it was like a golden fishing ground for foreign capitalists.

While Japan had acted like a gangster in the Korean Empire, it dared not speak up to the colonial empires such as Britain and the United States.

“People of the Empire, fortunately, our friend Igris has agreed to help us with our debt repayment under the condition that they take over Okinawa in trust…”

“Shut up, you sons of bitches!”

“Didn’t you just sell the land for money?! I heard you gave away China and Taiwan too!”

“Those Joseon bastards took apart my factory! What are you going to do about that?!”

They tried to package it nicely, but the people who had been abandoned by their country were now screaming in the streets of Tokyo.

The Russo-Japanese allied forces landed, but they refrained from directly shelling Tokyo out of consideration for the international community.

Though Russia and the Sapo forces took ‘physical goods’ as spoils, the goal was simply to gain leverage in peace negotiations.

Despite losing some physical goods, there wasn’t much human damage, so it didn’t become a big issue internationally.

However, the streets of Tokyo were now filled with beggars.

***

Since the country had gone bankrupt, the colonists were also doomed to perish.

And among those walking the streets of Tokyo was a certain figure.

“The situation is truly dire.”

“President Choi, it seems worse than expected.”

It was Choi Jaehyung, who had entered Japan under Russian nationality.

Choi Jaehyung had greatly expanded the military-industrial sector, hiring Koreans, and now he had come as a representative of the Russian-Korean community.

”That’s right. I heard Prime Minister Katsura was impeached.”

“I also heard Army Chief of Staff Yamagata Aritomo is in seclusion.”

“The Army Chief of Staff too? Then, it’s practically over.”

Fortunately, Korea had gained some time.

Count Ok had said that Russia’s future didn’t look bright, so while they could still use Russia’s influence, they should focus on developing the country as much as possible.

To do that, he himself would need to help.

For example, he could acquire some of Japan’s promising companies and transfer them to Korea.

“We have plenty to gain from this. What can we take?”

Before coming here, Choi Jaehyung had planned to rescue at least a few companies from the foreign capitalists before they took everything.

“If he could use the extracted facilities for Korea, that would be ideal.”

“Mitsui, Rothschild or whoever seems to have their eyes on it, but we’ve also been looking into Mitsubishi.”

‘Mitsui. Wasn’t that supposed to be a huge conglomerate?’

‘If possible, he wanted to monopolize everything, and there was Bezhobrazov, who had arranged this meeting. Well, Mitsubishi wouldn’t be a bad choice either.’

‘After all, Mitsubishi was also considered part of the Zaibatsu (Japanese conglomerates), wasn’t it?’

It would be enough to just take that.

“Now that I think about it, it’s really ironic.”

The Japanese, who seemed like they were going to soar to the heavens, are now falling into ruin after the Russo-Japanese War and the Korean-Japanese War.

Even though Yeongilri said she would help, it probably won’t be the same as before.

That colonial empire… ‘what loyalty do they have to help the beggars crowding the streets of Japan?’

Even without making it a colony, they would turn it into a mercenary nation they can use however they like.

“Well, at the very least, they’ll grow them to that point.”

‘If they want to turn them into hunting dogs to be used at any time, some level of industrialization will be necessary.’

‘Then Korea will be at risk again.’

‘Well, by that time, Korea will be prepared.’

At the very least, we need to develop that airplane or whatever it is.

***

Japan’s Choi Jaehyung has returned.

“Japan’s situation is getting urgent. They say it’s impossible to repay the bonds. Soon, beggars will flood the streets, and many will commit suicide.”

“It’s impossible to repay the bonds, huh?”

“Yeah. I expected it, but it’s still surprising how things are unfolding.”

“No matter what, Japan is collapsing after losing one war. I wonder if Russia would have collapsed like that if they had won the Russo-Japanese War.”

“No, that’s not right. Japan barged in and forced us into a treaty, making us allies, so after the war, Russia might have seen Korea as an enemy and tried to swallow it.”

Either way, history is brutal.

“Then they’ll declare national bankruptcy.”

They’ll probably declare default and say, “To hell with it.”

But if they boldly say that to the UK and the US, it’s obvious what’ll happen.

“Japan’s promising companies are being acquired for peanuts.”

“Oh, really. Like in the Far East, in the Pacific?”

“I’ve already looked into a few. Mitsubishi’s been acquired too.”

“How could Mitsubishi have gone bankrupt after such a war?”

“Well, it’s fine. It’s not like they could have been used anyway, so we’ll make good use of them, right?”

“If they do that, Korea won’t have any problem with it.”

As long as the acquired companies are used in Korea, it wouldn’t be bad.

“How’s the airplane coming along? We’ll need it if we want to beat Japan.”

“You’re planning to hit Japan again?”

“Of course. Korea and Japan have crossed a point of no return.”

“After all, they assassinated the Emperor and slaughtered tens of thousands of unarmed Japanese soldiers, so from their perspective, they’ll see it as a betrayal. Even if there’s no war for now, they’ll undoubtedly see each other as enemies.”

“The fact that they didn’t apologize for assassinating the Emperor already answers everything.”

“They’ve already forgotten about killing our late emperor and only remember their thirst for revenge. Once they regain their strength, they’ll turn on us. Just like the nomadic tribes constantly invading the Central Plains, we should strike first.”

“Won’t the great powers just sit back and watch?”

“Usually, they wouldn’t, but what about during World War I?”

“If we attacked Japan while the world powers were distracted by the Great War, who would even care?”

“Japan’s already used up. Would the great powers even care?”

“Yeongilri’s still not giving up, but isn’t it in the Manchuria area?”

“Right, that’s only the UK.”

“True. But if Yeongilri decides to act when they’re distracted, the situation would be different.”

“For example, during a world war.”

“If the UK supports them, Japan might be able to rise again.”

“With rumors about debt forgiveness and taking Okinawa, they’ll likely minimize Japan’s burden and later turn it into a military colony or even a colonial Egypt in the Far East.”

“Even if they help, it won’t be like before.”

“Either way, it’s inconvenient for us. So we should wait for the right moment when they lose interest in this area.”

A”t the very least, we need to make Kyushu part of Korea and reduce Japan’s population to less than half so they can never act arrogantly again.”

“That’s the only way Korea can survive in the future.”

“This military airplane made quite a bit of money from the war, but it’s still tough. We need to find investors.”

“You’re thinking about Russia?”

Choi Jaehyung is someone who went to Russia.

‘It’s natural, but as Korea, is there no other choice?’

I’m a bit concerned about being overly reliant on Russia.

It might be good to also try teaming up with Germany or France.

“There’s someone who almost went bankrupt this time. I’m thinking of teaming up with him.”

“Almost bankrupt? Who is that?”

“I think I know who it is, but I asked just to confirm, in case this person turned out to be someone significant due to changes in history.”

“Bezhobrazov. He’s actually another person who has the Tsar’s favor.”

“Well, for me, saving the crown prince once is the only thing I’ve done.”

“I’ve only saved the crown prince once, so there’s no comparison.”

‘Bezhobrazov.’

‘Did that guy get lucky because Russia won the Russo-Japanese War?’

“He amassed an enormous fortune after Russia’s victory.”

“An enormous fortune, huh?”

“Did he accumulate more wealth than Choi?”

“No. He’s got something called the Bezhobrazov Circle. And his favor with the Tsar is not trivial.”

‘The Tsar’s favor is not trivial? And he has a circle too?’ That’s interesting.

“Oh, is that so?”

‘It looks like he’s done quite well in this war.’

‘Or was this circle something that existed before the Russo-Japanese War?’

“As the Governor-General of the Far East, he rose to an enormous position after this victory.”

“What kind of people are in that circle?”

I wonder what kind of circle this is.

Given that it’s from the late Russian Empire, it must have been a group of elites who stuck together.

“It includes the very wealthy Duke Felix Yusupov, Mikhailo Rodzyanko, and even Evgeny Alexeyev, who played a role in the Battle of Tsushima, and even Maria Fyodorovna the Dowager Empress.”

Ah, a typical group of golden spoon elites.

‘And they even have royalty in their circle?’ This is quite enticing.

“Oh. That’s interesting.”

‘It seems that Bezhobrazov did very well this time because of the war victory. Now, he’s probably enjoying tremendous wealth and the Tsar’s grace. In this world, will Bezhobrazov play a role like Rasputin?’

‘Hmm, this is fascinating.’

‘Well, if he’s someone who can help me, that changes everything.’

‘If you think about it, didn’t that guy succeed thanks to this victory in the war? Isn’t there a place for me in that circle too?’