Chapter 51: The Prince of the Far East and the Jade Count

“From their perspective, you must seem like a mysterious Eastern hero, so of course they’re intrigued. After all, I did save the Crown Prince of Russia.”

European royalty is all interconnected by bloodlines.

So, it’s no surprise that rumors would pique their interest.

Even if nations are rivals or on bad terms, their royal families still maintain exchanges.

“I see.”

“At this rate, I’ll have to tour Europe myself someday. At the very least, I need to leave a favorable impression on those who view me positively. It’s just unfortunate that His Majesty the Emperor is currently holding an audience. That’ll make negotiations harder. I’ll have to focus on diplomacy for now.”

I’d been subtly laying the groundwork.

‘Here I am, working so hard—despite being far younger than you and burdened with all sorts of restrictions—while you just sit there. Shouldn’t you be saying something by now?’

“If there’s anything I can do to assist, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

As expected.

Our traitor, Yi Wanyong, spoke up confidently.

Unlike Empress Myeongseong, he was impeccably polite—as if he’d found not a rotten lifeline but a sturdy one.

In other words, he was signaling his allegiance.

“Let’s normalize relations with Japan.”

Normalizing relations with Japan.

Of course, by now, both sides had long crossed the line past mere hostility.

We were fated to be enemies.

But both Korea and Japan needed a breather.

To buy time, we had to normalize relations immediately.

Just as Tokugawa Ieyasu established the shogunate and normalized ties with Joseon, we too needed to attempt reconciliation.

Those bastards were already finished.

They’d probably spend a long time trying to stabilize their internal affairs.

In the meantime, normalizing relations with their sworn enemy, Joseon, would buy them time too.

For a country desperate to import cheap grain, it wasn’t a bad proposal.

Of course, I had no intention of groveling.

That was Yi Wanyong’s job.

“Japan, you say? But diplomacy falls under the Foreign Minister’s purview.”

‘Right. Diplomacy is my responsibility.’

‘So why was I the one bringing this up? Surely our traitor here knew the answer.’

“Of course, it should be my task. But given the current circumstances, even the Minister of Education understands how difficult that would be.”

‘Diplomacy was one thing, but this was another.’

‘If I went to normalize relations myself, imagine the backlash.’

‘Even if someone else went, it might be manageable—but if I went, the criticism would be relentless.’

More importantly, if he truly wanted to help me, this was the least he could do.

I narrowed my eyes at Yi Wanyong, as if daring him to refuse.

He stroked his mustache and finally spoke.

“You’re asking me to handle it directly.”

“It won’t be easy, but they won’t be able to refuse.”

If anyone could sweet-talk them, it was Yi Wanyong.

Back when Emperor Gojong was alive and chose to ally with Japan, he’d probably have tried to cozy up to them too.

So sending Yi Wanyong was the right move.

“But wouldn’t it be better for the Foreign Minister to go personally?”

‘This bastard—trying to weasel out of it?’

“Hmm. Are you afraid of being ambushed like those Japanese barbarians?”

“That’s not it. Rather, compared to a desk-bound bureaucrat like me, the Foreign Minister—who personally crushed the Japanese army—would make a stronger impression. Those savages are weak before the strong and ruthless toward the weak.”

“When Korea was weak, they bowed to the British while tormenting us. But now the tables have turned. Because of you, Minister. The Japanese harbor hatred for those who defeat them, but they also worship and glorify them. Your presence would carry far more weight than mine.”

‘Wow, this bastard’s sharp.’

This wasn’t just about fearing for his life.

Historical figures like Kim Si Min or Yi Sun Shin—heroes to us—were also respected in Japan.

Given that, it would be better for me to go.

‘But then, what was Yi Wanyong planning to do? If he was offering to help but doing nothing, what was the point?’

“I see your point. So, Minister of Education, do you plan to sit back and do nothing?”

‘What exactly are you bringing to the table?’

Given his history of selling out the country, I wouldn’t put it past him to try freeloading.

“I’ll go to Qing.”

“Qing?”

‘Ah, right. Our relations with Qing weren’t great either.’

We’d extorted development funds for Gando under the condition that we wouldn’t disturb the remains of Nurhaci or Hong Taiji.

That money had gone straight into the pockets of those Manchu bastards, who’d been developing Gando in the British style.

Not exactly friendly terms.

If not for the Great Powers, Qing would’ve been a mess by now.

‘What did he hope to gain from Qing?’

At the very least, with Nurhaci and Hong Taiji’s remains in our possession, Qing wouldn’t dare kill Yi Wanyong.

‘Was he counting on that to freeload?’

“I see. You’ve thought that far ahead.”

‘If this is just a ploy to mooch off me, I’ll be disappointed.’

“Qing won’t last much longer, will it?”

Of course. This was Yi Wanyong we were talking about.

He was basically saying, ‘Qing’s about to collapse, so let me go troll them while I can.’

***

‘How much time was left until the Xinhai Revolution?’ It was 1909 now.

‘Less than three years?’ With how badly they’d been beaten in Manchuria, they might fall even sooner.

In that case, sending Yi Wanyong might not be a bad idea.

“True. They won’t last long.”

At least we’d already squeezed what we could from them—like the Gando development funds.

Once Qing collapsed, Gando would stabilize further, and the Manchus would likely accept our rule.

With Russia still looming, China wouldn’t be able to reclaim Gando anytime soon if it remained divided.

‘But what exactly did Yi Wanyong plan to do in Qing?’

That was the interesting part.

“Still, we can’t afford to leave the Japanese at our backs while we antagonize them. I’ll do my utmost to improve relations with Qing.”

‘Huh? Improve relations?’

“You’ll improve relations?”

Yi Wanyong was going to Qing to improve relations?

“Though I may not look it, I’ve held a seat in the cabinet since the reign of the previous emperor. I’ll dedicate myself to improving relations with Qing for the sake of our nation.”

He probably didn’t believe I genuinely wanted better relations.

He had something else in mind.

From his perspective, he needed to prove his worth to me now.

‘Fine. Show me what you’ve got.’

“If our little bastard does his job properly, I’ll keep using him until the end. If he performs exceptionally well, I’ll give him a happy ending. But if he outlives his usefulness, I’ll just boil him alive.”

“Let’s give him a chance.”

‘Not like improving relations matters when we can just blackmail him anyway.’

‘What can we even gain from this? Maybe a renunciation of Gando’s sovereignty?’

‘It’s not like we’re moving on it immediately. Let’s see what kind of plan Yi Wanyong is drawing up.’

***

A few days later, Joachim returned to his homeland.

There wasn’t much I could offer him after his disappointing meeting with Geumjjok.

Just the news of crushing the Qing army and defeating Japan.

“It seems your visit to Korea was unsatisfactory.”

“Well, it was a bit disappointing, but still enjoyable.”

“In return, I’ll send you a book about Admiral Yi Sunshin to Germany later.”

He’d shown a lot of interest in the admiral.

“Oh, I’d appreciate that.”

“And if the opportunity arises, I’ll visit Europe myself.”

‘If I go, I’ll tour France, Britain, and Germany to promote myself. Maybe take the Trans-Siberian Railway to Russia first, then Germany, France, and finally Britain.’

Britain is a rival, but there’s no need to openly declare, “Korea is wary of Britain!”

“Is that true?”

Joachim broke into a wide grin.

‘At least he looks at me with respect, not like I’m some woman to marry.’

‘If he’d been sent by Wilhelm with marriage in mind, as Nam Sangdeok suggested, that would’ve been a real headache.’

“Of course. So, look forward to our next meeting.”

“Yes, I’ll be waiting for that day.”

‘I can’t just say no to that smiling face. I’ll have to visit Europe eventually, so this promise is enough for now.’

‘I never thought I’d be writing about Admiral Yi Sunshin one day.’

‘Well, it’s fine to indulge in some nationalistic pride when it comes to him.’

“Our navy will also support your fleet with powerful ships and sailors. We’ll cooperate on submarines too.”

“Yes, you can discuss that directly with our navy.”

I’d already asked Cooper to prioritize submarine technology transfers.

Our navy only needs to defend our waters—strong enough to strike Qing or Japan and retreat.

“Your Excellency, the Manchurian administrator. A man named Choe Sajang from Primorsky has arrived.”

“Ah, I know him. Tell them I’ll greet him personally.”

‘What could Choe Jaehyung be bringing? Probably something about Bezobrazov.’

‘I need to find out more about Bezobrazov fast.’

***

[Author: Jinyuidaebing’s Writer]

[Title: Who the hell is Bezobrazov?]

‘He’s flexing with his Amnok River business. Does he think he’s untouchable?’

[Comments]

[Daebungi01: He’s got his hands in too many pies. He did support Ok Jinseo’s ventures, but he rarely even comes to the Far East. He’s just a behind-the-scenes tyrant—the real guy running things locally is someone else.]

[Jinyuidaebing’s Writer: Who is it?]

[Daebungi01: A guy named Balashov. Bezobrazov doesn’t even know how South Manchuria operates. Honestly, if Ok Jinseo had pressured Bezobrazov a little, he could’ve gotten more out of him. Balashov was holed up in Port Arthur, lol.]

‘I see. So we can pressure this guy.’

‘If he’s clueless, we can play the madman and see how he reacts.’

“Should I ask more?”

‘Honestly, I could just grill him and risk cutting ties.’

The thought flashed through my mind, but I quickly shook my head.

‘This is enough.’

‘History will change anyway, and so will the details. No need to dig deeper.’

‘Just dropping these occasional questions is fine. No need to push all at once.’

***

Right, this is enough. Now, let’s see Choi Jaehyung.

As expected, he arrived with a white foreigner in tow—someone I’d never seen before. Given the context, it must be Bezobrazov.

“You’ve been busy. Hm? And this is?”

I pretended not to recognize him.

“The Viceroy of the Far East. Didn’t I mention him?”

Ah, so it’s Bezobrazov.

I widened my eyes in feigned surprise.

‘First the German prince, now Bezobrazov? I must be pretty popular.’

‘I should greet him first.’

If he’s the Viceroy, he outranks me.

I should’ve visited him first.

‘Since he came to me, I’ll play the humble subordinate.’

“I’m Viceroy Bezobrazov of the Far East. I’ve heard about you from Mr. Choi here and was curious to meet.”

Bezobrazov had the face of a businessman—and a complete con artist.

The kind who’d lose everything in the stock market.

“I see. Then, have you heard what I told Mr. Choe?”

‘The airplane. The airplane.’

‘You have no idea how game-changing this is.’

“If we develop it first, we could dominate. Imagine unveiling it in war—Russia could lead the Allies to victory in World War I.”

“Though for our plans, we’d want the original timeline: tactical nuke → Lenin’s revolution.”

“Yes. That military airplane you mentioned.”

“Would you like to collaborate?”

“Frankly, what’s stopping me from taking it all for myself?”

‘Take it all? Is that even possible?’

‘I can always just ask the alternate-history forum for advice.’

“Even so, would you really take what belongs to the man who saved the Crown Prince?”

‘No matter how much favor you have, you’re replaceable. But I’m the only one who saved the Crown Prince.’

Bezobrazov’s face twisted at my words.

‘Without Rasputin, this guy might take his place. But at the very least, we should stay friendly. Right?’

“Fine. If we produce these military airplanes, where would you manufacture them?”

“Please provide some funding. I plan to start weapons production in Manchuria.”

‘We’ll arm the Manchurian army with those weapons.’

‘There are already many Koreans there—it won’t just be Han or Manchu troops. Koreans will join too.’

‘Once factories are built, workers will flock in. Koreans will migrate to South Manchuria, bring their families, and naturally assimilate the region into Korea.’