Chapter 55: Hitting a Seonbi

Meanwhile, Lee Kang felt as if his encounter with Ok Jinseo had been driven by some kind of ghostly possession.

The way she spoke so effortlessly—

In her prime, with the mouth that should have been used to whisper words of love, she spoke of something truly outrageous.

She spoke of a grand plan that no feeble subject of the Daehan Empire would dare utter.

“We must go to war if we want to survive.”

If they didn’t, they would be devoured by Qing or Japan.

No—frankly, if Ok Jinseo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, hadn’t existed, the country would have already been swallowed by Russia.

This was something that had to be acknowledged.

And now, her military power could not be ignored either.

If they truly decided to fight her head-on, it wouldn’t be impossible—

But it would lead to a civil war.

All the time the Daehan Empire had gained would become meaningless.

That’s what kind of person Ok Jinseo was.

And to make matters more complicated, she wasn’t someone you could just strike down easily.

If she were that simple, would a woman with that face be able to claim that Daehan must go to war to survive?

If Lee Kang dismissed her words lightly, if he ignored what she said and insisted on striking her down—

“If you try to take down Ok Jinseo, Russia will be behind her.”

If the Tsar truly favored her to the point of turning a blind eye to Korea’s betrayal, then he would raise an army if she were ousted or killed.

He might use it as justification to invade.

The northern army under Ok Jinseo would side with Russia and lead them right into the Korean Peninsula.

That would be a disaster.

“More than anything, it was the certainty in her eyes.”

She believed this was absolutely necessary.

With no room for complacency, deception, bravado, or personal ambition—she said it had to be done.

This nation had to become more capable of waging war than Qing or Japan and expand in all directions.

Empress Eom had no answers.

She was fixated on preserving the royal family, even if the country collapsed.

One woman who thought only of the royal court, and another who thought of the people.

The latter had no particular loyalty to the Daehan Empire itself.

But she had a firm belief that the people living within it must survive—because her own survival depended on theirs.

‘What on earth made her so desperate?’

Of course, it was a desperate era.

Especially for a small nation like Korea—if you didn’t fight tooth and nail, you’d be trampled.

And yet, she looked like a woman who’d been raised gently.

Though she was born into a merchant family, her ancestors traced back to Goryeo royalty.

It was as if that noble blood had been passed down to her—her skin was clearer than any other woman in the empire, and even among a lineup of beauties, she would shine the brightest.

A woman like that—

Surely, she must have grown up cherished by her family.

No matter her circumstances, she had spent time in Europe.

And yet, she was this desperate.

For this nation.

For the Korean people.

It wasn’t just ambition.

It came from something she had experienced.

She had come to realize that the only way for this country to survive was by striking other nations first.

That the only path forward for Daehan was war—quenching its thirst with the blood of its enemies.

Perhaps she even dreamed of building a country greater than Goguryeo at its peak, something that past Koreans had never managed.

‘Just what has she been through?’

He still didn’t know the reason.

But she was unlike any of the politicians who did nothing but ponder which foreign power to align with.

Maybe it was time to trust her—at least once.

As laughable as it was, they might just have to trust a woman now.

***

The Daehan Empire had long since rotted to its core.

Well, Lee Kang had wrapped up his thoughts for now.

Then the task ahead was obvious.

After the war, they had already prepared to funnel Japanese funds through Allen for the reforms.

It was time to begin the real reforms in earnest.

“Then, it’s time we started the reforms in full.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“First, we start with the land.”

“They had already brought in foreign advisors and set the stage for what needed to be done. Of course, it wasn’t like a true land reform could be completed in this era.”

“Most of the scholars were wiped out in the last war. And in the provinces, there’s still damage left by Kuroki Tamemoto.”

The countryside had suffered heavy losses.

Though, to be fair, less than in actual history—but still.

Amazingly, despite everything, most of the land was still in the hands of the yangban aristocrats—just as proof of how truly incompetent Gojong had been.

“So then?”

“We use postwar recovery as an excuse to push land reform. We can’t keep letting those aristocratic landlords ruin the land.”

“Infrastructure. In other words, we need to install various facilities, but how can we if the landlords control all the land?”

We can’t keep reforming only Hanseong.

Right now, thanks to Kuroki Tamemoto’s interference, land reform hasn’t been carried out yet.

This is our chance.

“Do you think they’ll just hand it over?”

“That’s exactly why now is the time.”

“While everything is still in flux, we need to grab the reins and set things up across all sectors. There are capitalists in this country.”

“Even though Choi Jaehyung is based in Russia, many capitalists profited in Southern Manchuria thanks to his influence.”

“We’ll use them to push land reform forward. And in that process, we’ll eliminate those who obstruct food production.”

“No matter how weak they are now, they’ll resist.”

“Of course. No one gives up what they have so easily. Especially if it’s an entrenched weed with roots going back hundreds of years.”

“What can aristocratic landlords do in the face of guns?”

***

“Even if they shout at us from the heights of their noble status, what good is that if it can’t stop a bullet? Once the guns are out, status means nothing. I believe that completely.”

“Anyway, the aristocrats are nothing but souls that will soon be buried in their coffins. Before the nobles aim for their former privileges, we must wipe them out completely. Everything that was reset after the Korean War (625) must be ended once and for all.”

“No matter how you say it, those who even raised a militia are now the current aristocrats, aren’t they? To trample on them with a gun, that would be hard to justify.”

Kim Insu said, surprised.

“Yes, we should uproot the foundation of Joseon.”

“That’s right. For now, you’re an external minister, aren’t you? Instead of using guns, perhaps we should start by threatening them?”

“I agree. If we start a conflict here, it could stain your reputation as the foreign minister of Manchuria.”

Even the people who have been with me are somewhat frightened this time.

Especially Kim Insu and Nam Sangdeok are strongly opposed. Next, it seems that Hong Beomdo, the commander of the Manchu army, is also against it.

“Is there anything we can’t do?”

After all, I’m the one giving the orders to deal with the scholars.

‘Aren’t I more suited to diplomacy?’

‘While I’m handling diplomacy, I also hold the title of the commander of the Manchu army. Why does it matter if I want to do this?’

“They were merely people who rose up with a ragtag army and spears, claiming to avenge the late king. What did they actually achieve? Did they kill Kuroki Tamemoto? No, we did all of that.”

“Look, the fact that I’m discussing this as the foreign minister means that this country has a fundamentally distorted structure.”

“If you’re really going down this path, we will support you, but I fear it might turn into unnecessary trouble.”

“The fear isn’t about that. I’m afraid that if we fail to uproot these weeds, this country’s modernization will fail.”

We must uproot the privileged class, the scholars.

If we leave them as they are, they’ll inevitably rot over time.

Let’s use the excuse of land reform to completely root them out.

“Still, this country is one that must serve the Emperor’s will.”

I nodded at Lee Beomyun’s words.

‘He’s right. This country functions only because of the Emperor’s will.’

It’s a nation that serves the Emperor as a father and follows him until the end.

But now, many things have changed.

“Just like in the past, during the military regime when Choi Chungheon handled state affairs in place of the king, we can do the same by taking the Emperor’s place.”

“Yes. That possibility is already there. We just need to get a royal decree.”

It’s simple. We just need to get the royal seal from the Emperor.

***

“There are still those noble landowners who would accept it with pleasure, but if they resist, we can legitimately use force.”

“Your Excellency, what if Empress Eom hides the royal seal in her skirt?”

“That’s fine. The Prince Imperial has already promised to help us.”

If we persuade the Prince Imperial, Empress Eom will be forced to hand over the royal seal.

After all, she has no right to manipulate the Emperor from behind.

“The Prince Imperial, you say?”

Honestly, I’m still a bit suspicious, but for now, that’s what I believe.

“Yes, the Prince Imperial will help us.”

So we need to announce land reform and get a royal decree from King Sunjong.

“Still, Empress Eom will become an issue if this continues.”

“If she doesn’t want her son to suffer, she’ll keep her mouth shut.”

‘I feel sorry for Crown Prince Yi, but if he wants to live, that’s the price he must pay. Anyway, Lee Kang will help, but there’s no reason for me to be swayed by that ugly woman anymore. In the end, I’ll just have her lying next to King Gojong. Isn’t that right?’

***

“Sigh. I wonder if we’re going too far against the royal family.”

Going against the royal family? It’s hard to call this treason.

After all, we have Lee Kang backing us.

The words I said to Empress Eom were instantly understood by Lee Kang.

“Don’t worry.”

If she wants to live, and if she wants the royal family to survive, Empress Eom will eventually have to bow down.

Moreover, I also have what Bezobrazov gave me.

He’s granted me land in Manchuria, and I’m now a count.

Although they call it a ‘small nation,’ the proper title is ‘Corea County.’

Even after the establishment of the Korean Empire, the West still referred to it as Korea.

I have plenty of leverage to threaten her.

No matter how out of touch she is, Empress Eom doesn’t want me to move to Russia.

Once we eliminate the base of support for the royal family, we can begin modernization, and once Lee Beomyun’s government stabilizes, who would dare oppose us?

After that, I can hold onto military power for a while, overthrow the royal family, consolidate Lee Beomyun’s cabinet, and eventually extend into China, restore Balhae’s territory, and defeat Japan while continuing with my plan.

After the meeting, I had an audience with Yi Cheok.

***

“Your Majesty, the land reform must be completed. Therefore, I hope that His Majesty the Emperor will issue a royal decree.”

“Royal decree? What do you mean?”

He’s so frightened even to issue a royal decree.

“Yes, we only need the royal seal stamped.”

“But if we do this, the scholars of this country won’t just sit idly by.”

“The scholars? They’ll just charge at us with their spears.”

It will be the lower class that will do the fighting, and the scholars will only scold us.

That’s the reality of the scholars in this country.

They will vehemently oppose the country’s plans, yet when the country is in danger, they will commit suicide to show their loyalty.

Even if they charge at us, what will they accomplish?

We’re setting up a gun factory and testing weapons from various countries to decide which will be our standard rifle.

“In that case, we’ll experiment with the firearms we’ve acquired from Russia, Germany, France, and Japan to see which one is the best.”

I gazed into the air, rubbing my chin, and smiled.

‘What would it feel like to be used as an experiment?’

‘Would they feel wronged and resentful for failing to protect the Emperor? Or would they despair at the fact that this country would fall into the hands of barbarians?’

“Ah, I see.”

“Well, if the scholars truly care about this country, they’ll volunteer to test how powerful these weapons are with their own bodies.”

I said this with a twisted smile, as though to say, “Don’t mess with me.”

In other words, if they resist, we will eliminate them all and test which weapons are best suited for the Empire of Korea.

“Still, won’t that result in too much bloodshed?”

“If they defy the Emperor’s will, how can they claim to serve this country and the royal family?”

If the Emperor gives an order, and they defy it?

That means they’ve earned their rightful punishment.

“Even so, when my father passed away, the scholars risked their lives and raised a militia. You’re saying we should crush such people?”

“Yes, I do appreciate that.”

“Originally, I wanted them to raise the militia.”

By fighting the Japanese army, causing a commotion, dying, and leading the innocent citizens to their deaths, they would lose support.

Those incompetent fools needed to prove their incompetence to uproot the foundation of this country.

“All those useless militia died in vain. Countless men died, all because they foolishly raised an army. If they had waited quietly, the Manchu army would have handled it.”

“Instead, they caused disaster with their spears and muskets, and in the end, the scholars were hiding behind. It was only the innocent soldiers who died.”

This is why we must achieve modernization—so that such tragic events will not happen again.

Anyone with sense will understand this.

With that, I subtly fiddled with the axe at my waist.

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Gongmin couldn’t argue back.

He couldn’t, because he knew that at any moment, I could pull out my axe.

Moreover, he must feel that what I’m doing is right, even if he has reservations.

He’s just worried about the collapse of the royal family’s support base.

***

“The ministers will be grateful if you permit this.”

“Understood.”

“If the country prospers, all credit will go to His Majesty.”

I stretched out my arms as if all the achievements would belong to him.

A good mix of carrot and stick should be ideal for Gongmin.

At my words, his eyes glistened with agreement.

“All credit to me, you say?”

It was as simple as pacifying a child.