“If it can be of help to the Count, I can lend a hand.”
“We need to bring the obstructive Emperor to Gando.”
Then help bring the Emperor.
For a Russian businessman, approaching the Emperor shouldn’t be too difficult.
Especially if he’s of Korean descent—Gojong would likely welcome him.
Roughly speaking, we just need to take a few soldiers and kidnap the Emperor.
And in case we’re caught, pretending to be Japanese is a must.
“!! Do you even understand what you’re saying right now?”
“Of course, I do.”
“All of this is ultimately about reviving this so-called empire that wasn’t even worthy of the name. Even if the country is overturned, it should be overturned by the hands of fellow Koreans. Don’t you agree?”
“The Emperor is the one responsible for all of this. He led the country into ruin, invited Western imperialist invasions, and let the fate of the nation tilt toward those damn Japanese. Though I may have climbed to the rank of Count in Gando, that means nothing. It’s nothing more than a fleeting illusion. If we are to truly reform Joseon from its roots—”
“At least the Northern Army is strong. If we focus now, we might be able to land a blow on the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. That means we need to accelerate the relocation of people to the Northern Army.”
“So, you bring the Emperor and do as you please?”
“To an outsider, it might sound like I’m trying to make him a puppet. But this is nothing more than an act of patriotism.”
“That’s not it. It’s purely out of loyalty that he must be escorted to Gando. The Emperor is currently being played by the silver tongues of the British and the Japanese—we’re simply setting things right.”
We bring the Emperor here, expose the injustice of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, and claim that he was forced into it under duress.
Then, we distribute proclamations across the country, calling for righteous armies to rise.
Of course, we’ll need to craft a convincing scenario along the way.
“I like the idea.”
If righteous armies rise up all over the country, they’ll threaten the Japanese army from behind.
Even if the Emperor refuses, it must be done.
That’s exactly what I’m aiming for.
The righteous armies—an enduring tradition of Korea, almost like a passive skill.
This righteous army meta is the perfect way to harass the Japanese army from the rear in this war.
Of course, I can’t say all of this out loud.
Choi Jaehyung prioritizes the nation and the people over loyalty to the Emperor, so this should be possible.
“You probably think this is too extreme. But right now, there is no other way to change the Emperor’s mind.”
“And after that? What do you plan to do?”
“After that, it’s obvious. Either the country is destroyed, or it is saved. It will be one or the other. No matter how I look at it, Gojong is not the answer. We’ll need to push Lee Beomyun forward to establish a military regime, then transition to a constitutional monarchy under Sunjong.”
“If we don’t fundamentally rebuild this nation, there is no future. I’ll work on the specifics of the plan—just lend your support. The military has been coerced by the Japanese, so we must rally the righteous armies to take up arms.”
“What if I report this to the homeland?”
“Go ahead, if you want.”
“By then, before the war even starts, I’ll do whatever it takes to lead the Northern Army straight to Hanseong and drag Gojong down from his throne.”
‘But will he really report it?’
‘If it’s Choi Jaehyung, he should already know that there is no hope left for Gojong.’
Blood is thicker than water, and I doubt Choi Jaehyung would be eager to fight against Russia for Gojong’s sake.
“Choi Jaehyung, you won’t report this. You’re not someone who looks to the royal house of Jeonju Yi. You only look at the nation and the people.”
“I don’t like beating around the bush. Especially in urgent situations like this, it’s better to just be direct. I wouldn’t normally say things like this, but there’s no need to hold back with him.
“You’re quite the remarkable woman.”
“I’m not doing this to be praised.”
“I’m just doing what I must to survive.”
At the very least, I have to prevent the future that would become my world.
The Daeyeok Gallery… I don’t know what era it belongs to, but at least it’s a world where nuclear weapons haven’t been used yet—or maybe they never will be.
That means I’ll have to tighten my belt and drag the Korean Empire up from the depths.
“Is there anything else I can do to help?”
“I have an amazing idea. Do you have any interest in business?”
Military industry, preferably.
Not just defense.
Something more advanced.
“Business? What kind of business?”
“Aircraft. What do you think?”
“If we can develop them before the Russo-Japanese War, it wouldn’t be bad. But Japan’s war efforts won’t end with the Russo-Japanese War. In the worst case, if the entire Korean Peninsula falls, we’ll need to plan for an invasion from Manchuria, using superior technology to crush them.”
“If we lack manpower, we must at least ensure that Manchuria is well defended. And if we can develop aircraft faster than expected, we can showcase our technological prowess.”
“Of course, it would be ideal if the war started and ended quickly, but this is where the Daeyeok Gallery comes in.”
***
[Post by: Jinwi Possessor]
[Title: What if we develop airplanes around the Russo-Japanese War?]
—”What’s the best way to go about this?”
[Comments]
[Daebung01: Even if we build them, would they really deal a meaningful blow to the Japanese army?]
[Daebung02: It might at least shock them. If we are making them, what about this approach?]
[Daebung03: Are you writing an alternate history novel about the Russo-Japanese War? This looks more like a story draft than a research paper.]
[Jinwi Possessor: Just curious about a few things.]
[NationalPrideDay3: Fine, I’ll upload all the airplane-related materials I have. Just wait.]
***
[Post by: NationalPrideDay3]
[Title: To the question spammers, read this.]
[Attached Files]
[File 1]
[File 2]
[File 3]
[About the first airplanes]
—”I gathered everything about airplanes, so please, write an insanely well-researched alternate history novel.”
[Comments]
[Jinwi Possessor: Great. Now tell me about tanks too.]
[NationalPrideDay3: You bastard!]
***
I almost asked about Ok Jinseo again, but decided against it.
‘I can’t rely too much on this.’
“If it’s Choi Jaehyung, I can trust him. This should be fine.”
All the materials were copied by hand right in front of Choi Jaehyung before being handed over.
At the very least, there should be enough initial capital to start, meaning building the airplane is possible.
I must ensure that Japan doesn’t get their hands on it and that we can make full use of it instead.
The real issue is how Russia will react.
For now, it’s best to pretend we know nothing.
“How much should I reveal?”
‘If I explain too much, it will only raise suspicion.’
‘If they suspect that I’m feeding false information because I plan to oppose Russia just like the Emperor, it could become a problem.’
The defenses in Manchuria are already being prepared.
In this case, it’s best to reveal just a small, simple piece of information.
“Those Japanese bastards strike without declaring war.”
That should be enough.
For Russia to achieve a complete victory, Japan must suffer a crushing defeat at sea.
Only with Russia’s overwhelming triumph can we later destroy Japan.
Leaving anti-Japan sentiments aside, if we allow Japan to survive at this stage, even if we don’t become a colony, we will always be under threat of attack.
So when the opportunity comes, we must strike.
***
Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire.
Upon hearing news of the Korea-Britain-Japan Alliance, Tsar Nicholas II was furious.
“How long had it been since they had signed a mutual defense treaty? How could Korea stab them in the back like this?”
“Korea-Britain-Japan Alliance? What in the world is this nonsense? Are you telling me the Korean Emperor has betrayed me?”
Nicholas II’s pride was completely shattered.
He had even granted Gando to that small country in the Far East and had been lenient, but now they had completely crossed the line.
To make matters worse, the discussion of their mutual defense treaty had only begun a short while ago.
“The Korean Emperor dares to ignore the Tsar of All Russia! We must send our army immediately and crush them!”
“This was not just a matter of pride for Russia. There was also the risk that Manchuria would come under pressure from the alliance.”
“That meant war was inevitable.”
“Britain would, as always, hide behind the scenes and provide support. Korea’s army was nothing more than a handful of troops, meaning Japan would take the lead in the war.”
“What did Ok Jinseo, that countess, say?”
“What would that countess say? Depending on her stance, people might start arguing that the Korean forces in South Manchuria must not be tolerated.”
“Of course, since Ok Jinseo had saved Alexei’s life, if she pledged loyalty to Russia, they had no intention of harming her.”
“Apparently, the Emperor was provoked because she was granted a countess title. The Emperor stated that he would handle matters himself. He also said Japan has a culture of launching surprise attacks without declaring war, so we should only prepare for defense in Manchuria.”
“Prepare for war.”
Yes, this meant that Britain and Japan’s public declarations of war were imminent.
Then, war preparations had to begin.
“Shouldn’t we withdraw our ship from Jemulpo?”
At this time, a Russian warship was docked at Jemulpo in the Korean Empire.
If Japan attacked, Korea would attack alongside them, and the warship at Yongampo would be sunk.
“We cannot blindly trust Ok Jinseo. If we only make defensive preparations, it might seem like an unnecessary provocation.”
“It would only give those three nations a justifiable excuse for war.”
“Would China, having lost Manchuria, really stay still? Right now, doing nothing was the best course of action. If that pathetic excuse for an army decided to attack Russia as well, it would be a disaster.”
“She is the benefactor who saved Alexei. Her words must be true. Have Vladivostok and the fleet in Dalian prepare for war as well.”
“Your Majesty, now is not the time for war.”
Sergei Witte, the Minister of Finance, strongly opposed the decision.
“This wasn’t right. There hadn’t even been a direct sign of hostility yet, and the troops stationed in the Far East were enough to prevent war.”
“Would those yellow monkeys really start a war based on common sense?”
“Not the time for war?”
“First, there’s the budget issue. We are in the middle of industrialization, and if we go to war now, that process will fail. On top of that, we must also consider the budget being drained into Manchuria due to Ok Jinseo, that countess.”
Sergei Witte had been leading extensive industrialization efforts during his tenure, and the same applied here.
The problem was that it wasn’t just a matter of industrialization—His Majesty had also been pouring support into Manchuria because he was infatuated with that woman from the Far East.
“Why would we need to use all our strength on Japan? If we mobilize only the Far East forces, industrialization may be paused briefly, but the issue will be resolved.”
“Your Majesty, why not abandon the Korean Peninsula? You could use the countess to collaborate with the Governor-General of the Far East for defense.”
After all, there was already a Korean force in South Manchuria.
In the worst-case scenario, they could mobilize those forces to block any army advancing northward across the Yalu River.
“No, I cannot forgive that insolent Korean Emperor. One of his own officials risked their life in Russia to negotiate for my child’s survival, yet he dares to betray me like this?”
***
“Your Majesty!”
“I shall mobilize our loyal Russian Far East Army and the Count’s forces in Gando to invade the Korean Peninsula! I shall grant the peninsula to the Countess!”
“Wasn’t this too much just for someone who had only been given a noble title in name and not even a Russian name?”
“Oh, Lord have mercy. This must not happen.”
Sergei Witte sighed deeply, praying that war would not come to pass.
With the Russo-Japanese War delayed beyond its original timeline, Russia had been able to progress in its industrialization.
But the Tsar’s decision was firm.
Naturally, France, which was cooperating with Russia, was also deeply troubled.
With Korea, Britain, and Japan eyeing Manchuria and Russia preparing for war, tension loomed over the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria.
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