On the other hand, contrary to Jinseo’s expectations, this world was slightly misaligned with the original timeline.
History was unfolding as known in the 21st century, with events like the Boxer Rebellion and Russia’s control over Manchuria progressing as expected.
However, the difference lay with Japan.
***
“Only as far as Xiamen. Beyond that is outside the authority of our great British Empire.”
“Thank you! Truly, thank you!”
Britain tacitly approved Japan’s occupation of Xiamen, effectively allowing them to colonize Fujian Province.
Meanwhile, Russia also turned a blind eye to Japan’s invasion of Xiamen in exchange for securing influence over the Korean Empire.
“Giving Chinese land to those yellow monkeys? Has Britain finally gone mad?”
While Germany fiercely opposed the decision, since the two major players in the Great Game—Britain and Russia—had chosen to overlook it, the other powers did not strongly object.
Unlike the original history, Japan now had the opportunity to use Xiamen as a stepping stone for colonizing Fujian Province.
As a result, for the time being, they focused on securing a foothold there rather than prioritizing Korea.
***
“Thanks to the British, we’ve gained Xiamen, but what about Joseon?”
“First, securing a firm base on the continent is crucial. Once we establish control over Fujian and are ready to go to war with Russia, that’s when we’ll strike Joseon, capture their emperor, and force an alliance.”
“That means war with Russia. But once the Siberian Railway is completed, fighting them will become much harder.”
“It will still take quite some time before the Siberian Railway is operational. While laying the groundwork in Fujian, we must also prepare for our move into Joseon.”
For now, Japan outwardly acknowledged Russia’s dominance over Korea, pretending to make concessions in order to advance into Fujian.
They had not abandoned Korea—but unlike Jinseo’s expectations, they still had plenty of time to prepare.
***
Russian Far East Governor-General’s Office, Lüshun
The history of Russia’s Far East Governor-General’s Office began in 1902, when Russia established its administration in Lüshun to oversee Manchuria following the Boxer Rebellion.
Thanks to Lee Beomyun, I was able to meet Evgeny Ivanovich Alexeyev, the Governor-General of the Russian Far East.
Since Lee Beomyun had already attempted to invite Russian military instructors before, Alexeyev seemed to recognize his name.
“Are you a diplomat from Korea? Your Russian is quite fluent.”
“No, I am a female officer from General Lee Beomyun’s Jinwi Army.”
“Jinwi Army?”
“The Jinwi Army is a local military force of our Korean Empire. Currently, I am part of the Sapo Corps, which was organized by General Lee Beomyun. Though we are a regional force, as an officer within the corps, I am by no means a mere foot soldier unworthy of addressing the Governor-General.”
Lee Beomyun had granted me the title of an officer in the Sapo Corps.
Though it was only a temporary position, it still placed me slightly above a regular militia member—nothing more, nothing less.
It seemed that he had hastily given me the rank so I wouldn’t be dismissed outright when sent to meet the Russians.
“A local soldier from Korea? And your superior, this Lee Beomyun, dares to send a mere young girl to negotiate with me? I had intended to maintain good relations with Korea, but this is quite the insult.”
I could understand his anger.
If I were in his position, I wouldn’t take kindly to some random young woman suddenly appearing to negotiate.
Russian pride wouldn’t allow it.
“My family has been merchants for generations. In Korea, merchants of our standing hold significant influence as representatives of trade. Though I may seem insignificant to you, Governor-General, I hold a great deal of sway in my country. And as a member of such a merchant family, I wish to discuss the future relations between the Russian Empire and the Korean Empire.”
“Furthermore, General Lee Beomyun, the Administrator of Gando, has personally sent me as the representative of the Sapo Corps.”
I had to keep talking, weaving my words skillfully to buy myself time.
“Haven’t your government and the Qing army already agreed on a joint response? Our benevolent Russia has even granted you Gando, yet you come here with such impertinence?”
‘Gando? That tiny piece of land in Manchuria?’
They were acting like they had given away something significant.
“Though the Russian army has taken control of Manchuria, isn’t there still a risk of provoking Britain and Japan?”
“Hah. Britain might be an issue, but Japan? Those fools have already taken Xiamen and scurried away. Do you think they would dare interfere?”
‘Xiamen? Did he just say Xiamen?’
‘Japan actually invaded and took Xiamen?’
That’s different from the original history.
The great powers were supposed to oppose such a move.
No, that wasn’t the most pressing concern right now.
With the Russo-Japanese War fast approaching, I needed to push forward and make the most of the time available.
This had to be settled here and now.
“There is a saying: ‘Even when crossing a stone bridge, one should test it first.’ Being cautious will prevent giving them an excuse to act.”
“Hah. Fine, keep talking.”
Since he told me to keep talking, I would talk.
There was no time to waste beating around the bush.
All I could do now was rely on my words and let fate decide.
“I propose extending our agreement to jointly respond to Qing disturbances in Gando to include all of Manchuria.”
Originally, the agreement between Russia and the Korean Empire only covered joint action against Qing forces in Gando.
“All of Manchuria? Is this your emperor’s will?”
It wasn’t.
But Emperor Gojong was turning a blind eye to Lee Beomyun expanding his influence in Gando.
“This is General Lee Beomyun’s wish, and that aligns with the emperor’s will.”
Alexeyev narrowed his eyes.
“You intend to challenge Russia’s hold over Manchuria?”
As if.
‘With only a few thousand troops, what could Korea possibly hope to gain?’
Even if the Korean Empire had more soldiers than Russia’s Far Eastern forces, they would likely be crushed like dogs in a real battle.
“We have no intention of taking over Manchuria. Our goal is to eliminate the remnants of the Qing army, the Boxers, and bandits within Manchuria.”
Bang!
Enraged, Alexeyev slammed his fist onto the desk and stood up.
His trembling indicated that he was genuinely furious.
“Ha! Do you think our Russia is incapable of handling such matters? We turned a blind eye to Gando, and now you’re boasting just because you’ve beaten a few Qing troops? There are 150,000 Russian troops stationed in Manchuria. Do you think your little Korea can stand against us?”
Surprisingly, at this time, the Imperial Korean Army in Gando had been thoroughly defeating the Qing forces.
Though Korea seemed powerless when it was later annexed by Japan, the events of the Boxer Rebellion had changed everything.
The already underdeveloped Qing army, having invaded Manchuria to loot and burn, found itself consistently outmatched by the Korean forces, despite outnumbering them three to one in every engagement.
After fifteen battles, they had yet to win even once.
“Governor-General, that is not our intention. A war with Japan is inevitable at some point, and Korea will be the main battlefield. For us, nothing is more important than gaining combat experience. We see Manchuria as nothing more than a training ground for our troops. Besides, wouldn’t you find it bothersome to deal with the Chinese rebels opposing Russian occupation? We’ll take care of them for you.”
Having occupied Manchuria, Russia now had to suppress local Chinese resistance forces.
I was offering to handle that problem for them.
Moreover, Alexeyev himself was preparing for a confrontation with Japan.
His approval of Russian business expansion into Korea was proof of that.
Hearing my words, Alexeyev finally calmed down and sat back in his chair.
“Let’s say I accept your reasoning. But surely, this is not something your Korean Emperor has approved, is it?”
That was true. However, Lee Beomyun still commanded an independent force, the Sapo, which made him practically a warlord in Gando.
Gojong, eager for Korea’s expansion, was willing to overlook his actions.
As long as Lee Beomyun didn’t openly defy the central government, Gojong would feign ignorance.
Historically, he was only recalled after the Russo-Japanese War.
Until then, whatever happened, France and Russia would likely support us.
Now, I just had to use my silver tongue to persuade the Governor-General of the Russian Far East.
“Our Emperor has already turned a blind eye to General Lee Beomyun’s military engagements with the Qing in Gando. Doesn’t this imply that His Majesty tacitly approves?”
In truth, Gojong had condoned Lee Beomyun’s independent actions.
A naïve imperialist, Gojong saw the fact that Lee had essentially formed a private army, occupied Gando, fought the Qing, and even collected taxes as beneficial to the Korean Empire.
Hearing my reasoning, Alexeyev stroked his beard thoughtfully before speaking carefully.
“Your argument is convincing. I will consider it. For now, withdraw.”
I wasn’t being expelled.
Instead, I had bought some time.
That meant I had a chance.
If I failed, I would have no choice but to flee to Russia or America.
But I didn’t think I would fail.
‘Now, about that “Daeyeok Gallery”… How exactly do I use it?’
It seemed like a completely underwhelming ability, but maybe it had its uses.
I needed to learn more about the future while Alexeyev was deliberating.
That meant I had to figure out how to use the Daeyeok Gallery.
“How do I activate Daeyeok Gallery? Do I have to say ‘Status Window!’ out loud?”
I couldn’t just shout “Daeyeok Gallery” into the air, so I carefully thought it instead.
A small screen suddenly appeared in midair, displaying a forum I had never seen before.
It was a literal alternate history community.
***
[Title: If Joseon adopted the imperial system of measurement, what would happen?]
[Title: What if “Again Lost!” managed to unify the Later Three Kingdoms?]
[Title: If Joseon became a French colony after the 1866 invasion, would there be no Japanese occupation?]
The thread titles all revolved around alternate history.
If these users discussed alternate history, they must have a good grasp of actual history as well.
After all, they needed historical knowledge to create these scenarios.
This ability felt oddly futuristic.
It seemed I could navigate the gallery through touch.
So, it really was just an online forum ability.
The old man who gave me this power had provided something unexpectedly useful.
I had to gather as much information as possible.
***
[User: OO]
[Title: Question about the Boxer Rebellion]
[Does Japan take Fujian Province during the Boxer Rebellion?]
[Comments]
[Daebung01: The great powers allowed it, remember? Without that, the Russo-Japanese War might have started in 1904 instead.]
[Loo: What happened in the Russo-Japanese War?]
[Daebung01: Did you sleep through history class? Japan ambushed the Russian fleet in Korea, occupied Seoul, and forced Korea to sign the Japan-Korea Protocol before advancing into Russia.]
As I continued reading, it became clear that the Russo-Japanese War proceeded exactly as I remembered, except it was delayed by one year.
I wasn’t sure about the exact details of Japan’s strategic foothold in China, but overall, the timeline matched.
[Loo: Ah, so everything is the same. Thanks for the detailed explanation.]
[Daebung01: You bastard!]
[Daebung02: This is why I don’t bother replying to questions. LOL. How do you not know about the Russo-Japanese War?]
***
Now, I had secured a basic understanding of this timeline’s history.
This world was definitely different from the one I came from.
‘Was it different from my world, where nuclear war had happened?’
Wait a minute.
I needed to think this through.
‘Japan was allowed to establish a presence in Fujian during the Boxer Rebellion? Wouldn’t that have delayed the Russo-Japanese War because Japan was preoccupied with China?’