The Russian Empire, Saint Petersburg
Ok Jinseo’s activities were late compared to other countries, but they were still known to the Russian Imperial family.
Especially since the Russian Empire’s recent foreign policy was to cooperate with the Korean Empire and Manchuria, there was a deep interest in the situation in Manchuria, which became a very interesting topic even among the Tsar family.
“Recently, I heard rumors of a crazy woman rampaging in Manchuria.”
“She’s said to be part of the Korea Army in the Gando region. I heard she led the charge and stormed into the Chinese barracks.”
“Hoh. Are you saying it’s possible for a woman to do that?”
Tsar Nicholas II showed interest, as if intrigued.
After all, it wasn’t an era where one only fought with swords or spears.
Even if one practiced swordsmanship or spear techniques, in an era where a single rifle could end someone’s life, how could a woman possibly survive in such a time?
It was unusual, especially for a woman at an age when she should be married and having children.
“I heard she single-handedly killed dozens of Qing soldiers with a Berdan rifle. Of course, it’s just a rumor, so we should take it with a grain of salt. I also heard that diplomats from various countries, including French officers, want to see her once.”
“She’s the woman who negotiated with the Far East Governor, right? I’d like to see her once. But it seems the Empress has been investigating this quite thoroughly.”
It was the first time Tsar Nicholas II had seen the Empress show such interest.
When the pregnant Empress showed her interest, he too found himself intrigued.
“Well, it’s related to the important interests of Manchuria, isn’t it? It could be something the Empress should take seriously for the benefit of the Empire.”
That may be true.
“But still, she’s just a woman from a small nation.”
“She’s just a woman from Korea, a tiny country. Korea is now a nation under Russia’s influence. If it’s a woman from there, they could summon her anytime.”
“That may not be the case. I heard she speaks Russian, French, and Japanese. She can even speak Chinese. With that level of ability, she might also know German.”
“She learned all these languages at such a young age? That means she must have traveled across Europe from a young age.”
It wasn’t something one could learn in just a day or two.
If that were the case, it made sense.
As he thought about it, he found himself oddly fond of her.
Unlike the other conservative figures in Korea, she seemed different.
“That seems to be the case. And didn’t she go back because her country was in crisis? It’s somewhat sad, but also admirable. What do you think about supporting the Gando warlords with more weapons?”
“Oh, that’s not a bad idea.”
“A woman, yet a war hero? I’d like to meet her.”
The eldest daughter, Olga, asked eagerly.
Though calling her a war hero might not be entirely accurate, since it wasn’t exactly a war between nations.
She went to Manchuria and captured the Chinese soldiers who were already beaten and demoralized.
Still, for Korea, it was no different than attacking their former overlord and settling old scores.
“It seems our Olga is quite interested.”
It wouldn’t be hard to have her meet her.
‘If the Tsar of Russia called for her, she would come. If she didn’t, Russia could do whatever it wanted with Gando.’
“If you’re that interested, why not invite her? The fact that she speaks Russian means she must have stayed in Russia for a while.”
She would probably be the most knowledgeable person about European affairs in Korea.
An Eastern beauty who could speak all those European languages.
It was no wonder she piqued the curiosity of the Russian people.
“Manchuria is quite far from here. We could invite her later when we have the chance.”
“By the way, the Far East Governor is suggesting that we move the Baltic Fleet here. Hm. Are they overestimating Japan’s threat?”
Japan, who had been nibbling at China.
If they had any conscience, they wouldn’t dare to act so recklessly against Russia.
At least not now.
The crazy English are investing in Gando.
The Japanese are reportedly providing weapons, too.
Both of them are focusing on Gando, not the Korean Empire.
In essence, they’re attacking the Qing Dynasty, which has become practically useless, to show that they can do something, raising their value in the process.
For Russia, it was a refreshing change, but it was supported by those damn two countries.
Considering Russia’s current cooperation, the fact that two countries, which were essentially enemies, are supporting Gando, means they’re forcing Russia to confront them.
This couldn’t be seen as a goodwill gesture.
By now, it was far beyond 1904, and the heat was dying down as autumn arrived.
The Russo-Japanese War had not yet broken out, and Japan was still supporting Korea.
Perhaps they were planning to start a war in the next year or two.
“On the other hand, doesn’t that mean we’ve risen in value?”
“Yeah, that’s true. Perhaps Lee Beomyun sees me as someone whose value has risen.”
Think about it.
If I were just an ordinary person with no special skills, Lee Beomyun would only throw me some crumbs occasionally and keep me in the background.
But the fact that he actively listens to my words means he’s essentially leaving Gando’s fate in my hands.
I had no choice but to ask Lee Beomyun for help.
“You need to build up the army.”
“It’s tough. There are both Han and Manchu people in the current situation. What for? You don’t know, but it’s hard to increase the military forces.”
“If Gando is developed, there will be many Manchu and Han people who support us. We can gain the support of the people in Manchuria, whom even the local government can’t control. Then, increasing the army will not be difficult.”
We must expand the army as much as possible.
‘Is such an army really coming out of Gando? At this level?’
We must strip Gando’s military forces dry, just like Nazi Germany, and expand the army as much as possible.
“Already, we have 10,000 elite soldiers, and even now, at this very moment, many are defecting from all over Manchuria to the Korean side. Do we really need to do this?”
‘Whether they defect to the Korean side or not, it has to be done.’
The number of 10,000 is nothing compared to the military strength of the Kwantung Army or the Japanese forces deployed across Manchuria.
It is a mere handful.
“Yes, (Yeonggilli) is already helping with the development of Gando. This means that those guys want to make us their own, according to their own words.”
Those guys are supporting us even though they really don’t want to.
‘What does this mean?’
“Then, shouldn’t we be even more careful about how we carry ourselves?”
The reason we’re being careful is precisely because of this.
“If we do this, we have no choice but to take advantage of the situation.”
“(Yeonggilli) and the Japanese are trying to use us. In that case, we must also take advantage of the situation.”
“Those guys are pouring support in recklessly, and we cannot reject it.”
“Right now, the Kwantung Army is strengthening various parts of Manchuria in preparation for Japan. Russia is not in a position to develop Gando.”
“What do you mean?”
“You just do what we’re telling you to do. Right now, those two pirate bastards are saying it like that. Anyway, (Yeonggilli) is the most powerful empire in the world, and the Japanese are dirty pirates aiming to target us over a single sea. They are an unreliable group.”
“There’s no one to trust. No matter who we fight, we need to grow strong enough to strike back. Just as Korea will later adopt a hedgehog strategy in the distant future, we must do the same now.”
“That’s right.”
Lee Beomyun nodded.
He probably understands this much already.
***
“Then, we will have to use this situation to inevitably fight Russia, even if we don’t want to. After all, our Korea doesn’t have the funds to develop Gando, so this isn’t necessarily a bad proposal.”
We must gather the hearts of the Manchurians and Han Chinese, who have now become subjects of the Korean Empire, by developing Gando with this situation, whether by choice or force.
The Koreans who have now moved to Gando were originally Koreans living in Manchuria and beyond the border. Including the Manchurians and Han Chinese, the number is easily in the millions.
We need to build an army from here.
“If we do that, won’t it be a betrayal of Arasa? If the Kwantung Governor starts to suspect us, we’ll really be gambling with the fate of the nation.”
“But right now, we have no choice. If we are going to be used, we might as well use them as much as we can.”
“For now, we’ll use them for everything they’ve got.”
Alexeyev already trusts what I’m saying.
Of course, it’s still a suspicious situation, but if Crown Prince Alexei has a son with hemophilia, the Kwantung Governor will no longer doubt us.
The real issue is what our main enemy is on the surface right now.
Even France is supplying weapons, and Germany is showing interest in this side too.
Thanks to Japan, Joseon, which was once under the Qing Dynasty, managed to fight back against its suzerain country and quickly swept through Manchuria.
It’s almost cute how we’re struggling to make our debut in the international community.
I decided to finish the work of selecting those who would move to Gando from the capital of Manchuria, Bōkyō.
We need to stabilize Gando as quickly as possible.
The fact that the great powers have come to check Gando practically means that Gando is no longer part of Qing territory.
Japan will likely start paying more attention to France’s movements, so they’ll be more cautious.
“Jinseo, now we’ve become famous among the great powers, haven’t we?”
The soldier from the Jinwi Corps, who I became friends with during the last battle at Bōkyō, was grinning, dreaming some useless dreams.
Heh, we’re not quite there yet.
“The road ahead is still long. Didn’t you say there are a few Japanese soldiers around?”
I saw some wearing Japanese military uniforms as we came in.
“They’re military attachés. A few are here saying they want to see what’s happening with the Gando military of Manchuria.”
Right. The operations in Manchuria are far from over.
We’ve raided several places in Manchuria.
“Never show any weak or disorganized behavior in front of those bastards. What about the Qing soldiers’ bodies?”
“If we let the Japanese look down on us, that will be the end. We need to be seen as a threat, so they won’t dare look down on us. It’s different when they look down on us and swallow us whole, compared to when they’re forced to deal with something with thorns.”
“We’ve handled all the Qing soldiers’ bodies.”
I’m glad they listen to me.
These guys came here for plunder, so if they didn’t listen, it would be bad.
Anyway, now that we’re here, there’s a lot to plunder, so they’ll have no choice but to listen to me.
“Right. The Japanese could use what we’ve done to cause trouble.”
Ito Hirobumi tried to paint a bad image of Korea to the West when he was gently swallowing Korea.
If we kill Qing soldiers brutally here, they could use that against us.
Unlike the Boxer Rebellion, our raid on Manchuria was a surprise attack under the pretext of the Kwantung Governor’s call and the restoration of our homeland.
There have also been significant civilian casualties during this, so if they start causing trouble over it, things will get complicated.
‘Wait, then how will the future change?’
‘If the UK and Japan are supporting us now, it seems suspicious.’