The Eastern Knight (7)
The Parisians of Paris who unfolded their morning newspapers every day had been happy every day lately.
Unlike the past, when they were bored, disgusted, or filled with celebrity love scandals or scoops, the recent French press had unanimously been promoting the great victory or revival of France.
Moreover, when the French people realized that the articles in the newspapers were 100% true without any censorship or lies from the government, they became even more enthusiastic.
To summarize simply what the newspapers were saying unanimously, it could be condensed into the following three words.
“Friend, Victory, Justice.”
These magical three words that lifted one’s spirits just by hearing them had raised the drooping noses of the Paris citizens and at the same time received the interest and anger of neighboring countries jealous of their prosperity.
Yes. To France’s traditional rivals.
The newsstand sales of Paris newspapers had skyrocketed, and the business of selling only the recent day’s French newspapers to Britain, Germany, Spain, and Italy had become a trend.
Especially, Germany and Britain showed particularly strong interest. Germany was dissatisfied that the arrogant pride of France they had smashed was reviving, and the British Empire was dissatisfied with France’s rough moves that had brought new competitors to their backyard in the Far East.
So, why had the Paris newspaper sales surged?
First, it was the restoration of relations with the newly acquired friends from the East and the old friends.
Even today, the gentlemen buying newspapers with expectant eyes saw the headline flashing in the attractive handwriting at the top.
“The Oriental Visits Versailles Palace!”
The evidence was right there in the photo: under the treaty prominently displayed, Jules Ferry, their prime minister, was hugging the smiling, exotic-looking Orientals with bright expressions.
The newspaper article was so enthusiastic that it filled the entire front page and spilled over to the back. The content explained the important treaties that would strengthen relations with the new allies.
“… On June 13, the representatives of the French Republic’s allies, the United States of America and the Republic of Korea, will announce the signing of the ‘Far East Mutual Economic Assistance Treaty’ at the National Assembly in Versailles…”
The Far East Mutual Economic Assistance Treaty. Commonly known as the Tripartite Economic Treaty.
Although the name felt overly long, the essence of the treaty was simple.
1. The French Republic holds reasonable economic superiority in the Indochina Peninsula and the island of Taiwan.
2. The French Republic and the United States of America guarantee the economic independence of Korea, which they sponsor and guarantee independence, and the security of the West Sea.
3. The three nations recognize each other’s economic status and independence in the Far East. (The two nations allow free trade of US ships in the East Sea and South China Sea.)
4. The two nations guarantee Korea’s historical status regarding Liaodong and Manchuria.
5. Korea permits the establishment of the Liaodong-Manchuria Development Company by friendly and allied nations. (Notification system)
An economic treaty based on the new high ground of the expanded Far East market and the trust between allies to maintain it.
The starter for restoring relations was a small signal flare launched by a new republic in the Far East, but no matter what, the French Republic could include the excellent ally, the United States of America, which they would team up with against the British Empire in line with their Asian advance and the need to contain German expansion on the European front, in their grand strategy.
On the day the treaty was announced, Prime Minister Jules Ferry declared to the densely packed National Assembly members who had no chance to step into the chamber.
“This is a diplomatic triumph that the Republic has never achieved in the past few years! We have succeeded in restoring relations with a powerful ally in the New World, and moreover, we have united militarily, economically, and diplomatically with the only civilized nation in the Far East, the Republic of Korea!”
The opposition was disgusted by Prime Minister Jules Ferry’s boasting and self-praise, but unlike usual, they didn’t pour out raw criticism toward him.
After all, as the Prime Minister claimed, that treaty was a signal flare for true revival that swept away in an instant the deep-seated distrust of the government rooted in the hearts of the Republic’s citizens since the defeat in the Boshin War and the Paris Commune, and the fear of diplomatic isolation.
As evidence representing this,
“More than tens of millions of francs in bribes, one word of justice is better!”
This motto had permeated the recent French political and diplomatic circles and the press.
After the defeat in the Boshin War, French politicians had chosen economic prosperity over outdated policies and traditional pride of the era of the Great Army, while rebuilding the nation, with a new pride.
The government had consistently pursued tax reduction policies, poured in corporate subsidies, and been passionate about weakening labor laws, banning strikes, and creating an environment where businesses could thrive.
Therefore, the rapid growth of the French economy and the corresponding prosperity, with the completion of Paris city redevelopment, growth of the Paris financial market, industrialization in the provinces, and expansion of southern large farmlands, had filled the empty hearts of the citizens.
Prices were stable, the financial market was soaring, and the appearances and activities of famous artists seemed to have erased all the scars of war.
But this was a great illusion.
“Alsace-Lorraine is our land!”
“Show the Kaiser a lesson!”
“More colonies, more markets!”
“Africa!”
The wound inflicted on the French people for losing the war was not easily erasable.
The labor class, which also contributed by suppressing unions and disrupting strikes, added to the discontent.
They were more filled with resentment toward the immediate expansion of their own country painted blue on the map, rather than comfortable tables.
Or, turning their eyes from labor and social issues, they eagerly sought more primal and stimulating victories.
No matter where in Paris’s pubs and cafes, intoxicated men gnashed their teeth thinking of the Germans, and unlike the prosperous economic situation, citizens were always internally vulnerable with revenge toward Germany, anxiety about another impending defeat, and political distrust toward Paris politics.
The citizens envied the success and prosperity of the British Empire at its peak and feared the sudden rise of unified Germany.
Therefore, the festering problems began to burst one by one. Representative examples were the Dreyfus Affair, the Panama Scandal, and the Boulanger Crisis that would unfold in sequence later.
Therefore, the outcome of the Indochina Expedition and the Qing-French War might have been more important than thought. If this matter were well resolved, it might have prevented the upcoming Second World War in advance.
Especially, the most decisive cause of the French government’s division during the Second World War was the founding of the extreme left party derived from the split of the Socialist Party and leftists in the early 1880s, which became the biggest headache for post-war France.
If one remembers that the cause was the imagined casualties in the Indochina Peninsula and the collapse of the Jules Ferry cabinet, France’s history might have been completely overturned, even if the world’s history is not.
In any case, this was nothing more than the French people expressing the anxiety and anger rampant everywhere due to the memory of themselves branded with defeat before economic prosperity.
Some blamed the war’s defeat on the Jews through conspiracy theories, some presented a false liar on a white horse, and voters exploded at the fact that most National Assembly members had looked the other way as companies on the brink of bankruptcy took a flashy windfall by receiving bribes.
Moreover, the company was a Jewish-affiliated company that received investment from Jewish finance.
However, no one knew now that the above history would flow in exactly the same way.
“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity! These are very simple and accurate words that represent the spirit of our French citizens! And our allies are also excellent nations that possess the same spirit and conviction and take on noble responsibilities!”
Justice had triumphed.
The France that had been thoroughly isolated by Bismarck’s schemes, the German warlord, had finally been able to break the thorny fence that had enclosed it with the luck gained in the Far East.
And the pure spirit of the French people, not a powerful army or money, had played the biggest role in breaking the fence.
After the Sino-American War and the Boshin War, relations with the United States of America, which had been evaluated as the worst diplomatic relations after the independence war due to diplomatic interests clashing in various places since the start of the North-South War, had actually recovered to the level comparable to the British Alliance during the independence war period.
In the Far East, they had obtained a powerful ally that had seized the reins of the Chinese market, and these were pro-French nations with significant influence on the political and ideological side of the French Republic.
Is that all?
The new republic, the Republic of Korea, had not only suppressed the domestic chaos that would accompany the revolution early on but also had not hesitated to stand shoulder to shoulder with their own country by mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops as one axis of the anti-Qing front.
As evidence, the next newspaper carried the exploits of the French expeditionary forces active in the Far East and the brave new friends fighting against the giant and greedy dragons in the land of new opportunities, Liaodong and Manchuria.
“‘Iron Messenger Hong’ purifies the opium dens scattered across hundreds of places in Liaodong!”
“The Great City Bible has fallen! Is the situation in Liaodong favorable to the allies?”
“With the fall of Lushun, the command of the West Sea is with the Far East Squadron-”
“Giant armies of both nations gathering in Mukden! A grand battle in a hundred years, stimulated by tens of millions, in Mukden?”
The exploits of Hong Beom-do, a member of the 3rd Regiment’s Armored Infantry but currently a member of the Opium Suppression Bureau under the Investigation Committee, were also fully recorded.
This was the reverse import and translation of the interview with William Russell and Ernest Bethell, which had been published in the British Times and Daily. In the photos of the battlefield included, the French saw the spirit and longing of the ancient Gauls in the elite infantry marching to and from the front lines wearing heavy iron armor and the armored cavalry of the Hobunwi in medieval knight-like heavy armor.
Especially, the most popular figure was none other than Monsieur Hong, the Iron Messenger Hong.
It was because the photo showed a man with much larger build and broader shoulders than Europeans, wearing thick iron armor, crushing the heads of opium addicts and Qing soldiers with a club, and drawing revolvers, which was very impressive.
Or, perhaps there was something in Hong Beom-do that touched the heartstrings of European men still in the vogue of machismo. It was because the interview with Ernest had been revealed.
“… ‘Since they are the same kind of people, I face the battle thinking of saving them from corruption, crime, and inequality.’ …
Through this interview, to the Europeans, Hong Beom-do was not just a barbaric warrior who fought well and died well, but a splendid example of a man of both literary and military talent with deep self-cultivation and noble spirit regarding human life that civilized people should reflect on in this era, and a gentlemanly officer.
Accompanying photos of the exploits and charge of the Hobunwi occupying one side of the cover began to sell like wildfire.
The charge of the medium cavalry, which no longer even came out as a bar joke, was still alive and breathing in the Far East, touching the romantic spirits of European men who existed toward chivalry.
The traditional Korean armor, much more gorgeous and colorful than Europe’s dull dark armor, had pulled stronger attraction and motivation of imaginative freedom for sentimental French designers despite the limitations and illusions of black-and-white photography in the era, providing a powerful driving force for imaginary works and imitations to emerge through photos only.
In other words, it had a positive effect of making the unknown goodwill and interest in Koreans even more concentrated because the Europeans knew nothing about Koreans.
To welcome the representatives of Korea and the United States of America, self-proclaimed patriots of France wearing old knights’ armor and handmade, slightly bizarre Korean traditional uniforms paraded in front of the Versailles Palace, welcoming them enthusiastically.
“Allies, forever!”
The sunlight reflected on the swords drawn from their hands and the sun reflected from the breastplates sparkled toward the world. As if illuminating the boundless glory and smooth road of the French Republic.
Of course, the delegation was impressed.