Revolution and Counter-Revolution (2)
Under the brilliant multicolored lights piercing the night sky, the rickshaw halted at a traditional Korean mansion in Jeong-dong.
「Creak!」
“Excuse me, here?”
The rickshaw driver, who had stopped here, looked bewildered as he asked Min Yeong-hwan.
“Get off.”
“Thank you...”
“Since you paid the fare earlier, go on in.”
Unlike the chaotic neighborhood near the royal palace where the Gapsin Coup by Kim Ok-gyun and the Enlightenment Party had caused turmoil with gunfire and shouts of bandits and counter-revolutionaries, the scene in Jeong-dong was as quiet as if nothing had happened, like mice scurrying away.
Min Yeong-hwan found this extremely strange.
Did the people inside the mansion not know what was happening in the capital? Truly, it was peaceful.
「Click!」
As if his task was complete, Min Yeong-hwan watched the rickshaw wheels rolling away, then with a dazed expression, knocked on the gate of the mansion.
Hoping someone was awake.
「Thud! Thud!」
“Is anyone there? I am—”
“Shh, be quiet.”
Min Yeong-hwan, who had been knocking to call the servant in the servants' quarters, was startled by the deep voice coming from inside and took two steps back.
A beam of light emerged, from a candle.
「Creak」
“Minister of Military Affairs, I presume?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
When he answered affirmatively, the person who had told him to wait a moment opened a crack just wide enough for one person to pass, peeking out and whispering.
The demeanor of guarding the outside was very imposing.
“Come in quickly.”
“Ah, yes.”
The first impression Min Yeong-hwan had upon entering the mansion, where no light had been visible, was that it was desolate.
The desolate courtyard, with all its branches bare like an abandoned village near a mine, left Min Yeong-hwan bewildered as he looked around.
The servant who had opened the door earlier came forward leading with a single candle and spoke.
“You must go to the main building at the back.”
“I understand.”
“Walk quietly.”
The servant's steps were excessively fast.
Unlike the first impression, the complex structure of the mansion and the servant's quick pace left Min Yeong-hwan disoriented, and before he knew it, they reached the end of the deep inner building where even the braziers had been removed.
“This way.”
“Huh?”
At the entrance to the inner building, the servant who had circled the mansion briefly stood Min Yeong-hwan back a bit, then suddenly ran behind the water jar near the wall and crouched.
「Squeak, creak!」
Simultaneously, the sound of several wooden planks creaking came, and
“Get down.”
“...My god.”
With dust on him, the servant guiding him made Min Yeong-hwan gasp in shock.
When the servant removed the planks under the water jar, a small entrance to a tunnel the size of a person appeared proudly!
“Eek? What is this tunnel?”
“There is no specific name, but I have heard the elders often call it the ‘Wolf's Lair’.”
Leaving Min Yeong-hwan, who was shocked by the secret of an ordinary mansion he couldn't have imagined, the servant led him into the tunnel using the light of the candle.
Soon after, many men's shouts and angry voices came from inside the tunnel.
「The situation we feared has finally come to pass, comrades.」
This voice was one Min Yeong-hwan himself knew well.
Very young.
“Alright, the time for the final battle is here.”
Upon reaching the end of the tunnel, Min Yeong-hwan lifted the curtain that had hidden him, and there on the large map table overlooking the city, the major figures of the Gapsin Coup and the Alliance Association, including Lee Seung-man, were moving pieces around.
Someone holding a command staff said.
“...The forces pulled out by the Enlightenment Party side number seven hundred. All are elite soldiers trained in the new-style training by Japanese instructors, including officer cadets from Hoseon School. Thirty strong warriors with agile bodies and great strength are taking the roles of their officers.”
“Although the numbers are inferior, the command capability of the Enlightenment Party side is broader.”
“Yes.”
The atmosphere on the table was very serious and solemn.
“Ah.”
Yes, it was like a strategic meeting of seasoned generals on the battlefield.
Min Yeong-hwan, who had been sighing in admiration at the solemn atmosphere, looked around and entered the tunnel, and someone pulled out a chair and pushed it towards him.
“Thank you.”
Min Yeong-hwan, who had expressed gratitude with a nod, himself soon sat shoulder to shoulder with them and became absorbed in the discussion between Lee Seung-man and the elders.
The young leader said.
“The counter-revolutionary forces will surely attack and occupy Haogam, so we must first seize Dongbyeolyeong by detouring. Since the military reform, most ammunition in the capital, regardless of the loyal army or the capital defense forces, is in the Dongbyeolyeong arsenal.”
“However, the loyal army's forward and rear units coming down from Bukhansanseong Fortress will continue to supply ammunition from their barracks, so if they think they are losing, they will likely drag it into a prolonged war without hesitation.”
“Then?”
“The Enlightenment Party fellows will announce the success of the coup and order the ministers to enter the palace to form a new cabinet, while we cut all communications from Donmun onwards in Gyeonggi Province.”
“By cutting off the enemies' supply and reinforcements, we must suppress them in one blow. Although the Enlightenment Party personnel are few, the longer time drags on, the higher the chance this will turn into a major disaster comparable to civil war. If foreign powers notice our predicament...”
“It will be quite difficult. But there are also groups in the city opposing the Enlightenment Party. Even if their leaders are all killed in one strike.”
“Do not worry about them.”
Min Yeong-hwan, who confirmed the old man's face in response to the young leader's question, was startled.
“Is that you!?”
Over seventy years old, Shin Heon, who had retired from the political scene after the last Cheongmi Commercial Treaty and returned to his hometown, was here?
Shin Heon, regardless of Min Yeong-hwan's surprise or not, generously shared his military insights with the Alliance Association members and did not stop advising.
“The loyal army's forward and rear units, left and right, without distinction, have long been infiltrated by the former capital defense forces and graduates of the Training Bureau. Many of our people are stationed in the center in the loyal army's forward units that they claim are the Enlightenment Party. I have already received reports that the capital defense forces have been dispatched. They will likely advance to either Changdeok Palace or Gyeong-u Palace.”
Again, Min Yeong-hwan had no choice but to keep his mouth shut at Shin Heon's sinister revelation. Those carefully selected talents from the palace, yet the new-style army of Joseon, without distinguishing between the old and new armies, had many officers recruited during the Daewon-gun era? Was this even a reasonable statement?
“But how can I refute that so brazen expression?”
Unbelievable as it was, Min Yeong-hwan had no choice but to believe Shin Heon's boast. After all, the servant from the mansion who had guided him into the tunnel had casually passed on information about which unit was moving and who had refused to deploy.
Meanwhile, the young leader, who had organized the movements of the capital's military units on one side, spoke.
“What are the expected movements of the Enlightenment Party's main force, the detachment, and the royalist army?”
“The Gyeong-u Palace likely didn't have many troops. With high walls and only two entrances, defense is easy.”
“Then the main force is at Changdeok Palace.”
The young leader who pushed several blue horses into the Changdeok Palace, after hearing Yang Heon's-su's words, rested his chin and fell into thought.
“Huh.”
And strangely, Min Yeong-hwan felt that when the young man's mouth stopped, the others also stopped talking and closed their mouths.
“Is the leader of this suspicious gathering this young boy?”
A mere ten-year-old brat? At this important place?
In the continuous shocking experience of disbelief, Min Yeong-hwan himself fell silent, and in the meantime, the young leader who had organized his thoughts declared.
“The Alliance Association will advance by the left gate of the palace (Changdeok Palace left gate).”
“Hm? If that happens, the enemies will likely retreat towards Sajia-dong.”
“If Sajia-dong opens, they will flee to Jemulpo. This is simply opening a retreat for the enemies.”
When the elders who were former Daewon-gun tried to dissuade the young man's decision, he explained.
“If today's coup is the king's true intention?”
“You! What kind of talk is that...!”
Min Yeong-hwan, unable to hold back from the shocking claim, blurted out his foolish action immediately.
All eyes in the tunnel were on him.
“Oh, damn...”
He wanted to die.
At that moment, a hearty laugh came from the ear of Min Yeong-hwan who had lowered his head.
“Haha!”
There was someone to save him, and it was none other than the young leader he had secretly worried about being too young.
The young man soon stopped laughing and said to him.
“Minister of Military Affairs, there is no need to be so surprised. But it is a fact.”
Min Yeong-hwan could only bow his head at the young man's firm voice. After all, everyone in the tunnel was glaring at him fiercely, so what could he say?
But it wasn't enough, and the young man added further explanation.
“Do not misunderstand. I am telling you to face the reality you, Min Yeong-hwan, are in. Since the Im-o year military rebellion, our country's influence from Qing has increased. The pro-Qing faction and the Yeoheung Min clan, who rode on that wave, have become even more arrogant. But as the monarch of a country and feeling displeased, what would His Majesty have seen in their arrogant behavior?”
“What, what I mean is that our in-laws were too noisy, and it was the Enlightenment Party that was killed with swords, and the pro-Qing faction was exterminated?”
“Indeed, didn't you see it yourself?”
Yes, I saw it. Very well.
It was the fact that he had just experienced that when a bomb goes off nearby, the brain matter can fly into one's mouth.
“...”
Min Yeong-hwan became speechless at the young man's sharp point.
That was, in fact, a very correct statement that he could have realized if he had thought a little.
“Hah.”
A deep sigh flowed from his throat.
“My family elders trusted the empress's prestige and reaped the consequences of their arrogance.”
Min Yeong-hwan suddenly missed the face of his former ambassador Min Yeong-hwan.
At least, if Min Yeong-hwan, who was normal in the family, had continued serving in the court, his family members wouldn't have gone wild like this, and the Yeoheung Min clan wouldn't have been hated by all people so overwhelmingly today.
“...”
“Self-reflection is another form of progress. You, Min Yeong-hwan, should not blame yourself too much. Moreover, you are the protagonist who survived the Enlightenment Party's death list?”
“Do they have a death list...?”
“I can't say otherwise. After they seized the palace and ordered the entry, they are happily swinging the second round of purges.”
“My god.”
Min Yeong-hwan, who had his mouth sealed by the young man's prophecy that beyond the massacre in Ujeong, a bloodbath would occur in the court as well, cried ‘Kkung kkkung!’ for a long time.
Even so, the Alliance Association members and the elders were preoccupied with devising measures to suppress the Enlightenment Party's counter-revolutionaries and resolve this crisis.
After some time passed, Min Yeong-hwan, suddenly curious, cautiously asked the young leader.
“Excuse me.”
When Min Yeong-hwan opened his mouth, the young man who had been busy talking with a light gesture sealed the mouths of the elders and answered him with a gentle expression.
“Yes, what else are you curious about?”
“Ah, it's not that important... But do you have troops? It's been strange since earlier.”
Yes, troops.
The sensitive issue that Min Yeong-hwan had been reluctant to bring out because the atmosphere was too unfamiliar and difficult, the young man shrugged.
“Ah, that?”
As if it was just that he was curious about.
The tone was somewhat bold, so Min Yeong-hwan clenched his fist and responded.
Right now, he had barely survived from the threshold of death!
“I don't know how many troops you have in your Vanguard, but can you defeat the military power of the Enlightenment Party, who received the king's order, without the help of our pro-Qing faction?”
“Well, let's set aside the cliché ‘if we die...’ Listen carefully.”
「Thud!」
The young man who had been talking pulled out the dagger stuck in his waist in an instant and stabbed it under the map of Gyeonggi Province south of the city, engraved with it, and continued with a serious expression.
“Shouting ‘I will confront’ in front of an opponent you cannot defeat is irresponsible politics. I promise you. I will not commit anything I cannot take responsibility for.”
The young man's eyes when answering Min Yeong-hwan's question were hot, like flames hammered with steel dozens of times!
Min Yeong-hwan, who lowered his eyes under the terrifying momentum, saw the words.
The place where the young man's sword was stabbed was right ‘Boeun’.
Just before dawn, Min Yeong-hwan, along with the Wolf's Lair people, left the city.
*****
Meanwhile, the Enlightenment Party, which had set up a temporary meeting room at Gyeong-u Palace according to the coup plan, was bewildered by the emperor's attitude of ignoring them.
The bloody dawn had ended and morning had come, but they had sent envoys to the palace several times, yet the king had repeatedly told them to go to hell and issued military orders to the stationed troops in the capital.
The command headquarters, upon hearing that another envoy had been turned away at the gate and driven out, was agitated.
“What are you playing at now!”
「Thud!」
In the end, the quick-tempered Seo Jae-pil exploded in anger and overturned the table.
As a warrior with some knowledge of politics, he saw that the king's intention was too obvious.
“Damn fox! In the end, it's about protecting our own people!”
“Wait, be careful...”
Someone watching the scene spoke.
“...You are saying you will discard us.”
“Hah, Geumryeongwi.”
“Is what I said wrong? This is pruning, cutting away.”
Seo Gwang-beom tried to stop him with his expression when Park Yeong-hyo mentioned something that could be heard as ‘cutting off’, but he didn't even pretend to listen.
One of the map department personnel suggested an opinion.
“You should go. The reason the palace has issued an eviction order is because Geumryeongwi didn't come to personally escort His Majesty—”
“If I went, His Majesty wouldn't have changed his mind. Now, enough is enough, Baek-on (Kim Ok-gyun). We have been abandoned.”
“You...”
Kim Ok-gyun, who had closed his mouth tightly in response to Park Yeong-hyo's question, soon turned his head sideways and avoided his gaze.
“It is over.”
Park Yeong-hyo, who had been silently gathering his hands and pondering, threw a pebble that caused huge waves in the small pond of the Enlightenment Party.
“Discard us?”
When we drove out the national traitors who sold their conscience to Qing and the corrupt pro-Qing faction, when would it be, and now they are trying to discard us too!
The most furious Seo Jae-pil, upon hearing that, drew his sword and roared.
「Bang!」
“We should strike first! Secure the king's safety and if we abolish the empress, it will be fine!”
“Are you crazy!? Are you out of your mind!”
“That is treason, treason!”
Then, the table items rising without distinguishing left and right, denouncing Seo Jae-pil.
“Even if we have no back, there is a line we cannot cross!”
In their thinking, even now that they had suppressed the core figures of the pro-Qing faction with military force, the legitimacy was insufficient, and they would have to face criticism rather than blame from the court ministers who had come out after dawn, and if they threatened the king's safety, there was no excuse beyond treason.
“Stupid talk!”
Seo Jae-pil struck at such foolish people.
“Have you not seen that heaven and earth are not distinguished? You fools! Even now that the king's virtue is late, we are already traitors!”
“!”
The exclamation of Seo Jae-pil, which pierced to the core, made the bodies of the surrounding personnel jolt greatly.
Yes, virtue!
“Damn it.”
The atmosphere of the Enlightenment Party's leadership quickly cooled, as if hit by a downpour.
Without the king's virtue received, this meant that the very existence of the coup they had raised in Ujeong had no more room to defend.
The king Lee Hyeong no longer existed in their shadow.
The shock of this truth was not easily dispelled.
After a long silence, Kim Ok-gyun, the leader of the Enlightenment Party who had made up his mind after long deliberation, slowly opened his mouth towards the center.
“Comrades.”
Eyes filled with anxiety and anger responding to the leader's call.
“From this time onward.”
Kim Ok-gyun, who had easily read their inner feelings in their eyes, declared calmly.
“We will announce the Reform Platform.”
If the king had declared separation from them.
They no longer had a place to retreat.
The flame of revolution was alive.