Defending the Homeland (1)
The atmosphere in the room was accurately described as eerie.
A few candles burning with a reddish glow to dispel the darkness, a map filling one side of the wall, a large wooden table in the center surrounded by a few hard chairs.
Upon closer inspection, the center of the map bore the three characters "Pyongyang-bu" clearly, and around it, numerous blue flags and contrasting red flags were planted alternately up and down.
The arrangement of the flags lined up beside the contour lines on the wavy map resembled soldiers in formation. Yes, it probably depicted soldiers.
Like a tightly sealed cave with no light entering, the flickering flames in the pitch-black common room and the acrid tobacco smell drifting like the blue mist of dawn made the viewer feel a chill in their throat.
In the darkness, the one with the most radiant eyes finally spoke.
It was me.
"... The possibility that the Qing Empire can maintain a two-front war is nil. How unexpected."
This place was commonly known as the Wolf's Lair, the supreme command headquarters of our Republic.
I had a pleasant expression, shaking hands with various people, and flicked the edge of a thick bundle of documents with my fingers.
What I held in my hand was intelligence collected from the borders of Liaodong and Manchuria, and various places in Pyeongan Province of Joseon.
If it was the movements of Qing people active in these three places, it was a report full of trivial, garbage-like information about even the smallest matters in the back room.
But if such trivial information is gathered and processed by the hands of a proper person, it becomes an excellent strategic report.
I gestured towards the dark corner, and the merchants and local officials from Pyeongan Province who handled the organization and exploration of this report, along with the clerks from the ministry, stepped forward one by one.
"Thanks to this, we were able to properly understand what the expelled Qing people in Jemulpo were thinking and how miserable the reality of Qing's Liaodong and Manchuria truly was, Mr. Tongryeong."
"Currently, Liaodong is devastated by a two-year famine, and it is in a state of receiving support from the southern regions."
"Manchuria itself has fewer people than Liaodong, so the situation is much better, but due to the war between Han Chinese, French, and bandits who invaded despite the Qing's immigration edict, security is unstable, and bandits are causing havoc."
"Therefore, Pyeongan Province is currently on high alert to guard against bandits crossing the river to commit plunder."
Three months.
The revolution had successfully concluded, and a significant amount of time had passed since the tyrant was executed.
The Alliance Association and the Enlightenment Party had proclaimed a new era and issued edicts, and the military of the entire nation had been reorganized, with reforms being made in departments and the core of land reform being outlined, and rewards being distributed.
But during this time, the Qing Dynasty had shown no reaction.
Why?
"They dare not move, Your Excellency."
"I agree. The Qing has fallen to the level of a paper tiger, and it's been a long time."
Leading with Minister of Military Affairs Yang Heon-su, I listened to the conclusions of Seo Jae-pil and Han Seong-geun on both sides in turn, and said while lightly tossing the thick report onto the table.
I thought the same as them.
"Yes. We had been scared by the huge shadow cast by the corpse that is the Qing during that time."
There was no fool in this dark Wolf's Lair who didn't understand that the Qing was rotting from the inside.
Currently, the Qing Dynasty was on edge due to the war with France over the Vietnamese kingdom, and it was in a state of squeezing everything out of its non-existent treasury.
No, not non-existent treasury. The Empress Dowager Cixi and the Forbidden City, Manchu princes had not lost a single coin.
"They're dividing the war. The coexistence of Han and Manchu will be the envy of the world."
"Hahaha!"
The people hiding in the Wolf's Lair burst into rough laughter at my joke.
Only, the budget of the Zongli Yamen and Beiyang Minister's private funds and army were leaking like a black hole from the battlefield.
I tapped the top of the report with my index finger and affirmed.
The revolution has been organized internally in Joseon, and they've tried to ignore it. Executing the tyrant quickly seems to have helped a lot.
In fact, I had unconsciously felt that the Qing Dynasty would not intervene in Joseon as in original history.
That was, the French expeditionary fleet's cooperation document that our external affairs ministry received, stating that the three Beiyang Army regiments were each torn to defend Taiwan and Guangxi Province and had disappeared on transport ships.
How naive.
By the way, a week after we officially resolved to ally with France and the United States, the French expeditionary command in the Indochina Peninsula had occasionally reported to us the maritime control status in the West Sea.
They were pressuring us to quickly take on the task of eradicating the Qing resistance forces in the Indochina Peninsula and Taiwan.
Moreover,
Japan cannot intervene.
Because the intervention of Japan, which the Qing should have feared most, was completely blocked, Li Hongzhang had lost his internal collaborators and informants to suppress the situation in time.
And the new government that beheaded the monarch had stabilized the situation at an unprecedented speed, won the loyalty of the army.
Ultimately, this country had every opportunity.
It was the product of understanding and compromise that absolved the remaining people of all sins against the executed tyrant, but from the outside, it looked like all confusion had ended under the guidance of the edicts.
I guessed the reason Li Hongzhang had not intervened quickly as in original history, sighed, and spoke.
"Once the river melts, there won't be any bandits crossing to rampage. Our soldiers are handling it well. Then, the most important thing is the Qing's will to decisive battle. Where do you think the 13,000 Beiyang Army will head? If I were the Beiyang Minister, I would think this fight is already lost and not move from the Forbidden City."
And this is the crux of this war.
Whether the Qing Dynasty fights the war with France or the two-front war to crush Joseon first with their strength and then face France as the next player, ignoring Joseon's situation.
"There has been no diplomatic contact between the two countries yet. We have seized the property and real estate of the Qing merchants who had spread in places like Jemulpo and Gunsan, and even the ships, for absurd reasons."
The problem is that the Qing Dynasty has not yet issued a declaration of war against our Republic. Also, our Republic has not issued a declaration of war against the Qing Dynasty.
Why? Because
"It is truly ambiguous, Your Excellency."
The answer was given by Minister of Military Affairs Yang Heon-su, who had been quietly flipping through the Pyeongan Province map until now.
"In my opinion, it's uncertain whether war will break out now or not."
Yes, even though we were preparing for war against Qing invasion, the reality was flowing in the opposite direction of war.
If I try to guess, the arrogant Empress Dowager Cixi and Beijing would want war.
But the rational Zongli Yamen and Beiyang Minister would want to avoid escalation.
"War will come out. But since we can't know the timing, everyone is confused."
Then, let's pause here.
Wouldn't it be great if we first took the initiative towards Liaodong, occupied Beijing with the French and American expeditionary forces?
Who do we think we are, the Kwantung Army...?
Say something sensible.
With only a few assets and gathering 50,000 troops, charging into Liaodong?
Wait, thinking about it, this situation feels familiar?
Return from Weihaiwei...?
Anyway,
And if the Qing doesn't react at all and we attack Liaodong first, is that aggression or independence war?
As I've said many times, the spirit of our Republic is the Three Principles of the People.
Minbon, minquan, minsaeng.
The people (Min) three times, three times!
In these three ideologies, there was not a single word affirming aggression.
I declared with a stubborn expression to the military officers glancing at me suspiciously.
"We cannot declare war first."
"Eh."
"Huh..."
"No, go back."
Look, they immediately make disappointed expressions!
To those, I warned repeatedly.
"Everyone knows what you're thinking, but war requires legitimacy. Especially if it's a government that rose for the people."
The officers from the Enlightenment Party, especially the young officers from the military academy and the Chung-ui-gye swordsmen, who are full of the military faction, were deeply disappointed in my decision.
After all, in the eyes of these young friends full of vigor and confidence, this seemed the most appropriate time to attempt the Northern Expedition.
But.
Aggression is not easy.
Why not?
Hadn't the early Joseon Dynasty, the Goryeo, failed to conquer Liaodong in its early days due to many oppositions and 'returned'?
Moreover, the background where Liaodong and Manchuria are uninhabited and bandits and rebels are rampant with a godsend environment has years of famine and floods.
If we occupy Liaodong and end up responsible for those bastards too, it will be worse than the belly.
Furthermore, the drought hiding the people's starvation is not the scale of the flood in Liaodong, which is on a different level from the floods in the Korean Peninsula.
"... According to this report, Liaodong is completely a swamp from the recent monsoon and floods. Do you think of trapping our Republic's army in the swamp?"
"Hmph!"
When I shook the report with the crude map attached, the officers of the military faction averted their eyes.
But at that moment, an unexpected person opposed my decision.
It was Minister of Agriculture Choe Ik-hyeon.
"But, Tongryeong-nim. The people in this Wolf's Lair all know that this is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity, the heaven-sent opportunity."
"No, Minister of Agriculture?!"
I was so shocked that I was speechless for a while.
After all, the person who opposed me being Choe Ik-hyeon, the grand elder of the Confucian literati, the stiff old man with the most conservative tendencies in this cave saying 'northern advance' is too unfamiliar.
"Completely right, Minister of Agriculture!"
"Exactly right! For the sake of our children and descendants in the future, we cannot miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
The problem is that the generals from the Enlightenment Party, especially those who jumped up and cheered in response to the radical ones, started talking about the legitimacy and benefits of the northern advance using Choe Ik-hyeon as an excuse after being surprised by the unexpected person like me.
Among them, the leader, Vice Minister of Military Affairs Seo Jae-pil, explained to me with the most excited eyes.
"Originally, if we move the battlefield to Liaodong and Manchuria instead of the planned Pyeongan Province defense line, we can drastically reduce civilian damage. No, in this war, what our Republic will get is only the blood of soldiers and gunpowder."
Hmm, that has some validity?
"If you are concerned about the Qing's retaliation, don't worry, Your Excellency. If we first take Liaodong and luck is on our side, we push into Liaoxi and completely destroy the roads and ports that will be used as supply lines for the enemy in the future, and thoroughly plunder villages and cities, the Qing won't even think of attacking the Republic by land for a while."
Huh?
"If you are worried about lengthening supply lines, don't worry either. Instead of dispatching a large army all at once, we can send units in large regiments or small battalions to exterminate bandits, using the excuse of dispersing the enemy's attention, which is a good deal."
Are we bandits...?
"Yalu River and Tumen River ferry? Hahaha! After the job is done, we'll burn everything and seize all the ships and boats."
Wait, this sounds familiar...?
"The Qing people who will lose their hometown and home to war? Why are we worried about that? No, where are there innocent people in war? They should blame themselves for being Qing people."
It was almost like a Gatling gun's rapid fire.
Whether he had prepared in advance or the Japanese study abroad was not just superficial and he had plotted with the Chung-ui-gye students, Seo Jae-pil breathed heavily and explained the legitimacy and benefits of preemptive attack to me.
"This is not it!"
And I was appalled that these guys are thinking like the Japanese Kwantung Army now.
"Wait, let's calm down first. This place is not for drafting offensive plans to conquer Liaodong and Manchuria, is it?"
The problem was that even old generals like Han Seong-geun and Yang Heon-su showed some interest in preemptive attack.
"Hmm, Your Excellency. But as the officers said, while small units stir up trouble in Liaodong and Manchuria, the government can make the defense lines in northern Pyeongan Province and Pyongyang-bu even more thorough, anticipating the decisive battle."
"Taking the initiative to minimize damage to Pyeongan Province is also a reasonable solution."
"Hahaha, why suddenly everyone-."
Yes, this is all because of you, Choe Ik-hyeon!
Looking at Choe Ik-hyeon with resentful eyes at the suddenly changed atmosphere in the Wolf's Lair, that damned old man avoided the gaze and quietly muttered.
"Ha, isn't this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to finally resolve the resentment of a nation over 200 years old?"
"..."
"Don't tell me the Tongryeong was a pro-Qing submissionist?"
"..."
"Aigoo, that can't be!"
God, what is this harmony?
I watched Choe Ik-hyeon, who was satisfiedly watching the generals chattering and their intention to paint Liaodong and Manchuria red, with a dumbfounded look.
"First, we must secure a bridgehead, and we must install a bridge between the Yalu River and the Tumen River."
"Set up the supply line from the Three Southern Provinces to Pyongyang-bu perfectly so that even if the war becomes a prolonged war in the future, it can be carried out efficiently-"
"How about proceeding with the diplomatic affairs so that the French expeditionary fleet can sail up the Daedong River instead of Jemulpo and advance to the north?"
"At this opportunity, our national flag in Beijing!!!"
The Wolf's Lair was no longer a weak sanctuary worrying about the Qing's invasion.
Quietly leaving the Wolf's Lair, I looked up at the clear sky and complained.
Manchuria!
Your name is truly a name with the demonic energy that attracts men!
Thus, the Republic's first offensive plan, , was established, later to be named "Operation Blue".