Throwing the Bait (2)
“Is that so. Hmm.”
“Better to kill her. If that’s impossible, then the ideal solution is to bring Goryeo completely over to our side. Even that leaves a bad taste—turning an Eastern minor power into an ally.”
If we could fully draw Goryeo into our camp, they could divert attention by striking British colonies in Asia. That alone would make things considerably easier for Germany. Of course, whether Goryeo actually possesses the capacity to wage such a war remains to be seen. Still, given their performance during the Three Kingdoms War in East Asia, the possibility certainly exists.
“Then let us proceed that way.”
“We could simply seize the wench on the way to France. Goryeo would hardly be in a position to protest, would they?”
If push came to shove, killing her was always an option. Kaiser Wilhelm II briefly entertained the thought, but even he knew it wouldn’t do. After all, wasn’t that Countess Ok someone Nicholas favored? Touching her would mean making an enemy of Russia, and France would never stand idly by. No, Countess Ok could not be touched. Besides, what would the world say if the German Empire murdered a woman out of fear?
“That seems rather risky. There’s no benefit in inviting unnecessary criticism. She is, after all, someone Nicholas holds in high regard.”
“In that case—”
At that moment, a brilliant idea flashed through Wilhelm II’s mind. What if everything she said was true? What if Russia’s victory over Japan had truly been thanks to this woman alone? Then a deal might be possible. In other words—if the Eastern shaman’s words proved accurate, if the so-called Joan of Arc of Goryeo truly possessed such foresight—why not exchange war intelligence for support in modernization?
“It seems to me that Countess Ok has only revealed the tip of the iceberg. She offered that much simply as lip service.”
“Your Majesty, then—”
“Rather than that, how about we give her everything she asks for and extract all the war intelligence in return?”
Moltke frowned at Wilhelm’s suggestion. Extract everything? Even assuming she could truly prophesy the future, Countess Ok was aligned with Russia. How could they trust someone on Russia’s side?
“Pardon? Countess Ok is close to Russia. She even received her title through them, did she not?”
“Which is precisely why we should hear her out first. Honestly, if the details are concrete enough, why wouldn’t we be able to believe her?”
“You mean to have her assist our war effort in exchange for what we provide. That… isn’t a bad idea. But if the Countess is correct, the course of the war changes in real time, does it not? For instance, if we win a battle we were originally meant to lose, it would affect subsequent engagements—enemy plans would shift accordingly.”
Yes, that was true.
“We extract everything regardless.”
“But Countess Ok remains under Russian influence. That fact cannot be denied.”
Yes, that was the problem. Still, a compromise could be reached. After all, was Goryeo truly so grateful to Russia that it would remain their loyal vassal? Unlikely.
“We negotiate within reasonable bounds. Should we end up hostile to Russia, we can force them out quickly or pursue a separate peace.”
In truth, war itself seemed improbable at this stage.
“Then, for now, simply letting matters pass might be best.”
“No. We cannot afford to waste such an opportunity.”
Let it pass? Discard this golden chance just like that?
This was going far too smoothly.
“Your Excellency is truly remarkable. To speak so boldly even before the German Emperor…”
Look who’s talking—the man who sold his own country. When you lack power, you at least need audacity. Now that I’d dangled the bait of war, they couldn’t ignore it.
“One must be capable of at least this much to survive. Wouldn’t they prefer a monkey that chatters ‘ook ook’ with some backbone over one that grovels in submission?”
Better a monkey that talks back while still showing deference than one that simply bows its head. More than anything, this was necessary if we wanted them to take our words seriously.
“Perhaps so. But will the German Emperor actually believe Your Excellency?”
“Whether they believe it or not is their problem, not ours.”
Their circumstances were none of my concern. At the very least, Germany seemed interested.
“Judging by their reaction, they do appear intrigued. England will likely take notice as well.”
True. They had started by listening casually, but my words had clearly caught their attention. How that would manifest remained to be seen, but time would tell.
“Will we participate in Europe’s war?”
“Of course not.”
“Are they going to come fight on our soil? No.”
We wouldn’t be fighting on our own land. Europe could tear itself apart however it pleased. There was no reason for Goryeo’s people to bleed in the process.
“Exactly, sir.”
Yi Wan-yong nodded. We had nothing to lose. If Germany paid even the slightest heed to my words, they would watch England more closely, and England in turn would have less attention to spare for Asia. In time, Hongikism might even take root in Japan. Liberating Asian colonies under its banner was also possible. Either way, nothing here worked against us. The real question was how to turn the Germans into useful fools.
“Then there’s no issue. We simply do what we came here to do and leave. It doesn’t matter if they believe us or not. Whatever happens in Europe, we only need to look after our own interests. Whether England falls or Germany falls is irrelevant to us. If England collapses, we gain more breathing room in Asia. If Germany wins thanks to us, they’ll at least throw us some scraps. Conversely, if Germany loses, well—that’s their problem.”
“Indeed. We simply reap the benefits. That’s the way.”
What problems did we have? None worth mentioning. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder how the Germans who had taken the bait would respond.
“By the way, the Education Minister seems quite interested in international affairs.”
“The future is uncertain, after all. One should keep a few lines cast overseas.”
Oh? So he was already preparing to sell Goryeo for the right price? That was essentially what he was saying. Still, his mention of overseas contacts piqued my curiosity. What sort of “lines” could a traitor possibly have cast?
“For example?”
“We received some cooperation from America recently, did we not? I looked into that Ford Company they mentioned.”
America’s cooperation. They had provided considerable support—bank establishment and more—apparently valuing us more highly than Japan.
“Oh? Ford Company.”
I pretended to know, but what exactly did Ford do again?
“Do you know what Ford Company does?”
No idea. What was it? Ah, wasn’t it that automobile manufacturer?
“I believe they manufacture automobiles. Hmm. You certainly did your research.”
“They sold us automobiles. I found it rather intriguing.”
“Hmm.”
Automobiles. Right. I hadn’t considered that angle. Now that we’d cast off the fate of colonization, we had to drag ourselves upward by the scruff of our necks. Once infrastructure and roads were properly laid, we would need cars.
“We’ve already laid railways like the Gyeongui Line, so automobiles are the natural next step. We’ve already demolished obstructive buildings nationwide and begun planning modern cities.”
Correct. We had already invited foreign experts to advise on nationwide road construction and were utilizing Japanese prisoners of war for labor.
“Indeed. That makes sense.”
“Which is why I considered automobiles next.”
Yi Wan-yong had thought this through. We had focused too much on railways until now. Automobiles weren’t a bad idea. Russia had them as well, if I recalled correctly. We could import from there too. They’d probably go bankrupt anyway, given how unknown they were. Bringing them in and adapting them to our needs might work well.
“Road paving is nearly complete, so that would be appropriate. However, I suspect the Education Minister has something more in mind than simple importation.”
Ford was an automobile seller. But was there something else? From what I knew of Ford, they had pioneered mass production of cars in the early twentieth century.
Can someone explain what this place actually does?
“Conveyor belts.”
We should introduce that as well. If we understood conveyor belts, we could probably figure something out. It was tempting. Since Wan-yong had already laid the groundwork, it might be good to make direct contact afterward and set something up in Korea.
After spending a day in Germany, I met with several influential German figures. I encountered royalty and Junkers who showed great interest in me.
“Truly, your beauty transcends Asia. It’s surprising you have no husband yet—marriage proposals must be flooding in.”
“Unfortunately, my country is not yet stable enough for me to start a family.”
Even the Junkers were subtly showing interest. I was receiving far more of those kinds of gazes than I ever had as a man. Surprisingly, the feeling wasn’t entirely unpleasant. The lecherous looks should have been disgusting, yet they felt more like… admiration? Women directed jealous and envious glances my way. So this was what pretty women experienced. Being so acutely aware of the opposite sex’s attention was… strange. After all, when I had been a man, I too had found myself staring at beautiful women. Yet they had been conscious of it all along. How odd.
Well, what did it matter? What mattered was now. The fact that I—a former man—was receiving this treatment was so absurd it almost made me laugh. Was this some kind of punishment? Even so, it only filled me with a sense of superiority. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, so I didn’t scowl and instead adapted to the situation as best I could. All because the Kaiser had arranged this gathering. He wanted me to get along with the German Junkers. This alone showed how determined he was to become closer to me.
Today as well, I promoted Yi Sun-sin to the white men. Beginning with Chungmugong, I introduced Korea’s great figures to foreign audiences.
“Oh my, to think such a figure existed in Goryeo. Remarkable.”
“To fight with such loyalty to one’s country despite the monarch’s distrust…”
“Even back then, Goryeo and Japan didn’t get along well, it seems.”
To the German Junkers, my existence was that of an Eastern shaman. Combined with the favorable impression created by my appearance, their interest was considerable. This face never failed to draw attention wherever I went.
Joachim in particular seemed thoroughly entertained.
“Wow, so Yi Sun-sin was that kind of person. Impressive.”
“Indeed. He’s a figure our nation can be proud of.”
Though it felt a bit much to spend the entire day singing Yi Sun-sin’s praises, he was the perfect subject for Germany, which was currently engaged in a naval arms race against Britain.
“To think such a person existed in the East as well.”
Well, there might be others considered the greatest generals of the East, but that was on land. When it came to the sea, how many figures in the world could compare to Yi Sun-sin? I needed to spread his name early. Especially since Germany was currently doing everything it could to surpass Britain’s naval power.
“Indeed. Most fascinating.”
This one had grown quite a bit and had a rather manly air about him now. I would promote Chungmugong as much as possible to capture the Germans’ interest.
“Hahaha. Of course. Not only is he interesting—he was a truly great man.”
“But is this really true? It’s not simply a novel, is it?”
Of course it wasn’t a novel. Though even I had sometimes wondered if such an unbelievable person could be real.
“No. I do not tell lies.”
“If you wish to live, you will die. If you wish to die, you will live. That saying resonates deeply.”
“To defeat a fleet of over a hundred ships with only thirteen vessels… truly astonishing.”
“But one side had cannons while the other only had muskets, did they not? In that case, wouldn’t the Joseon side have had the advantage?”
Right. Some people claimed it was purely a matter of technological superiority. Even the Junkers were bringing it up. At a glance it might seem that way, but the Battle of Chilcheollyang proved that simply mounting cannons didn’t guarantee victory.