What I Want to Trade
It looks that way at first glance. But as I said before, the Japanese forces are overwhelmingly numerous. There’s an old saying that Joseon had the bow, China the spear, and Japan the sword. Our troops were thoroughly trained in archery and artillery, yet if the Japanese ships managed to close in on the panokseon and board, the casualties would be devastating. On top of that, there was the time required to reload the cannons. The Japanese mainstay, the sekibune, was a flat-bottomed vessel, so it could latch onto our ships far more quickly.
“So you solved that problem by turning the ships. And because you lacked numbers, you used the terrain to draw out every advantage of your artillery.”
He seemed far more interested in ancient history than I’d expected. In this era that sort of thing should be meaningless. After all, both the panokseon and sekibune were wooden ships—relics of a bygone age—so their significance was completely different now.
“Yes. Exactly that.”
“Indeed. If you trap them in a corner, block the entrance, and then wheel those flat-bottomed ships around while pouring cannon fire into them, it would work nicely.”
Still, it was fortunate he was a German with a genuine interest in fleets. He really was paying close attention. For a moment I’d almost forgotten why I had come here in the first place.
“Hmm. So there truly was such a figure?”
Wilhelm II’s eyes sparkled with interest as well.
“He was a great man who was heroized not only by officials dispatched from our ally, the Ming Dynasty, but even by the enemy nation of Japan. I’ve included the relevant details in the book.”
I explained everything step by step, gesturing with both hands. Right now those Japanese bastards were getting their skulls caved in and happily barking like dogs, but the truth was they were desperately trying to heroize the enemy admiral who had crushed them so they could rebuild their own navy. Still, it was a win-win situation, wasn’t it?
“I see. We too have been strengthening our navy of late.”
“Your navy, Your Majesty?”
I already knew they were expanding their fleet. That was probably why he was so interested. Still, the age of wooden ships and muzzle-loading cannons was long gone.
If one were being precise, the Japanese fleet had also trapped the Russian fleet at Port Arthur, harassed them mercilessly, and somehow squeezed out a victory.
“Indeed. And so I would like to receive some assistance from you.”
Assistance, huh. He wanted help from us? What exactly could we even offer?
“Assistance is certainly possible. However, our nation has only just begun receiving submarine technology thanks to Your Majesty’s grace.”
Surely he wasn’t asking us to support his fleet. Even if they bought every warship available in Europe it still wouldn’t be enough.
“Of course I understand that. But information—you can provide that, can you not?”
“Information…”
Ah. He’d taken the bait.
“Wouldn’t it benefit you as well if we crushed the British fleet? Britain’s influence in Asia would naturally decline.”
So he wanted me to help during an actual naval battle. Like in the Battle of Tsushima—no, the Battle of Daemado now—if I fed him naval intelligence, he was saying they could take down the Royal Navy. But with something like this, you had to play hard to get. I pretended I knew nothing of German etiquette.
“I’m afraid I’m not well versed in German court etiquette, so I’m not certain how I should respond to Your Majesty’s words.”
The Kaiser frowned.
“How frustrating. A man who has mastered every foreign language could hardly be ignorant of etiquette. Very well. If you provide the information we desire, we shall transfer technology to you. I cannot give everything at once, but I will provide as much of what you need as possible.”
As much as we needed? Oh, now I was genuinely tempted.
“Technology, you say? If possible, please give us everything.”
I brazenly stretched out my hand as I spoke. After all, if you’re going to give, you might as well give it all.
“Hah, what an insolent suggestion.”
Exactly. And who the hell are you, anyway? The guy who’s been obnoxiously interjecting and nitpicking from the side this whole time. I’d have to look up the German Empire’s general lineup on the alternative-history gallery later.
“If Germany wins the war, Europe’s hegemony will fall into German hands. It’s hardly a losing deal, is it?”
This was no losing proposition for Germany. It meant they could dream of a true Kaiserreich. Even the information I had already given them was enough to help them endure far longer.
“Hah, you negotiate quite well. You are correct.”
It meant the prestige of the German Empire would rise.
“Then I have one condition. If Russia enters the war, please refrain from advancing into the Russian mainland. No matter how much we trade, it would be unpleasant to watch the nation that pulled our country out of the abyss of national ruin fall into ruin itself.”
I could overlook things up to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. But Russia was a country I intended to devour. Whether Olga or Alexei ended up leading it, I planned to gnaw away at their brains until I had swallowed everything at least to the Urals. Sound about right?
“With a two-front war, advancing deep into Russia would be difficult anyway. Understood.”
“Your Majesty, this is dangerous. What will Britain think? And this Count Ok may very well do the same thing in France.”
Oh please. I’m the type who works for what I’m paid. I’d already sucked France dry of every drop of honey it had to offer. I had no intention of helping them. If I had to be honest, I also wanted to see a future different from the original history. Knowing the future in real time, changing it didn’t seem so bad to me.
“People are different when they come in and when they leave. One can simply suck out the sweet parts and throw the rest away. However, our Goryeo is a nation that remembers kindness. Russia helped drive Japan from the Korean Peninsula and prevented us from becoming a ruined state. Your country has supported us with various weapons for national defense. France did help us as well, yet they once invaded us during the Byeong-in year and tormented our people. Of course, bringing up old grudges may seem petty, but if I were to help anyone, who would it be?”
“Then what about Britain?”
Britain? Why the hell would I like that hateful empire? In the original timeline they were supposedly the second-largest helper after America during the Korean War, but remembering how they colluded with Japan and meddled with the Korean Empire all the way through the colonial period, I couldn’t stand them. Even here, when we interrogated prisoners, Kuroki had threatened that “the British are behind us,” so it was clear the British had tried to hand the Korean Empire over to Japan in this world as well.
“Those British bastards constantly interfered in our internal affairs to secure their sphere of influence within Japan’s Korean Peninsula. In the last war, they were prepared to recognize Japanese dominion over Korea if Russia were defeated. To put it bluntly, they are nothing less than the mortal enemies of our people. At least with Japan we have justification to repel them at any time. How ridiculous is it to stab us in the back like that? Therefore, if your country bestows upon us such a generous gift, we shall respond in kind.”
“You intend to treat Britain as an enemy?”
Not exactly. I simply planned to gather strength and liberate Asia from the colonial empires. The methods could involve direct force or indirect assistance. I had no intention of watching them generously hand out favors later.
“Of course, if the German Empire is defeated the story changes, but I cannot imagine a rising power like Germany losing a war when it possesses foreknowledge of the conflict.”
With the kind of real-time maphack I could provide, Germany would have no excuse to lose.
“Indeed. You place your bets well, Minister of the Goryeo Army.”
But if I wanted to reduce the war clouds hanging over Europe even slightly, there was one more method.
“However, if Your Majesty wishes to delay the war even a little, I can provide one piece of information.”
“Delay it even a little?”
Whether it actually delayed anything or whether war would break out at all remained to be seen, but handing it over shouldn’t cause any problems. For example, I could tell Germany in advance about the assassination of the Austrian crown prince that had originally been meant for Austria-Hungary. But I wouldn’t mention that yet. After all, I should deliver it at least several months before the war.
“Of course, since this is an extremely significant event, I will consider it carefully and deliver the information before I leave for France.”
“Hah. So you mean to keep us in suspense.”
Suspense? I was simply leaving the decision of when to pull the trigger of war entirely in Germany’s hands as a gift.
“Despite appearances, I’m quite good at gambling. Whether to pull the trigger or to hold back will ultimately depend on Your Majesty’s will.”
Either prevent the Sarajevo incident or inform them about it. One or the other. All I needed to do was make Goryeo desperately, overwhelmingly strong. Since it was a world war, it would be a long, drawn-out conflict that wouldn’t end easily. We would simply sell information and take as much as we gave.
“Can we truly believe all of this?”
“Isn’t that why you made a trade proposal to me in the first place? I’ll prepare several scenarios for you. You must also prepare for the possibility that the information might fall into British hands instead.”
If it somehow reached Britain and they lost anyway, then they’d just have to live with it. Before that happened, we would suck Germany dry. And if by some one-in-a-million chance Britain obtained the information and used it to crush Germany instead? We could simply claim they won thanks to us.
“You offer us a variety of choices, Minister of the Goryeo Army.”
“Now that I think about it, who is this gentleman?”
I had received a proper welcome upon arrival, but my head wasn’t idle enough to memorize every single military officer.
“Ah, my introduction is late. The atmosphere was rather grim yesterday. This is Chief of the General Staff Helmuth Johannes Ludwig von Moltke.”
Foreigners really do have ridiculously long names. That’s why I hate them. I’d just have to remember him as “Moltke the Unknown” or something.
“Unfortunately we are not a belligerent nation. However, as I have said repeatedly, our Goryeo returns exactly as much as it receives.”
Bestow proper grace upon us. Then we will provide accurate information so that Germany can achieve victory.
“Exactly. If you wish to become Germany’s foothold in Asia, you must show that much spirit. Good. Let us run this race together.”
Precisely. We would simply follow slowly from behind with our hands clasped behind our backs. All you need to do is ruin Russia to a moderate, manageable degree. Just trigger a civil war at the right level so we can scavenge the pieces. I’d have to overlook some degree of mainland invasion in the process, but at minimum I could create the image that I had tried to protect Russia even if they entered the war. That way I could win over Russian public sentiment.
“Come to think of it, aren’t you well past the age for marriage?”
“I am already married to the state.”
There had already been marriage talks from Russia. What exactly did he expect me to do about it?
“The state does not love you, does it?”
That was true enough. I was the one grabbing the country by the collar and dragging it upward. In the first place, this wasn’t even the country I had originally lived in. Simply because it was necessary, I had used every means available to create this nation called Goryeo—neither truly Korea nor anything else. And precisely because of that, I intended to make it even stronger. Not a country liberated by America that could only cling to the southern half of the peninsula, living in constant anxiety, but a serious Asian hegemon.
“Hmm. Are there any marriage talks?”
“Talks have come in from both Goryeo itself and from the Russian side.”
There were talks within Goryeo as well. I heard Yi Beom-yun asked about it quite frequently.
“A pity. I had thought it would be excellent if we could form a connection as well.”
Unfortunately that would be difficult. For now, if I were to keep any candidate in mind, I had Yusupov. To devour Russia, it was necessary in many ways to maintain the appearance of close ties with them. In that case, Yusupov and the Russian side would be far preferable to Germany.
“Regrettably, I cannot be satisfied with only one man. Even if it leads to marriage, if the relationship between husband and wife is poor, it would end, would it not? After all, I do not believe trust between nations can be built solely through royal marriages.”
Being bound by royal marriage was fine, but I had no intention of doing so with Germany. Our talk of becoming “Asia’s Germany” was nothing more and nothing less than a scheme to put these people in a good mood.
“That is true enough.”
“Your Majesty. Actually, there is one matter we would like to trade for as well.”
“What is it?”
When asked what it was, common courtesy demanded an answer.
“No matter how favorable the Junkers may feel toward us, wouldn’t they still object if you provide our Goryeo with so many things based on a mere prophecy that cannot yet be confirmed?”
They almost certainly would. Therefore, I could offer them something truly good.