The Emperor Falls
I’m heading to Pyongyang! ***
“Your Majesty, as a count, I will persuade Russia. Tell them that His Imperial Majesty has been waiting for this very opportunity. If we then eradicate the remaining Japanese forces in Manchuria and the southern Korean Peninsula and establish a fully sovereign independent nation, you will become the emperor who reclaims Manchuria—a land that not a single ruler has set foot on since the Goryeo conquest of Liaodong. You will accomplish what even Emperor Taejo could not!”
My words finally sharpened the Emperor’s unfocused gaze. See? The moment you feed him something that sounds good, he latches right on.
“Indeed.”
At my suggestion, Gojong nodded as if possessed. His face was practically dripping with ambition and greed. Even though Japanese troops occupied Hanseong and Manchuria, he seemed to believe it was still possible. He looked ready to seize the chance.
“I will escort Your Majesty personally.”
Hurry the hell up. If the Japanese forces in Manchuria catch wind of this, they might storm Shenyang before I even get there. Yi Beom-yun won’t sit still, but even he won’t be able to hold out for long.
“We must bring the ministers as well.”
“No. Right now, Your Majesty takes absolute priority.”
Is this guy insane? Taking everyone would make it look like we’re openly relocating the entire government. The more people we drag along, the bigger the movement becomes. That just means more headaches. So we have to minimize the number of people moving.
“In any case, the Japanese forces cannot act immediately. We will evacuate Your Majesty first, then bring His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Majesty the Empress.”
Once I get the Emperor out, things will work themselves out. This bastard always puts his own skin first, so he won’t insist on taking his son Yi Cheok and the Empress together.
“However, if what the Shenyang Administrator says is true, the Japanese may move while Your Majesty is away seeking refuge.”
“As Vice Minister of the Army, I will stop them.”
The one who stepped forward then was Prince Uichin. With history changed, it seemed he had become Vice Minister of the Army at this time. Well, whatever. If he wants to go find a place to die, I’m more than happy to let him.
“Prince Uichin?”
“Just in case, take the Royal Guard and part of the Capital Garrison as escort. I will lead the remaining garrison and hold them off. What are you waiting for? Shenyang Administrator, escort His Majesty to Shenyang at once.”
The Jeoguk Ikmunsa and part of the Capital Garrison would escort us. This was going to mean way too many people. Was that really okay?
“Understood, Your Highness.”
The Japanese probably don’t have any immediate plans. No… still, better safe than sorry. The Japanese know Gojong almost as well as the Koreans do. If the Emperor disappears, they might assume he’s running to Russia. In that case, moving quickly would be best.
***
Unfortunately, the honeyed words Ok Jin-seo had spouted to lure Gojong away were exactly what the Japanese side had been planning in reality.
As proof, Kuroki Tamemoto had marched into Hanseong under the pretext of preparing for a possible Russian landing. His true objective was to seize complete control of Hanseong at any moment in case the Russo-Japanese War took a dangerous turn. He also intended to secure the Emperor quickly in preparation for the wretched ikki—the people’s uprising—that might erupt and threaten the military leadership.
But.
Not long after, just as Kuroki was slowly tightening his grip on Hanseong, an absolutely insane report reached his ears that made him doubt them.
“What did you say? The Korean Emperor has disappeared?”
“Yes. What should we do?”
At his division commander’s report, Kuroki pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Have you ever seen such a lunatic! I told you to watch him properly! Where the hell did the Korean Emperor go?!”
Where had that king who wasn’t even worthy of the title run off to this time? No, he shouldn’t have been able to run at all. How much benevolence had the Empire shown the Korean Emperor? If he had simply stayed quiet and submitted, the Empire had even considered treating him with mercy.
Yet how had this bastard caught the scent?
“We must find him immediately.”
“Is he not fleeing to Russia because the Empire’s war against them is going poorly?”
The Korean king had already thrown himself into Russian arms during the previous refuge in the Russian legation. This time would surely be the same. A pathetic emperor who valued his own safety above his subjects. Just like the Korean kings during the Imjin War who were so good at running away, this one had once again fled faster than anyone.
Kuroki quickly led the First Army toward the palace, but unfortunately the palace was already being defended by Prince Uichin’s Capital Garrison.
“I was half in doubt at first, but it really happened.”
Prince Uichin, who had been skeptical at first, now frowned deeply.
“Your Highness Prince Uichin. Japan is an ally of your nation. Where is His Majesty the Emperor?”
An ally? Yi Kang let out a mocking laugh at those words. What kind of ally points guns at the palace and storms in? But he could not submit to them here.
“So you finally show your true colors. His Majesty has already left Hanseong! Hahahahaha!”
Prince Uichin Yi Kang laughed loudly, as if to taunt them.
“Damn it.”
When Yi Kang openly provoked him, Kuroki ground his teeth and snarled.
“We already obtained information that if your war with Russia goes badly, you will betray us!”
Kuroki’s face twisted violently. When had they prepared something like that? Did the Korean intelligence bureau really have that kind of capability?
“Damn it. At this point… First Army, seize Hanseong!”
In the end, Kuroki decided to take Hanseong first. An ikki might break out. They had to devour the Korean Empire only after pushing back Russia. Everything else could be handled later.
“You bastards have been an eyesore for a long time! Come at me, you Japanese dogs!”
But that was all. Prince Uichin’s Royal Guard and Capital Garrison fought a bloody battle against Kuroki’s First Army, relying on the palace to defend Hanseong. However, a mere handful of garrison troops could not possibly stop the Japanese army.
“Stand your ground! Kill every last one of those Japanese dogs until the final Royal Guard falls!”
“Truly, even to the end, your fighting spirit does not lose to the Imperial Army! But with such a tiny force, you can do nothing!”
The palace fell quickly, and Hanseong fell into Japanese hands in the blink of an eye.
When Ito Hirobumi heard the news, he felt like dying.
“What’s the point of taking Hanseong if the Korean king has fled! This is disastrous. Just where is that bastard trying to run?”
These insane Korean kings really were experts at running away. He couldn’t see them anywhere.
But not long after that—
“The Korean king has been assassinated!”
“W-what?”
Ito Hirobumi doubted his own ears. The monarch was dead? In the middle of this chaos, the Korean Emperor had died? If so, an ikki would erupt across the entire Korean Peninsula. And those uprisings would endlessly harass the Imperial Army from behind while they were already struggling with the war.
Ito Hirobumi staggered for a moment before barely regaining his composure. It felt as though the Empire’s future was growing darker by the second.
***
On the road to Pyongyang, things finally went wrong.
“Catch the Korean king!”
Unfortunately, Yi Kang had not been able to hold out against Kuroki’s army for even half a day, and Kuroki had sent a pursuit force. If only he had held out until we got farther north. Still, we had come quite a distance. We were already near Pyongyang. After all, Kuroki had only sent a portion of his cavalry as pursuers. They were just meant to harass us a bit.
Slash!
The military saber I swung cleanly severed the head of one bald-headed Japanese soldier. After killing so many Qing troops here, I had become strong enough to confidently claim I could wipe out any biker gang even if I were thrown back into the apocalyptic world.
I had lost count of how many times I had repeated this.
“How can a woman possess such martial prowess?”
Unfortunately, to the Emperor and the ministers, Ok Jin-seo probably looked like some kind of monster. If I played my cards right, maybe I wouldn’t even need to kill this Emperor. I could just flatter him like a sycophant and turn the Korean Empire into my own zombie state, couldn’t I?
Anyway, war with Japan was now inevitable. I would drag Gojong along, make him say the right things, and send a personal letter to the Tsar claiming, The British and Japanese bastards forced an alliance treaty on us! That should persuade him.
But one problem arose here.
“Would it not be better to take the Pyongyang Jinwidae and retake Hanseong?”
This damn sweet potato bastard wanted to lead the Pyongyang troops to reclaim the capital. No matter how many simulations I ran in my head, trying to retake Hanseong with the Pyongyang Jinwidae would probably fail. Even Prince Uichin’s Capital Garrison couldn’t hold out. Only minimal forces remained in Pyongyang—what could they possibly do? The opponent was Kuroki’s entrenched First Army. It would be difficult.
“Unfortunately, it will be difficult.”
“What? His Majesty the Emperor is asking you a question and you answer so firmly!”
“How could I not understand Your Majesty’s desire to reclaim the royal capital? But what battle can be fought without soldiers? Even if we brought back General Gang Gam-chan from the previous dynasty or General Kwon Yul from the Battle of Haengju during the Imjin War, it would still be difficult. And pulling troops from Gando would take too much time.”
Of course, if I stepped in myself, it wouldn’t be impossible. If I charged into Hanseong alone like a madwoman, carving a path and slaughtering Japanese soldiers left and right until they broke in terror, then the handful of Pyongyang Jinwidae could push in. But if I did that, the Emperor’s authority would be restored and I would be portrayed as a real monster.
“Hmm. What a shame.”
Don’t say it’s a shame. I want to crack your skull open like a roasted chestnut. You have zero sense of reality. Zero. This country ended up like this because it’s full of bastards like you and those stale old scholars.
Anyway, if I wanted to strip away the Emperor’s authority this time, the Russo-Japanese War had to end in a clear Russian victory.
“Once we persuade Russia, we will be able to drive the Japanese out of Hanseong.”
There were no other choices anyway. As long as Britain played the Great Game against Russia, as long as Japan coveted the continent, and as long as Russia sought to move south, Korea had to choose one side. Britain could not be trusted. Japan was not even worth discussing.
“But if we do that, what will happen to Manchuria?”
Even now, worrying about Manchuria showed he was out of his mind. Realistically, obtaining Manchuria would mean fighting Russia. What would he do if Russia decided to bring its main European forces down? Of course, assuming there was no Bloody Sunday, but honestly, could the current Korea even manage Manchuria? Absolutely not. At the very least, safety had to be guaranteed first. The troops we could mobilize right now were barely half of the Russian Far East Army, and our logistics depended entirely on other countries.
“It will be difficult. We may even have to give up the Shenyang Administrator position Your Majesty granted me.”
“That is indeed unfortunate.”
Even if he kept saying it was unfortunate, the bastard in front of me was the one who had caused this mess. A short bastard who looked like he belonged in the back of the class eating bread. He was truly an expert at ruining the country. This is all your fault, you son of a bitch! That’s what I’m saying right now.
“Well then, let us hurry.”
“No. Still, we should head to Pyongyang first.”
Head to Pyongyang? When the whole route was probably already blocked? Did this guy actually have a brain? If Kuroki had any sense, he would have already blocked the road to Pyongyang, which might still have some defensive troops.
“Your Majesty’s command has been given. It would be best to obey.”
“Indeed. If we recall the Manchurian army, there may be a chance.”
Yi Yong-ik and Min Yeong-hwan were being annoying. Ha, if I had known it would turn out like this, I should have just given up on everything. Maybe it would have been better to use my future knowledge to live a sweet life in America and just support the independence activists moderately. Or should I just kill them all right here?
No. Yi Beom-yun was still in Gando, so I didn’t have to go there right away. If I ignored Gojong’s words and just kept heading north, I had no idea what he would do later. This had gotten really annoying.
For now, I would be generous and accompany them as far as Pyongyang. But that was it. Beyond that, I had no intention of following along.
“Understood. Let us do that, then.”
Time to make them face reality. Up until now it had been fine. I was going to make these idiots realize the truth. It had been fine up until now.
Of course, just as expected, when we approached the vicinity of Pyongyang, we encountered Kuroki’s soldiers. They had already advanced right up to the front of Pyongyang.
“Aigoo, Your Majesty the Emperor. Where have you been? Russia may descend upon us at any moment, so we will escort you.”
“See? I told you this would happen.”
“Ugh. What are the Royal Guards doing?!”
The Royal Guard stepped forward and confronted the troops Kuroki had sent. Their numbers were pitifully small. On the other hand, the pursuit force Kuroki dispatched was quite large. Even in terms of combat strength, this army would never be able to defeat Kuroki.
In that case, it would be better for me to head to Manchuria while I bought time. That guy was good at running away, so he would probably listen to me.
“I will open the path. Your Majesty should head to Manchuria—”
“While the Royal Guard buys time, hurry to Pyongyang!”
Oh my god. This bastard really wasn’t listening to me at all.
“Ah, fuck! Just listen for once!”
Bang! Bang bang!
Gunshots rang out in the clear sky. At the same time, battle broke out between the Royal Guard and Kuroki’s pursuit force. The problem was—
Kuroki’s pursuit force had finally scored a hit.
“Guh!”
Yes. Not long after the gunshots, that damned Gojong collapsed, bleeding from his body. It was terribly unlucky.