The Cunning Old Fox

The sly old fox. * * *

Ito Hirobumi’s terms were simple. “Let us end this war now.” He was begging us to stop the fighting and spare Japan. From our side, this was already a desperate scramble after we had been thoroughly drained. My bold front was nothing but bluster. With the battlefield now on the Korean Peninsula, the Korean Empire would inevitably suffer damage. Gando in particular had poured out every last bit of strength it had accumulated, so it was time to call a halt and rest using the funds ceded by Qing and the reparations from Japan.

“That is precisely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what the Korean Empire desires. We have already reached an understanding with Britain. Has Japan not done the same?”

“Britain is Britain. Korea and Japan must negotiate anew between themselves, must they not?”

Bullshit. He was trying to swindle me in a separate deal. Did he really think I was ignorant enough to fall for it? Even if I lacked expertise in this field, did this bastard dare treat me like a fool? I knew at least this much.

“So how much is Japan prepared to concede?”

“We will forgo reparations. Japan will assist Korea in its modernization. In return, spare us.”

“You must have brought your government’s baseline conditions for an armistice. Hand them over.”

I snatched the document from Ito and scanned Japan’s demands.

Not worth reading. Even the second clause alone was obvious: “We’ll pull back, so just declare yourselves neutral.” Utterly absurd. Ito wasn’t stupid enough to present this as his real demand. This was probably something his government had floated and he had embellished. Would men who still needed to stop our landing force really offer terms this quickly? He was tossing out an outrageous opening bid to haggle from there.

“I fail to see why you are doing this. The second clause is already problematic. Whether the Korean Empire aligns with any nation or remains neutral is our own affair. A defeated country has no right to attach conditions. As for the third clause, Sakhalin and the Kurils may be set aside. But there should be no Japanese troops left in Manchuria or on the Korean Peninsula—unless you count a few ragged stragglers we might find if we search thoroughly. This is only a draft, so adjustments can be made, but this is simply too shameless.”

Ito Hirobumi clenched his fists. To see the great Ito Hirobumi reduced to this state… Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War would change everything for Japan. I understood. Someone in Japan—Katsura Taro or whoever—was fighting for survival and had drafted this miserable proposal. Of course it would be revised, but they would fight hardest to avoid both reparations and territorial loss.

“Naturally. These are the minimum conditions for the Empire to preserve its cabinet. I will negotiate the details, so please, at least halt the Russian invasion of the homeland.”

“Your ears are remarkably sharp for an old man.”

That sharpness was exactly why he had raised the Japanese Empire this far. I could respect him for that, if nothing else. He had turned a remote island nation bullied by the great powers into a force that now drooled over its neighbors. I intended to follow his example—build up the Korean Empire and periodically thrash the Japanese archipelago.

“When the nation faces crisis, one must listen carefully.”

“I am merely a powerless woman. What could I possibly do? And you ask me to stop Russia’s invasion? Do you think I am the Russian chancellor?”

“I know it was you who negotiated with Britain! Therefore you are expected to receive a mediation proposal at the appropriate time. That time is now! Enough!”

He was clearly desperate. Blood vessels stood out in Ito Hirobumi’s eyes.

“Does this mean you intend to ignore Britain’s proposal?”

“We have already accepted Britain’s armistice terms, separate from our government’s instructions. This draft is merely to discuss points requiring adjustment. What more do you want?”

He still saw me as a fool. No—wait. Ito, that sly old fox, knew everything. This was a trap to ensnare me during a private negotiation. The moment I met him alone, I had already fallen into it. He had contacted me directly instead of going through the Korean Empire’s external channels. That alone would become a political issue later. Ito had counted on exactly that. Even if Japan fell, he would leave behind a pretext to attack me. If I trusted only Britain and dismissed him here, the pro-Russian faction would later claim I had gained nothing from the meeting with Ito and instead hold me responsible for meeting him independently. From the look on his face, that was precisely his game. I needed to produce a favorable result.

Britain would have arranged an armistice anyway if I had stayed quiet. Since he had come to me directly, a little intimidation was in order. I could not afford to be swayed even slightly.

“You would never accept it as written. You would try to wriggle out of it somehow.”

“We will accept it without fail.”

“We have no intention of returning the prisoners.”

“Do you intend to demand ransom?”

Ransom. They had no money for ransom anyway; everyone knew that. They still had loans from Britain and America to repay. It would be difficult enough without also paying us reparations. We would have to take payment in kind. Using prisoners as unpaid legal slaves was only natural. I shook my head lightly.

“No. Once you pay every last bit of reparations demanded in these negotiations, you will have nothing left for ransom anyway. We will simply put them to use in our country. I merely wish to prevent any clause demanding their immediate repatriation from being added to the armistice terms.”

You will struggle enough just paying reparations. Offering territory instead would actually be cheaper for you.

“And?”

“We require the cession of Tsushima.”

I spoke with satisfaction. We would be carving off their land.

“What? You want Tsushima Island?”

Of course he would be outraged. A Korea that had already stabbed them in the back now wanted territory as well.

“I would also like Iki Island and others, but that would be asking too much. Originally, Tsushima was connected not only to Japan but to Korea as well. During the reign of King Sejong, we subjugated it through the Tsushima Expedition. I intend to use that as justification.”

“You ask for far too much.”

Too much? I had been willing to settle for Britain’s proposal alone. Yet after deliberately arranging a private meeting to spite me, he still had the gall to complain. I needed to secure whatever I could, if only to silence future complaints from Korean officials. Just as this cunning old man had presented an outrageous draft, I had to prepare my own demands to maximize what I could extract.

“After everything Japan has done to us, this much indulgence is only fair. And we are not demanding Tsushima merely as a victor’s prize. We must keep watch over the Japanese archipelago so you cannot invade again without warning.”

If Britain later pressured us over this, we could trade it for other concessions.

“You mean you do not trust the Empire?”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Was he seriously saying that now? Starting with the Unyo incident, who had pulled every dirty trick imaginable? Of course the old Joseon court had been foolish enough to fall for it, but that did not justify Japan’s actions.

“On the contrary, what advantage would Korea gain by foolishly trusting Japan again? The Unyo incident, the Ganghwa Island Treaty, the Sino-Japanese War, the warship fraud—I only listed the major ones I remember. How many more are there that I do not know?”

It was laughable. I would rather resume tributary relations with Qing than trust Japan.

“You seem to be under a misconception. It was Korea that accepted our Empire in the first place. During the Shinmiyangyo, they refused to open even to America, which brought far more powerful warships than ours. Yet during the Unyo incident they accepted us, did they not?”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

If one examined it properly, that was simply the accumulated damage from the Byeongin and Shinmi incidents, but his framing was infuriating. Realistically, even if they had resisted then, Japan’s subsequent behavior showed they would never have abandoned the Seikanron. No amount of rhetoric could justify an invasion simply because Korea’s court was incompetent.

“Even if Joseon had refused then, Japan’s later actions prove the Seikanron was never abandoned. No matter what excuses you offer, the invasion plans of you Japanese, premised on Korean incompetence, cannot be rationalized.”

“Japanese.” The word made Ito Hirobumi’s face twist. I had no desire to prolong this conversation, and Ito surely knew it. His country was in immediate danger. They had staked everything on one decisive battle and lost; now only the gracefulness of their defeat remained.

“Give me a moment to think.”

“You have no time to think. Even now, your homeland is being burned.”

Strictly speaking we were only the supporting act—Russia would do most of the burning. After this, as Ito said, Korea and Japan would not merely fight; they would regard each other as mortal enemies. They had been thrashed by the Korea ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they had so thoroughly despised.

“If you conduct diplomacy this way, you will only earn the resentment of every nation. For the sake of both countries’ futures, diplomacy should not be so ruthless.”

“That will not happen. This applies only to Japan. If I had conducted diplomacy so carelessly, would the Tsar have become my staunch patron? Would Britain have abandoned you to hold private talks with me? As for Qing, you already know our relationship, so I need not belabor the point.”

Minor resistance was pointless.

“Your Excellency, our forces have landed on Japanese soil alongside the Russian army,” Kim In-soo announced loudly as he entered, clearly intending for Ito to hear.

They had landed in Japan. That was probably thanks to the Tsar’s firm resolve. But it would not last long—Russia could not sustain a prolonged war either. An agreement would have to be reached soon at an appropriate level.

“We will march on Tokyo next. Well then, Privy Council Chairman? It seems it is time for us to resume our transaction.”

You are the inferior party; I hold the advantage. So stop posturing and listen carefully.

“What?”

“You would do well to accept quickly. Even now Japan may burn before I can inform the Tsar.”

At my words, Ito’s eyebrows trembled violently. An old man should not be this irritable. He probably could not hold out any longer. I had considered demanding Okinawa as well, but that would be difficult—Britain would block it to prevent us from becoming too pro-Russian. So Tsushima was the limit. Taking Tsushima was not about territorial expansion per se. I genuinely intended to use it both to monitor the Japanese archipelago and as an airfield site. That way we could strike whenever we wished.

“Very well. I accept.”

“To ensure there are no lies, let us also settle the reparations between ourselves in advance.”

“Reparations as well?”

Yes. Britain had only confirmed that reparations would be paid; they had not specified the amount. Japan could easily say, “We have no money, so we will pay only ten million yen,” and that would be the end of it. So this too had to be locked down.

“You could always agree to pay reparations and then back out later, could you not?”

“Fine. How much are you demanding?”

Ito now wore a completely defeated expression, waiting only for my next words. I always said the same thing: if you want to reach your desired level, open with something higher. Keep raising until the other side feels they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have successfully haggled you down—even if it makes them look like complete idiots. So I named a large sum.

“Three hundred million yen should suffice.”

“Do you even know how much our national revenue is? Russia will demand far more!”

Ito shot to his feet, breathing heavily. What Russia squeezed out of them was none of my concern. Fujian Province would probably be lost again anyway.

“The battlefield was the Korean Peninsula, Gando, and Manchuria. Russia fought in the Far East—in Manchuria and Sakhalin—but our homeland was threatened. Considering that, are we not asking for very little?”

We had fought the war on our own soil. Compared to the Imjin War the damage was relatively light. Although the volunteer militias led by the old yangban factions had been crushed, the country had not been reduced to the wasteland it became during the Imjin invasion.

“You are taking Tsushima and even planning to seize what remains of our fleet, yet you still demand three hundred million yen? If our Empire is forced to cede territory, should the reparations not be reduced accordingly?”

I had been wondering when that argument would appear.