The Treaty of Paris

***

Today, Yi Beom-yun, who had become the Prime Minister, summoned me.

“Your Excellency the Prime Minister. You called for me?”

“I thrust the position of Prime Minister upon you so suddenly… it feels rather awkward.”

What was there to feel awkward about? It was a position he more than deserved. After all, my achievements were essentially his achievements too.

“That’s just how politics works. But in reality, there is no one more qualified than you right now, Your Excellency.”

If nothing else, there truly wasn’t anyone else who could match Yi Beom-yun at this moment. Who was it that had saved the country? The Korean Empire Army that had played lapdog to Britain and Japan? Of course there were circumstances involved, but the people only believed what they could see.

This time, the Sapodae that had been integrated into the Manchurian Army. While Manchuria was technically Russian territory, right now Gando was practically indistinguishable from Southern Manchuria. And since I, as Countess Ok, held influence in Shenyang as well, it had effectively been absorbed into the Manchurian Army.

Although I had done most of the work, the supreme commander had still been Yi Beom-yun. So it was no exaggeration to say that Yi Beom-yun had saved the nation.

“How do you think we should proceed from here?”

Anyone who looked at the alternative history gallery could figure that out immediately. First, we had to cut off the limbs of the pro-imperial faction, which meant dealing with the military. With the Sapodae currently holding the upper hand, now was the perfect opportunity.

“We must begin with military reform.”

“Isn’t the military already undergoing modernization?”

It seemed Yi Beom-yun still didn’t fully grasp the gravity of the situation.

“It’s not just about modernization. Right now, the Korean Empire’s military is split in two.”

According to the alternative history gallery, the army had fractured down the middle. If Japan’s army and navy had divided, in Korea it was the army itself that had split. The pro-imperial faction would probably align with the conservative forces. But we couldn’t just wipe them all out. We needed to cleanly sever their limbs and make it crystal clear who held the real power.

Fortunately, Emperor Sunjong was cowed by our momentum, and foreign powers were watching me with keen interest. The existing cabinet likely wouldn’t receive any goodwill from abroad. After all, an absolute monarchy still reeked of conservatism to them. Of course, in a rapidly changing society, the pro-imperial faction would eventually try to reform the country too—but if they seized power, it would be far too late. We had to settle this while we still held the hilt of the sword.

“There are undoubtedly many officers in the Korean Empire Army who have been influenced by Japan and Britain, whether we like it or not. This is the perfect time to reform the military and place Sapodae officers in those positions, ensuring that military authority rests solely with the Sapodae.”

Even though we had won, the Korean Empire Army had spent years working alongside Britain and Japan. It was impossible to say none of them harbored pro-Japanese leanings. They might not be outright traitors, but we couldn’t afford to leave any lingering doubts. It was better to fill those spots with our own people.

“Once the country has stabilized, I intend to introduce women’s suffrage and similar measures.”

“So suddenly?”

Women’s suffrage wasn’t supposed to appear until the provisional government era. We were starting from absolute zero here.

“You’re excellent in every other way, Jin-seo, but you are a woman. At the very least, raising women’s rights would work in your favor, wouldn’t it?”

Was I going to end up becoming the idol of future Korean radical feminists? The kind of figure they’d worship while screaming “Women can do anything!”? In more ways than one, it felt like I was destined to become their object of veneration.

“There are eyes watching. It’s better to raise it step by step.”

“Your Excellency… are you saying…”

“At the very least, if I want to name you as my successor, I’ll need to do at least that much. Fortunately, the Sapodae has seized Hanseong, so there shouldn’t be any major difficulties.”

He was going to make me Prime Minister? I hadn’t even been aiming for the Prime Minister’s seat.

Although the war had roughly united everyone, the integration of the Korean, Han Chinese, and Manchu peoples in the Gando region was still far from complete. I planned to unite them all into one. Even if I did become Prime Minister, that was still a long way off. My base of power was currently in Gando and Southern Manchuria.

“Hmm… I have no particular interest in the Prime Minister position.”

“But considering everything you’ve done so far, and look at this. Your father passed it on to me. Now that you can protect yourself, I want to give it to you.”

Yi Beom-yun suddenly handed me a bundle. When I opened it, I found various ornaments, a massive seal, and a single book.

“This… is a genealogy? From the Tang dynasty’s Suzong?”

“Look further. The surface appears quite old. It doesn’t seem like an ordinary family register.”

Dang Seon-jong, Jin-ui, Jak Je-geon, Yong-geon, Wang Geon. All of these names were in this world’s Ok Jin-seo’s genealogy. And if you went much further down, it listed King Gongmin and Princess Noguk as ancestors. In other words, this body was a descendant of King Gongmin and Princess Noguk.

The reason Tang Emperor Suzong—or Seonjong—was listed was because Wang Geon had fabricated his ancestry to make his bloodline appear supremely noble. The problem was that this genealogy was connected to me. The fact that it appeared in Ok Jin-seo’s family register meant that Ok Jin-seo was their descendant.

“Are you telling me I’m royalty from the previous dynasty?”

“I’m not sure whether you are truly royalty from the previous dynasty or simply from a family that possessed their genealogy. But your family had already changed its surname during King U’s reign, and by today had become a family of peddlers.”

Even so, I still didn’t understand why he was giving this to me. Logically speaking, did this even make sense? If I was going to be royalty, wouldn’t it be better to be royalty of this country? It seemed that old man had meddled again. He said he’d give me good bloodline. He’d gone and done it blatantly.

If he was going to do that, it would’ve been better to make me royalty of this country. Rebuilding Goryeo—fuck, in this era it would’ve made more sense if I were a man. What the hell was I supposed to do with this?

“I don’t quite understand. Why are you showing me this?”

“I thought you ought to know your roots.”

I see. So he was telling me to do whatever I wanted with it. Since I was supposedly a descendant of Wang Geon, I ought to aim for a high position. Something like that. Or perhaps he wanted me to take revenge for King ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Gongyang. What was certain was that with imperial authority now at rock bottom and public sentiment firmly supporting the Sapodae, this was a double-edged sword.

Even if I used this genealogy for something later, now was not the time. I took the genealogy but had no intention of obsessing over bloodlines.

“For that reason as well, I would like you to marry.”

“Even if a descendant of the previous dynasty’s royalty bears children, it won’t be a good thing. If I marry now, I won’t be able to do what I want to do.”

I bowed my head politely and left the residence. If getting married once could suddenly turn the country into a great power and let me live as a fire race, I could do it any number of times. But at least for now, I had no thoughts of marriage.

***

Paris, France

The peace treaty between Russia and Japan—which in original history would have been called the Treaty of Portsmouth—was concluded in Paris, France. It had been decided at Russia’s strong insistence as the victor. France, too, had accepted the peace conference in Paris out of interest in the barbaric acts of Japan and in Countess Ok.

And the Japanese plenipotentiary who had come here as Japan’s representative, Komura Jutarō, looked like he was dying inside.

“This is a cruel measure!”

The absurd peace terms received from Russia. It was a negotiation that went beyond treating the empire as a mere defeated nation—it was practically carving it up and devouring it.

“What exactly is so cruel about it?”

“Our Imperial Army… our Imperial Army has not been defeated!”

Komura Jutarō wanted to kick his chair and storm out of the mediation right then and there. If they signed a treaty like this, Japan would be no different from the Qing. Not only would the empire’s restoration collapse, but personally, Komura would end up having to commit seppuku just like Terauchi.

That damn Privy Council Chairman Itō had brought back an absurd unilateral peace proposal and then sent him here as plenipotentiary to essentially force him to commit suicide.

'That fucking old bastard!'

For that reason alone he could not accept these negotiations, but that damned Korean plenipotentiary was busy smirking and mocking the empire with smug satisfaction.

“Ah, are you referring to the pitiful vengeful spirits wandering Manchuria?”

“!!”

“You must acknowledge what must be acknowledged. Over four hundred thousand Japanese soldiers have become ghosts in Manchuria. Do you still intend to insist on continuing the war?”

The Korean Empire, which until recently had been dragged around by Japan, now had its delegation openly laughing at them. They had scraped together every last ounce of their soul only to ruin their country—what a hilarious sight.

Russian Empire plenipotentiary Sergei Witte silently observed the verbal battle between the two nations. In this treaty, he needed to at least secure the Korean Empire’s position as a friendly nation, if only because of Ok Jin-seo.

“From the beginning, Korea was our ally. If we were defeated, they should have been defeated alongside us. How can Korea claim to be a victorious nation on the same level as Russia?”

Komura Jutarō had decided to drag Korea down with him. It was a drowning-man strategy to exclude Korea from these negotiations.

But Korean plenipotentiary Min Yeong-hwan had no intention of yielding an inch.

“What foolish country would form an alliance with a nation that assassinated its emperor? They should be on their knees begging for forgiveness, yet they occupied another country’s capital and even burned the palace, didn’t they? Did they not threaten our Crown Prince? Frankly, if our soldiers had assassinated your emperor, would you have stayed quiet?”

“Your words go too far!”

“I am not going too far—I am speaking plain truth! Right now, twenty thousand of our soldiers are on your mainland together with the Russian army. Soldiers who know of our Emperor’s assassination are ravaging your lands. What do you think their objective is?”

At those words, Komura Jutarō’s face turned deathly pale. Right now the empire had virtually no proper defensive forces. The fact that the Korean-Russian allied forces were rampaging unchecked was proof of that. If they decided to take revenge for their emperor and targeted His Majesty the Emperor, it would be over. No matter how foolish a king he was, hadn’t he been treated as a parent by Joseon? It was entirely possible.

“Did the Korean plenipotentiary come here to negotiate, or to threaten the Japanese Empire?”

“Should we treat those who assassinated an emperor and ravaged an allied nation as civilized countries? You spoke of helping us with civilization and so on, but it seems your country needs civilization far more than we do.”

“Now look here! Very well. Then, does the Russian plenipotentiary acknowledge that Korea is a victorious nation?”

With nothing left to say, Komura Jutarō turned to Sergei Witte.

“The alliance itself was formed under your country’s coercion, and you even assassinated the emperor, didn’t you? As it happens, our own country could not afford to prolong the war much longer. Since Korea helped bring the war to a swift end, there is no problem.”

'Coercion? That foolish emperor claimed he chose the alliance himself!'

Komura Jutarō wanted to storm out of the conference room immediately. But he knew that if he walked out now, the empire—indeed, the Land of the Gods—would truly be finished.

“Then can the Japanese Empire’s plenipotentiary bear the landing of the Korean-Russian allied forces?”

“This war was a barbaric conflict stained by greed because the interests of the three nations did not align. We need a moment to coordinate.”

Komura Jutarō tried to buy time and find some way to negotiate, but he had to face pressure from the British Conservative Party, whose defeat in the upcoming election was already certain.

“Where did the Japanese Empire’s war funds come from in the first place? We are not unrelated to this war either! You asked us to buy bonds because you wanted to fight, and then you lost. You don’t even have the ability to repay us, yet you keep talking about wanting to fight? If you refuse to accept this, the British Empire will have no choice but to take measures.”

From Britain’s perspective, it was utterly infuriating. The only meaningful thing they had achieved was dealing damage to the Russian fleet. Yet they had sunk a fleet that had received support from the Royal Navy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the British Empire.

“Ugh…”

Under British pressure, Komura Jutarō had no choice but to accept. They had poured everything—body and soul—into one decisive blow to repel the Russian Far East Army. But just as the saying went that the yellow race could never defeat the white race, Japan’s defeat in the Russo-Japanese War—which from Russia’s colossal perspective had been little more than a local conflict—had set the entire nation on the path to ruin. This was Japan’s reality.

“Well then, will you accept?”

“…We accept.”

Komura Jutarō ended up signing what was essentially a treaty of defeat.

The Treaty of Paris, which was overwhelmingly disadvantageous to Japan, had been concluded. It was no different from a treaty signed by a defeated nation.

Komura Jutarō bit his lip hard. If he returned with this result, he would undoubtedly be forced to commit seppuku. Most ridiculous of all was the clause about Japanese troop withdrawal. There had to be troops left to withdraw in the first place. Moreover, there wasn’t a single mention of the prisoners captured in Joseon. It was left entirely up to Joseon whether to kill them or spare them.

“Ah, and since you clearly don’t have the ability to repay the money, if you’re interested, please hand over Okinawa.”

Hand over Okinawa? He should at least say something that made sense. No matter how badly Japan had lost, handing over Okinawa was impossible.

And then—

“Then… the Anglo-Japanese Alliance…”

“It seems you haven’t received word yet. The alliance has already been dissolved.”

“This… this can’t be…”

The dissolution of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance meant that Britain would no longer act as the empire’s patron. With their defeat in the Korean-Russian-Japanese War, Japan had exhausted its usefulness. It was over.

“Seriously, if you’re going to be a hunting dog, you should have acted like one properly. Tsk.”

Say something that makes sense. From the beginning, the British Empire had merely used them as a hunting dog so they wouldn’t have to shed their own blood. If the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dog didn’t know its place, the best course was to boil it and eat it.