The Foreign Minister's Negotiations
Of course, if someone asked whether I actually intended to do it, the answer was no. After all, I was merely the Foreign Minister. In a situation where I was clashing with the pro-Russian faction, I couldn't afford to act recklessly relying solely on Yi Beom-yun. For now, I would have to rely on my silver tongue to win them over.
"Are you referring to something like the Katsura-Taft Agreement as an example of trust between nations?"
"You know about that agreement, Manager of Shenyang?"
Allen’s eyes widened in surprise. Did he really think I was an idiot? No fool would be ignorant of it. Even in the original history, that secret pact had been made. Before and after the Russo-Japanese War, the United States had turned a blind eye to Japan devouring the Korean Empire while Japan, in turn, looked the other way regarding America’s hold on the Philippines. They had carved things up amicably, completely excluding Korea’s opinion.
The Russo-Japanese War made the Katsura-Taft Agreement meaningless. Instead, the U.S. began paying attention to Korea.
Of course, I had checked just in case. Since history here diverged from the original timeline, I wanted to confirm whether those bastards had cooked up something different from the Katsura-Taft Agreement. Surprisingly, it turned out they had only delayed the start of the Russo-Japanese War. The Katsura-Taft Agreement had still existed. Allen here must have known about it as well. Despite his personal dislike of Japan—unlike his home country’s stance—he was still bound to follow instructions from Washington.
Later, when Japan’s annexation of Korea became obvious, he would hand over the list of pro-American figures and urge them to actively cooperate with Japan.
"You underestimate the Korean Empire’s intelligence service far too much. As a weak nation, we are particularly sensitive to information and have focused our efforts on gathering it."
In reality it was just the alt-history gallery, but there was no need to be honest about that. This country did have an intelligence agency. Let him wonder where and how that agency was watching them. That was enough. The important point was that, at least in Allen’s eyes, the people collecting this information weren’t only Koreans. Since he didn’t know I obtained intel through the gallery, he would assume some white American devoted to Korea was feeding us information. And if it concerned a secret agreement, it meant I had connections deep inside American politics. Allen had no choice but to listen carefully.
"Wouldn’t it be better to resolve matters amicably? Let’s set aside our grudges and misunderstandings for now."
"I hear you quite enjoyed selling our Korean people off to Hawaii."
This bastard Allen had helped recruit Korean laborers for the sugarcane plantations in Hawaii, essentially selling them into what amounted to slavery while claiming they would be well-treated. In short, he had viewed Gojong as a sucker and treated Koreans like disposable items.
"Well, that is…"
"Koreans are obedient and easy to handle, unlike the Chinese or Japanese—or something like that."
I rested my chin on my hands and stared straight at Allen. He hesitated for a long while, unable to respond, before letting out a deep sigh. Good. Now we were getting somewhere.
"Haa… Very well. I’ll speak plainly. The sugarcane plantation matter was meant to assist in recruiting Korean immigrants. As for their supposed obedience, I merely observed that they continued to follow that tyrannical emperor, which suggested a compliant nature. Please don’t twist my words."
He spoke with visible irritation, as if I had been rude. Even that reaction looked fake to me, but I hadn’t expected honor or integrity from this era anyway. In international relations, national interest always came first. He was simply doing his job as a diplomat for his country.
"Fine. Regardless of what Ambassador Allen’s true intentions were, we can’t deny that he has done some work for Korea. However, we have merely reclaimed what American companies abandoned after the war."
"The United States has made significant investments in that gold mine. What exactly do you want? Please state it clearly without beating around the bush."
America had supported Japan partly because, while muttering about honorary whites and such, they hoped Japan would keep Russia in check and promised to guarantee their interests. But neither of those things had happened. Instead, Korea had become the buffer state in the Far East. In that case, strengthening Korea would actually benefit the United States. Above all, despite various circumstances, the Korean Empire had proven itself capable of waging war. As it opened itself more fully to the Western powers, legations had been upgraded to embassy level. Now was the time to seize the opportunity.
"After this war, Japan will be buried under debt and may even declare national bankruptcy. Among the Eastern nations, the Korean Empire will gain the chance. So, about that…"
"Please continue."
Allen’s eyes sparkled. He probably had a rough idea of what I was about to say—that I was asking for help. Although I was currently handling diplomacy from the position of Manager of Shenyang, I couldn’t keep excluding the existing cabinet forever.
"Korea still lacks a proper bank. I’ve heard America is an expert in this field, so please help us establish one. Even though America is currently pro-Japanese, now that Japan is finished, wouldn’t this be an opportunity for us?"
I smiled and extended an olive branch first.
"Understood. I still owe a debt of gratitude to the late emperor, so I will do what I can."
Do what he can, my ass. He was probably thinking this was his chance to reclaim the Unsan gold mine and, since Japan could no longer be an ally, to use Korea as a check against Russia while making a tidy profit on the side. The more America took interest in Korea, the more influence Allen could wield.
"However, I cannot promise the same level of shares in the gold mine as before."
During the Great Depression, gold would be invaluable. I had no intention of handing over too much to America. If they wanted to take their share, they would have to provide equivalent help in return.
"No, that’s a bit…"
After trying to sell Korea out, did he really expect to receive everything as before? Of course, the secret agreement had been about mutual non-interference, but still—ignoring the country in question while carving it up was going too far.
"On the contrary, the very fact that America is showing interest in Korea should allow you, Ambassador, to exercise considerable influence, wouldn’t it?"
At my words, Allen moistened his dry lips with his tongue and sighed deeply again. Enough with the sighing already. He was going to make the floor cave in.
"Kh… I can’t win against you."
"Still, we have no intention of touching American interests in Manchuria. Neither Russia nor Korea will lay a hand on any rights America holds there."
This much was sufficient. Allen complained but did not object. After all, if Korea succeeded, it would clearly benefit him as the ambassador stationed here.
Next came the French ambassador. The French ambassador was Plancy, who had advised us on advancing into Gando. He had been flustered when I arbitrarily dropped Yi Cheok last time, but thanks to that we had won the war, so I was grateful.
"Korea’s Joan of Arc, I never imagined such a figure would emerge from the Sapodae. Your French is fluent as well. Truly, there is no one in Korea more favorable toward France than you."
"This is all thanks to Your Excellency helping us advance into Gando. Without your advice, how could I have become a saint?"
"Ahem. Hearing you say that makes me quite embarrassed."
"Not only that. Thanks to Your Excellency assisting His Majesty the Emperor’s flight, the war ended sooner. If those Japanese bastards had taken His Majesty hostage, we would have been in a difficult position."
"You flatter me too much."
"Japan is finished, and the Qing Dynasty is practically a colony. Now, among the non-civilized nations in the Far East, isn’t Korea the only one worth considering?"
"Hmm. Does this mean you want France to help with Korea’s modernization?"
Exactly. Korea was now moving toward modernization. We needed help to become the buffer zone of the Far East.
"As you can see, Korea must now play the role of a buffer state free from any single country’s influence. Although I hold a Russian noble title, it is in name only, and we don’t know how the international situation will shift. Therefore, to at least fulfill the role of a buffer state, Korea intends to receive investments from various countries."
"So you plan to remain a neutral country after all?"
"That neutrality is ultimately just a pretext for Britain to intervene as a mediator. Having one friendly nation in the Far East wouldn’t be bad for France either, would it?"
"I will first consult my government’s instructions."
Perhaps because the victor’s buff still lingered, Plancy responded positively. After this war, countries around the world had begun paying attention to Korea. They had confirmed that Korea possessed sufficient war-fighting capability, that the Japanese army had been annihilated by Korean forces and was no longer useful, and that the one who had led the war to victory was neither Russia nor Japan, but in fact a single woman named Ok Jin-seo from the Korean Empire. Because of that, they were watching Korea closely. A country that had produced such a woman might not be just another weak Eastern nation destined for collapse, but rather a non-civilized country with potential. All of this had happened because of me alone. So now, while I could still extract benefits, I had to squeeze out as much as possible.
With all Japanese influence gone and Japanese-affiliated figures removed, I would do my best to reform the country. In that case, I would also have to release the imprisoned Enlightenment faction figures. Especially since in this world, because of the Anglo-Japanese-Korean alliance, they were known to have given birth to words.
"Come to think of it, I wonder how Choi Jae-hyung is doing."
Would he be able to build airplanes? With those, we could attack Japan whenever the great powers were busy, like an annual event.
* * *
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the imperial palace was far from pleasant. The fact that the palace had burned down made things tense enough, but the existence of Ok Jin-seo was also weighing heavily on everyone’s minds. In particular, Bak Seung-hwan, Commander-in-Chief of the Korean Empire’s Manchurian Expeditionary Force and Army Marshal, had personally experienced Ok Jin-seo. No matter how he looked at it, he could not detect even the slightest loyalty toward the imperial family in her.
"It is said that Ok Jin-seo, Manager of Shenyang, is meeting privately with envoys from European countries to discuss diplomacy."
"A woman discussing national diplomacy? That may have been acceptable in Manchuria, but this is unacceptable."
How could she conduct diplomacy on her own authority? Although she was the Foreign Minister, it was rather ridiculous to see the diplomats ignoring the Emperor and seeking out only Ok Jin-seo.
"That woman annihilated the Japanese army. Moreover, there is supposedly no European country that does not know the name Ok Jin-seo. Can we really strip away her rights so carelessly? Above all, the hastily appointed Prime Minister Yi Beom-yun commands the people’s support. This is by no means a good situation."
At Bak Seung-hwan’s words, everyone nodded in agreement. That was precisely the problem. How had Emperor Taejo founded Joseon in the first place? It had been possible because of his immense popular support and military power. Furthermore, the Sapodae had become a military force of interest even to the great powers. Its presence was far greater than that of Taejo’s personal guard.
"The Japanese deserve to die a hundred times over, but by losing righteousness, Korea has become a nation of beasts."
"Judging from the recent war, that person has no loyalty toward His Majesty the Emperor."
Meanwhile, on the throne, Sunjong Yi Cheok frowned. These people clearly wanted to see the Emperor dead. Get rid of that woman? If they dared to move against that demoness who had burned the palace and laughed ecstatically over Japanese corpses, Yi Cheok’s own head would surely roll. He didn’t know where she got such monstrous strength, but she had casually twisted the neck of a brave Japanese soldier who had tried to follow him. In other words, if she felt like it, she could just as easily rip Yi Cheok’s head off like opening a lid. Of course, being afraid of a single woman wounded his pride, but what could he do?
Even Yi Yong-ik and Min Yeong-hwan, who had returned from Europe, had kept their mouths shut after witnessing her martial prowess, but deep down they shared Bak Seung-hwan’s thoughts. If someone possessed such terrifying power yet lacked loyalty to the Emperor, how could they be called a subject of Korea? They were wary of giving too much power to a woman.
Lady Eom, Sunjong’s mother, was also siding with them.
"Then what should we do?"
"Her martial prowess is like that of Xiang Yu. Wouldn’t it be better to assign her to the central army and keep her under surveillance?"
"Even though she is a woman, we must not underestimate her. Although Korea has won the war, it is still like a lamp before the wind. If we eliminate her, how will we preserve Korea’s future?"
"Korea does not have only Ok Jin-seo. Why do you hold a mere woman in such high regard?"
Lady Eom was determined to protect the imperial authority at all costs for the sake of the royal family’s safety. Therefore, regardless of Ok Jin-seo’s abilities, she had to be removed.
"But Ok Jin-seo traveled through Europe in her youth and is well-versed in their affairs. She also enjoys the favor of European diplomats. If we dismiss her at this critical juncture, we would be throwing away the opportunity that has come to Korea."
"To begin with, can we even dismiss them now? The Sapodae, who shared life and death with Ok Jin-seo, follows her faithfully, and they are the army that defeated the terrifying Japanese forces and seized control of Seoul."
"""……"""
Exactly. If asked whether they could eliminate the Sapodae right now, no one had an answer. The Sapodae was currently defending Seoul, and officers from the Sapodae had been assigned to the Jinwidae and other provincial forces. It looked as though they had planned from the very beginning to seize complete military authority. If they resisted, they would surely be accused of being Japanese collaborators.