Devouring Japan
Japan was being picked clean. * * *
For Ito Hirobumi of the Japanese Empire, every single day lately felt like hell. Death threats were routine, and without his bodyguards, Ito Hirobumi might well have become "something that used to be Ito Hirobumi." "Damn it. To think I'm reduced to dragging bodyguards around everywhere."
"We must find a way to persuade the British ambassador, no matter what." They had to convince the British ambassador somehow. At the very least, they needed to extend the repayment period on the loans. "Welcome. You're showing your face rather late, aren't you?"
"My apologies. Matters of state have been pressing." "There was a terrorist attack on the legation building not long ago. How do you intend to handle that?" MacDonald pointed at the bricks that had been blasted off the outer wall of the legation. Ito Hirobumi swallowed hard. The British, supposedly an ally of the empire, had abandoned them—so the people had even attacked the legation. If he could, he would have dropped to his knees right there. "I'm sorry. We'll deploy troops as well."
"That won't be necessary. It's because your country is still a pre-industrial nation, after all. More importantly, when exactly do you plan to repay the loans? What about the national debt?" Pre-industrial nation. The words stabbed into Ito Hirobumi's chest like knives. Everything the Meiji Restoration had accomplished had come to nothing. "Please, Ambassador. Have mercy."
MacDonald found the sight of the old monkey bowing his head before him rather pitiful. But what could he do? His home country had given strict orders to put a leash on Japan. "The British Empire remains your friend. The results weren't ideal, but you did inflict considerable damage on the Russian Pacific Fleet." "Then, surely—"
Don't celebrate too soon. One should hear a person out to the end. "Russia has leased southern Korea's Tsushima Island, allowing their fleet to anchor there. We must keep them in check. Because your country destroyed the fleet we had built up for you, the alliance is over. Still, from the standpoint of needing to restrain Russia, we intend to be as lenient with you as possible."
Was Britain giving the empire another chance? "In that case—!" Ito Hirobumi smiled brightly like a child, waiting for MacDonald's next words. What came out of the ambassador's mouth, however, was devastating. "As mentioned previously, if you cede Okinawa, we can show some leniency."
Not a lease—a full cession. They were determined to take it outright. "Our empire fought hard for Britain. Couldn't you grant us just a little more time?" Sone Arasuke, who had accompanied Ito Hirobumi to the legation, made a token attempt at resistance. "It seems you're still under some misconception. Will giving you time restore your fleet? What about the Russian fleet in the meantime? The reason we're doing this is partly to protect your homeland."
"Protect us? What do you mean by that?" A chill ran down Ito Hirobumi's spine. What else could it mean? It sounded eerily similar to when they had once said Korea lacked the strength to modernize on its own, so they would protect it. "Our government, out of respect for the alliance, is even considering making your country a protectorate."
A protectorate. That could only mean treating the empire as a vassal state or outright colony. Ito Hirobumi sank to the floor. "!! That cannot be. Please, anything but that!" "Then cede Okinawa. And the surrounding islands as well."
The defeated had no options left. Barely a hundred years after annexing Okinawa, Japan now had to hand it over to Britain. Ito Hirobumi seriously considered dismissing his bodyguards. Living like this wasn't living at all. And so Japan went bankrupt. The zaibatsu collapsed, everyone was reduced to beggars, and the national fortune that had been soaring so high plummeted to rock bottom.
Especially the Yokohama industrial district had become a goldmine for foreign capitalists. Japan, which had acted like a thug toward the Korean Empire, couldn't even raise its voice against the colonial empires of Britain and America. "People of the empire. Fortunately, our friend Britain has agreed to help with debt repayment in exchange for assuming trusteeship over Okinawa—"
"Shut the hell up, you bastards!" "Isn't this just selling off land for money? Word is you've already handed over Chinese territory and Taiwan too!" "The Koreans stole my factory before! What are you going to do about it?" They tried to sugarcoat it however they could, but with their country in ruins, the citizens whose heads were still attached screamed in the streets. The Russo-Korean allied forces had landed, but they refrained from shelling Tokyo directly out of consideration for the international community. Russia and the Sapodae had taken their "payment in kind," but it was only to strengthen their position in the peace negotiations. Even with the material losses, actual casualties were low, so it hadn't become a major international issue. Still, Tokyo's streets were now overrun with beggars. The country had gone bankrupt, so the people were dying along with it.
And walking through those streets of Tokyo was a certain individual. "The situation really is dire." "Mr. Choi, it seems worse than we expected." It was Choi Jae-hyung, who had entered Japan under Russian nationality. While expanding his arms industry, he had employed many Koreans, and now he had come as a representative of those Russian-nationality Koreans. "You're telling me. I heard even Prime Minister Katsura got impeached?" "Word is Army Chief of Staff Yamagata Aritomo has gone into seclusion as well."
Even the Chief of Staff? Then it was truly over. Korea had bought itself some much-needed time. The Count of Ok had said that since Russia's future wasn't particularly bright either, they needed to develop the country as much as possible while they could still use Russia's backing. To that end, he would have to help in whatever way he could—by acquiring promising Japanese companies and transferring them to Korea, for example. "The worse things get, the more there is for us to take. What looks worth eating?"
Before coming here, Choi Jae-hyung had planned to snatch at least a few companies before the foreigners could pick them clean. If they could take the equipment and put it to use for Korea, how wonderful would that be? "Mitsui seems to have already been claimed by the Rothschilds or whoever, so we've been looking into Mitsubishi." Mitsui, huh. Supposedly a major zaibatsu. He would have preferred to monopolize everything, but there was Bezobrazov who had arranged this meeting, so… Mitsubishi wouldn't be bad either. After all, Mitsubishi was also considered a zaibatsu. Acquiring just that would be enough.
"When you think about it, it's rather ironic." The Japanese, who had seemed ready to pierce the heavens, had fallen straight into the abyss after the Russo-Japanese-Korean War. Britain claimed it would help, but things would never be the same. What colonial empire would extend a hand of friendship to a Japan crawling with beggars on the streets? They would turn it into a mercenary state they could use as they pleased without the trouble of colonizing it. "Still, they'll at least keep it industrialized to some degree."
If they intended to use Japan as a hunting dog they could deploy whenever needed, some level of industrialization would be necessary. That would make Korea vulnerable again. 'Well, Korea will just have to prepare by then.' First, they needed to develop those airplanes or whatever they were. * * *
Choi Jae-hyung had returned from Japan. "Japan's situation is apparently quite urgent. They can't repay their debts. Soon beggars will be flooding everywhere and plenty of people will commit suicide." Unable to repay their debts, huh. He had expected as much, but it was still strangely fascinating. Even so, to think Japan would collapse this badly just from losing one war. Would history have turned out that way in the original Russo-Japanese War if Russia had won? No. Japan had arbitrarily invaded and forced the Korea-Japan Protocol, making Korea an ally against its will—so afterward, Russia might have devoured Korea for supposedly being hostile. Either way, the original history was grim.
"Then they'll declare national bankruptcy." They would probably declare default and refuse to pay. It was obvious what would happen if they tried to stiff Britain and America. "They're acquiring promising Japanese companies for pocket change." "Oh, as expected of the Pechka of Primorsky Krai." "I've already looked into a few. I've acquired Mitsubishi as well."
How badly had they botched the war for even Mitsubishi to go under? Well, good. They couldn't have used those bastards anyway, so they might as well make good use of them themselves. "If that's the case, it won't be bad for Korea either." As long as the acquired companies were put to use in Korea, it would be fine. "How's the airplane development coming along? We'll need that if we're going to pick a date and strike Japan again."
"You're planning to hit Japan even harder?" Of course. Korea and Japan had already crossed a river of no return. Japan had assassinated Korea's emperor and slaughtered hundreds of thousands of unarmed Japanese troops, so from their perspective, they would see it as a one-sided betrayal. Even without an active war, it was obvious they would regard each other as mortal enemies. The fact that they hadn't even apologized for the emperor's assassination said everything. "They've already forgotten assassinating our late emperor and only harbor thoughts of revenge. If they regain their senses and rebuild their strength, they'll bare their fangs at us. Before that happens, we need to strike them the way nomadic tribes used to raid the Central Plains like clockwork."
"Will the great powers just stand by and watch?" Normally they wouldn't. But what if it was during the First World War? If they attacked Japan while the great powers were distracted by the world war, who would dare say anything? "Japan has already served its purpose. Would the great powers even care?" "Didn't the Shenyang administrator say Britain hasn't abandoned them yet?" True, that was only Britain. "Right. But if we strike while Britain is distracted, the story changes."
For example, while they're busy fighting a world war. If Britain provided support, Japan could recover. The fact that they were talking about taking Okinawa in exchange for debt relief suggested they wanted to minimize Japan's burden so they could later turn it into a gendarme of the Far East or an Egypt of the Far East. Even with help, Japan wouldn't return to its former strength. Either way, it would be inconvenient for them. So they needed to strike when interest waned. At the very least, they had to make Kyushu Korean territory and reduce Japan's population to less than half so they could never rise again. Only then could Korea survive into the future.
"Developing military aircraft has earned us quite a bit from this war, but it's still difficult. We need investors." "You're thinking of Russia." Since Choi Jae-hyung was the one who had gone to Russia, that made sense. Still, Korea had no other options. Relying too much on Russia felt risky, so partnering with Germany or France might be good too. "There's someone who nearly went completely bankrupt this time. I'm thinking of working with him." "Nearly went bankrupt? Who?"
He had a feeling he knew, but he asked just in case the man had become someone important due to the changed history. "A man named Bezobrazov. He's essentially another favorite of the Tsar. One is you, of course." "All I did was save the crown prince once." Saving the crown prince once was all he had done. Bezobrazov. Had that guy profited immensely because Russia won the Russo-Japanese War in this timeline? "Thanks to Russia's victory in this war, he's accumulated enormous wealth."
Enormous wealth, huh. "More than Mr. Choi?" "Don't even ask. He has something called the Bezobrazov Circle. The Tsar's favor toward him is no small matter either." The Tsar's favor was considerable, and there was even a circle? Interesting. "Ho. That much, is it?" He seemed to have succeeded quite a bit thanks to this war. Or perhaps the circle had existed even before the Russo-Japanese War. "As Viceroy of the Far East, his position has become immense thanks to the victory in this war." "Who exactly is in that circle?"
What kind of circle was it? In the late Russian Empire, a circle of that sort would naturally consist of like-minded people. "It includes Duke Felix Yusupov, one of the wealthiest men in the Russian Empire, Mikhail Rodzianko, Yevgeny Alexeyev who distinguished himself in the recent Battle of Tsushima, and even Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna." Oh, it was practically a circle of gold-spoon elites. Even royalty was included. This was tempting. "Ho. That's rather intriguing."
Having won this war, Bezobrazov would rise dramatically in business while also receiving the Tsar's boundless grace. In this world, was Bezobrazov taking on a role similar to Rasputin? Hmm, that was oddly fascinating. Still, if the man was useful to him, that was all that mattered. After all, his success stemmed from Russia's victory in this war, didn't it? He had every right to join that circle as well, no?