The Counterweight of the Far East [1/2]
In the Winter Palace of the Russian Empire, news of Prince Joachim of the German Empire’s journey to the Korean Empire had already reached Russian ears. They had been watching Germany’s every move. The idea that Germany—of all powers—was taking an interest in Countess Ok left them stunned.
“What? Billy—Wilhelm II—is interested in Countess Ok?”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Tsar. It appears he has dispatched Prince Joachim.”
Prince Joachim, of all people. “He’s offering the boy as a match?”
Age-wise it wasn’t entirely impossible, but still. Wilhelm suddenly interested in the East? The Russian nobility and imperial family had witnessed Countess Ok’s sorcery with their own eyes, so they had no choice but to believe. But Germany?
“It does not appear to be a marriage matter. More like personal curiosity.”
“The Korean Empire has only just escaped the road to ruin. If Germany pours in massive support and turns it into a pro-German state, won’t that pose a threat later?”
The Korean Empire was a nation for whom neutrality meant almost nothing. So the possibility was not zero. In their current position, with relations already ruined with the Qing, they would cling to any lifeline. At the very least, Germany might try to completely exclude Russian influence from the Korean Empire or at least balance it.
“Hmm. Then shouldn’t we take some measures of our own?”
“Unfortunately, we currently have no suitable person to offer the Countess. And even if we did, would she accept?”
“That’s true. Setting aside personal curiosity—what exactly has Germany given the Korean Empire so far?”
“Warship sales, technology transfers, naval training, that sort of thing.”
Germany selling warships, handing over technology, and training their navy? It sounded like they were dead set on turning Korea into a naval power. Of course a neutral nation needed some degree of strength, but no one expected Germany to go this far.
“In my view, Countess Ok is an extremely dangerous figure. She slaughtered the unarmed Japanese soldiers without mercy. I believe she is the type who will use any means necessary to achieve her goals. Would it not be better to pressure her directly?”
“And what if she joins hands with Germany instead of us? Hmm. What can we give her?”
Nicholas II could not forget that day. The sight of her shooting herself in the head and walking away unharmed. The military men—Kuropatkin, Bezobrazov, and the rest—did not know, but Nicholas had seen not only her unscathed after putting a bullet through her own skull, but also how she had cured Alexei. She looked no older than her early twenties, yet possessed overwhelming martial prowess for a woman, and could speak every language as if it were her native tongue. There was no way he could hand such a superhuman—an Eastern sorceress—to Germany.
“Our empire is currently preoccupied with internal affairs after the bloody suppression of demonstrators last Sunday.”
Sergei Witte glanced at Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, the Tsar’s uncle and head of the security police. If not for the Bloody Sunday incident that man had caused, they could have ended the protests peacefully and would not have needed to rush the war to a close by listening to Ok Jin-seo’s advice.
“Are you mocking me?”
“Enough, both of you. Even so, we cannot simply sit by and watch Countess Ok fall into Billy’s hands and let Korea become a pro-German state.”
“Your Majesty. We are currently in a territorial dispute with Korea over Gando. It would be more appropriate to deal with them sternly. We must remind them who is responsible for their continued independence.”
Grand Duke Alexandrovich, fearing blame might shift toward him, hastily suggested criticizing Korea.
“Didn’t we already recognize Gando as their land?”
“The exact boundaries of Gando were never clearly defined, which led to this situation. Countess Ok insists that the region she currently occupies is Gando, but in reality she has taken a massive bite out of Manchuria. The area is so large it could practically be called Southern Manchuria.”
Cooperation regarding the Manchurian situation. The Viceroy of the Far East had previously agreed to cooperate with Korea to strengthen the Korean Empire’s elite forces throughout Manchuria, but that had never been meant to result in them claiming Southern Manchuria. Of course, considering how Ok Jin-seo’s army had swept into Northern Manchuria and crushed the Qing forces, one could argue she had shown restraint by only claiming what she could plausibly call Gando.
“Still, aren’t we already controlling a vast portion of the region?”
“Surely not, Your Majesty.”
Nicholas II let out a low groan. At present, Russia had no grand gift that could bind Ok Jin-seo as a full vassal of Russia, or at least instill in her the sense of duty that came with the title of Russian Countess. Except… that very land she claimed as Gando.
“What if we officially recognize that entire area as Gando?”
“Your Majesty, that is unacceptable. It would be far too great a gift for the Koreans who once betrayed us.”
No matter that she had saved the Tsarevich, the Tsar was showing far too much favor toward a Korean woman who wasn’t even Russian. Sergei Witte viewed the situation with clear displeasure.
“You should punish Korea instead!”
“We do not have the capacity to wage another war right now. We suffered enormous losses against Japan.”
“Then must we simply watch as Korea wags its tail at Germany? Korea is a bat-like nation.”
He was right. They had clung to the Qing, then to Japan when it grew strong (at least in Russian eyes), then back to Russia, only to switch again to Britain and Japan the moment they were promised Manchuria. There was no guarantee they wouldn’t do the same with Germany this time.
“Wouldn’t granting land to Countess Ok, a vassal of the Russian Empire, provide sufficient justification?”
“Have you truly made up your mind?”
Giving away even part of it was enormous. It might not match the entire Korean Peninsula, but it would be at least half that size. Moreover, it was territory where British capital had already invested. Russian companies had made some inroads, but this would open the door for German investment in the Korean Empire as well.
“I do not fully understand just how remarkable a sorceress Countess Ok truly is. But if we lose her now, the future will be uncertain. Don’t you agree? We cannot hand over the one who saved the Tsarevich to Germany.”
Indeed, Germany was rapidly rising as a new great power. They could not afford to let her slip into German hands.
“According to reports from Minister Weber, Ok Jin-seo’s Manchurian faction appears to be clashing with the existing conservative court faction. Giving her the territory might not be a bad idea.”
From the outside, the Korean Empire was currently divided between the Manchurian faction that desired a constitutional monarchy and the conservative court faction that could be called the old guard. Viceroy of the Far East Bezobrazov, having already extended a hand, now intended to make a bold move.
“Does the Viceroy of the Far East think the same?”
Bezobrazov was scheduled to meet Ok Jin-seo soon regarding the aviation business. In that case, bringing a gift along wouldn’t hurt. After all, Russia already held Manchurian lands they had opposed handing over, and while they had taken far more territory than the original Gando, it was still only a fraction of the entire region. Korea’s capacity to assimilate that land was already stretched thin; they would not be able to demand more.
“As it happens, I have a meeting with Countess Ok regarding the business venture. Your Majesty, please entrust this matter to me.”
“Whether we entrust it or not, it looks like we’re simply showering Korea with gifts. How much longer will they mock us? Europe will call Russia a nation that wags its tail at the yellow race.”
Kuropatkin spoke negatively. After all, this was the same Ok Jin-seo who had ignored Britain and literally massacred the defenseless Japanese army. Who knew what that woman might do to Russia? Even Kuropatkin, who was no great commander himself, could sense that Ok Jin-seo was a dangerous figure.
“The subject is Countess Ok, so it is different. The more gifts we give her, the more she will clash with the conservative court faction inside Korea, and she will have no choice but to rely on us, Russia.”
“There is logic in that. As expected of the Viceroy of the Far East.”
Rather than the bat-like Korean imperial family whose loyalty could flip at any moment, it might be better to let Countess Ok seize power and establish a new state in the Gando and Korean Peninsula territories.
It seemed the German bastards had only ever lived by being deceived.
When I spoke of Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin, their faces filled with utter disbelief. Hey, why are you looking at me like that? I’m telling the truth here.
The East Asia Fleet admiral was the worst.
“You’re saying such a person really existed?”
“Yes.”
“So even after falling from his horse and breaking his bones, he stubbornly got back up and took the military examination?”
“Yes.”
How many times do I have to say it? Why do you all look so spaced out? Or did you simply not believe such a figure could come from Korea?
“The same naval commander who burned all his ships at the start of the war, even tried to steal credit, then single-handedly built a fleet with no government support and fought Japan?”
“That’s right.”
Even I find it absurd as I say it, but it’s true. What do you want me to do about the fact that it actually happened? There must be similar stories in the West too, right?
“And even after that admiral was framed and dragged away, he remained loyal to his country. With only thirteen ships, he still managed to defeat a fleet of over a hundred?”
I told them about the Battle of Myeongnyang and this is how they react. Their faces basically scream, Are you calling us idiots for believing that? Seeing their expressions that clearly said they didn’t believe a word, I could only nod.
“Yes.”
Man, have you people really only lived by being fooled? Why are you like this? I have the Universal Language ability so communication should be perfect—why are they taking it so strangely?
“You should at least make it sound plausible. Haha. Do you think naval battles are that simple? Even accounting for the fact that it was three hundred years ago, commanding a fleet is no easy task. And remaining loyal to the end to a king who clearly doubted his loyalty and tried to undermine him? That I cannot understand.”
At first they seemed to believe it, then they shook their heads in disbelief.
“These records also exist in Japanese documents. General Yi Sun-sin never lost a single battle.”
I figured it might draw unwanted attention to me, so I decided to feed them some nationalistic nostalgia with old stories. Honestly it was more like personal pride in Yi Sun-sin himself, but whatever. Who cares?
“Even a novel would be rejected for being too unrealistic. To think it’s true. Following such an incompetent king to the end. Unbelievable.”
The East Asia Fleet admiral muttered that I must be joking by telling such nonsense.
“That is precisely why Joseon was able to become today’s Korean Empire.”
“Ah.”
“Am I not the same kind of figure right now?”
I haven’t fought twenty-three battles yet, and I did help the British develop Gando, so the situation is better. At least I’m in a position where I’m being checked. Unlike Yi Sun-sin, I’m enduring the imperial family’s interference while still dragging the country up to the level of a quasi-great power. That should count for something, right?
“To think it lasted five hundred years? Ah, my apologies. It was simply so remarkable. If the Japanese records say the same, then it must be true.”
Exactly. It’s cross-verified. The Japanese side also recognizes the names Yi Sun-sin and Kim Si-min.
“I have heard that Korea produces a superhuman whenever the nation faces a crisis.”
At Prince Joachim’s words I tilted my head. Where did he hear that? Well, if it improves Korea’s image, it’s not a bad thing for us.
“More precisely, it means the country only functions when one superhuman does everything.”
Is a country that only runs because one superhuman carries it on their back even normal? Shouldn’t a good country be one where everyone works together?
“Then you will surely achieve even greater things in the future!”
“Uh… I guess it works out that way.”
I don’t know what he’s thinking, but it sounds strangely convincing.
“If Countess Ok is truly a superhuman, then this nation of Korea—while it may not reach the level of our Germany—might at least become like France, which produced Joan of Arc?”
There it is again, the premise that it won’t reach Germany’s level. Well, I suppose that’s fair. Looking at Korea’s future, it’s not impossible. Of course, it requires an outstanding leader. I’m the type who believes a leader’s quality matters more than national character. I don’t buy into that “Koreans are inherently diligent” nationalist nonsense. The real question is whether I’m in a position to grab the country by the collar and drag it upward, and the answer is no.
“Unfortunately I am a woman.”
“But isn’t military authority held by the Minister of Foreign Affairs?”
Unfortunately, no. Bak Seung-hwan holds it on paper, but with most Korean Empire officers now replaced by those from the Sapodae, it’s meaningless. In reality, Yi Beom-yun holds nearly an entire nation’s worth of military power in an abnormal system. And I command the Sapodae—in other words, I’m merely the commander of the Manchurian Army.
“Strictly speaking, only the Manchurian Army. Though our officers have been assigned to the central army as well.”
Why am I even having this conversation with a German navy admiral?
“In that case, if the German Empire provides assistance to your fleet this time, would the Minister of Foreign Affairs be able to advance further into politics?”
What? Is he saying he’ll give me power? It really sounds like that. I don’t know exactly what kind of person Cooper is. I only know the big picture and even that relies on the future gallery. Looks like I’ll have someone to ask about it later.
“What orders did His Majesty the Kaiser give you, Admiral of the East Asia Fleet?”
“Since Britain, Russia, and Japan have lost their influence on the Korean Peninsula, Korea must serve as the central axis.”
Yeah. I already knew that much. The real question is what that actually means—whether Germany is lying or genuinely intends to help us.