Lady Eom and Ok Jin-seo
Meanwhile, Joachim and Cooper sat with deep frowns etched across their faces. They finally understood why the real Joan of Arc had been so reluctant to let them see the Emperor. Though imperial family members like Prince Yeong and the army general stood beside him, the Emperor’s pathetic state made the whole spectacle far from appealing.
“It appears both the Emperor and the nobility of this country are wary of the Manchurian faction.”
“Shouldn’t we be supporting Joan of Arc?”
The Kaiser’s order to support her had already been issued. It wasn’t born from any sense of goodwill. The goal was to thoroughly fuck over Russia and Britain so that no single power could dominate the Far East. They had to obey the command, yet the reality of Korean politics they witnessed firsthand was anything but straightforward. The Korean imperial family still failed to grasp reality. They acted as if they were strong, treating the German Empire with condescension.
“That is His Majesty the Kaiser’s will, but I suspect this woman they call Noble Consort Eom will prove a significant obstacle to Joan of Arc.”
“Joan of Arc doesn’t seem like the type to go down easily, does she?”
“Women’s fights have always been the messiest kind.”
It might take a long time. And if it did, could Korea truly serve as a proper balancer in the Far East? Japan, once again backed by Britain, might set its sights on a fractured Korea.
The immediate objective had been to turn Korea into the Far East’s counterweight. Beyond that, by extending favors now, they hoped to cultivate a future ally that could check British influence in the region. Under those circumstances, there was no reason to support Korea for the sake of a Joan of Arc who couldn’t even defeat such a hideous, reactionary figure.
Yes. Ok Jin-seo was currently undergoing Germany’s test.
That damn ugly bitch.
Until Joachim and those German bastards left, I needed to lick their boots with everything I had and squeeze out every last benefit possible. Yet here she was, overflowing with confidence after our victory in the Three Kingdoms War. I had no idea where it came from.
“Look here, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Why did you act unilaterally to resolve the matter concerning the German prince?”
This was exactly why I hadn’t wanted to bring them. After winning the Three Kingdoms War, she was riding high. Did the German Empire look like a fucking joke to her? It was a nation we could exploit, the very country that would establish us as the regional balancer, and the one we would target moving forward. We already had to fight bitterly against a vengeful Qing and Japan. Until then, we needed to either handle or eliminate the conservative faction.
Just watching her behave so recklessly toward someone who had saved the country was enough to piss me off.
“Your Highness the Consort. This is an issue I already reported previously. Moreover, the German prince suddenly requested that I introduce him to this country of Daehan—”
“Are you not ashamed, Minister of Foreign Affairs? How can a subject of Daehan behave like a servant of the Western barbarians?”
Did she think I wanted to bow and scrape to those German bastards? The thing was, right now any great power showing even the slightest goodwill was something we had to milk for all it was worth. Until the world war erupted—the one where all those famous European pricks would tear into each other—we needed to extract everything possible from them, even if it meant taking out loans.
Especially Germany. They weren’t a nation destined to lose. We had to suck them dry before they turned into a defeated power. If the Consort would just listen, her thinking might change.
“Your Highness the Consort. They have offered to provide us with warship construction technology, warship sales, and assistance in training our navy. Even if we dislike it, we must appease them for now.”
What conditions they might attach later, I couldn’t say. It might go beyond simply using us as a balancer. Later they could say, “After we helped you like this, if you don’t reciprocate, we’ll take revenge.” The conservative faction would worry about exactly that.
“For that reason, at this moment—”
“Did Germany truly make such a promise?”
Yi Wan-yong interjected at the perfect moment.
“Indeed. We have already been deceived by those Japanese bastards once over warships. We have now received part of a fleet from them, but developing a proper navy will take considerable time. With German support, it would not be difficult at all.”
“Why in the world would Germany help us? Are they not simply trying to use us as well!”
Yes. They were already planning to use us as their balancer. But what of it? Unlike Russia or Japan, Germany did not covet the Korean peninsula. Britain and France would not sit idly by, either.
“Germany wishes for us to serve as the balancer among the great powers in East Asia.”
“The balancer of the great powers?”
If I had to explain the concept, it was different yet similar to Goryeo. Just as Goryeo had balanced between Goryeo-Liao-Song and Goryeo-Jin-Song. In the Far East, we would not fall to any single great power and would instead become the scale that kept their weights even. Britain, Russia, Germany. Even if we could not insert ourselves as a major player, we would become the counterweight preventing any of their influences from tipping the balance.
“It is in the same vein as how our predecessors maintained equilibrium between Liao and Song, or Jin and Song. The only difference is that we are not a major power.”
“Similar to our predecessors?”
Did I really have to explain this point by point? It was better that they at least possessed some knowledge. If the conservative faction had any brains at all, they would listen to what I was saying now. Simply telling them that what we were doing was not some beastly act but rather maintaining balance from the middle should suffice.
“Compared to Russia and Britain, who compete for supremacy over the world, Germany’s influence in the Far East is not particularly strong. However, they stand in competition with Britain and Russia in Europe. If they cannot sink their teeth into Asia, they would rather strengthen our Daehan so that the influence of Russia and Britain cannot tilt too far in either direction.”
Britain could target the Korean peninsula from Okinawa if the opportunity arose, while Russia, though not immediately, would seek to use me to expand their sphere of influence.
“So the plan is to leave both Russia and Britain unable to gain the upper hand.”
The way Yi Wan-yong kept flattering me was extremely suspicious. Was the bastard truly trying to eat from my side? He might be planning to sell the Korean Empire to me outright, or perhaps he intended to help me now only to devour everything himself later.
“It is merely a small amount of support toward that end. As a rising great power, they possess more than enough capability.”
“We are already designated as a buffer zone and neutral country. Suddenly insisting on increasing military strength—is that not the same as inviting war?”
I couldn’t tell whether Lady Eom was naïve or simply stupid. Did she actually believe the Treaty of Paris would be honored as written? This international community. This world that operated on the logic of power. Did she think merely writing “neutral country” in a treaty made it reality?
The neutrality only held because Russia, the Wanli Emperor, a Qing whose Jinwidae couldn’t even win a single proper fight, and a half-crippled Japan existed in their current states. Everyone except Russia was grinding their teeth at us. And even Russia was a shitcoin on the verge of crashing.
“This world is the age of beasts. It is not only people enslaving people. Strong nations enslave weaker ones, tearing away blood and flesh to grow rich and powerful. This international society runs on the logic of power. When one’s power is weak, being called a neutral country means nothing. Even the previous emperor originally sought to declare neutrality but ultimately joined hands with the British and Japanese bastards. Refusing both would have brought disaster. Even if we declared neutrality, we would simply become a battlefield for the nearby Japanese and Russians. At the very least, we had to reduce the number of enemies.”
Well, Gojong probably hadn’t acted with exactly those thoughts in mind, but my words weren’t wrong. In the original history there had been the Japan-Korea Protocol anyway, and during the Russo-Japanese War Korea had been unable to maintain neutrality and naturally ended up siding with Japan. What happened to Korea afterward was obvious to anyone.
“Hmm.”
“Even if we preached the teachings of Confucius and Mencius every single day, they would still pressure us with guns and bayonets. No matter which way you look, reality dictates that guns and bayonets prevail over Confucian doctrine.”
The times had changed. Unless the ways of Confucius and Mencius were nothing more than a hypnosis app belonging to some suspicious middle-aged man, the Korean Empire also needed to become a nation of beasts.
“The Minister of Foreign Affairs speaks the truth. The times have changed. The Mandate of Heaven held by our former suzerain Qing has collapsed, and the Japanese have always looked down on us. At least now, after the Three Kingdoms War has made us a neutral zone and bought us time, we must become capable of at least biting their ankles.”
At Yi Wan-yong’s words, even Lady Eom found herself unable to respond. Looking at it now, this Yi Wan-yong fellow seemed to have served as quite the loyal subject. That must be why even Lady Eom could not treat him carelessly.
“Above all, the previous emperor provoked Qing by transporting the body of Huang Taiji to Hanyang. Though their situation is difficult, friction with Qing is inevitable. Preparing for war is the way to preserve peace, Your Highness the Consort.”
Conflict with Qing was no light matter. What kind of people were the Chinese bastards? They invaded the Korean peninsula at the slightest provocation just to assert their dignity. Whether Qing collapsed as in the original history or achieved wealth and military strength, its successor would target Korea. If Qing grew strong, it would target us. It was only natural that we prepare.
Of course, my ultimate goal was to clean up every neighboring country that could become a threat. For that purpose, German naval technology would prove quite useful. Submarines, for instance. I wasn’t sure if submarines existed in this era, but if we expanded military exchanges, we should be able to extract submarine technology from Germany as well.
“Qing is our enemy?”
Then what did she think— that Qing wasn’t an enemy? After the Sino-Japanese War and watching how the Sapodae had swept the Qing army clean every time we encountered them in Manchuria, any sadaejuui toward Qing had clearly been shattered.
“And one more. The Japanese, of course.”
“Qing has become the plaything of the great powers, and the Japanese have fallen. So why—”
This was exactly why I wanted to eliminate the conservative faction. Their view of the world remained far too blind.
“Though Qing has become the toy of the Westerners for now, did they stand at the center of the world for thousands of years for nothing? If they import Western technology and achieve modernization by following their example, they will possess power equal to the great powers with a population exceeding several hundred million. Regrettably, even if Daehan incorporates the Han Chinese and Manchus of Manchuria, our population will only reach thirty million. We must strike them while the opportunity exists.”
Civilization had fallen behind, leaving China in its current pathetic state. But imagine if Qing had possessed great-power-level civilization from the beginning. If they had achieved modernization. Would such people leave the small nation of the Korean Empire right next door untouched? They would try to swallow us whole. Especially since—half of it was my fault—we had become sworn enemies with Qing. In truth, even without me, Gojong would likely have tried to strike Qing while backed by Japanese or British power. Wasn’t that why he had jumped at Japan’s offer of Manchuria? It was almost disgusting.
“Then what about the Japanese?”
“The Japanese have also accumulated vast experience in diplomacy over a long period. They possess diplomatic networks far wider than our own nation of Daehan.”
Japan could never be underestimated. Just because they had been defeated did not mean we should look down on them. These were the people who had achieved modernization starting from a feudal shogunate system. Unlike Joseon, which had simply masturbated over notions of “Little China,” they had looked at reality and striven to become equal to the great powers. The conservative faction needed to recognize this if we were to move forward.
“Hmm.”
“Even if we hate to admit it, we must. We should accept the sweet parts of the Japanese way and spit out the nonsense.”
The sweet parts were their will for civilization and enlightenment. Modernization. The nonsense was that absurd habit of screaming about the Emperor or committing seppuku.
Yes. If we applied it to the current Korean Empire, we needed to remove those who insisted on nothing but imperial power! Nothing but autocratic monarchy!
“We are inferior to the Japanese.”
Min Yeong-hwan swallowed a groan. We had to acknowledge what needed acknowledging. Did they not understand how Joseon had gotten its ass kicked? They had simply clung to Ming’s coattails, believing that after Ming came us! Offering tribute women and goods, receiving lavish gifts in return, and masturbating to the idea that we were superior while ignoring the Jurchens and Japan—only to get crushed. After I captured and slaughtered hundreds of thousands of unarmed Japanese soldiers in the last war, looking down on them as mere Japanese was rather foolish. They were Japanese, after all. Jjokbari. Better not get burned by underestimating them. At this opportunity, we could not waste time. We had to modernize and prepare for what came next. Every neighboring country possessed greater weight than us. Just like Korea in the original history, strengthening military power was essential.
Therefore, I would criticize Lady Eom without mercy. After this war, even the conservative faction should have gained some brains. If they used their heads properly, it would benefit both sides.
“You once held up those Jurchens you despised as your suzerain. For a long time you boasted that Japan was your suzerain, only to suffer the Imjin catastrophe. In this era, you nearly had your country devoured by the Japanese. Now you must recognize reality and advance forward.”
It was simply fact that we were behind Japan. Even in Japan’s current weakened state, defeating them in a solo war would be difficult. We had to acknowledge their current superiority, then prepare desperately for the next war to overcome them. We needed to become a war machine.
“While raising our navy to check both Qing and Japan, we must fill the national treasury and achieve modernization. I am not lowering myself before them without reason. We receive American assistance for the economy, French assistance for the army, and German assistance for the navy. As for Russia, which shares our border, their emperor has granted me the title of count, making them quite friendly. At least while I am here, they will not become our enemies. Is this not the perfect balance?”
Allen had already coordinated appropriately with America to help us establish a bank. Originally it would have been easier to suck more from Russia, but since Russia was a shitcoin scheduled to crash, it could not be helped.
“That is a matter for the imperial family to decide.”
After all my hard effort explaining, that bitch Lady Eom had turned my words into nothing more than shouting at a wall.