The New Ideology
The demands I made set the Japanese Imperial Diet ablaze with fury.
“Ha! You want to trade the life of that incompetent emperor for the lives of hundreds of thousands of our Imperial soldiers? Are you even serious right now?”
No matter how much they acknowledged that Joseon had moved beyond barbarism and established equal diplomatic relations with the Empire, this was simply too much. From any perspective, even from Joseon’s own, the death of that useless emperor was precisely why their national fortune was rising now, wasn’t it? And unlike the time they killed Queen Min, this really had been an accidental tragedy!
Moreover, the hundreds of thousands of soldiers killed at Fengtian were all the work of that fox-like woman named Ok Jin-seo. The very same woman who now stood before them smiling sweetly while proposing the restoration of diplomatic ties. It was pure malice, they said.
The goal of swallowing Joseon whole and advancing deep into the continent—the very objective that had driven the Empire to torment the Korean Empire all this time—had already vanished from their minds. All that remained was the burning humiliation of being looked down upon by those upstart Joseon bastards who had suddenly grown so large.
“Exactly. Thanks to us, that incompetent emperor was removed and the current one was installed as a mere puppet so reforms could begin! And that idiotic Kuroki caused this accidental incident. Ok Jin-seo. That bitch clearly acted with malice when she slaughtered hundreds of thousands of our Imperial soldiers, didn’t she? Because of her, we’ve gone from planning to colonize Joseon to having to prepare for a full-scale invasion instead!”
Of course, if Japan had been in the same position, they probably would have done something similar. But since they were the ones who had suffered the loss, they at least wanted to voice their grievances.
“So for now, we must bow our heads.”
“To think we have to bow to those Joseon dogs… how pathetic.”
Still, they could concede that much. Even if they stretched it a hundred times, Joseon was a nation with the potential to reach the Empire’s level of civilization. In fact, it had always possessed latent strength. Hadn’t it begun changing the moment that useless emperor was removed?
But even so. To have to lower their heads this far? At the very least, even in equal state relations, they had wanted to maintain some degree of superiority. Yet the Empire no longer had that luxury. In reality, they were starting over from zero, just like Joseon.
The only consolation was that Joseon was apparently struggling to assimilate the millions—nearly ten million—people in Manchuria.
“Let’s discuss this further for now.”
“Britain has not abandoned us yet. Must we really restore diplomatic relations with the likes of Joseon? Even if we stretch it a hundred times and say they want equal relations—yes, even if we admit they are on a completely different level from those Qing bastards and can at least be considered right below our Empire—when that demonic woman who devoured over three hundred thousand lives including Port Arthur appears smiling like that, it feels suspicious, doesn’t it?”
Ito answered with a hardened expression, his voice firm.
Britain had not yet abandoned Japan. In any case, Japan remained Britain’s ally in Asia. Unlike the ambiguous Korean Empire, Japan had continued to desperately court Britain.
“Chairman Ito, have you been living with your ears plugged? I hear Joseon has been rapidly expanding its military under the pretext of Manchuria. They say it’s even purchasing warships from Germany.”
“Ha, damn it all.”
Joseon was growing stronger under Russian protection. This was not something they could simply ignore. Britain also seemed reluctant to provoke Russia any further at this time. In the end, restoring diplomatic ties with Joseon appeared inevitable.
Right then, Privy Council Chairman Ito Hirobumi rushed into the assembly hall.
“It seems we have no choice but to accept Joseon’s proposal.”
“This is a serious matter!”
“What’s all the fuss about? Did Countess Ok cause some kind of scene?”
“W-what are we supposed to do? The bereaved families of the Imperial soldiers who died in the previous Battle of Fengtian attempted to assassinate her!”
The families themselves had tried to kill her. For a moment, Ito felt the world go dark before his eyes.
It was already humiliating enough that they now had to watch their step around that damnable Joseon—a weak nation that had only just established a central bank and was only now beginning to look like a proper country. And now even the Empire’s own subjects refused to cooperate. At this rate, they truly had no choice but to accept.
Some people came looking for me at the hotel. I thought the official reply had already arrived, but it turned out to be a group of young Japanese army officers.
That made sense. How many people would actually look at me with sparkling eyes? It wasn’t as if I had dragged a couple of half-useless ships like the Yangmu or Guangji and single-handedly defeated the Japanese Combined Fleet. The ones interested in me would naturally be fellow army officers.
However, they didn’t look at me like I was some kind of marshal. Well, they did for a brief moment, but that was because of the heroization of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, which had been pushed to justify increasing naval investment for the fight against the Russian fleet. Apparently I was being seen as the army version of Yi Sun-sin.
In any case, they took me to a restaurant in Tokyo, treated me to a meal, and asked all sorts of questions. Being the center of attention from a bunch of men instead of women felt genuinely disgusting.
“So, Governor-General of Southern Manchuria, are you saying you admire our Japan?”
“Your Japanese is so natural it’s as if you were born an Imperial subject. Were you perhaps born in the Empire?”
“Well, saying I admire Japan is a bit of an overstatement. When looking at it from a nation-to-nation perspective, I naturally have to put my own motherland first. However, speaking purely as Ok Jin-seo the individual, Japan was the first country in Asia to catch up with the Great Powers, and even though the war was unfavorable, you still managed to land a solid blow on Russia, didn’t you?”
You bastards only lost because we stabbed you in the back and luck wasn’t on your side. If we had fought a proper war, we would have driven Russia out of Manchuria. That’s what I’m saying right now.
“That’s right! Our Imperial Army fought with everything we had even when the odds were against us!”
Even though they hadn’t been there, the officers scrunched up their faces as if deeply wronged.
“If only Commander Kuroki hadn’t made that mistake, our two countries could have joined forces to defeat Russia. It really is a shame.”
“Ahem.”
The officers awkwardly looked away, clearly uncomfortable with the remark.
“However, Japan’s bushido spirit and powerful national ethos are truly second to none when compared to any other country in the world. Our Korea once had a hero named Yi Sun-sin long ago, but we have never possessed a truly powerful national army. The martial spirit of Goguryeo that once stood against Chinese powers has been forgotten for a very long time. But Japan is different. Both in the past and during the Meiji Restoration, Japan has maintained the strongest military in Asia.”
Japan was an island nation that didn’t even share a direct land border with any continental power. Still, I had to offer this much lip service if I wanted to manipulate these guys later.
“Isn’t that kind of statement a bit dangerous coming from the Foreign Minister of Joseon?”
Dangerous my ass. This wasn’t flattery toward Japan; it was simply reality. Just look at the Imjin War. Even after their expeditionary force suffered heavy losses, Japan still retained considerable military strength. What would have happened if Tokugawa Ieyasu had participated in the Imjin War? Of course, one had to consider that domains and armies were still tied to individual clans back then, but the powerful military force Joseon had maintained in its early days had completely melted away by that time. And after the Imjin War, they folded even more easily during the Byeongja Horan.
The fact that Japan had always maintained a real army worthy of the name across every era was something I believed we needed to learn from. Because to preserve peace, one must prepare for war. Because a strong military foundation is essential.
“Doesn’t your Japan also hold our Chungmugong in high regard? I understand you’ve even turned him into a national hero. You can think of it as something similar. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will win every battle. The Manchurian Army under my command has studied Japan extensively and, with the help of French advisors, has greatly expanded our forces.”
This level of lip service was basic. By feeding them pleasant words tailored to their tastes, I could ensure that these young officers—who would one day join the Imperial General Headquarters—would view Korea favorably. That way, it would be much easier to stab them in the back later.
“But Governor-General, aren’t you a woman? I heard you personally fought on the battlefield. I’m not sure if that’s even possible.”
One of the officers let out a small snort, clearly looking down on me. Yeah, I figured there’d be at least one idiot like this. Several other officers who had grown equally curious stared at me, practically demanding an answer.
“Is it because I’m a woman? Is that it?”
The Japanese officers nodded at my words.
“Well, there is that aspect, but honestly, before I actually saw you in person, I assumed that even if you were a woman, you’d be some massive, terrifying figure.”
That made sense. No matter how you looked at it, my current appearance was that of a neatly dressed woman in a suit. At first glance, one might even doubt whether I was a real soldier. Honestly, even I knew I looked strange. No matter how hard I trained or fought, this body refused to develop any decent muscle. Instead, it made me look easy to underestimate—which, admittedly, had its advantages when catching enemies off guard.
“Exactly. The Japanese soldiers who fought at Port Arthur and Fengtian let their guard down precisely because of this appearance.”
Hmm, how should I prove it? Was there something I could show them? Normally, seeing once was better than hearing a hundred times. Was there anything suitable…? Pulling out a gun here would be too dangerous. Unlike Russia, Japan had once been an enemy nation, after all.
Right at that moment—
“So you’re that bitch Ok Jin-seo! Give me back my son!”
Shiiing!
Some man swung a katana at me. Unfortunately for him, the blade neither cut nor pierced me. Because I had caught it tightly with my right hand.
“For example, like this.”
I deliberately moved my body so the young officers could see clearly. The sight of me casually gripping the naked blade with my bare hand.
“O-oooooh.”
“She caught that sword with her bare hand?”
Aaah, this is what they call sword catching.
“Personally, I think both my appearance and the fact that I’m a woman are quite useful in combat. Why? Because people let their guard down and charge in. If I had been a bulky man, would this bereaved father who just lost his son have had the courage to stab me with a sword?”
Ignoring the man who was still desperately trying to drive the blade into my body, I continued speaking slowly.
“Let go! You murderer of my son!”
“How can you be so certain that I killed your son? The only places where Japanese and Korean forces actually clashed were Port Arthur, Fengtian, and Hanseong. For several months after that we were constantly fighting Russia. Are you truly convinced that I killed your son? And even if that were the case, shouldn’t you go after the Kuroki family first—the ones who created the state of war between Korea and Japan—before coming after me?”
I yanked the sword away and twisted the man’s arm behind his back, subduing him.
“Ugh! Kuuu… uuuugh.”
“Since I am here as a diplomat, I will not take a life. But please face reality. The war is over. Japan and Korea must restore diplomatic relations as neighboring countries. In such a situation, lowering the dignity of the nation out of petty vengeance is not wise.”
Honestly, how could he even be sure I had killed the man personally? I had only given the orders. The Manchurian Army did all the actual killing. It was unfair to come stabbing at me like this.
“Damn it! You’re disgracing the Empire of Great Japan! Take him away!”
The man who had tried to cut me was dragged off. Disgusting creatures. Before the deployment to Korea, hadn’t they cheered the soldiers on, telling them to kill as many Russians as possible and come back with glory? If you go to kill, you must also be prepared to die.
The conversation seemed to have come to an end there, but—
“How… how is it that you don’t have a single scratch? You caught the blade with your bare hand?”
Caught the blade with a bare hand. Right. Someone had noticed that part.
!! An interesting idea suddenly occurred to me on the spot. A way to dye these guys with my own colors, just enough.
Japan viewed Admiral Yi Sun-sin with a mixture of resentment and admiration. They cursed the man who had tormented the Japanese army, yet at the same time turned him into a hero and worshipped him. Perhaps to these men, I appeared the same way. Since the navy had already pushed the heroization of Yi Sun-sin to increase their budget, the army might now have their own version—Ok Jin-seo. It could happen.
If so, I could use that to dig deep into their hearts.
“That is because I was born on Mount Baekdu, traveled across Europe from a young age, accumulated vast knowledge, and because I am the founder of Hongikism and the Hongik Church.”
I spread both arms wide and declared proudly. But these pathetic fools were staring at my chest. Should I just kill them all?
“Hongikism?”
One of the officers tilted his head and asked in a questioning tone.
It was originally something I had planned to use in Manchuria, but it looked like I should test whether it would also work on the Japanese. In short, I was experimenting on them.