When the Lips Are Gone, the Teeth Grow Cold (2)

At this time, Yuan Shikai was finalizing his negotiations after making contact with the revolutionary army. The agreement was that once the revolution concluded, Yuan Shikai would become president. Satisfied with this outcome, he smiled contentedly.

“Hahaha, it is truly fortunate that we have reached such an agreement.”

“Then what do you intend to do now?”

“I shall proceed directly to the Forbidden City and demand the emperor’s abdication.”

All he had to do was rush to the Forbidden City and force the abdication. That would be the end of the Qing Dynasty. So far everything had gone exactly as he wished. He believed he could finish the Qing precisely as planned.

But.

“Your Excellency! The imperial family has finally lost its mind!”

“What is it? They have no army left to organize. Are they sending another suppression force?”

“It appears they have requested reinforcements from the Joseon bastards. Tens of thousands of Korean troops have already crossed Russian-held Manchuria.”

At the news that the Korean army was on the move, Yuan Shikai sneered. The same Joseon that had never dared utter a word against him. The weaklings who had been tossed about by every power. And now they were begging those very people for help?

“Ha! So these wretches are even selling out the Middle Kingdom to the Joseon dogs! But it doesn’t matter! How many men could possibly come from that tiny peninsula? They were getting thrashed by the Japanese until recently! They are nothing but a handful compared to us. I shall go personally—”

“Do you truly believe the revolutionary faction will sit quietly once they hear this news?”

That was true. If the Korean army arrived, what if the revolutionaries forced the Beiyang Army to fight the Koreans and then seized the advantage for themselves?

“Hm. Indeed, they might break the truce while we are occupied with fighting. In that case, Duan Qirui, you will go. If they have truly brought in the Korean army, use it as justification to pressure for abdication. At the same time, block them if they actually appear. Russia will likely not move directly.”

Of course not. Wasn’t Britain the one who had subtly backed them during these negotiations? With Britain watching, Russia would not dare act recklessly.

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Joseon. Joseon… We cannot allow interference here.”

Joseon or anyone else—if they tried to block his path to the throne, he would kill them without hesitation.

I returned to Manchuria. The main purpose was to inspect the troops. The Mannlicher had finally entered full production, though the Gewehr was being manufactured alongside it. The Gewehr, produced in the shadow of the Mannlicher, had been issued to the Korean Imperial Army and the Manchurian Army. The Mannlicher was beginning to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠replace the old Berthier and Gras rifles that had been standard issue for the Manchurian forces.

“Rifles are being produced smoothly.”

Preparations were proceeding without a hitch. The filter-equipped gas masks were also being manufactured locally using our own materials.

“Why exactly do we have to help those worthless Manchurian bastards?” Hong Beom-do seemed deeply unhappy.

Well, it was true we had suffered endless abuse under the Qing. That was precisely why we had to intervene—to keep them in a half-dead zombie state, neither fully alive nor completely destroyed.

“Only by doing so can we safely build our own strength.”

“No, what the hell is all this for?” Hong Beom-do asked, lifting one of the newly produced gas masks.

“It’s the thing that will keep us from dying.”

A filter gas mask to protect us from poison gas. Ideally I would have preferred to deploy this during the First World War, but there was nothing to be done about that now.

“So there is something like this.”

“It is a crucial trump card for this war.”

You needed to wear the mask if you wanted to spray gas. If we didn’t want to die nicely together, we had to do it this way.

“Can we really defeat those rebel bastards with something like this? Just pretend to help them. There is no reason for us to die in their fight.”

Pretend to help. I’d love to do exactly that. But with Russia still backing them, we needed to extract every possible benefit. This was an excellent opportunity to fragment China. To be precise, it was a chance to at least cripple their ability to unify. The prospect was far too tempting.

“Isn’t it too tempting to pass up?”

That enormous landmass. A golden chance to divide those thug-like bastards who, once unified, would lecture about military discipline and pressure the Korean peninsula.

“What does it matter who the successor to that pathetic Middle Kingdom is? Why should we shed blood for their emperor?”

“Throughout several thousand years of Korean history, whenever China was unified the peninsula lived with its head bowed, offering tribute as a insignificant vassal. But when China was divided, we were strong. Isn’t that right?”

I could understand to some extent why previous generations had sucked up to China. How could Joseon possibly fight a unified China? On the other hand, when China was fragmented we could at least preserve our pride while profiting from the chaos.

Therefore we had to exploit this moment when division was possible. Keep the Qing alive and shatter China to pieces.

“That is true, but…”

“If left alone, it may no longer be a dynastic state, but a unified Han Chinese nation—not Manchu—could rise once more.”

The Han were far more vicious Sinocentrists than the Manchus. Even Chiang Kai-shek, who had supported Korean independence, treated Korea as nothing more than a satellite. His heart was hardly pure. From our position right beside China, we had to split them apart whenever the opportunity appeared. The great powers, even if China fractured, would not act immediately as long as their interests were guaranteed. That was exactly why this was so important.

“I see. If they unify, the Korean Empire will suffer.”

And the most crucial point remained. If the current Korean Empire inherited the traditional legacy of the Chinese Son of Heaven, we would gain legitimate justification to manipulate China as we pleased.

“And we will obtain justification for advancing into China.”

A fractured China would be no match for Korea.

“Justification for advancing into China, you say.”

This was the most important thing of all. By inheriting the lineage of the Chinese throne, interference in Chinese affairs would become far easier. The Qing might still sit in China for now, but in the end it would be reduced to a mere khanate, forced to live at the mercy of the Korean Empire.

“But will the Russian bastards permit us to move?”

“The Tsar will allow it.”

The Tsar would definitely listen to me. After all, hadn’t they won the last war thanks to me? Hadn’t they captured that monstrous Japanese Combined Fleet because of me? If I asked, he would have given support immediately. Why? Because Europe understood the Yellow Peril theory, and I was the one telling them that China—the nation at the heart of that theory—was a threat.

In Moscow, capital of the Russian Empire, Nicholas II had no choice but to deliberate upon the letter he had received from Ok Jin-seo. After all, it concerned war. She intended to aid the Qing in dealing with the Chinese rebels.

“Countess Ok requests passage rights because she must support the Qing. What is the significance of passage rights for a countess?”

Passage rights were hardly a problem.

“Your Majesty, is it not dangerous to allow Korea to extend its influence so far?”

“That is precisely what is written here. These Chinese must be divided.”

China must be divided. Countess Ok’s will on the matter was resolute. If they remained divided, they would inevitably become a threat in the future.

“Even so, they are merely Chinese. What threat could such inferior people pose even if they grow stronger?”

The military was quick to dismiss China.

“We must not underestimate China. They possess vast territory and an enormous population. If those people reached even Japan’s level, they would become a threat to us.”

That was correct. Their population numbered in the hundreds of millions. That immense continent held truly limitless potential.

“We ourselves are currently undergoing reforms. In a situation where we cannot spare attention for China, it would be far more convenient if Countess Ok handles matters for us.”

If Countess Ok took care of the Far East on her own, there was nothing better. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Of course they could not trust her completely, but what else could they do? She was the one who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had saved the Tsarevich—the undying sorceress of the East. If they could not trust her, whom could they trust? There was no reason for Russia to intervene in a rebellion occurring inside the Qing in the first place. If Russia intervened now, Britain would foam at the mouth again.

“Then we approve it. Provide her with a portion of the supplies captured during the last war.”

“Are you not showing her excessive favor?”

Favor? Perhaps. But it had to be done. She was, after all, the one who had saved Alexei.

“Now, now. We must not speak so dismissively of the Eastern sorceress who saved Alexei. Did we not win the previous war thanks to Countess Ok?”

“That is true, but…”

“Certainly, just as the British used Japan as the military police of the Far East, we could do the same with Korea. Above all, the fact that Countess Ok insists so strongly that China must be divided suggests there is a genuine possibility of such a future, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠does it not?”

Correct. Hadn’t Countess Ok always spoken of the future? Thanks to her advice they had won the last war despite possessing an inferior fleet. Therefore the Chinese represented a future threat.

“They could unify and take revenge upon Western white civilization. Is that the meaning?”

It was called the Yellow Peril. The theory that Europe might one day be conquered by yellow civilizations such as the Qing and Japan. The crisis theory that Willy of the German Empire had mentioned. Countess Ok was applying that label to the current Chinese rebels. Japan had already lost its momentum, so nothing could be done about them.

“Yes. Korea and Japan are relatively manageable. China, however, is practically a semi-colony.”

Correct. How badly had China been beaten? If this was true, it would indeed be dangerous.

“That is so. Then we must assist her even more.”

Nicholas II personally issued an imperial command to the Far East governor to hand over the Japanese weapons captured in the previous war free of charge.

As expected, Nicholas II showered us with supplies. He was truly no different from our personal patron.

And so we finally concentrated our forces at Fengtian and began the westward march. The total strength numbered forty thousand. It consisted of the existing Manchurian Army plus ten thousand Jinwidae from the Korean Empire’s Northern Army. Of those forty thousand, roughly five thousand were cavalry—the unit I had personally led from Port Arthur.

On this day the morale of both the Manchurian and Korean Imperial armies was sky-high. Although they were reinforcements, this was still an advance into China. How many times had such an event occurred in Korean history? Aside from the attack on Dengzhou during the Balhae period, they had never penetrated so deeply. During the Yuan Dynasty, aiding in the suppression of rebels had to be viewed through the lens of the lord-vassal relationship between Yuan and Goryeo. In contrast, the Korean Empire stood on equal footing with the Qing.

In any case, tens of thousands had begun marching west to aid the Qing, yet the main body was not the Korean Imperial Army but the so-called “Manchurian Baekguk” or “Goryeo Baekguk”—the countess’s own domain. The ten thousand Jinwidae could be regarded as external support.

“Raise the crow banner high!”

“Sons of Korea, let us advance into the Central Plains!”

“Let us sweep away the Chinese bastards who threaten our right to survive!”

The Chinese bastards who threatened our right to survive. Here, that clearly referred to the Han Chinese. Yes. One of the justifications the Han had used to launch this rebellion was that the Qing had granted land to its vassal state Joseon. That was part of the reason.

So I had explained it to the Manchurian Army. The pigs in the southern Central Plains were daring to threaten our survival rights. They were a horde of thieves trying to steal the homeland of the northern Han and Manchus. It was divide-and-conquer. They were the ones who would one day threaten the survival of us Hongik Ingan people.

“Long live His Majesty the Emperor! Long live the Korean Empire!”

Meanwhile, the Samhan Army (Korean troops) within the Manchurian forces and the Imperial Guard—the central army of the Korean Empire—were equally exhilarated. It was only natural. They could finally taste the feeling of conquering the Central Plains. Of course they were only reinforcements, but the country begging for help was none other than the Qing that had once trampled Joseon. And unlike the days of the Gyeongshin Campaign when they had treated us like vassals, this time they were practically on their knees pleading for aid.

In such a situation, any Korean would inevitably get drunk on national pride. This was not the usual empty boasting about past military glories. This was real, battlefield national pride that could be felt while directly participating in combat.

Prince Gyeongchin accompanied us as guide. In truth he was no different from those Koreans who had collaborated with the Qing army and shown them the way during the Byeongja Horan. His face was heavily crumpled; it seemed he truly disliked me.

“I never imagined you would bring an entire army like this.”

Was there something strange about my coming? How many people in the Korean Empire right now could carry out this task as well as I could? Lady Eom had probably sent me with the dual purpose of keeping me in check.

“Would the picture be complete without me?”

“Yes, yes. Let us leave it at that. There is no time for pointless argument.”

The situation appeared to be deteriorating rapidly.

“What is the situation inside the Forbidden City?”

Judging by this mess, they seemed to have screwed up spectacularly. Was this going to be all right? We would need to move even faster.

“It appears Yuan Shikai has already negotiated with the rebels.”

Things were moving faster than expected.

“I see. Then the Forbidden City itself must be in danger. Let us hurry.”

We had to seize control of the Forbidden City as quickly as possible.

“You intend to seize the Forbidden City?”

Why did he look so shocked? The current Qing could not even defend the Forbidden City properly. We would have to take direct control and “protect” it until it could function again. Wasn’t that obvious?