Fourfold Refusal
The Korean Empire was in an uproar when I returned. Cheers calling my name echoed from every direction. I had not only reclaimed the old Manchurian territories but had even advanced into Qing itself. Even as a woman, they had no choice but to revere me now.
“This is serious, Your Excellency.”
On the road back through Uiju, I ran into Kim In-soo.
“If it isn’t Lieutenant Colonel Kim In-soo. What’s the matter?”
“The Noble Consort was plotting something. She intended to rise up if the fighting dragged on or if Your Excellency suffered a defeat.”
From the urgency in his voice, it was clear she had indeed been scheming. So these people thought they could toy with me.
“Is that so.”
Well, Lady Eom would do something like that. This might be her last chance. If my victory in China boosted my reputation enough to threaten the imperial authority, she would have no choice but to act. Even Prince Uichin would be powerless to stop her; he was hardly the man to rein in her tantrums.
I supposed it was time to prepare to remove her.
Eventually I entered Hanseong and had an audience with the Emperor at Seokjojeon. As expected, Lady Eom was at his side, clearly itching to say something.
“You have endured great hardships.”
“Not at all, Your Majesty.”
“I hear you received the title of Prince of Shenyang?”
Just as I thought, Lady Eom began to seethe. Was this really the time for her to throw a fit? Perhaps a little provocation was in order. She looked ready to snap at my every word anyway. I might as well scratch her back thoroughly while I had the chance.
“It is no different from the countship Russia bestowed upon me.”
So just let it pass. From now on, I intended to be as shameless as Nam Sang-deok had advised. She was far too old to keep reacting so sensitively every time; it made me want to beat her senseless. I disliked everything about her—her face, her manner, all of it.
“But a princely title? How can that possibly be acceptable?”
“Why shouldn’t it be?”
“Why shouldn’t it be? What kind of answer is that?”
My reply seemed to catch her off guard; the look of disbelief on her face was almost amusing.
“It is hardly uncommon for subjects to hold office in foreign lands.”
“But a royal title is an entirely different matter!”
What made a royal title so different? This was still an empire under the Emperor. Even if I accepted a princely rank, I remained his subject.
“There is no difference. I am not claiming kingship here and now, am I?”
“How dare you speak so lightly of this!”
Then what was I supposed to call it? Was my reasoning not far more sensible than her endless tantrums?
“That is enough. Manchuria was originally territory held by the Gando warlords.”
“Prince Uichin, are you suggesting we recognize her as a queen?”
Prince Uichin seemed inclined to take my side, but Lady Eom’s serpentine eyes flashed as she cut him off. Every time that powerless woman threw her fits, my irritation grew.
“Throughout history, those whose merits reach the heavens have been enfeoffed as kings. What can we do if Qing acted on its own?”
It was not as though I had asked for this. If they wanted to legitimize Manchuria as Korean territory, there was no other answer. Once again, I had to step in.
“The princely title is a trivial matter, Noble Consort.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I merely received an office because the Qing officials claimed they could not enfeoff a subject of Your Majesty the Emperor and therefore bestowed the title upon me instead. The Empire is now an imperial state—what significance could a mere princely rank possibly hold?”
Lady Eom fumed for a long moment before her eyes suddenly lit up, as though she had struck upon a clever idea. That expression—how repulsive. The face of someone who believed she had found a scheme worth using.
“Manchurian Administrator.”
“Speak, Noble Consort.”
“Even so, is it not problematic for a subject to accept a royal title without any consultation? In that case—”
Here it came. Why was she suddenly saying this? My mood soured instantly. Whatever she was thinking, it was certainly nothing good.
“What exactly are you proposing?”
“Would this not be the perfect opportunity to avenge the humiliation of Samjeondo?”
“The humiliation of Samjeondo?”
Why bring that up now? Hadn’t we already taken our revenge by playing with Hong Taiji’s remains?
“Indeed. They dared to sow discord by arbitrarily granting the title of Prince of Shenyang to one of our subjects. If not now, when shall we strike at Qing?”
She was definitely plotting something. That much was certain. Otherwise she would not be pushing for an attack on Qing so abruptly. If we truly intended to strike Qing, her words held merit. We could expand into the Central Plains while pursuing sinicization, constantly gnawing away at the Chinese warlords. Yet consuming them would only bring indigestion. Would the Great Powers stand idly by? Honestly, it would be far more satisfying if the Emperor himself entered the Central Plains, received the abdication of the Mandate, and became the legitimate Son of Heaven. The real problem would be the Great Powers’ reaction afterward. Britain in particular would throw a fit. A nation that was little more than Russia’s reliable ally suddenly driving a stake into the Central Plains? They would not look kindly on that.
“Noble Consort, that is a matter for diplomatic protest—”
“His Majesty has already given his consent.”
My face hardened instantly. The little emperor had betrayed me. So that was how it was. I glanced at him; sure enough, he was quietly avoiding my eyes.
“Your Majesty, is this true?”
“Well… I thought it might be good to expand into the Central Plains at this time.”
Ha. So even he had ambitions. In that case, the proper response was to refuse outright.
“Regrettably, that is impossible.”
“This is an imperial command. Who but the Manchurian Administrator, a general of heavenly mandate, could carry it out? On what grounds do you claim it is impossible?”
Why was it impossible? Should I list the reasons one by one? The axe would be faster, but I could not simply kill her yet. Fine. I would endure for now. I had only just returned; if I lost control because of this foolish woman, everything I had built would collapse.
“There are four reasons why mobilizing troops now is impossible. First, Qing is now merely a minor power. For a great nation to seize a weak one by force would invite the ridicule of all the Great Powers. Europe did not spare Qing out of inability to conquer it. Second, our forces have already fought a distant campaign and, though victorious, are exhausted. If we turned around and marched on Qing again, morale would plummet. Third, if the nation’s entire military departs on another expedition, Japan may once again target the Empire. Fourth, we lack sufficient weapons and supplies; any campaign would result in severe losses for our forces.”
Not a single falsehood. The Emperor nodded as though he understood, only to turn away under Lady Eom’s glare.
“Even so, is Qing not now an empty shell? Surely it is feasible?”
“You are not suggesting I fight the European powers as well, are you? We cannot predict what would become of this nation then.”
I could not fight the Great Powers. Their weaponry, numbers, and training were all superior. Even Imperial Japan in the Second World War had been repeatedly crushed by the Allies after only defeating Chinese forces. Regardless of my personal will, the Korean Imperial Army alone could not stand against the Great Powers.
“What nonsense. You could persuade Europe through the Russian Emperor you trust so much, could you not?”
“The nonsense is coming from you, Noble Consort. Now is not the time.”
“Precisely. We have only just returned. Does it make sense to attack Qing after they aided us?”
I shook my head firmly, insisting it was impossible. Yi Beom-yun stepped in to support me, but Lady Eom showed no sign of backing down. Her resolve seemed absolute this time. Perhaps she truly wished to destroy Qing. I could understand that sentiment. After all, Joseon had once seen itself as Little China, the successor to the Middle Kingdom. But I had no interest in such things.
“Prime Minister, if not now, when shall we strike at Qing?”
If not now, when indeed. Her words held weight, and from the imperial family’s perspective, they would naturally want to physically repay the humiliation of Samjeondo.
“Does Your Majesty truly share the Noble Consort’s view?”
“I trust the Manchurian Administrator.”
Right. He trusted me. Of course he did. Honestly, this little emperor was truly thoughtless. He was no different from an incompetent fool. He should never have become Emperor. Even with a Prime Minister, problems like this arose. They were trying to justify an attack on Qing with righteous cause. Even if they succeeded, it would only be to keep me in check. Unlike the Emperor, Lady Eom made that intention perfectly clear. Afterward, they would dump all the problems of unification and dealing with the warlords onto me. I could not allow that to happen.
Fine. I would yield for now. At least outwardly. Continuing to oppose them here would only harm me. I would pretend to listen and march the army as far as Manchuria. What happened after that would be up to me.
“Do you truly wish for me to advance on Qing?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Understood. Still, war requires supplies, so I shall inspect the arsenals in Manchuria first.”
I would go to Manchuria under the pretext of inspecting the factories. Of course, my real intention was to declare there were no weapons. If I claimed there were not even enough supplies, what could they do? Ordering us to fight Qing bare-handed in this era was practically the same as asking us to fight on equal terms.
“Then an advance on Qing is possible?”
“Rather than an advance, it would be wiser to assess the situation first.”
Afterward, I could use every excuse imaginable and obtain Russia’s refusal as well.
“In that case, I shall accompany you.”
“You, Army Marshal?”
Army Marshal Bak Seung-hwan. Unlike in real history, he seemed to hold considerable influence here. Still, only to that extent. He was currently aligned with the imperial family. I had not wanted to deal with him, but if things had come to this, perhaps it was time to remove him as well.
“That will not do. The Army Marshal must remain in Hanseong.”
“Indeed. Please stay behind.”
Yet the pro-imperial faction suddenly clung to Bak Seung-hwan. These people were definitely plotting something. How suspicious. Well, fine. I would yield for now. Forcing the issue here might drag even Yi Beom-yun into harm’s way.
After leaving Seokjojeon, Yi Beom-yun looked at me with a worried expression.
“Will you truly be all right?”
“I have to try what I can.”
Of course, “try” was just words. How could we wage war when the arsenals had no weapons? That was the picture I needed to paint.
“You have barely returned from war, and already this?”
“It cannot be helped. I cannot defy an imperial command.”
Neither outcome truly mattered to me. Depending on how the imperial family acted, I could simply stall in Manchuria and bide my time. Separately, I was tired of that ugly woman’s antics; threatening independence or simply going for an axe ending was also an option.
“Congratulations on your victory.”
“Ah, if it isn’t the Education Minister.”
I had been debating whether to simply beat Lady Eom or reach for my axe when Yi Wan-yong appeared.
“I was surprised you accepted so readily.”
“I could hardly refuse.”
After all, I was still the Emperor’s subject. At least for now, I had to maintain that appearance.
“Once you depart, please stall for time. I suspect something will happen soon.”
“You sense it too.”
A traitor’s intuition was worth trusting.
“Yes. Please wait in Manchuria or wherever you go. You know better than anyone that another consecutive campaign is impossible, Manchurian Administrator.”
Indeed. Yi Wan-yong had decided the time had come. The time to seize this wretched imperial palace. In that case, perhaps I should wait in Manchuria.
The Korean Empire was currently operating under a peculiar political system. Though the imperial family existed, the Manchurian military faction effectively controlled politics. In particular, Yi Beom-yun, the Gando warlord, had become Prime Minister through emergency powers without following normal procedures and now led the cabinet. The people did not oppose this. The pro-imperial faction had been beaten down, and through various reforms the Empire was developing along Western lines, which the populace welcomed. But the imperial family could not accept this situation.
Yi Beom-yun’s cabinet was more stable than even the military regime of the Choe clan in late Goryeo. From the imperial family’s perspective, this was unacceptable. Moreover, the leader of the Manchurian faction, Ok Jin-seo, had just crushed the Qing rebels in a single battle. A woman had achieved such a feat. She was now eyeing the throne itself. However, being a woman limited her path to power. What if her support base were eliminated?
Thus Lady Eom hastily devised a plan. She would propose the absurd scheme of “destroying Qing,” send Ok Jin-seo to Manchuria, and then strike at Yi Beom-yun’s cabinet at the opportune moment. Bak Seung-hwan, who had agreed to the plan, felt uneasy.
“We cannot end it here. I must go even now.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Why would she accept so easily otherwise? She must have a reason. Did not Choe Yeong of late Goryeo remain by King U’s side without leading the army? That allowed His Majesty King Taejo to successfully turn the army back at Wihwa Island.”
In short, he feared a repeat of the Wihwa Island retreat and insisted he must secure command and go himself. But Lady Eom, who knew nothing of strategy or warfare, thought differently. She believed this situation was unlike the Wihwa Island incident. The times had changed. Such a retreat would not happen again. It was only a vague hope, yet for now this was the best plan she had. She could not allow herself to be outmaneuvered so easily.