The Pirate Nations
The island nations' pirates.
“So you’re telling us to fight Russia and die for you.”
“That’s a rather misleading interpretation.”
“Indeed. If friction arises with Russia while we secure Manchuria, our Empire will support Korea. Our Empire and Korea will unite to block them.”
How could they spout exactly what I expected? It was obvious they were trying to provoke us with our own goals and twist them into their narrative. There were already hundreds of thousands of Russian troops deployed in Manchuria. The only reason we could even touch the place was because the Viceroy of the Far East was turning a blind eye. If those hundreds of thousands suddenly became our enemies, we’d get crushed like dogs. Could they still talk like this then? No matter how I calculated it, their proposal didn’t add up.
“Please continue.”
“We propose an alliance between Britain, Japan, and Korea—or rather, the Gando warlord faction—to stand against Russia in the Far East. Congratulations. Thanks to Administrator Yi Beom-yun’s efforts, our British Empire has decided to treat Korea as a partner in the Far East as well.”
In other words, they wanted a triple alliance. How was I supposed to believe that? These two countries suddenly offering an alliance to Korea? The power gap was too vast, and Japan had always been waiting for a chance to devour us. Trusting them was impossible.
Even if we were lucky enough to join hands with these disgusting bastards and push Russia out of the Far East, what would happen next? Japan would find every excuse to station troops in the Korean Empire, then eventually cook up some justification to swallow Korea whole with their army. Wait a second. They said “Gando limited.” That changed things considerably.
“There’s a lot to think about first.”
“With the Great British Empire and our neighbor Japan offering help, what is there to think about?”
These pirate nations were talking absolute nonsense. What the hell were they on about?
“While we may be a warlord faction, we are still subjects of His Majesty the Emperor. This is not something we can decide alone. And even if we could, what exactly do you propose after we drive Russia out of Manchuria?”
Yes. Go on, keep talking. I’ll listen to whatever bullshit you spew to make me laugh. When I tilted my chin, both men frowned. They were probably already annoyed that a young woman was receiving envoys, and now I was openly insulting them in a diplomatic setting. How ridiculous it must feel.
But this was a price I had to pay anyway. Even if I groveled here saying “Oh, great Britain, great Japan,” it wouldn’t change the sinister thoughts lurking in their hearts. Better to act with balls bigger than my stomach than to bow and scrape.
“Naturally, once Administrator Yi secures Manchuria, that would be the end of it. After defeating Russia, Britain and Japan intend to assist in ensuring the safe control of Manchuria under Gando administration.”
“In other words, Britain and Japan will naturally meddle in Manchuria. That’s what you mean.”
“You seem young, so perhaps you don’t understand yet, but diplomacy is not such a simple matter. Today’s enemy can become tomorrow’s ally, and today’s ally can become tomorrow’s enemy.”
Yeah, I know that all too well. The problem was that Japan, who could become tomorrow’s ally, had always been an enemy. If they were enemies anyway, I couldn’t just smile like an idiot. While laughing it off and looking weak might not be the worst idea, my pride simply wouldn’t allow me to act that way in front of these bastards.
“Once everything is over and our country safely extends its influence all the way to Manchuria, will Japan withdraw its forces from Korea?”
“That goes without saying.”
They gave a firm answer, but they would station troops under every pretext—containing Russia, protecting Korea, whatever. No matter what, that was bullshit.
“We’ve suffered so much at Japan’s hands that it’s hard to believe you. Frankly, our Korean Empire still has a long way to go. Both Britain and Japan know that well. Given that a young woman like myself holds this position, we have no choice but to remain suspicious. We won’t just snatch up the rice cake dangling in front of us.”
“That’s quite an overreach.”
Overreach, my ass. When I think about those disgusting bastards and Japan from the original history, I’d have to be an idiot to believe them. I wanted to smash my keyboard right now. Unfortunately, I couldn’t bang on a virtual keyboard while hosting these two. So I had to handle this with my own judgment.
I turned my head to look at Ito Hirobumi.
“I’d like to ask the President of the Privy Council. If your country Japan were in our position, could you accept this proposal? No matter how I look at the future, all I see is Korean blood covering Manchuria while Japan swoops in with pretty words about Asian peace, Asian unity against Russian aggression, and so on, then devours everything.”
“Look here. We already have a bridgehead for advancing into China. There’s no need for us to target the Korean Empire.”
“Having the Korean Empire would make advancing into China even easier. Did the British Empire become a colonial empire spanning the five oceans because it lacked ambition?”
You bastards won’t be satisfied with China. If you eat China, would you really leave a peninsula separated by just a strait alone? Of course not. You’d need the Korean Peninsula for your advance into China. How convenient it would be to use the peninsula as a stepping stone, crossing into the continent through Fujian and the peninsula. Besides, the current Korean Empire would find it difficult to resist Japan.
“This is truly rude. Then what would we need to do for the British Empire to earn your trust?”
“Korea is a nation that knows how to repay kindness. If both countries sincerely help us and clearly support our modernization until we can form an equal alliance, then we will fight against Russia alongside you. If you truly hold our hands without drooling over us like hyenas, then yes, I will kneel. I’ll even lick your feet if you ask. But no matter how I look at it, I don’t see that future.”
The Korean Empire was clearly a doomed country. If someone genuinely developed it and raised it to at least be worth its name, then yes, I could crawl between their legs. But I couldn’t see that future no matter how hard I looked. Especially when the ones offering help were Britain and Japan of all people. If I believed that, what else would I be but a complete moron? And licking feet or whatever only applied if the other party wasn’t these pirate bastards.
“So?”
“It will only be possible after the British Empire supports the modernization of the Korean Empire so that we can stand against Russia, and after that modernization is complete.”
In short, all of this would only happen after they showed good faith and we gained enough strength to at least repel invaders. That was what they were really saying, wrapped in pretty words.
“You are remarkably bold. Gando has at most ten thousand troops. Even if you increase them, you won’t exceed tens of thousands. Where does this confidence come from?”
Well said. He was right about that.
“Why exactly are you requesting an alliance with the Gando warlord faction that only has ten thousand troops? No matter how many times I think about it—ten times, a hundred times—the only conclusion is that you want to use us as an excuse to block Russia in Manchuria. Am I wrong?”
Wasn’t that the case? At best, we’d just be their puppets. Since the Northern Army, which was practically the main force of the Korean Empire, was all concentrated in Gando, they could easily devour a Korea that was already easy to occupy in the original history. They would probably throw us various gifts as bait. If the Russo-Japanese War turned the Korean Empire into a battlefield and Japan won, it would truly be over.
“I understand why you can’t trust us. As a small gesture of sincerity for now, we will show you our goodwill. The British Empire will assist in developing Gando.”
“Developing Gando?”
If they helped develop Gando, we would certainly be grateful. But in the end, it was an investment in Gando, not in the Korean Empire.
“Our Japan will provide weapons. How about it? We are currently viewing the Gando warlord faction under Yi Beom-yun as an independent entity, not as part of the Korean Empire proper.”
I see. Since the military had labeled us as the Gando warlord faction, these two were taking advantage of that. Britain and Japan were trying to use us to establish their own puppet states in Manchuria. Once the ruling class became Korean descendants, there would be plenty of friction with the Han Chinese. They planned to exploit that.
It was so obvious I could see the outline without even looking.
“An independent entity.”
In the end, they never said they wouldn’t target the Korean Empire. They were saying they’d treat us as an independent entity and split us off cleanly. There was no helping it now.
Just in case, if these pirate bastards accepted my proposal, I wasn’t completely against shaking hands. This was a world where Japan hadn’t colonized us yet. If they really poured in as much support as they had in the original history to turn us into a pro-Japanese nation, maybe. But these bastards had no such intention. They might even be trying to drive a wedge between the mainland and Gando.
If that was the case, there was no need to think any further. If they wanted to use us, then we would use them right back. In that case, the only option was Russia, which shared a border with us. I also knew something that could win Nicholas II’s favor. Still, it would be better to accept whatever Britain and Japan tried to force-feed us for now. If I refused here, they would only try to swallow us even more desperately.
“I can’t exactly refuse, so we’ll accept your modest gesture of sincerity.”
After their meeting with Ok Jin-seo, British Minister Jordan and President of the Japanese Privy Council Ito Hirobumi observed the situation in Gando.
“They only defeated some Qing troops, but their army is far superior to that of Korea proper.”
“Indeed.”
Unlike the Korean Empire’s main forces, Gando’s army was remarkably disciplined and well-organized. It was true that Joseon had historically possessed strong northern armies. If French officers had trained those northern troops, they might not reach great power standards, but they would certainly qualify as a quasi-great power. Even as a regional force, having crushed the Qing meant they were at least at that level. If their supplies were sufficient, they would be no pushover.
Ito Hirobumi thought that if such an army held the Yalu River, the Imperial Japanese Army would suffer considerable losses when crossing into Manchuria after taking Korea. By then, Gando’s forces would have grown even larger. In that case, perhaps the best approach was to use conciliatory measures to bring the Korean Empire under Japanese influence, turn it into a thoroughly pro-Japanese state, and extend that influence into Manchuria.
“I thought she was just an ignorant girl, but she knows quite a lot. The rumors about the madwoman rampaging through Manchuria don’t seem to be baseless.”
“You should be careful.”
“Are you afraid of that girl, President of the Privy Council?”
That girl? He was already looking down on her like this. Wasn’t he worried about getting slapped in the face?
“Joseon—well, Korea is a pitiful country, but every time it faces a crisis, an outstanding hero emerges to save the nation. It has always been that way.”
Yi Sun-sin of Joseon was one such example. Usually, no particularly memorable figures appeared in history, but when the country was truly on the brink, there was always someone who would grab it by the collar and pull it back from the edge. Perhaps this generation would produce such a person too. Ito Hirobumi had been thinking along those lines lately. And then a woman known as the madwoman of Manchuria appeared—one who could speak the languages of multiple great powers.
“She’s just a young woman acting out with youthful vigor. You’re evaluating her too highly.”
“There was a figure named Soseono in Joseon’s history. A woman who helped establish both Goguryeo and Baekje.”
Of course, there were Jumong, Biryu, and Onjo as well, but Soseono’s contribution to the founding of both kingdoms was enormous, and her name was even recorded in Japan. Ito Hirobumi was the man who had dragged Japan, which was being trampled by the great powers, to where it stood today. He had an eye for people.
In his view, the King of Joseon was a fox who struggled desperately to save a country that was inevitably going to be swallowed by Japan, but he was narrow-minded, lacked ability, and only resorted to petty tricks. His subjects were merely those who clung to stronger nations in search of stability. But what if that woman was truly exceptional?
The great powers were already showing interest in Gando. Russia was currently reinforcing its defenses in Manchuria. That could only mean they were targeting the Japanese Empire. In that case, they needed to at least drive a wedge between Russia and Gando, and between Gando and the Korean government.
“Then we must separate Gando from Korea.”
The British Minister was right. She might seem like a young woman running wild with youthful energy for now, but yes. She needed to taste something bitter at least once.