March on Hanseong
I had reached Hanseong before I knew it. The city looked as quiet as ever. The only difference was the sight of demonstrators who appeared to be from the pro-imperial faction standing guard. From what Yi Wan-yong had told me, something had definitely gone down, but it clearly hadn’t gone their way, so they’d turned the capital into a fortress.
“Let’s charge in right now, Your Excellency!” Nam Sang-deok was practically vibrating with excitement.
Yeah, we need to get inside quickly, but barreling in like this feels wrong. This is the capital, after all. Because this is the capital of the Korean Empire, I can’t just treat it like any random city.
“Sorry, but that’s not possible.”
“If we don’t seize Hanseong, how do you expect to drag the Emperor down?”
I want to smash straight in too. But it’s not that simple. If only the imperial family were here, I would have stormed the place in one go. Unfortunately, this city doesn’t just contain the imperial family. It’s also home to hundreds of thousands of citizens. Turning every last one of them into an enemy would be a massive pain.
The most important factor is the public sentiment of the capital’s people. Even though scholars have been whipping up resentment against the imperial family and this era isn’t exactly overflowing with loyalty to the throne, I still can’t gamble with hundreds of thousands of lives.
“Attacking Hanseong could cause the people to turn against us. It worked during the Three-Nation War because the opponent was Japan. Doing it now would be disastrous.”
“Then are we just going to sit here in isolation? If we only surround the city, our own troops’ morale will collapse.”
“Exactly. If they’re already besieged and isolated, the citizens of Hanseong will turn on the imperial family anyway.”
I fell silent for a moment, considering the words of Hong Beom-do and Nam Sang-deok. It would be nice if they surrendered on their own, but they clearly had no intention of doing so. That bitch Lady Eom would probably dig in for the long haul under the pretense of protecting the imperial house. And for us, that was the worst possible outcome.
Since we’ve already turned the army around, we need to finish this quickly. But this isn’t an era that allows such clean solutions. This is the age of white men ruling the world. The age of imperialism. I’ve spent so much effort crafting my image. If I throw it all away by seizing the capital through brute force, it’ll cause problems.
“Yi Seong-gye also stormed Gaegyeong and struck down King U and General Choi Young.”
That’s true, but the situation now is completely different from back then.
“The times are not the same. The world is watching us. Every single one of our actions will reinforce their perception of ‘As expected from Asians.’ Until we grow large enough that we can openly criticize those bastards, we have no choice but to be cautious.”
The great powers are the real problem, as always. Japan doesn’t have the bandwidth to care about us right now, and Russia will support us, but how will Britain, France, and Germany see this? And what about America, which has already given us financial help?
In that case, the correct move is to use my head as much as possible. We’ll surround the city, apply military pressure, and work our brains at the same time.
“Minister of Education. You currently enjoy Noble Consort Eom’s favor. When you came here, you didn’t openly declare hostility toward her. Please exert yourself one more time.”
Yes. We can just make use of Yi Wan-yong.
“Understood, Your Excellency. I will assist you.”
It would be perfect if Yi Wan-yong or Prince Uihwa opened the gates for us. I was just settling on sending Yi Wan-yong when a white flag rose from the Hanseong defense forces.
“Your Excellency. A white flag has been raised over there.”
Indeed. A white flag was waving from the defensive positions. They said Prince Uihwa was inside. It was probably him. He might not completely agree with me, but he at least understood that clashing with my side would be a bad idea.
In that case, there was no need to observe any further. I didn’t have to worry about traps. Even if it was a trap, once the gates were open the damage would be minimal. We had already won.
The Manchurian Army poured into Hanseong all at once. It was similar to the Three-Nation War, but unlike then, we were entering out of necessity to crush the coup forces.
“The white flag is up! Advance! Crush the rebels!”
Tens of thousands of troops flooded into Hanseong in an instant. As we pushed toward the palace, Prince Uihwa, who had apparently been preparing for urban warfare inside the city, appeared.
“I knew Your Highness would open the way for us.”
“No matter how I look at it, this is a civil war. And the justification is terrible.”
He was right. We had no proper justification. Today’s events would be recorded as Bak Seung-hwan’s coup. We had to frame it that way so our reason for turning the army around would be justified.
I took Prince Uihwa’s hand and smiled at him.
“You have made the right choice for the survival of the Korean people.”
If not for Prince Uihwa, things would have become quite difficult going forward.
“The situation has flowed differently from what was promised, but please at least allow the imperial family to continue existing.”
His voice was barely above a whisper, almost like he was crying. It showed just how much he had agonized over this decision.
I would let the imperial family survive. If they knelt obediently, there was no reason to kill them. Over the next few years, I would prepare and gradually strip them of real power. But before that, their continued existence was still necessary. The current emperor, however, needed to be deposed like King U. That kid was far too lacking as an emperor. Even when the Germans visited last time, I was mortified on his behalf. It was about time to pull him down from the throne and give him just enough to live comfortably.
“I understand. That much is no problem. However, the Emperor must be deposed.”
“I see.”
Now then, next was the Prime Minister.
“Where is the Prime Minister?”
Yi Beom-yun needed to be alive for me to confidently step forward. In the worst case, if Yi Beom-yun had died, I would need to set up another puppet. We might even have to abolish the imperial family and install Prince Uihwa as some kind of imperial-born President.
“I have secured him safely.”
“Well done, Your Highness. You have saved this country.”
With Yi Beom-yun secured, the next Prime Minister was no issue. We led the army in orderly fashion into the streets of Hanseong.
“Long live General Ok Jin-seo! Long live the Korean Empire!”
Long live General Ok Jin-seo? At some point the number of people praising me had grown. At this rate, the imperial family truly had no answer.
“We have already seized control of all major departments, General!”
Yi Wan-yong had moved surprisingly fast and taken over everything.
“Are there any who resist?”
“None, except for Bak Seung-hwan’s guards and the demonstrators entrenched in Seokjojeon.”
That made sense. Most citizens were simply confused by the imperial family’s sudden coup. They wouldn’t want to get involved. Only a few stubborn old loyalists might support them, but even they were in no position to put up a real fight after being beaten down by us.
Which meant the only real holdouts were currently inside Seokjojeon.
“So only the true believers are in Seokjojeon.”
“Shall we suppress Seokjojeon by force?”
Even so, I need to be careful about crushing Seokjojeon with military force. If we attack with only the army, it could look like a pure military coup. That damn woman, Noble Consort Eom. The idiot who thinks covering the sky with her hand means no one can see the changed world. I needed to show that bitch exactly how the world had changed.
The citizens already welcomed modernization and liked the new era. Would they really want to return to the old days when only an incompetent imperial family existed? The first time is hard, but the second time is easy. The people who once saw the Emperor as a parent and upheld the imperial house had finally tasted reform and opened their eyes. Now that they had experienced reform without the imperial family leading it, would they want to go back?
Steel mills had been built. Factories had been built. Western goods had come in. People worked in factories. Who was responsible for all of it?
“Even if we break in by force and suppress this coup, they will never acknowledge it till the end. What is the current public sentiment inside Hanseong?”
In the end, using public sentiment would be the finishing blow. It would be good if the citizens at least stayed neutral. Or better yet, if they took our side so we could completely drag down imperial authority.
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
“They are welcoming our advance.”
“Unexpected.”
“Since the Prime Minister’s cabinet began, hasn’t the country developed? Those who have now learned civilization have no choice but to support us.”
Good. In that case, how about mobilizing the citizens of Hanseong? Instead of ending it with force, what if we used the citizens to deliver the final blow, telling them their era was over?
Whether they formed an imperial association or whatever and jerked themselves off in private, they would ultimately have no choice but to relinquish imperial power. Now I would completely strip the imperial family of its rights.
“Then we will mobilize the citizens of Hanseong.”
“The citizens, sir?”
“If we’re going to drag them down completely this time, we need to show them how thoroughly the balance has shifted.”
A short while later, I gathered the citizens in the newly redeveloped plaza. An enormous crowd answered my call—so many that they stretched beyond the edge of my vision. I stepped forward before them. Several foreigners were visible among them, probably diplomats.
“Citizens of Hanseong! I am Ok Jin-seo, Administrator of Southern Manchuria and Minister of Foreign Affairs!”
I began speaking slowly. If not at a time like this, when would I ever drag that woman Noble Consort Eom down?
“Regrettably, this nation faces a grave threat today. None other than the so-called greatest elder of this country, Noble Consort Eom, claimed that imperial authority was under threat. She mobilized Army General Bak Seung-hwan and his troops in an attempt to topple the cabinet of Prime Minister Yi Beom-yun, who has been reforming the nation. She has brought a storm of blood to Hanseong! All because she cares nothing for the people of this nation, for you, her subjects, and seeks only to protect imperial power!”
She had caused this entire mess solely for the sake of imperial power. She had tried to start a civil war in broad daylight. In the process, you yourselves nearly got caught up in it.
“I, Ok Jin-seo, despite being a woman, recovered the ancient lands of Southern Manchuria and turned them into a land of opportunity. I went to Qing and increased the tribute they pay to Korea! Yet the imperial family felt threatened by the cabinet’s policies. They want nothing more than to play their little power games among themselves on this cramped peninsula. How utterly shameless can they be? This imperial family has abandoned you! They have abandoned their own subjects!
Just as Taejo Yi Seong-gye, at the end of Goryeo, coveted royal power and rebelled with the Wihwa Island Retreat, they fail to sense the flow of the times. Isolated from the world, they comfort themselves only with imperial authority! Subjects—no, citizens—do you truly intend to continue upholding such people as the imperial family?
The imperial family is threatening our right of survival that extends all the way to Manchuria! They are threatening the survival rights of the Korean people! What should we do about this!”
I even framed Yi Seong-gye’s Wihwa Island Retreat as a rebellion. While doing so, I began the work of thoroughly discrediting the imperial house. King U’s campaign to conquer Liaodong had no chance of success? Who cares? It would be repackaged as King U launching the Liaodong campaign to protect the survival rights of the Korean people. Historical beautification has a long tradition, so it doesn’t matter.
“We are not slaves of the imperial family!”
“General Ok, please protect the survival rights of our people!”
I skillfully mixed in Hongikism. The survival rights of the Three Han peoples were ultimately the survival rights of humanity itself, and therefore benefited all people.
“Brothers! Sisters! Rise up! Let us proudly show them the changed world. But I cannot do it alone. If I charge into Seokjojeon by myself, they will claim we entered by force! Citizens. Let us go together! Let us go to Seokjojeon together and show them the changed world! For the survival rights of the Korean people! For Hongikism that exists within our right of survival!”
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
For the survival rights of the Korean people! Long live Hongikism!
Now it was done. The legitimacy of our turning the army around had been completely secured.
Together with the citizens of Hanseong, the Manchurian Army marched on Seokjojeon.
Meanwhile, inside Seokjojeon, Noble Consort Eom, Emperor Yi Cheok, and the pro-imperial faction were in a state of panic. The army had returned far faster than expected, and Prince Uihwa had already opened the gates. After all the care she had given him, the sight of him siding with the traitors made Noble Consort Eom foam at the mouth and stamp her feet in rage. But the more urgent matter was that Hanseong itself had already been taken, leaving only Seokjojeon.
And that wasn’t all.
“This is terrible! Ok Jin-seo—that wench has incited the citizens!”
She had gathered the citizens of Hanseong and completely surrounded Seokjojeon. It had happened in an instant, without the slightest mistake, as if she had planned it from the beginning. At the sight, Noble Consort Eom and the pro-imperial faction stood with their mouths agape.
“What is this! You mean the subjects have gathered like a swarm of locusts?”
“Imperial family, stop the coup!”
“Restore General Yi Beom-yun! Restore Count Ok to the cabinet!”
The imperial family committing a coup? They had merely tried to reclaim the authority that rightfully belonged to them. What nonsense was this! Those dim-witted fools had been completely taken in by that damned wench’s words. They didn’t even have the justification of protecting the Emperor anymore.
In other words, if this situation ended in victory for the Manchurian faction, the imperial family would never hold power again. Their very lives would be decided by the mercy of the Manchurian faction.
“How long must we continue to serve as your slaves!”
There was no longer any loyalty toward the Emperor among the subjects. No one still saw him as a parent. These damned people—whether from the Manchurian faction or the subjects—were all traitors.