The Supreme Council for National Reconstruction
The Supreme Council for National Reconstruction
“You bastards! We didn’t do anything!”
“You think you’ll get away with this?”
“This country belongs to the Emperor!”
There was some noise, but rounding them up wasn’t particularly difficult. With all military power already in our hands, what could they possibly do? Whether they bowed their heads or not was entirely up to them.
Of course, this wasn’t the barbaric age anymore. It was the age of civilization, so we couldn’t just lop off heads left and right. Though the guillotine had still seen use even after the Second World War… well, regardless.
For now, most of the traitors were sent to Seodaemun Prison. What about trials, you ask? I wasn’t sure how meaningful trials even were in this era, but we held military tribunals anyway. Every member of the imperial family was brought before them.
What followed was utterly predictable.
“I had no part in it!”
“You participated, you say? Thank you for your honest answer.”
“No! You idiot! Are your ears broken?”
It was so simple that even watching it felt like some kind of rigged performance. The whole thing ended in the blink of an eye.
“The Supreme Military Tribunal hereby sentences all imperial family members and officers who aided, abetted, or stood by during this incident to death.”
Most of the imperial family received death sentences. It had been inevitable from the start; there was nothing they could do about it.
“What kind of trial is this?!”
“The Supreme Council for National Reconstruction has made its decision in order to swiftly resolve matters during this time of national chaos. Traitors will hold their tongues.”
“You damned bastards!”
They were all sentenced to hanging. It seemed we’d need quite a lot of rope.
Meanwhile, we summoned the foreign ambassadors and informed them that the rebel forces had been suppressed.
“Hmm, I’m not entirely certain this qualifies as suppressing rebels—understood, so please put that axe away.”
“Well, with the British Empire’s guarantee, I suppose that settles it.”
Thus, we received a measure of recognition abroad as well. I still couldn’t understand why they were so terrified of a mere axe.
The news of the Korean Empire’s imperial guard coup reached Japan as well. To be honest, everyone had more or less expected something like this to happen eventually, so it wasn’t particularly concerning.
“A military regime in Joseon? Is that really all right?”
“I hear the one who seized power is that Ok Jin-seo woman.”
“Shouldn’t we at least make some kind of statement?”
“Are you mad? What if that woman turns around and claims we helped the Joseon imperial family stage a coup?”
“““……”””
“Will it even affect us? Let’s just let it pass.”
Stirring up trouble with her again would clearly lead to endless headaches. Japan had no desire to get entangled with that demon, even if circumstances had already forced a connection.
Still, there was another matter worth paying attention to.
“However, there’s something peculiar about the justification Ok Jin-seo proclaimed when suppressing the rebellion.”
“What was it?”
“She claimed it was to protect Hongik-ism and the survival rights of the Arirang people.”
It was that Hongik-ism again.
Hongik-ism was a bizarre ideology currently spreading among the young officers of the Japanese Empire.
“Hongik-ism? Isn’t that the one circulating among the young officers?”
Hongik-ism. An ideology that every young officer had at least heard of or taken an interest in. It was the belief that if every individual embodied the spirit of broadly benefiting humanity, there would be no problems—an ideology centered on the concept of Hongik Ingan.
“Hmm, this could be problematic.”
“Well, it’s not unusual for the Imperial Army to admire a formidable enemy commander.”
After all, this was the same Imperial Army that revered and hero-worshipped Admiral Yi Sun-sin. If Yi Sun-sin could become a hero, why not Ok Jin-seo?
“That’s true enough.”
There was nothing inherently wrong with that. The real concern was what might happen if officers united under this ideology decided to offer their entire nation to Ok Jin-seo.
“Surely not. The officers wouldn’t do that just because of Hongik-ism.”
“Of course not. Our Imperial Army isn’t that foolish.”
There was no way they would be swayed by such a strange ideology. Absolutely not.
And yet Japan’s hopeful “surely not” soon became reality.
Just as the infamous Black Dragon Society existed among Japan’s right-wing groups, a new organization called the Yamato Hongik Association was established among officers of the Imperial Japanese Army.
“What are you, gentlemen? You are Hongik Ingan itself!”
“Even Empress Jingū’s establishment of the Mimana Japan Office was surely to spread the spirit of Hongik Ingan far and wide!”
“Genghis Khan also received heaven’s mandate to broadly benefit humanity, but he ultimately fell into corruption and failed!”
“Western civilization likewise received the mission to benefit the world, but it too fell into corruption. What remains now are only Korea and our Empire!”
It was a scene of utter madness. And at the center of it all stood only one man.
Deeply satisfied with his own speech, he looked upon the officers being converted to Hongik-ism with pride and smiled.
“Now, let us advance, O Empire! Together with Korea, sharing the same ancestors and the same divine mission! To the continent! To the seas!”
His name was Mutaguchi Renya.
In the original history, he had been the independent army fighter who annihilated nearly a hundred thousand Japanese troops. With Mutaguchi Renya at the heart of Japanese Hongik-ism, Japan was now entering the great age of Hongik-ism.
“““To the continent! To the seas! Long live Hongik-ism! Long live the Empire of Japan!”””
It was a spectacle so deranged that even Ok Jin-seo herself would have called it insane.
After overthrowing the imperial family, I was busy for a while. With the government paralyzed ahead of the official executions, we needed to appoint many new people. All the existing pro-imperial faction had to be purged and replaced.
Figures like An Chang-ho and Shin Chae-ho appeared, along with Kim Gu from among those who had fought alongside us in the Manchurian army. As if proving this was the destined lineup, all the obstacles that had once blocked our path were being cleared away.
“Syngman Rhee is surprising. I suppose that was always his fate.”
I heard Syngman Rhee had helped incite the citizens during the incident. That was why Yi Wan-yong had personally funded his studies in America. He’d make a perfect diplomat for dealing with the United States later.
And then there was An Jung-geun, whom I had placed as head of the Jeoguk Ikmunsa. He seemed suited for the role. Originally aligned with the pro-imperial faction, the agency had accepted us thanks to Prince Ui’s persuasion.
“Any reports from the Jeoguk Ikmunsa regarding Japan?”
Japan was the important one. Other countries could more or less be ignored. Britain and the like would naturally prefer us over the Korean imperial family, whose diplomatic incompetence was obvious. But Japan’s future policy toward us remained uncertain, so we had to keep watching them.
“For now, Japan is simply observing. It seems they have no desire to intervene.”
“Rather, they’re afraid that getting involved with me might cause another incident, so they want to avoid any connection whatsoever.”
That was probably closer to the truth. Japan was in no position to criticize us. Unlike before, they could no longer claim they would intervene whenever trouble arose in Joseon. They were busy trying to salvage their ruined economy instead of building national strength. It was rather pitiful.
“That does seem more likely.”
“Any other news from Japan?”
This was the crucial part. If Japan tried to build strength for revenge, it would be troublesome. If they attempted to scheme against us through diplomacy, it would become a nuisance.
“Yes, Your Excellency. An organization called the Yamato Hongik Association has been established in Japan.”
“Yamato Hongik Association?”
The name alone made it clear it was some right-wing group, but I wondered what else it entailed. I had no idea what kind of ridiculous organization it was, but it was clearly influenced by me.
“Yes. It’s a Hongik-ist group founded by a man named Mutaguchi Renya.”
Mutaguchi Renya. A Hongik-ist organization? Japanese people loved forming right-wing groups, so it wasn’t entirely surprising, but still…
“Mutaguchi Renya, huh. Ah, this is awkward. Do you have his photograph?”
“Here it is.”
I had wondered if it might be someone with the same name, but the moment I saw the photo, there was no doubt. It was the face I knew—the internet meme, the “shadow independence activist,” the independence fighter some even suggested should receive the Order of Merit for Founding the Nation.
My head hurt.
“Mutaguchi Renya. He certainly causes a lot of trouble.”
Still, there was no need to worry too much. It was Mutaguchi Renya, after all. He wasn’t a dangerous figure, and if he was going on about Hongik Ingan, he at least had no intention of fighting us. In that case, there was no need to concern ourselves with Japan.
“Once Hanyang is stabilized, they plan to behead Lady Eom as well. Will you attend?”
“There’s no reason to look at traitors.”
There was no need to concern myself. What was I lacking that I would go see them? They weren’t even worth looking at.
I didn’t enjoy destroying beautiful things. Watching ugly things disappear didn’t sit well with me either.
“Be especially careful with Bak Seung-hwan. We can’t let him become a martyr.”
We absolutely could not allow him to become a martyr. Even if martyrdom alone couldn’t overturn the board, I still wanted to eliminate any potential variables. Bak Seung-hwan was pitiable, but he wasn’t someone who could be won over even if we spared him. His loyalty was solely to the imperial family. Even if we chose to spare some imperial family members, we had to completely sever their hands and feet—so Bak Seung-hwan absolutely could not be allowed to exist.
“They say he’s being held very securely.”
“Haa. Then that’s a relief.”
We needed to punish the pro-imperial faction and have Sunjong abdicate appropriately. That would be enough for us. He would bow his head as long as he was allowed to live, so it didn’t matter.
Prince Yeong would handle things on his own as well.
“Shouldn’t we change the name of the country soon?”
Yes. It was time to change the national name. Once the imperial family had completely withdrawn, we would need to redecorate the nation. Foreigners would see it as the same thing anyway, so there was no need to announce it.
“Prince Ui will need to cooperate properly.”
“He is cooperating with us for the sake of the regime change.”
Of course he would. He had no choice but to help us if he wanted to save even the remaining imperial family members.
I had considered putting Prince Ui on the throne and then removing him, but there was no need for that now. We hadn’t suppressed them by force; we had resolved things “peacefully” with the support of the citizens. It had ended more easily than expected, so there was no need to worry about appearances.
The imperial family had ended that very day. They had been stripped of their heavenly mandate by the Manchurian army that had returned, and even the people’s hearts had proven it when they refused to die from the imperial family’s gunfire.
“Good. Then that’s fortunate. Let’s convene a meeting. We need to prepare a new national name for the new world.”
First, I intended to prepare the national name. It would be strange to keep calling it the Korean Empire after deposing the emperor, wouldn’t it?
“Yes, Minister of War.”
Minister of War. A position I concurrently held with that of Foreign Minister. In effect, the army of this country was already in my hands.
I would change the national name the moment Sunjong abdicated. It would be a magnificent display of dominance over the surviving members of the Yi clan. The national name their ancestor Yi Seong-gye had destroyed would rise again at the very moment they lost the Mandate of Heaven.
The Supreme Council for National Reconstruction
“Changing the national name? Does that mean abandoning the name Daehan?”
Of course we had to abandon it. I had always thought it was rather odd. Did we really need to use the name Daehan? In novels, people got all worked up about the Korean Empire, but I didn’t see it that way. If we were going to completely erase the country of that fool, we had to shed the national name as well. We had always possessed a higher, more beautiful name for our country.
“The name Daehan was arbitrarily created by the previous imperial family. It became a great source of resentment. Though it was created with that meaning, naming it ‘Daehan’ after already encompassing the Three Han feels rather insincere, doesn’t it?”
After all, if one of the Three Han had swallowed the other two and unified them under the name Daehan, that might make sense—but simply calling it Daehan because Joseon encompassed a large ‘Han’ didn’t seem particularly meaningful.
“Then, does the Minister of War have something in mind?”
Coming up with an entirely new name felt awkward. In European countries, even when dynasties or political systems changed, the country’s name remained the same—France or Germany, for example. So it would be better to return to an old name, one from when we were strong.
“I do. This country must now face a new era. Looking back, throughout history, nations that weren’t destroyed by foreign peoples maintained their national names even when dynasties or political systems changed.”
I had already laid the groundwork. With all power in my hands, I would resolve everything.