The Delusions of a Madwoman
The happiness circuit kicked in. *** This was my own little compromise. Three Principles of the People falls under Hongikism. Sun Wen’s Three Principles are similar to the survival rights of the Arirang People, but they’re not the same. Sun Wen’s ideology is limited to China, and the ‘Three Principles’ themselves are nothing more than a fragmented, ordinary version of the Hongik ideal of benefiting the world. Honestly, Hongikism itself doesn’t even have a clear definition. It’s just… whatever, man! Anyway, Hongikism is fucking awesome! Sun Wen probably knows that too. If anything, he’d probably think I’m the one suffering from delusions. But he can’t exactly dismiss me that easily. Why? Forget the fact that Hongikism sounds insane— he’s seen me not die right in front of him multiple times. The whole invulnerable transmigrator thing. That’s not something you can ignore. And it doesn’t look like some kind of trick either.
[FALSE]
“That’s a lie. It makes no sense!”
He was getting worked up at the claim that his own ideology ranked below Hongikism. But he couldn’t just deny it outright. The person standing before him had clearly been chosen by the heavens. He had seen with his own eyes that I didn’t die. Of course, since he had his own beliefs, he couldn’t accept it immediately.
“Then how about you try shooting yourself in the head this time?”
“What are you saying?”
What do you mean, what am I saying? It means exactly what it sounds like. Shoot yourself in the skull.
“If the Three Principles are correct, then you won’t die. Right?”
“Th-that’s…”
He wouldn’t be able to decide easily. It was a battle over whose truth was right. But I was the one who started it. And I had already shown that I wouldn’t die. That alone was enough. In a fight where the winner was obvious, Sun Wen couldn’t risk his life. If he were the kind of guy who could die easily, he wouldn’t have even considered escaping prison in the first place. He had a survival instinct too, and since he had personally witnessed the woman in front of him not dying, it was obvious the odds were stacked against him.
In the end, Sun Wen couldn’t pull the trigger. Instead of accepting my proposal, he simply hung his head low. Alright then. Time to start the brainwashing session.
“Hongik Ingan. To broadly benefit humanity. Isn’t the Chinese version of that exactly the Three Principles of the People? At the end of the day, it’s just the ideology of a single nation. However, Hongik Ingan doesn’t discriminate by subject or border. The Three Principles are merely one of the trees that make up the forest known as Hongik Ingan.”
“What the hell kind of nonsense is that?”
“Then why don’t I die?”
“That’s… Ahem.”
The fact that I don’t die was the key point.
“Long ago, the East was able to spread Hongik Ingan across the world. That was Genghis Khan. But all he did with his extraordinary abilities was kill people. And now, in the East once again, I have taken the lead in Hongik Ingan.”
“Saying the Three Principles are beneath it… that’s ridiculous. Then shouldn’t you not be interfering with me?”
“That’s because China must not be unified yet. The Central Plains have gone through repeated cycles of division and unification for a long time. Why do you think that is? Because even though the population and land are vast, the moment a gap appears, rebellions break out everywhere. And because there are so many people, suppressing those rebellions is incredibly difficult.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
It must have sounded ridiculous. A powerful figure from a tiny peninsula nation next to the Chinese continent was spouting all this nonsense.
“The Qing Dynasty has essentially fallen under the influence of our Goryeo. The Qing will also come under the influence of Hongikism.”
“So what exactly are you getting at?”
“For now, the country must develop while remaining divided, based on Hongikism. After that, unification can come later.”
In short, China’s division was something I had intentionally orchestrated. But that didn’t mean it was for the sake of China’s destruction. Of course, my true intention was to divide China and keep it hardened that way. After all, Sun Wen wasn’t going to live much longer. When the time came, I could divide and solidify China in a positive sense. Use him appropriately, then label him a traitor to Hongikism and take him down.
“Then, does that mean I can return to China?”
“Yes. Frankly, you’re far better than Li Yuanhong. China’s potential is limitless. Let me say it again—Hongikism has no designated subject. In other words, anyone who proclaims Hongikism can be considered a disciple.”
What I was saying was planting the idea that if China grew strong enough to openly advocate Hongikism, other nations would follow suit.
“But at least in this era, you have been chosen.”
“That’s right. Not wrong at all. We must reorganize our nations based on this Hongikism and drive out the European great powers.”
Driving out the imperialist great powers with Hongikism. That was what it meant to benefit the world. I hammered this into the head of this dreamer over and over again.
“Fine. I still don’t fully understand this Hongik whatever, but I can tell it’s a comprehensive concept. Using the spirit of Hongik Ingan to drive the West out of our Asia…”
Yes. That was enough. At least the concept of Hongik Ingan had been drilled into his head.
“I’ll arrange passage for your return to China. If needed, I’ll provide some financial support as well.”
“Understood.”
His face still showed lingering doubt, but he had seen a woman who wouldn’t die right before his eyes. That wasn’t something he could just ignore. No matter how many times you hear it, you only truly understand when you see it with your own eyes. Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times. With that, I sent Sun Wen on his way for now.
“Wouldn’t it be better to kill him? What if that bastard grows powerful later on?”
On the way back after giving Sun Wen money and sending him off, Nam Sang-deok asked cautiously. Grow powerful? As long as unification doesn’t happen, he has no choice but to stay beneath us.
“That’ll be difficult.”
Sun Wen is living on borrowed time. Besides, Li Yuanhong doesn’t seem like the type to give up his position easily. Right now, all the regions where the revolution actually took place are under Li Yuanhong’s control, aren’t they? It won’t be easy for Sun Wen to spark something there. Even if he does, at best he’ll end up fighting Li Yuanhong and the Qing. At the very least, China won’t be unified before that guy dies.
“Judging by his complexion, he probably only has about ten years left, doesn’t he? Even if I provide funding, it’ll take time for him to rebuild his foundation from scratch. By the time he grows his forces, starts a revolution, and fights Li Yuanhong and the Qing, he’ll probably be dead by then.”
I couldn’t exactly tell him I knew the exact date of his death. But at least I had created a connection with him for now. Since Sun Wen had decided to join hands with me, we would continue exchanging contact. Later, watching him build up power and waste time like this would be quite the sight.
“Hmm. Isn’t this just wishful thinking?”
It was just wishful thinking. It could be. That’s what the happiness circuit is for. But I had my alternate history gallery, and I had laid the groundwork. This way, I could prepare for any contingency. Before Sun Wen grew too powerful and without a successor, if I took him out, the warlords would run rampant. In any case, investing in China wasn’t a bad choice. The Qing would suffer a bit, but they were already struggling to manage their own country—they wouldn’t be able to swallow the south right now.
“We can just watch and see.”
Either way, it wasn’t bad for us. While China tore itself apart, Korea could reorganize the state. We could even aim for a big move during the world war. The sooner the Red-White Civil War breaks out, the sooner we’ll have a chance to pacify the north once and for all.
“How is the demotion of Joseon going?”
We were beginning the work of downgrading the previous dynasty, the Korean Empire, and even further back to Joseon. It was enough to treat only a few famous kings and generals favorably.
“Yes, in the national history textbooks, the nation called Joseon is being systematically demoted. However, what should we do about someone like Admiral Yi Sun-sin?”
We couldn’t touch Chungmugong. That’s right. One of the few truly remarkable figures from Joseon. A hero and great man who saved the country in his time. That should be sufficient, right? We could include a few other people and say they were oppressed by the Joseon dynasty. In reality, General Yi Sun-sin had been exactly that. How harshly had that bastard King Seonjo treated him? Of course, having a war hero with too much influence was dangerous, but the country was on the verge of destruction, and they had still forced a brilliant general to serve as a common soldier and criticized him. Anyway, since we had to disparage Joseon, the only way to protect General Yi Sun-sin’s reputation was this method.
“Hmm. A great hero who should not have been born in the Yi Joseon dynasty. A sage who could have closed the chapter on Joseon much earlier. That should do it.”
From General Yi Sun-sin’s perspective, it might feel like being treated as a traitor. But wasn’t this enough?
“Ah, that works.”
Because of the nation called Joseon, what kind of insults had we heard in the future? To Japanese right-wingers, we were a slave nation that only offered tribute to China. To the Chinese, they claimed Korea was part of China. They even tried to steal our history. Because of Joseon, because it was known as a tributary state, we suffered a great deal of humiliation. But if we crush Japan with Hongikism, those kinds of bastards will disappear, and the same goes for China. While revising the textbooks, I planned to make sure China could never dare claim ‘Korea is part of China.’ We would divide China so they could never covet Korea again.
“And I hear red ginseng exports are on track.”
“Oh, really? That’s good news.”
Once we started selling seriously in Europe, our country would gradually become better known.
“Sales are scheduled to begin in European countries first.”
At the very least, if we marketed it as good for male virility, it should sell quite well.
“Yes. Red ginseng is a specialty unique to the Korean people, so if we package it well, it will sell.”
Whether in the West or the East, if you say it’s good for male stamina, it sells like crazy. They even call it a panacea. We already had endorsements from neighboring countries. There were even records that Japan minted special silver ingots exclusively for ginseng trade. If we used that to make the West perceive it as something incredible, it should work.
“Yes. Didn’t it sell a lot in the Qing because of opium?”
“Because of opium in the Qing?”
It sold a lot in the Qing because of opium. Right. That’s true. Thanks to Britain, how much opium had been sold?
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“It’s nothing.”
A really good idea was suddenly popping into my head. How about spreading it even more in China this time? No. I wasn’t sure if that would work. Even if it spread, it probably wouldn’t spread that much. I’d check the alternate history gallery and decide.
“And we received contact from Chairman Choi.”
“What did he say?”
At this point, the only contact that made sense was about airplanes. A few years ahead of schedule. Hmm, then it might see action in the world war too. If Russia took this first, how much could they use it in the war?
“The bomber has been produced.”
“It’s already been made?”
I never imagined they would crank it out this quickly. But then again, yeah. That made sense. I had fed them so much information, it had to be possible. Still, it was beyond my expectations. An invention that appeared earlier than in original history. Just thinking about attaching that title made my insides tingle. The very existence of Goryeo had already twisted things, but technology was developing in a completely different direction. The problem was the Viceroy of the Far East. If that guy started aiming for something with airplanes, it would become annoying.
“Let’s go meet Choi Jae-hyung first.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Even though the bomber had been made, to absorb it as our own we would need to cooperate with the Viceroy.
Southern Manchuria, Gando Airfield.
The development of the bomber had taken place. To be precise, since it still didn’t even have a proper gun mounted, it was more like a reconnaissance plane. Anyway, something plausible had been created. Looking at it suddenly made me think—should I really give this to Russia?
If I gave it to Russia for no reason, wouldn’t Russia win World War I? Of course, even if they did, the revolution probably couldn’t be stopped. Bloody Sunday had already happened, and they were barely surviving thanks to their victory in the Russo-Japanese War and belated reforms. Winning the great war wouldn’t change much. At the very beginning, even if fighters appeared a few years early, it didn’t seem like Russia would win the war. In that case, it might be better to dangle it in front of another country that might actually recognize its value. For example, Germany.
“I never thought you would actually make this. Will it even have a machine gun?”
“I attached one for now, but I’m not sure if it will actually work properly.”
In that case, maybe I should try riding it myself? This was practically the world’s first fighter plane. It would be good to make one. We needed to make sure it could mount a gun at least.
“Is there a reason you made this in secret?”
“Because we can’t show it to others.”
The problem was Russia. To be honest, did Russia even have the ability to produce this? They were already in a situation where they had to outsource weapon production to allied countries.
“I agree with that. This bomber itself will be our first.”
If done well, it could change the flow of the war. A large aircraft like this dropping bombs. The problem was that the bombs themselves had to be made.
“The issue is if these are mass-produced, things will change. Imagine enemy lines suddenly having huge flying objects dropping bombs.”
If a massive flying object suddenly appeared over enemy territory and scattered bombs, wouldn’t the tide of war change? Especially if a bomber—one that had no connection to air combat—suddenly appeared and dropped bombs, the story would be completely different. On top of that, we should develop real air-to-air fighters as well.
“Speaking of that problem. The Viceroy of the Far East is a bit of an issue.”
“Please explain in detail.”
“It seems he has lost some interest. We can continue development itself, but…”
Lost interest from the Viceroy of the Far East, huh. We were supposed to be making this in cooperation with Russia. The country’s economy had only just started turning. Land reform was in its final stages, and with American help, proper roads had been laid. We needed the Viceroy’s help to produce it.