World Government #5: Heated Debate with Comrades Over Liquor
"Keep using the Empire as is, sir?"
"Why."
"How long ago did we change the country name? Why switch it again—what's the big problem?"
It was an angle I hadn't even considered.
"In my opinion, the best thing would be for you to just ascend the throne. But if not, there are other ways."
That was the comrade's suggestion. In other words...
"Just leave the emperor position empty?"
"More like hanging the imperial regalia on the flag itself."
In essence, rather than electing a separate king or Son of Heaven, turn the Korean Empire itself into the Heavenly Kingdom.
"Is that even possible?"
"I wouldn't say it's impossible, but you want to do it, don't you, sir? You have to be the one to make it happen."
This guy...
"Can't argue with that."
"More importantly, we need a flag first. How long are we stuck using that old one?"
"You said not to change the country name."
"We didn't change the flag."
Hmm. Would people really buy it? They weren't idiots. It felt a bit too reckless.
But surprisingly, I found myself drawn to the idea. Honestly, handing the heavenly mandate back to the Yi Dynasty Joseon at this point didn't sit right with me either.
Besides, people might actually accept it. The era ahead was one of nation-states, not kings.
Of course, stumble on "nation-state" and it twisted straight into ethnic nation-states and self-determination, but that didn't make the nation-state concept wrong.
Truth be told, ethnic nation-states and self-determination weren't wrong either. They just weren't good for us Koreans.
"So ultimately, it boils down to whether people accept the Korean Empire as the Heavenly Kingdom."
Personally, I wasn't fond of the whole "Son of Heaven" thing. Why not just go with Republic of Korea? But if the masses saw it as abandoning the heavenly mandate, that could spell trouble.
The people needed pride in their nation. If my push for a republic ended up stripping them of that national pride, it'd be a far bigger problem.
"How about this? The Qing asked us to build some dams in their territory last time, right?"
"The Mekong—no, the Lancang River? And?"
"Let's make water control our national policy. Isn't mastery over waters the virtue of a true Son of Heaven?"
"So you're saying we manage the world's water?"
"Most disputes start with water and end with water."
It wasn't a completely absurd idea. Water resources were literally a matter of national power, deciding a country's future.
In some ways, water was even more vital than energy. Look at those oil-rich Middle Eastern states hanging by a thread— all because of water shortages.
I was already pouring GDP straight into water infrastructure, regardless of the ROI. Do it or the people lose faith in the state.
"If Korea shoulders the world's water management, then even without you personally taking the throne—even if the Korean Empire itself ascends as the Heavenly Kingdom—the people will acknowledge it."
"Isn't that a bit too expensive?"
"You say that now?"
Fair point. Turning the Yellow River into the Qinghe River was, from Korea's perspective alone, a colossal money pit.
Where were the Yellow River's major Chinese cities? Mostly south of it, right?
The Yellow River's water issues were China's problem, not Korea's. Yet here we were, spending a fortune to link water channels just to govern those Chinese.
Why? Because Korea was the Heavenly Kingdom.
So if Korea wanted to remain a Heavenless Heavenly Kingdom going forward, we'd have to do even more. That was the comrade's point.
We'd need to pull off feats like damming rivers worldwide.
Started with luck, now dams, huh.
Until now, we'd avoided dams due to tech limits, cost-benefit, and environmental concerns. We'd turned marshy wastelands into lakes, but never gouged valleys into giant wells.
But now it's different. It's not just impounding water—we can generate electricity with turbines.
That's where the economics kicked in. Before, "turbines" meant screw-like devices in fast currents to scoop gold automatically. We made gold, not electricity. Maintenance barely broke even—gold's value made up for it.
But dams worldwide? Investment would be astronomical, payback uncertain. Especially with the Great Depression looming.
"In that case, maybe I should step down from this position."
"So you're saying put someone else above us?"
"..."
"I get hating the emperor title, but if you're gonna hand the regalia to some unqualified hack, just scrap it all and go full republic."
"How about just cussing me out instead."
"That was me cussing you out."
"...Understood. Honestly, I'd rather stand as one human among comrades than be deified as some inhuman emperor. Like now."
"Got it. That's why you hate it. Alright, let's start by making Korea the Heavenly Kingdom. We'll whip up a flag to dazzle the Chinese too. Sound good, Comrade Yuseong?"
Yuseong. The name I'd come to hate, forged with my comrades. The name I'd chosen, then forgotten amid the grand tasks ahead. My limit, my very self. It had been ages since I'd heard it echo in my mind.
"...Yeah."
I didn't know what resolve my comrades carried. Just as they trusted me, I trusted them.
"Push it forward. I'll take responsibility."
Dams were more profitable than they seemed. We'd control water and power. Pure Immortan Joe territory.
The catch? Host nations wouldn't just roll over. Even upstream dams pissed off downstream countries. Building inside their borders? They'd meddle by any means.
I'd do the same in their shoes.
Luckily, I'd preemptively gotten upstream and downstream nations to sign water-sharing compromises.
In other words, we could slap up dams in upstream spots, trickle just enough water downstream—for a fee. Call it "compromise."
I never demanded "permission." They'd have balked. Endless delays.
Don't pay? No water. That's compromise—who's gonna argue?
Pay up, get water. Compromise.
Only if they paid and we still held back would it break the deal.
Downstreamers saw it differently. Water flowing down was theirs by right.
How water they'd never breathed became "theirs," who knows. But if we'd released 100 units before, they claimed those 100 as entitlement.
Confiscate it? Like a beggar raging when daily handouts of 100 suddenly stop.
Fair enough—water was their lifeline.
But what about profit lines? Say we build the dam. Drought hits. Water drops from 100 to 10.
Dam holds steady; upstream fine. No-dam downstream? Parched fast.
Drought and dams aren't causal. No impoundment won't end drought.
Downstream blames dams for "hoarding," ignoring drought.
Dams maintain optimal levels rain or shine. Drought? Close gates to hit that level.
Know the premise—gates stay shut below optimal—and you get why: can't release what ain't there.
Rain returns, gates open. Downstream just won't accept it. Thinks upstream sucks the dam dry.
Not wrong.
Flip it: no dam, drought. Everyone dries up. Simple.
So downstream gains zilch from no dam. Sole upside? If upstream dam opens gates, they get a sip too.
That's why drought-time pleas: "Dam's the problem—open it!" They lack dams and water; we have both.
Korea had to balance upstream-downstream here. Dams go upstream, so their interests first—flood victims, power users.
Still, trickle to downstream in droughts. For a price, of course.
Roughly like that, yeah?
One thing's sure: dams are good. Korean-built? Better. Resell at premium? Jackpot.