The War Doesn't Change #7: Demoted to Japan by the Supreme Leader's Twisted Whim
Due to the Supreme Leader of the Korean Empire's petty, twisted whims, Ambassador Thomas had been demoted. And the place was none other than Japan. In truth, Britain's political landscape at this juncture was rather delicate. The newly ascended Edward wasn't so much a hawk as a diplomat at heart. He brushed aside British public opinion baying for a lesson to those "island monkeys" and sought a diplomatic resolution to the Japanese question. Long-term, he aimed to ally with France and Russia, figuring that thrashing the islanders wouldn't exactly help matters. The approach to that end posed its own problems. Britain had no desire to concede more to the Americans, who were comfortably parked in the Philippines. The only bargaining chips left were Canada and Newfoundland. Thus, the cabinet bent to the demands of king and era. They were short on funds anyway. Ambassador Thomas's dispatch to Japan carried that weight. It wasn't a full armistice, just a truce, with bad blood between the nations—backchannel talks had to come first, didn't they? Such shadowy negotiations weren't Japan's specialty alone; they were Britain's too. Who'd taught whom? Even the Supreme Leader, with his many grudges against Britain, had already given his tacit—nay, explicit—blessing beforehand. In this affair, Korea was the patsy. So all Thomas had to do was show up and flash his teeth. Or so he thought.
"Finish this, and those eastern bastards won't even dare piss our way."
...Right up until he tossed that proposal onto the Japanese cabinet's table.
The outrageous pact lobbed by Yamagata—a serving military officer subbing for a civilian in the war ministry. "Only active-duty officers may serve as military ministers!" The defense minister post reserved solely for army generals: a law with real fire in its belly.
"You little shit! No confidence vote! The whole cabinet resigns!"
Yamagata's scheming and the army's walkout had Ito Hirobumi's constitutional cabinet teetering on oblivion. Mass resignation loomed. The cabinet felt the chill deep in their bones. Elegies filled the air at a lord's funeral—even stray dogs joined in—but at the bereaved prime minister's house, only the dogs swarmed. That's the world for you. At least the attendees trickling in for this pre-resignation wake were the navy and a smattering of Japanese elders. But even they weren't thrilled with Ito and the negotiation faction's blueprint.
'Bow to Britain? Look what happened to Korea after they bowed. Ganghwa Island got occupied!'
They ranted that with Britain already up in arms, negotiation was off the table the moment Ito uttered the word.
Thus, only Ito and a handful of the clear-eyed faced the fire, resignation breathing down their necks.
'I said anti-British rallies, not go beg a seal from London!'
The rallies were meant to stiff-arm Britain and prod Korea into talks, but getting swept up themselves? What then? Regrettably, the navy—which could best sell Britain's might to the public—was the selfsame anti-British crew. They sat mum.
They'd envisioned a swift fleet clash seizing Southeast Asia, pushing to Australia, forcing quick talks with Britain. Never dreamed the Americans would butt in as mediators, shove their asses into the Philippines, dragging it into a slog. Result? Despite smashing the Eastern Fleet, they held no sway.
The navy grumbled inwardly. But they held their tongues—not from guilt as instigators, but because their entire war plan's foundation had crumbled. So they merely stated, "For better leverage than now, we need more battleships," sticking with the doomed cabinet to secure budgets. Fair point, wasn't it? No denying that.
Military: no talks. Cabinet: must talk. Navy: feed us. Government: broke. Japan wallowed in chaos.
Japan was a powder keg. With central control fraying, self-styled patriots popped up everywhere, each hawking their own "righteous" campaigns.
So was bedlam Japan doomed? Not enough to make the Governor drop his smoke in shock.
Japan Inc., ever attuned to the economy, simmered lukewarm—like perfect onsen waters.
'Rejection of Britain doing this?'
'What sort of nation is Britain?'
'Solidifying like this... not so bad?'
They nursed drinks, musing thus, realism be damned.
Common folk saw it differently. Far more radical. To them, East Asia Co-Prosperity had arrived. This boom? Direct fruit thereof.
'Pro-Yi movement paying off?'
'Japan richer than I thought.'
'The eternal capital!'
'Long live East Asia Co-Prosperity!'
Even under indefinite blockade, Korean tourists poured in. Britain couldn't very well sink pleasure cruises crammed with sightseers in the Korean Strait, could they? Looked innocent enough.
Sure, cruises they were—but with Japanese rice prices exploding, most "tourists" were packhorse peddlers, sacks of grain slung over shoulders.
They dumped rice in Japan, sprinkled bonds like confetti, then at voyage's end stuffed holds with Japanese wares for the trip home.
Outcome? Japan's economy chugged on: shielded from great-power predation by Britain's embargo, currency inflated healthily, farm imports for industrial exports. Business as usual.
Even the neighbor's Supreme Leader hadn't foreseen it. Truth be told, he overhyped Yankee military menace while lowballing their economic sting—Korea being militarily soft but economically venomous.
In this slip and the powers' fade, Japan spun on smoother than the frantic cabinet's hair-on-fire push for talks might suggest.
Had the Japan-obsessed Supreme Leader caught wind, he'd have hot-air-ballooned rice sacks for carpet-bombing intervention.
But that's one thing; this another. To the cabinet, Japan was flubbing chances live—or maybe the last one.
Trade surplus rosy? Rosy my ass—it's shrink-wrapped for Britain's gullet.
Britain's Japanese trade haul? Insurance against full colonization. Folks profiting off war wouldn't sit idle if it kicked off, right?
Cabinet quailed. Britain's bargaining clout felt like it was evaporating before their eyes.
New king's dove act? Laughable against known public mood.
Philippines-gobbling America might carve up Japan but wouldn't bail it out. Pro-Japan Theodore'd choke on the notion.
Cornered every which way, the cabinet steeled for renewal.
If they quit—folks grasping leverage—the rest was military rule, pitched fleet battle with Royal Navy. Catastrophe.
One word: doom.
Headless soldier-boys grabbing power? Game over.
Team up with the few upright officers? Resolve thickened Ito's air.
Army and navy aligned in thought? The punchline.
Ambassador Thomas lobbed his proposal then—as Japan agonized reform, resignation, or patriotic plunge.
History's pivot.
And it stunned Japan flat.
'Open Busan port, trade as before. No curfew lift, no armistice—but trade with us? Yours.'
Thomas harbored zero doubt. Pure olive branch to Japan. Britain, post-crushing win, magnanimously pausing, offering another shot.
Trade and chum it up; Britain's peace lobby swells naturally.
Port in Busan, not Japan. Green light for port-hating rabble to trade freely.
Britain's forbearance, diplomatic triumph incarnate.
But he missed it: to Japan, a flare.
Why this war? Britain's East Asia carve-up erased Japan's options—their doing.
War declaration screamed it: "The Japanese Empire rejects Britain's colonization of East Asia."
Japan: East Asia's top dog. They make colonies.
Boom—Anglo-Japanese War.
Anglo-Saxon barbarian cluelessness on Orient/civilization? Old news. But Ito, scanning the proposal, knew control slipped away.
It'd leak like wildfire.
This "proposal"—ultimatum—killed talks dead. Relief washed over Ito.
Navy minister's jaw hung slack. Critique overload: Korea as colony? Trading via Korea? Block ours, greenlight yours?
Cabinet: fuck it. Army: clueless. Or late.
Navy pounced. Fire once, not twice. Swift fleet decisive. Their talk.
That night, navy sortied to Busan sans high command nod.
Seize port, drop troops. Snag Ganghwa, storm Hanseong! Parade Korean Emperor, front moderates!! Force Supreme Leader's surrender, yank Korea anti-British!!!
To navy: army'd bite, grudge or no. Fail anti-British? Korea folds midway—dawn of Second Liberation War.