Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Gojong (3)
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Having told Prince Adalbert that I had some brief business to attend to, I left the residence of the German legation and headed with the envoy who had come to fetch me to the place where Gojong had summoned me.
I had initially assumed it would be somewhere like Deoksugung Palace or one of the secluded residences owned by the imperial family of the Great Korean Empire, but contrary to my expectations, the envoy stopped at a place even I had heard of in my previous life: the Sontag Hotel.
The Sontag Hotel had originally been a mansion granted by Gojong to a Western woman named Marie Antoinette Sontag—a name that somehow suited the guillotine all too well—which she had converted into a hotel. It was also known as the Jeongdong Club and served as a gathering spot for Enlightenment Party officials and diplomats.
'It was also the first place in Korea to run a café.'
For the record, Marie Antoinette Sontag, the proprietor of the Sontag Hotel, sounded French from her name but was actually German.
She hailed from Alsace-Lorraine, so her nationality had shifted from France to Germany after the Franco-Prussian War.
'And she was also the one who orchestrated the execution of Weber, the former Russian minister to Korea, who had been close to Gojong.'
For those reasons, Sontag had helped the Gojong couple by leveraging Russian influence to check Qing China and Japan. She had acted as the liaison between the Korean imperial household department and the Russian legation, and after the Eulmi Incident, the Agwan Pacheon flight plan had been secretly devised right here at the Sontag Hotel.
A hotel run by a German woman trusted by Gojong and connected to Russia.
Perhaps Gojong hadn't chosen this place for our secret meeting simply because the coffee was good.
"Please come in, Baron."
Following the envoy's guidance, I entered the Sontag Hotel.
Even at night, the first floor was brightly lit and bustling with people enjoying coffee and conversation.
But they only glanced our way briefly, showing no real interest.
My face was already well-known in Hanyang, so at the envoy's suggestion, I had disguised myself as a wealthy young Korean nobleman, hat pulled low over my eyes, with a servant in tow.
To onlookers, I probably looked like a Korean yangban lad out for a night on the town with his attendant, not Baron Hans von Choi.
"A reservation under the name Kim Cheolsu."
"Please head to Room 203 on the second floor."
The hotel staff at the counter responded to the envoy's hushed voice without a moment's hesitation, as if it were routine.
'Must be an agent of the Imperial News Agency.'
Imperial News Agency.
Officially the Empire's Beneficial News Agency, it appeared to be nothing more than a press outfit publishing newsletters and printing books, but that was a front. In truth, it was the Great Korean Empire's intelligence agency, directly under Gojong.
Established just last year in 1902, the man before me was very likely one of their agents.
Not that it mattered much.
In any case, I followed him up the stairs to the second floor.
The second floor was even cleaner and more ornate than the first, clearly reserved for VIPs.
Knock knock-knock.
Finally, we stopped in front of the door marked 203, and he rapped rhythmically.
Probably some kind of code.
Click!
"You can go in now."
A few seconds later, the sound of the lock turning came from inside, and the man spoke to me.
I nodded, opened the door, and stepped into the room.
"Welcome, Baron."
Inside waited Gojong, with Min Yeong-hwan—the same man I had seen at Gyeonghoeru earlier—at his side.
A steaming cup of coffee was in the emperor's hand.
"We meet again so soon after earlier today, Your Majesty."
I offered Gojong a light bow and greeting.
Dressed in Western clothes for his covert outing, Gojong savored his coffee without looking up at me.
"Do you like coffee?"
He finally spoke, slowly.
Starting with small talk, it seemed he wouldn't get straight to the point.
"I do. Even more so with plenty of water and ice."
"Ho. So that's how they drink it in Europe these days?"
"To be precise, it's the American style. They call it Americano, after their country."
Theodore Roosevelt seemed hooked on Americanos too, so it wasn't exactly a lie.
In any case, Gojong took an interest in the Americano, muttering that he should try one sometime, then finally gestured for me to sit in the chair before him.
"Still, summoning me so secretly in the dead of night like this... I fear what others might say if they found out."
"There are too many unwanted eyes and ears during the day—for both my side and yours, Baron."
Gojong apparently didn't want his subordinates tied to Russia or Japan, nor the Germans including Prince Adalbert, to know of our conversation.
I was already dreading what he might say.
"Baron, two years ago, you not only forced the Prince of Chunghwa to kneel before the German emperor but made him perform the full three kneelings and nine prostrations."
"Your Majesty, that was..."
"When I heard the tale, I can't tell you how satisfying it was. Avenaging the humiliation of Samjeondo has been the royal house's long-cherished wish, and the people's as well."
"I had no such intention. It just happened that way."
"Humility is a virtue of the gentleman. But proclaiming one's good deeds openly is also important, Baron."
Gojong was praising me, seemingly under some misconception about me.
Of course, it was far from welcome.
Evidently, the Prince of Chunghwa's humiliation two years ago had left a deeper impression on Gojong than I'd thought.
'No way this guy... Nah, it can't be.'
I had a sinking feeling I knew what he wanted to discuss by summoning me late at night.
I desperately hoped my guess was wrong this time.
"In my view, Qing is finished. After performing three kneelings and nine prostrations before barbarians they scorn, do the Manchus even have the right to claim themselves Zhonghua?"
"..."
"Things are simply returning to their natural order. Just as the Yuan and Ming fell, now it's Qing's turn."
"Your Majesty, forgive me, but what exactly are you trying to say to me?"
"I want to strike Qing while the iron is hot."
"...Pardon?"
"And for that great endeavor, I wish to seek Germany's aid through you, Baron."
For a moment, I wondered if I was dreaming.
But staring at Gojong's face, brimming with reckless zeal, I realized this wasn't a bad dream but harsh reality.
And I screamed inwardly.
'You chestnut-headed fool───!!!'
What did he think he could accomplish borrowing Germany's power now?
Attacking Qing China?
I'd half-doubted it, but I never imagined Gojong would actually voice it.
Did this man even grasp the dire straits his country was in?
'The Russo-Japanese War is next year! You pathetic fool!'
We were already stretched thin preparing for that, and attacking Qing? It was utter madness, no matter how you sliced it.
Even Min Yeong-hwan, hearing this for the first time, had gone pale as a ghost.
"Your Majesty, are you serious?"
"Deadly serious."
As Gojong affirmed without hesitation, I sighed and rubbed my forehead.
I knew that at this time, Gojong had designs on northward expansion, particularly the region north of the Tumen River known as Jiandao or Bukgando.
This area had long been a flashpoint for border disputes between Qing and Joseon, with frequent Korean incursions drawn by the ginseng there.
It had been settled in 1712 during King Sukjong's 32nd year with the erection of the Baekdu Mountain stele after negotiations with Qing, but times changed. With the Boxer Rebellion weakening Qing noticeably, the situation shifted.
Gojong, who had long eyed Jiandao, now moved openly to claim it.
Indeed, despite Qing protests, the Great Korean Empire sent settlers across the Tumen to nibble away at Jiandao, even clashing militarily.
Surprisingly, Qing found itself on the defensive.
The Empire had Russia's bear backing it and a somewhat modernized army, while Qing's local forces were in shambles post-Boxers.
Thus, in Jiandao, Korean imperial forces smashed Qing regulars, taxing and plundering in absurd fashion.
But Gojong's ambitions and the border clashes ended abruptly with the Russo-Japanese War, as the Empire became Japan's protectorate.
Japan, seeing Jiandao's strategic value for Jilin, the Maritime Province, and Korean defense, had salivated too, using the disputes as pretext.
However, U.S. pressure against Japan swallowing both Korea and Jiandao forced Japan to relinquish claims, leaving Jiandao Chinese territory.
In any case, Gojong certainly harbored northward ambitions.
But I had zero intention of aiding his insane scheme.
"To be frank, Your Majesty, I cannot accept your proposal."
"What?"
Gojong frowned, my response clearly catching him off guard.
Did he seriously expect me to clap and agree?
Absurd. Utterly absurd.
"...Why not?"
"Because it's madness."
"Ahem!"
Startled by my bluntness, Min Yeong-hwan at Gojong's side let out an involuntary cough.
Judging by his reaction upon first hearing it and his current grim expression, even Min thought this plan a reckless gamble.
Makes sense—he was a moderate Enlightener with worldly experience from his global tour, attuned to international currents.
But unlike Min, Gojong seemed clueless about what was wrong with his scheme.
Ever the kind soul, I began explaining patiently, counting off on my fingers.
"First, Russia, Britain, and the other great powers would never welcome German involvement in Jiandao."
And crucially, Russia and Britain had deals with me.
Though unlikely, if the Empire swallowed Jiandao with German backing, they'd cry betrayal against me and Germany, torpedoing my entire plan from the premise.
"Second, aiding the Great Korean Empire brings zero benefit to Germany."
"That's...!"
"And third, the Empire is in no position to wage war on Qing right now."
Japan wouldn't sit idle for starters.
They'd seize the pretext gladly, perhaps even jumping the gun on war with Russia by a year.
Yet despite my courteous explanation, Gojong looked highly displeased.
"You're telling me to squander this golden chance to avenge the Byeongja Treaty?!"
"Your Majesty, this isn't the time for outdated grudges. Surely you know the currents swirling around the Far East."
"All the more reason you must help me, Baron. Aren't you Korean too?!"
Gojong shouted that at me.
Min Yeong-hwan, unable to stomach his cousin and lord's unseemly display, turned away.
Feeling my stomach churn despite my youth, I stated firmly to Gojong.
"Your Majesty, my roots are indeed Korean, and thus I sympathize with Joseon's plight. But my homeland is the German Empire, and my sovereign is His Majesty Wilhelm II. I'm sorry, but I cannot assist you."
"Such insolence...!"
Thud!
Gojong flushed red and shot to his feet.
But with a straight face, I told him.
"Your Majesty, for my parents' sake, one final piece of advice: the Empire is in no position to dream of Jiandao advances. Please face your country's reality and come to your senses."
With that, the conversation ended.
I simply left the trembling Gojong behind and exited the room.