Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Future of Korea (2)
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"Baron."
As soon as I said I would meet them, the servants brought the guests into the drawing room.
And just as I had been told, four Koreans stood there, each dressed differently.
At least one of them I recognized right away.
"I didn't expect Minister Min to come see me."
"Haha, I wanted to have a personal chat with you, Baron. Last night wasn't the right atmosphere for it."
Min Young-hwan glanced cautiously at the others beside him as he spoke.
Of course, he wouldn't want to spread word of Emperor Gojong's blunder.
"By the way, you seem to know the other guests here. Would you mind introducing them to me? I don't recognize any of them."
"Ah, certainly. First, this elder here..."
At my words, Min Young-hwan turned toward the oldest-looking man.
His expression wasn't particularly bright, suggesting they weren't on good terms.
"...is Teacher Myeonam Choi Ik-hyeon."
"Oh."
That explained Min Young-hwan's sour look.
Choi Ik-hyeon, in his classic scholar's robes, was a typical Exclusionist from the Righteous Army faction, opposed to modernization and dealings with the West. Min Young-hwan, dressed in neat Western clothes, was a moderate Enlightener who embraced Western civilization.
Moreover, Min Young-hwan was the public face of the Yeoheung Min clan.
There was no way the upright, principled scholar Choi Ik-hyeon, backed by Gojong and Empress Myeongseong, would have any fondness for the Yeoheung Min clan and their past abuses of power.
Young Min Young-hwan might have been different, but after his overseas tours, he had matured into a politician with real ability and responsibility. He must have felt unfairly judged that Choi Ik-hyeon still saw him that way.
'Come to think of it, I meant to send a reply to Choi Ik-hyeon but forgot.'
With no word from me, he must have come in person.
I had completely forgotten about him, blinded by Gojong's possession.
"Choi family."
Choi Ik-hyeon, clearly uncomfortable at running into Min Young-hwan here, responded to me curtly.
Just one word, and his prickly nature was palpable. His future was already clear as day.
'But who are the other two?'
They were in Western clothes too, so definitely Enlighteners.
And they looked just as uncomfortable around Choi Ik-hyeon.
'I can see exactly how the Enlighteners view Choi Ik-hyeon.'
As I let out a soft groan amid the awkward tension from the four men, Min Young-hwan introduced the remaining two.
"This is Yi Sang-seol and Yi Hoe-yeong. Yi Sang-seol is a court official, and Yi Hoe-yeong is the fourth son of Minister Yi Yu-seung, secretary at the Upper Beam Inscription of the Seonwonjeon in Changdeok Palace. Both are promising young men who will shape Korea's future."
"Sun-o Yi Sang-seol."
"U-dang Yi Hoe-yeong."
Yi Sang-seol and Yi Hoe-yeong!
I knew them both.
Yi Sang-seol was one of the three Hague envoys alongside Yi Jun and Yi Wi-jong, who later fought for independence in the Maritime Province and died of illness in 1917.
Yi Hoe-yeong, from one of Joseon's wealthiest families, abandoned wealth and comfort to join the independence movement with his five brothers, including Yi Si-yeong—one of the great independence activists.
Though neither lived to see liberation, they both played major roles in the independence movement history.
After seeing so many future traitors in the Korean Empire, encountering real independence fighters felt refreshingly novel.
"Please, have a seat."
I urged them and sat down myself.
Choi Ik-hyeon, Min Young-hwan, Yi Sang-seol, Yi Hoe-yeong.
Men with differing ideologies and life paths, united by their resistance to Japan.
I leaned back on the sofa, anticipating what they might say.
"I've heard much about you, Baron. So much exaggeration, I can't be sure it's all true."
Choi Ik-hyeon spoke first.
"But repaying the humiliation of Samjeondo must be fact."
"That was just how things turned out. No ulterior motives."
"Hm. More humble than I expected."
Perhaps pleased that I neither boasted nor cowered, Choi Ik-hyeon stroked his beard contentedly.
Why did everyone misunderstand me like this, even when I said otherwise?
"Frankly, I had low expectations. I know even Westerners have some sense of justice, but they preach morals upfront while acting worse than beasts behind closed doors—that's reality."
"Haha, can't argue with that."
Choi Ik-hyeon surprisingly knew the West well, having gained knowledge from Western books.
You have to understand your opponent to criticize them properly.
"Besides, the young who succeed early always fall to vice. Like Minister Mun-yak beside me."
"Ahem! Teacher Myeonam, how long will you keep bringing up old stories?"
Choi Ik-hyeon subtly jabbed at Min Young-hwan, who bristled in response.
Choi Ik-hyeon didn't even snort at the retort.
Min Young-hwan's youthful recklessness had drawn criticism, even rumors of corruption.
Whether he was truly corrupt is debated.
He was actually seen as honest in the Joseon court.
Much of the vitriol stemmed from his role as the Yeoheung Min clan's figurehead.
But the past matters less than the present.
Today's Min Young-hwan was a different man from his younger self.
"There are good Westerners too. Look at Teacher Appenzeller, who passed last year, or Teacher Underwood."
Henry Gerhard Appenzeller and Horace Grant Underwood.
The former, who died last year, founded Baeje High School, which produced countless independence activists, though he didn't directly join the movement. The latter fathered Korean Presbyterianism, established Yonsei's precursor Choseon Christian College, and helped found Severance Hospital.
Both Americans lived for Koreans and are revered today.
Beyond them, Frank William Schofield (Stone Ho-pil), Ernest Bethel, Homer Hulbert, and others devoted their lives—even their lives—to aiding Korea and Koreans.
Yet Choi Ik-hyeon remained unmoved.
"They came to spread their faith. And Western religion's harms need no mention."
His view wasn't entirely wrong.
Western powers and imperial Japan committed inhuman acts aplenty.
Still, undeniable that Choi Ik-hyeon and the Exclusionists, bound by Neo-Confucian limits, ultimately failed to aid Korea's future.
"Even if some are different, most Westerners exploit this land for their gain. The Japanese following them do the same."
"......"
Refusing to budge, Choi Ik-hyeon stuck to his script. Min Young-hwan shook his head in resignation.
Yi Sang-seol and Yi Hoe-yeong exchanged glances and sighed too.
"By the way, Minister Min, why did you wish to meet me? I doubt it's just for a chat."
I asked to ease the awkwardness.
Min Young-hwan replied.
"To apologize and give thanks for last night."
"Last night... Ah."
He meant the secret talk with Gojong.
Apology and thanks meant even Min Young-hwan saw Gojong's plan as reckless.
Advancing into Gando was somewhat reasonable, but given Korea's surroundings...
Mere tolerance might be one thing, but supporting strikes against the Qing? Absurd.
Of course, I didn't voice this.
Yi Sang-seol or Yi Hoe-yeong aside, with Choi Ik-hyeon present...
If this prickly elder heard Gojong's scheme, who knows what might happen.
He might storm Gyeongung Palace with an axe for a direct appeal, or rally for revenge on the Byeongja Incident.
'Choi Ik-hyeon seems just the type.'
So I merely nodded, staying silent on the secret talk.
Min Young-hwan smiled faintly and turned to Yi Sang-seol and Yi Hoe-yeong.
"Speaking of which, Sun-o, U-dang, why did you two come to see the Baron?"
"Well... Sun-o here kept singing praises of the famous young baron, so we came. And Minister Min was here too—perfect timing."
"U-dang, why bring that up? It's embarrassing."
"Haha, no worries. So, Mr. Yi Sang-seol, why did you want to meet me so badly?"
Yi Sang-seol exhaled deeply to relax, straightened up, and spoke slowly.
"I have a question for you, Baron."
"For me?"
I nodded at his serious face, meeting his gaze squarely without shifting.
"What do you think of our Korean Empire's future?"
The room grew heavy with his weighty question.
I stroked my chin, pondering briefly.
Korea's future.
I already knew the answer.
The issue was how to convey it.
Especially since the Korean Empire's near doom was a worst-case bad end for these four.
'But if I play it right, I can pull them to my side.'
To be clear, I had no intent—or means—to avert the Korean Empire's fate.
It wouldn't benefit the German Empire, and we lacked the capacity.
I was aiming for a Russo-Japanese War draw, so Korea might avoid immediate Japanese colonization.
But Japan would never relinquish Korea in any form.
Looking past the war, to the farther future...
World War I—or II if history shifts—would pit Germany against Japan inevitably.
Germany held Jiaozhou and Tianjin in China, German New Guinea and Samoa in the Pacific.
'All seized by Japan in both world wars.'
In WWI, Japan as Britain's ally and Entente member attacked Germany's Asian colonies.
In WWII, as Axis power, it warred with China and the US, taking those areas.
Japan's path wouldn't change here.
The Empire of Japan's mad ambitions were beyond human control—mine included.
As long as the German Empire stood, those colonies would remain German. Japan, eyeing Korea, would salivate over them too.
Just as in WWII, shouting Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity while seizing Hong Kong, Singapore, French Indochina, and the US Philippines.
But what if I nurtured independence fighters and armies well?
They'd be huge help against Japan in future Asia-Pacific clashes.
These were regions where Germany couldn't commit directly anyway.
Lest misunderstanding: I had no plan to use and discard them at whim.
Allying with me benefited them too.
They'd gain German weapons and supplies.
I could even set up bases in German colonies.
Unlike the sad history of scattering to Manchuria and Maritime Province to evade Japanese purges.
'Maybe the provisional government ends up in Qingdao, not Shanghai.'
In short, mutual gains—a perfect win-win.
Resolved, I met Yi Sang-seol's earnest gaze and spoke.
"The Korean Empire will perish."
Impressively. Decisively.
"And become Japan's slaves."