Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Will to Power (2)
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While I was briefly preoccupied with the China issue, my wife caused a stir.
“Congratulations, Your Excellency. It’s a healthy baby boy.”
My wife gave birth to a sturdy son from a belly that hadn’t even swelled much.
‘I was prepared for this, but it’s still a headache.’
With the succession candidates still unsettled, a legitimate heir to the bloodline had suddenly appeared.
I’d made arrangements to handle the hereditary issue in my own way, but the world had a way of throwing curveballs.
A power-hungry ambitious could exploit my child, or the people might start clamoring for my bloodline again.
I’d set up safeguards, but I couldn’t cover every possibility.
The surest way would be to make the child ‘never exist,’ but even a ruthless dictator like Lee Seong-jun couldn’t bring himself to do that.
‘Even a lion doesn’t eat its own cubs. How could I?’
I conveyed my thanks to my wife for her hard work.
“Prime Minister, is the baby cute?”
Her face showed worry that I might reject the child because of my negative stance on hereditary rule.
That was partly true, but I couldn’t show it to the woman who had just given birth.
“He takes after you, so of course.”
At least he didn’t look like me.
Inheriting her feminine features meant he wasn’t destined to become a charismatic leader brimming with presence.
Back at the official residence, I opened the newspapers, and they were filled with nothing but stories about my child.
One paper had dedicated pages one through ten entirely to him.
That was the Chosun Ilbo from the JoongAngDong group.
‘With mindsets like that, what kind of democracy do they think they can pull off?’
This country still had a long way to go.
That’s what I thought, but those around me saw it differently.
“Your Excellency, it’s not something to view so simplistically.”
“What do you mean?”
“People aren’t showing interest in Young-sik because they truly want him to inherit. It’s because they can’t see who comes after you.”
That’s why attention was focusing on a tangible successor.
Jeong Gil said as much.
“Can’t see who comes next.”
Of course, there were solutions.
I just needed to show them a successor worthy of inheriting my power.
But were there any with the right qualities?
Jeong Gil’s successor training program had just gotten off the ground.
It was still too early to tell if the sprouts were yellow or green.
“So, until the succession lineup is finalized, you need to demonstrate that you’re still going strong.”
“And how do I do that?”
I was already doing plenty of propaganda.
At my age, I’d even produced another child.
What more was there?
“It would be best to resume national addresses. If people hear your voice every day and learn your thoughts, they’ll understand that you’re holding firm.”
A national address.
Come to think of it, since the war, direct talks with the people had paused after the Korean-style democratic states started flexing.
I’d been wary of the side effects.
But now that even the Yushin system was abolished, there seemed little reason to worry.
“Your idea’s not bad. Let’s do it.”
And so, I prepared for the national address.
The first one’s topic wasn’t hereditary succession.
There were good reasons for that.
Bringing up succession inevitably led to discussions of dictatorship.
That would only give critics ammunition to attack the legitimacy of my rule.
I avoided mentioning it in official settings for exactly that reason.
So, the speech focused on economic growth.
“Respected citizens of the Republic of Korea, this is Prime Minister Lee Seong-jun.”
This was a stage to show the dictator’s vitality, so I used the firm, powerful voice from my military days.
“Through our hard sprint over the past year, the Republic of Korea’s economy has surpassed 25% of America’s size and reached 60% of the Soviet Union’s. We are now, in name and reality, the world’s third superpower. In terms of military might, economic power, and technology, only a couple of nations stand above us.”
Everything I said was factual.
Britain and Germany, who once lorded over us, had fallen far below even our feet.
Now, the true top-tier powers were America, the Soviet Union, and Korea.
“The driving force behind the Republic of Korea’s dazzling progress has been your dedication and tears of blood, fellow citizens. As your leader, I bow my head in gratitude on behalf of the nation.”
I expressed thanks for the people’s efforts.
But I didn’t promise any rewards.
Talk of shorter work hours or wage hikes would undermine our competitiveness.
I wasn’t some Kim Jong-il spouting off whatever came to mind in a drunken haze.
Every phrase in the national address had been vetted by my staff beforehand.
“But we must not be satisfied here. We cannot stop. With the Western powers clashing, this is the Republic of Korea’s one chance to surge ahead. Let’s run now. Let’s surpass the superpowers. The moment they hesitate, we overtake them. And in doing so, pass on a number-one nation, the Republic of Korea, to our descendants.”
Of course, I didn’t know if we could actually surpass America.
Who could catch up to the owner of the cheat map by throwing buffs in a national address?
Still, I had to pump them up with talk of possibility if I wanted them to believe and charge forward.
“A Republic of Korea the world looks up to. A Republic of Korea that can buy the world with money. For that day, push a little harder. We can run further.”
So, just follow my back.
Don’t get distracted by unproductive succession issues.
That was the message.
“A number-one nation in the world, a Republic of Korea where everyone prospers. I, Lee Seong-jun, will make that dream come true.”
The reaction to my national address was surprisingly subdued.
There was hardly any talk about it on the streets.
But underground, a strange atmosphere was brewing, they said.
“With Your Excellency presenting a new vision, people are starting to think you’ll hold on for another ten years easily.”
That was it.
That hit the nail on the head.
When I showed signs of stepping down, people fixated on my successor.
But when Lee Seong-jun displayed his will to power, they lined up behind me again.
It was bittersweet, but humans were always like that.
Maybe I should show even more will to power now.
What would work?
I used to wonder why ancient monarchs indulged in such pointless extravagance.
On reflection, it was their way of maintaining prestige and proving their vitality.
Perhaps I needed a touch of that myself.
Not personal luxury, of course.
The luxury I had in mind was,
“You mean prepare a large-scale military exercise?”
“Don’t we need something like that once in a while?”
To show off the Korean military’s might to China and our neighbors, a show of force was overdue.
I held a massive military drill in the seas off Nampo, with army, navy, air force, and marines participating.
Foreign diplomats and international journalists attended.
We filmed it all on camera, too.
“The pride of the Imperial Navy, the Seongjun-class aircraft carriers, are passing by.”
The 60,000-ton super carriers displayed their immense presence as they sailed past.
Not one, but three.
Regular operations could only field one, but for this drill, we poured in maintenance crews to float three at once.
There were more carriers, but the ones slated for scrap soon weren’t mobilized.
Next came the battleships.
Four new battleships, including two super battleships with 18-inch main guns, passed the reviewing stand with their massive barrels aimed forward.
Those were due for scrap too, but I kept them for coastal bombardment.
Dozens of cruisers and destroyers followed, then the landing ships appeared.
“That’s where the marines will deploy.”
The landing ships’ docks opened, and amphibious armored vehicles surged out amid sprays of water.
Delegates and reporters from the Republic of China watched with grave expressions.
They knew those could hit them anytime.
I understood.
In the sky, fighters and helicopters roared overhead, shaking the heavens. On land, tanks and armored vehicles—on standby as anti-landing forces—rushed to the coast, simulating a counter to the marines.
Our movements looked simple, but they required intense training to achieve that level of advanced maneuver.
When all halted, generals from the army and marines rode up in vehicles and reported loudly.
“Your Excellency Prime Minister, we report completion of the mission.”
“Good work.”
I demonstrated the might of the empire I led to the world and the nation once more.
At the same time, I showed Lee Seong-jun’s firm grip on those forces.
Me, step down from power?
When I could command the military with a wave of my hand?
People sometimes needed to see power with their own eyes to grasp its reality.
So I showed them mine.
That Lee Seong-jun’s power remained undiminished.
After the review, I watched the broadcast of the event on TV.
Leni Riefenstahl had directed it masterfully again.
Appearing with the sun at my back, exuding charisma, I looked like a giant leading the nation.
‘The propaganda’s over the top, but it’s the medicine I need right now.’
At least until the succession issue settled completely, I needed to display my will to power like this.
Anyway, it looked like I’d be clinging to the throne longer than expected.
Since it had come to this, I had no choice but to pay more attention to my health.
If I could hold steady for another fifteen years, that’d be ideal. Think it’ll work?