Sowing the Seeds of Sovereignty
From boyhood to youth. Having spent so much time in this era, I felt as though I had forgotten how to speak my native tongue. My pronunciation felt clumsy, the syllables awkward on my tongue. For the first time in twenty years, I uttered words that were both deeply familiar and utterly foreign. This should be enough to make me sound like a foreigner, I thought. After all, accents and vocabulary would have shifted significantly over the course of a century anyway.
"An... nyeong-hasimnika, Mr. Kim Kyu-sik. It is... a pleasure to meet you."
Kim Kyu-sik probably hadn't expected much. Perhaps he only hoped to discuss the geopolitics of the East, complain a bit about the imperialist powers, and, while he was at it, leave an impression of Joseon on the mind of one of Europe's most powerful men. That was likely the extent of his ambitions. So, when Joseon words suddenly tumbled from my mouth, his eyes looked ready to pop out of his skull.
"H-How... How did you...?"
He was even tearing up. Is it really that emotional for him? I offered a sheepish smile and switched back to English, deliberately coloring it with a heavy German accent.
"The late Kaiser was quite fond of Eastern culture. He was particularly obsessed with calligraphy, and through him, I managed to pick up a bit of the tongue by ear. And, of course... I am also considering an investment."
"But compared to Austria, Joseon is little more than a backwater inhabited by savages. Even Warsaw, devastated as it is by war, is a metropolis compared to Gyeongseong..."
Hearing him speak English so fluently, it was clear his grasp of reality was razor-sharp. I shook my head.
"Civilization does not follow flashy skyscrapers, Mr. Kim. It follows the people."
"The people?"
"At the very least, I know that if I invest in Joseon, my money won't vanish into thin air."
Back when I was a graduate student in a highly practical engineering field, I naturally overheard plenty of corporate gossip. Whenever a company talked about building a factory overseas, the darling of modern investors was always Vietnam. Unlike India or Nigeria, there was little risk of being scammed or seeing the venture collapse. Was it the Confucian influence? Compared to other regions, the Confucian cultural sphere produced fewer fanatics, exceptionally diligent workers, and a highly educated populace. In that sense, the Far East possessed immense latent potential. Just look at Japan. Setting aside the favorable conditions that allowed them to survive imperialism—mainly because the British Empire, France, Russia, and even China paid them little heed—how else could they have grown into a great power capable of rivaling the United States in less than a century after the Meiji Restoration? Even the patriots of the restoration who spearheaded Japan's modernization were far more versed in Neo-Confucianism than in Western culture.
"Mr. Kim Kyu-sik, do not grieve too deeply over your nation's failure to modernize and its current colonial status."
"Thank you. However... contrary to your illusions, Vice Chairman Shtal, the reality is grim."
"Just as Japan did, Joseon will one day build massive ships and manufacture cutting-edge electronics. And that is not all. Westerners will sing Joseon songs and grow to love Joseon food."
"...How could that be?"
Well, it was all true anyway. Why hold back? Besides, he was the first 'compatriot' I had met in this life, and a historical figure straight out of a textbook to boot. He deserved at least this much. Kim Kyu-sik was so stunned by my words that he looked ready to collapse. Even if it was mere lip service, no one had ever spoken to him like this before. Not even the Japanese who had whispered sweet, treacherous lies to Kim Ok-gyun would have gone this far. Overwhelmed by this unimaginable flattery, Kim Kyu-sik broke into a cold sweat, his knees buckling. But then, as some thought crossed his mind, his face suddenly brightened. Ah... did I give him too much hope?
"Ah, but I must clarify that I cannot actively support petitions or movements for Joseon's independence. I am truly sorry."
As expected, his face fell instantly. Was it because he was still a young man around my age? His expressions were incredibly transparent.
"Joseon is not Vietnam. The Anglo-Japanese Alliance remains robust, and Japan has not collapsed spectacularly like France."
"B-But... I understand that Japan has also incurred massive debts from its war with China."
"Even so, now is not the time."
In a way, Japan was in a similar predicament to Britain. Having exported vast quantities of goods during the wartime boom, they had proceeded to dump all the gold they acquired straight into the Central Plains of China. Consequently, comparing their pre-war and post-war states, they hadn't really gained or lost much. It was just the ordinary Japanese citizens who had died in vain. Still, the fact that Japan's growth had stagnated compared to my original history was significant in itself.
"Wait for the right moment."
"The right moment?"
"Shall we discuss a bit of simple economics? Both the United States and our Empire enjoyed a wartime boom, securing massive, world-class factories. Japan, keeping its distance from the main theater, also capitalized on the boom to build up a substantial supply capacity."
True to his reputation as one of Joseon's brightest minds, Kim Kyu-sik had no trouble following my logic.
"Now that the war is over, both our Empire and the United States must find a way to dispose of this immense surplus of goods. The United States is a massive country with the Americas as its backyard. Our Empire can dump its goods into war-torn Central Europe, Russia, and the undeveloped Middle East."
"But... Japan cannot do the same!"
"Exactly. Japanese goods are still of poor quality. Who would buy them?"
Colonial empires like Britain and France could dump their low-quality goods onto their colonies. But Japan? They had no such outlet for their inferior products, and their domestic market was severely underdeveloped. Yet, there were two massive black holes in the world capable of absorbing any and all goods. One was India, and the other was...
"Are you saying Japan will inevitably target China?"
"Yes, precisely."
"But would Japan really commit to such madness?"
I smiled. Call it the smug confidence of someone who knew the original timeline. History had been twisted beyond recognition, so who knew how it would play out, but both our Empire and the United States were already showing early signs of a 'bubble.' The Great Depression was looming. The very same Great Depression that would make the Western powers panic and drive Japan to absolute madness.
"Yes. As a Joseon native, you must know better than anyone how fanatical the Japanese can be. Rising empires are always the most brutal, are they not? You should ask Mr. Ho Chi Minh, who was just here, about how much more vicious the French were compared to the British, who had a head start."
"Then...! Japan will undoubtedly set its sights on China, the backyard of the Western powers...!"
"Indeed, haha."
Upon hearing my words, Kim Kyu-sik grabbed my hand and shook it repeatedly. But soon, his expression darkened once more.
"In the end... is there nothing for us Joseon people to do but wait?"
"Yes. But you cannot simply wait idly. You must build your own strength in the meantime, must you not?"
"Thank you. I will take your advice to heart."
"With that in mind, our Empire wishes to invest in Joseon—or more accurately, in the Joseon people."
This was the real crux of the matter. The imperialist nations of the 20th century knew absolutely nothing about how to run a colony. Or perhaps they knew it too well? Trying to turn a profit through such inefficient exploitation was like trying to run a hundred-meter dash in eleven seconds while doing a handstand. Even in the 21st century, that outdated method persisted. France, under the guise of Françafrique, acted like a predatory IMF, draining wealth from African nations. They set up vast plantations to exploit food resources and seized mining rights. Lately, China, seemingly envious of this model, had been mimicking it with their bizarre 'Belt and Road Initiative.' In contrast, the United States had always extracted profits from the rest of the world in a far more efficient manner.
First, the US pours investments into 'emerging markets' using its overwhelming wealth.
Recovering those investments was child's play. All they had to do was secure price competitiveness through cheap labor and reap astronomical profit margins. Post-war Europe had done it, Japan had done it, Korea had done it, and China and Vietnam had followed as the final runners in the relay.
But eventually, the advantage of 'cheap labor' is bound to collapse. Even so, the US still profits.
They could simply pack up their factories and move them elsewhere! And once the standard of living rose in those developed areas, the US would flood them with iPhones, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Hollywood movies. Of course, only a nation of America's caliber could pull off such a feat...
It's basically a perpetual money-printing machine.
Now that our Empire had become the most advanced nation on the continent, shouldn't we benchmark the American model? The massive aid flowing into Germany and Russia would be the first step. It would be excellent to include Joseon in this scheme as well. Whether in Europe or the Far East, it was a low-risk, high-return venture. In any case, Austria had little connection to China. If we couldn't have the pheasant, we might as well take the chicken—establishing ties with Joseon was a perfect alternative.
"You are a true businessman, Vice Chairman Shtal. What kind of venture do you have in mind?"
"Operating directly on the peninsula is a bit too risky at the moment. Tell me, how many Joseon people currently reside in Manchuria?"
"Ever since the Emperor established himself in Yanbyan, an immense number of Joseon people have been flooding into the region."
"Hmm..."
Yes. This was a gift. The recovery of Manchuria—the ancestral land that would make the Joseon people absolutely ecstatic!
"It is nothing grand. Just a bit of real estate speculation in Manchuria. The Manchuria Development Cooperative. How does that sound? Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"
"...I cannot quite tell what the company actually does from the name alone."
"It is exactly what it sounds like. We will do whatever it takes to develop Manchuria's agriculture. To start... how about we handle fertilizer distribution?"
During the war, the Haber-Bosch ammonia process had expanded to an unmanageable scale to produce gunpowder. The surplus was too massive even for Europe to consume. We would dump all of it into the Far East!
"Distribution?! You must not know Manchuria very well... The only reason people are crowding into Manchuria is because Joseon lost its sovereignty to Japan, and China has fractured. Manchuria is not a place fit for human habitation."
"I am well aware. After all, the ruler of Manchuria, Zhang Zuolin, is himself a former bandit leader, is he not?"
"Then why..."
"Therefore, this newly established company will use any means necessary to protect its goods, factories, and workers."
"Any means...?"
"After all, ammonia and gunpowder are practically the same thing. Do you understand?"
"!!"
Hehehe. The justification was perfect. We would arm the Joseon people under the pretext of defending our factories! Realizing my true intentions, Kim Kyu-sik gasped in sheer disbelief.
"W-Would that even be possible? Would the Qing dynasty even permit such a thing?"
"Of course they will. Ironically, the Qing dynasty knows all too well that without Joseon, their own empire will collapse. If we stroke their egos just right, there won't be any issues."
"No, the matter is not that simple, Vice Chairman."
"It is simple. The Qing dynasty has neither the ability nor the will to control Manchuria anyway, yet they find Zhang Zuolin highly troublesome. If we exploit that friction, we will face no obstacles."
"And what of Japan?"
"This entire venture was conceived to keep Japan in check. Why should we care what they think?"
At first, it would merely be a company distributing fertilizer—which doubled as gunpowder. Of course, fertilizer was not the end of chemistry. Additional processes would be required to transition from fertilizer to advanced chemical manufacturing. Through that, heavy industry would naturally develop, and before long, they would not only produce their own fertilizer but even manufacture tractors.
"I will send a personal letter to Emperor Gojong, but... frankly, I do not trust him. I would like you, Mr. Kim Kyu-sik, to take charge of this monumental task."
"W-Why are you going to such lengths for us?"
Suddenly saddled with an astronomical sum of capital, Kim Kyu-sik asked, breaking into a cold sweat. Hmm... Do I secretly harbor a lingering affection for my homeland, Korea? Not necessarily.
"Of course, our SFW Chemical Company will retain a fifty-one percent controlling stake in the cooperative."
"Even so! A stake like that could easily..."
"Even if your Emperor tries, it will take Joseon fifty to a hundred years before it is capable of stabbing our company in the back."
"Ah..."
"Of course, knowing what kind of man your Emperor is, I cannot guarantee anything with absolute certainty. That is precisely why I am sending you."
Ultimately, this was an investment to secure cheap, high-quality labor and gain a competitive edge in pricing.