What Kind of Place Is This?

What kind of place was it? Feng Guozhang, the man known as the "Dog of Beiyang," was infamous for his vulgarity and cunning. He was indeed a fitting successor to Yuan Shikai, the Emperor of the Chinese Empire.

'Duan Qirui, Wang Shizhen. Those fools have absolutely no idea what actually keeps a state running!'

Taxes, armies, budgets, sovereignty, diplomacy... None of those things mattered in the slightest.

A state was sustained entirely by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the support of the masses. It didn't matter if the people's livelihoods were ruined, or if the streets were emptied of young men dragged off to war... Yuan Shikai had, at the very least, firmly maintained his grip on the Beijing region. Naturally, seventy percent of the population wept in agony from the reckless war with Japan. But the remaining thirty percent were utterly intoxicated by their ancient pride in "Zhonghua."

'Yes, the restoration of Zhonghua. As long as we never let them forget that, we can maintain our regime by any means necessary!'

In that sense, Vietnam's request for aid was incredibly timely. Without consulting Duan Qirui or Wang Shizhen in the slightest, Feng Guozhang gathered reporters and the public.

"This is a truly sorrowful day," Feng Guozhang declared, his voice ringing with dramatic fervor. "Japan has plundered Joseon, our former tributary, and France has plundered Danam. How can we call ourselves an empire when not a single tributary state remains to offer us homage?"

Up to this point, it was standard nationalist rhetoric. It was a story Yuan Shikai had milked so dry that there was nothing new about it. What pride was there in feeding a few handfuls of brown rice to an exiled king huddled in Yanbyan? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠At first, they had rejoiced at having a "nominal" tributary state, but the high from that pride was beginning to fade.

"But you have all heard the news that Danam has been liberated from France," Feng Guozhang continued, building to a crescendo. "And do you know what Danam desired most of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all the moment they recovered their sovereignty? ...It was none other than this! They wish to offer tribute to China once again!"

The crowd fell dead silent at the shocking words spilling from Feng Guozhang's mouth.

Joseon was one thing. Could those people even be considered a proper nation to begin with? Since the Qing Dynasty could at least be called a "country," Joseon was likely just clinging to the larger power to scrape by.

But Danam was different. It was a real nation with a population of fifteen million. A genuine state in a far better position than the Qing Dynasty!

"The light of the Mandate of Heaven shines upon every corner of the world!" Feng Guozhang bellowed. "Does the sun shine upon the earth for some grand reason? No, it shines simply because it is the sun! To follow the will of the Mandate of Heaven is not a matter of consent or refusal. It is simply because we are the sun, and they are the people of the world!"

At this utterly wild news, the entire Central Plains erupted in excitement. China still remembered the war with France in the 1880s. They had swallowed their bitter resentment in humiliation. Even if the facts hadn't been verified, the people of the Central Plains were more than willing to be deceived by Feng Guozhang's lie.

"Ha! It seems that bastard Feng Guozhang still hasn't woken up from his delusions."

"I expect Duan Qirui and Wang Shizhen will have him taken care of soon."

"You think so? With him spouting such absurd lies, the people of Beijing will probably tear him apart first once they snap out of it."

The warlords naturally dismissed his words as a ridiculous joke. Such a thing was impossible. It shouldn't even be allowed to happen.

But then, it actually happened. Confirmation arrived from Chinese merchants residing in Danam.

"W-What did you say?!"

"I-Insane! Why on earth would Danam...!"

At this moment, Feng Guozhang felt like the protagonist of some alternate history novel. The villainous warlords threatening Beijing trembled in fear, while the people of the Central Plains shouted in unison, "Thank you, Feng Guozhang!"

"Heh. My name is Feng Guozhang. Minister of Military Affairs of the Qing Dynasty, and the true successor to Yuan Shikai!"

Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui were indeed utterly flabbergasted.

"Feng Guozhang, you absolute madman! How dare you!"

"Prime Minister! What should we do? Should we announce that we cannot accept such a proposal?"

"Lord Wang Shizhen, absolutely not! If we say that, the mob will tear us limb from limb!"

"But Danam will soon ask for an immense amount of relief grain! How are we supposed to handle that?!"

Wang Shizhen turned pale. Ho Chi Minh would soon request nearly ten thousand tons of relief grain to combat the famine in Danam. Where on earth would they find the money to procure that?!

And then...

Having received instructions from Stahl in advance, the Austro-Hungarian plenipotentiary minister approached Wang Shizhen.

"We can offer you a loan. The interest rate will be lower than what the British or Americans would charge, so do not worry."

With a pale face, Wang Shizhen had no choice but to take the loan and secure the relief grain. If this sort of nonsense continued, the Qing Dynasty's finances would completely collapse. And when that happened? Wang Shizhen would have to take the fall for all of it!

Duan Qirui, the Tiger of Beiyang, was furious at Feng Guozhang's unilateral actions. Of course, his anger was of a slightly different nature than Wang Shizhen's.

'That fellow Wang Shizhen is going to have quite a headache. Well, what do I care? The responsibility for the economic ruin can fall on Wang Shizhen and Feng Guozhang.'

The reason Duan Qirui was angry was that Feng Guozhang had leaped ahead of him, winning the adoration of the masses.

"Damn it, this cannot go on! I was the one who first brought up Joseon! At this rate, am I not going to be completely overshadowed by that son of a bitch Feng Guozhang?!"

As Duan Qirui fretted, the Austrian minister secretly approached him.

"Ambassador Stahl wishes to establish a business venture in Manchuria and Joseon."

"Absolutely not! Southern Manchuria and Gando are the sovereign territories of our Qing Empire, as recognized by our treaties with Japan."

"It is not what you think."

The minister explained the concept of the Manchuria Development Cooperative to Duan Qirui. Even to Duan Qirui's ears, the plan didn't sound half bad. That bandit Zhang Zuolin and those even bigger bandits, the Japanese, were currently stretching their claws into Manchuria. The Qing Dynasty had essentially lost all control over the region anyway.

"His Imperial Majesty Emperor Gojong has also confirmed that 'Manchuria' is by no means his nation's territory. We are simply... establishing a company."

"And this company... will also suppress Zhang Zuolin and the Japs for us, is that it?"

"You see it perfectly. In the first place, it is not even a Joseon company. Our SFW Chemical Company owns fifty-one percent of the shares, does it not? And a portion of the remaining forty-nine percent will belong to the Qing government."

"..."

This... was not a bad deal. It was obvious that the Qing Dynasty wouldn't be able to touch Manchuria for at least the next twenty years anyway. In fact, they would be lucky if they weren't "suppressed" by Zhang Zuolin themselves.

"Hmph... Very well, I shall cooperate. I will persuade Wang Shizhen myself."

"Will that be alright?"

"That fellow will have no choice but to comply if he wants to avoid being blamed for emptying the state treasury. You granted him a loan for the Danam issue, yes? Use that as leverage."

"Then, as a token of our gratitude..."

When Stahl conveyed these matters to the Austrian minister, there was one specific detail he had emphasized heavily. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It was a matter that was perhaps even more important than the investment plan itself.

"This is a humble gift."

"T-This is...!"

"It is a special gift from Representative Stahl to Prime Minister Duan. We went to great lengths to acquire this authentic calligraphy piece by Li Bai."

"......!"

Strictly speaking, this was a bribe. The value of that scrap of paper, even by conservative estimates, was ten or a hundred times more than a golden toad. Duan Qirui was a man who prided himself on his grand nickname, the "Tiger of Beiyang." In a China still dominated by Confucian values, he should have flown into a rage and severely scolded the minister. If he accepted such a bribe... if he accepted it...

"T-Thank you! Representative Stahl is indeed a man of supreme culture! Haha!"

Exchanging gold bars was a bribe. But exchanging works of art was a refined cultural activity of a scholar who loved art. Having received an artwork worth a million times more than mere gold bars, Duan Qirui's mouth split into a wide grin.

'Feng Guozhang, that idiot. He's thrilled to death just because he's getting support from a backwater like Danam. Meanwhile, I am aligning myself with Austria, the greatest superpower in Europe!'

Having accepted a bribe beyond his wildest dreams, Duan Qirui had already become a complete slave to Austria. In any case, Duan Qirui could sell this to raise more private troops, or simply invest it in real estate and live in luxury. Thanks to Duan Qirui, Manchuria—which was already a mess—was about to become an even greater disaster.

For a long time, Manchuria had been an empty land inhabited only by bandit gangs and wild ginseng diggers. Nevertheless, its economic value could never be underestimated. Just look at Liaoning, the land of Liaodong. With that region alone, Joseon would never run short of iron. Furthermore, as a geopolitical hub connecting Russia, Joseon, Japan, and China, a place like Harbin was quite a prosperous city.

But Yanbyan was a backwater, no matter how generously one spun it. It was embarrassing to even compare it to Harbin or Gyeongseong. Yet, into this desolate land, an immense quantity of goods shipped from Vladivostok suddenly began to pour.

"I-Is all of this cement?!"

"Is it only cement? We have also brought plenty of coal and steel."

"How can this be...!"

Fearing that Gojong might embezzle them, Stahl had not sent a single penny of precious metals. Even so, the industrial materials that poured in were of a staggering volume. Of course, it was a mere speck compared to the resources pouring into Germany, but it was far more than a backwater like Yanbyan could ever hope to consume on its own.

"If we want to do anything, we must first build the structures. Mr. Kim Kyu-sik. No, I suppose you are the Chief Executive Officer now?"

"I-I suppose so. But... is it really alright for us to receive all of this?"

"What do you mean?"

"It is... too much. All we can offer in return are agricultural products. We do not even have enough rice, so a handful of soybeans is all we can give."

"Haha, that is perfectly fine. In exchange, won't the workers at our newly established factory work through the night for just a handful of soybeans?"

And so, a massive gunpowder factory—no, a fertilizer factory—began to rise in Yanbyan. In time, a tractor factory would likely follow. In any case, the Manchuria Development Cooperative planned to do whatever it took for the "agricultural development" of Manchuria.

"But... with so much gunpowder—no, fertilizer—being produced, where do you plan to sell it all?"

"Well... there are plenty of places to sell it. Let us sell it to Zhang Zuolin!"

"Pardon?! Isn't our role to keep Zhang Zuolin in check?"

"What harm could possibly come from giving him a little fertilizer?"

The Central Plains were a complete mess. From Zhang Zuolin to Feng Yuxiang and Xu Shuzheng... countless powerful figures imported weapons through Great Britain, France, Russia, and Japan. And no matter how many weapons they bought, it was never enough. In truth, you could sell absolutely anything to China in infinite quantities. Adding a small corner store like the Manchuria Development Cooperative to the mix wouldn't change a thing.

In the first place, their scale was so small that they weren't a major player... but for Joseon, which had nothing to sell but soybeans, even this was more than they deserved.

"Besides, we have also brought plenty of things that can be 'reprocessed' and sold."

"Excuse me... my knowledge is rather limited, but what on earth are all these artillery shells?"

The employee dispatched from Austria grinned.

"Have you ever heard of Tear Gas?"

Kim Kyu-sik's eyes widened. Having spent a long time in Europe, he had witnessed political protests on several occasions. And always accompanying those protests was this acrid smoke.

"We intend to sell this by routing it through your country."

"B-But why...? You could make a profit by selling it directly, could you not?"

"I once stayed in Sicily. I was a member of the Bosnian Agricultural Cooperative, you see. And the Sicilians have a very... efficient way of conducting trade."

"What on earth does that mean?"

The employee grinned at Kim Kyu-sik.

Trade was no simple matter. In particular, if they carelessly traded weapons with warlords, the Qing court would undoubtedly throw a massive fit. Therefore, modeling their approach after the Sicily Agricultural Cooperative, they had devised an incredibly innovative method of transaction.

Austria would transfer the tear gas to the Manchuria Development Cooperative for some plausible reason. However, the employees of the cooperative, being incredibly corrupt individuals, would steal every single canister of that tear gas. And then, those stolen goods would somehow find their way into the hands of the Chinese warlords.

Kim Kyu-sik cried out in horror.

"Isn't that just smuggling?!"

"It is intermediary trade."

"..."

"In any case, it is intermediary trade."

Regardless of the terminology, the "fertilizer reprocessing and distribution" business and the "intermediary trade" business established in Yanbyan were bound to achieve spectacular success.

The Japanese in Northern Manchuria.

The Russians in Primorsky Krai.

Zhang Zuolin in Liaodong.

Joseon in Gando.

What kind of place was Manchuria destined to become?