Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: Terminator (1)
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The Training Corps' destination was unmistakably north.
They had formed up in perfect order from Namdaemun Gate and were marching straight through the capital, leaving no other direction but north. It was like the South Pole, where every path leads north.
The Prussian—or as Kim Unhaeng would call it to make them understand, "North Korean"—goose step was still unfamiliar even to Europeans.
The British army had never cared much for the marching styles of what they saw as sloppy warmongers in their original history, and now it was even more so. Prussia, having lost the Seven Years' War, was permanently disqualified as a military model.
Thus, the Joseon soldiers trained by British militia simply walked in a standard gait.
Yet the sight of three hundred men simultaneously stepping out with their right feet, then left in unison, was awe-inspiring in itself.
And that wasn't all that was astonishing.
Every soldier carried a musket, and unbelievably, every one gleamed as if ready to fire at any moment.
Their bayonets, sharp enough to mock the Joseon army's pacifism outright, were no different. The three hundred guns scattered indiscriminate flashes of metallic reflection instead of bullets.
They had no lethality, but the glint of steel struck the psyche harder than live fire. The citizens murmured in admiration.
"Those must be the troops personally drilled by Grand Marshal Kim Chunsik! They're heading to Hamgyong Province, right? Then there's no need to fear the Jurchens!"
"They say even palace maids become elite soldiers when Sun Tzu raises the flag. Is this really the Training Corps that used to bicker with merchants over cabbage prices?"
"I heard that if you mess up the march during drills, the Dog-Beating Stick Commander's prized disciple—Eoji—steps in. First he breaks your right leg, then the left, and on the third mistake, snaps your neck. That explains the iron discipline!"
No one ruined the mood by asking how you could march with broken legs. Everyone simply trembled at the Dog-Beating Stick's fierce prestige.
At the drill sergeant's command, the Training Corps soldiers obligingly halted on the spot. Three hundred men doing so together produced a crisp "halt" without any onomatopoeic exaggeration.
Thanks to the Training Corps' courtesy, the commoners could now inspect the soldiers' gear up close.
"They're all carrying a few paper pouches. Stuffed with steamed rice grains or something?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Those are cartridge pouches. No need to measure out powder separately—they've got everything pre-packed for quick loading. I've seen my in-laws making them in Jangdong to earn side money for side dishes."
"Says the guy who sent his wife out to work off his gambling debts. Good for you knowing that. Tsk tsk."
"Hey, you think I like gambling? It's all for future success! Yesterday, we met at the estate of Kim Chunbae's—Kim Jeokhaeng's—doctor. And get this, even Deputy Minister of Personnel Won Inson was there. We definitely made our mark."
"Looks to me like you got marked as suckers..."
The brawl breaking out in the middle of the crowd was quite the spectacle. Looked like some Dongchun Fist training.
And no one, including Kaoru hawking "Jangdong Kim Clan Secret Recipe" popcorn to the onlookers, paid it any mind.
Having fully displayed their military prowess to the populace and planted seeds of expectation that "this king is different," the Training Corps exited the capital and swiftly mounted up.
As troops handpicked by the king, they were issued Joseon's finest mounts: Chun sik horses. With the Jeju governor tied up, former Training Corps artillery commander Yun Pildeok—now recovered from injury—leveraged his experience as Hamgyong Plateau Logistics Officer to lead them.
The fact that Russians were poking around the Amur River had reached Joseon long ago.
Before most Manchu Eight Banners were recalled, Joseon troops had been trading wildly in endangered species with them, thumbing their noses at the IUCN.
Naturally, there was risk of Joseon's secrets leaking, but luckily, Kim Unhaeng's operations focused on the capital region and south, so the northern garrison troops were clueless about state diplomacy.
It wasn't hard to guess the Russians weren't after war and were few in number. If either were untrue, Season 2 of the Naisen Conquest would've kicked off immediately.
So their target had to be Joseon.
If not war, they had no business in China—and besides, what other country was there around here besides China and Joseon? Sakhalin and Hokkaido didn't have many Japanese yet either.
Having sorted that out, Crown Prince Yi Hwon—upon hearing of Britain's defeat (regardless of losses, they failed their strategic goals)—dispatched the Training Corps to Hamgyong without delay.
The European allied fleet didn't seem capable of destroying Qing after all. Just as Kim Unhaeng predicted.
Joseon needed to rack up merits to explain to Emperor Qianlong. Officially, all Joseon had done was "send a fleet to Nagasaki and get beaten back," so they needed at least one victory report to save face.
Yet Yi Hwon still harbored hope of importing European military tech for future gains, alongside those national needs.
What could satisfy both?
The answer was one Kim Unhaeng had demonstrated multiple times.
Kidnap them. Japan, Britain, the Netherlands—no issues so far.
To Yi Hwon, whose sensibilities were numb, Europeans were just walking tech coins. And with the world's top scientist Lomonosov in the Russian expedition, it wasn't wrong.
Yi Hwon felt deep gratitude toward Kim Unhaeng.
Whether as crown prince or king, Kim Unhaeng had always been his true mentor.
In thanks, Yi Hwon sold out Kim Unhaeng once more.
"This is a secret strategy presented by Vice Grand Marshal Kim Unhaeng before departing. Didn't he previously capture those covert Jesuits sneaking into Hamgyong? He insisted foreigners like Russians would surely try the same route, so we should send troops to guard it in advance. Have the Training Corps drill with local Hamgyong troops at the Six Garrisons, then converge and capture any Russians on sight."
It was just the sort of ploy from the kidnapping genius Kim Unhaeng, who even outfoxed the Jesuit infiltration masters.
The State Tribunal nodded in agreement. All except the leader.
Border Defense Commissioner Park Mun-su exploded that such national policy couldn't be decided in backrooms (he didn't say "how can the nation kidnap?").
But Chief State Councillor Jeong Hwi-ryang and others soothed the furious Left Minister.
"He must've offered some silk pouch bribe. Even ancient sage-kings like Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu had their differences. It's unbecoming for ministers to squabble over this."
That complacent "let's indulge the king's tastes" remark shaved years off Park Mun-su's hard-earned lifespan extension.
Park Mun-su half-wrote his resignation, then tore it up.
Not yet. He had to see this mess through before retiring.
As Inspector General, Park Mun-su glared around fiercely.
"Where the hell is Kim Unhaeng and what is he doing?"
Kim Unhaeng was pursuing personal gain in the South Sea.
Early in the twelfth lunar month, as the Training Corps charged up the Gwanbuk Road, Kim Unhaeng arrived in Ryukyu with his grand fleet.
Loaded with Jeju potatoes and rice, they had nowhere else to go after their reserved Qing customers vanished in Kyushu.
It wasn't overreach. Vice Grand Marshal Kim Unhaeng had discretion over southern military provisions. The Joseon government had lost its mind, plain and simple.
With Satsuma extinct and China a warzone, Ryukyu—facing famine with only sugar to eat this winter—saw barefoot locals rush out to welcome this "relief fleet."
King Sho Boku unusually received Kim Unhaeng in person. After all, Kim had twice helped Qing liberate Ryukyu.
"The vile Satsuma banned farming here, leaving us unable to plant fields in time and teetering on the brink. Truly, heaven's grace reaches everywhere. Grand Marshal Kim Unhaeng of Joseon has bestowed favors on our people twice over—our descendants will never forget."
"Joseon has always revered the single character righteousness. Ryukyu even has descendants of ancient Joseon castaways; how could we stand by without humanity?"
Of course, that applied both ways. If Joseon showed compassion, any human would reciprocate rather than spite—unless they were English devils.
Thus, even without many Joseon warships with cannons in Naha Harbor, King Sho Boku wouldn't skimp on reciprocity.
The rice-sugar exchange rate was nearly Satsuma levels, but the mood brimmed with warmth. The Satsuma folk should've pondered human emotions more.
At the friendly close, King Sho Boku proposed to Kim Unhaeng.
"The world's situation churns wildly. Though the English retreated in defeat, Taiwan fell to them—and Taiwan is just islands away from here. I hear their base is Nagasaki; Ryukyu sits in between like the central stone in go. If Joseon forces guard against pirates here, couldn't they wash away humiliation and become the great nation's teacher?"
It wasn't mere fantasy.
Britain, having lost a frigate and a ship-of-the-line with the rest damaged, couldn't fight until resupplied, repaired, and rested.
China was worse. Qianlong had already declared the Anglo war a "crushing victory" and geared up for his next western campaign. The emperor-doped southern forces that repelled Britain now suffered severe aftereffects.
Joseon could hold the casting vote in this war right now.
Kim Unhaeng, who'd been waiting for those words, smirked inwardly with satisfaction.
"Your Majesty's wisdom is profound indeed. I shall report it to His Majesty without fail."
No relationship is one-sided. If Yi Hwon used Kim Unhaeng, the reverse was fair game.
Kim Unhaeng had little interest in overseas expansion, but the king was obsessed.
Thus, he'd fully back Kim's "relief" securing Ryukyu ties and a naval base—especially gained by dumping soon-to-rot potatoes instead of sacrificing troops for uncertain gains.
Who could complain? Even Park Mun-su would be tempted; it was perfect military merit, humbling the Jurchens with feats Qing couldn't match.
But that report hinged on it being "relief."
And "relief" wasn't business—recipients might offer gifts, but no profits expected.
So the sugar filling state coffers would barely cover voyage costs.
The profitable excess sugar? All for Kim Unhaeng (and officers, plus Tax Bureau Deputy Park Jiwon who'd looked the other way).
Kim had reasons. When English brought "white powder" slightly unlike sugar, he'd have to empty his precious metals stash.
That'd crimp his cash flow temporarily. This "white powder" would tide him over.
White powder was always the highest-value commodity, anywhere, anytime. Kim Unhaeng, dreaming of becoming the White Snow King, gazed at Ryukyu's beautiful seas.
Even accounting for avoiding Qing, the Russian expedition took considerable time.
Lomonosov pushed to detour to Sakhalin via frozen sea lanes, outdoing Gerhard Mueller's Okhotsk discovery—his lifelong enemy's hated rival.
They mapped the coast southbound well enough, but Levashov was dissatisfied.
As a soldier, Levashov cared only for ice-free seas, not frozen ones.
Russia had plenty of icy seas. So he passed future "Pearl of the East" Vladivostok without a glance.
But soon after, they encountered border-crossing Joseon locals. Threatening with guns and bribing with cash, Levashov reached Gyeongheung in Hamgyong.
'Hm?'
Crossing the Tumen River, Levashov suddenly felt a chill unlike Manchu winter cold.
Anyone knowing Joseon history would nod. Gyeongheung reeked of King Sejong the Terror Lord's aura, who'd devoted his life to exterminating alien tribes.
Levashov's intuition outpaced knowledge—and proved right.
Two days after camping at an abandoned Joseon hunter camp and resting troops, Levashov groaned surveying the surroundings.
"Perfect infantry formation. The Tatars weren't lying about their military prowess."
It was the Training Corps, already waiting at the Six Garrisons.
They advanced in the very formation that awed Hanseong citizens. To Russians familiar with Qing troops, it was shocking (Hamgyong locals backing them were equally stunned).
Behind: Tumen River. Ahead: three "squares" boxing them in. Even one face outnumbered the Russian Cossack unit slightly.
Levashov mounted hastily and shouted in Chinese.
"We're peaceful envoys with no intent to fight!"
Translates fine as "We surrender! Spare our lives!"
Naisen Liaison Officer Hong Daeyong interpreted thus and stopped Yun Pildeok mid-fire order.
"They say they're surrendering."
By Yun Pildeok's Kim Unhaeng-taught physiognomy, they looked like Hun rejects not worth accepting.
But as the king's proxy envoy, orders were orders. Yun canceled obediently.
Hong Daeyong—appointed envoy for meeting Russians and because Kim Unhaeng disliked original volunteer Chae Je-gong—performed admirably.
Exempting his interest Lomonosov, he captured and bound the rest.
Russian guns, Cossack warhorses, and detailed maps of Okhotsk and Sakhalin—百年早—fell into Joseon's hands.
Meanwhile, the British fleet in Taiwan heard Joseon forces had reached Ryukyu.
From Irish or Indian famines, it's clear Britons don't grasp inter-nation aid.
Their limit: poorhouses by churches or royals for paupers, even those attacked as "saving the naturally selected lazy poor." Darwin wasn't coincidence.
So they never imagined Ryukyu gratitude leading to inviting Joseon aid.
One conclusion: Admiral Tidman slammed the map.
"A masterstroke. Occupying Ryukyu in this situation!"
"Didn't they claim neutrality, Cliv?"
Draper, less battered but equally glum, eyed Clive. Clive wryly smiled.
"They haven't attacked us. Though intentions are obvious, I won't deny. More shocking Joseon has such a fleet. They came in traditional Asian ships to Nagasaki."
"No time or need to analyze. You're diplomacy head. What now? Fight Joseon?"
Tidman's clumsy buck-passing. Clive countered masterfully.
"If you judge combat viable, by all means."
He couldn't.
Britain's catalog strength still topped Joseon South Sea Command nominally.
But HP too low.
Plus, Min Jie Governor Ishio—strategically propped by Qianlong—hunted another win to hide losses.
Kangxi's worry of pirates easily hitting Fujian from Taiwan flipped: Fujian could easily hit Taiwan.
Britain was now defenders. No fantasies of hostage swaps from Joseon.
But Clive was enterprising. Elsewise, no "Eagle Lord" title.
With fleet neutered till next resupply, he saw his moment.
"Not attacking signals willingness to talk. I've met Joseon commander Kim Unhaeng—I'll negotiate personally."
British officers agreed it made sense.
Their ignorance of foreigners who'd "talked" to Kim Unhaeng's fates wasn't their fault.
Author's Notes
1. IUCN is the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Here, it refers to CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which blocks rare species trade.
2. Ryukyu had more Joseon folk than expected. Besides castaway descendants Kim mentioned, Ryukyu kings requested (kidnapped from Joseon) potters from Satsuma as self-strengthening. Later drift logs say they'd forgotten Joseon speech.
3. Gerhard Mueller and Mikhail Lomonosov's conflict appeared in Chapter 185, "The Approaching Imo Year" part.
4. Russia "discovered" Okhotsk in the 18th century, Sakhalin officially mid-19th. But Mongols, Japanese, Ainu, Tungusic peoples crossed before. The sea between Sakhalin and Manchuria froze winters into 20th century, used by natives. Hence cultural/ethnic ties between northeast Manchuria and Sakhalin.
5. Vladivostok seems ice-free obsession incarnate, but winters freeze it too—not truly ice-free.