The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 113



< Price (2) >

“Congressman.”

“Oh okay. What’s going on?”

“Our person working at the Prime Minister’s Office asked me to convey this to you Member of Parliament.”

“What the heck something like this this morning…”

When Ambassador Roxon and Prime Minister Katsura were having a secret conversation.

The conversation between these two gradually began to spread into Japanese politics.

“What the hell is that son of a bitch Katsura doing!”

Japan is currently completely divided into two forces.

A situation where they are biting each other and wondering how they can subdue the other.

Perhaps because of this the news that was unfavorable to Katsura was first delivered to Saionji who was on the exact opposite side.

“With Murata.”

“Yes sir.”

“Call the Residency-General quickly.”

“yes.”

Click- click- click-

In this day and age international phone calls were incredibly expensive.

But Saionji gave this order without a moment’s hesitation.

Because what was needed immediately was one person’s opinion rather than money.

“Congressman.”

“okay.”

“Connected.”

Saionji quickly snatched the phone from his secretary.

Afterwards he exchanged greetings with a person amidst the static of a crackling telephone.

“Ito the Governor-General.”

“Representative Saionji.”

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“How have you been?”

“Yes. By the way I heard from your secretary that the congressman was looking for you urgently. Did something big happen in your home country?”

Currently there is only Saionji in his room.

But Saionji lowered his voice with an uneasy expression.

“Yes. Things are getting worse.”

Saionji quickly summarized the current situation over the phone.

Ito Hirobumi listened to this quietly then sighed deeply at the end.

Then Saionji asked Ito.

“I sympathize.”

“Yes sir.”

“Haven’t you heard about this yet?”

“yes.”

“…Why?”

“After the change of government there is no more information being shared. I think the Prime Minister thinks I am part of a rival faction and is trying to ostracize me.”

“under…”

That damn factional politics.

Saionji kept wetting his dry lips as if his insides were burning.

“Congressman.”

“Speak. Your Majesty.”

“The current situation is one where nothing can be done. In this situation it would be helpful for us to just stay quiet.”

Ito’s argument is correct.

A normal person would have just watched quietly criticized Katsura’s incompetence and removed him from the Prime Minister position.

but.

“Shouldn’t we not give up and keep looking for a way? If we just sit back and watch the country could really fall apart.”

“…”

“Isn’t Governor-General Ito thinking the same thing in his heart?”

Saionji like Katsura and Ito did not prioritize political judgment.

All he had in mind was Japan’s prosperity.

The reason why Lee Kang and Ito prioritized eliminating Saionji was also because of Saionji’s strong will.

“Representative Saionji.”

Ito was silent for a moment then opened his mouth again towards Saionji.

“I am listening. Governor-General Ito.”

“What did Britain ask for?”

“That’s… It looks like Britain is determined to push us forward.”

Saionji reported the secret conversation to Ito.

“Should we revise the Anglo-Japanese Alliance?”

“Isn’t this the condition that you or I expected?”

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“Yes. The problem is timing. According to the spy report this plan was proposed early in the negotiations?”

“That’s right.”

Any issues that are beneficial or at least not detrimental to one’s country should be kept under wraps and later brought out under the guise of defeat.

However as the scale of this incident grew Katsura began using this card from the beginning.

“You said that Britain wanted our ports as a brokerage fee?”

“exactly.”

At the last minute Ambassador Roxon asked Katsura for one thing.

The condition was that the British Navy lease a port to check the Russian Navy.

“Which port exactly do you want?”

“It seems that several candidate sites have been mentioned. From Geomundo to Jeju Island Okinawa Kaohsiung (south of Taiwan) Odomari (south Sakhalin) etc…”

In diplomatic negotiations diplomats prefer parenthetical sentences over double-headed sentences.

So this time too the British Ambassador’s last words will likely be their true feelings.

“It seems that you want Port Arthur Lushun the most.”

“That’s right. They don’t say it out loud but they have a very nasty habit of thinking that China is their land.”

Lushun is a region located at the very tip of the Liaodong Peninsula.

The old Goguryeo castle Bisa Castle is located nearby and Japan ceded this place to Russia after its victory in the Russo-Japanese War.

This was fully recognized by the Western powers with the Treaty of Portsmouth.

One of those witnesses was Britain.

They also didn’t ask for Port Arthur to be handed over at all as if they had a conscience.

I asked for a hundred years or so but Ito remained silent.

“I don’t know how to handle this.”

Ito took a deep breath to relieve his tension before answering Saionji.

“There is no need to panic because Port Arthur has not been specifically designated. If you drag out the negotiations you can end up handing over Geomundo or Odomari.”

“That’s true but…”

“Sir don’t think too deeply about it. The brokerage fee is only paid if the other party accepts the mediator’s proposal.”

The main victim is Lee Kang.

Among the areas being considered as candidates for the concession Jeju Island and Geomun Island are islands of the Korean Empire.

Will Lee Kang welcome this?

That won’t be the case.

Who would want to rent out land that they consider their own?

Moreover among the list proposed to Britain Odomari in South Sakhalin is too close to Russia.

Even if we really offer Britain the right to give up Odomari it could fall through if Russia strongly objects.

Didn’t Britain make an agreement with Russia last year to check Germany?

If Russia resented this and joined hands with Germany again Britain’s plan to encircle Germany would be ruined from the start.

At least that’s what Ito thought.

“That’s right. What Lee Kang wants is the return of diplomatic rights or some other compensation not the granting of his own land.”

“Yes.”

Saionji nodded then frowned.

“Damn it. It’s hopeless to have come to a point where we have to rely on the enemy.”

“Don’t expect too much. That guy Lee Kang will be more than the British if not less.”

First we need to look at Lee Kang’s reaction and then come up with a countermeasure.

After reaching that agreement the two continued their conversation.

“Ito the Governor-General.”

“Please speak Representative Saionji.”

“By the way how long do you plan to stay in Joseon?”

huh?

Ito tilted his head slightly.

During that time Saionji had not expressed any opinion on Ito’s life in Joseon.

Because he asked about my whereabouts in an extremely negative tone.

“Why do you ask that?”

“I have a bad habit of beating around the bush because I have been in politics for a long time. But this time I will speak very directly so that there will be no misunderstanding. I sympathize.”

Saionji pressed Ito by stating in advance that what he would say next was sincere.

“I want the governor to return to the mainland.”

“…”

After a brief pause Ito asked Saionji the reason.

“Why do you say that?”

“It’s overwhelming.”

“yes?”

“It’s too much to fight Katsura alone.”

Saionji appealed to Ito for help in a powerful voice.

“It is important to place Joseon completely under Japan’s control but it is more important to lead our country in the right direction.”

“…”

“I feel this more and more keenly these days. It is too difficult to fight against some hardliners who are running wild on their own.”

“So what you just said…”

“Yes. I think Your Majesty the Governor-General must return. We absolutely need the Governor-General to fight against the hardliners.”

Saionji even went so far as to say that he would yield the next prime minister position to Ito.

This means that he will once again hand over the position of leader of the moderate faction to Ito but Ito hesitates for a moment and then falls silent again.

“I sympathize.”

“Yes please speak. Representative Saionji.”

“As time passes the events of the past will become known in Joseon as well.”

“I guess so.”

“If that is the case are you confident that Your Majesty can handle it?”

As time passed Lee Kang gained great popularity in Joseon.

That Lee Kang almost died at the hands of the Japanese.

Now that the Queen Mother has been assassinated by the Japanese will the Joseon people really stay still?

“The commander is Shin Se-Wai standing in the middle of an explosives warehouse. And he’s holding a candle in both hands.”

Saionji was worried about Ito’s safety.

“Moreover strange rumors are spreading across the mainland.”

“What a strange rumor…”

“There is a strange rumor going around in Tokyo politics that His Majesty the Consul leaked information to the second prince of Joseon.”

“What did you say?”

“I don’t know who planned it and started it but it’s spreading rapidly across the mainland. And very quickly.”

“Heh heh…”

As Ito Hirobumi became excited and raised the end of his speech Saionji quickly began to reveal more of the information he knew.

“Did you know that Lee Kang sent a letter of thanks to the American embassy?”

After being attacked Lee Kang took several actions.

One of them was to write a letter to the Japanese embassy.

From former Ambassador Takahira who gave a speech to Lee Kang at the engagement ceremony to Hirobumi Ito.

He mentioned all the moderate big shots and said that it was thanks to them that he survived the attack.

This news has not yet spread through Tokyo politics so it is quiet but if this information reaches the ears of the opposing factions there will be an uproar.

To the hardliners the moderates will look like traitors who have sold out the country.

Saionji was concerned about this and informed Ito of the fact.

“That fucking fox cub…”

Lee Kang’s actions are like adding fuel to the fire.

Isn’t Japan a place where terrorist attacks targeting high-ranking officials are frequent?

Ito found himself in a situation where he could not guarantee his safety either within the Korean Peninsula or within Japan.

Ito continued the call in a trembling voice frustrated at being played with by Lee Kang.

At this Saionji sighed deeply.

“It wasn’t a fox cub it was a tiger cub. I should have gotten rid of it in Japan without anyone knowing…”

okay.

If you were going to assassinate someone you had to do it then.

Before he grew up to be a whale and became a major influence in America.

“Representative Saionji.”

“Please speak. Your Majesty.”

“Can you… give me just a little more time?”

Ito was anxious but had no intention of returning home immediately.

“Is it because of the tour planned by the Governor-General?”

“yes.”

“Are you planning to visit Dongrae and Pyongyang in January next year?”

“Yes.”

“I can give you about three months… No I can give you that. No I think it would be better then. If you come in now it might just cause more misunderstandings.”

Saionji said his final goodbyes as he prepared to hang up the phone.

“Then I look forward to your return to your home country as soon as possible.”

“yes.”

Saionji again expressed his concern for Ito’s safety in a worried voice.

“We Japan absolutely need a Resident-General. So no matter what happens we must take care of the Resident-General’s safety.”

“Yes I understand.”

* * *

Who will tell my story?

My ears are covered.

Scratch scratch.

I gently caressed the area around my ear and waved at a figure approaching me.

“This prince.”

“Prosecutor Francis.”

Francis is a very good prosecutor who arrested Abe Luef who was my polar opposite on bribery charges.

I handed him a coffee and asked about the current status of the investigation.

“How many assassins were arrested?”

“As of today a total of twenty-one people have been arrested or killed.”

Huh? What is it?

It’s been 6 days.

Is it less than you thought?

Is it because the investigative power of the police these days is not as good as it used to be?

“It’s worse than I thought.”

“that is…”

Francis snapped his fingers and explained to me why.

“A significant number of them turned themselves in just before being arrested?”

“Yes. Not only that some suspects who wake up in the hospital are also taking their own lives. That’s why the investigation is progressing slowly.”

Francis looked fed up.

That’s understandable because in the West suicide is considered a very sinful act.

The Japanese suspects made a disgusted expression because they did this as easily as if they were drinking green tea when going out for a drink.

“Who is the instigator?”

“We’ve finished investigating his identity. The mastermind is a man named Miura but unfortunately he’s currently on the run. Oh he’s probably still in San Francisco. Our investigative teams have taken control of the docks roads and railroads.”

Francis narrowed his eyes and pointed to a spot on the map.

It was a densely populated Japanese residential area.

“He is probably hiding in Japantown here in San Francisco but he will be arrested soon. The special law will be passed soon.”

I smiled brightly at this and shook Inspector Francis’ hand.

“I heard the prosecutor’s name is being mentioned quite a bit in the media because of this incident?”

“Haha… Well things are going that way.”

As the investigation progressed at a relatively fast pace the American media simultaneously demonized the Japanese suspects and praised Francis.

The hero-making mentality unique to American media is at work.

I had coffee with Francis and gave him a piece of advice.

“If the federal government offers you a job don’t turn it down. Accept it.”

“yes?”

Francis looked at me with narrowed eyes.

“It seems like you have obtained some advanced information that I don’t know about.”

“No. It’s just…”

“just?”

“I just wanted to say this out of the hope that the capable Inspector Francis will have a chance to play in bigger waters.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. More than anything I became a fan of the prosecutor because of this incident so I gave him some advice just in case.”

“Oh my. A fan? I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Praise makes even a whale dance.

Who would frown when a prince of great stature confesses to being a fan?

Francis asked me with a big smile on his face.

“Tomorrow is the prince’s wedding right?”

“yes.”

“You must be busy preparing for the wedding. Is it okay if I keep the prince here?”

“I have more free time than you think so don’t worry too much.”

I looked at him and asked.

“Oh the inspector will be attending tomorrow too?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes please come in.”

Some information keeps coming into my ears.

I heard a federal Justice Department official was coming this way.

The FBI’s predecessor the Justice Department’s Bureau of Investigation just opened last month.

However Francis is receiving media attention because of this incident.

‘I need to plant my people in the Department of Justice’s investigation bureau.’

What would happen if Francis were to just hit the ground running and Rockefeller and I would push him?

Could Francis possibly take over as FBI Director?

I took a careful look into the future.

‘The early FBI director positions had powers comparable to those of the President of the United States.’

This is a spot you absolutely cannot miss.

Above all wasn’t that place in the history of the original a place that racists had been occupying for decades?

‘I will do whatever it takes to get my man in the FBI director position.’

Before that.

“Then I guess I’ll be going now.”

“yes.”

First of all we need to make the wedding a success.

After parting ways with Inspector Francis I headed to my villa in Sausalito to prepare for the wedding that was to take place the next day.

The atmosphere was very lively perhaps because it was already full of guests.

I came back to my home like that again.

< Price (2) > End