The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 145



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Japanese people have had to be extremely careful about what others think since ancient times.

This is because a vertical totalitarian culture centered on the warrior class is deeply rooted in their lives.

That’s why everyone had the symptom of Guanyin constantly observing the other person’s movements.

Same time.

Koreans also showed a similar tendency but to a lesser extent.

of course.

The officials of the current Hanyang cabinet who had to be extremely mindful of the Japanese Empire were an exception.

“Oh my. Thank you for your hard work Minister of the Interior.”

“Are you just coming back from Japan?”

“Yes yes. I entered the palace before I even unpacked.”

Prime Minister Lee Wan-yong.

Minister of Agriculture Commerce and Industry Song Byeong-jun.

Minister of Justice Cho Joong-eung.

Lee Jae-gon Minister of Education.

And even the Minister of the Interior Lim Seon-jun who just arrived.

Pro-Japanese cabinet members paid closer attention to the situation in mainland Japan than did Japanese politicians based in Kyoto or Tokyo.

Because when changes occur we have to respond quickly.

It was possible because they were crazy about power.

If they had any sense of shame they would have resigned and returned home long ago.

“How is the situation in Japan?”

“I don’t know if I should say this but…”

Minister of the Interior Lim Seon-jun glanced at the faces of the attendees inside the building and then snickered.

“I trust the four of you here and will say one thing. This is a mess. It’s no exaggeration to call it a mess.”

“Heh heh.”

“Is it that serious?”

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They say that where there is no wage there is also a desire for wages.

Although they had more pro-Japanese tendencies than anyone else everyone here was very vocal in criticizing the short-lived political structure unique to Japanese politics.

“Yes. I think the power struggle between Prime Minister Saionji and former Prime Minister Katsura is more serious than I thought.”

“Oh like that.”

“I expected it but it seems like the relationship between the two is even more strained.”

“Yes. Recently the Minister of the Army came to the Prime Minister’s Office to threaten Prime Minister Saionji to restore the military budget and the Minister of the Navy also secretly agreed to this and met with former Prime Minister Katsura.”

The pro-Japanese cabinet members simultaneously tilted their heads in puzzlement.

Even if the army is like that.

The Navy is beating up Prime Minister Saionji.

“They say the Navy doesn’t have a good relationship with former Prime Minister Katsura so why is that?”

“I know that too.”

“That’s right. Isn’t the former Prime Minister one of the Yamagata faction which has considerable influence on the army?”

New information came out of the Minister of the Interior’s mouth.

“Isn’t Prime Minister Saionji’s disarmament plan bigger than we thought? Not only the Army but also the Navy is showing considerable opposition to it.”

Even though we truly hate each other.

When a common enemy appears they sometimes show signs of reconciliation.

After the 1930s this kind of thing became rare but it wasn’t that bad of a situation yet.

The Japanese army and navy joined forces to oppose Saionji’s disarmament plan.

“Hasn’t the Japanese Army been quiet since the assassination of His Majesty the King?”

“Yes. But as you know the Japanese cabinet is structured so that the military exerts a lot of power. It seems that something happened in Europe and the military figures used that as an excuse to rise up.”

“What happened in Europe? Is there a war going on?”

That was far away.

The current situation in Europe is so tense that even a pro-Japanese cabinet is reacting in this way.

Maritime powers and continental powers.

The emerging liberal industrial powers and the traditional imperialist mercantilist powers.

And even conflicts between ethnic groups.

Everyone here knows that these three beats are so well-matched that they could explode at any moment.

“That’s not it.”

Minister of the Interior Lim Seon-jun shared with others the hot information he had found out in Japan.

“It is said that His Majesty the King has unveiled a new weapon in Stegzecken Germany.”

“A new weapon?”

“Yes. I don’t know the details but… what is certain is that it had an impact on the Japanese military.”

It is a well-known fact that Lee Kang is the big shot of the self-proclaimed ‘independence army’ in Gando and the Maritime Province.

The fact that a great new weapon was developed by a company owned by Lee Kang.

It seems that the Japanese military is going crazy and attacking Prime Minister Saionji as if a seizure button has been pressed as it is said that this could soon be deployed in Gando and the Maritime Province.

“By the way it seems that Japanese politicians are still closely watching His Majesty the King’s every move.”

“It can’t be helped.”

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“Yes. Who caused the former Prime Minister to step down from his position?”

“But wasn’t it worth coming down? No matter how much I think about it it seems like it was a long shot…”

“I think so too.”

Although they were more pro-Japanese than anyone else the attempted assassination of Lee Kang by Katsura Taro was a shocking incident for them as well.

It wasn’t because I was worried about Lee Kang’s safety.

Because the aftermath of this put their lives at risk.

“Oh since we’re talking about His Majesty the King I would like to ask you. Where is His Majesty the King currently and what is he doing?”

“I heard that he has been touring around Europe and has just left Szczecin Germany for St. Petersburg the capital of the Russian Empire.”

The reactions of the pro-Japanese cabinet members varied.

“Really? What are you going to do in Russia…?”

Jaegon Lee a student who shows pure curiosity.

“….”

Prime Minister Lee Wan-yong keeps his mouth shut.

“Aren’t you really a very enthusiastic person? Why are you wandering around like this without a destination in mind?”

Minister of Justice Cho Joong-eung who is sincere about pro-Japanese sentiments but also shows favor to Lee Kang.

“Even if you struggle alone you won’t be able to change the great flow of history.”

“Yes.”

Even the pessimistic Minister of Agriculture Commerce and Industry Song Byeong-jun and the Minister of the Interior Lim Seon-jun are watching this reaction.

Everyone showed unique reactions.

“More than that if Katsura Taro becomes Prime Minister [the] work that was interrupted will start again.”

“That’s right. It looks like Hanyang will be turned upside down again.”

The five pro-Japanese collaborators sighed and prepared for the coming storm.

These are the priority.

Let’s look at Emperor Gojong’s reaction.

“How are things going for you?”

“Please keep quiet. Don’t you know how ignorant the new governor is?”

Sone Arasuke the second Resident-General of Korea.

Unlike Ito Hirobumi he did not claim to be pro-Japanese but rather maintained a hard-line stance.

When Emperor Gojong attempted to regain power by relying on Yi Gang’s influence

He pressured Gojong from all sides and crushed him to the core.

“Your Majesty please spare my life.”

『Evil! Your Majesty! Your Majesty!』

Let’s do something rude and scary like torturing and then executing Gojong’s aides at once right when we first met.

Gojong once again spent his days shut in his room like before.

“The good news is that the new special court lady we brought in recently is comforting Your Majesty.”

If the heartbroken Emperor Gojong were to hang himself it would be a disaster.

However the cowardly King Gojong seemed to be spending each day finding comfort in the arms of a new woman.

The pro-Japanese cabinet breathed a sigh of relief when mentioning this.

At the same time I was a little worried.

If the Japan-Korea annexation really got on track there was no telling what Emperor Gojong who was greedy for power might do again.

They began to watch Emperor Gojong’s movements and discuss again what would happen next.

* * *

“Prime Minister.”

“Go ahead Your Majesty Song.”

On the way home.

Song Byeong-jun approached Lee Wan-yong and blocked his path.

“Have you heard the news that happened in Uiju this week?”

Song Byeong-jun rolls his eyes wide and looks nervous.

At this Lee Wan-yong frowned and brought up the incident that happened three days ago.

“Are you referring to the news of the Uiju Massacre where rebels tore an entire household to pieces?”

“Yes that’s right. To be exact they’re not rebels but supporters of Uiwang…”

Why am I bringing this story up?

Lee Wan-yong tilted his head and crossed his arms.

Then Song Byeong-jun carefully began to explain the related story.

“I’m talking about that guy Park who was the victim.”

“Are you talking about the guy who worked as a military police assistant?”

“yes.”

The Military Police Auxiliary is a system created by the late Ito Hirobumi.

When you just hear the name it sounds like a very grand job but in reality if you break it down simply a military police assistant is a rookie who does ‘spy work’.

Lee Wan-yong looked straight into Song Byeong-jun’s eyes and asked.

“Is the dead victim an acquaintance of yours?”

Song Byeong-jun waved his hand in surprise.

“What do you mean by acquaintance? He’s just a friend of mine who lives across the street from my wife’s family.”

That’s an acquaintance.

But Lee Wan-yong did not bother to correct this.

He just nods and keeps his mouth shut.

I wanted to watch what Song Byung-jun would continue to say.

“Oh you damn brat. If you were going to report me you should have hidden your identity as much as possible. You’re acting like a idiot and creating this mess.”

Song Byeong-jun avoided eye contact and rolled his eyes here and there.

Lee Wan-yong could sense something in this.

“Are you worried that because of that guy… your wife’s family and your family will suffer damage?”

“That’s right. There have been so many rumors going around lately.”

Lee Kang’s extreme supporters probably make up at least 10% of the Korean peninsula.

A group of people who openly mention that pro-Japanese collaborators should be beaten to death even in crowded markets.

Like the recent incident in Uiju they were targeting spies and assassinating them one by one as an example.

Many people who reported the righteous army retaliated against themselves and their families.

“It seems that one of the King’s most extreme subordinates has recently been promoted.”

Year of Gap-o (1894).

The system of collective punishment was abolished through the Gabo Reforms.

However there were still those who believed that it should be applied.

“I suspect that he is the one who masterminded this incident.”

It seems that they are taking harsh revenge to set an example and prevent further defections.

“Hmm.”

Anyway after the attack incident.

It is true that the response has become stronger.

Moreover the process became so elaborate that it was not easy to catch the culprit.

“I sometimes have nightmares because of this…”

The pro-Japanese officials were horrified to see this.

The next target is.

Because it seems like it will be them.

At least they were protected by servants behind high walls.

Some of the weak-hearted ones appeared extremely stressed as they watched the spies die one by one.

“That’s true. It’s the same here in Hanyang and even more so in the northern regions. There are supporters of Uiwang everywhere.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Lee Wan-yong nodded with a look of understanding.

“I will tell my Minister of the Interior to add more personnel to the guard of Lord Song’s household.”

“Thank you Prime Minister.”

Having achieved his goal Song Byeong-jun quickly found his men.

So that he can return home as soon as possible.

The palace is like that too.

The open streets are like that too.

Because it’s a dangerous place rather than a comfortable home.

“I hope the Prime Minister returns home safely. Then I will take my leave now.”

In a panic.

Lee Wan-yong clicked his tongue inwardly as he watched Song Byeong-jun return home.

How can someone so fearful think of selling out the country?

After gossiping about Song Byeong-jun for a while he headed to his new American car.

Because he too had to go home.

* * *

“Greetings young lady.”

“Yeah. Are you here?”

Lee Wan-yong was in a bad mood because of his conversation with Song Byeong-jun.

Lee Hang-gu who was as intelligent as Lee Wan-yong was worried when he saw his father like that.

“Did something happen at the palace?”

“Why do you say that?”

“Your complexion is unusual so I am concerned about your health.”

Lee Wan-yong was naturally ashamed of himself for getting angry.

The anger should have been directed at someone other than his son.

“It’s just that… I was talking about this and that and then I started having trouble.”

For a while the two rich men were silent.

After collecting his thoughts for a moment Lee Wan-yong looked at Lee Hang-gu and gave him advice.

“You also eat rust so you should know. If Japan gets caught with a light horn our Joseon will have to suffer for three or four days.”

“Yes.”

“It seems that within a few days the Japanese leadership will once again be replaced by Katsura Taro.”

“Again?”

This port cautiously predicted the future.

“but….”

“but?”

“The former prime minister will not be able to remain in office for long because of his past karma.”

Lee Wan-yong read the situation accurately and discussed the topic with his son.

“But there’s one thing we can finish quickly.”

“Are you talking about the Prime Minister’s tasks?”

“okay.”

Uniting the Korean Empire and Japan.

The story related to this continued for some time.

“That means annexation is imminent. What are you going to do?”

“Well….”

Lee Wan-yong swallowed hard and continued talking.

“We must choose the direction that will benefit our family the most. Just like we always have.”

Lee Wan-yong tapped his temple and looked at Lee Hang-gu.

“There’s just one thing that’s bothering me. I think I need to check one thing before I decide on this.”

Yi Wan-yong ordered Yi Hang-gu to come closer.

Although there was no one in the annex at the time he was cautious because someone else might have heard.

“Are you serious?”

“okay.”

Lee Wan-yong spoke to Lee Hang-gu as he looked for a cigarette to light.

“You have to check what needs to be checked and move on. That way you won’t regret it when you make the next move.”

The port agreed.

Because in his view all of Lee Wan-yong’s decisions up until then were correct.

“So you’re saying we should approach it with caution?”

“Yes. Oh I heard that the Governor-General is looking for a Korean official. I guess I can take advantage of this.”

The second Russo-Japanese negotiations were at a standstill after the assassination of Resident-General Ito.

Because of this Japan was stamping its feet.

Moreover the Korean population in Primorsky Krai is increasing.

I also plan to include a phrase to check this this time.

Yi Wan-yong tried to use this as an excuse to send Yi Hang-gu to Russia.

“You will have to work hard. I highly recommend you so take care of yourself and come back.”

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