Beiyang Dream

When Chang Desheng followed a fat man surnamed Jin into Gyeongbokgung Palace, he had a feeling that he had been tricked.

That's it?

So small, so shabby, so sloppy, so...you can see the whole thing at a glance?

Is this the royal palace of Korea? My own compound in Tianjin, though much smaller than Gyeongbokgung Palace, had much more respectable buildings. The most shabby thing was that the palace courtyard didn't even have paved tiles; it was all sand.

This house... more than a hundred years later, the Koreans still have the nerve to treat it as a tourist attraction?

He turned his head and glanced at Yuan Shikai, who was already used to it and swaggered along.

Kim Yoon-sik seemed to notice Chang Deok-seung's gaze and spoke up to cover for the Joseon Dynasty, saying with a smile, "The reason why there are large areas of sand in the courtyard of Gyeongbokgung Palace is mainly to prevent assassins."

Chang Desheng nodded: "I see, I've really learned something new."

He added in his mind: "They couldn't stop them! Queen Min and King Gojong, both assassinated by the Japanese...it's clear that sandy ground can't protect against assassins!" The Hoegyeongro, where North Korea held state banquets, was just ahead. It was a two-story pavilion, a bit small, but otherwise acceptable. However, once inside, Chang Desheng discovered that there were hardly any tables or chairs; the floor was covered with straw mats and many futons. North Koreans were used to sitting on the floor, but the problem was...Fat Yuan, kneeling probably wouldn't work.

Chang Desheng glanced at Yuan Shikai's round figure, then at the prayer mat on the ground, and felt genuinely worried for his "good older brother." Yuan Shikai, however, was more "agile" than expected. He took off his boots, plopped down on the prayer mat, and crossed his thick legs, sitting cross-legged. He looked exactly like a Maitreya Buddha in a temple.

Duan Qirui, who came along, knelt upright, while Cao Kun sat cross-legged, quite at ease in front of the Koreans. Pu Xian also came; as the representative of the Eight Banners Heavenly Army, he could sit however he wanted, who cared about his yellow sash? Chang Desheng also found a futon and sat cross-legged; he couldn't help it, his knees were stiff, and he wasn't used to kneeling.

Just as they sat down, they heard footsteps. Several Korean palace maids in light green dresses, in pairs, carried up a table... The table was covered with food. Chang Desheng was quite excited; this was his first time eating at a state banquet after being in this time-traveling world! He wondered what delicious food was on the table. He turned to look at Yuan Shikai, that glutton.

Old Yuan sat there, his face showing no expectation whatsoever, but rather a rather indifferent expression.

Chang Desheng thought to himself: Could it be like the TV series "Dae Jang Geum" that I watched when I was a child, where all the dishes were terrible?

Just then, a table full of food was laid out. The table was quite large, and it was covered with all sorts of dishes. At first glance, it looked quite lively, but then... wait a minute! There was a pot of wine, a large plate of kimchi, and then all sorts of pastries, some fried and some steamed, making up the whole table.

Chang Desheng was dumbfounded. That's it? Kimchi, noodles, that's all?

He was stunned for a moment: What's going on? This is a state banquet? Yuan Shikai ate eight meals a day, each one more lavish than this!

He glanced at Yuan Shikai, who wore a wry smile. Then he looked at the table of Duan Qirui, Cao Kun, and Pu Xian; the table was smaller, and there was less pickled vegetables and pastries.

Chang Desheng thought to himself: Well, it seems my treatment is not bad, at least I have enough pastries.

Chang Desheng later realized that he had misunderstood the North Korean state banquet.

This table of kimchi and pastries was the appetizer, followed by four main dishes (including tough wild boar meat, braised beef with yellow croaker, grilled skewers, and roasted lamb), a bowl of soup, a bowl of mixed grain rice, and a table full of rice cakes, glutinous rice cakes, and persimmon cakes... It was actually quite alright, enough to fill you up. The braised beef with yellow croaker was particularly delicious.

Just as Chang Desheng picked up a fried mini bun from the state banquet, ready to enjoy it, Li Xi, sitting in the main seat, raised his wine glass and spoke in Korean. Chang Desheng didn't understand a single word.

Fortunately, Kim Yoon-sik translated: "His Majesty says, 'Thank you, Lord Chang, for resisting the Russians at Wonsan and ensuring the peace of Korea. This cup is to Lord Chang.'" Chang Desheng quickly picked up his cup, bowed to Yi Hee, and then downed it in one gulp.

It's a spirit with a fairly high alcohol content.

Chang Desheng choked a little, then quickly picked up a pastry and took a bite—it was sweet, with honey, but no filling. The texture was quite soft and chewy, a bit like steamed sponge cake.

Li Xi wasn't very interested in the steamed rice cake, but after Chang Desheng had almost finished eating, he spoke up again.

Kim Yoon-sik translated, "His Majesty asks, will the Russians continue their invasion of Wonsan?"

Chang Desheng wiped his hands and replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, although the Russian fleet is still in Yuanshan Bay, they have agreed to participate in the Six-Party Talks and will not easily resort to force."

After Kim Yoon-sik finished translating, Lee Hee nodded and asked another question.

"Your Majesty wishes to know when the Qing Dynasty's three thousand heavenly soldiers will arrive?"

Upon hearing this, the accompanying North Korean ministers perked up, stopped eating their steamed buns, and all turned to look at Chang Desheng.

Chang Desheng had heard Yuan Shikai say that the ministers in Korea were currently divided into three factions: the "pro-Japan faction," the "pro-Japanese faction," and the "conservative faction." These three factions were constantly embroiled in factional infighting in the Korean court. Furthermore, King Yi was afraid of his wife and dared not make any decisions, always having to consult Queen Min. Therefore, accomplishing anything in Korea would not be easy!

It won't be easy, but we have to get it done!

Chang Desheng had already planned this out. He didn't want those three thousand imperial soldiers readily available. Those were the imperial army, Li Hongzhang's army, not his own. He, Chang Desheng, wanted to recruit soldiers himself, using alumni of the military academy as officers, and the educated youth from Southeast Asia and the 150 Zhili men who had initially followed him to Korea as non-commissioned officers. Creating three thousand "extra" new soldiers from scratch—that was the real capital.

He also needed to establish a military academy. This wasn't just for the sake of becoming its principal; it was also to cultivate educated youth from Southeast Asia—he needed to send armed men to Southeast Asia! Those wealthy men in Southeast Asia had money but no power; they lacked guns. He would supply them with guns, and they would give him money. Only such cooperation could last.

In addition, Chang Desheng also needs to set up an arms factory capable of producing bullets. He also needs to give the Germans an explanation—he is Wilhelm II's "imperialist agent"! He has to get the North Korean port issue sorted out for them.

To achieve the aforementioned goals, it was necessary to coax, deceive, and intimidate King Lee and the Joseon Dynasty into taking the lead.

The current Six-Party Talks present the best opportunity.

If you miss it, things will get complicated.

Thinking of this, Chang Desheng smiled and said to Li Xi, "Your Majesty, three thousand heavenly soldiers will arrive soon, so please rest assured."

Lee Hee's face showed a relieved expression after listening to Kim Yoon-sik's translation.

Chang Desheng then changed the subject: "However, Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should."

Li Xi nodded: "Please go ahead, Mr. Chang."

"Your Majesty, it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish," Chang Desheng said. "The three thousand heavenly soldiers of the Qing Dynasty are indeed Korea's support, but if Korea cannot strengthen itself, relying solely on these three thousand soldiers can only ensure the survival of the Joseon Dynasty, not the preservation of Korea's national sovereignty."

He paused, looking at Lee Hee: "National power is ultimately finite. Losing a little today, some more tomorrow, it will eventually come to an end. Then, Korea will be filled with concessions and foreign powers will run rampant. Korea's wealth and resources will all be used by others. Therefore… Korea must strengthen itself!" After Kim Yun-sik finished translating, Lee Hee was silent for a moment, then asked, "How can Korea strengthen itself?"

"Let's engage in Westernization!" Chang Desheng declared resolutely, "Let's learn from the barbarians' superior techniques to control them!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than an old voice rang out.

"absurd!"

Everyone turned to look. It was Zhao Bingji, a conservative elder statesman of Joseon and a follower of the Daewongun. He was over seventy years old, with white hair and beard, but full of energy.

He slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Westernization? What Westernization? Isn't it just about using barbarians to change China? The Qing Dynasty has been pursuing Westernization for so long, but has it ever regained any national sovereignty? We're still being bullied by foreigners!"

Upon hearing this, both Lee Hee and Kim Yoon-sik paled.

Chang Desheng scoffed inwardly: This old man hasn't lived long enough; he doesn't understand that this Westernization movement requires perseverance to truly reclaim national sovereignty... Didn't the Kim dynasty in the end regain its sovereignty and stop fearing foreigners? They even sent Korean troops to Europe...

He looked at the old man Zhao and said calmly, "Handling foreign affairs is like studying for advancement. Only by passing the imperial examination can one become an official, but who among us didn't start as a student, then a xiucai, then a juren, step by step? Who can rise to the top in one step? The Qing Dynasty's foreign affairs efforts have at most reached the xiucai level, not even the juren level yet! And you Koreans..."

He bowed to Yi Hee-il and said, "Your Majesty, Joseon has fallen far behind. If we do not strive to catch up and do a good job in 'military modernization,' we will inevitably lose more and more national power and the country will become weaker and weaker."

Lee Hee asked Kim Yoon-sik, "What is the 'military-first Westernization' policy?"

"The Westernization of the military is the most suitable Westernization policy for Korea!" Chang Desheng said. "It means first concentrating financial and material resources, with the help of the Qing Dynasty's Beiyang Army, to train an elite army, establish a military academy, and build a factory that can produce bullets."

He held up three fingers: "According to my calculations, Korea only needs three thousand of its own elite troops to ensure the survival of the Joseon Dynasty. With twenty thousand, it can preserve its national sovereignty. And with fifty thousand... any lost national sovereignty can be reclaimed!" He lowered his hand and looked at King Gojong: "Your Majesty, do not hesitate. The Russians have already begun construction on the Trans-Siberian Railway, and the Japanese are exhausting their national resources to build an army and navy. Korea must strive to prioritize its military!"

Chang Desheng's words are absolutely correct. That's exactly the situation in North Korea right now!

It's a matter of life and death!

If one had to nitpick, it would be that he underestimated the military strength needed to defend North Korea and reclaim its sovereignty. ... Because the Joseon Dynasty had no hope of achieving the military-first strategy that North Korea truly needed.

Lee Hee remained silent for a long time before finally whispering, "...But North Korea has no money!"

Chang Desheng smiled.

I knew you were broke!

"Your Majesty, if we don't have money, we can use Korea's mineral resources to cooperate with the Beiyang Army, foreigners, and Japanese to develop them!" he said. "The Unsan gold mine, the Gapsan copper mine, the Dancheon coal mine, and the iron mine—these are all buried treasures!"

Zhao Bingji became agitated again: "Isn't that treason?"

Chang Desheng glared at him: "Sell some first, get the money, and get the Songun (New Army) in order. You can take it all back in the future! Without the Songun, the foreigners will keep pressing forward and take those things away sooner or later. Your Korea will have nothing!"

Zhao Bingji was speechless with anger, his beard trembling. He picked up his wine glass and downed it in one gulp.

Hong Qixun, a pro-Japanese minister standing next to him, glanced at him, and the two exchanged a meaningful look.

Li Xi's expression changed. He didn't respond directly, but instead turned to look at the eunuch beside him and asked something in a low voice. The eunuch shook his head, and Li Xi's expression became even more conflicted.

Chang Desheng thought to himself: Could it be that King Li is asking, "Has the Queen sent someone to deliver a message?"

He really is a henpecked husband, a typical "henpecked husband"! But that's good, henpecked men are usually easier to fool—once you win over his wife, you win him over too.

Li Xi remained silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up.

"I am tired and need to rest," he said. "Kim Yoon-sik, you will entertain the envoy from the superior nation on behalf of the emperor."

After saying that, he turned and left, walking hurriedly, as if afraid of being caught up by someone.

Chang Desheng watched his retreating figure and thought to himself: Queen Min is not someone I can handle. It depends on Yuan Datou and the super-rich woman... The super-rich woman should have met her best friend Qingzi by now, right?

At the same time, in Seoul, in the embassy district of Jeongdong, in the backyard of the Qing Dynasty's military affairs office in Korea, in Luo Jingrou's room.

The extremely wealthy woman sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), holding a cup of tea in her hand, looking at the Japanese woman kneeling on the futon in front of her.

Haruko was dressed in a simple kimono today, with her head bowed and eyes downcast, looking completely harmless.

"Qingzi, we meet again," Luo Jingrou said, her tone neither warm nor cold.

"Yes." Haruko looked up and smiled. "Sister Jingrou, is there a place for Haruko here with Brother Zhenbang?"

Looking at her delicate little face, Luo Jingrou snorted inwardly: Keep pretending!

She put down her teacup, smiled, and said, "Qingzi, look at what you're saying... Zhenbang is destined for great things, so he inevitably has to play along. You... of course you have a place! However, the Chang family's rules are very strict. Can you handle it?"

Haruko bowed slightly: "Haruko can take it."

Luo Jingrou added in her mind, "If you can handle it, then handle as much as you can!"