Chapter 9: Opportunity (2)

Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ ɴøvᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.This thought was shared by many young officers in the Army.

Ironically, what drove them to my cause wasn't the prospect of rewards.

But the vision I presented for the Empire's future.

Until now, no leader had specifically stated how they would change the Korean Empire.

Politicians were busy watching the military's moves, while the high-ranking military officers had no interest in improving the people's livelihoods.

All those musclebrained fools knew was war and bribes.

Contrary to them, I freely published my plans for the future through newspapers and books.

Moreover, my 'image' was of an admirable and patriotic General.

The ideal commander who leads by example, one who takes risks on the battlefield that a commander didn't necessarily need to endure.

All of this solidified my image in the young officer's minds.

Now, it was time to reap the harvest.

I decided to start by persuading my closest aide, Captain Kim Jong-Gil.

Discarding the usual indirect hints, I opted for a direct approach.

"Captain Kim. What do you think of this country?"

"It's my motherland, sir."

But Jong-Gil avoided a direct answer.

It was a soldier-like response.

But it wasn't what I wished to hear.

So, I decided to provoke Jong-Gil a bit more.

"I think this country is corrupt and incompetent."

Jong-Gil looked perplexed at those words.

How could he have imagined a high-ranking general would say such things openly?

"Someone needs to change this country."

Ignoring Jong-Gil's bewilderment, I continue

"If I, Lee Sung Joon, were to think about changing this country, would you help me, Captain Kim?"

"How could I help Your Excellency? I'm just a soldier who knows nothing."

"No. If you help me, I'd feel as reassured as if I had an army of a million men."

"Your Excellency..."

"I have a dream. I want to make this country, Korea, as rich and strong as America. For that, I need to rise to a high position."

"I won't be of any help to Your Excellency's dream."

"No, you will. I need you. I, Lee Sung Joon, am asking for Captain Kim Jong-Gil's help for the sake of our motherland. Stand by my side for our country. And I, Lee Sung Joon, will never disappoint you."

I bowed my head before Jong-Gil.

Even I thought this performance of a high-ranking general bowing his head was perfect.

My persuasion checks must be through the roof.

After hesitating for a while, Jong-Gil bowed his head to me.

"If someone as insignificant as me can be of help to Your Excellency, I'll contribute what little I can. What would you have me do for you, sir?"

"We must prepare to overthrow this country. You'll have much to do from now on."

I patted Jong-Gil's shoulder.

Thus, my first comrade was made.

Starting with Jong-Gil, I set up dinner appointments with high-ranking officers.

Meeting so many senior officers in such a short time would surely catch the eye of the Defense Security Command, but it didn't matter now.

Even if those bastards found out, they couldn't get to me so easily since most of the young officers were my supporters.

One by one, I called the senior officers to my official residence for meetings.

I had already analyzed these fellows' tendencies before inviting them.

There were all Non-mainstream officers who mingled with the young officer faction.

Some had no prospects for promotion, while others were out of favor with the military top brass, relegated to insignificant posts.

I subtly prodded their dissatisfaction.

"You're right General, the Military doesn't know how to value its people..."

"Ah, but how could it be the Military's fault...? It's the responsibility of those in charge of 'personal management'."

After adequately chewing out, picking apart, savoring, and enjoying talks about the military leadership, the conversation naturally shifted to the country's future.

It was inevitable, given the country was at war.

"Internal affairs were already bad enough, and now this war with China might become a serious problem. I heard last year's national accounts were in deficit. I wonder if we'll even get paid at this rate."

"The situation will only get worse from here."

"Pardon? How could it get worse than being at war now?"

"We're at war with China. What kind of country is China? It's where the interests of the great powers converge. We've stirred up and turned such a place into a battlefield. Do you think the great powers will look kindly upon us?"

"......Surely they won't turn against Korea just because of China."

"Ah but wasn't this line of thought that gave birth to the Great War? 'If we mobilize our army the other side will surely back down' or 'Let's just make an ultimatum, that will surely make them retreat!'. Because of such stubbornness, millions died. Remember this, my friend, nothing is impossible."

I heightened the sense of crisis while forecasting the future.

As it was, I was already a 'reformer' who presented various policies and ideas through my editorials.

That's why the officers reacted with urgency to my 'future predictions'.

"If things turn out as you say, Your Excellency...What will happen to the Korean Empire?"

"We'll wither and collapse. Tell me, what do you think will happen if the Americans cut off oil and metal exports to Korea? What if Britain and the Netherlands stopped their rubber exports as well?"

At this point, everyone sank into thought with serious expressions.

"So, the only way for our Korea to survive is to somehow make peace with China."

"Make peace. Is that really the only way?"

"That's right."

But the officers were also aware of the elephant in the room.

There was simply no possibility the military regime that started this war would decide to 'make peace'.

If the conditions were acceptable to China, there would be intense domestic backlash.

Could the already unpopular military regime endure that?

"Well, what if we won the war?"

"That might be possible. But it would be very difficult for our Korea to subdue China through war. And there's no chance this corrupt and incompetent regime could wage such a successful war."

"Even so, there's nothing we can do."

"That's not true. If you're willing to change the country with me, Lee Sung Joon, there might be a chance."

"What do you mean by that?"

"If Park Han-jin could do it, why can't we?"

History was written by the victors.

Succeed and you shall be remembered as a Hero.

Fail...And you will become the traitor.

This time, I shamelessly promised rewards for their 'courageous' support.

Of course, the officers didn't come over just for a simple promise.

What fundamentally shook their hearts was concern for the country's future and the vision I presented.

Should we do nothing, this Nation would collapse.

They must be thinking something like this.

Now, to put the final nail in the coffin...

"I promise you this. The day I, Lee Sung Joon, sit in the highest seat, you will become my wings, supporting me in the military."

"We will serve you, Your Excellency."

Just like that, I gained new comrades from the 16th and 17th Reserve Divisions.

I didn't even consider the junior officers of those units.

Those young officers would follow orders from the coup forces without resistance if they knew this Lee Sung Joon had raised an army.

"Adjutant!"

"Yes, General."

"Make sure information about our Ilwonhwa members doesn't leak."

"I'll keep that in mind, sir."

I even formed a private organization strictly forbidden within the military.

The name was Ilwonhwa1

It's an organization named after the Hanahoe that staged the Coup of December 12.

Now, the organization has been formed, and the persuasion work is progressing smoothly...

What would be the next step?

Capital.

Now, you might ask, Sung Joon, why would you need money for a coup?

You see, things like fuel, vehicles, and general expenses that come from recruiting people are a thing.

And naturally, it's not like the government would foot the bill for the expenses that came with planning a coup.

All of that has to be funded from somewhere.

Until now I've been managing all of this with the money I've gained from my book, but once the Coup truly starts, an enormous sum would be required.

Indeed, only capitalists could provide such money.

So, I began searching for patrons that would be favorable for funding my little coup.

During the worldbuilding chapters of the Webtoon, some lines were highlighting this.

And after living here for a while, I managed to confirm that information.

The reason for the chaebol's hostility to the military was surprisingly simple.

It all boiled down to money.

The military was one of the few places in the Empire where money flowed freely, and the military was monopolizing this cash flow.

Various equipment like ships, cannons, and tanks ordered by the military were commissioned from arsenals directly managed by the military.

The chaebol could only look on longingly at the massive profits they were denied a part of.

If they wanted a miserable piece of those profits, they had to bow their heads to the generals and military-sponsored arsenals, while still giving those greedy bastards a generous bribe.

With attitudes like these, only a crazy masochist would honestly like the current regime.

However, I excluded the top 10 chaebols from my list.

No matter how much they had for the current regime, those conglomerates had too much to lose with a coup, making them unlikely to join in.

After looking into a few companies, I found out about a chaebol called 'Taejung Industries that had become enemies with Park Han-jin.

If I'm not wrong, Taejung Industries was one of the companies that supported the failed coup attempt in '39.

I decided to meet Chairman Cho Tae-Soo of Taejung Industries to secure coup funds.

***

https://ko-fi.com/genesisforsaken