Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Great Upheaval (4)

Returned.

To Hanyang.

Hanyang had changed.

“My goodness, what is this?”

“This is a railway. If a steam locomotive runs along the iron road...”

“Monster carriage!”

“...Right. Monster carriage.”

Got off at Incheon port and instead of riding a carriage could now ride the Gyeongin Line railway and go.

Not yet anyone can ride if paying money and buying a ticket and it is a trial operation period, but the world’s Arthur Lee returned how could not ride. If the trial operation period ends anyone regardless of men and women young and old and status will be able to easily go back and forth between Incheon and Hanyang.

What changed is not simply Hanyang and Incheon.

Next to me now one chattering errand boy appeared.

In that distant Beijing a person worthy of being called my rival appeared and is sitting next to the throne.

Many things are changing.

And the most important thing.

Baby angel rolled up thickly in swaddling clothes like a bagworm.

“Thank you for being born healthy.”

A child appeared.

The first child.

A princess.

Look at these big and clear eyes and long eyelashes. Peerless beauty is separate. The prettiest in the world. Even if Queen Victoria pesters to form in-laws must fly a middle finger. Because I am overwhelmingly at a loss.

“Paa.”

“My goodness. Heard just now? Said dad. Said dad!”

“Just babbling. A person who wasn’t even there when the child was born-”

“Paa.”

“Said dad! Said dad! God! As expected! Because resembles me our child is also definitely a genius.”

“Definitely seems saw the same scene when I was young...”

“Go away a bit.”

Why inserting a candle into the moving father-daughter reunion.

After roughly kicking Daniel who is suddenly cosplaying an amnesia patient saying memory seems about to come or not with a foot, I held the child wrapped in swaddling clothes.

“If our daughter of course must send to Eton and send to Oxford. Of course, of course. Send to Harrow or whatever. Then tutor, tutor. Will there be a tutor trying to come to this Joseon land-”

“What nonsense to a baby not even one year old? From the beginning a daughter how send to Eton?”

“To find a nanny who can do Latin and Greek and Chinese and Joseon language first establish a girls’ school in Joseon- ah! Ayaya! Don’t pinch! Aaak!”

“Aaaaaang!!!”

Screamed because pinched so hard and the startled princess began crying waaa and even though I did all sorts of shows to stop the crying the baby did not stop crying.

Ultimately snatched.

Not even 3 minutes passed.

“You are banned from holding Abby for a while.”

“...That name seems a bit not.”

“Have complaints about our mom’s name?”

Abigail Robinson Lee, abbreviated Abby Lee.

No matter how much think will sound truly immoral to Joseon people. Whether Abby or Abi whichever.

“To Joseon people must say the child’s name is Ahee.”

People who no matter how much I say call ‘Arthur’ stubbornly call Aseul. If calling Abby can clearly see what fuss will arise.

The heart wanting to play more with Ahee was like a chimney, but ultimately had to stand from the seat because of Daniel looking at me profoundly with moist eyes like a mutt hit by rain.

Right.

Let’s just hear once why fucked.

***

“Fucked.”

“Right?”

Daniel sighed deeply and took out one cigar from the inner pocket. Definitely a Havana cigar at a glance.

Not quality worth buying and smoking with that human’s salary, must rummage the back once. If receiving some strange back money or something must strip even panties and beat with a fulling stick. To remove grime originally must beat.

But cannot be called a true scholar just blankly watching the pitiful older brother smoking alone.

Even written in the Analects. <​If the guy next to puts in the mouth to smoke one attach fire a bit>-

- Was there tobacco in Confucius’s time?

I filled tobacco leaves in the king’s long pipe and lit the fire.

And a sigh also popped out from my mouth at the same time.

“Haa.”

“Haaa...”

The order to input Joseon sepoys into Kamchatka.

“So, what do I have to do?”

“Once said bring out all ships.”

“There are ships the East India Company holds?”

“What sound. None.”

“No, why none ships.”

“Would there be ships to transport Joseon sepoys? In the middle of war?”

Fuck. If saying like that again no words to say.

Properly speaking a public enterprise is established to do businesses hard to replace with private enterprises such as national infrastructure.

But in this end of the world, 19th century no way there is such a modern public enterprise concept. The East India Company is ambiguous to call a public enterprise and ambiguous to call a private enterprise.

This company like the symbol of inefficiency and bureaucracy does not use ships others all use and only uses <​East India Company exclusive form> ships.

Merchant ships but ships designed so can be used for military anytime in wartime, meaning that inefficient to operate as merchant ships in peacetime.

Even not directly building and holding those ships.

Once outsource and make ships.

Use the ships made like this by chartering, in one word renting. Of course the ship owners are former and current East India Company executives, and these people receive charter fees and put them in the pocket. Looks like idiots again.

“Once... will turn the ships Lee & Gladstone Company or Far East Company holds as much as possible for sepoy transport.”

“Okay.”

Of course receive charter fees. Not just receive but because unable to do the original commercial activities receive including that opportunity cost. Definitely.

“More?”

“Military provisions, clothing, bullets, gunpowder.”

“Fuck. Just say bring out all. Will receive with extra money double.”

Must send the army to Kamchatka but cannot just send. If not wanting to see the kids all becoming well-dried pollock of course must full set even cold weather equipment.

“Need more?”

“War experienced-”

“No way there is. Joseon.”

I injected a bit of nicotine into the head that heated up warmly and opened the mouth again.

“Because many beasts in Joseon hunters’ skills are also good.”

“Ah.”

“If can employ more additionally employ those guys and use as scouts and hunters. Because those guys will have much better combat power than looking for former Joseon army.”

If helped this much I did as much as to do.

“Perhaps must move the Joseon army too?”

“No. If doing that will obviously escalate.”

Daniel who was blankly looking up at the sky began to focus gradually.

“And this is to the end my guess... the government seems to dislike owing debt to Joseon.”

“Well right.”

The Hong Kong governor is also so, and others including Consul General Alcock are also so.

Unlike the preconception <​ferocious Anglo-Saxons anxious to nail the Union Jack everywhere in the world> we all know, the current British Empire cabinet seemed really uninterested in war and securing colonies. Right now a hole pierced in the wallet and suffering what kind of expansion this.

And Russia.

If Russia suddenly turns and comes down to Joseon dragging Cossack cavalry corps truly a headache from Britain’s position.

So somehow even playing blind man’s bluff... becomes the strategy.

Seems.

Gradually must ponder the timing to return to Britain.

If Joseon stabilizes and conviction that will roll well even without me stands, leave Joseon on auto hunt and gradually solidify political position in Britain.

Depending on who seizes Britain’s regime foreign policy might also change slyly anytime.

And the British Empire’s decision-making is not a thing this small country can overturn.

Once the Crimean War must end first.

Must end that well too.

To protect my rice bowl.

***

Unlike people in Joseon recalling Siberian huts, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky was absolutely not a shabby village.

The capital of Kamchatka.

The core strategic point of Russian Far East management.

As much as the practically only base connecting the home country and Russian Alaska Russians fortified this place in their own way, and the terrain is also truly a natural harbor itself.

Inside the land deeply indented in a 凹 shape is the Petropavlovsk port, and too naturally built batteries to drop fire thunder on the heads of enemies trying to enter inside this.

Moreover there are hills around the port and deployed batteries on those hills again, so in a way can evaluate the Anglo-French allied forces that stuck their heads there were rather more idiotic than the Russians.

But precisely because of that the Anglo-French allied forces also targeted this place.

Did not keep directly invading Alaska in mind at all.

Why? Because if doing that the crazy United States starving for land might crawl out sluggishly.

Therefore as a second best firmly occupy the Kamchatka area and isolate Alaska, and further snatch the Maritime Province extorted from Qing a while ago and return to Qing or castrate influence is their grand strategy.

For this must necessarily capture that place.

“Soldiers who swore loyalty to Her Majesty the Queen! To wash the previous dishonor and not be ashamed of our military flag must capture that fortress this time!”

The state of the Anglo-French allied forces was not very good even with empty words.

The number of those who died and were injured was not that many, but because the policy of immediately resuming the offensive again not long after fighting was dissatisfied.

“Still must give some time to properly recover-”

“If doing that the sea will freeze and become unable to go or come! If not now no time to attack!”

If the Russian army is reinforced during winter really becomes troublesome.

Therefore dragged even the natives whether soldiers or beggars.

Meanwhile, the Joseon sepoys who released vast silver coins and hastily recruited even northern hunters and inflated the size to nearly 4,000 were not even a fuss.

“U, seasick.”

“Was the sea wind such a blade-like thing?”

“Don’t whine! You are a sepoy who chose and came! Endure with evil and spirit!”

“Because Russia oppresses weak countries and makes a living of conquering with force the British Empire finally decided to rule those barbaric groups!”

“Remember! If not capturing that place 100,000 Russian cavalry might invade Joseon!”

Daniel who fully armed the whole body with fur coat and gloves, scarf slightly sipped brandy and shouted again.

“If we lose the war just return to the home country fine! But your hometown, and your wife and children will face those barbaric Russian army!

Remember! Those guys are Mongols! The descendants of the Mongol bastards who burned Goryeo in the old days are precisely Russians!”

Thanks to Daniel’s incitement and fabrication that newly made even others’ ancestors befitting a British person, Joseon people gradually began to raise fighting spirit.

Anyway received the advance payment.

Not just mercenaries but a fight to protect the motherland.

If going to fight better to do when the reliable backing British Empire is there?

“Disembark!! Disembark!!”

“All get down!”

“Move quickly! Who told to move so slowly!!”

The role of Joseon sepoys is meat shield.

The allied command that learned a lesson from the previous defeat instead of landing right in front of the port landed far away whether primeval forest or whatever and decided to walk by land and suppress the outer batteries.

Joseon sepoys take charge of precisely this battery suppression.

If successfully suppressing the batteries rush into the port once more.

If failing just withdraw as is fine.

Daniel and the Joseon sepoy officers were disgusted seeing this crazy plan that even themselves are abandoned if something happens but could not help it.

Why did this fuss happen?

“This me... jealous... bad bastards... watch...”

Because talked too much teeth as an unparalleled famous general and commander who films peerless 17:1 in novels. Openly said ‘you said you are that great? Then can do about this much?’ and got sidelined.

If lose it’s over.

The reputation accumulated until now disappears like bubble in an instant, and will not be able to return to the hometown again. The wife in the hometown waiting for him and his child whose face has not even been seen yet-

“Let’s go catch barbarians!! Follow me!!”

“Waaaa!”

As Daniel who came to lead the hunter unit, no, hunter militia shouted in clumsy Joseon language the soldiers oohed and responded.

The time of karma settlement approached.

Daniel’s eyes in front became dark!

© 명원 #1jwz2

Author's note

All examinees worked hard!