Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Born in 1873, a former Ganghwa garrison commander, a Christian who once even tried to raise a militia himself - Major General Lee Dong-hwi didn’t intend to overthrow the country just from hearing Yi Wan-yong’s words.

’First, let’s assess the situation. Then gather people, unite our intentions, and try negotiations.’

Even acting without orders as a soldier was already crushing his beliefs, but Lee Dong-hwi was that desperate. It seemed impossible that the government would take care of the veterans any other way.

However, Myeong-bok, who died this January, hadn’t just been idly sending troops.

Gojong, who lived his whole life having power snatched away here and there, became incredibly good at looking after his own safety towards the end of his life.

"...The Imperial Guard’s wages were raised?"

"Not just the Imperial Guard. Everyone in Hanseong except the garrisons guarding the eight provinces got raises."

"They didn’t even participate in the war!"

"That’s exactly it. The Imperial Guard is now all former Intelligence Bureau members and Military Ministry officers - the intention is obvious. They won’t repeat the mistake of the Imo year."

Before the war ended, Gojong worried about veterans rebelling and chose to drastically raise only the wages of those defending Hanseong as a countermeasure.

"Trying to hide the sky with your palm! The guys who stayed warm and well-fed in the rear are eating up our blood money?"

"How many Imperial Guards are there anyway! They just stole money from the garrison troops and veterans!"

"Was Imo the only uprising? Who stopped the Donghak Peasant Revolution? The Hanseong bastards were just twiddling their thumbs then!"

However, if there was something that even Myeong-bok, in his 52nd year of reign and incredibly sensitive to power and threats, didn’t know...

"Start with the armory! We’ll occupy the local government offices after!"

"Huh? Stop us? Can you stop all of us? There are over a hundred just in this county!"

First was that the number of veterans was not small.

"Heheh, hey kid, you’ll hurt your shoulder. Put down that gun. No barbed wire, no land mines laid - you’re trying to stop us?"

"Sigh, no machine gun nests either. Who built these fortifications? If these were trenches, I’d have smashed them with my rifle butt right away."

"By the way, have you guys ever even fired those?" Experience new tales on freewebnovel

Second was that they had returned as elite veterans incomparable to the former training garrison soldiers.

Looking at Korea’s history of civil and military rebellions, unlike revolts with clear political focal points, they tended to spread gradually.

Usually, some leaders would rise up after reaching their limit, then other regions or forces would join in. And the central government watching this process would choose a solution, whether negotiation or suppression.

However, this time the atmosphere was different.

Gradual progression?

"What was your rank when you were on the Eastern Front?"

"Retired as Lieutenant, sir!"

"Okay, start with fortification construction right away. Occupy the roads but absolutely don’t touch civilians!"

"Yes sir!"

For those who had been walking battlefields with guns until just recently, speed was life.

Suppression or negotiation?

"Bring the money, the money!"

"You fucking bastards! You don’t have money to give us anyway? Fine, we won’t stop either!"

"If someone has to die, it should just be me - what crime did my innocent family commit when they didn’t even go to war!"

For those who had accumulated 4 years of anger, there was no room for negotiation.

The biggest problem was that suppression didn’t seem possible either.

Of course, the government, which had somewhat grasped the concept of a ’cabinet system’ after the Gabo Reforms, didn’t just wait for imperial orders.

"W-we weren’t just sitting around! With the money you earned, we built roads, constructed hospitals, connected railway stations-"

"And expanded the palace too? Do we look like suckers?"

"You conscienceless bastards! Did we ask for pensions like the British? Did we ask for jobs? We just want the allowance the Russian Tsar gave!"

They tried approaching first to resolve things through dialogue, but to the soldiers who had already taken up arms, it was no different from dogs barking.

Even the Imperial Household ministers felt somewhat wronged.

Palace expansion? His late Majesty ordered expansion saying an empire needed dignity in its palace.

Actually, since the last expansion was during the 1867 Gyeongbok Palace construction, it was truly an appropriate time for maintenance and expansion.

Participation allowances? They recruited so many in such a short time that the administrative system couldn’t handle it, and the current Korean Empire’s administrative capacity wasn’t sufficient to deliver currency from Russia to every veteran’s home.

However, when these high officials expressed their grievances, parliament stepped in to refute point by point.

"This isn’t the Imperial Household’s responsibility? The Finance Ministry is incompetent, but who stole their tax collection rights and ginseng monopoly?"

"On top of that, the Imperial Household took the nationwide mining rights from the Agriculture, Commerce and Industry Ministry and made them state-owned, and even monopolized currency minting profits for the imperial family!"

"Parliament was a puppet, but the State Council was just a bunch of lackeys!"

"So all this responsibility lies with the imperial family!"

In the end, it was claiming that all this was the responsibility of the imperial family and pro-royal faction who managed finances recklessly and hindered national development while protecting the imperial household.

If the military rebellion demanded money from them, parliament questioned the crime of the imperial family and Imperial Household Ministry doing nothing despite monopolizing all power and tax revenue.

While voices grew louder, no one properly resolved the situation.

Yi Wan-yong, watching how the situation progressed, didn’t forget that this heat needed to be well controlled.

’It hasn’t been long since Myeong-bok died. If sympathy arises and the new emperor tries to follow his predecessor’s path, public sentiment could flip at any time.’

Yi Wan-yong’s goal was different from Lee Dong-hwi’s from the start.

His purpose wasn’t to put unpaid wages in those soldiers’ hands, but to put guns in them.

Meanwhile, those occupying the provinces began slowly moving up to Hanyang.