If someone asks "Which country holds the hegemony of East Asia?"
Throughout history, a hundred out of a hundred would answer Qing Dynasty, which holds China.
The Ming Dynasty that achieved the highest civilization renaissance before Qing. The numerous Chinese mainland countries before that golden age.
Those countries were all ones that reigned alone over Asia.
Today, a new challenger appears to this empire that for thousands of years despised all but themselves as barbarians.
Moreover, a challenger with black hair and black eyes, not the white-skinned blue-eyed ones from the West.
A fight between a civilization that has reigned as the world's largest continental empire and an emerging civilization that barely escaped colonial status to pursue Westernization.
The main struggle between the two countries takes place on a small peninsula jutting out at the continent's edge - Korea.
"When the respected General Saigo Takamori advocated Seikanron, I stood up to oppose... Yet now I'm advocating Seikanron."
"Prime Minister, do you regret that decision then?"
"I don't know. Just thought we only needed to overcome Qing then, but turns out an even bigger mountain existed behind."
Would Asia's hegemony really fall into their hands if they just overthrow Qing?
If they clear Qing's clouds from Korea, can the homeland, merely an island nation, advance to the continent?
'...Even overthrowing Qing won't make us Far East's hegemon immediately.'
Ito Hirobumi recalled his time serving as President of the House of Peers.
The incident three years ago when Imperial Household, Cabinet, and House of Peers all had to bow their heads with eyes red from fear.
Though consolation payments end this year, the aftermath still remains.
For the past 4 years, the cabinet had to tighten its belt due to consolation payments, military dissatisfaction nearly exploded over budget cuts, and taxes on subjects increased.
Nevertheless, those recalling that time all say the same thing.
That they overcame the crisis very wisely.
How servile to pat their chests in relief after giving half a year's budget to a country that might become an enemy anytime. What a cowardly appearance of the weak.
Though there's just one point of agreement - that the incident was cleanly resolved.
After Crown Prince Nikolai returned to Vladivostok, the Russian Empire spent 3 years like a quiet lake.
Thanks to that, the homeland doesn't hesitate to face Qing, so though shameful, the decision not to escalate the incident then was right in result.
"Never. Never again must such a thing happen."
This is not a war to gain Korea, but a war to protect Japan.
Before that fallen, panting Qing regains consciousness to harm the homeland.
The homeland just moved one step faster before those Russians build a railway longer than the Great Wall to come to Asia.
"With the palace and king secured, Korea can't move, and the Colonial Affairs Minister. What happened to that old man?"
"As soon as Legation Minister Sugimura Fukashi in Seoul guaranteed not to demand any Korean territory, he entered the palace right away."
"Funny to see that Daewongun character acting like a fox guarding a lion."
"What shall we do with him?"
"Use him as a puppet appropriately then discard him. Though he chose pro-Japanese due to circumstances, he's essentially anti-Japanese to the bone."
Though situations flowed quite urgently, the results aren't bad.
Just 3 days after Li Hongzhang dispatched troops to Korea, the Imperial General Headquarters was established and marched to Seoul.
When those Qing fellows without pride brought up negotiations, we immediately sent a severance letter to escalate the situation, while simultaneously signing the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation with Britain to secure support.
Perhaps we could be bold whenever choices and decisions were required because we've waited for this moment for decades.
"Seems preparations are complete now."
"Then..."
"Tell the Imperial Headquarters immediately. Annihilate the Qing forces in Asan and sink the Qing fleet in the sea."
With this, he becomes a great man who succeeded in continental advancement that even unification hero Toyotomi Hideyoshi couldn't achieve.
"Ah, and... Have that old fox killed."
"Ah, understood."
Already all the empire's glory seemed to shine on Ito himself.
==
After the Crimean War, Grandfather as Tsar attempted military control in quite a different way than now.
Though the military didn't particularly have sparks of rebellion then, befitting someone who valued reform and liberalism, he adopted a new method.
That was orders of merit.
Though orders existed before, they were just for merit, reward, and honor, nothing more.
Grandfather divided and detailed such monotonous order system into various levels.
And those detailed orders soon had tremendous influence on military promotions.
Even noble-born soldiers found it difficult to get stars without orders, naturally focusing military attention on the Imperial Household Ministry managing decorations.
'Father didn't care since he himself became the empire's military itself.'
Anyway, this truly fair order system that became basis for promotion.
"...Isn't it corruption?"
"No."
"Seems like it is."
"I said no."
Colonel Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko who received an order and entered promotion route by my direct order.
Separate from my order, Roman reformed basic military training of the imperial army while in staff position and proved its effectiveness by applying it to the 20th Infantry Regiment.
"Receiving the Order of St. Vladimir 4th Class under nobility law grants hereditary noble rights. And military officers with hereditary noble status..."
"Can become governors too. Like Baron Korf, the previous Far Eastern governor."
Roman Kondratenko, whom I finally dragged along on this journey, true to his innate nature, wasn't simply pleased with the order.
"I... didn't want this. None of my family did."
"Then wanted to rot in infantry regiment playing humble? Roman, I need you. Some may curse that you got promoted through the Crown Prince's unfair favoritism, but I need you enough not to care about such things."
"Why me specifically? I'm just a colonel."
"Loyalty, military ability, professional knowledge and promising talent. Reasons are various."
He doesn't seem very satisfied with the abstract answer, but anyway we've been having this tiresome conversation for a month already.
Though I vowed never to come directly again just 3 years ago, I ended up coming. By my own will at that.
The journey composed like quite a large delegation with excessive guard forces, aides following me, Imperial Household officials, and administrators from various departments, despite its size, quickly arrived at Khabarovsk, center of the Amur region.
"...Indeed could come early."
Covered the distance that took three and half months in just two months by hurrying maximally. Though largely influenced by implementing central continental railway section operation.
'But why is the atmosphere like this?'
Khabarovsk was located slightly north inland from Vladivostok port.
Meaning Qing border if you walk a bit left, and Korean territory appears if you walk down for two days.
As such, the Amur Military District Governor-General's Office and various Far Eastern administrative agencies were here.
And naturally given the location, the Governor-General's Office atmosphere that I expected would be sensitive to this incident was quite different from my expectations.
"Governor-General Sergei, is this all the troops?"
"Though we could increase forces by mobilizing security maintenance troops and reserves with conscription orders, regular army strength doesn't reach 10,000 even including the entire vicinity."
"...The Far Eastern Navy is under your command too?"
"Similarly, Far Eastern naval power alone cannot threaten the Japanese Empire."
"I understand why the atmosphere is defensive from the start."
"However, if you mobilize troops from the neighboring Irkutsk Military District too, the numbers would grow larger."
"Still..."
The first thing I checked immediately upon arrival was military strength.
Though gradually built up from before, it was difficult to expect large forces from this region that's mostly wasteland and undeveloped.
'Should I gather more even if it takes time?'
Persuasive power when talking with warring parties comes from military power.
To intervene, must raise military strength to raise voice.
In this era before even the Primorsky mercenary corps appears. Seems hard to intervene in others' war with just border troops.
This is just when Japan has begun showing its teeth. The three Siberian corps defending the Far East haven't even been created yet.
Even considering this has three times higher troops per population than the Warsaw Military District over in Europe, I can see previous governors through current Governor Sergei must have worked quite hard to strengthen forces.
"For now, Governor Sergei gather all troops you can within a month. Would like at least 30,000."
"...I'll try."
Still, Governor Sergei's following explanation was very cool-headed, though he may not have closed eyes and ears to the neighboring countries' war just to defend home.
"Japanese army movements over the past 3 months have been relentless. Gyeongbokgung Palace occupation, Korean neutralization, Pyongyang occupation, Battle of Yellow Sea. They're reaching unstoppably toward the continent."
"The exact battle with Qing?"
"Pyongyang fell mid-September with minimum 15,000 troops. However, seeing the battle didn't even last three days... They must have accepted one of three results - annihilation, capture, or escape."
"More unstoppable than expected."
Naval battles can be like that with clear power differences. Need ships to fight in the first place, right?
The Beiyang Fleet that Qing, unable to make even one domestic iron ship, built with money? Besides size, the ships all don't even reach second-class battleship level of the powers.
'Maybe if ships were properly loaded with shells.'
But that's naval battles, and it's quite surprising news they were swept away like insects in land battles too.
"If they were swept away even in defensive position at a fortress, it means the firepower difference was nonsensical from the start... Japan brought that level of firepower to Korean peninsula in short time?"
"Not only that. Advancement began right from the day after Pyongyang fell. The First Army forming the enemy's largest scale crossed the Yalu River toward South Manchuria and the Second Army headed toward Liaodong Peninsula."
"...So Japanese forces are right below here in Khabarovsk."
"Yes."
How many Japanese troops are in Korean peninsula? Probably didn't exceed 200,000 when compiling various information.
Meanwhile Qing should be able to immediately mobilize at least triple that but is losing.
'There must be qualitative difference too... Japan is hurrying.'
Refusing negotiations and accelerating war. Though seems like they want to end it, Russia is right above where they're fighting and Britain, America, Germany, France are closely watching current situation.
As if ready to step in anytime.
"...Current Japan is scary."
"With this momentum they could reach Beijing, what's scary?"
"Not Qing but us. More precisely, the numerous eyes watching them."
The moment they show any sign of falling behind, the powers judging Japan's limits revealed will intervene.
Perhaps with just one defeat, the war would end regardless of the belligerents' will.
'Even if they win, high chance of intervention.'
This era's Qing is the powers' feast and piggy bank. No country would like a new player barging in aggressively.
"This incident is one where we can neither fight on Qing's side, nor support Japan who's caused friction with us."
Participation and observation. Intervention and ignorance.
Originally Russia would probably have lurked around looking for leftovers after everything ended, having no troops to participate.
"Here's my thought. Those islanders probably have no interest in Qing territory. Though acting crazy advancing, they know in their hearts. That this is land they can't take no matter how much blood they shed."
"Then..."
"What else, it's all for Korea."
Can Japan advance into Qing and compete with the powers to take a piece of the pie?
'No. Even Britain who agreed to cooperate would turn their back.'
Then why exactly is Japan accelerating the war like this?
The answer can only be Korea.
Even if they can't make Korea completely Japan's in this war, they can at least knock away other countries' spoons.
However, I acknowledge they're pretending to seriously advance into Manchuria and looking ready to take the Yellow Sea and peninsula.
Even I who knows history thought for a moment 'Ssip, did history twist because of the consolation money?'
But clearly Japan still struggles to drive out the powers even from Korea, let alone Manchuria.
Because they're just upstart pseudo-powers that have just emerged trying to show presence, not yet recognized by any country that Korea is Japanese Empire territory.
"...Then seems plenty of room for persuasion."
"Your Highness, Japan won't listen to us."
"No, not there."
Again, telling those who are winning to stop would just make us look bad.
"Must persuade the losing one."
Rather than them, I think Qing who's being beaten badly while being ignored will lend ear to my words.