Korea, a country sandwiched between the thousand-year-old Qing Dynasty and the emerging empire of Japan, can be described as a difficult country. During the pre-Ming period, Korea was invaded by Japan, and it was the reinforcements of the former Ming army that kept Korea. But the current and tomorrow are getting weaker, and after the rise of the Later Jin, it is only that the former Ming was too busy to take care of himself, and North Korea was looted by the Later Jin twice. Now Korea was once again invaded by Japan, and the Qing Dynasty again sent reinforcements to Korea. The Qing army, which had been defeated for thousands of miles, once lost the whole of Korea, but under the leadership of the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, it counterattacked again. It's just that when Japan was no longer able to resist, the Qing army stopped abruptly on the side of the Han River.

Seoul, the capital of North Korea. The central city that was supposed to rule the whole of Korea was in an extremely embarrassing position because of the-for-tat confrontation between the Qing and Japan. In the Qing-occupied zone north of the Han River, local officials are still Koreans. Although the Qing did not send any officials to this area, the advisers sent from the Qing were the de facto leaders. It is gratifying to note that the decrees promulgated by Joseon in the early years were not repealed because of the actual rule of the Qing people, and from time to time officials from the north sent personnel to cross the Han River to report to Seoul, although they were all informative government affairs, which also showed a political posture of the Qing state -- Korea was the DPRK of the Koreans. Not only that, but the Korean people in the north have also established three Korean divisions with the support of the Qing state, which are being drilled day and night.

What the Qing did was a world of difference compared to aggressive Japan. Today's Japan, after compensating the Qing Dynasty for the sky-high war reparations, has put on a posture of wanting to earn back from Korea. Not only did they exploit southern Korea more and more harshly, but even the appointment of local officials was left to the mercy of the Japanese. At the beginning of this year, the Japanese also tried to use the Joseon royal family to make a statement to expel the Qing power, although the whole of Seoul was under the control of the Japanese, but was politely rejected by the de facto rulers of Korea, Concubine Min and Yu.

The ambitions of the Japanese towards Korea can be described by an old Chinese saying, that is, Sima Zhao's heart is well known to passers-by. Both Concubine Min and the King of Joseon, Yi Hee, were consistent on this point, and unlike Li Hee's loyalty to the Qing Dynasty, Concubine Min also set her hopes in another place - Russia. This also led to two incidents of secret treaties between the DPRK and Russia. She said: "The Japanese and the Min clan are at odds with each other, that is, they lose some land to other countries. We also want to take revenge on Japan. Russia is a world power, Japan cannot be compared, and there are conditions to protect the monarchy, which can be relied on. "For the Qing Kingdom. She also said: "If the Great Qing Halal has the intention to help Korea, then the Qing army should not stay on the Han River, but should help Korea expel all the Japanese." ”

Li Xi can't refute this sentence, although he is a king, he does not have his own power. When he was a child, he was like a puppet when his father's courtyard Jun Li Yuying was in power, and then he was controlled by his wife Concubine Min. Although he has no ability, he is not willing to be a puppet. When the rise of the Guangxu Emperor of the Qing Dynasty like a scorching sun by the Liao River gave him hope, after contact with the secret envoys of the Qing Emperor, he decided to follow the example of the Emperor of Shangguo and ask for the puppet road. The king is the king, and no matter how powerful the king is, there are always a few loyal people, and a man named Hong Zhongyu crossed the Han River with Li Xi's warrant. became the commander of three Korean divisions. When the news of Guangxu being placed under house arrest again did not dispel his desire to rise up, he thought that since Guangxu had not completely eliminated the Empress Dowager's party, since he had transferred all his personal soldiers out of the capital, this was the way to seek death. He thought that he would not reverse this mistake, but without the Qing State starting a war against Japan, how could he transfer his three divisions to Seoul? He didn't think about it. However, he still ordered the Korean division stationed in Pyongyang to go south to the Han River through the channels of the Qing State. The army is still on a safe side. So, on April 10, the third North Korean division stationed in Pyongyang began to move south.

Of course, these things can't be known by Concubine Min, but the mobilization of the army can't be hidden from others. Originally, the 7th Division of the Qing Army and a division of the DPRK were stationed on the Han River, but after the Qing Army was dismantled, another Korean division was transferred to garrison the Han River. Now the third Korean division has suddenly moved south without any external changes, which puzzles the Japanese. The Japanese think. The Korean division marched south on the orders of the Qing state, which in turn did so to deal with Japan. And the reason is that Japan's attempt to expel the Qing state in the name of the Korean royal family was known to the Qing people. It was also because of the southward movement of this Korean division that the Japanese government accelerated negotiations with Russia, and finally signed the "Japan-Russia Secret Treaty" at the end of April. Now it's time to implement.

Unlike the streets of Seoul, which are usually full of Japanese soldiers, the number of Japanese soldiers patrolling the streets of Seoul has decreased significantly in the past half month. It is said that it was to defend against the possible attack of the Qing army, and it was deployed to the north. Even at the gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the always heavily guarded Korean royal palace, the Japanese army did not have a dense sentry post on the nearby streets as in the past, and apart from sporadic patrols, there were hardly any Japanese soldiers.

The Korean royal family was informed of this Japanese military move. Half a month ago, Japanese Minister to the DPRK Miura Wulou met with Okamoto Yanosuke, an adviser to the DPRK Palace. He made a special trip to the Joseon royal palace and conveyed the attitude of the Japanese government to the Joseon king and Concubine Min. In view of the current abnormal movement of the Qing army, the Japanese side must also make corresponding arrangements. It was necessary not only to assemble the Japanese troops scattered throughout Korea, but also to transfer troops from within Japan to Korea. The Qing side has repeatedly conveyed through Hong Qixun the reminder that Dayuanjun is about to carry out a coup d'état, and Concubine Min is also willing to believe that in her opinion, not only Dayuanjun does not have the strength to do this at all, but the Japanese side does not dare to openly support such an action, and the purpose of Qingguo is actually similar to that of Japan, which is nothing more than hoping that the Korean royal family will openly show its attitude towards Qingguo. Korea has always been a small country, sandwiched between Qing and Japan, and it is unrealistic to take sides in the current situation. Therefore, although Concubine Min is emotionally inclined to Qingguo, her attitude towards the future fate of Korea is still quite cautious and clear, that is, to wait and see how things change while maintaining normal diplomatic contacts with both Qingguo and Japan.

Japan and the Qing Kingdom, the two empires of the old and the new, fought on the soil of Korea in order to prove their strength. Once upon a time, the white devil was still a story in a fairy tale. Once upon a time, the iron ships emitting black smoke from the sea were far away. Nowadays, these devils are no longer a distant fantasy, but today they have all become reality one by one. Even China, which used to show its great power bearing with a reward, has begun to stretch out its hands to North Korea to ask for it. The sky over Gyeongbokgung Palace is still so blue, but it's no longer the North Korean sky.

"Your Highness, the Qing side sent news again today. He said that Japan would launch a coup d'état in the next few days in the name of the Emperor. The primary purpose is to kill His Highness. The Qing Kingdom hopes that His Royal Highness can leave the palace to take refuge temporarily. Hong Qixun, the captain of the Korean royal palace guard, reported to Concubine Min, who was looking at the sky in a trance.

The rumor that the Japanese wanted to take her life Concubine Min had already known earlier, but this must have been just a rumor. The feud between Concubine Min and the Japanese is well known, and it is not uncommon for such rumors to exist, so she didn't care about it. Now the Qing people are so clear. I can't help but guard against it. So Concubine Min turned her head to look at her close minister Zheng Bingxia, and the immediate meaning was to ask him if he should go out of the palace to hide.

Zheng Bingxia replied: "The Japanese soldiers have entered the palace, and they want to bow down to protect the saint, and the ministers have already figured it out, and there is no doubt about it. ”

Concubine Min nodded, ignoring Hong Qixun's dissuasion, and went to Kunning Pavilion, where she lived. Finally, he put down a sentence: "Go and inform the king, please rest assured." ”

Qing Guo will naturally inform Li Xi of such important news, but Li Xi knows more news than Concubine Min: A Qing army has been secretly stationed in the northeast of Seoul, and if the situation changes, please move the Qing army to facilitate the protection. At the same time, he said one more sentence: In order to rejuvenate the royal power, the king should give up ordinary people.

The Qing army was ready to deal with the sudden change in Korea. The Japanese side, on the other hand, is checking the plan of the operation for the last time.

Inoue Xin silently looked at the people in front of her, but her expression was extremely fierce: "North Korea plays a vital role in the decision of the future fate of the empire. The reason why the empire chose your Xuanyang Society to complete such a mission is because the emperor ** team cannot participate. The vast majority of you are fluent in Korean and do not associate it with the Empire. But looking at the way you look now, you can't wait to put the logo of the Genyosha on your chest. Baga, do you want the world to know that this matter was secretly manipulated by the Empire? ”

Okamoto Yanosuke and Hagiwara Shujiro hurriedly changed out of their Japanese clothes and changed into Korean clothes.

"Damn the North Korean Dayuanjun, he just wants to hide in his villa. Will he only appear until the empire puts Korea on a plate and then serves it to him? Inoue Xin said hatefully: "When you move, you must bring Dayuan-kun, and you must also let all the North Koreans see it." The coup d'état was carried out by Daewonjun, so that the matter was an internal affair of North Korea, so that it would be inconvenient for Western countries to intervene directly. In addition, the embassies of Western countries should also be monitored tightly, understand? ”

In several low-rise bungalows in the northeast corner of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, Song Ning, who was dressed in Korean costumes, frowned and looked out of the house with an anxious expression. The fight for a possible coup d'état in Korea had already begun as early as the victory in the Battle of the Liao River. Japan, which thought they would be impatient, did not do it immediately, which gave them the time and space to make careful arrangements. It's been more than a year now. He is more confident that he will complete this task. Behind him, there were also several young people with the same anxious faces, standing silently aside.

The door of the concealed room was pushed open, and Song Ning asked anxiously after seeing the comer: "Everyone has arranged it, and the news from your side can't be out of the basket." ”

The young man who had just entered the door said, "Don't worry, the inside line on the side of the courtyard has been confirmed." The Japanese will start a coup d'état tonight. ”

"That's good." Song Ning put his mind at ease and said: "According to the information we have before, it is very likely that the Japanese will attack from the front of Gyeongbokgung Palace, and at the same time, it is not ruled out that there are insiders of the Korean royal family as internal responses." The Korean royal guards are very weakly armed, so I estimate that the Korean royal guards will resist for an hour at most, and Gyeongbokgung Palace will most likely be occupied by the Japanese. The map of the Seoul Royal Palace is already familiar to everyone, but we have to fight hard with the Japanese. Once the Japanese invade Gyeongbokgung, we will not only set fire to the vicinity of Gyeongbokgung Palace, but also set fire to the Japanese diaspora, disrupt the situation to contain the Japanese forces, and then retreat as originally planned. Remember, even if we are the last man left, we must safely withdraw the king and the prince of Joseon north of the Han River. ”

By this afternoon, it had become clear that the Japanese would carry out a coup d'état tonight. Although Hong Qixun immediately reported the matter to Concubine Min. However, neither Concubine Min nor he believed that such a thing would happen. Thaksin believes that both the Qing and Japan are not worth it, and although everyone has a much more favorable opinion of the Qing than Japan, in such a complicated situation, the DPRK must keep enough sobriety and reason to gain its rightful position between the two great powers. Just like Siam in the South Seas. But Hong Qixun did not take it lightly, and he ordered the entire Joseon royal guard to be on strict alert, and strengthened patrols and guards throughout Gyeongbokgung Palace. In order to prevent accidents, he also specially transferred a squadron of troops to defend the Jiaotai Palace, where the king and His Royal Highness Concubine Min were resting. Led by himself and the palace minister Li Gengzhi to protect the safety of the king and Concubine Min.

The night was getting deeper and deeper, and Hong Qixun was personally on duty in the Jiaotai Hall until 12 o'clock. As the wee hours of the morning approached, and the entire Gyeongbokgung Palace and Seoul were immersed in quiet darkness, he was able to relax a little. Before he could stretch his waist, gunshots rang out outside the palace......

The Japanese are ferocious, and even though they are dressed in Korean costumes, Hong Qixun can still recognize the brutes. They rushed into the king's palace and killed anyone they saw. Hong Qixun led the guards to resist desperately, but he still couldn't resist the Japanese who had the advantage of weapons. The Japanese who captured Gyeongbokgung Palace immediately divided their troops into two directions, all the way to the Qiancheong Palace to capture the king of Joseon, and they had already brought the "Edict on the Queen's Abolition" to force him to sign it. All the way to Kunning Pavilion and search for Concubine Min everywhere.

The Japanese who attacked the Qianqing Palace not only failed to find the king of Joseon, but also the prince Li Kun (zhi), no matter how many people they killed. And Okamoto Yanosuke, who attacked Kunning Pavilion, went very smoothly and found Concubine Min dressed as a palace maid. Now the queen of North Korea is moaning under him, Okamoto Yanosuke is just a lowly ronin, if the queen can only be humiliated under him, the impact of his heart and the pleasure from the lower body made him cry out loud. At the moment when he rushed to the apex of excitement, a "bang" sounded, and a white light flashed in front of his eyes. In just a moment, the white light flashed a few more times.

He hurriedly climbed down from the queen's body, and immediately ordered, regardless of his whole body: "Catch the one who took the picture." ”

In the camp of the Qing army on the north bank of the Liao River. Chen Zhenhua anxiously paced back and forth, preparing the North Korean plan for more than a year, and the success or failure was tonight. It was related to the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty, so that he, who was already the director of the Northeast Asia Bureau, put down other affairs and went to North Korea to take command. Seoul in the distance is already on fire, and the whole plan has entered the most critical moment.

The sky gradually brightened, and a fast horse galloped on the mountain road to the west: "Tell your lordship, the king of Joseon and his son have crossed the Han River and are coming to the camp under the protection of our army. Only three of the other four cameras returned. ”

Chen Zhenhua breathed a sigh of relief and also got on the horse to meet him. The Han River was still not safe, and as soon as the Japanese discovered the camera, they would understand that there was a Qing state in it, and they might immediately attack the Han River in an attempt to capture the Korean king and save the situation. So he was going to immediately send the king of North Korea to Pyongyang. As for the Qianqing Palace, looking at the camera on the ground is roaring. It's not his concern anymore.

In the twenty-second year of Guangxu, on May 16, 1896, when the gunfire of the Joseon palace was silenced, the king of the Joseon Dayuan ordered the world to start regency. That is, in the early morning of that day, a group of Russian soldiers crossed the frozen Heilongjiang River and set foot on the territory of the Shangqing State.