Chapter 138
Chapter 138
The Blue House.
President Jo Wonhoon was rubbing his eyes after finishing his conversation with Yoo Chan-seok.
“The insolent brat. I thought he was just a madman who went around slicing up monsters.”
Most hunters were like that. There weren't many cases where they caused trouble while harboring their own hidden agendas.
And even if they did have an agenda, they didn't usually escalate things to this extent.
“He’s no ordinary bastard.”
He used his head well. Since he knew he couldn't move Korea with a mere suggestion to cooperate because he wanted to subjugate Gonsalok, he made it so Gonsalok would move first instead.
In this situation, Korea had no choice but to cooperate with the Headhunters' subjugation of Gonsalok.
“It's something that must be done, so I must do it.”
He didn't like the fact that a mere hunter was trying to shake the nation. However, one couldn't ruin a task out of mere unpleasantness.
At the very least, a president of a country ought to behave that way. In addition, while Jo Wonhoon was angry at the trick Yoo Chan-seok tried to pull, he quite liked the results that were expected to be derived from it.
That was why he ended it with just a simple warning to Yoo Chan-seok.
Jo Wonhoon, who was lost in thought while tapping on the table, picked up the receiver of one of the hotline telephones on the table and spoke.
“Put me through to General Secretary Li O-jun.”
At Jo Wonhoon's words, there was a momentary hint of hesitation from across the receiver, but an answer soon came back.
— Is it okay if I ask what the business is about?
“It's not okay. Just transfer the call.”
Even if it was a provisional government, he was the head of a state. Basic etiquette should be maintained, and usually, Jo Wonhoon was the type to show at least a minimum level of courtesy.
However, President Jo Wonhoon had no intention of showing such courtesy this time. After waiting for a moment, a voice was heard from the receiver.
Li O-jun. He was the man holding the position of General Secretary of the People's National Salvation Republican Party, which was performing the role of the Chinese provisional government.
— President Jo Wonhoon. What made you call so suddenly?
“General Secretary Li O-jun. Korean hunters are scheduled to subjugate Gonsalok in Beijing. Cooperate with us.”
The words were polite in form, but it was effectively a notification. There was silence for a while from across the receiver. Then, Li O-jun finally replied.
— Wait a minute, President Jo Wonhoon. Are you planning to just notify me of such an agenda over the phone?
“Then what, should I take a plane and fly over to that neighborhood?”
At Jo Wonhoon's reply, Li O-jun immediately shouted.
— Isn't that only natural! It's an Erosion Core in Beijing. Suddenly saying, 'Korean hunters are scheduled to subjugate Gonsalok, so cooperate,' without any prior contact or coordination!
“Are you yelling at me right now?”
At Jo Wonhoon's single sentence, the other side of the receiver immediately became quiet.
— No, that's not it. But isn't this the kind of matter that shouldn't be coordinated over a phone call?
“And why is there a reason we can't do it? We are both busy, aren't we?”
This was neither diplomacy nor negotiation. Jo Wonhoon hadn't contacted Li O-jun to do such things.
“About 30,000 hunters are scheduled to be mobilized for this subjugation. The Chinese provisional government should prepare the things necessary for support, such as transportation of supplies and materials, and lodging for the hunters.”
The Korean government had no intention of supporting those elements. They planned to make China handle all of it.
— 30,000? Wait a minute, it’s difficult for us to handle that number of hunters!
It wasn't about just preparing supplies and lodging for 30,000 people. It was providing for hunters. They couldn't be asked to stay in roughly built temporary houses, nor could they be given food like stale broken rice that had been stored for several years.
Proper lodging and supplies had to be provided.
— If we handle that entire number, the lives of the Chinese people will become even more difficult.
Jo Wonhoon gave a small snort. He was being ridiculous. It wasn't that the lives of the Chinese people would become difficult, but rather the lives of the party members belonging to the People's National Salvation Republican Party.
“General Secretary Li O-jun. Since when did you care so much about the people's lives? I didn't know you were such a patriot.”
President Jo Wonhoon already saw right through the things the provisional government with that fancy name was doing.
Even though the country had collapsed entirely, the figures belonging to the People's National Salvation Republican Party, including Li O-jun, were focusing more on filling their own bellies for now.
Re-establishing China was nothing more than a hollow slogan. Li O-jun and his gang, who seized power by taking advantage of the opportunity, had no interest in such a grand goal.
They were simply the type of people for whom filling their own bellies was enough.
— In any case, that is difficult. It is an impossible request.
“Of course, you are free to refuse. Since the Republic of Korea respects the sovereignty of neighboring countries as much as its own.”
At Jo Wonhoon's words, Li O-jun let out a sigh of relief for a moment.
“However, I will issue an order for all Korean hunters currently active in China, including Nanning City, to return.”
— What?! Wait a minute, is there even a justifiable reason to do that?
Jo Wonhoon answered simply.
“Information has come in that there is a high possibility that Gonsalok of Beijing will attack Korea. From the perspective of the Republic of Korea, protecting our own country comes first.”
If all the Korean hunters performing requests in China returned, a massive hole would be opened in the front lines that were currently protecting the Chinese provisional government.
At least Japan possessed its own hunters to some extent, even if their skills were somewhat lacking. But that was not the case for the Chinese provisional government.
They were entrusting the protection of their country almost entirely to Korean hunters.
If the hunters performing requests in China all withdrew, monsters would swarm in as if they had been waiting, and then the Chinese provisional government would be finished.
“Ah, if by any chance you have the intention to cooperate, I’d like to make this suggestion.”
— I’m listening.
Jo Wonhoon continued speaking in a soft tone.
“Korea will lend the Chinese provisional government the supplies to be used by the hunters to be dispatched. After the situation is concluded, you can repay the supplies provided by the Republic of Korea in Korean Won.”
He wasn't supporting them; he was lending to them. Furthermore, when they repaid it later, they had to pay in money. Of course, the supported supplies were all scheduled to be consumed by the Korean hunters.
— We are supporting the Korean supplies to be used by the Korean hunters, but you are telling the Chinese provisional government to handle the debt? Where in the world is such a deal….
“As I said, the Korean government respects the sovereignty of other countries. The choice is free.”
If he refused, all of Korea's hunters would withdraw from China. Most of the hunter company headquarters were in Korea and were receiving massive support.
There were few hunter companies in the world that could refuse the instructions of the Korean government.
“Ah, when you repay the borrowed supplies, the valuation of the supplies will be based on Chinese prices.”
Jo Wonhoon planned to impose a debt that the Chinese provisional government could never repay.
The price of daily necessities in China was incredible. Therefore, if the value of the supplies provided by the Republic of Korea was calculated based on Chinese prices, it would result in an unspeakable amount.
“Please persuade the Chinese people appropriately. Subjugating Gonsalok is one of the slogans of the People's National Salvation Republican Party anyway, isn't it?”
It wasn't even that difficult to package this agenda as an achievement.
Without mentioning the relevant consultation matters, they could just promote it as if the People's National Salvation Republican Party had persuaded Korea to start the subjugation of Gonsalok.
In any case, the Chinese people had no way of knowing about the conversation taking place right now.
— If, by any chance, we can't repay it all, what happens?
“You can pay with land. How should I put it? China has a lot of land. It won't even show if you slice off a little and hand it over to this side.”
Jo Wonhoon spoke while writing down on a piece of paper.
“Hebei, Shandong, and Jiangsu should be enough.”
— Then Shanghai and Beijing would be included….
Jo Wonhoon laughed, then answered again in a warm voice.
“There's no need to worry. When the appropriate time comes, if you have the intention to pay a reasonable price, we will return it after negotiation.”
Li O-jun couldn't help but be flabbergasted by Jo Wonhoon's words that he wouldn't just return it after a few years but would sell it back for money again.
This was a complete robber who just wasn't holding a gun. To this, Jo Wonhoon went a step further and said a ridiculous line.
“Isn't China a big country? Since the story currently being exchanged is also helpful to China, I hope you show a generous appearance befitting a big country.”
A big country? Li O-jun involuntarily scowled after hearing Jo Wonhoon's words. Even a fool would know which was the big country by looking at the flow of the conversation currently being exchanged.
He was eating everything there was to eat, pulling out everything there was to pull out, squeezing out everything there was to squeeze, and then saying, 'You're a great nation, aren't you? Just let it slide~.'
From Li O-jun's perspective, he felt disgusted, but that didn't mean he had the power to refuse.
“Ah, and you may use my statement just now for propaganda for the Chinese people.”
Korea called China a big country. It was a statement that could be used usefully to suppress the dissatisfaction of the Chinese people.
If they succeeded in subjugating Gonsalok, China would suddenly find itself sitting on a pile of debt. If they couldn't repay that debt, a large portion of China's prime land would fall into Korea's hands.
If such a situation occurred and the Chinese people began to burn up, they should use that credit to urgently put out the fire.
— Understood. President Jo Wonhoon. I’ll accept the proposal.
“Good. Then we will prepare and send the details.”
Even if he received the details, the only thing he could do in China was sign on top of them. Since Jo Wonhoon had no intention of changing a single clause, and Li O-jun also knew that fact.
After finishing the call, Li O-jun couldn't overcome his anger and smashed a high quality porcelain piece that was decorating an ebony table.
“This son of a bitch!”
Li O-jun gasped while looking at the smashed porcelain, and the moment he was about to burst out the door, the ringing sound from the phone echoed once again.
It was a contact from President Jo Wonhoon.
The expression of Li O-jun, who was talking with Jo Wonhoon with a hardened face, brightened up significantly.
“Yes, yes? Ah… I see. Understood. Sounds good.”
The reason Jo Wonhoon called back wasn't because of an incredibly important matter. It was just to say that he would provide a generous amount of private profit in exchange for cooperating with this matter.
Li O-jun, who had been unable to hold back his anger until just a moment ago, was now unable to hold back his joy. He was promised an amount of money that could build 30 or 40 buildings in Korea.
Considering the size of the land that would be handed over to Korea in exchange for that private interest, it was a transaction on a similar level to when France sold Louisiana to the United States in the past.
No, the Louisiana Purchase at least had the reason of handing it over to the U.S. rather than the U.K. because they couldn't protect it anyway. The current transaction was even worse in quality than that.
— And, just in case the subjugation of Gonsalok fails, the supplies lent by the Republic of Korea government will be replaced by transferring some of the mines in Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang provinces.
For a moment, Li O-jun flinched. The word 'some' was just a word, and in reality, there was no way to know how many mines Korea intended to take.
“Let's do that.”
But that worry was only momentary.
'China is ruined anyway.'
One shouldn't linger on the sinking Titanic. Li O-jun justified himself while having such thoughts.
The important thing for now was not to miss this opportunity he had grasped.
As he approached the window, the slums spread out below the high-rise buildings could be seen.
“I can't live squeezed among those who live by boiling dried powder of food waste as if it were food.”
Li O-jun muttered that and turned his gaze to the side. He had no regrets for a ruined country. While comforting himself like that, Li O-jun was further accelerating the downfall of his motherland.