Volume 1 Chapter 59: Remains

  After the failure of the Gabo Reform, the Gaehwadang members were subjected to bloody revenge by the court. Countless Gaehwadang members lost their heads. At that time, Hong Yeong-sik, the leader of the Gaehwadang, did not have time to escape and was captured by the court, where he was tortured to death.

  The imperial court was especially hateful towards Kim Ok-kyun and sentenced him to death, with his entire clan exterminated.

  Kim Ok-kyun fled to Japan, and the court could not catch him, so they arrested his adoptive father, biological father and family members, all of whom were put to death. Only his wife, Ryu Eun, and daughter, Kim Hwa, escaped with the help of Gaehwadang people to northern Korea. During their escape, the court pursued and killed them along the way, and the Gaehwadang people who escorted Ryu Eun and Kim Hwa were either beaten to death or lost contact. In the end, only Ryu Eun and Kim Hwa remained, escaping to Liaodong in Qing China, narrowly avoiding disaster.

  Liu Ying and Jin Shu lived in Liaodong under an assumed name for over a year, inquiring about news of Jin Yujun everywhere. However, Jin Yujun was a famous person in Korea but nobody knew him in the Qing Dynasty. The common people of the Qing Dynasty never dared to ask about state affairs, that's something that would get you beheaded! They were even less interested in knowing about Korean affairs. Mother and daughter couldn't find out any news about Jin Yujun, and the days passed like years.

  Kim Ok-gyun was originally a pro-Japanese faction, extremely admiring the Meiji Restoration of Japan, attempting to transplant the Meiji Restoration to Korea, thereby achieving Korea's thorough reform, enriching the country and strengthening its military. To this end, Kim Ok-gyun did not hesitate to rely on Japanese power, launching the Gapsin Coup.

  However, Kim Ok-gyun gradually discovered during his exile in Japan that the Japanese did not wish to see Korea become rich and powerful at all; their goal was to annex Korea and turn it into a colony of Japan. The Japanese were actually using the Kaehwadang members.

  Kim Ok-gyun was deeply disappointed. However, the Joseon court was extremely conservative and almost monolithic, making it impossible to reform Korea without external help. Kim Ok-gyun gave up his idea of relying on Japan and pinned his hopes on Qing China.

  For this, Jin Yujian secretly left Japan and came to Shanghai, preparing to meet Li Hongzhang for help.

  However, the trip to Shanghai became Jin Yujun's dead end!

  He was assassinated by North Korean agent Hong Jong-u in a US-leased area and his body was repatriated to North Korea.

  Liu Ying and Jin Xiu, who were stranded in Liaodong, knew nothing about this. They received fragmented news that Jin Yu-gwan had been escorted back to Joseon by the Qing Empire.

  So, the mother and daughter decided to hurry back to Korea to look for Kim Ok-yeon.

  It was then that the mother and daughter met Zhou Xianzhang in Jiulian City, and later followed Zhou Xianzhang's troops to cross the Yalu River and enter Fenghun Valley.

  Seoul Valley is the location of the Donghak Church's General Altar!

  Thirty years ago, Donghak was suppressed by the Joseon court and also brutally crushed. The followers of Donghak were massacred and had to go underground, with the second leader Choi Si-hyung leading the remaining followers into hiding in a place called Baekun Valley.

  Seoul Valley is located under the Dry Bone Peak, with high mountains and dense forests, desolate and uninhabited. Coupled with a terrifying folk legend, it scared the Korean people not to dare to step in half a step. So, this place became the hiding place of Donghak Sect.

  For thirty years, the Donghak followers settled down in the Seonnyeo Cave in the valley and grew to several thousand people. Under Chei's organization, the Donghak followers were highly disciplined and well-behaved, with thousands of people hiding in the mountain valley, while the surrounding villagers and government officials were completely unaware.

  This year, the Donghak Peasant Movement launched an uprising, and the order for the uprising was issued from Gwanbu Valley. The uprising swept across the entire Korean Peninsula, forcing the imperial court to sign the Jeonju Treaty, achieving success, and the imperial court finally recognized the Donghak religion and rehabilitated its founder, Choe Je-u. However, Choe Si-hyeong knew that the imperial court was extremely hostile towards the Donghak religion, and now recognizing it was just a tactical move; once the imperial court regained its strength, it would not be able to prevent another crackdown on the Donghak religion.

  So, Donghak publicly opened all branches distributed across the country, but the main altar located in Pongneung Valley remained absolutely confidential and was unknown to the authorities.

  Yesterday evening, Zhou Xuan Zhang led his team into the Sealed Soul Valley by mistake, giving the Dongxue Sect a big surprise.

  Thirty years ago, the imperial court suppressed Donghak teachings with the help of Qing troops.

  Now, the Qing army has actually invaded Fengling Valley, the old nest of Donghak!

  Donghak teachings did not dare to be careless, and sent out troops to closely monitor the Qing army's movements. The leader of Donghak, Choe Je-u, felt more and more uneasy, and gathered Han Eung-in, Park Jung-yang, Jeong Seon-nyeo, and No Ja-yeon to discuss the matter, but everyone was also at a loss, not knowing what these Qing troops were up to.

  Finally, Zheng Shina suggested that the 100-odd Qing soldiers be eliminated on the spot to eliminate future troubles. Anyway, regardless of the true intentions of the Qing soldiers, the Donghak teachings and the Qing soldiers have a vendetta! The founder of the Donghak teachings, Choe Je-u, was captured by the Qing army with the help of the government and eventually executed.

  Han Lengjun and Lu Wenjun expressed their consent, with only Park Chung-hoon dissenting.

  Park Jeong-yang believed that since Donghak and the court had signed the Jeonju Agreement, it was a legitimate organization recognized by the court. As Joseon was a vassal state of Qing China, if Donghak killed Qing soldiers, it would be equivalent to opposing the court again and rebelling once more. Moreover, it was Donghak that tore up the agreement, so it was in the wrong. Therefore, Qing China and the Joseon court could justifiably suppress Donghak with righteous words, and the people of Joseon would no longer support Donghak.

  Lu Wenjun disagreed with Zheng Shiying's approach, thinking that Fenghun Valley was isolated from the world and outsiders couldn't get in. Killing Qing soldiers here would be undetectable, and the imperial court wouldn't find out. Even if the imperial court discovered the disappearance of the Qing soldiers, they could blame it on the terrifying legend that everyone knew - that Fenghun Valley was haunted by fierce ghosts, where people went in but never came out.

  Lu Wenjun's words were recognized by most people. Cui Shiying finally made up his mind to get rid of this group of Qing soldiers.

  Donghak followers took advantage of the night and used anesthetic to knock out the Qing soldiers, dragging them into the Soul-Sealing Cave.

  However, they found that among these Qing soldiers, there were actually Jin Yujun's wife and daughter!

  Donghak and Kim Ok-gyun's Kaehwadang had different political views, but after Kim Ok-gyun was brutally murdered, he became a patriotic idol in the hearts of the Korean people, and Donghak followers revered him greatly.

  Choi Si-hyung did not dare to be slow and ordered his subordinates to entertain Ryu Eun and Kim Joo warmly.

  Choi Si-hyung learned from Kim Soo-mother and daughter that the destination of Joo Heon-chang's Qing army was not Seongnyeong Valley, but Yasan!

  As a result, the Donghak teachings had serious differences on how to deal with these Qing troops. The Donghak teachings were enemies of the Qing army, but this group of Qing soldiers did not come to fight against the Donghak teachings, but to fight against foreigners, and the Donghak teachings originally hated Japan. The Qing army fought against the Japanese, which was consistent with the idea of the Donghak teachings, and they also saved Kim Ok-gyun's wife and daughter!

  Choi Si-hyung was unable to make a decision, so he gathered all the followers in Seongnyeong Valley and held a public vote.

  After a chaotic referendum, Master Choi Si-hyung compromised with various opinions, and the result is what it is now. Choe Cheon-jang and two others left the valley to go to the Yanghwajin execution ground in Gyeongseong to retrieve Kim Ok-gyun's remains, leaving over 100 Qing soldiers as hostages.

  For Kim Gu's remains, Donghak is determined to get them back!

  Kim Yu-jeong may be dead, but in North Korea, his influence has reached its peak!

  The North Korean authorities regarded Kim Yu-kyeong as a treacherous and heinous villain, and even if they cut him into thousands of pieces, it would not be enough to vent their anger. They also wanted to hang Kim's remains in Yanghwajin for public display.

  However, among the people, ordinary citizens have a completely opposite view of Kim Ok-gyun! In the minds of the North Korean masses, Kim Ok-gyun is synonymous with fearlessness in the face of power and saving the country and its people.

  Many ordinary people secretly worship his memorial tablet at home and enjoy the incense.

  In fact, Jin Yuquan is a banner of folk resistance against the government, a banner of enriching the country and strengthening the people, and a banner of reforming and saving the country.

  In Korea, Gaehwapa people, Donghak followers, ordinary people and even all lower-ranking officials and scholars who were dissatisfied with the authorities regarded Kim Ok-gyun as their idol.

  It can be said that whoever gets Jin Yujun's remains and buries him will stand at the moral high ground, must gain the support of the Korean people, and thus emerge from this chaotic situation.

  The Donghak Peasant Revolution had achieved success, but this success was not thorough. The agreement with the governor only reached a temporary compromise, and the status of the Donghak religion was still unstable.

  Because Donghak rejected Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, in the eyes of scholars and most people, Donghak was a heresy.

  Donghak teachings want to gain the widest popular support, the most direct way is to pull up a relationship with Kim Ok-gyun.

  Now, Donghak has Kim Yoo-jeong's wife and daughter in hand, taking the initiative. If Donghak takes control of Kim Yoo-jeong's remains and gives him a grand funeral in its own name, it will surely gain high points among the Korean people!

  So, Donghak had long since set its sights on Kim Ok-gyun's remains.

  But getting the remains is extremely difficult.