I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 208

Became the Genius of the French Royal Family 208 Trinity (208/355)

< Trinity >

Baron Frederick and the British team arrived in Paris swiftly, thanks to the railway France had developed.

“Is this the famous locomotive? It seems France has already commercialized it.”

“Traveling like this would make away games bearable, wouldn’t it? Riding in a carriage makes my back stiff…”

The experience of traveling between cities by train for the first time could be summed up in one word: ‘pleasant’.

The most surprising thing was that this locomotive wasn’t just for the elite.

The British delegation, stepping off the train, was taken aback by the enormous crowd bustling around the Paris station.

Countless people were leaving Paris for other cities, and others were arriving in Paris from other cities.

“Why are you so surprised? In a few years, we’ll have railways laid across the entire country and locomotives running everywhere.”

“Y-yes, you’re right, aren’t we? There’s no way we can’t do what the French are doing.”

“Of course, of course. As you said, the day we travel to away games by locomotive isn’t too far off.”

Baron Frederick tried to brush it off, but inside, he was shocked.

He had heard that France had commercialized the railway faster than them, but he never imagined it would be this advanced.

He wondered what confidence they had to gather players from all over Europe, but now he understood.

He had heard that even Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, which bordered France, had railways laid from their capitals to their borders with French assistance.

Thanks to this, many spectators from both countries were flocking to Paris.

The British citizens, who had recently become obsessed with soccer, were no different.

Once they crossed the English Channel, they could take a train straight to Paris, so a large number of supporters came to France to cheer on their team.

“So, this was also a scheme by the French.”

Not only Britain, but almost all the countries participating in this tournament sent diplomatic missions along with their national teams.

The national team’s games were merely a plausible front.

The real purpose was a subtle battle of national pride and diplomatic exchanges.

But now it seemed there was another purpose.

Prime Minister Pitt was right.

France was using this tournament to advertise its superiority and advancements to the world.

The world’s attention was focused on France more than ever before.

Not only diplomatic missions from various countries, but also the national teams of the most popular sport were all gathered in Paris.

The cheering squads, who came to support them, were enjoying sightseeing all over Paris while they were in a foreign country.

Naturally, news about France’s progress was spreading.

“The French Prime Minister is especially skilled in this kind of public relations…”

In any case, the enemy’s aim was clear, and there was plenty of room for a counterattack, depending on what they did.

The first thing to do was to bring the tournament championship back to the British Empire and make this festival a celebration for Britain, not France.

“The opening match was between the Holy Roman Empire and Prussia, right? They are the teams we might face, so let’s analyze their strengths.”

“Yes!”

Baron Frederick, leading the coaches and players, entered the stadium and was almost overwhelmed by the enormous number of spectators.

He never imagined that a sport where people just ran around kicking a ball would be so popular.

“Coach, which is known to be stronger, the Holy Roman Empire or Prussia?”

“Some of the Holy Roman Empire’s players have played in the French league. As far as I know, the coach is also French.”

“What? A national competition with a French coach?”

“Yes. The squad must be composed of their own citizens, but there’s no problem with using a foreign coach. So, they scouted him for a large sum of money.”

“They’re doing all sorts of things.”

How insecure must they be to bring in players and a coach from another league?

As expected, those guys who are neither holy nor Roman nor an empire have become nothing more than France’s lackeys.

“Come to think of it, they brought their crown prince from France, didn’t they? They could certainly bring in a coach.”

“That’s right, now that you mention it! Haha!”

The coaches and players laughed at Baron Frederick’s words.

As Britain mocked the Holy Roman Empire, the match began.

The coach, looking at the Prussian players’ formation, stroked his beard and exclaimed.

“That’s a 5-5 formation!”

“A 5-5 formation?”

What is that?

It sounds impressive.

“It’s the latest tactic we also use. It’s the optimal arrangement that perfectly divides offense and defense.”

“Ah~ It sounds plausible. So, you have players dedicated to offense and defense separately?”

“Yes. In modern soccer, it’s hard to win by just swarming around after the ball. A deep arrangement like chess is essential.”

“If they use such a modern tactic, Prussia’s level won’t be easy… But the Holy Roman side’s arrangement looks a bit strange?”

“That’s what I’m saying. It doesn’t seem to have any foundation. If you arrange the players in such a chaotic way, it won’t be properly focused…”

Even to Frederick’s untrained eyes, the Holy Roman Empire’s player arrangement looked weak.

They put four players at the top, two in the center, and another four at the bottom.

Even if they separated the top and bottom, why did they put players in the center?

Not only Britain, but most of the countries watching the match favored Prussia’s orthodox method.

The method adopted by the Holy Roman Empire was ultimately a trick.

Most tricks are just variations that exploit unexpected directions.

In the end, they are bound to be pushed back by the straightforward orthodox approach.

But strangely… the game went completely differently than expected.

“Goal! The Holy Roman Empire scores a sealing goal in just 40 minutes of the first half!”

“Wow! Those Prussian losers! Pack your bags and go home!”

The Holy Roman Empire’s cheering squad was ecstatic, waving their flags and shouting.

On the other hand, Prussia, unable to even touch the ball, was in complete despair.

The British team watched with stunned expressions, unable to hide their embarrassment.

“L-Lord Baron. Those guys are monsters… they’re not easy, are they?”

“U-um… they certainly look different.”

Even to the Baron, who knew little about soccer, they seemed to be on a different level.

Their physical condition didn’t seem that different, but the way they prevented the opponent from even catching the ball felt like watching magic.

In any case, we must not meet those guys.

“…I see. Those guys who are neither holy nor Roman nor an empire are now on the decline, so they must have gone all-in to do well in sports like soccer.”

“…Is that what it is?”

“So, first, we beat France and secure second place! We’ll do our best in the final, whether we win or lose…”

“O-oh!”

However, Baron Frederick suddenly remembered that the Holy Roman team had brought in players and a coach from France, and he felt a sense of unease.

Surely not…

No matter how strong France is, the maximum would be around the Holy Roman Empire’s level.

It must never happen, and it cannot happen, that we lose badly to France in a festival watched by the whole world.

As the world’s attention was focused, the showdown between France and Britain was approaching.

※※※

Lower your lips, Louis Christian.

I pinched my thigh to suppress the rising laughter as I watched the spectacle unfolding before my eyes.

I had anticipated it, but the level of soccer in other countries was even worse than expected.

“This… it’s a bit embarrassing to keep watching.”

“……”

I lowered my head as if I was sorry, watching the faces of British Ambassador Viscount Castlereagh and Baron Frederick sour in real time.

“As you know, once a game starts, it’s polite to do your best, no matter how big the difference in skill is. No matter how big the difference in skill is…”

“France… is very good at soccer.”

“We are the birthplace of soccer, after all. Hahaha!”

Britain, after seeing Prussia, which used the shocking 5-5 formation, get completely destroyed by the Holy Roman Empire, came up with a different strategy.

It was the so-called kick and run… no, long ball soccer, where they just kicked the ball and ran to score.

Of course, there was no systematic “kick and rush” [a tactic involving quickly moving the ball forward] used in modern soccer.

This was truly kick and run soccer in the truest sense of the word.

I never thought that the dark history of British soccer, which was ridiculed as ‘Long-ball’ [a derogatory term for a style of play focused on long passes], would be reproduced even in the 19th century.

“It’s only the 10th minute of the second half, and the score is 8 to 0…”

“To be blunt, this is natural. I feel a sense of guilt just playing a game against a team that doesn’t even have the concept of a *milieu terrain* (midfield) [the area of the field between the defense and offense].”

The coach of the professional league runner-up team, who was called in for the game commentary, shook his head and sighed deeply.

“Roughly speaking, the possession rate is 9 to 1. It wouldn’t be this bad even if we played against a second-division team. It’s a wonder it’s not 10 to 0.”

“Isn’t that because the British team is approaching with a fierce fighting spirit, determined not to lose to France?”

“The attempt to do something with mental strength alone already failed in our Ligue 1 [French professional league] in the first year… it’s literally a relic of the old era. Soccer is science and strategy. There is no room for mental strength to squeeze in. The reason why the British team is being beaten so badly is because they have no tactics and no skills.”

“Hmm, hmm. Coach, even if that’s the case, don’t hit them too hard with the facts, since there are British dignitaries here.”

Originally, there is nothing more humiliating than being confronted with harsh truths.

Especially for people who thought they were strong and ahead.

Baron Frederick, who had been staring at the stadium with a disgusted expression, suddenly spoke.

“But Prime Minister, France is using black people as players, isn’t that technically a foul?”

“A foul? Why?”

They can’t object to the referee’s decision because they’ve been overwhelmingly defeated, so now they’re trying to find fault with the squad composition?

“Originally, black people may be a bit slow-witted, but they are good at using their bodies. France’s second unit is famous for that.”

“There is no verified research that black people are particularly less intelligent… Anyway, the two black players playing on the field have both obtained French citizenship through legitimate procedures. They are actually quite popular in the club.”

“…Yes? The citizens are cheering for those black guys?”

“Of course. What’s important in this world is skill.”

Of course, this is half true and half false.

Even if the perception of black people has improved, the white people of mainland France did not regard them as equals.

Most white people regarded black people as objects to whom they should generously bestow grace.

So, no matter how great they performed, there was a limit to their popularity.

[Our team’s capable and pretty hunting dog that crushes the opposing team.]

That kind of image is ultimately the best.

But after this tournament, that will be a thing of the past.

Because they completely destroyed the British national team in the middle of Paris, of all places.

The heat and cheers pouring out for the black duo, who scored 6 goals in total, was proof of that.

“Ah, Lord Baron. By the way, did you know? The results of this tournament are being transmitted to every corner of the province through our latest telegraph system that France is proud of. So, news will arrive in about a day or two for distances like England or Spain.”

“…What?”

[England, defeated by France 10-0.] This news will reach London the day after tomorrow.

Is his brain frozen? This won’t do.

“Two days. I said the game results will be delivered to London in two days. 10 to 0.”

I indifferently glanced at the Baron collapsing and stood up to applaud the national team.

Good, good.

After all, there’s nothing like soccer for assimilation policy.

This is the trinity of cultural victory, technological victory, and ethnic integration.

< Trinity > End