I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 238

Became the Genius of the French Royal Family – Episode 238: Invitation to Hell (238/355)

< Invitation to Hell >

London, the capital of the British Empire.

John Percival, the 2nd Earl of Egmont, an Irish nobleman, was a man blessed with sons.

Among them, his seventh son, Spencer Percival, was particularly outstanding.

A graduate of Cambridge’s Trinity College, an institution known for producing top talents.

A promising young man who, despite having started his legal career not long ago, entered Parliament in his early thirties.

Even though he was starting to bald a bit, his future was so secure that it wasn’t even considered a drawback.

Who is the next Prime Minister to succeed Pitt in the current ruling party?

Anyone with even a slight interest in politics would likely mention Spencer Percival’s name when asked this question.

However, the man himself was not entirely satisfied with his current situation.

“Frustrating, so frustrating…”

In reality, the war had already begun.

The armies led by Nelson and Wellesley were advancing towards Xinjiang [a region in Northwest China], so armed conflict was inevitable.

So, hadn’t he repeatedly said it?

That war was unavoidable, and policies should be implemented with this in mind.

However, until now, even his fellow party members had not supported his earnest advice.

‘How long has it been since the war with Qing [referring to the Qing Dynasty in China] ended that you’re already preparing for another war?’

‘If we follow your advice, wouldn’t the opposition accuse us of being warmongers? How would we refute that?’

‘Why don’t you start by sending your own children to the military as an example? That might make it a bit more persuasive.’

‘For now, the Prime Minister’s policy is to avoid war as much as possible, so we must follow that.’

“Idiots with nothing but shit in their heads.”

Recalling the numerous criticisms he had faced just a few months ago, he slammed his teacup on the table with a bang!

Calm down.

Eventually, time will prove him right.

Suppressing his anger, Percival once again read the headline of today’s “The Times” with his usual elegant gesture.

Surprisingly, the most concerning issue in London right now was not the recent Uyghur conflict.

Of course, in a few days, that issue would dominate all the headlines, but at least for now, it was different.

[Luddite riots escalating. Is this a rebellion of workers following the communist riots?]

[Large-scale participation of women activists. Increasing doubts about the government’s control.]

Although temporary measures had been taken last time, the conflict with the workers was not completely resolved.

Improving the working environment was a good thing.

However, the women’s movement had exploded, and women had begun to voice their opinions little by little, uniting with workers who had lost their jobs due to large-scale industrialization.

Coupled with the fact that the British economy could hardly be called booming, a terrible hybrid of mixed voices was born.

They claimed that jobs were not being created because of the developing machine civilization and raided factories.

They called themselves the Luddite movement [a movement of English textile workers and weavers who destroyed machinery in the 19th century as a form of protest], but wasn’t this just a riot to anyone?

The problem was that the current British economy was close to a recession, which was why these incidents were happening.

Why were women expressing their dissatisfaction?

To assert their rights, they needed to work and earn money, but it was difficult for them to do so.

The same was true for the workers.

Those who benefited from the improved working conditions were fine, but what about those who couldn’t find jobs?

People tend to look for the cause of their miserable reality in external factors.

Whether it’s others, society, or machines.

‘That’s why I said we should prepare for war.’

Pitt’s plan to make Qing a British market was not wrong.

Rather, he thought it was something that absolutely had to be pursued.

But that doesn’t mean it will happen as soon as you try.

There must be stepping stones to cross in the middle.

In that respect, Percival considered this Russian provocation to be a good thing.

“We can use the war boom to appease the workers as much as possible, and when the war is over, we can use this as an excuse to pressure Qing.”

Pitt must be envisioning this scenario as well.

He turned his attention to the news from France on the back page of “The Times.”

[France expresses concern over the expansion of the war]

‘Prime Minister Louis-Christian has reportedly called in the ambassadors of Russia, Britain, the Holy Roman Empire, and Spain to seek ways to mediate. The Prime Minister argued that a major war should never break out again on the European continent…’

Certainly, France seems to be taking this situation seriously.

Honestly, I didn’t expect the Holy Roman Empire and Spain to go this far.

Supporting the independence of Tibet and Yunnan is, in fact, merely lip service; what they want is the vast wealth and resources of Qing.

Until now, they had been pushed back by Britain and France, but they had now become stronger, and Qing had become weaker, so they must have judged that the opportunity had come.

Even better.

This was an excellent trend for the British Empire.

Now, we only need to climb two more steps.

Escalate this commotion into a large-scale war, not just a small-scale battle.

And limit the battlefield to Asia, not Europe.

It won’t be easy, but with the addition of some appropriate machinations, it’s entirely possible.

If only the Holy Roman Empire and Spain were making a fuss, it would be one thing, but even those who smelled the scent and crossed the Pacific like hyenas have joined in.

He would have to apologize to the young men who would die until his knees wore out, but it was something that had to be done for the future of Britain.

“Now, then, shall we listen to our Prime Minister’s opinion on how he intends to proceed?”

If he doesn’t handle this properly, he will lose all the support he has built up so far.

Then the next election might be a little difficult, but he has nothing to lose.

He can oust Pitt, reorganize the party around himself, and run in the election.

Honestly, he admits that the Prime Minister was a talented man, but he always gave way to the French Prime Minister.

For the future of Britain, we need a bold politician who won’t be outdone by the French Prime Minister.

Like himself.

※※※

The Uyghur front descends into chaos.

-The British Empire’s legions break through the borders of Xinjiang Province

The news that a full-scale war had broken out spread throughout Europe, and the two countries finally crossed the point of no return.

Of course, the two countries did not clash directly.

The British army defeated the weak Uyghur local forces and occupied the area, while Russia also announced daily victories, suppressing the invading Eight Banners army [referring to the military organization of the Qing dynasty].

“Britain’s siding with Qing is a clear act of tyranny and interference in internal affairs!”

Alexander I, gathering his ministers, roared triumphantly.

“What was the basis for Britain’s calling the Opium War, which anyone could see, a war of liberation! It was to liberate the ethnic minorities oppressed by Qing! So why are they attacking us, who are faithfully following that purpose!”

Because they are afraid! Afraid of the momentum of our empire, which is developing at a terrifying rate!

The gap between the national power of the two countries is narrowing!”

Although they had not actually fought the British army, it was not a lie that the Russian army was winning every battle.

The Russian imperial family spread news of victories every day, and the citizens firmly believed that they were winning a great victory and cheered.

“Oooooooo!”

“Let’s crush Britain!”

“Let’s support the army! For the Tsar!”

Yes. This is it.

Since he was the Crown Prince, he had wanted this position.

His predecessor, Catherine II, was an emperor who received much respect and praise, but he found it difficult to acknowledge his mother.

He knew she was an excellent person in terms of ability, but he didn’t know her well as a person.

Even he, the eldest son, felt that way, so how could others not?

But emperors are ultimately judged by their achievements, not their humanity.

If he spread the prestige of Russia throughout the world here, he would be evaluated as having surpassed his mother.

If you ask who is the greatest leader in Europe today, everyone will say the Prime Minister of France.

And the Prime Minister of Britain or the King of Prussia often ended up seeing blood trying to compete with France to overturn that assessment.

He doesn’t commit such foolish acts.

Why bother being greater than the Prime Minister of France?

The world is wide, and there are many places to conquer.

Even if he doesn’t clash with France and only takes second place, he can still build a sufficient achievement.

Alexander I’s plan was simple.

Even if they clashed head-on with Britain, they wouldn’t be easily pushed back.

In the meantime, if they lured Spain and the Holy Roman Empire to expand the front, Britain would not be able to continue pushing strongly.

Even if France tried to mediate, the war was taking place in Asia, so their movements would be slow.

If they pushed Britain out with numbers, the west of Qing would now become their world.

The Tsar’s nose, who had gathered all the ministers, soared so high that it pierced the sky.

“What did I say? I said that if we just attach some conditions to those guys, they will drool and rush in, right?”

“Yes! Your Majesty’s insight has been perfectly accurate!”

“The Spanish pigs are so blinded that they are dragging in as many warships as they can.”

“Yes, yes. The Holy Roman Empire guys will soon join us too. They won’t be able to send many troops, but the fact that reinforcements are coming will be a great pressure.”

The greedy pigs wanted the southwestern region of Qing in exchange for siding with Russia, but that could all be paid for as long as they won the war.

And what did Russia care whether Spain and the Holy Roman Empire ruled the southwest of Qing?

“Quickly decide the victory without giving France a chance to mediate. Tell the field commanders to start betting on the victory.”

“But what if France comes out strongly?”

“Comes out strongly? What, do you think they’re going to threaten us that if we don’t stop fighting, we might get hit? Prime Minister Christian is not that kind of person.”

Surely the most intellectual Prime Minister in Europe, who hates meaningless fights, would not use such coercive methods.

Everything was going as the Tsar wanted.

The ministers gathered in one place thought that they might really be serving the most outstanding Tsar since Peter the Great.

‘Are we really going to drive out Britain?’

‘If we only occupy Xinjiang, we can really try to aim for India?’

‘Is the Tsar really a genius?’

‘This is the majesty of the Third Rome!’

It seemed that only a little was left before the Russian Empire truly stood tall as Rome.

Exactly three days after burning that happy circuit.

“What, what, what is this! Why? What bait did those island bastards offer that made those guys suddenly go crazy?”

A chilling cold wind swept through the Peterhof Palace, which had been elated after winning the previous war.

“Minister of Foreign Affairs!”

“Yes!”

“Why did the Americans get involved? Weren’t the United States and Britain enemies?”

“That, that was certainly the case…”

“No, why did those guys, who were fighting and shedding blood over independence just decades ago, suddenly join hands! Moreover, wasn’t the United States allied with Spain!”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, facing the Tsar’s anger, could only stare intently at the floor, unable to open his mouth.

What could he do when he himself didn’t know the reason?

But no matter how much he denied reality, the urgent report that had come before his eyes was an unwavering fact.

He had to accept it.

Britain had offered such extraordinary conditions that it could move the United States, which had been like an enemy.

He didn’t know exactly what it was, though.

Alexander I sat down nervously and muttered in a low voice.

“Can we…can we win this? We can, right?”

Of course, there was no answer.

A war that had a good chance of winning had now turned into the entrance to a bottomless abyss where nothing could be seen.

Only one year after the end of the Opium War.

Britain and the United States formally declared war on Russia, the Holy Roman Empire, and Spain.