I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 239

The Genius of the French Royal Family 239 Do What You Want (239/355)

Do What You Want

Long before the United States declared war on Russia and Spain.

The sense of crisis that William Pitt was feeling had long since passed the critical point.

Members of parliament like Percival were loudly proclaiming that the war should be seen as an opportunity, and he knew well what they meant by that.

But in the end, it was just the idle nonsense of someone who had never sat in a position where they had to take all the responsibility.

War is not that easy.

Especially if it’s not just a minor localized conflict, but a battle for supremacy against rising powers, Britain would inevitably have to accept losses.

If the battlefield were the sea, he was confident they would never lose, so be it.

But if they were to fight in Xinjiang [a region in Northwest China], the British Empire would have to give up one of its greatest strengths.

Of course, they still wouldn’t lose.

However, if they were to escalate the war as Percival suggested, there was a high possibility that they wouldn’t be able to handle it.

The problem isn’t winning or losing.

If such a great war were to break out, the social and economic repercussions would never go as planned.

Before becoming Prime Minister, Pitt had also thought like Percival.

From the perspective of a detached third party, it’s easy to fall into the illusion that you can control everything in the world.

‘Why can’t you do this when it can be done this way? Are you stupid?’

‘Why do you do economic policy that way when it should be done this way? Are you stupid?’

‘Labor policy will backfire if you do it that way, why do you do it? What did you learn at Cambridge?’

‘Why do you do diplomacy that way? Are you a pro-French bastard?’

‘Why are you so opposed to France, no matter what? Do you want to ruin Britain?’

The criticisms Pitt heard within exactly one year of becoming Prime Minister were mostly like that.

And surprisingly, he heard the exact same criticisms last week as well.

If you go to pubs or student gatherings, everyone is possessed by an expert and gives advice on policy.

Well, at first, he was so angry that steam came out of his head, but now he’s resigned.

Because when he thought about it, he remembered that he was like that when he was a student.

He became Prime Minister too quickly, but if he had been a member of parliament for a long time, he would have given all sorts of advice like Percival.

“In that respect, the President of the United States must be having a lot of trouble as well.”

“Haha, that’s right. The President sometimes sends me letters like that.”

A middle-aged man with a smoothly receding hairline from his forehead to the crown of his head chuckled and responded to Pitt’s words.

John Quincy Adams, the American ambassador to Britain.

He was not just a simple ambassador to Britain, but someone who was expected to become the President of the United States someday.

His relationship with James Madison, who succeeded Thomas Jefferson in extending his term in office, also seemed to be not too bad.

From Pitt’s point of view, who wanted to stay in power for another 20 years, he was someone who was good to befriend no matter what.

“The news of the recent growth of the United States continues to come across the Atlantic. The Democratic-Republican Party’s grip on power will not be shaken in the future.”

“It seems important not to make mistakes in governance. Of course, even if I say this, it won’t be very impressive to the Prime Minister, who has been in office for an unprecedented long time. It’s a bit embarrassing for a candle to boast of its brightness in front of the sun.”

“No, I’m learning a lot. No matter how long you do politics, there are always variables.”

“That’s right. For example, the conflict that’s currently taking place in Qing China [historical dynasty in China].”

Was he getting straight to the point without further ado?

Pitt also wanted this, so he pointed to the huge map of Qing that he had laid out on the table in advance.

“Russia says it supports the independence of Uyghur [Turkic ethnic group], but no one will fail to recognize that it’s just empty words. What they really want is to secure a firm foothold in Central Asia and, through this, exert influence over India in the long term.”

“Of course, we understand that as well. And Britain will never condone this act, will it? Are you going to wage war?”

“If Russia doesn’t back down, there’s no choice. However, it’s a bit concerning that Russia is an ally of France.”

No matter how much of a fancy scarecrow she may be, the Queen of France is a member of the Russian imperial family.

If France openly takes Russia’s side in this war, it was necessary to take out insurance in preparation.

“If such a thing were to happen, and you were to ask us to mediate, it would probably be possible.”

“No, I’m not particularly hoping for mediation. After all, isn’t your country also hoping to participate in this situation and make a big score?”

“Well… that’s…”

Although he hadn’t received any definite intelligence yet, Pitt was certain.

These guys will definitely intervene for some reason.

How could he be so sure?

Because these guys are ultimately the same British at their core.

When Britain was selling Indian opium to Qing, didn’t the United States obtain Turkish opium and sell it to Qing?

At the same time, Britain pretended to be an American merchant, and the American merchant pretended to be a British merchant, constantly selling each other out.

No matter how far apart they are across the Atlantic, their way of thinking and flow are the same.

At least in this aspect, he was certain that even France’s Christian could not catch up with him.

“Shall I guess? Wouldn’t the island of Taiwan be something that your country would drool over and try to take?”

“It’s a strategic point of great importance that allows us to enter Qing directly. If there’s any land we can occupy, that would be the most attractive place.”

The easiest place for the United States to contact is Japan, but France has already laid claim to that area, so it’s difficult to touch.

That being said, they would be upset if they were the only ones being ostracized while all the European powers were having a festival.

Adams seemed to know that his inner thoughts had already been exposed, and he didn’t bother to argue.

“So, what exactly does your country want?”

“We will recognize the United States’ control over Taiwan and do everything we can to help you. Furthermore, if you want, we will let you use the trade routes with Qing that we have prepared. So, please declare war on Russia along with us.”

“…No, even so, that’s…”

“Although Russia and the United States are allies of France, Russia and the United States are not allies in the first place, are they? And haven’t you already fallen out with Spain over the occupation of Mexico? There’s nothing more to gain by getting along with them anyway.”

“But France…”

Currently, pro-French public opinion in the United States was overwhelming.

Even though they helped with independence, it was on a different level than Spain.

France had always been the United States’ comrade in arms, whether it was when dividing up the northern territories of Mexico or during the Civil War.

If they were to break up with France, it was obvious that the ruling party would suffer a crushing defeat in the election at that moment.

Of course, they would never make such a foolish choice.

“Ah, we’re not asking you to break up with France. There’s no way the President would listen to us if we asked him to do that.”

“Ah~ So you’re saying we should crush Russia before France intervenes.”

“As expected of an ambassador. You understand right away.”

“However, even if we send troops, it won’t be of much help. Unless we dig a canal in Panama, the number of fleets that can cross the Pacific in the current situation is not that many…”

“The fact that you’re participating is important in itself.”

It was enough to make everyone aware that Britain had secured a reliable ally in this war.

Adams, who understood Pitt’s true intentions, looked down at the map for a moment and pondered.

If they could swallow Taiwan with this much fanfare and ride on Britain’s back to trade with Qing, it was definitely not a loss.

In particular, if this war were to be successfully concluded, Qing would inevitably become a vassal state dragged around by Britain.

“It’s an attractive offer, but I’m not sure if Congress will accept it.”

“If everything goes well, we will spare no effort in providing full support when you dig a canal in Panama in the future. Wouldn’t the United States Congress be able to understand this condition as well? For reference, Europe has already accumulated a lot of know-how while digging canals in Suez.”

“Oh! Then the story changes. I’ll give it a try.”

Adams didn’t know, but Pitt had heard from Christian before and knew it well.

The Panama Canal is much more difficult to start than the Suez Canal.

Even if they formally sign a treaty, it will take at least 50 years to a maximum of 100 years for a canal to be built in Panama anyway.

No matter how much they promise about that distant future, it will ultimately be empty talk.

Still, I’ll give you Taiwan, so I hope you don’t think badly of it.

The corners of Pitt’s mouth were slightly twitching as he personally signed the main points to be included in the agreement.

※※※

The movements of the Anglo-American allied forces were surprisingly fast.

A delicious smile hung on Napoleon’s lips as he read through the incoming reports.

“As expected of Wellesley. He’s ruthless.”

“I didn’t know that the British army was strong on land as well.”

“Most people overlook the fact that Britain is not ‘only’ strong in the navy, but ‘is’ strong in the navy. Most people probably thought like the Governor-General.”

Of course, the British army has not yet fought a battle with the Russian army.

However, in Napoleon’s view, the situation was definitely going in a direction favorable to Britain.

In the first place, any European country is far away from its home country here.

The side that can move smoothly locally has an absolute advantage.

In that respect, Britain has India, which it has put a lot of effort into for a long time, and has also drawn the Qing imperial family to its side.

Even if Qing has been reduced to a dying patient, what this means is quite significant.

“In the first place, the idea itself wasn’t bad, but it’s hard to give Russia’s movements a good score. If I had been in command, I would have aimed for a decisive piecemeal defeat before the British army entered Xinjiang.”

“It seems that the influence of the Russian Tsar is working quite strongly. Even someone like me knows that the Russian army is not moving as freely on the battlefield as one might think.”

“In that respect, our Prime Minister is a really great person.”

It’s natural to delegate full authority to the field, but Christian thoroughly adhered to this principle even when he was directly ruling.

If the Prime Minister had tried to exert influence on the military in a clumsy way, they would have had to accept far more losses in crushing Prussia.

“Speaking of which, Commander, I heard that you submitted a detailed report on this situation directly to the Prime Minister. I don’t think you had to write such a thing yourself.”

“The Prime Minister trusts me completely on matters related to the military. I thought it would be better for the Prime Minister to make a judgment if I reported directly.”

“You didn’t ask for anything else additionally, did you?”

“Hahahaha… Well, I just wrote down my personal judgment as the supreme commander in the field. Surely the Governor-General doesn’t think that the Prime Minister would make a wrong judgment because of a few lines I wrote, does he?”

“Of course… that’s what I mean. The Commander is right.”

Prime Minister Christian will surely make the best decision as always and lead them this time as well.

“Still, by now, it’s about time we heard from him… Ah, as the saying goes, speak of the devil.”

As they were talking, they suddenly felt the atmosphere outside becoming restless.

As expected, a messenger who had rushed in greeted Robespierre and handed a small piece of paper directly to Napoleon.

“Is this a message from the Prime Minister? It’s quite small.”

“So it is.”

Napoleon looked down at the tiny piece of paper and smiled as if he had the whole world.

Then, he turned the paper with two fingers so that Robespierre, who had a face that seemed like he was dying to know the contents, could see it.

“…Under the judgment that the operational proposal submitted by Napoleon Bonaparte is the best…”

Napoleon’s voice naturally overlapped with Robespierre’s voice as he read it out in a trembling voice.

“He is entrusted with full authority regarding this situation.”