I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 257

Unless one possesses telepathy, it’s impossible to perfectly grasp the psychology of the various nations who have come here.

Frankly, the current situation has diverged so much from the original history that relying on my knowledge is dangerous.

Joseon, which should have remained a Confucian holdout for decades to come, is trying to adopt *Dongdo Seogi* [Eastern Ways and Western Technology], and the Ryukyu Kingdom, which should have lasted for another 70 years, is facing an existential crisis.

“Therefore, Your Majesty, our Shogun wishes to remain a close friend of France in the future. In fact, wouldn’t the existence of a reliable ally be essential for France to continue expanding its power in Asia?”

“And that would be you?”

“Yes! As Kondo, who is currently in Paris, has already mentioned, we believe that the Great Empire of France is the protagonist that will lead the world in the future. Therefore, our Shogun’s sincere desire is to lend a hand from the side.”

I’ve felt it before, but this Kato guy’s flattery skills are quite impressive.

Kondo shouted about the Great Empire of France in Paris, stimulating the national pride of the French quite a bit. Was that a slogan being pushed at the national level?

In fact, I know that there was quite a bit of anti-Western sentiment in Japan in the early days of its opening to the world. This is unexpected.

“Securing allies in Asia is certainly an important issue.”

“Yes, France currently possesses the most powerful military force among the European powers, without a doubt, but the more that is the case, the more the surrounding countries will be wary. In that respect, we are far away, so even if our national power grows, there is no need to worry about that.”

“I wonder about that. Conversely, if we think about it, when your country is no longer satisfied with just the land it occupies now, we’ll have to watch and see which way you turn your blades, won’t we?”

“To summarize our culture in one word, it’s *wa* [harmony] culture. That is, we value harmony and dislike causing trouble to others. Therefore, the concerns Your Majesty has will never happen.”

Ah, I see.

Was the Japan of the 20th century that I learned about in history from another world, Earth 4?

Or did they reluctantly draw their swords for the harmony of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere?

As someone who knows the future, it was just an absurd excuse, but Kato seemed to genuinely believe it.

“According to that logic, the fear that the Ryukyu Kingdom is showing doesn’t make sense, does it? They’re trembling right now, afraid of being annexed by you.”

“That side has some complicated issues. Ryukyu has been a colony of our country for a long time and has assimilated with us over a long period of time, so we are gradually taking steps to merge. Rather, if they are merged into us, the discrimination they received as a colony will disappear, so wouldn’t that be a good thing for them too?”

I’ve heard the typical logic of an invader.

But in fact, just as much as Japan swallowing Ryukyu, this side lacks justification for intervening in their affairs.

China, which has been receiving tribute all along, is one thing, but France has no history of having any relationship with Ryukyu at all.

If Ryukyu wages war with Japan and can be classified as a conflict zone, there will be room to dig in by force, but it is questionable whether there will be any real benefit.

First of all, if Okinawa enters Japanese territory, it is true that Japan’s maritime power will be strengthened in the long term.

And it is also true that this will not have a positive impact on France’s policy toward Asia.

But intervening in this issue for that reason alone is too risky.

If it were a conflict in mainland China, I could get away with it somehow because of the build-up I’ve done so far, but this is a different story.

[France is trying to swallow the entire Asian region instead of Qing.]

A picture could come out that is perfect for being used for propaganda.

If it’s Pitt that I know, he’ll definitely use this as an excuse to grab my ankles.

If France really gets involved in the Ryukyu dispute, it is also true that there will be no way to refute that criticism.

Anyway, in many ways, it is inevitable that the direction will be not to intervene.

Then I’ll have to get something more out of them without making it too obvious. What would be good?

“Your sincerity has been sufficiently conveyed, so I will consider it positively. But there are a few things I would like you to pay attention to. Can you listen to them?”

“Yes! Of course. Please tell me anything.”

“First of all, even if you really do merge Ryukyu, do it as peacefully as possible, without bloodshed. If there are problems in terms of human rights, you must be aware that there will be public opinion calling for intervention from this side.”

“I will keep that in mind!”

“And when your country officially opens its ports, you will have to guarantee this side’s exclusive rights. That’s the only way we can trust you, right?”

Kato nodded again as if there was no problem, but on the contrary, my head became a little complicated.

What kind of shackles should I put on these guys to prevent them from doing the same *makjang* [extreme] things as in the original history?

In fact, strictly speaking, the Pacific War, which led to Japan’s defeat, was an event that did not make sense in itself.

At the time, the United States, which had been attacked at Pearl Harbor, expected that if they restricted the sale of oil and steel, the other side would back down.

Logically, that is the right judgment.

However, the tragedy was that Japan at the time was not a country that operated so logically.

So, as someone who knows that Japan can go that crazy, I can’t help but have a lot of thoughts.

Even if I put shackles on them with steel and oil, they might become mad dogs and try to bite me. What else can I do?

The best way is to adjust the direction so that Japan does not become a *makjang* [extreme] country like the Japanese Empire of the original history.

But how can that be as easy as it sounds?

Of course, it’s not impossible.

The current opening of Japan is not the Meiji Restoration, but a reform by the shogunate to find a way to survive.

If they reduce the influence of the military by referring to France, which is the most successful case… but since the national sentiment is so different, there is no guarantee that this will work well either.

Anyway, for the peaceful future of Asia, which will become a new market for France, we must not turn these guys into ticking time bombs.

Then how can I put a leash on them as inconspicuously as possible and make them my loyal dogs?

Well, it’s not like there’s no way. I’ll have to pretend to play along for now.

※※※

Great Britain, London.

The parliament, which had been intoxicated with victory by reports that the Uyghurs were being *yulin* [trampled] smoothly, suddenly became a house of mourning.

In fact, the consensus in the political world, regardless of whether they were in the ruling or opposition parties, was that this war was an opportunity for Britain.

If they could flatten the nose of the rising power, Russia, which was soaring high, they could once again spread the prestige of the British Empire throughout the world.

In addition, they could show the country’s firm will that no one could dare to covet India.

In particular, the fact that the front lines were expanding with the participation of several countries was something to be welcomed.

Britain used this opportunity to solve domestic labor problems by conducting large-scale propaganda and operating all factories at full capacity.

Not only the troops of the East India Company, but also support from the mainland was received, as more troops might be needed.

Thanks to this, an unexpected boom came for a very short time.

As jobs increased and wages increased, naturally the voices of dissatisfaction decreased.

The women’s movement, which had been raising its voice more and more recently, became quiet as they were given jobs.

Of course, this was a gamble that could all become debt in the long run, but the government was not worried.

“If we win the war, we can just pay it back with what we take, right?”

“There’s no problem if we squeeze reparations out of Russia, is there?”

“Not only Russia, but the Holy Roman Empire and Spain have also joined in, so isn’t that a good thing? The number of places to receive reparations has tripled, right?”

Not only politicians, but even the so-called intellectuals seemed to be fascinated by this *tta gap doe* [pay it back later] theory.

In fact, this was not exactly new, but a psychology that had been commonly found before.

However, the fact that Britain’s domestic situation was quite difficult and an escape route had appeared was too great.

How else could the opposition party, which had been criticizing the ruling party every day, have given its full support?

There was no reason to hesitate, as there was a conviction that Britain would not lose even by any chance unless the opponent was France.

The only thing they didn’t expect was.

“If we stop the war like this, how are we supposed to clean up the mess?”

“The factories that are currently running will have to reduce production again, so what are we going to compensate the laid-off workers with?”

“Stock prices are already fluctuating. If they plummet, we won’t be able to handle it!”

The plans for when they won the war had all been set up.

They had also thought about how to solve it if they saw signs of defeat, although that was unlikely.

But they never dreamed that the war would stop like this.

The soldiers were complaining that there were no visible results, but the pressure faced by the political world was not just that.

After this shocking news was delivered, the lawmakers gathered almost every day to put their heads together.

Neither the opposition nor the ruling party could shift the blame to each other.

Because it was something that everyone had pushed forward with one mind.

“Prime Minister, you haven’t said anything since earlier. Please give us your opinion.”

“That’s right. How should we overcome this crisis?”

“······.”

Despite the urging of the surrounding lawmakers, Pitt quietly closed his mouth with a face as if he had chewed a bug.

In fact, how could he have any brilliant ideas?

Why are they asking for an alternative?

Pitt glared at the troubled lawmakers and swallowed the rising curse.

‘In the end, someone needs to take responsibility for this situation, don’t they.’

I can bet my entire fortune that less than 10 percent of these guys really want a solution from me.

What they are most worried about right now is what if they fail to get elected in the next election.

It’s just an ugly self-preservation of what to do if my seat flies away.

However, he couldn’t just keep his mouth shut.

Pitt sighed deeply and slowly opened his mouth.

“France’s demands are reasonable for now. They are formally concluding a treaty with Qing and recommending an armistice based on that······.”

“So, are you saying that we should really back down without any gains like this?”

“We can’t do that. How much loss will this side suffer!”

“So, are you saying that the lawmakers should ignore France’s demands and fight them too?”

“No, that’s······.”

No matter how blind they were, no one would say such crazy things.

But who could accept that they should obediently take all the losses and back down here?

In the meantime, Spencer Perceval, who is considered one of the next prime minister candidates, cautiously raised a conspiracy theory.

“We… could we be caught in a trap by the French?”

“A trap?”

“Yes. They deliberately stood by and watched the situation develop like this in order to deal a fatal blow to us. As evidence, they did not even take the form of actively trying to mediate in the early stages of the war.”

That’s because France was not in a position to interfere in a local war taking place in another country’s territory.

That common-sense rebuttal did not come out.

That’s how much the lawmakers wanted to blame this on someone other than themselves.

“All these economic problems are France’s tricks, and we are just being played by their schemes by being so confused among ourselves.”

“…Even if that’s the case, what more can we do from this side?”

To one lawmaker’s questioning question, Perceval looked around at everyone with a determined look.

He was the one who supported and pushed for this war more than anyone else.

If things continue like this, there is a high possibility that he will not be able to win a seat in the next election, let alone become the next prime minister.

At least to avoid that, he has to pour this *ddongmul* [dirty water] over someone else’s head.

For his future, and further, for the long-term security of Britain’s hegemony, this war should not be covered up like this.

“If we have to take a loss, we have to make other guys do the same.”

The law of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is a truth that is still valid in this era.

But how can we do that?

That’s for the current Prime Minister Pitt to worry about.

The overwhelming applause of the lawmakers who supported Perceval’s opinion covered the parliament of Westminster Palace.

End