I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 246

< Killian and Guilian (5) >

Just before the news of the Siberian Brigade’s annihilation reached St. Petersburg.

Nikolai felt a burning sensation in his stomach every time he received reports about the worsening war situation.

Lately, he had been suffering so much that he would wake up to find his pillow covered in his own hair.

It seemed like his forehead and the crown of his head were affected.

The feeling of looking at the line that clearly divided his head, reminiscent of the canal the British were digging in Egypt [the Suez Canal, connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas], was simply the worst.

His mental anguish accelerated the rate of his hair loss, creating a vicious cycle.

The time it took for Emperor Nikolai’s crown to become noticeably bare was only three months.

It would have been better if there had been some hopeful news, but unfortunately, only grim reports came from the European front every day.

“Your Majesty, a fortress has fallen to the Prussian army, supported by the British fleet.”

“If it’s not essential for heading to the capital, don’t give it any importance.”

“There is a request for support from the Grand Duchy of Finland.”

“Ignore it. Defending the capital is the priority.”

They were doing their best to defend, but even for Russia, it was difficult to stop the advance of the three countries: Britain, Prussia, and Austria.

If the main forces hadn’t been stationed in the Crimean Peninsula, they might have been able to counterattack, but the currently available forces were far too small.

Nevertheless, Russia was able to hold out because they continued to conscript soldiers without considering the consequences.

But even that was reaching its limit.

Britain wasn’t just creating a stalemate and stalling for time.

The transport of food and supplies coming by sea was already completely blocked.

In addition, by mobilizing Prussia and Austria, they first occupied the fertile granaries and cut off the food supply to the capital.

No matter how many people you throw in, they need bread to hold a gun and fight.

“Even if it means going a long way around, transport food so that it doesn’t reach their influence.”

“Your Majesty, but if we do that, it will be nearly impossible to supply both the capital and the Crimean Peninsula.”

The commanders of the headquarters closed their eyes tightly, but no one raised any objections.

Frankly speaking, they needed the food to arrive here immediately to avoid starving themselves.

The best option was to simply give up and declare surrender, but no one had the courage to say that here.

Even if they wanted to wash their hands and leave, they had to win somewhere or perish with the enemy to avoid just paying reparations [payments made to compensate for war damages].

In the current situation, where they were being unilaterally defeated, there was nothing they could do but surrender completely.

In the meantime, a disastrous report arrived at the palace, enough to completely strip away what was left of Nikolai’s rapidly receding hair.

“Your Majesty! The troops that departed from Siberia have been annihilated in a surprise attack by the Qing Dynasty!”

“…What? Annihilated? Wait, the Qing Dynasty? Our troops were ambushed by the Qing army? Why?”

“That is… after the Qing Dynasty proposed an alliance with Britain and actually signed an alliance treaty, they launched a surprise attack. Commander Gennady speculates that they attacked our army to side with Britain…”

“What nonsense is that!”

Before, the Yapon [an archaic, derogatory term for Japanese people] pulled some unheard-of trick, and now what? The Qing Dynasty?

Emperor Nikolai, clutching his head and shouting loudly, felt something falling out along his fingers.

When he released his grip, his fingers were covered in hair.

Looking at the momentarily solemn vassals, he gnashed his teeth and raised his voice.

“Are all Asians truly barbarians? Even in war, there are laws to be followed, but how can they propose an alliance and then launch a surprise attack!”

“Y-yes, Your Majesty. We cannot let a country that does such a thing go unpunished!”

But just because it was unacceptable, what could Russia do?

The troops, scraped together to the point where local sentiment was about to explode, had been annihilated.

If they even mentioned fighting the Qing Dynasty, the soldiers might revolt.

“Those yellow-skinned devils! Fight fair!”

“It was unreasonable to expect a fair fight from those yellow monkeys in the first place.”

“Your Majesty! But isn’t the reason they’re acting like this because they trust Britain? We must protest to Britain!”

“That’s right! We must ask Britain whether they condone this kind of warfare and whether they encourage fighting in this way in the future!”

It was pathetic, but this was the best Russia could do.

Emperor Nikolai instinctively tried to sweep back his hair, but he paused and slowly nodded.

“First, Foreign Minister Gorchakov, draft a letter of protest to send to Britain.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

If Britain reacted indifferently, wouldn’t it be possible to surrender and then ambush the negotiation table, taking all the dignitaries of each country as prisoners?

It was a truly absurd fantasy, but that was how far the Qing Dynasty’s actions had deviated from common sense, making it difficult even for Russia to maintain its sanity.

At first, they laughed when a weak country like Korea sent a declaration of war, but now they realized that even that was angelic and saintly.

There were those who attacked without a declaration of war, not taking prisoners and just killing, and those who betrayed after forming an alliance.

But with the situation like this, they couldn’t help but suspect Korea’s intentions.

“Could it be that… the Korean bastards are also plotting something?”

If it was unconventional for Asians to declare war and send troops honestly, then there must be a reason for doing such an unconventional thing.

“First, find out the detailed situation in Primorye [a region in southeastern Russia] again.”

Right now, they could only see darkness, but Russia had always overcome such difficulties and risen again.

When the war was over, they would have to lie low for a while, but when their national power recovered, they would exact a terrible blood revenge.

“Let everyone in this room not forget this humiliation. No matter how much time passes, we must make those vile bastards pay the price. Absolutely.”

Russia does not forget grudges.

Leaving behind a vow that could not be heard, Emperor Nikolai threw the handful of hair in his hand onto the floor.

“I will not forgive you. Never.”

The ministers who saw the emperor’s feet averted their eyes and closed them.

* * *

The fleet was ready.

There had been many incidents in many ways, and there were several variables that even I did not expect, so the schedule was slightly delayed.

“Your Highness, they say that preparations for departure are complete.”

“What about our loyal allies?”

“The Qing Dynasty has agreed to follow our wishes. The Eight Banners Army [Qing Dynasty military units] is pushing all the way to the vicinity of Vladivostok, and the shogunate forces that landed in Sakhalin and the Joseon forces that came up from the south are encircling the three sides of the port.”

“Isn’t it amazing? We can encircle this distant Far Eastern port city without mobilizing a single soldier from the mainland.”

“Wasn’t that what you intended? I remember that Your Highness put so much effort into Asia.”

I can’t use mind control, and how can I brainwash them to make them move as I please?

Of course, I was going to put pressure on the Maritime Province by mobilizing Joseon or Japan.

But the fact that even Qing is going crazy like this, I swear, was beyond my calculations.

Of course, contrary to those inner thoughts, my head was naturally moving back and forth vertically.

“Of course. You could say that it’s going according to plan to some extent.”

“Oh! Amazing. I heard that in Europe, thanks to the alliances you prepared in advance, Russia is being smoothly pressured, but you would do that even in Asia. How on earth can you conceive of such a situation?”

“It’s not difficult if you have a proper sense of balance and a broad perspective to read the situation.”

“As expected…”

I feel a twinge of conscience as I receive respectful gazes, but I didn’t foresee everything, did I?

The plan to bring in Joseon and Japan was originally there.

They’re going a little overboard than I thought, but this is all Russia’s karma.

“First of all, Vladivostok will be completely destroyed so that it can’t function as a port for the time being, so everyone should know that.”

“Is there no way we can occupy it and use it?”

“Why would we need a port that requires an icebreaker to break through the outside in winter? Of course, from Russia’s point of view, that alone would be a great blessing, but we have no reason to have it. We can’t even maintain it in the first place.”

Russia needs to secure a port that can somehow get out to the sea, but the British Empire already has ports that connect directly to all seas all year round.

Moreover, as long as Joseon and Japan can be used as supply bases at any time, there is no reason to pour resources into a land like the Maritime Province.

However, just because I don’t need it doesn’t mean that Russia should have it.

I wish I could take away all the ports in the Black Sea, but that’s realistically impossible, so I have to destroy even this place.

It’s a distant Far Eastern land, but the Maritime Province and Vladivostok are very important strategic points in Russia.

That’s why they forcibly took it away while selling off even Alaska.

How upset would they be if the land they had acquired in such a way became useless again?

I really want to see Emperor Nikolai’s face.

“Your Highness. Then I will tell them to prepare for the attack immediately.”

“And have all the photographers on standby. If they surrender, we must leave a clear record of the scene where we set foot there.”

The photography technology of this era is terrible compared to the modern era, let alone the 20th century, so when you tell them to take a picture, it doesn’t just click.

Still, there is no better promotional effect than leaving such visual data, so we must use it to the fullest extent possible.

Since there have been almost no cases where photo data has been used in this way, I think it will be even more effective.

Once I get back, it will definitely take up the front page of every newspaper, so I need to arrange the positions so that the fleet commanders are lined up to the left and right.

The more I think about it, the more I think this picture will be great?

The Duke of the British Empire, who occupied the distant Russian land in the Far East without shedding a drop of blood. And the humiliating 모습 [Korean word for ‘appearance’ or ‘figure’] of the Russian commander surrendering and offering the city.

Kuh, I can already see that a full charge of national pride is fully charged. I have to think of a great title for the photo.

“If rumors spread that we were defeated in the Asian region and lost territory, the European front will inevitably be affected. Keep in mind that the end of this war can be brought forward depending on how 확실하게 [Korean word for ‘certainly’ or ‘surely’] we secure victory here.”

“I understand. I will make sure to tell the other officers as well.”

What I felt while fighting this war was that, unlike the army, which is full of corrupt generals where selling positions is commonplace, the navy is definitely more disciplined and has outstanding leadership.

Thinking that the army system needs to be overhauled after this war is over, I adjusted my admiral’s hat.

With such thorough preparations, the British Empire’s fleet received supplies from Hong Kong, Asia, Japan, and Joseon, and finally set sail for Vladivostok.

It’s time to put an end to the Asian front, which had so many ups and downs.