I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 336

< The Aftermath of the Tempest (3) >

The enactment of the Panama Canal Special Act was an event that blatantly revealed the inner workings of Parliament.

From the selection of the construction team to securing the land and even choosing the workers.

The core content included stipulations that the British government would lead everything, without allowing the royal family any room for intervention.

Even the Liberal Party, as well as the Conservative Party close to the royal family, voiced concerns, wondering if the royal family was being excluded too much.

Gladstone was a prime example.

He knew better than anyone how much influence Killian could wield if he was displeased.

“Mr. Russell, shouldn’t we at least show some respect to the royal family?”

“Didn’t we include a clause to receive recommendations from the royal family regarding the appointment of supervisors later on? I think this is enough. Isn’t it already agreed upon?”

“That’s true, but…”

“The Prime Minister said His Highness didn’t show any particular reaction, and he even said he would give a speech in favor in Parliament, so there’s no need to worry.”

Was that really the case?

More than anyone else, Gladstone was one of the few Liberal Party members who knew what Killian had been doing behind the scenes during the war.

Wellesley probably knew it too, so he must have reacted coldly when the idea of the government simply taking over the canal came up.

“I’m still a bit uneasy. Is there any reason for Parliament to be at odds with the royal family at this time?”

“It’s not a conflict, but Parliament’s rightful authority. The very fact that you perceive this as a conflict is proof that the royal family is wielding more influence than necessary.”

In principle, Russell was right, so Gladstone didn’t argue further.

But had Parliament ever succeeded in putting a bell on the royal family’s neck? [referring to controlling or limiting their power]

Or, to be precise, had any attempt to do something about Killian ever worked out properly?

Those who rushed in to tame the young lion were all swept away in reverse.

Not only the heavyweights of the House of Lords, but also the Prime Minister and the opposition party were no exception.

It seemed better to stay still this time, rather than stirring up trouble for no reason.

Even though he felt uneasy, Gladstone watched how things unfolded, as he had nothing to lose anyway.

Surprisingly, Killian very calmly announced in Parliament that he welcomed the support for the Panama Canal Special Act.

“The British Empire’s construction of a canal in this region will be a great leap forward in further enhancing our empire’s influence. Our royal family will spare no support to ensure that there are no problems until construction begins.”

Members of Parliament, who were conscious of the rumors that Killian wanted to make the Panama Canal the property of the royal family, were rather embarrassed by this calm reaction.

“Does Your Highness have any additional suggestions for changes?”

“I believe it is right not to say anything, as any input from me could be controversial. Showing the royal family’s involvement in a project led by Parliament and the government would not be good for our image externally.”

He was drawing a firm line, making it clear that he had nothing to do with the construction of the Panama Canal.

This was a declaration that he would completely withdraw from the canal construction.

Looking to the side, Russell smiled triumphantly and shrugged his shoulders with an ‘I told you so’ expression.

“His Royal Highness also said so. The royal family is satisfied enough with the authority they currently have.”

“Hmm…”

“I know what you’re worried about, but there’s no room for variables to intervene any further, now that we’ve come this far. History will remember that this great project connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans came from our party’s fingertips. And don’t forget that my contribution was significant this time.”

“If it is successfully completed, it will naturally become one of your most representative achievements.”

Although it was still at the level of roughly estimating with maps, the expected length of the Panama Canal was half that of Suez.

Even if there were differences in terrain and land, most experts agreed that there would be no problem in constructing it.

In fact, it was Killian who came up with the plan to annex the region for the purpose of building a canal in Panama, so he wouldn’t be thinking of selling the canal now.

So, was he really just giving Parliament a face-saving opportunity because Parliament was taking a strong stance this time?

“Mr. Gladstone, you were confident that you knew His Royal Highness well, but it seems I saw more accurately this time.”

“Yes. It seems so.”

From the beginning, what Killian wanted was for the British Empire to become stronger, and he didn’t necessarily think it had to be for the benefit of the royal family.

Well, to be honest, how much profit has the royal family made so far?

Comparing the royal family during the reign of the late king with the current royal family, the difference was so great that one would wonder if they were from the same country.

They were accumulating enormous wealth to the point of lending money rather than receiving taxes from the country, so they could actually be satisfied with this and step back.

Perhaps Gladstone himself had prematurely assumed that Killian was too greedy.

But… considering the way he fleeced Spain, the South, and the North, he was definitely greedy, wasn’t he?

He’s really someone you can never figure out.

Nevertheless, the Special Act was passed unanimously without any objections, and it also gained the support of the royal family.

Killian left the Parliament to thunderous applause, and the members of Parliament applauded, celebrating this auspicious occasion.

Thus, the British Empire became the perfect ruler of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Gladstone, who knew Killian well, did not show any signs of excitement at times like this and quietly maintained a neutral position.

So that he could quickly change his stance if something felt wrong.

* * *

London.

The Spanish Embassy.

The Spanish Embassy, which had been in a festive mood at the beginning of the war, was now reminiscent of a funeral home.

“We have received instructions from the home country to request another delay in the payment deadline.”

“Why are you asking the embassy for that!”

“The government is also trying its best to ask, but…”

“Damn it. Why did things turn out this way?”

Ambassador Cordoba chewed on his lip and quickly scanned the data sent from Madrid.

He looked to see if there were any changes, but he already knew everything.

It was impossible to pay for the weapons and warships that had been scraped together on installment terms because there was no cash.

No, why did this happen in the first place?

“Didn’t we receive all the payments from the South? Why don’t we have the money to pay for it!”

“It seems that the unexpected expenses were too severe.”

He had eyes, so he could see.

Who would really ask if they didn’t know?

He was just so dumbfounded and filled with anger that he shouted.

“Whose head did the dispatch of troops on such an unmanageable scale come from!”

“It seems that there were many opinions in the government that were anxious because Prussia joined after France.”

“Damn it, this shouldn’t be happening…”

“Moreover, the North was much stronger than expected. Because of this, the accumulated damage was too great. It was expected that the war would last at least two more years, but it suddenly ended due to the British Empire’s participation.”

Certainly, if the war had dragged on as expected, most of the losses this time could have been recovered.

After sending a large-scale dispatch of troops, they had decided to change their route back to selling weapons rather than direct dispatch after being defeated by the North.

The problem was that they had already signed a large-scale weapons supply contract in advance to compensate for the losses incurred by the dispatch of troops.

But of course, the war was already over, and the place to digest the goods coming from the British Empire had disappeared.

Suddenly, Spain suffered a loss once from the dispatch of troops and then suffered a creative loss from a large-scale order.

In addition, Prussia’s intervention in the middle had a significant impact as the spoils of war that they could take were greatly reduced.

If they asked to postpone the payment date now, would the British Empire say, ‘Yes, please do so?’

“Still, I’ll have to say something. Hasn’t His Highness arrived yet?”

“There are still 30 minutes left until the appointment time.”

“Damn it, I’m getting so anxious that I’m losing my sense of time.”

In fact, he knew very well that even if he pleaded with Killian, he would not have the authority to do anything about it.

Still, Cordoba thought that Killian was the highest-ranking official with whom the ambassador had the closest relationship within the British Empire, so this was the only place to try to get something out of him.

After 30 minutes, which felt like an eternity, Killian entered Ambassador Cordoba’s office right on time.

“Hello, Ambassador. I’m glad you look healthy.”

“Your Highness! Thank you for coming! I should have gone to Buckingham, but I’m grateful that you came here.”

“No. I had a congratulatory speech scheduled for an event held near here, so I said I would come directly. Please don’t mind and sit down.”

As Killian naturally took the seat of honor as if it were his own home, Ambassador Cordoba carefully made coffee and placed it in front of Killian.

He did not forget to add water and ice to the coffee, considering the king’s taste.

“This is iced coffee, which Your Highness likes.”

“Thank you.”

He didn’t know why he drank such coffee, but there were analyses in the world that this was Killian’s diplomatic strategy.

It was said that he deliberately drank iced coffee to create a slight crack in the other person’s poker face.

Even if a veteran diplomat wouldn’t be shaken by such a thing, it was interpreted as a worthwhile endeavor even if it only caused a ripple like dust on a calm wave.

One minor question, ‘Why is he drinking that?’ could have an unexpected effect later on, and now it seems like that might be the case.

“Your Highness. I recently heard that the British Empire has decided to build a canal in Panama. With this, the British Empire will operate a huge canal in Panama following Suez. Congratulations.”

“It’s a government-led project, so it’s not something I’m doing.”

“Still, Your Highness has Suez, doesn’t he?”

“Strictly speaking, I’m just the largest shareholder, and the Egyptian government also holds a significant share.”

Even if it was a significant share, Killian held much more, didn’t he?

Moreover, he was said to be acquiring private shares recently, so it was no exaggeration to say that he was the de facto owner of Suez.

After exchanging pleasantries appropriately and when about half of the coffee in the glass was gone, Killian put down the glass and asked in an indifferent tone.

“You must be busy if you asked me to meet you so urgently. What do you want to ask me?”

“Well, um… about the warships and weapons that were ordered in large quantities last time. The installment period is coming up soon, and the government asked me to ask if you could extend the period a little bit.”

“Are you having problems with cash flow? But why are you asking me for that?”

“Well, the warships are ordered from the British Empire, but the weapons are from Canada, so Your Highness has a lot of authority, doesn’t he?”

It was the warships that were sucking up money like a hippo, but some of those warships were also produced in Canada.

If Killian postponed even this much, they could somehow make installment payments.

“This is a contract between countries, but there are so many private companies involved that it is almost impossible for me to postpone it arbitrarily. But I don’t understand. According to the calculations, you should have been able to repay it comfortably, right?”

“That’s a bit of a twist…”

If the British Empire hadn’t ended the war so quickly, this wouldn’t have happened, but Ambassador Cordoba couldn’t bring himself to say that.

Killian, who was staring at the troubled ambassador, sighed and emptied the coffee in the glass.

“I’ve been indebted to the ambassador several times so far, so I’m concerned about just pretending not to know about this difficulty. I can’t do anything about the private companies. But if it’s money that the government has to receive, I think I can somehow postpone it. Would you like me to discuss it with the Prime Minister if you wish?”

“Really? If you do that for me, I will never forget this debt. I will somehow repay you… !”

“It’s okay. However, it is impossible to postpone it unilaterally, and you will have to compensate with something else. Would you be willing to hand over some of the rights you promised to the South in return for this war?”

After all, is this the only way?

In the world, if you don’t have money, you have to pay with your body [a common idiom meaning to offer something of value in lieu of payment].

It didn’t make sense in the first place to just ask to postpone the cost of a large-scale transaction that goes back and forth between countries.

Either pay a huge interest or spit out some of the rights to balance it out.

In fact, there was only a choice between the two, and it was a matter of calculating which one was cheaper.

“It is possible, but it is a little difficult if the conditions are too harsh.”

“Don’t worry. There may be things that are not very useful to you but are useful to us. I will try to match you as much as possible in that direction.”

“Thank you! Please be as lenient as possible…”

Ambassador Cordoba bowed at a right angle to Killian, who had finished his coffee and was getting up.

I’m glad I built a relationship of trust with someone who can communicate.

He did not check what his expression was like as he went outside.

Ambassador Cordoba let out a sigh of relief that he had put out the immediate fire.