I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 497

< Root Out Evil (7) >

“Is this the Iron Chancellor’s [Otto von Bismarck’s nickname, referring to his strong and decisive leadership] decisiveness?”

“Isn’t that putting it too nicely? He just seems out of his mind.”

“Iron and blood, iron and blood… he really is….”

The genius of diplomacy who stunned the heads of the British Empire.

He used to say that you have to be bold when you need to be, but he’s really going wild to the point where you wonder if this is okay.

The source of this confidence was a delusion that he came to alone after thinking too deeply, but no one knows that.

To be honest, even I was wondering why he was doing this, so how could others not be?

The news I heard was so shocking that I couldn’t handle it alone.

Thanks to that, Wellington, Disraeli, who was retiring after this, and Gladstone, who could run for another twenty years, were all gathered at Buckingham Palace.

“Isn’t this notification practically a declaration that they’re going to do it? Is this okay?”

“Well, they said they’re going to do it, so why should we stop them? Let’s just watch from behind and take the fruits.”

Here too, Gladstone and Disraeli’s reactions were divided.

“It’s not something to be taken so lightly. Even if we have nothing to do with it, Prince Edward and Crown Princess Gisela are going to the Prussian Crown Prince’s wedding. What if something goes wrong and leads to an unfortunate accident?”

“We just need to provide more thorough protection. And I think you’re forgetting something, but I’m also accompanying His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“So, you’re saying you can coordinate because you’re going with him?”

“That’s right. Let’s just look at the pros and cons thoroughly. If we’re going to argue that there shouldn’t be any risk, then we should stop the Crown Prince from going to Berlin in the first place. I can say with certainty that the possibility of something going wrong there is lower than the possibility of the ship breaking down.”

Disraeli, who always believed in squeezing every last drop, even the marrow.

And Gladstone, who argued that we should avoid getting involved in anything shady, considering the repercussions it would have in the future.

Both sides had their points, so Wellington and I just thought, ‘Here they go again,’ and talked among ourselves.

“Prime Minister Bismarck, isn’t he going a bit too far this time?”

“…”

“When I received a call asking for understanding last time, I thought it was okay, but this is too much. The repercussions will be too great the moment something happens. Whether it succeeds or fails, the scale is in danger of spreading uncontrollably. I remember him not being like this, but I don’t know why he’s become so extreme.”

“I think I know why he’s doing this. Looking at the letter he sent me separately, it seems like that guy also thinks that everything that’s happening now is my own doing.”

“Ah. So, His Majesty is so actively manipulating the situation that he thought it would be okay to take part in it too… that’s what he judged.”

Otherwise, this flow cannot be explained.

No, logically speaking, is trying to carry out a terrorist attack at your own Crown Prince’s wedding something you can do with a sound mind?

It’s a place where not only people from your own country come, but also the Princess of France and the Crown Prince of the British Empire.

If there are any casualties here, it wouldn’t be strange for the curtain to rise on World War I, 40 years early.

“I think Gladstone’s concerns are valid. If it were a place hosted only by Prussia, it would be one thing, but wouldn’t dignitaries from all over the world be gathering? No matter how thorough the preparations are, there’s no guarantee that Prussia can control everything.”

“I think so too.”

In the first place, if everything in the world went according to plan, who wouldn’t be able to conquer the world?

“So, you’ve decided to refuse?”

“I was going to, but Edward told me to just go ahead.”

“His Highness did?”

“That child said that if it wasn’t him involved, he would have proceeded without even looking.”

In fact, that was true.

Still, this wasn’t just a matter of favoring one’s own.

It’s absurd in itself to plot a scheme that could expose the Crown Prince of a country, not just a typical aristocrat, to danger.

However, if they voluntarily said they would do it, there was no reason for me to object.

“Won’t His Majesty object?”

“Even if he objects, he’ll eventually give in if Edward says he’ll do it. He always has.”

“Wouldn’t it be a little different from before? I don’t know if it would directly benefit the national interest, but it’s not clear how much benefit we’ll get from this one when viewed intuitively.”

It’s true that there’s a high risk that Victoria will scold me even more.

Still, it’s not my back that’s going to be torn, but my son’s, so what does it matter?

Oh, as long as it’s not me.

And although I didn’t say it separately, the country that can benefit the most from avoiding a world war is not Germany or France, but the British Empire.

Let’s make an assumption.

If a large-scale war like a world war breaks out in Europe, will only the countries on the continent be destroyed?

Looking at it, the fact that such a war breaks out is proof that the British Empire’s deterrent power is not perfect.

In fact, it means that doubts will inevitably be cast on the world order led by the British Empire.

Then, the United States, which has barely been split in half [referring to the recent American Civil War], may once again seize the opportunity to ascend.

“Edward probably knows everything. I’ve talked to him about this a few times.”

“Then there’s nothing we can do. We have no choice but to go in the direction of respecting His Highness’s wishes. But is it okay not to tell Gisela in advance?”

“She’s not a child who can act. Edward will take care of that, so let’s not worry about it and discuss how to handle the aftermath.”

Judging from the reports coming up from Serbia, it’s an undeniable fact that these guys are secretly plotting something.

Bismarck’s plan was certainly mind-boggling just to hear, but wouldn’t the effect be certain as much as that?

Leaving Disraeli and Gladstone, who were still arguing that their words were right, Wellington and I unified our opinions.

This time, we decided to take a look at the Iron Blood’s skills.

* * *

“So, we really don’t know anything!”

“I’m wronged! I have never sent anyone to London!”

“Slander Crown Princess Gisela? Of course, it would be nice if the relationship between the British Empire and Austria broke down, but directly touching the British Empire is too risky, who would do such a stupid thing!”

“Who else would it be! It must be one of the guys here!”

The proud secret society of the Serbian kingdom, ‘Unification or Death’ [also known as the Black Hand].

The executives of the society, called the Black Hand by outsiders, were driven to the point of frustration.

“Logically… think logically.”

“Isn’t it already agreed that it’s okay to use radical methods for Serbia? So, it’s not strange if someone here tried to assassinate the Austrian Crown Prince. Can anyone guarantee that’s not the case?”

However, the top officials of the military, including the Minister of National Defense, did not believe those words at all.

At first, they thought it might be possible.

The British Empire was making ridiculous accusations, and there was a 10 percent chance that misunderstandings and coincidences overlapped and things went wrong.

However….

“If you have eyes, look at this! The British Ambassador leaked it unofficially, but just looking at this, you can see that they know everything, so what’s not true!”

“….That can’t be……”

Petar looked at the piece of paper that the minister had thrown at him as if he couldn’t believe it.

[There are disturbing stories that there is a secret society in Serbia that is being protected by the military. Of course, I believe it’s not true, but just the spread of these rumors can cool the atmosphere, so it seems like you should at least pretend to investigate on your own…….]

“No, how could they….”

“If they said it this specifically, we should assume that they already know. Then how did this fact get into their ears! No matter how good the British Empire’s intelligence is, this organization is a new society that was created only a few months ago?”

“……”

“It’s impossible unless one of those guys who was arrested for trying to assassinate the Crown Prince told them everything! That means someone here sent an agent to London!”

“Assassinating the Crown Prince is too much, they just protested in front of him……”

“Everyone knows that some of those arrested had weapons, so what nonsense are you talking about!”

Originally, there were always radical people among the protesters, and some of them brought weapons to fight the police.

So, it’s not particularly strange that some of those who were arrested for protesting in front of the Crown Prince’s house had weapons.

But who would believe that now?

To be honest, Petar himself would have scoffed at anyone who said that.

Moreover, as the minister said, the British Imperial Family didn’t receive some kind of oracle, so how could they know that they were being supported by the military?

Even if the rest was guessed, knowing such specific establishment background makes it impossible not to think that they were unintentionally involved in this.

The advantage of a secret society is that it can cut off its tail even if it fails to plot something, but in this case, the disadvantage is highlighted in reverse.

No matter how you look at it, it seems like some crazy guy went on a rampage and ruined things, but that guy is denying it, so it’s impossible to deal with it, and everyone is going crazy.

“Minister, please hold on. I will persuade the members of the organization and investigate thoroughly.”

“You know very well, right? If this goes wrong, it’s not just me who will be in trouble. Not only you, but the entire military of this country could lose their heads.”

“I am well aware of the seriousness of the matter. Don’t worry. Even if I have to turn all the agents in Austria and Prussia back to London, I will find out who did such a thing….”

Petar felt the need to reorganize the system so that he could grasp the actions of the members of the organization more closely as an opportunity in this incident.

Once they catch the culprit, they can throw him as bait and pretend that the Serbian military didn’t know anything.

They can’t avoid moral responsibility, but it’s several times better than writing the infamy that they were directly planning a terrorist act in London.

And at that moment.

“Minister! Big deal! It’s a big deal!”

“Are you crazy? I told you not to let anyone in because we’re having an important discussion, how dare you disobey the minister’s orders?”

“That, that’s something you need to know right now!”

“If this isn’t really important, you’ll be in jail that day. Tell me what’s going on and get out.”

“At the Prussian Crown Prince’s wedding, a group of people shouted ‘Bosnia into the arms of Serbia!’ and caused a commotion.”

“Damn it. Some crazy bastards are going all the way to such a place to stir up trouble. Anyway, the security must have been tight, so they must have been dragged away without making a sound, so is that such a big deal?”

Bosnia was originally ruled by the Ottomans, but as a result of this war, it was freed from Ottoman rule like Serbia, and was incorporated into Austria as it was.

Serbian radicals believed that this land should return to Serbia, and in fact, most of the military people thought so too.

But who would listen if they were shouting that at the Prussian Crown Prince’s wedding?

“First, express our apology to the Prussian side….”

“Minister! That’s not it. It just so happened that the British Imperial Crown Prince couple’s carriage came in at that time, and some of those crazy bastards saw the British Imperial Crown Princess and went crazy and rushed at her…….”

“Are you kidding me?”

Please tell me it’s a joke.

Of course, the Crown Prince couple didn’t suffer any direct injuries, but the fact that they were exposed to such an accident in Berlin following London is too much of a burden on this side.

Moreover, if it was the Prussian Crown Prince’s wedding, all of the British Empire’s allies would have been watching.

The minister, whose spine was chilling, jumped up from his seat and ran out of the room.

And less than 48 hours later.

A hot scoop about what happened at the Prussian Crown Prince’s wedding was scattered in the capitals of various countries.