He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 376

(376) All Plots Begin in England

The island at the far west, overlooking the North Atlantic, was once considered the edge of the world.

“Now, it’s an island at the center of the world’s oceans. Just like the Greenwich Observatory is the center of the world’s time zones!”

British Prime Minister William Pitt said, looking through the telescope with an admiring expression.

Of course, Pitt’s words weren’t entirely accurate yet.

While the Greenwich Observatory was indeed becoming a reference point for British scientists to map the world, in reality, it only became the prime meridian in 1881.

Controlling time meant seizing hegemony.

Just like the calendar, so too with the prime meridian.

In an era where the prime meridian was still debated between London and Paris, Pitt’s opening remarks at the meeting represented the ambitions of the British Empire.

“Prime Minister, is it really necessary to hold a cabinet meeting at the Greenwich Observatory?”

“Why, isn’t it nice to change the atmosphere with a trip to the suburbs sometimes, Granville?”

“Even though the East India Company is lodging a protest right now?”

William Granville, Pitt’s cousin and closest aide as Foreign Secretary, sighed.

“The East India Company’s largest shipping venture, the Nouvelle France [New France] immigration project, has stalled, and they’re demanding an immediate halt to hostilities against France.”

The Nouvelle France Vendée Immigration Project was a massive undertaking to relocate as many as one million people to the New World.

Although it was a project of France, a rival nation and frequent enemy, the East India Company willingly participated.

Moreover, the East India Company, primarily focused on the Indian Ocean, sought to expand its influence into the Atlantic, aligning with Manchester merchants.

However, with the recent Anglo-American War, the blockade of the New World, and escalating conflicts with Nouvelle France, immigration had been completely halted.

Pitt scoffed.

“Did we start the trouble? From what I’ve been told, the Nouvelle France fleet attacked Jamaica first.”

“That’s right. There are conflicting accounts of who fired the first shot.”

“Who cares who started it? It’s clear that France is behind the Anglo-American War. That’s the consistent report from our spies infiltrated into the White House.”

Then William Wickham, the head of the Alien Office [British intelligence agency responsible for internal security and foreign espionage], spoke up.

“The problem is that Eugene Bonaparte [Viceroy of Nouvelle France] has returned home.”

Wickham was also responsible for sending spies to France, Russia, and the White House in America.

Britain was the first to learn that Eugene had finally returned home.

Pitt frowned at Wickham’s report and spat out, “Sidney [Admiral Sir Sidney Smith, known for his naval exploits] missed him. Unfortunately, he didn’t get shipwrecked.”

“After returning home, he reportedly told the French Emperor that Britain attacked first on his way home, and he barely escaped.”

“How brazen! They attacked our fleet first disguised as pirates!”

Foreign Secretary Granville shook his head and reported to Pitt, who was grinding his teeth. “However, the East India Company wants to use the Viceroy’s return as an opportunity to resume peace negotiations with France, using the excuse that only about half of the one million immigrants have been relocated.”

In fact, the rapidly increasing French population in the New World posed a risk to Britain.

Although the American region had been granted independence, Canada remained a British colony.

Currently, a mercenary army of natives and Europeans, called the Russian army, had invaded, and Montreal had even been captured.

The British army fought valiantly and retreated to Quebec, but the timing of the next offensive was uncertain.

Everyone in the cabinet knew that France was behind it, and that Viceroy Eugene was the mastermind.

The increase in the French population in the New World was the source of Nouvelle France’s power.

“The Canadian fur trade isn’t theirs to control,” Pitt scoffed and turned to his secretary, William Wyndham.

“We were ousted once because of businessmen. Already.”

“So, as soon as you returned, you weakened them once with the ban on the slave trade, didn’t you?”

“That’s strictly a problem for the Atlantic merchants, including those in Manchester. The East India Company is still intact, and even stronger. We’re going to share it with everyone.”

Pitt glared as he instructed Wyndham to distribute documents to the cabinet ministers.

“So, the topic of today’s cabinet meeting is this: the overthrow of the East India Company’s management.”

The document summarized the East India Company’s shareholders, directors, and stakeholders.

In an era without computers, all this basic data had to be written by hand and visually compared.

Seeing the document that the Prime Minister’s Secretariat must have worked hard on, George Canning, the Secretary of the India Board [Government body overseeing the East India Company], jumped up.

“Prime Minister, there are more pressing issues right now. First, there’s the French issue, and Hungary also needs our help, as does Russia.”

“All of that can only be dealt with if our regime is maintained. Now, give me your ideas. Everyone.”

“Lushington’s [East India Company Chairman] control is solid, Prime Minister!”

Canning, who would later become Prime Minister, was just a rising politician at this time.

He had previously served as Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs and was a loyalist to Pitt, but he didn’t have particularly insightful ideas.

Just as Pitt was looking at Canning with a displeased face, a man at the end of the table raised his hand.

“Prime Minister, I think there might be a way.”

Pitt turned his gaze and tilted his head.

“What is it, Castlereagh?”

William Stewart of the Castlereagh family, currently serving as Secretary of War.

The army wasn’t the main focus from Britain’s perspective, so it wasn’t a particularly important position.

However, there was the issue of protecting the Kingdom of Hanover, which was directly under the King, so it mainly dealt with European dispatch issues.

However, as history would record, the real strength of the Earl of Castlereagh lay elsewhere.

Castlereagh, one of the three great diplomats of the Congress of Vienna, said cautiously, “There is a director in the East India Company who is focused on opposing the slave trade.”

“Charles Grant? I remember hearing about him. He was a supporter of Wilberforce [William Wilberforce, a leading abolitionist].”

“He is a moral evangelical and supports the Prime Minister’s policies. He also dislikes Lushington’s rule.”

Pitt narrowed his eyes and nodded. “Meet him.”

At that moment, the British Cabinet’s plot to overthrow the East India Company was set in motion.

***

William Wickham, head of the British Alien Office, tapped his desk.

“Overthrowing the East India Company’s management. The Prime Minister really wants to hold power for the long term.”

Of course, the Alien Office’s main task was to collect foreign intelligence.

However, when doing intelligence work, it sometimes became meaningless to distinguish between domestic and foreign information, especially when dealing with a giant corporation like the East India Company, which had a worldwide network.

If the East India Company’s network were to fall into foreign hands, national security would be jeopardized.

Then Philip d’Auvergne, the British spymaster who came to report to Wickham, shrugged. “Didn’t his father, Pitt the Elder, hold power for 20 years? It seems he wants more than that.”

“Perhaps he’s clinging to the position of Prime Minister even more after being ousted once. Or maybe it’s because of France.”

“France? What do you mean, Director?”

Wickham stared at the report and replied, “Wasn’t the last cabinet reshuffle ultimately due to France’s machinations? The Prime Minister is determined to prevent that from happening again. That’s manifesting as an obsession with the East India Company.”

In fact, Pitt’s first ouster was, upon closer inspection, due to the collusion between King George III and the Chairman of the East India Company.

However, it was clear that the French Sûreté [French intelligence agency] and Eugene’s machinations were behind it.

From Eugene’s point of view, he was just slightly provoking the domestic discontent that was building up against Pitt.

“But that nemesis has returned.”

“When you think about it, he’s a more dangerous enemy than Bonaparte, or rather, Emperor Napoleon. Emperor Napoleon threatens us on the battlefield, but Eugene Freiherr [Baron] threatens our regime.”

“Then, shall we prepare for an assassination?”

Killing the Emperor had repeatedly failed.

But wouldn’t it be easier to kill the Viceroy?

Wickham closed his eyes and pondered d’Auvergne’s suggestion.

Numerous possibilities flashed through his mind and disappeared.

If he succeeded in killing the Viceroy, or if he failed, or if it was revealed, countless things would happen.

The conclusion was that attempting the assassination itself was currently a loss.

Wickham opened his eyes. “No.”

“No? I never knew our director was a moral evangelical.”

“If Eugene Bonaparte is assassinated, it will be more difficult for us to destabilize the French Empire in case of emergency.”

Suddenly, a cold smile appeared on Wickham’s lips. “I’m talking about the succession dispute between Charles Napoleon and Eugene Bonaparte.”

Of course, the fact that the probability of success was low was also a major reason.

In any case, Eugene’s surroundings were guarded by the Vendée Guard [Elite military unit loyal to Eugene Bonaparte], so it wasn’t an easy choice.

Moreover, the assassination plot that the Alien Office was focusing on the most was separate.

“I understand. Then, I will proceed with the Saint Petersburg situation report.”

d’Auvergne handed over another report and his eyes shone. “Tsar Paul can be killed at any time now.”

It was the assassination plot of the Russian Tsar.

***

At that moment, Charles Grant, the Director of the East India Company in charge of the East, was facing a completely different dilemma.

“Do we really have to export opium?”

The young merchant William Jardine nodded. “There is no other way, Mr. Grant.”

“What about our textiles or New World tobacco? Or even handicrafts like watches?”

“None of them surpass Chinese tea, silk, and porcelain.”

The man who would later become the father of Hong Kong, Jardine, declared firmly. “The only item that is economically viable is opium, opium, Mr. Grant.”

So, it was a debate about what to export to the Qing Dynasty [China under the Qing Dynasty].

In the early 19th century, Britain and the Qing Dynasty were already engaged in significant trade exchanges.

However, it wasn’t a completely free trade system, but a system called the Canton System, trading through special merchants called the Thirteen Factories of Canton [The sole legal trading entities in Guangzhou], had been established.

However, this trade was completely in deficit for Britain.

To solve this problem, Jardine and other emerging merchants came up with Indian opium.

“This is too immoral.”

“But it makes money.”

“That’s, um… I need some time to think about it.”

However, Grant was also a merchant, and if there was no solution to the serious deficit, there was no other way.

Jardine smiled contentedly, sensing success.

At that time, Grant’s secretary hurriedly entered his office and whispered.

Jardine’s expression hardened at the ominous feeling.

Grant widened his eyes and stood up. “The Prime Minister wants to meet me?”

It seemed that Jardine’s opium trade plot wouldn’t start right away.

Of course, if it did start, it would be a grand plot that would plunge the entire East into ruin.