He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 128

128. Preparing the Operation

St. James’s Palace.

King George received a report with a gloomy expression.

“…According to the informant, Prime Minister North fortunately escaped from the rebel group and crossed the Thames. But the fate of Lord Sanderson…”

King George urged the Secretary of State, who was trailing off.

“Ahem—Sanderson, what happened to Lord Sanderson? Tell me exactly!”

“Your Majesty, it seems he resisted at his home and was… killed.”

Rebels stormed the Mayfair area where Theo’s house was located, and witnesses reported hearing gunshots and screams after a while.

“William Howe… that bastard…”

King George gritted his teeth, his hand trembling at the news of Theo’s apparent death.

The expressions of the courtiers and generals around him were as dark as King George’s.

Who was General William Howe?

Within the British army, regardless of rank, there was hardly anyone who did not respect and follow him.

He had accumulated numerous achievements from the War of the Austrian Succession [a major European conflict from 1740 to 1748] and countless battlefields, earning him absolute trust from above.

Moreover, he was greatly respected by his subordinates for his gentle and upright character, and his influence within the army was immense.

“It’s a concern. If such a man becomes the leader of the rebels, it’s no different from seizing control of the entire British army.”

A veteran politician and member of the House of Commons whispered, and a fellow politician agreed.

“Indeed. They may be only 20,000 now, but if they know Howe is at the center, more troops will flock to him. Especially the young officers. I don’t understand what’s going on.”

Nobles and generals who knew General Howe well expressed deep concern.

Thump-

At that moment, the door of the audience chamber burst open, and the commander of the Royal Guard rushed in urgently.

“Your Majesty! A man sent by General Howe is at the gate.”

“The rebel bastards sent someone?”

“Yes! He is requesting negotiations with His Majesty the King. What should we do?”

“What… what? Negotiations?”

At the word ‘negotiation,’ George III’s brow furrowed deeply.

In 18th-century Europe, it was customary to attempt diplomatic negotiations before military conflicts.

It was a product of reflection from countless wars in the Middle Ages and a war prevention measure.

However, George felt deeply insulted by the rebels’ attempt to test the waters, especially since they were not a recognized nation and had only been around for a few days.

One of the Privy Council advisors, watching George’s expression, quietly stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, although you may find it distasteful, it would be wise to hear them out first.”

The Privy Council was the King’s advisory body, responsible for executing the King’s orders, advising on policies, enacting laws, and declaring war.

After a moment of contemplation, King George ordered the commander of the Royal Guard.

“Let him in!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

As the commander of the Royal Guard went to summon the rebel negotiation representative, a small murmur arose among the ministers and nobles.

They were speculating about General Howe’s intentions, as he was only surrounding the palace and not launching any attacks.

At that moment.

Thump. Thump. Clang- Thump. Thump.

The imposing sound of riding boots decorated with metal stamping echoed on the hallway floor.

A terrifying momentum, as if to trample everything, was heard.

The gazes of the ministers turned to the door all at once.

Thump- Squeak-

The heavy door opened, and a burly man with a fierce face appeared in the audience chamber.

At a glance, he was a field soldier reeking of blood.

Thump- Thump- Clang-

The commander of the Royal Guard politely introduced him to King George.

“Your Majesty, this is Lieutenant Colonel Josiah Carrington, sent by General Howe.”

At the introduction of the commander of the Royal Guard, Lieutenant Colonel Carrington nodded slightly and immediately unfolded the paper in his hand.

And he began to read the text without hesitation.

“I would like to convey General Howe’s negotiation proposal as follows!”

Instantly, the audience chamber buzzed.

They expected him to present the negotiation proposal with at least some respect for King George.

However, there was no courtesy to King George in his resolute and unwavering demeanor.

“First! We will refuse the independence of the North American colonies, and there will be no compromise on this!

Second! We will not allow the misdeeds of James II’s unilateral choices to be repeated in England!”

In the past, the Glorious Revolution [the overthrow of King James II of England in 1688] took place due to the arbitrary actions of King James II of England, and the Bill of Rights was created to check and restrict the King’s rights.

In the end, they were trying to establish the justification for the rebellion by portraying King George as a monarch who approved unilateral policies like James II.

The Secretary of State, who was listening, could not contain his anger and shouted.

“What nonsense are you talking about? The approval of independence was given by His Majesty the King through sufficient consultation with the parliament. How can this be portrayed as a unilateral act and a matter of criticism!”

But Lieutenant Colonel Carrington did not care. He simply continued to read the rest of the content.

“Third! If the King of England stops his arbitrariness and humbly accepts the voices of the people, we will preserve the King’s life!

Fourth! But despite all our patient high endurance…”

Lieutenant Colonel Carrington’s thunderous voice, as if he would smash the palace at any moment, seemed to weigh heavily on the hearts of everyone in the palace.

“Seventh! Until all situations stabilize, the authority of the parliament will be temporarily…”

The negotiation document that Lieutenant Colonel Carrington was reading was closer to a threat.

King George, with a distorted face, shouted.

“Stop! Stop it! Commander of the Royal Guard! Immediately arrest that arrogant rebel and throw him in jail! I will cut off his head and throw it out of the palace!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Lambeth Palace, London, Provisional Command and Control Center of the Government Forces.

Prime Minister North and several officials were gathered around a large map spread out on the table.

But no one opened their mouths.

Their eyes only followed the movement of the baton Theo was holding.

“…Once all the preparations are completed as I have outlined, taking advantage of the dark dawn when the guard is lax and the moon is obscured, we will strike right here, where the underground secret passage begins!”

Tap- Tap-

Theo continued, tapping one spot on the map.

“We must quickly infiltrate through the underground passage and emerge behind Westminster Abbey. We should establish a base there as quickly as possible and use it as a launchpad for attacks.”

The officials, who had only been listening, began to ask questions one by one.

“Even if we use Westminster Abbey as a base, it’s only a matter of time before we are discovered. What if we are subjected to concentrated shelling while we are there?”

“As you all know, Westminster Abbey is a very important religious site. The rebels will have no choice but to consider the consequences of indiscriminately shelling it.”

Westminster Abbey was a nationally significant place in addition to its religious importance.

Therefore, shelling it could be seen as a serious insult to British history and identity.

“Let’s say that’s true, but how can we face 20,000 rebels with only a few hundred soldiers at most?”

“The rebel army led by General Howe may have a large number of soldiers, but in a narrow and complex urban warfare environment like London, the superiority of troops is not as significant.

Once the base is established, if we send infiltration teams to attack various locations and then retreat to the base, it will greatly aid the entry of reinforcements into London, even if we cannot achieve a decisive victory.”

The role of the 18-year-old trainee ‘Andres Green,’ who was brought in a few days ago to replace Thomas Lewellyn, was proving more valuable than expected.

Andres explained the maze of tunnels connected to the underground cave in detail, as if it were the inside of his own house, and even revealed a blocked-off underground passage that provided a shortcut.

Theo and the soldiers entered the secret cave in the lower reaches of the Thames and went back and forth several times through the underground passages of various major areas to confirm their layout.

And in preparation for the rebels’ pursuit, they made thorough preparations for a quick escape, even if chased underground, by marking signs that only they could recognize.

After completing the confirmation work on the underground secret passage, the provisional command accepted Theo’s plan as a formal operation plan after discussion and immediately spurred the recruitment of troops.

They searched for militiamen and soldiers in areas that had not yet been taken over by the rebels, and selected about 300 people, focusing on those who were skilled at shooting and quick on their feet.

But they could not find a regimental commander to lead the operation that Theo had planned.

Almost all of the capable field commanders had joined General Howe’s side.

The commanders who were left were mostly retired or old soldiers, unsuitable for leading a quick infiltration operation.

In addition, everyone was reluctant to volunteer as a regimental commander, even when the support qualification was lowered to lieutenant colonel for Theo’s operation plan, which required them to enter the heart of the enemy and face 20,000 soldiers.

Prime Minister North emphasized that the Earl of Montagu in northern England was forming 15,000 standing troops and militiamen, and General Edmund Payne in the south was raising 17,000 troops to come up, and appealed for active participation, but in the face of the growing number of rebels, no commander readily volunteered.

The situation was urgent. As no one volunteered, Theo stepped forward to take the position of regimental commander, half by his own will and half by the urging of others.

The participation of a civilian as a military commander might seem difficult to understand from a modern perspective.

However, in 18th-century England, where the ‘selling of positions’ in the military was common, it was not entirely unusual.

This system of selling positions usually cost more as the rank was higher, and most of those who could afford these prices were nobles, which naturally led to nobles forming the military leadership.

Of course, it wasn’t possible to acquire a rank just because you had a lot of money, and there were certain status restrictions on the bidding conditions for buying and selling ranks.

In addition, it was not recognized unless the head of the unit agreed.

However, no one could stop Theo from taking the lead in a coup situation when the person who devised the operation plan volunteered to lead it.

Moreover, Theo was not only wealthy but also a member of the nobility.

Theo was given the position of temporary regimental commander through a brief appointment ceremony presided over by Prime Minister North and began full-scale combat planning.

* * *

“You are the leaders of each group. As I said, camouflage and perimeter security are paramount…”

Theo first formed 12 infiltration groups and 2 sniper groups, based on the base defense group.

He repeatedly conducted basic training, carefully selecting the leaders of each group.

Thump-

The door of the temporary regimental commander’s office burst open, and a major rushed in, looking pale.

“Regimental Commander! Something terrible has happened. His Majesty the King has rejected the negotiation proposal sent by General Howe and beheaded the lieutenant colonel who came for negotiations. Urgent intelligence indicates that the rebels are preparing for a massive shelling in two days, citing this as their justification!”

The group leaders were visibly shaken by the major’s report.

Until now, the rebels had not launched a direct attack.

They had maintained a quiet control without violent acts, even within the city of London.

They diligently posted posters and distributed leaflets to citizens, and explained the meaning of the rebellion to publishers gathered in St. Paul’s, asking them to produce publications with favorable content.

In addition, they visited theaters and pubs in the Covent Garden market area, where many London citizens gathered, and preached reasonable justifications for the rebellion.

The rebels had been making conciliatory gestures on the surface, but George III’s rejection of negotiations meant that a military clash was now inevitable.

Theo addressed each group leader with a determined expression.

“There is no time now. We can no longer wait for reinforcements to arrive. Before they surround the palace and begin shelling in earnest, we must surprise them to create confusion and buy as much time as possible. Tomorrow at dawn, our regiment will occupy Westminster Abbey and then begin the operation we have been preparing for!”

Most of the young and capable commanders had joined the rebel army led by General Howe, and the remaining senior generals and commanders seemed frightened and hesitant.

In the midst of this, Theo’s willingness to risk his life and plunge directly into a place swarming with enemies was becoming a powerful driving force for the government forces trying to resist the rebels.

Theo’s appearance sparked whispers among senior officials and generals.

“It seems that Lord Sanderson… definitely has military experience.”

“Huh? I don’t think so? I’ve never heard him mention working anywhere?”

“No, that’s not it. I’m a soldier myself. Without combat experience, such detailed operational instructions or natural movements are impossible.

He’s instructing all the soldiers crossing the river at dawn to wear long black cloaks and even put black charcoal powder on their faces. That way, they won’t be detected by the enemy.”

“In addition, he created something strange called a sniper group to support them, and he made everyone memorize strange hand gestures in preparation for urban warfare. When I asked, he said it was to maintain speed and secrecy during combat.

Many of these actions and operations are unfamiliar to me, but honestly, though it feels a bit dishonorable to admit, they seem like essential measures in the field that make perfect sense.”

“Could it be that he learned it from the North American colonial forces? I heard that the colonial forces mainly carry out such small-scale operations?”

“Anyway, many of those called colonels know less about combat than ordinary soldiers, but when I listen to Lord Sanderson, he definitely seems to have a lot of experience.”

At this time, many of the colonels were nobles who had entered through the system of selling positions, so there were many who only wore military uniforms and couldn’t even think of commanding actual combat.

So, even though the colonel was a superior, the lieutenant colonel or major often took on the role of the actual commander.

Then one official lowered his voice and said.

“I heard this a while ago… When Lord Sanderson was in Jamaica, there was a major black rebellion.

At that time, Lord Sanderson personally led people and even directed the operation to save the plantation owners. And in just a few hours, he rescued the plantation people and even killed the leader who caused the rebellion with a single shot.

My friend, who was the commander of the British Royal Navy in Jamaica, said that it was the first time that a large-scale riot had been suppressed so quickly, and he told me all about Lord Sanderson.”

As the story of suppressing the black rebellion, which they had not known before, surfaced, the eyes of the officials and nobles looking at Theo changed even more.

In a frustrating situation where they could not see an inch ahead, all of Theo’s actions were becoming a great source of hope for them.