I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 191

191. There’s No Loss in My Dictionary

“First, I’d like to hear what those conditions are.”

Without knowing what conditions Russia is imposing, it’s impossible to give a hasty answer.

Pitt didn’t let his guard down, watching Aleksandr’s subtle facial changes, not wanting to miss a thing.

“We’re not trying to impose any unreasonable conditions. What we initially wanted was control over the entire Black Sea. But we recognize that this was an unreasonable demand, and we will no longer expand the front towards the Bosphorus. Instead, we must be recognized for our right to occupy the Crimean Peninsula.”

“To gain the Crimean Peninsula, but not expand influence towards the Bosphorus Strait. Do we understand correctly?”

“Yes. In return for us taking the Crimean Peninsula, the Sea of Azov in the northeast of the peninsula will also become our territory.”

It was certainly a much more lenient condition than their previous claim to occupy the entire Black Sea.

Above all, the fact that they would no longer come down to Constantinople [modern-day Istanbul, Turkey] was great news for the Ottomans.

Frankly, the Ottomans no longer had the confidence to engage in an all-out war with Russia and win.

Where had the dignity of the former great empire gone? They were losing every battle, to the point where they felt a kind of wall.

If Britain hadn’t intervened and mediated, they might have been pushed all the way to Constantinople.

So, they were honestly grateful that the other side wouldn’t invade.

Of course, if Russia occupied the Crimean Peninsula and began to accumulate power in earnest, it would become even more unmanageable in the future.

But it’s unmanageable now anyway, and since they’ve made such a public statement in front of so many countries, it won’t be easy to start a war.

Unless the Ottomans strike first, it should be impossible for at least several decades.

“Still, since we’ve made so many concessions, we trust that the Ottomans won’t impose excessive tolls when our merchant ships pass through the Bosphorus. If you promise us that, we’ll agree to conclude the strengthening negotiations at this point.”

“If the two countries can be peaceful in the future, that’s something we should definitely do…”

“Wait. Is that really all?”

As the Ottoman side was about to hastily express their agreement, Pitt quickly interjected.

No matter how he thought about it, this didn’t make sense.

What was Russia lacking that they would suddenly make such extraordinary concessions after winning the war?

Frankly speaking, if Russia mobilized all its allies and acted tough, they could negotiate under more favorable conditions than now.

If it were him, he would never back down so easily.

Clearly, this was an act with some ulterior motive.

However, Pitt hadn’t expected Russia to come out like this, so he hadn’t yet grasped their true intentions.

He needed more time to think.

If he calmly examined the various possibilities, he would surely be able to figure it out.

However, Aleksandr immediately nodded, as if he had no intention of giving Pitt time.

“I realized after listening to Prime Minister Pitt. Isn’t this a place to discuss peace and harmony? If we were to pursue only our own interests even at a time like this, there would be no greater eyesore. I feel enlightened by the Prime Minister’s stern rebuke. From now on, we promise to prioritize peace above all else, at least in this forum.”

“…Then I have nothing more to say…”

Did he really change his attitude completely after being so impressed by those words?

If you believe that, you should seriously doubt your intelligence.

But as long as he didn’t know what those guys were aiming for, it was better to keep his mouth shut here.

Maybe it was just a psychological warfare tactic to test him, or maybe that guy was really just stupid.

Above all, the Ottoman side continued to signal that they wanted to end the war with Russia at this point.

As long as they were acting under the pretext of European peace, they had to respect the wishes of the countries involved.

“Well, if the two countries can reach an amicable agreement, it’s no longer up to a third party to interfere. Do as you please.”

Britain’s top priority was to stop Russia’s southward advance.

Since they had already achieved their initial goal, they could afford to sit back and watch the subsequent talks.

In fact, the subsequent meetings proceeded quite peacefully.

France faithfully fulfilled its role as a mediator, as they had declared, and did not lean towards either side.

They fully considered the positions of the various small countries and put a brake on the Empire’s attempts to excessively pressure Prussia.

Most of the countries participating in this meeting would leave with a good impression of France.

Even though it twisted his gut, there was no way to stop this trend from the beginning.

Rather, he had to return as soon as possible and discuss how to deal with France’s naval buildup.

And he would have to ask experts for their opinions on the intention behind showing it to them and why Russia had retreated so readily.

As he was thinking about the future policy, no matter how the talks progressed, the first day of the meeting was almost over.

Just as it seemed like it would end like this, the Spanish side, which had been silent until now, suddenly brought up a new topic.

“By the way, everyone, I feel like we’re overlooking one important fact right now.”

“Overlooking?”

The representative of Spain was Manuel Godoy, who succeeded José Moñino as the Secretary of State of Spain.

According to Pitt’s investigation, he was incomparably incompetent and corrupt compared to his predecessor.

He probably only had a few years to hold that position.

He wasn’t someone to be wary of.

So, he had been ignoring him, but what was he trying to say at this timing?

“We are gathered here today to achieve the noble value of peace. Of course, completely eradicating war from this world is a pipe dream. Still, reducing the seeds of conflict even a little is certainly a meaningful thing to do. I was deeply moved by Prime Minister Pitt’s remarks emphasizing peace, and I swallowed the tears that were about to well up in my eyes at the Russian side’s attitude of immediately accepting them.”

What was he trying to say, going on and on like that?

Pitt was about to ignore him and continue his contemplation, thinking that he was just going to talk nonsense, but his eyes widened at Godoy’s next words.

“What is the biggest reason why war never ceases on this earth? It is because the old customs of oppressing other races and cultures remain. Ah, of course, I will exclude those uncivilized people who have not yet properly established their own culture and history. We have a duty to enlighten these people.”

Godoy paused for a moment and glanced at Pitt.

This was clearly a statement that took into account the white man’s burden theory [the belief that European white people had a duty to civilize other races], that Britain was always talking about.

“Of course, it is our duty, received from God, to guide the barbarians who have no civilization and to develop the backward countries of Asia. But beyond that, I think there is a clear problem with forcibly trampling on other countries and other peoples and destroying their pride. As long as these bad habits continue, there will be constant conflicts, large and small.”

“Which country are you referring to with those words?”

Spain had already made it clear that they were not going to say anything about the colonization of Asia.

Then the remaining candidates naturally narrowed down.

Pitt had a rough idea of which region Spain was aiming for.

And as expected, the answer came out.

“For example, there is Egypt. Strictly speaking, Egypt has a longer history and civilization than any other country here. In the past, our ancestors studied the brilliant heritage and knowledge of Egypt and received a lot of help. But what about now? Many intellectuals from Egypt are unable to contain their anger at the oppression and unfair treatment they are receiving.”

The Mamluk dynasty, which occupied most of ancient Egypt, had long since fallen into their province after losing the war with the Ottomans.

Now that even the Ottomans had become obsolete, the situation in Egypt was chaos itself.

Ali Bey al-Kabir declared the revival of the Mamluks and declared independence, but was killed by an ally due to the Ottomans’ intrigue.

However, the Ottomans could not completely suppress the Mamluks who were trying to become independent, so Egypt could not escape from the crucible of chaos.

In fact, the representative of the new Mamluk dynasty had tried to participate in this meeting, but the European powers were still divided on whether to recognize them as a formal country, so they could not enter the meeting hall.

So, he had forgotten about their existence, but it seemed that they had cleverly contacted the Spanish side in advance.

“But aren’t the Mamluks an Islamic country? The ruling class is all from that side. I can’t think of it as the same civilization as Egypt, which achieved a brilliant civilization in the past.”

“Of course. But there are many people in Egypt who want to restore their identity. We must listen to those voices.”

Suddenly, the Ottoman delegation, startled by the sudden spark towards Egypt, shouted urgently.

“Egypt is clearly our territory. The rebels who are trying to take that place are by no means a proper country!”

“Those who have prospered and developed civilization in that region for thousands of years are rebels? When viewed dispassionately, isn’t the Ottoman side, which came from the outside, the invaders? At least that’s what the Egyptians say.”

“What nonsense… What you’re trying to do now is a clear interference in internal affairs!”

“If the Ottomans had complete control over Egypt, that would be the case, but aren’t you losing control in almost half of Egypt? So, the word interference in internal affairs can’t be established.”

The Ottoman side sent desperate glances for help, but Pitt couldn’t intervene rashly.

In any case, Britain had been criticizing indiscriminate expansionism and oppression of other ethnic groups until just before.

But if he took the side of the Ottomans here, it would only mean that everything he had said so far was just a show.

Besides, it didn’t matter to the British side whether Egypt became independent or not.

Of course, there would be a problem if Spain swallowed it up.

“Prime Minister Godoy, what is Spain’s position then? Is it the meaning that the righteous Spanish army will enter Egypt to support the Egyptian independence army and enthrone a new pharaoh?”

“How could that be? Absolutely not. I’m just worried because I can see the future so clearly.”

Certainly, if left alone, the Ottomans and the Egyptian revival forces would have no choice but to fight each other.

And unfortunately, due to the characteristics of those two regions, where they have to compete to see who is weaker, no one could guarantee a complete victory.

In that case, the fight would naturally be prolonged and a lot of blood would flow.

There was no guarantee that several great powers would not take the opportunity to subtly step in.

If Britain had Gibraltar, it could easily exert influence through the Mediterranean, but unfortunately, that was not the case now.

In that case, the first ones to step in would be Spain and France.

From Britain’s point of view, the best result might be to guarantee Egypt’s independence and have everyone step away.

“That’s certainly a valid point. Egypt is one of the cradles of ancient civilization. It’s not a place to be treated like this now.”

“No, wait a minute…”

“As expected, Britain is the guardian of peace. You understand right away.”

“If the Spanish side has no intention of effectively controlling Egypt, we are certainly willing to respect Egypt’s history and will.”

The European powers ignored the Ottomans’ desperate cries that Egypt was their land and continued their conversation among themselves.

It was a harsh reality, but as long as the European side’s interests were aligned in that way, the position of the declining Ottomans was not that important.

Besides, the Ottomans had managed to get considerable concessions from Russia even after losing the war, so they couldn’t just raise their voices.

If Britain completely turned its back on them, the Ottomans could lose the entire Black Sea while trying to maintain Egypt, which they couldn’t even swallow.

In the end, the first day of the Paris Peace Conference ended, proving only the bitter fact that the world order was now run by the European powers.

※※※

“Hoo, it’s only the first day, but I’m already exhausted…”

“Still, tomorrow we only need to check the simple treaties, so you can worry less than today.”

In the empty room where everyone had left, I was facing Prime Minister Godoy of Spain and Crown Prince Aleksandr of Russia.

“If we spend too much time together, it will inevitably raise suspicion, so I will leave in 5 minutes. First of all, thank you all for your hard work.”

“We just did as the Prime Minister told us in advance. But you must keep your promise?”

“Of course. The best results have come out, so I will fulfill all the promised items.”

“I feel relieved now that you’ve said that for sure. I can sleep soundly tonight without any worries. Hahaha!”

Crown Prince Aleksandr smiled brightly, shaking off even the slightest worry that remained on his face.

In fact, it couldn’t have been easy for Russia to give up its long-cherished desire to advance into the Mediterranean.

The only reason they backed down so coolly was because I had offered them something more.

“In any case, our France has a base in the West Indies [islands in the Caribbean Sea]. We will fully support you in breaking through to the Indian Ocean, so don’t worry.”

“It’s reassuring to have France’s cooperation.”

“Instead, you must put definite pressure on Britain, which is stationed in India in the future.”

“That’s what we should do, of course. Just leave it to us.”

The base that France had prepared in the West Indies was only enough to regain some of the territory it had lost in the Seven Years’ War.

With this alone, they could never check Britain, which was fiercely building up its power in India.

But what if the Russian side came down?

It wouldn’t be easy to actually reach India, but just the pressure that they could do so was enough.

The fear that Britain’s proud and powerful navy could become meaningless was the most effective weapon of all.

“Prime Minister Godoy, you also conducted the story very well.”

“That’s thanks to the Prime Minister for building the bridge in the middle. I just received it.”

It wasn’t an expression of humility, but in fact, Spain really didn’t do anything.

It was France, not them, that Egypt had contacted.

But I connected them to the Spanish side because I had to remain neutral, and Godoy faithfully followed my instructions.

“But Prime Minister, are you really going to dig a canal that goes directly to the Red Sea through the Mediterranean?”

“Yes. Of course. That’s why I said to make Egypt independent.”

The story has already ended with the Egyptian side under the surface.

I have no interest in dominating Egypt or anything like that, and I just need to occupy the canal.

Even though they know how valuable the Suez Canal is, the indigenous forces in Egypt are currently obsessed with independence, so they couldn’t refuse my offer.

And as I said at the meeting, I’m just digging the canal and not dominating Egypt, so it’s not a violation of the agreement.

There was no room for Britain to tackle.

“Since we volunteered to be the villains, France must keep its promise. When the canal is opened, our tolls must be cheaper than other countries.”

“Of course. We are blood brothers.”

“Hehehe.”

“Hehehe. Ah! I’m thirsty because we’ve been talking for a long time. Shall we go for a drink? Our French wine is amazing.”

“Hahaha. It’s foolish to refuse French wine. Let’s go, Prime Minister!”

End