I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 217

217. Let’s Talk

Around the time when the battle between the European Allied Forces and Qing began in earnest in Asia.

Loud explosions echoed continuously from the training grounds on the outskirts of Paris.

Ta-ta-ta-tang!

The source of the noise was a demonstration of the newly unveiled French-made rifle.

The marshals, representing the French army, watched the soldiers lying down and firing with hawk-like eyes.

“That’s the new rifle being introduced, I see.”

“Indeed, being a breech-loading rifle, it’s a significant departure from the muskets we’re used to, isn’t it? It might take some time for the soldiers to adapt.”

“Not at all. It’s actually much easier to handle, so soldiers can become proficient in a shorter amount of time, or so I’m told.”

“The existing muskets, even for the most skilled shooters, are limited to two or three shots per minute. This one can fire up to five, so we have to adopt it, no matter what. There’s no avoiding it.”

Lan, Masséna, and Berthier exchanged opinions rapidly, discussing how they could best utilize this new weapon.

Grand Marshal Napoleon, sitting slightly behind them in the VIP section, clicked his tongue quietly beside me.

“This technological advancement is happening so fast; it’s hard to keep up.”

“I can’t argue with that… but what choice do we have?”

“Exactly. I understand. All European countries will see our weapons in action in this war with Qing. Introducing new weapons quickly to maintain our advantage is the best strategic decision, I think.”

You could call it the innovator’s dilemma.

If you are a country leading the world, you have to develop at an almost obsessive pace to maintain that position.

“Technology, once it gains momentum, is unstoppable. So, it’s better for your mental health to think of this as just the beginning.”

“I can’t help it. I’ve already prepared myself. By the way, is there a specific reason why you sent the 2nd Corps this time? Lan seemed particularly eager to go.”

“The 2nd Corps is seen as a symbol of French military power. Since Europe has a cause to uphold, I thought it would send a better message if the 2nd Corps, mainly composed of soldiers of African and Native American descent, were the ones to go.”

“I see. Actually, I didn’t expect this war to happen. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to eliminate England for good…”

Certainly, some congressmen had asked similar questions.

“I don’t have perfect foresight. It’s ideal to achieve a flawless victory, but I wasn’t confident that was guaranteed. In the worst-case scenario, this could have been a mediocre outcome, so understand that I compromised for a solid, reliable result.”

“I understand what you mean.”

“And until I’m certain that we can subdue England without significant losses, I have no intention of directly confronting them. The military must be fully aware of this.”

Even now, and in the future, we will continue to offer England a glimmer of hope, a sliver of an escape route.

To solve the innovator’s dilemma, the existence of a close second is essential.

My goal was to constantly subject them to hope torture, making them think that if they pushed harder, if they went just a little further, they might be able to catch up with us.

Of course, hope torture is just that: hope torture.

When England advances by one step, France takes at least two or three, so the gap doesn’t narrow; it only widens.

“A cornered rat bites the cat. You all should keep this in mind.”

“I understand. But… if things continue like this, won’t Qing be driven into a corner? The last struggle of a wounded lion would be far more dangerous than a rat biting a cat.”

“Wouldn’t it?”

Even if they’re desperate, you can’t let your guard down if they haven’t completely lost everything.

If Qing decides to gather its remaining forces and launch one massive attack, they could inflict significant damage on any European country.

“Prime Minister, could it be that… you’ve been considering that from the beginning?”

“Yes, the best outcome is for England to take the brunt of it, but there’s also a good chance that Russia will be hit hard. What do you think, from your expert perspective?”

“England will try to avoid fighting the Qing army on land as much as possible, so it won’t be easy for Qing to counterattack there. If one side suffers significant damage, the probability is that it will be Russia.”

“That’s not bad either.”

They may be allies now, but Russia’s potential could be even more threatening than England’s in some ways.

Whether the current Russian Empire will be overturned by revolution as it was in history, or whether it will transition smoothly, the future will be completely different, so it was not easy to predict.

Since Prussia has been crushed once, it is not yet known how communist ideas will emerge.

Whether it will unfold as it did in history, or whether Marx will take a completely different path, or whether Marx, despairing of reality, will call for revolution much faster and more radically.

If Russia is likely to create something similar to the Soviet Union as in the original timeline, it will be necessary to gradually reduce its national power from now on.

“Prime Minister, one last question.”

“What is it?”

“Does this war mean the end of a chaotic era, or does it mean the beginning of even greater chaos?”

“That’s obviously…”

I could be sure of this more than anything else, so I gave him the answer without hesitation.

“An era of unprecedented madness will begin.”

※※※

At the same time, on the opposite side of the Earth, in the East.

Joseon [Korea], Changdeokgung Palace, Seonjeongjeon Hall.

This place, where the king and his subjects conduct state affairs and hold scholarly discussions, had a subtle atmosphere that had never been felt before.

The young King Yi Gong, sitting on the jade throne in the north center, looked around at his subjects with a troubled expression.

“Is what I’m hearing consistent with common sense?”

Yi Gong, who ascended the throne as the youngest king in Joseon’s history, had not been able to rule directly until a few years ago.

And recently, after the death of Queen Jeongsun, the most senior member of the royal family, he was able to take care of state affairs himself.

He was still young, but his enthusiasm was unmatched.

Wasn’t he the son of King Jeongjo, who was revered as one of the most brilliant rulers since King Sejong?

Even though he ascended the throne unexpectedly, he had been on the throne for more than 10 years.

He already knew how the country was run.

Yes. He thought he knew everything. Until recently.

“The Qing Dynasty is under a massive attack by Western barbarians, and the situation is truly dire?”

“That’s what we’re hearing.”

The voice of Lee Jon-soo, the director of the Military Affairs Command, who couldn’t hide his unease, confirmed that this was not a lie.

“What’s the big deal if the Westerners don’t know their place and attack Qing? We’ll soon hear news of their defeat.”

“We thought so too, but… this is not a good sign.”

“Not a good sign? Are you saying Qing has lost a battle?”

“It seems the Westerners have come prepared. We’ve confirmed at least five countries, and among them, England, France, and Russia are recognized as having strong military power in the West.”

I don’t know how strong the Western countries are, but the fact that five countries have united certainly felt significant.

“Does anyone know about the countries the director mentioned?”

“Your Majesty. They are just ruffians who disregard the law and despise their ancestors. No matter how much they unite and attack, how can they possibly harm Qing?”

“That’s right!”

The ministers all agreed with the statement of Chief State Councilor Kim Jae-chan.

Already, the perception of those who believed in Catholicism in Joseon was at its lowest due to the Shinyu Persecution [a large-scale persecution of Catholics in 1801] several years ago.

It was only natural that the Western countries that practiced Catholicism as their state religion were also considered beyond the pale.

However, some people from the Military Affairs Command and the Ministry of War raised their voices, saying that the current situation should not be taken lightly.

“Even though they are immoral, we cannot disregard their military power. It’s not that the great power of the Middle Kingdom [China] has never lost a war to barbaric tribes. The flames of war may reach this place, so we must prepare!”

“That’s right! If Qing loses, the next target of those Westerners will naturally be Joseon.”

“I heard that the greed of the Westerners is endless. If we don’t prepare in advance and experience the humiliation of the Imjin War [Japanese invasions of Korea, 1592-1598] again, how can we express the misery in words?”

The young king, who was not very firm in his resolve compared to his enthusiasm, was shaken by the advice of the Military Affairs Command.

At first, he thought these guys were lying to strengthen their authority.

However, when such detailed and specific data was presented that it could not be fabricated, such doubts disappeared like snow melting.

“Gwangju and even Tianjin have fallen into the hands of the Westerners? Tianjin is not far from Joseon.”

“Yes. We must also consider the possibility that if they attack Qing and it doesn’t work out, they may turn their ships this way.”

Yi Gong shook his head, looking at the mountain of appeals raised by the Military Affairs Command.

“But where did you get all these vast records? I don’t think Qing would have shared the information.”

“Yes. Westerners called Holland (Netherlands) who participated in the war with Qing are constantly informing us of the progress of the war.”

“Those who are at war would have manipulated the records to their advantage. We can’t believe this.”

Originally, wasn’t it basic propaganda during wartime to inflate the achievements of one’s own side by about twofold and exaggerate the damage to the enemy by about fivefold?

The credibility of the data felt like it was plummeting to the bottom in an instant.

“We also initially judged that it was not worth listening to. But this record is not like that. It includes the circumstances of the war, detailed information on the participating national generals, as well as the number of soldiers mobilized in the battles so far, the quantity of artillery, the damage to ships, and the location, time, and development process of the battles. The record is so detailed that it is almost pathological. We checked just in case, and there were no discrepancies with some of the information we found. In other words, we should consider it to have some reliability.”

“That’s strange. What is the purpose of those Dutch people giving us these materials?”

If all of this detailed record is true, it can be a thing with considerable strategic value in itself.

That’s why Joseon did not disclose it to the outside, even though it had a very detailed recording system.

How could they go out of their way to spread it around, begging them to read it? It doesn’t make sense.

“Are they trying to boast about their strength? If so, it can be said to be a barbaric act….”

“According to the Dutch merchants who brought this data, the Prime Minister of France… that is, the Chief State Councilor, asked them to do so.”

“The Chief State Councilor of France?”

“Yes. A guy named Cristiano… it was a strange name, as all Westerners do. According to the Dutch merchant, he has wisdom that reaches the sky and has a foresight to see the future, and he is spreading this data everywhere. It seems that news has already spread to Japan and Vietnam.”

If they are giving information so widely, the possibility of errors here seemed quite low.

If they mixed in clumsy fake information, it would be possible to cross-verify it immediately.

“Didn’t they ask for something? I’m making it clear, but trade with the Westerners can never be allowed.”

“Strangely enough, there was no talk of trading right away. Instead, the Prime Minister of France said that he would show his sincerity, so if it helped, let’s have a serious conversation.”

“Sincerity? What kind of sincerity are you going to show?”

“If you send a detailed investigation and inspection to Pyeongan-do [Northwestern province of Korea] right now, you will know what he said. He even wrote down the name of a specific person, but this is not a matter that can be said in a public place, so I only wrote it in the memorial.”

“They even mentioned the place name Pyeongan-do?”

It’s hard to judge how this is going.

Regardless of the will of the King of Joseon and his great and small officials.

The whirlwind that blew in Asia was already sweeping through all the surrounding countries and spreading out.