I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 225

Lord Castlereagh, utterly disoriented by the unprecedented cultural shock, couldn’t quell his anger even after returning to the embassy.

“For some insignificant bugs to dare…”

According to Lord Castlereagh’s understanding, Joseon [historical Korean kingdom] was practically a vassal state of Qing [the last imperial dynasty of China].

Therefore, he had expected them to show at least minimal caution when meeting with those who had defeated Qing.

Wasn’t that common sense?

How could they act like that when it was evident that they were dealing with a power far stronger than their overlord?

He could have understood if they were ignorant of the war’s outcome.

However, most Asian countries already possessed detailed data about the war, thanks to the meddling of the Dutch.

That was why countries like Vietnam and Japan had also refused them.

Of course, those two countries also pushed back against Britain, but they did so with the utmost courtesy and circumspection.

They knew how powerful the British Empire was.

Considering both its army and navy, France might currently be the strongest power in Europe, but the British Empire was undoubtedly second.

Moreover, like France, Britain was growing stronger every moment.

If they were so inclined, the East India Company’s navy alone could impose a maritime blockade on Vietnam or Japan.

Therefore, those two countries mentioned drugs but withdrew with the utmost caution.

“Could Joseon have been very close to Qing? And that’s why they disliked France and us, who won the war against Qing?”

He briefly considered this, but it didn’t seem very likely.

No matter how good the relationship, there could be no true family ties in international society.

Above all, Seo Yong-bo’s expression when he mentioned Zhuism [Neo-Confucianism] or whatever was utterly sincere.

If that was acting, he was someone who could easily outshine himself or Talleyrand.

“Was I too accustomed to diplomacy between modernized nations… Perhaps development isn’t always a good thing.”

Hiding a cold blade behind a polite and elegant smile was the essence of diplomacy as Lord Castlereagh understood it.

Getting angry at those who didn’t meet this standard would only hurt himself.

Calming his mind, he began to write a report to Pitt [William Pitt the Younger, British Prime Minister].

Since there was no need to waste time in the first place, the task itself was completed quickly.

-Trade with Vietnam seems inevitably dominated by France. Given the assistance of French missionaries in establishing the current dynasty, France holds a significant advantage. However, it is worth considering referencing this French approach when approaching other countries in the future.

-Japan is in a similar situation to Vietnam. They are close not only to France but also to the Netherlands, possessing considerable information about Europe. They seem to feel a significant burden in trading with us.

-Joseon is impossible to persuade. At this point, I don’t even feel the need to mention them.

Putting it all together, he couldn’t help but feel miserable.

The thought that his competence might be questioned back home even crossed his mind if this report went up as is.

Of course, he had plenty of excuses.

If he hadn’t engaged in the insane act of deliberately selling opium, there would certainly have been room for persuasion with Vietnam or Japan.

“But those stubborn fools won’t listen anyway… I need to come up with something.”

Britain’s interest in various East Asian countries wasn’t simply because they coveted new colonies.

Once they started operating almost all ships with steam engines, the existence of an intermediate base to supply coal became essential.

Highly developed steamships were superior to sailing ships in almost every way, but there was one fatal flaw.

Without coal, they became useless tin cans.

Therefore, Britain was currently searching for a base with its eyes peeled to establish a coal supply base in Asia.

Fortunately, having seized India, they could freely travel to Northeast Asia with one supply from India.

However, he was concerned that there was no progress in establishing several bases in the Northeast.

“Hong Kong would have been perfect location-wise, but France took it… Clever bastards.”

In the case of France, they could freely send ships anywhere by establishing supply bases in three locations: the canal [Suez Canal], the West Indies, and Hong Kong.

If they added bases in Japan, Vietnam, or Joseon, there was nothing more to say.

“After all, no matter how I think about it, the conditions were too favorable for them from the start.”

He didn’t doubt Prime Minister Pitt’s abilities, but at the time, France was in a position of absolute power, so they had no choice but to concede too much.

Thanks to that, they were now just watching France happily reaping the benefits.

But they couldn’t continue like this.

Lord Castlereagh interrupted the report to Pitt and stood up.

If they were struggling in a swamp, they needed to get the other side to dip a foot in as well to make things even.

※※※

The taste of K-Confucianism [Korean interpretation of Confucianism] he experienced for the first time must have been quite dizzying.

I didn’t monitor what kind of conversation took place, but it was easy to guess.

It was enough to hear that Lord Castlereagh’s expression was deathly dark.

Even I, who am well aware of the current state of Joseon, feel a bit disgusted, so how must Lord Castlereagh, who has no information, have felt?

He deserves credit just for not throwing his glass and storming out.

And if he gets rejected by all countries, the actions he can take are greatly limited.

As evidence, a guest with a very tired expression was sitting right there in the drawing room.

“Prime Minister, thank you for readily making time for me.”

“Not at all. You said you wanted to discuss important matters, so of course, I had to make time. Did you have any meaningful gains from your meetings with Asian countries?”

“…Well, that’s…”

He must have predicted that his actions were being scrutinized.

Lord Castlereagh didn’t reveal his true feelings and nonchalantly brought the glass to his lips.

“Aren’t foreign envoys usually difficult to meet? I thought it was a good opportunity to make acquaintances, so I tried to make contact.”

“Is that so? The story I heard is quite different.”

In the case of Vietnam, they were wary in many ways and didn’t tell me about Britain’s actions.

But Japan was different.

Kondo ran over as if he had been waiting and confessed everything, even the slightest word from Lord Castlereagh.

“Even so, isn’t it a bit much to say that we should establish diplomatic relations with Britain instead of France?”

“Haha… There’s no way we would have seriously made such a proposal. Of course, we knew we would be rejected and only did it to gauge their reaction.”

“Ah, I see. But it seems their reaction was even more adamant than expected. Especially Joseon, wasn’t it quite dizzying?”

At the mention of Joseon, the face of Lord Castlereagh, who had maintained a poker face throughout, cracked for the first time.

It must have been a terribly unpleasant experience.

After all, was an old fogey the answer to dealing with nasty personalities, like curing poison with poison?

“…It was similar to Qing but also very different. It was a strange country.”

“They are interesting people. But this is quite a mild taste. If you take a ship directly to the Korean Peninsula and meet the real ones, you’ll realize this was nothing.”

“…Are you saying this was just a taste?”

Anyway, Seo Yong-bo at least modified his route according to Jeong Yak-yong’s advice.

If they were true believers in Seonghak [a school of Neo-Confucianism], they would have smashed Jeong Yak-yong’s head with an inkstone just for mentioning Dongdoseogi [Eastern ways and Western technology].

“By the way, you didn’t come to me to vent about the terrible experience you had, did you? If you have anything you want to say, feel free to speak.”

“If that’s the case…”

Lord Castlereagh moistened his lips once more with wine and carefully brought up the main point.

“There’s the contract that the two countries signed regarding the independence of ethnic minorities in Qing.”

“Yes, there was. I remember it.”

“At that time, France clearly promised that while Britain would lead this effort, they would spare no assistance. But disappointingly, we are not receiving any help from your country.”

“Excuse me? What are you talking about…”

Perhaps thinking I was trying to deny it, a subtle anger filled Lord Castlereagh’s voice.

“The two countries have officially signed an agreement, so it’s difficult if you deny it like this.”

“No, rather, I want to ask. We are diligently fulfilling the contract, but what is Britain doing? I’m even starting to worry that your country doesn’t understand how important this matter is.”

“No, what…”

He must have been trying to use France to cause the division of Qing, but he must be dumbfounded by my sudden reaction.

It didn’t make sense to try to do anything here in the first place, given that his understanding of the ideology and order of Northeast Asia was far inferior to mine.

“Surely you don’t think I made such an absurd request simply to tie Britain’s hands, do you?”

“No, I didn’t mean it that way…”

No, that’s right. Half of it was to enforce the contract for that purpose.

Of course, the other half was entrusted to Britain because it was a necessary task.

“First, let me ask you. If, just if, Qing loses the war without being divided, is deprived of various rights and exploited for over 100 years, and then a new regime comes in, how long do you think it will take to recover?”

“Hmm… Well, if such a period lasts for over 100 years, wouldn’t it take at least twice that time to recover? Even the Holy Roman Empire has been constantly declining once it entered a downward trend.”

After all, this must be the common perspective.

Perhaps even Britain after the Opium War in the original history couldn’t have imagined that China would rise again so frighteningly in the future.

They probably expected it to grow to some extent because of its population, but not many people succeeded in accurately predicting it until the mid-20th century.

“I guarantee that if only a few conditions are met, 50 years will be enough. That’s more than enough time to grow to the point where no European country can handle it alone.”

“50 years? Even so, isn’t that too short?”

“A transcendent population and tradition that values labor and diligence, unmatched by any other single country. These two alone are enough to make it possible. And in the latter case, there’s nothing we can do from the outside, but in the former case, it’s possible to fix it. Not in a coercive way, but in the most natural structure possible.”

“So, considering the distant future, the independence of China’s ethnic minorities is not just a simple cause but something that must be achieved?”

“That’s exactly it. And I thought that no European country other than Britain could handle this important role, so I asked Prime Minister Pitt.”

Lord Castlereagh Robert Stewart.

If he’s a diplomat who will leave his name in history, there’s no way he wouldn’t understand the meaning of my words now.

Even though it’s a taste with plenty of MSG [monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer], I’m not trying to deceive him by putting in fake ingredients.

“There are quite a few ethnic minorities who have been forcibly merged into Qing. Considering before Qing came into power, the number becomes even greater. Among them, there are still those who cherish their traditional culture and identity and are discriminated against everywhere.”

“That’s true, but it’s also true that there’s no suitable way to make them independent.”

“That’s why I invited various Asian countries. If we completely destroy the Sinocentric order [China-centric international relations], the Qing dynasty will eventually collapse on its own even if we don’t touch it. That will be the time for us to step in.”

After pondering for a moment, Lord Castlereagh carefully asked me.

“To what extent does the Prime Minister plan to divide Qing?”

“I did talk about it with Prime Minister Pitt once in passing. In the past, the Central Plains dynasty was divided into all directions, called the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Five Barbarians [a period of Chinese history]. Wouldn’t that be just right?”

A peaceful Northeast Asian structure even after 200 or 300 years.

That’s the beautiful order I want.

People who will live in the future, please thank me in advance.

End