I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 231

< Seeds of Discord >

Some lose the sharpness of their youth as they age, while others become more seasoned. To Lord Castlereagh, the British Ambassador to France, Louis Christian was clearly the latter.

Prime Minister Pitt might overlook it from distant London, but he was certain.

That sly fox is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.

Or perhaps he was always like this, and I’m only realizing it now.

It’s as if his perspective itself is different.

While ordinary intellectuals use their insight and reasoning as weapons, Christian fired convictions that couldn’t be explained by logic like cannons.

Perhaps the prophets in the Bible were like that.

Of course, he was fundamentally different from religious leaders in that his claims were based on insight.

“So, Prime Minister Pitt is now willing to fully implement the contract.”

“Yes. Therefore, we want to receive France’s specific promise of cooperation.”

“That’s not difficult. We will support you with all our strength.”

Originally, they were going to prepare as much as possible before entering, but now Britain didn’t have that luxury.

“We have already started taking action. If something unfortunate happens, your country must also fulfill its alliance obligations.”

“Of course. Then we would like to hear what blueprint your country is drawing up. Is it possible to get a rough idea?”

“Of course. That’s why I came.”

Early in the morning, even though his voice wasn’t fully warmed up, Lord Castlereagh began his presentation like a college student presenting in front of a professor.

Christian’s expression, which was strictly grading, revealed no inner thoughts.

※※※

Pitt must be really desperate.

Even though we’re bitter rivals, seeing him suffer so much makes me feel a little guilty… yeah right.

I almost died trying to hold back my laughter while talking to Castlereagh.

But if I burst out laughing, wouldn’t it severely damage my image?

I want to applaud my patience in maintaining a straight face until Lord Castlereagh returned.

“It seems Britain is serious about stepping up.”

“Indeed. Our prediction was that they would step up no sooner than next year or the year after.”

Napoleon and Talleyrand, representing the military and foreign affairs, agreed for the first time in a while.

“Prime Minister, shouldn’t we also speed things up on our end?”

“We should. We’re a bit late because of the labor law enactment, but it’s time to start executing the plan.”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is ready. We can dispatch ambassadors right away.”

“What about the contents of the treaties to be signed? Has the review been completed?”

“Yes. Just in case, we were waiting for the Prime Minister’s approval before proceeding.”

When Talleyrand gestured, the staff waiting behind him brought a mountain of documents.

“It wasn’t difficult to organize the demands to be made to Vietnam and Japan. But Korea seems to need some adjustments, so I think we need the Prime Minister’s advice.”

“I was going to take a look at that anyway, so it worked out well.”

I said that, but I have to review the treaties to be signed with Vietnam and Japan anyway.

No matter how hard the staff reviews them, they can’t filter out all the clauses that don’t consider Eastern sentiments and ideologies.

It’s too common for us to touch their raw nerves even though we didn’t intend to.

A prime example is the Shinyu Persecution [a persecution of Catholics in Korea in 1801] that already happened in Korea.

“If Britain starts plotting in Qing [the ruling dynasty of China at the time], the situation in Northeast Asia will be shaken once again. That means there will be more room for us to dig in, right?”

“But Prime Minister, if Britain really tries to split Qing, will Qing just stand still? Won’t there be another war?”

Napoleon joined the conversation with a tone full of strange longing.

“If another war breaks out, Qing will do its best to fight back, as the country’s survival is at stake, right? Then how should France respond…”

I guess he’s still bitter about not going to the front lines last time.

Too bad, but it’s going to be the same this time. How should I comfort him?

“If a war breaks out, we’ll have to participate too.”

“Wouldn’t that be much larger in scale than before?”

“That’s likely, but realistically, there’s a high possibility that there won’t be a war.”

“……Yes?”

As expected, Napoleon’s eyes instantly turned black.

Thanks to my past actions, my subordinates’ trust in my words was absolute.

There are many who believe that if I say it will happen, it will happen, and if I say it won’t, it won’t.

That’s why I’ve been paying attention to my words and actions little by little, but in this case, the possibility of war is close to zero, so I can’t help it.

“If the situation unfolds as planned by the British, the biggest conflict will occur within Qing. And if we sprinkle some seasoning on it, other Asian countries may also participate.”

“You mean it will be their own fight?”

“That’s an accurate expression. Even if there comes a situation where we have to intervene, the scale won’t be that big.”

“……”

A silence filled with disappointment.

I really can’t help that guy’s desire for self-aggrandizement.

But I can’t start a war that pours the country’s resources just to write a heroic epic.

Too bad, but give up this time.

“Let’s stop talking about a war that won’t happen anyway. Of course, we have to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, so don’t let your guard down.”

“Understood.”

“Britain has requested that we allow them to use the facilities we will build in Hong Kong to facilitate their activities in Qing, so please accommodate them. Provide supplies if they pay a reasonable price.”

Britain has also been designated a port where they can trade freely, but their range of movement is different from ours, who have been ceded territory.

Moreover, France has even planted a stake in Guangzhou [a major port city in China], so Britain is desperate for our help.

“Oh, and I’m thinking of dispatching a governor-general to Hong Kong on this occasion. If you have any suitable candidates, please recommend them.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Napoleon raised his hand.

“Is it possible for me to do it?”

No, are you recommending yourself here?

“Too bad, but if we put a military figure as the first governor-general, it could give a bad impression, so I’m thinking of excluding you and other marshals for now. In the first place, there’s no reason for the Grand Marshal of the French Army to be the Governor-General of Hong Kong, right? The Governor-General of Hong Kong won’t be given command of the garrison, so there’s even less reason for you to go.”

“…Is that so.”

Unlike the sulking Napoleon, Talleyrand nodded and gave a positive evaluation.

“You’re trying to give the Qing people an impression of being moderate. I think it’s a good policy.”

“Yes. And we’ll gradually expand our influence from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, or rather, the entire Guangdong Province.”

“In that case, I think the most suitable person is someone who can administer fairly and in accordance with the law as much as possible. It would be good to have someone who is so principled that others might think it’s a bit too much.”

“That makes me think of someone’s name?”

A person who didn’t receive a single bribe even after gaining great power and didn’t have any problems in his private life.

The only flaw was that he was prone to extreme tendencies, but I believe that flaw has been somewhat diluted by his long career as a congressman.

“I see. I also think Robespierre would be a good choice.”

“Good. Then let’s ask that guy for his opinion as soon as today.”

I sent a messenger to bring Robespierre, who was preparing for a National Assembly meeting, while pretending not to notice Napoleon, who was still lamenting.

But I hope Robespierre doesn’t execute the Qing people who broke the law with the guillotine, right?

I need to give him a heads up to be careful about that.

※※※

-I heard that Western merchants are bringing in rare goods, and the reviews are very good.

-I heard that the port where Western merchants freely come and go is more vibrant than before, and people are satisfied.

-I heard that Hong Kong, which has become French territory, is so peaceful that it’s like a paradise on earth. The officials are fair, and there’s no such thing as exploitation.

“What is all this?”

“Don’t you know? The south and east are noisy these days. Westerners with white skin and blue eyes are pouring in.”

The Han Chinese in Qing looked curiously at the objects they had never seen before and tilted their heads.

“I heard before that Western barbarians were some kind of monsters with three heads and six arms, but I guess that’s not the case.”

“I heard that Westerners are different depending on the Westerner? The English guys are often nasty, but the French merchants are said to know their limits.”

“Well, even in the same country, there are still people who haven’t gotten rid of their ignorance, so it’ll be even worse in foreign countries.”

“That’s right. To be honest, the Manchus [the ruling ethnic group of the Qing Dynasty] still seem a bit off even now, right? I mean, how is it that those guys still haven’t shed their barbarian ways even after hundreds of years of entering the Central Plains [the historical and cultural heartland of China]?”

Conversations that would have been unimaginable before naturally came up on people’s lips.

Although not directly expressed, the Han Chinese’s dissatisfaction with the current Manchus was steadily accumulating.

The trigger was, of course, the defeat in the Opium War.

No matter how many times they looked at it, it was a war that couldn’t have been lost so badly, but the reality was that the unbelievable thing actually happened.

As a result, for the first time in the long history of the Central Plains, a farce of handing over territory to Western barbarians occurred.

The Han Chinese inwardly blamed this on the ruling Manchus’ lack of governing power.

Even voices that fueled this began to flow out of Europe.

“Do you know that? Originally, the English thought that they were more likely to lose if they fought us. So originally, they were going to just test the waters and back off, not really fight properly.”

“Who says that?”

“The merchant I bought something from last time. It’s not a lie, he even gave me a book from England.”

“No, then does that mean we lost a war that we could have won so easily?”

“That’s right! There are many books translated into our language, so you should get one too.”

A rumor that had caught fire slowly spread from the bottom up.

-The high officials of the imperial family had no interest in the outcome of the war!

-Rather, they were planning to sell their country’s interests to Western countries to fatten their own bellies!

-The Qing imperial family is planning to collect more taxes to make up for the losses of this defeat!

Here, British and French merchants continued to spread ideologies that subtly stimulated the Han Chinese’s pride.

“I heard that it was recently announced in Europe that it doesn’t make sense for a nation with a long history and culture to be ruled by another nation.”

“What? Isn’t that completely a story for us to hear? What an amazing coincidence.”

“Right? Why should we have been suppressed by the Manchus until now…”

In fact, the Han Chinese also had a history of suppressing other ethnic groups, but this fact was not important to most people.

The best way to increase the accumulated sense of defeat and social dissatisfaction in reality is to blame it on other classes.

The huge seed of discord that Pitt sowed successfully took root in the land of Qing.

No one in this era knew how much this would grow.

< Seeds of Discord > End