I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 258

< The Downward-Sloping Nation >

Hanseong, the capital of Joseon.

Although Jeong Yak-yong and Seo Yong-bo were dispatched, the court officials’ worries did not ease.

In fact, Joseon had, until now, closed its ears and eyes to international affairs, not even bothering to pay attention.

They were initially surprised when Qing knelt before the Westerners, but they never imagined the problem would become this severe.

If they had remained ignorant, they would have lived without worry like frogs in a well, but that was no longer the case.

In particular, the words Jeong Yak-yong brought back, having returned before Seo Yong-bo, were truly shocking.

That the Qing Crown Prince treated a Western minister like an emperor, showing him respect?

It was as good as saying that Qing’s local control had virtually been handed over to a Western nation.

This unimaginable turn of events made them feel dizzy.

Was France really going to become the master of the Central Plains, replacing Qing?

If so, what should Joseon do?

Should they uphold the pride of being the Little China, as they did when transitioning from Ming to Qing?

Or should they recall the lessons from that time and willingly cooperate with them?

In any case, it was true that Joseon would be paying tribute to France, so they just needed to treat them accordingly.

Unfortunately, there were too many people in this land who did not think that way.

“Your Majesty! Bowing to the Westerners is a national tragedy that must never happen!”

“Paying tribute to those impious barbarians who do not respect their ancestors?”

“Your Majesty! Have you abandoned the spirit of Confucianism?”

“Please, reconsider!”

Most of the central officials were persuaded, but the Confucian scholars in the provinces were a different story.

Many of them had no idea how the Opium Wars had unfolded or how Qing had been ruined afterward.

It would be more accurate to say that they had no interest in even trying to find out.

However, they couldn’t just ignore these voices from the provinces, so they had to respond somehow.

‘The French Prime Minister, though of Western blood, is a gentleman who has awakened to the Way of Confucianism.’

‘The Central Plains Imperial Court recognized him for this reason, and Joseon is not submitting but merely expressing respect at Qing’s request.’

These morons.

They call themselves intellectuals and are well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics [fundamental texts of Confucianism], but they are ignorant of how the world is changing.

If they truly wanted to be patriotic and loyal, they should contemplate what form Joseon should take in the future.

If they truly believed in the spirit of Neo-Confucianism, they should learn about Western learning and compare the two, but they would never do such a thing.

To Jeong Yak-yong’s eyes, Joseon after his return seemed different than before.

The king, though now personally overseeing state affairs, was still too young and seemed to be struggling to find the right balance in this rapidly changing current.

In fact, it wasn’t the king’s fault.

Even if King Jeongjo were still alive, it was questionable whether he could have navigated this situation wisely.

The burden was too harsh for a king who had only been ruling the country for a few years.

But he wished the king would at least be aware of this, but he was so frustrated.

This country, the officials, the noblemen, and even the king lacked a sense of crisis.

They were just worried about how to avoid harm and get out of this difficult situation.

“From what I saw in Beijing, the world from now on will be completely different from what it has been. To put it bluntly, I am certain that the next 50 years will bring about far greater changes than the changes that have occurred in the past thousand years!”

“Is it that serious?”

“Yes. Just looking at military technology, Qing was so strong until now. But the 100,000-strong Qing army fought against 25,000 French soldiers and couldn’t even kill a single one. This is the war of the present era. This trend will only accelerate in the future.”

“Hmm… But is that information reliable? It sounds like false information to me.”

It was understandable, even if frustrating.

In fact, Jeong Yak-yong also thought it was absurd when he first heard it.

“I confirmed it with a Qing official, not the French side, so it should be considered an undeniable truth.”

“Heo… Is that true?”

“How could such a result come about when two great empires fought a war…?”

“The guns used by the French have several times the range of our matchlock guns, and the cannons also have incomparable explosive power and range. Moreover, there are even incendiary bombs that fall with a roar from a place that is not even visible. This is what I heard from a Qing official!”

Having said this much, the king and officials seemed to begin to face reality, even if only a little.

The king asked the Minister of War, who couldn’t close his mouth.

“Minister, can we make such weapons?”

“…I am sorry, but it is impossible. In fact, I am still doubting whether the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice is talking about something out of his imagination…”

“Then, in the end, we have to bring in their technology.”

When the story flowed to this point, Jeong Yak-yong was inwardly delighted.

If things went well, they might be able to embark on reforms that would scrape away the old and build new cornerstones, as Prime Minister Christian had said.

But…

“First, try to appease the Westerners and find a way to steal only their technology.”

“That is a wise decision. And even if we steal the Westerners’ technology, I think the process of refining it to fit our spirit cannot be left out.”

“That is also my thought. The deeper the roots of a tree, the less it shakes when such strong winds blow. In times like these, you should strengthen the spirit of our Joseon and seek ways to strengthen ourselves without succumbing to foreign invasions.”

Jeong Yak-yong doubted his ears for a moment.

No, where did all the words he had explained with a parched mouth go?

“Your Majesty! The current situation is urgent. Even the Wa [derogatory term for Japanese] right below us are advocating for drastic reforms and trying to introduce Western technology indiscriminately. History has proven that those greedy Wa always coveted neighboring countries when they gained such power. There is no guarantee that the tragedy of the Imjin War [Japanese invasions of Korea in the late 16th century] will not be repeated.”

“So, aren’t we also going to study the Westerners’ technology and take what we can? I understand the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice’s concerns, so there is no need to worry too much. No matter how much the Wa fly and run, how can they compare to us if given the same conditions?”

“We also think so!”

Jeong Yak-yong covered his mouth and bowed his head, looking at the high and low officials who were shouting with one mind and one heart.

On this day, all the reactions to the upcoming opening-up policy and technological development were firmly decided at the Pyeonjeon Conference [a daily meeting where the King discussed state affairs with his officials].

No objections were allowed.

※※※

Several months had passed since sending official letters to Russia and England demanding an immediate cessation of hostilities.

They had been too busy dealing with other problems to pay attention, but it didn’t seem like there was anything to worry about.

Since the fighting itself had stopped, even if they were still bickering.

The reply was probably delayed because they were racking their brains trying to figure out how to end the war in their home countries.

Conversely, the Asian countries immediately sent replies to my request.

“Currently, requests for formal trade agreements are flooding in from various countries. The first to contact us were Vietnam and the Edo Shogunate [the feudal military government of Japan during the Edo period], and Joseon is also asking us to send a representative. Siam [modern-day Thailand], located near Vietnam, seems to want to borrow our strength to check the Nguyen Dynasty.”

“Good. Then, as requested, send diplomats to formally open them up and help our merchants establish themselves. You can handle that, right?”

“Of course. But… we should add additional clauses with favorable conditions for us, right?”

Although the basic framework had been established in Paris and Beijing, various conditions would inevitably be added when discussing matters on-site.

And there was a huge difference in experience between France, which had concluded many modern treaties, and the Asian countries, which were doing it for the first time.

If they really wanted to exploit them, they could insert all sorts of toxic clauses without them even realizing they were being taken advantage of.

“Bring me the drafts first. We should, of course, make sure that we benefit from it, as long as it’s not too excessive.”

I have no intention of exploiting the colonies like the imperialist powers of the original history, but I have no intention of becoming a charitable businessman who gives away things without conditions.

I pursue a direction that benefits everyone, but France must take the greatest benefit.

I intend to adhere to this absolute principle in the future as well.

“By the way, Russia should be showing some reaction by now, even if not England, but why is there no news? Is there anything coming in?”

“Not yet. Isn’t Alexander I also having a headache?”

“That’s true, but I expected them to at least make some pleas or protests.”

First of all, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire slipped away as soon as our official letter arrived.

Instead, they claimed that they could not ignore the ethnic minorities suffering in Qing and tried to muddy the waters by asking for leniency.

Since they hadn’t poured in a lot of resources anyway, and they thought they could stick to France and share some of the spoils, they made a wise decision.

The United States also immediately sent a secret envoy to us, judging that it was most important to defend the land of Taiwan for now.

‘It is enough not to eat all the land of Taiwan. If you allow us to establish a foothold here, we are willing to withdraw.’

In fact, it was a bit concerning to let the United States, which was close to a strategic point, establish itself in Taiwan, but France couldn’t eat all this land anyway.

They had to show their allies that they were giving away some of the spoils, and when I thought about it, the United States was a pretty good target.

Unlike the original history, the United States is now having a hard time coming out to the Pacific because of the existence of Nouvelle France.

Even if the Panama Canal were open, the United States could only send a handful of troops to Asia even if they tried.

So, they must be desperate to eat even a corner of Taiwan, but in the end, we have the right to decide what to do with that land.

It would be difficult if England or Russia demanded that they would stop the war and share the land of Taiwan if they dragged on like this.

If we were going to get indigestion from eating it all, we should give it to the weakest and least threatening guy as if we were doing them a favor.

“Tell the United States that we will do as they wish and arrange a three-way meeting with the Crown Prince. It’s absurd to give them all of Taiwan, but tell them that we will try to allow them to set up a base.”

“I understand.”

“And we should add that we will help them since it will be difficult for the US military to establish itself from the beginning, right?”

Of course, to do that, shouldn’t we build a few French military bases in Taiwan as well?

Robespierre, understanding my intentions, smiled and nodded.

“That is a wise saying. It is a natural duty to help our allies.”

If we have to share 10 profits, 7-8 should be France’s share, and 2-3 should be given to the allies.

“But you have no intention of giving Uyghur to Russia, do you?”

“Of course not. In the first place, Russia can’t aim for India even if they eat Uyghur.”

If they were really going to target India, they should take a more certain means, not such a clumsy method.

What if I give Uyghur to Russia for nothing and it interferes with the work I’m planning?

For now, everything was going according to plan.

Until I received Pitt’s letter from England a week later.