I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 262

Became the Genius of the French Royal Family 262 The Die is Cast (262/355)

< The Die is Cast >

“When are we finally moving out of this place?”

“Right? I wonder how long we’re supposed to be stationed in this godforsaken place.”

The Russian troops stationed in Xinjiang were thoroughly disgruntled.

Lured by promises of becoming heroes bringing great glory to the motherland, they had been dragged to this remote area for a year.

They had only experienced a few weeks of actual fighting in the beginning, and since then, they had been stuck in an endless waiting game, wondering when it would ever end.

It wouldn’t be so bad if the weather was decent.

While winter wasn’t much of a problem for the Russian soldiers, the summer heat, soaring above 40 degrees Celsius [104 degrees Fahrenheit], was pure torture.

Besides, even soldiers knew how things were turning out.

They wanted to ask the commander what he was clinging to in this hopeless situation.

Longing to return home, they cursed and grumbled before returning to their duties.

Beeeeeep!

“What’s that?”

“A call to assemble?”

“Are we finally going home!”

“Suka [Bitch], it should have been like this from the start.”

They were relieved at the thought of finally leaving this wretched land and returning home, but that was short-lived.

Seeing the tense faces of the officers, the soldiers instinctively sensed that something was happening.

“Has the order to return from the homeland been issued?”

“Not exactly. But the commander said that a conclusion will be reached in some way within a week, so be prepared.”

“In some way?”

Was there another option besides returning from here?

“Is it possible that we might continue fighting the British?”

“We will not fight the British.”

Then America, or maybe Qing China [The last imperial dynasty of China (1644 to 1912)]?

Still, the soldiers breathed a sigh of relief at the news that they would be doing something soon if they just waited a little longer.

Please, just let us fight with guns.

The soldiers, whose dissatisfaction had reached its limit, were ready to accept anything as long as they didn’t have to keep waiting.

“If it weren’t for those French bastards, we would have achieved something by now.”

“You’re telling me. They’re no help at all.”

The officers flinched reflexively at the soldiers’ words.

Those who were quick-witted noticed their unusually different behavior and instinctively sensed it.

Something… was about to happen.

※※※

Saint Petersburg.

The Emperor’s audience chamber in the Peterhof Palace.

Tuk tuk tuk tuk tuk tuk.

“Your Majesty…”

“……”

Alexander I, who was drumming his fingers on the desk like a man consumed by anxiety, didn’t open his mouth for a long time.

“Your Majesty. You must make a decision soon.”

“……”

The British ambassador, who had brought Pitt’s letter of more than ten pages, waited for the Tsar’s tightly closed lips to open.

But like a mute, Alexander I continued to drum on the desk without any reaction.

“Your Majesty…”

“Ibosingo [Apology], Ambassador.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“How long… do I have to give a definite answer?”

The British ambassador felt like his chest was about to burst with frustration, but he took care not to let any impatience seep into his voice.

“This is an urgent matter. If you don’t make a decision right away, the possibility of failure will only continue to increase. Isn’t this something that the Tsar has already made up his mind about to some extent?”

That’s why he must have given a meaningful order to the corps stationed in Xinjiang.

Then he should boldly push forward now.

Doesn’t he really know that if he hesitates here, nothing will work out?

Of course, he understood the Tsar’s feelings.

France had been Russia’s strongest ally for over a decade, maintaining a firm alliance.

“Your Majesty. As our Prime Minister said in his letter, France has only unilaterally used Russia under the guise of an alliance. Frankly speaking, how much benefit has Russia gained from its alliance with France?”

“It’s not like there’s none. We completely seized control of the Black Sea during that time.”

“That’s something Russia could have done on its own even without France. France acted as if they were doing us a favor, but in reality, they had almost no influence.”

Thinking about it, that was true.

In fact, Alexander I was in great confusion after reading Pitt’s letter.

The gist of what he was saying was simple.

-Russia has been unilaterally exploited by France until now.

At first, he thought it was a simple attempt to drive a wedge between them.

A truly British trick to divide the alliance, taking advantage of the queen’s death.

If it was such a shallow trick, he even thought of burning the letter right in front of the ambassador.

However, Pitt compared what France and Russia had gained so far from a very objective and cold-hearted perspective.

The comparison with France’s other allies, such as the Holy Roman Empire and Spain, was devastating.

Too much was written to list it all, but to summarize it in one line, the conclusion was as follows.

-Russia has actually gained less than Spain and the Holy Roman Empire.

Even though Russia was France’s blood ally.

The Holy Roman Empire was similar, but they only sent a princess as a prince’s wife, not a crown prince’s wife.

Russia was a country that had produced the Queen of France.

Of course, the real power in France was not the king, but still, shouldn’t they have taken better care of Russia than Spain?

But all France did for Russia was mediate with Britain, who was hindering its territorial expansion.

“We prevented your country from completely occupying Turkey because your country was an ally of France. I trust you will understand that.”

“…I think that’s a natural thing. I would have done the same.”

“That’s right. But France has continued to take a vague stance under the pretext of avoiding conflict with us, rather than taking your country’s side. They boasted that they would open a land route to India, but what was the result?”

“……”

Spain got Gibraltar, and the Holy Roman Empire got the mining area that Prussia had occupied.

Even in France, they even laid railroads for the two countries in exchange for money to facilitate exports.

Of course, Russia did not receive any of these benefits.

“If France took 9 benefits, Russia couldn’t even take 1. Frankly speaking, the late Emperor was used by France’s sweet talk. The current Tsar needs to re-establish the relationship between the two countries coldly and objectively.”

“Heo…”

The ambassador repeated the words written in Pitt’s letter like a parrot.

“Anyway, I think your country has the same desire to use us to get out of a difficult situation?”

“I will not deny it. But we will give you more convenience than that.”

“Exactly how?”

“We don’t just talk like France. If you leave us a clear document that you will not attack India, we will give you the entire Central Asia and the west of Qing. If necessary, we will support you by mobilizing troops from India.”

If they could receive the support of the East India Company’s forces to occupy Central Asia, it would certainly be a huge benefit.

However, it was still unsettling to let go of France and switch to Britain with that alone.

Reading the Tsar’s inner thoughts, the ambassador quickly took out another piece of paper from his arms.

“Anyway, if we win this war, we will take the lead in Qing. So you can have the Primorsky Krai [Maritime Territory] in the east. We only need to take Hong Kong. We will concede everything else to Russia.”

“Primorsky Krai…”

Alexander I was also tempted by this offer.

If they occupied Primorsky Krai, Russia would be connected to the Korean Peninsula by land and could go south directly to the East Sea.

If they could swallow even a part of the Korean Peninsula, they could obtain the ice-free port they had been hoping for.

It was an attractive offer that Russia couldn’t help but drool over.

“But, to put it bluntly, if you give away so much and only take Hong Kong, isn’t that too much of a losing game?”

“The most important thing for us is the result of winning this war. Anyway, if we seize Hong Kong in India, we can virtually eliminate France’s influence in Asia, and then we can slowly take the benefits.”

“It’s not unconvincing. But if we break up with France and are banned from entering the canal, the damage will be quite large…”

“If we just win the war, we can force such things with a treaty. And the Tsar’s decision is more important than anything else for that victory.”

If they only win this war, Russia can enjoy a golden age that will never happen again in history.

Then Alexander I’s reputation would surpass Catherine II and even Peter the Great.

It was an undeniable fact that this was a golden opportunity to be recorded as the greatest Russian Tsar in history.

But.

It was another matter to see if there was a real chance of winning.

“Your country’s plan is understandable, and it’s true that it seems plausible to some extent. But I see one thing you’re overlooking…”

“What is it?”

“France has many allies. Even if we defect, there are the Holy Roman Empire and Spain, and even Sweden, though its power is insignificant, right? If they put pressure on us in mainland Europe, I think we have to be prepared for enormous losses.”

Logically, they wouldn’t march all the way to Moscow, but even if all the passages to Europe that had been prepared with difficulty were cut off, the damage would be enormous.

Besides, even the British navy, which had been the strongest until now, was not very trustworthy because it had been caught up a lot by France.

“That is a valid question. Our Prime Minister is of course considering this point. We have all the solutions prepared.”

“Hoo… really?”

“Yes. Spain and the Holy Roman Empire will not be able to participate in the war for the time being, at least. I will explain the details if the Tsar takes our side. If our words are different from the truth, we will compensate for all the damage Russia has suffered as a result.”

I can feel how sincere Britain is about this war.

Alexander I promised to make a decision by today and asked for some time to think.

‘I hope you make a wise decision.’

With those words, the British ambassador left the audience chamber.

The Tsar, left alone, closed his eyes for a moment and leaned back against the backrest.

‘Can I win?’

In fact, he was still not sure.

No matter how thoroughly prepared and competed, the possibility of losing seemed higher than the possibility of winning if they went to an all-out war.

But what if they declared war in a surprise attack, inflicted considerable damage, and then made a favorable armistice?

It seemed realistic enough to just take this side’s interests and get out, rather than crushing the enemy.

-France will never let Russia grow into a great empire.

That one phrase that Pitt wrote kept 떠나지 [leaving] Alexander I’s mind.

I didn’t think the British would be any different, but wouldn’t it be better than going on as it is now?

In fact, it’s all because of Prime Minister Christian.

If he had been a little more considerate of him, he would have been his most ardent supporter.

Having finished his self-justification, the Tsar looked down at Christian’s letter in the corner of his desk.

A warm letter of consolation that had just arrived.

If he opened it, maybe the mind that had been leaning to one side might find its balance again.

To take or to throw away.

He stared at it for a long time with cold, sunken eyes, then took a deep breath.