I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 268

Became the Genius of the French Royal Family Episode 268: Waa Waa, It’s the 3rd Army (268/355)

“Save you? Is someone trying to assassinate Your Highness, the Crown Prince, with a sword?”

Even if the Crown Prince seems to be flattering me, only a fool would take his words at face value.

In this environment, rife with schemes and betrayals, accepting someone’s words without question is just asking to be taken advantage of.

Surely no one still believes anything the Qing Dynasty says, right?

“Prime Minister, Your Excellency. You know, I truly have nothing to do with it.”

“I don’t possess mind-reading abilities. I can’t know what you’re not involved in unless you tell me.”

As I feigned ignorance and made a light-hearted joke, the Crown Prince’s face visibly paled.

“Surely, you’re not already trying to dispose of me, are you?”

“So, you need to tell me the whole story first.”

“So…”

I have no intention of continuing this conversation unless you confess everything upfront.

Don’t even think about testing the waters; if you’re going to submit, do it properly.

Only now did he seem to understand my intentions, as a flicker of internal conflict flashed across the Crown Prince’s eyes.

If he reveals everything here, the Crown Prince becomes undeniably a traitor to the Qing.

It means he can’t simply play both sides and test the political climate.

After glancing around nervously, the Crown Prince finally took a deep breath and spoke with a trembling voice.

“The Emperor… has broken the treaty and allied himself with the English.”

“My goodness~ How could he do such a thing?”

Even to my own ears, I sounded like I was reciting lines from a play, but either way, I officially learned this information just now.

“How can an Eastern dynasty that prides itself on ethics and propriety break treaties like discarding old shoes? How is this possible?”

“That’s…”

“Ah, Your Highness the Crown Prince is an exception. We must commend Your Highness’s decision to rise up in indignation, unable to tolerate the immorality of his country.”

“Th, thank you. I tried to dissuade His Majesty, but he wouldn’t listen to me at all…”

I can roughly imagine how things unfolded.

The reports that the Jiaqing Emperor [Emperor of the Qing Dynasty from 1796 to 1820] was living a drunken life in the Rehe Palace had already reached my ears some time ago.

“It’s truly a tragic situation. I’ve heard that the Emperor clearly distinguishes between public and private matters and is generally enlightened, but it seems that treacherous subjects have blinded His Majesty’s eyes and ears.”

“It seems so. Right now, His Majesty is colluding with a group called the Boxers [a violent anti-foreign and anti-Christian movement which took place in China between 1899 and 1901] and planning to put pressure on the Prime Minister.”

“Then you can probably guess what choice we will make, right?”

“Are you going to… overthrow His Majesty?”

“Betraying us with such determination implies you’ve already finalized your escape plan, correct? I have no intention of deploying troops to capture someone who isn’t even a threat at this point.”

Perhaps if we make even the slightest move, the Jiaqing Emperor will flee to Manchuria [historical region in Northeast Asia].

There’s no point in bothering to capture an emperor who’s already a mere figurehead.

Once everything is settled, he’s a man who will fall on his own anyway.

Rather, it will be amusing to observe his reaction when all his schemes crumble.

“But we can’t leave the Qing Dynasty as it is. Even if we don’t intervene directly, the dynasty will inevitably be forced to isolate itself by the end of this war.”

“…Then… so, wouldn’t it be possible for me to succeed His Majesty and guide the country in the right direction?”

“I understand Your Highness’s sentiment, but currently, the Han Chinese [dominant ethnic group in China] have united to expel France. However, if Your Highness, a Manchu [ethnic minority in China that ruled the Qing Dynasty], takes our side and suppresses the Han Chinese movement, what will happen? The volatile situation that could erupt at any moment will persist, and we cannot tolerate such instability.”

“So, are you telling me to relinquish the throne and the position of Crown Prince and revert to being an ordinary nobleman? I made a choice even at the cost of betraying my country, so could you grant me a little more consideration…”

His tone was filled with resentment as the Crown Prince continued his plea, genuinely feeling wronged.

Of course, I understand his feelings.

He’s groveling like this, begging for scraps, but I’m not that heartless either.

I never intended to leave the Qing Dynasty as it is from the start, but it’s also true that the Crown Prince is a valuable asset.

“I’m not suggesting you return as an individual. However, even if Your Highness desires it, maintaining the position of Emperor will be impossible. You know I wouldn’t say anything unnecessary.”

“…That’s… true.”

Already, demands for independence from ethnic minorities are flooding in from all directions, and the Han Chinese no longer trust the Qing imperial family.

The Boxers shouted ‘Support the Qing, destroy the foreigners!’ and answered the Emperor’s call, but this is only because France is the primary enemy.

What will happen to Han Chinese public opinion if even this endeavor fails?

Moreover, if the Crown Prince of Qing, of all people, sides with France and suppresses them?

Regardless of what the Crown Prince does, it’s now impossible to preserve the Qing Empire.

Instead, there’s a high probability that they would be massacred and driven out to Manchuria, like the Manchus in the original timeline.

The intelligent Crown Prince finally couldn’t deny reality any longer and hung his head.

He probably knew this well, which is why he came to me to somehow salvage his life and the lives of those who followed him.

“You will not be able to retain the position of Emperor, but we will guarantee the position of King of the Manchus in the name of France. We will also lend our support to ensure stable governance and maintain power. If anyone threatens Your Highness’s country, we will be your shield and protect you.”

“A country only for the Manchus…”

“You must consider it realistically. Even with our full support, it’s impossible for Your Highness to reclaim the status of the former Emperor of the Central Plains [historical region of China located on the Yellow River].”

I’m not trying to establish a puppet state that lacks the proper form of a country, like Manchukuo [puppet state established by Japan in Manchuria from 1932 to 1945] in the original history.

Rather, I intend to give it a distinct identity so that it can serve as a symbol proving that the Qing Dynasty has been completely dismantled.

“…But no matter how hard we try, if we are eventually pushed out of the Central Plains, we will inevitably become a small, isolated country. Wouldn’t we inevitably be absorbed again when a new dynasty of the Central Plains, centered on the Han Chinese, is established?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. A single Han Chinese state that will dominate the Central Plains will never emerge again.”

The Crown Prince, who had been somewhat doubtful until the end, nodded slightly as if relieved after hearing my next words.

“Because it will be divided into at least fifteen or more countries, excluding your country.”

※※※

Exactly one hour after informing the Crown Prince of his instructions and sending him back.

“Reports are coming in from all over that the Boxers are gathering.”

Since they weren’t organized from the beginning, we could easily track the Boxers’ movements.

Of course, we weren’t simply idling during our extended occupation of Beijing.

The land of the Central Plains is incredibly vast.

Therefore, we prioritized establishing reliable communication within the range where our troops could operate.

“The British and Russian forces are conspicuously advancing westward. Unlike the Boxers, it seems they are deliberately making their movements obvious to us.”

“Are they attempting a diversionary tactic?”

“It’s highly probable. Hong Kong is under British control, so I believe their plan is to seize Guangdong [province in Southeast China] next. The British and Russian forces are a smokescreen, and the real threat is the Boxers heading to Guangdong.”

Napoleon moved the chess pieces representing the armies of each country, constantly speaking over a large map of China.

“From the beginning, public opinion in Guangdong was not very favorable towards the Qing imperial family. They don’t particularly sympathize with the Boxers’ ideology either. Above all, many locals have cooperated with France, so they fear the Boxers’ retaliation.”

“If it falls into the hands of the Boxers, a massacre could occur.”

Guangdong was originally a region somewhat distant from the Central Plains mainland and maintained its own unique character.

The language they use is not merely a common regional dialect, but a dialect so distinct it’s almost a foreign language, making communication nearly impossible.

They are also highly skilled in accounting, so, as Napoleon mentioned, a significant proportion of locals have cooperated with us from the beginning.

Among them, quite a few local leaders have acquired French citizenship through investment immigration.

“Prime Minister, abandoning them will have a significant negative impact on recruiting local forces in the future.”

Jang Ran, who had been silent until now, nodded and supported Napoleon’s opinion.

“I agree. I’ve heard that these Boxers are not just rioters, but also forces allied with local warlords. The small number of troops stationed in Guangdong will be unable to stop them. First of all, they are vastly outnumbered.”
The Boxers and Qing government troops estimated to be advancing into Guangdong number well over 100,000.

Of course, to confront them, at least one corps or more would need to be dispatched.

“Is the British calculation that sending the 2nd or 3rd Corps down will hinder our defense here?”

“For now, the Qing Dynasty seems to be convinced of that.”

“But it would take forever for the British and Russian forces to reach Beijing… Well, the Boxers aren’t unified either, so it would take quite a while to actually send a large army to Guangdong.”

That means we have ample time to send down defensive forces.

Rather, the British are likely concerned about blockading the sea to prevent us from receiving additional supplies during that extended period.

Ran, who had been lost in thought for a moment, glanced at Napoleon and Davout and asked.

“But there’s one thing I don’t understand…”

“What is it?”

“Why do those guys think they can’t stop us if our forces are dispersed?”

“They’ve been defeated by Davout’s 2nd Corps, but they’ve hardly fought against your 3rd Corps, so wouldn’t that be the reason?”

Even from an outside perspective, the 2nd Corps, primarily composed of Native Americans and black soldiers, stood apart from other corps.

Here, the 2nd Corps had already become a symbol of France’s military might, having achieved remarkable victories on major battlefields where the French army fought.

But could that be the reason?

The vague impression that other corps were weaker than the 2nd Corps was also a sentiment that was circulating.

In particular, Qing China has only engaged with the 2nd Corps thus far, so it’s not unreasonable for them to think that way even more.

“I don’t believe Nelson or Wellesley [British admirals and generals] would make such a naive judgment…”

“Wouldn’t the Boxers listen to the British in the first place? I doubt they’d even listen to the Qing imperial family.”

That’s why allied forces are troublesome.

No matter how well you devise a grand strategy, there’s no guarantee that the members will cooperate effectively.

“If I were the enemy of England, I would only feign diversionary tactics on both fronts and avoid engaging in an all-out war. Their objective is to cut off our supplies and starve us into submission anyway. I believe Wellesley or Nelson would undoubtedly think the same way as me.”

Napoleon, having said that, added with a peculiar smile.

“But not all the leaders over there are Wellesleys or Nelsons.”

“If so…”

“Ran, I want you to take the 3rd Corps and move south a bit. If the 3rd Corps, not the 2nd Corps, is deployed, the Qing Dynasty guys will react in some way.”

“…Should I be pleased or offended?”

Jang Ran bit his lip with a slightly hardened expression.

“…What if they genuinely underestimate the power of the 3rd Corps? What if they are unaware of the obvious fact that the French army is more than just the 2nd Corps?”

After that, can I do as I please?

Napoleon, who couldn’t possibly be oblivious to the meaning of that question, smiled and nodded.

“Then you just have to show them.”

End