I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 272

Now I Don’t Even Know

Around the time Jang Ran’s 3rd Corps was brutally crushing the Boxers,

The British Empire’s fleet, under Admiral Nelson, was also initiating a supply blockade.

Even though it was temporary, occupying Hong Kong proved to be a significant asset.

Nelson subtly established bases on Taiwanese soil and used them as a stronghold to intercept all ships coming from Japan.

“Don’t let a single ship through! Sink them all!”

“Let’s show these uncivilized Orientals the power of the British Empire!”

“Ugh, ugh, ugh! How can their cannons reach us from this distance!”

“Run! Run away!”

The crude warships from the Japanese side were no match for the British Empire’s fleet.

It was a skirmish so minor that the admiral didn’t even need to be personally involved.

Still, it wasn’t without its gains.

It was necessary to thoroughly scout the area and take measures to prevent Japan from even considering supporting Christian [Western] powers in the future.

Nelson, personally issuing instructions to the officers, pointed to a map detailing the nearby waters and asked,

“There’s a fairly large island between Japan and Qing China [Manchu-led dynasty]… Can’t we occupy that as well?”

“Ah, we inquired with the Qing, and they stated it’s not an uninhabited island but the territory of a nation called Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom]. It might be difficult for us to station troops there arbitrarily.”

“Hmm… If we bring Joseon and Japan within our sphere of influence later, that island would be quite tempting.”

“Joseon has virtually rejected Qing’s request this time. How about using that as a pretext to demand the island after the war?”

“That’s a good idea! I need to inform the home country immediately.”

The British Empire Navy had an instinct to stake claim to any island suitable for building bases and ports.

With just Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Jeju Island, they could bring not only Qing but also Joseon and Japan under British influence.

If that happens, the entire Northeast Asia, including Qing China, would become British territory, following India’s example.

At that point, it could truly be said that the empire on which the sun never sets would be complete.

Neither Rome nor Mongolia had achieved such dominance.

The achievements that no empire in history had ever accomplished would be achieved by the British Empire.

In that light, now was the most crucial time.

Losing the New World after losing the War of Independence would be remembered as nothing more than a minor setback.

No matter how much you lose, you can always win it back in the end.

The day when that statement, reportedly made by someone in Parliament, would be accepted as the truth of national governance felt near.

Of course, there were still some concerns.

If the home country’s fleet failed to contain the French fleet, they might end up being caught in a pincer attack.

The French fleet in Asia was avoiding a direct confrontation, but it wasn’t a force to be taken lightly.

That’s why Nelson was hesitant to completely blockade Tianjin.

If anything went wrong there, the tide of the war could shift to the French side in an instant.

‘Still, surely the Atlantic fleet won’t be breached. If they can hold strong, we have a good chance of winning.’

He wished he had the opportunity to accurately assess the French fleet’s strength, but that opportunity was not available.

In fact, that’s probably why the French were avoiding a decisive battle with them.

“…In any case, the French won’t be this pathetic forever. If we don’t prepare thoroughly, we could suffer a major setback.”

Fortunately, they resolved the situation as quickly as possible, so it didn’t take too long.

He could confidently say it was a satisfactory sortie.

However, as the fleet returned to its base in Taiwan, Nelson’s mood instantly soured upon hearing an unbelievable report.

“What? I must have misheard you?”

“W-Well, that is…”

“I clearly gave the order: Never engage the 3rd Corps heading south.”

“I-I did! I clearly explained your orders to the Boxers and Qing officials until my mouth was dry.”

Major James shouted, half-sobbing, as if he couldn’t believe it himself.

“Those bastards are completely insane! No matter how much you tell them, they don’t listen!”

“…No, logically, it doesn’t make sense, does it? Their own country’s army of over 100,000 couldn’t defeat even one corps and was annihilated, yet they still fought?”

“They boasted that they were different. And the reason they made that decision was…”

As Nelson listened to James’s account, his expression soured in real-time.

‘These guys are truly hopeless.’

How could they not even follow a simple order to stay put?

“So… the Boxers ignored my orders and went to fight the 3rd Corps? Then, they’ll be annihilated for sure, so we need to revise the plan.”

Even if all 300,000 don’t die, if they suffer a crushing defeat in battle, their organization will be disbanded for sure.

“No, Admiral. The Boxers won’t be completely annihilated.”

His head was already spinning, and now this guy was spouting nonsense.

“Don’t you know that when I say annihilated, I don’t literally mean everyone dies?”

“A-Ah, I mean, about 100,000 Boxers went to fight the 3rd Corps. So, even if they lose, the remaining forces won’t be disbanded.”

“What are you talking about…”

What kind of thought process led to the decision to fight France with only about one-third of their forces?

It couldn’t have been that long, but what on earth happened during this short period?

Nelson, unable to grasp the situation, rubbed his temples and slumped into his chair.

“Explain it to me in detail from the beginning.”

“Yes! So…”

Nelson couldn’t even sigh at James’s report, which far exceeded his imagination.

“Sigh… Idiots. Am I really supposed to wage war with these idiots?”

“Admiral. Shouldn’t we issue orders to the remaining Boxer commanders?”

“Yes… we should. First, we need to send a message telling them not to be shaken by the fact that 100,000 troops were bound to lose. And add that if they follow my orders from now on, they have a good chance of winning, so don’t be shaken.”

Looking at it another way, this might actually be a good situation.

This incident proved that those Han Chinese [majority ethnic group in China] won’t listen to anyone no matter what, so using shock therapy like this isn’t so bad.

It’s a shame that 100,000 troops were lost, but it’s not like our citizens died.

If those guys are offering themselves as sacrifices to face reality, there’s no need to stop them.

“Then, let’s return to Hong Kong as quickly as possible. Those foolish guys seem to be incapable of doing anything without the guidance of us white people.”

Relieved that it wasn’t the worst-case scenario he had imagined, Nelson quickly gathered his fleet and returned to Hong Kong.

But…

“Admiral! The Boxers have reportedly won against the French 3rd Corps!”

‘What the hell is this nonsense?’

‘I’m really going crazy.’

※※※

Wang Qing, one of the leaders of the Boxers, felt a crushing despair when he first faced the French army.

He thought that even if they were to push forward to the end, fearless of death, they could inflict some damage.

The Qing army had lost morale and fled, resulting in annihilation, but they were different.

That flimsy belief vanished cleanly in the face of overwhelming firepower.

At this rate, they might really be wiped out without even taking a single enemy head.

He had brainwashed the Danmin [Boxer followers] with lessons that were no different from scams, but what use would that be if they suffered such a defeat?

If they had enough drugs, it might have been different, but they had already used up all the drugs they had stockpiled for this war.

It was called medicine, but what they actually fed the Danmin was a defective mess that was hard to even call a drug.

It had almost no mood-enhancing effects, only the effect of numbing their minds.

Still, feeding this stuff to 100,000 people was no easy task.

Of course, if they had won, none of that would have mattered.

But they had used up almost all the drugs they had collected so far, and they didn’t even win?

His position, let alone his life, was likely to be in danger.

‘Should I run away?’

If he fled now, he would have to give up more than half of his assets, but even if he only took what he had secretly hidden, he would have no problem living comfortably for the rest of his life.

‘Yes, running away is the best option.’

Fortunately, the sound of enemy shells and bullets was so loud that no one would notice what he was doing.

Besides, those whose minds were clouded by the drugs wouldn’t even notice if he ran away.

Just as Wang Qing, having made up his mind, was about to turn around.

Whether it was the blessing of the Primordial Lord of Heaven [Daoist deity], the French army suddenly began to make incomprehensible movements.

“T-The enemy is retreating!”

“…Huh?”

“The enemy is retreating! The enemy is retreating!”

“W-W-W-What…?”

He hurriedly turned his gaze and saw that the French army was actually shouting something and running away.

‘What’s going on? Why?’

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t guess the enemy’s intentions.

They were on the verge of collapse, and the enemy was unharmed, so why were they doing this?

But contrary to his inner thoughts, a swindler-like roar flowed out of Wang Qing’s mouth so naturally.

“Proud incarnations of righteousness! The enemies, frightened by our bravery, are fleeing!”

It was originally nonsense that no one would believe, but fortunately, many of the Danmin were just beginning to come out of their drug-induced stupor.

They were scared because they only saw the corpses of their comrades when they came to their senses, but seeing the enemy running away, they couldn’t help but think that they had inflicted quite a bit of damage.

“Although much blood has been shed, those who stand on two feet are us! Those who shamefully tucked their tails and ran away are the enemies! Open your eyes wide and see clearly, incarnations of righteousness! Whose victory is this battle!”

After all, they were the only proper witnesses.

Then what they said would soon become the truth.

Wang Qing, who had sprouted wings of salvation at the edge of a cliff, fearlessly raised his fist to the sky and declared.

“This war is our victory! Support Qing! Destroy the Foreigners!”

“Waaaaaah! Support Qing! Destroy the Foreigners!”

“Support Qing! Destroy the Foreigners!”

It certainly seemed like they had been beaten up from beginning to end, but that must have been their imagination.

Only they had been seriously hurt; the allies must have fought well on the other side.

The enemies had fled, and the commanders were saying that, so wouldn’t that be right?

The Boxers, who had been swayed by Wang Qing, shed tears and shouted with joy.

That’s right. They had repelled the French army, something that no one had ever done before.

The humiliations they had suffered so far were just a time of endurance to meet this moment.