I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 344

What heats up quickly cools down quickly.

It’s often said to be a characteristic of Asia, but that’s not true.

Getting hot and cooling down easily is common to people all over the world, and this characteristic becomes more pronounced as the media develops.

France, which is undergoing globalization, has also seen this trend more strongly in recent years, but this war was an exception.

[Japan Declares a Fight to the Very End. Is There a Realistic Way?]

[The Master of Probing, the Korean Empire. Who is Responsible if the Soup Burns While Only Probing?]

[Starvation Deaths Occurring All Over the Country. The Limits of Dictatorship That Has No Interest in the Safety of the People.]

It’s a fever pitch.

The public’s interest in the war is so intense that it continues to escalate, reaching a boiling point.

I, too, was fueling this fervor by giving daily briefings on how wonderfully Guangdong France was defeating the enemy.

Napoleon has already reported that the war is virtually over.

He asserted that the enemy has no strength to resist, even though they are not directly landing and attacking with their army.

But that’s precisely why the enemy still hasn’t surrendered.

It seems that there are many who won’t understand unless you really push them to their capital and point a gun at their heads.

“What do you think? Isn’t it terrible?”

“Yes! That’s right!”

The Vietnamese Foreign Minister shouted, standing at attention.

The Foreign Minister of Manchuria, standing next to him, also shouted at the top of his voice so as not to be outdone.

“They were originally demons hungry for war! We want nothing to do with them anymore.”

“You made a wise choice. Thanks to that, no more innocent blood will flow in Vietnam and Manchuria.”

“Yes! At that time, we had no choice but to do so because of the alliance’s coercion… But Your Majesty, can we really guarantee the existence of our imperial family?”

“Isn’t it all written in the document? France does not interfere with the political systems of Vietnam and Manchuria, but you must return all colonies and show sincerity by punishing key figures to take responsibility for this war.”

“That’s a matter of course. Thank you for ending it like this!”

It’s quite a spectacle to see those in ministerial positions bowing their heads so desperately.

So why did they even attempt this suicidal stunt in the first place?

Of course, those in these positions now were not the main culprits who decided on the war, so they are, in a way, pitiful people.

The one who makes the mess is different from the one who cleans it up, so how upset must they be?

“Your Majesty… Then we will trust only Your Majesty’s words.”

“No, trust the official documents, not my words. If you act as written here, you will be able to maintain a good relationship with France as before.”

“I understand. Then we will step down now.”

As the two ministers bowed their heads politely and stepped back, Talleyrand, who had been watching all this, clicked his tongue and said.

“Poor things.”

“Who? Are they the ones who are still holding out?”

“Both, but if I had to choose, it would be the latter.”

I agree.

Seeing that they still haven’t surrendered even after all this, they must be really tough customers.

Come to think of it, the Korean Empire and Japan are light-years away from the concept of surrender.

The DNA rooted in their very being is like that.

Japan, which did not surrender until it was hit by a nuclear bomb in the original history, displaying all sorts of ugly behavior.

And Goryeo [ancient Korean kingdom], the master of *jonbeo* [a Korean slang term for enduring or holding out], who was invaded by the Mongols nine times and continued to endure to the limit even when the country was burned and people died.

These countries had a unique spirit of resistance from the root, not surrendering unless the imperial family was directly threatened.

In any case, the powerful people are hiding in a safe place and encouraging the citizens, and only the civilians who are sacrificed with the will to protect the country are pitiful.

But because I know this pattern well, I didn’t bother to send in the army.

Rather, clearly recognizing the existence of the enemy only causes them to unite.

I just have to thoroughly blockade the waterways and cripple their industry and wait until the internal dissatisfaction exceeds the critical point.

Here, it ends by publicizing the fact that Vietnam and Manchuria, which have completely surrendered, are living peacefully as they were before the war.

This is a strategy that can be established because the current situation of the Korean Empire and the Japanese Empire is very different from the original history.

They were in a kind of transitional period, recklessly accepting new things while just starting to open up.

Loyalty to the royal family, which had been passed down from before, remained as inertia, but it was a kind of transitional state in which they admired the Western world, where citizens’ rights were strengthened.

In this situation, they had to continue to win and brainwash the people with the achievements of the great imperial family, but this happened before they even got there.

All that the citizens of both countries know is that ‘I thought it was worth fighting France, but in reality, the country is about to be destroyed, and I can’t even get food properly, so I’m going to starve to death.’

Anyway, this side has no burden thanks to the reparations already taken from Vietnam and Manchuria.

Since the other side is already half dead, there is no need to operate a large fleet, so you can just go and beat them whenever you are bored.

If you don’t want to surrender, let’s go to the end.

It will become clear if you wait and see whether the citizens’ anger will turn to this side or their government.

One month after Vietnam and Manchuria officially declared their surrender to France.

I was having a banquet with the ministers in the palace and discussing the future situation when…

-We are willing to consider surrender if you present the conditions.

The SOS signals from the prime ministers of both countries, who lengthened their words to ask for mercy in a sophisticated way, arrived.

※※※

“No, Prime Minister! Surrender? Did you just say surrender?”

“Shh! Lower your voice. What if His Majesty finds out?”

Jeong Yak-yong calmed down the military personnel who were jumping up and down and gave them a warning.

“If I tell His Majesty this, you will be dragged to the courtroom right away.”

“And you, who have endured to the end, will also stand in the courtroom as war criminals after the war is over. Do you really want to end up like that?”

“That’s… no.”

Having suffered so much from the large and beautiful shells of the French fleet, the boiling fighting spirit of the empire’s young men, who were burning with fighting spirit, had reached its limit.

“If you’re going to surrender, do it. If you’re going to fight to the end, fight. Now His Majesty is not choosing either side. As a result, only our people are dying.”

“It is an honorable martyrdom to die fighting to protect the country. The Prime Minister is denying that…”

“Martyrdom? Fight the enemy? As far as I know, it seems that the number of people who die of starvation is starting to outnumber the number of people who died in the French army? Should this also be called martyrdom?”

“Giving in here is what the French bastards want. If we surrender, France will stroll into the capital and put us all in the courtroom. As the Prime Minister said earlier, we will be sentenced to death on charges of war crimes.”

The military personnel were afraid.

Even if the war ends like this, all that awaits them is a bloody purge, so what difference does it make if they surrender?

If they had their way, they wanted to endure until they could, claiming total national suicide like Japan.

No matter how French they are, they won’t let all the people here die.

“Wake up. Don’t you know that the railways are cut off and the waterways are controlled, so the big cities have no way to supply food? Have you ever thought that if this situation continues, angry citizens might rise up and kill us?”

“Those who do will be silenced by putting a gun to their heads. It’s better for them to die than for us to die.”

“Hoo… yes. It’s not that I don’t know your hearts. That’s why I conveyed my intentions to Guangdong France. We will consider surrendering if only those who are heavily responsible for this war are held accountable.”

“Heavy responsibility.”

The military personnel muttered Jeong Yak-yong’s last words and cast expectant eyes.

Jeong Yak-yong nodded and lowered his voice even more.

“Yes. The people who are most responsible for this war… Ryu Hyo-won, the chief of the military, and… His Majesty the Emperor, who valued his intentions.”

“Your Majesty? That’s ridiculous…”

“This is the only way we, no, this country can live. I actually saw the King of France when I went to France before. He is never a person who will sit idly by and watch innocent citizens die. So we should try to negotiate surrender in the name of correcting the country for the sake of the citizens.”

“Are you offering the imperial family as a sacrifice? That’s too disloyal…”

“Disloyal? If it’s disloyal, it’s disloyal not to risk your life to stop this wrong war. How can you call this disloyalty when you are trying to do your duty as a Korean official now?”

Until now, they thought they would have to die, but suddenly, when an unexpected ray of light shone, confusion arose in the eyes of the ministers.

So, if they put all the blame on Ryu Hyo-won and the emperor, they can live.

The deliberation didn’t last long.

Anyway, the answer was already decided from the beginning.

Those who had been talking about disloyalty and martyrdom until just now washed their mouths and asked in a subtle tone.

“When should we set the date for the uprising?”

※※※

Now is the time for each to survive; it’s a question of who will cut ties first.

Unlike the Korean Empire, which is trying to overthrow the imperial family altogether, the atmosphere in Japan was a little different.

People who have eaten meat know how to eat it well [idiom meaning those with experience know how to do things], and the Korean Empire, which has overthrown the dynasty and raised a rebellion to some extent, did not regard the imperial family as absolutely as Japan did.

However, in Japan, the Emperor is a living god and a symbol of the country that will never change.

And unlike Jeong Yak-yong, who had been critical of the war, Ienari himself was one of the hardliners who started the war.

It’s obvious that no one will listen even if this person shouts that the war is wrong.

Ienari was not stupid enough not to know this.

To achieve his goal, he needs to hide his true feelings as much as possible and manipulate public opinion.

That was Ienari’s big picture: to bring about surrender and make a plea bargain with France behind the scenes.

“Have you heard the news from Vietnam and Manchuria?”

“Yes. They surrendered wretchedly and fell into the fate of miserable losers.”

“I heard that they returned all the territories they had acquired so far, but they were guaranteed the safety of the imperial family.”

As the desired answer came back, Ienari groaned as if swallowing his resentment.

“Does that mean that even in the worst case, if we surrender, we can protect His Majesty the Emperor’s life…?”

“Prime Minister! Surrender? Hasn’t His Majesty already told all the people and officials to unite and fight against those evil Western devils?”

“Yes. We must fight as hard as we can, but we must think of His Majesty’s safety above all else. We must consider the worst-case scenario.”

“The Prime Minister is right.”

“I’m sorry! It was never my intention not to consider His Majesty’s safety.”

You stupid guys.

There is no way France will leave the Japanese imperial family intact if they surrender here.

Vietnam and Manchuria are different from us.

No, if the Emperor is safe, I am the one who is most likely to be dragged to the gallows.

The other ministers, who could not have known that, blushed, thinking that the Prime Minister was prepared to give his life for the Emperor.

“The Prime Minister is truly a loyal subject of this country.”

“Still, we can do it. Let’s work together to overcome this difficulty! Surrender is still premature.”

“I understand. Still, I will try to find out what France’s intentions are, so that we can guarantee the safety of the imperial family. There will be no disagreement on this part, right?”

“Of course.”

Prime Minister Ienari, who had obtained the consent of the ministers, secretly sighed in relief and rose from his seat.

He had already secretly sent a letter to France, and if things had gone wrong here, his head would have flown off right away.

It was an extremely dangerous tightrope walk, but he was still managing to keep his balance.

“Then I will go to Hong Kong and meet Marshal Napoleon. Even if I have to lick the ground with my tongue, I will protect His Majesty the Emperor, so please trust me and wait.”

“Prime Minister…”

“How can you endure such humiliation…?”

Prime Minister Ienari, who had successfully obtained the Emperor’s approval, secretly left Kyoto so that it would not be known to the public.

At the same time.

Jeong Yak-yong, who was on a ship similar to Prime Minister Ienari, was also heading to Hong Kong to finish everything.

The prime ministers of both countries, who had similar yet different thoughts, set foot in Guangdong France at the same time.