I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 347

The Promised Future

Napoleon Bonaparte, formerly a Marshal of France commanding both the army and navy, now held the additional title of Commander of the Northeast Asia Military Administration, and with it, a new habit.

He had taken to smoking cigarettes in the most stylish way he could manage.

Back in France, this would have been difficult. Christian vehemently opposed smoking, citing health concerns.

Napoleon himself didn’t particularly enjoy smoking, so he hadn’t missed it.

However, outside of France, smoking with flair was considered a symbol of coolness.

Even in Guangzhou, France, he received daily compliments on his sophisticated smoking posture.

Though he disliked cigarettes, he could feign enjoyment to maintain his image as a dignified politician.

Having successfully concluded the war, even the cigarette smoke, once unpleasant, now seemed almost fragrant.

“You’ve wrapped things up neatly. Congratulations.”

“This is all thanks to the Governor-General’s hard work and assistance.”

Robespierre and Napoleon exchanged genuine smiles, each praising the other.

Napoleon was pleased to have earned the honor he craved, while Robespierre was simply happy to have an excuse to return to France.

They weren’t exactly rivals, ensuring their good relationship could continue.

“Marshal, you’ll be leaving soon. Will you visit the Empire of Japan or the Korean Empire first?”

“That’s a bit of a dilemma. They say politicians should imbue every action with meaning, but I’m still a novice at this game.”

“Have you consulted with His Majesty? If necessary, we could appoint separate temporary commanders for the Korean Empire and the Empire of Japan.”

“Ahem… that’s a bit excessive. I will manage both countries.”

Robespierre sensed Napoleon’s strong desire to retain sole command of the Northeast Asia Military Administration.

He understood; he would have wanted to monopolize such a prestigious title himself.

“Ah… then you must have a lot on your mind.”

“It would be helpful if His Majesty offered some guidance, but he only speaks in riddles and avoids direct advice.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me to consider which side I favor and what path Asia should take.”

It would be nice if the King could be more direct, but his advice was always cryptic.

Robespierre chuckled at Napoleon’s complaint.

“Doesn’t that imply he expects you to handle at least this much if you’re serious about politics?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Your influence is greater than you think. If you enter the National Assembly in the next general election, you could wield tremendous power. If you don’t want to end up like me, you should act cautiously.”

“Ah…”

Napoleon was momentarily speechless at the advice born from experience.

He recalled how Robespierre and Danton had nearly gone on a rampage during Christian’s absence and had to be stopped.

“If His Majesty doubts your political skills, he will give you a nominal position with no real power and be done with it.”

“…I suppose so?”

The King certainly treated his people well, but he didn’t grant unchecked power.

If Napoleon didn’t prove his abilities here, he couldn’t even dream of becoming Prime Minister, as Robespierre suggested.

However, making a decision wasn’t easy.

Frankly, what did Napoleon know about the path Asia should take?

He hadn’t even deeply considered the path France should take, so shouldn’t Asia just do whatever it wanted, whether it succeeded, failed, or stumbled along?

Of course, voicing that opinion would immediately result in orders to return home after all his hard work in the war.

“I’ll decide after visiting both the Korean Empire and the Empire of Japan. I can use a little trick to decide where to go first.”

Napoleon removed the cigarette from his mouth and studied the map.

“I should stop by Manchuria first to address the surrendered Manchukuo [a puppet state established by Japan in Manchuria] and discuss future plans. Then, I can visit the Korean Empire and the Empire of Japan in order of proximity before returning to Guangzhou.”

“That’s not a bad idea. Stopping by Manchuria makes it natural to visit the Korean Empire before the Empire of Japan.”

“That’s right. It won’t appear as though I’m prioritizing one over the other.”

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t the ideal solution.

He was avoiding Christian’s preferred course of action and glossing over the issue.

However, politics wasn’t always about choosing the best path.

He believed it was a virtue of politicians to choose the second-best path rather than the worst.

Napoleon admired his clever maneuver and prepared to head northeast.

※※※

Hanseong, the capital of the Korean Empire.

“The atmosphere is different from what I expected?”

Napoleon, who visited the Korean Empire to formally sign the surrender document, was surprised by the unexpected scene.

“Ooooh! Napoleon!”

“Napoleon, the liberator of Korea!”

“Give us freedom!”

It was absurd to even consider how to handle civilians protesting against the invading French.

The citizens, who had gathered spontaneously, chanted Napoleon’s name and threw bouquets of flowers as he rode proudly on a white horse.

“…Are we not invaders?”

At Napoleon’s bewildered question, his secretary whispered.

“The Korean imperial family was overthrown in a coup. They likely spread the word that the old imperial family was the root of all evil and that France was not to blame.”

“They’re skilled. This makes things easier for us.”

With such cooperative public opinion, he could smoothly manage the post-war situation and secure France’s interests.

And all of that would be to Napoleon’s credit.

Jeong Yak-yong greeted Napoleon’s party in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace, which had lost its master.

“Welcome.”

“It’s good to see you again, Prime Minister.”

“Ah, I’m no longer the Prime Minister. The Korean Empire no longer exists. My current position is Chairman of the Emergency Measures Committee of the Republic of Korea.”

“Republic of Korea.”

Was this to demonstrate that the country’s ownership had shifted from the emperor to the citizens?

Napoleon chuckled at the blatant name.

“Then I’ll call you Chairman. Chairman, I’m sorry to say this, but you can’t escape responsibility simply because the name has changed. You understand that, right?”

“Of course, I understand. However, I hope you understand that we are sincerely reflecting on our past actions and have taken special measures to prevent similar mistakes from happening again.”

“Of course, we have to consider that.”

To be honest, he felt like cheering.

Dealing with the imperial family of a defeated nation was never an easy task for the victor.

Napoleon still hadn’t made a firm decision about what to do with the Japanese imperial family.

No, he knew what to do, but he wasn’t sure of the most efficient way to do it.

Manchukuo and Vietnam had decided to retain their imperial families as constitutional monarchies as a reward for their early surrender, but Japan was different.

So, how could he not appreciate the Korean Empire, which had eliminated its imperial family without being asked?

“Then, will the Republic of Korea… I mean, will there be no monarchy in the Republic in the future?”

“Yes. For now, the citizens don’t want it. They’ve had enough this time. We’re planning to introduce a presidential system, following the example of the United States of America across the Pacific.”

“A presidential system…”

He couldn’t give a definite answer immediately, but perhaps the best outcome his home country desired had materialized.

How could things proceed so smoothly when he was simply doing as he pleased? Had his political talent, previously dormant, finally blossomed?

“Let’s await instructions from home first. In the meantime, we will formally sign the surrender document and establish a temporary military administration to help the Republic of Korea… I mean, the Republic, to properly establish itself.”

He would also seize the opportunity to extract war reparations and confiscate all the weapons he had lent them.

Confident that the Korean Empire would be handled smoothly, Napoleon now turned his attention to Kyoto.

Since he had transformed the Korean Empire into a presidential system, he now had a justification.

If he informed them that their neighbor had adopted this system, shouldn’t they conscientiously follow suit? They wouldn’t be able to easily object.

If he could smoothly reform both countries and return home, Christian would recognize his abilities, and he would ascend to the Prime Minister’s office in record time…

“Waaaaaaah!”

“Kill them! Kill!”

“There can be no surrender!”

“Execute all the traitors who object to the Emperor’s decision!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Surrender cannot be His Majesty’s will! Traitors who sold the country to save their own lives!”

Napoleon, who had anticipated a similar atmosphere to the Korean Empire, was dumbfounded by the news from Kyoto that had arrived across the sea.

“A civil war broke out?”

“Whether it’s a civil war… they’re simply fighting each other and creating chaos in Kyoto.”

“Listen, we’ve decided to call it a civil war.”

“But the Emperor has decided to surrender, and the ministers have agreed, so if we leave it alone, it will eventually quiet down.”

“Hmm…”

He hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, so his understanding was incomplete, but he grasped the general situation.

It was what they commonly called a last-ditch effort.

It happened frequently.

Feigning an inability to accept defeat and acting irrationally was merely an excuse.

The real objective was to blame those who had failed to properly advise the Emperor and to seize power in the process.

In a way, it was similar to, yet different from, the coup d’état led by Jeong Yak-yong.

Both involved exploiting the chaos to remove those responsible for the war and establish new power.

However, the Korean Empire, which did not revere the Emperor, had removed the Emperor.

Conversely, for the Empire of Japan, which worshipped the Emperor as a deity, the option of removing the Emperor was never available.

“It’s already over, yet they’re causing trouble until the very end. It doesn’t matter if we don’t intervene, right?”

“Yes. The goal of those who started the rebellion is to rescue the Emperor, who has been captured by treacherous subjects. Since the Emperor has surrendered according to our wishes, their claims are fundamentally flawed. They will soon collapse.”

“What if they forcibly occupy the imperial family and insist on fighting to the death?”

“Then shouldn’t we allow them to die as they wish?”

In reality, the civil war in Japan wasn’t a significant problem.

However, even in this extreme situation, the fact that only this level of reaction was occurring hinted at the deeply ingrained perceptions within Japan.

For the Japanese, the Emperor system was not merely a monarchy but also a religion.

It lacked real power, so perhaps it resembled a blend of a constitutional monarch and the Pope of the Vatican.

Of course, Napoleon didn’t care if the other party was the Pope or anyone else.

If the Pope lost his mind, he would simply invade Rome and destroy the Vatican.

However, he couldn’t eliminate the Papal system itself.

In that regard, he understood the magnitude of separating the Emperor system from the Empire of Japan.

Until now, he had considered ending it by merely deposing the current Emperor and leaving Japan as a constitutional monarchy.

He had worried that a rash abolition of the Emperor system would provoke too strong of a backlash.

That’s right. Until now.

Napoleon finally sent a telegram containing the answer to Christian’s question.

-We will abolish the Emperor system of the Empire of Japan.