I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 104

The Hidden Giant of the British Empire 104

Civil War (2)

About a month before the vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Robert Peel in Parliament.

Newspapers in London were thriving, gleefully printing news day after day.

“Hahahahahaha!”

“Mr. President, the sales figures for yesterday are in. They’ve increased again.”

“Really? Excellent. Then let’s increase the print run a bit more than yesterday.”

William Byrne, the president of the Morning Post, smiled broadly, fondly patting the freshly printed newspapers.

-New Generation vs. Old Generation: The Conflict Between Charles Wellesley and Robert Peel

Major world-altering events are great, but these smaller, ongoing issues are what keep newspaper companies afloat.

After all, newspaper companies thrive on issues.

In that respect, recent events have been very favorable.

Unexpected developments during the war with the Qing Dynasty [referring to the First Opium War], and Queen Victoria’s constant pronouncements, kept the public engaged.

There was plenty of material to capture the public’s interest, and after the war, the opium issue and related matters continued to provide fodder for news.

Even as that began to subside, a forecast of a great famine due to potato blight emerged.

And just as that crisis seemed to be waning, a generational conflict erupted within the Conservative Party. What could be more exciting for a newspaper company than that?

Of course, the Morning Post leaned towards the pro-Conservative side, so internal strife within the party wasn’t ideal.

But the president didn’t believe this conflict would last long.

Having observed the political scene for years, he could tell at a glance how things would play out.

They’d squabble and bicker for a while, then the younger generation would reluctantly back down, and everything would return to normal.

So, for now, the priority was to extract the most sensational articles possible and sell as many newspapers as they could.

“Come on, everyone, let’s work a little harder. These days, citizens are very interested in politics, so if we do well, we might break the 10,000-copy barrier within a few years. When that happens, I’ll reward you all handsomely!”

No one truly believed the president’s promise, but they diligently prepared to print and sell newspapers as instructed.

Just then…

“Hello? I’m looking for William Byrne, the president of the Morning Post.”

“Speaking. I’m William Byrne, who are you?”

“I’m here to discuss a business proposition. Could we speak privately for a moment?”

“Of course. Let’s step into the next room.”

Running a newspaper company meant fielding business proposals like this several times a week.

Most were useless, but occasionally a worthwhile investment opportunity arose, so it was necessary to listen.

“What is it? I don’t have much time, actually…”

“Neither do I. So, I’ll get straight to the point. I’m looking to acquire the Morning Post.”

“…What? Acquire?”

“Yes. If you refuse, I’ll approach the Standard or John Bull [other newspaper companies]. As I said, I don’t have much time, so I won’t haggle. If you sign here, I’ll go to the bank with you right now and transfer the funds.”

William Byrne’s eyes widened as he examined the contract the man offered.

“Acquisition price of 20,000 pounds? Really?”

“I can pay you in cash today.”

The Morning Post’s current market value was only about 10,000 pounds, or perhaps 15,000 pounds at most.

An additional 5,000 pounds meant he could start another company of similar size and still have over 5,000 pounds left over.

Of course, it would take time, but for William Byrne, it was a golden opportunity to make a substantial profit without much effort.

“Wait…can you really pay this money right now? But first, tell me why you want to acquire the newspaper company?”

“Our president’s ambition is to run a large-scale newspaper company. The Morning Post meets all the requirements.”

So, starting from scratch was too much trouble, and they wanted to acquire the existing know-how.

Not many tycoons were interested in running newspaper companies, but there were plenty of eccentric individuals with unique hobbies, so it wasn’t entirely surprising.

“First, let’s confirm that you can provide the 20,000 pounds immediately before we continue.”

“Shall we go to the bank right away?”

Even with that offer, the reason he was offering 20,000 pounds now was because he anticipated the newspaper’s continued success.

William Byrne, a veteran in the newspaper business, knew that wealthy individuals didn’t waste money.

‘Anyway, the internal conflict within the Conservative Party will soon subside, and public interest will wane. If I sell it at a high price now and start again elsewhere, I might end up with more than 10,000 pounds instead of 5,000 pounds.’

Selling at the peak and buying back when the price was low could potentially yield more than 10,000 pounds instead of 5,000 pounds.

William Byrne examined the 20,000 pounds the man presented, smiled gleefully, and promptly signed the contract.

The venerable Morning Post, founded in 1772 and approaching its 70th anniversary, changed hands in a single morning.

The first thing the new owner prepared was:

A massive amount of sensational articles to amplify the drama surrounding Robert Peel’s vote of no confidence a month later.

* * *

“-Therefore, I declare that the motion of no confidence in the Cabinet has been formally passed!”

The moment the Wellesley faction unanimously approved the motion of no confidence proposed by the Whig Party, and the chairman officially declared it, Robert Peel’s cabinet was finished.

“As you know, the Prime Minister must either nominate a successor or request the Queen to dissolve Parliament. The deadline is…”

The chairman’s droning was lost in the uproar.

How had things come to this?

Anger, embarrassment, and anxiety churned within him, but the Prime Minister maintained his composure as much as possible and left the parliament building with his supporters.

“This is a conspiracy! A conspiracy! That Charles Wellesley is trying to destroy our party by colluding with the Whig Party!”

“But since the motion of no confidence has already passed, we have no choice but to dissolve Parliament. They will never accept the nomination of a successor.”

“Prime Minister, what should we do?”

Even seasoned lawmakers who had navigated the political landscape for decades were panicking at the unexpected turn of events.

But upon calm reflection, now was not the time for anger or confusion.

“Honorable lawmakers, while Wellesley is detestable, the next election is what matters now. Since the motion of no confidence has passed, I will request the dissolution of Parliament from Her Majesty the Queen today or tomorrow. Therefore, you must be fully prepared to win the next election.”

“To do that, we must widely publicize the treachery of that hateful Wellesley. If we firmly convince the voters that he brought discord to the party, we can significantly reduce Wellesley’s approval rating.”

“That’s right. Our party’s supporters value conservatism and authority, don’t they? They won’t approve of Wellesley, who challenged the authority of his seniors and undermined conservative values.”

“Let’s mobilize all the newspaper companies that are friendly to us to attack Wellesley.”

As if they hadn’t been wasting time occupying their seats for so long, the middle-ranking lawmakers quickly regained their composure and devised various countermeasures.

As they said, the immediate priority was to launch an image campaign to portray Wellesley as a traitor to the Conservative Party.

Charles Wellesley might be the son of the Duke of Wellington, but most of them were lawmakers from traditional families with decades of political experience.

The combined tradition, wealth, and influence they possessed far outweighed that of the Wellesley faction.

So, in a head-to-head organizational battle, they were confident of victory.

Wellesley’s actions would be remembered in the history of the British Empire’s political world as an act of utter self-destruction.

“Good. Then I will go to Kensington Palace, where Her Majesty is residing, right now. Please contact the media outlets you are close to and influential figures in various fields to expose Wellesley’s misdeeds.”

Just moments ago, he had felt suffocated by the motion of no confidence, but after a few hours of deliberation, he felt relieved.

In fact, by using this opportunity to suppress the impudent young members of the party, such misfortunes could be avoided for at least the next 20 years.

‘What? If the backwater of the Thames flows in, the frontwater will be pushed back?’ [referring to an idiom about younger generations surpassing older ones]

If the backwater flows in, just build a dam to prevent it from overflowing.

Robert Peel, anticipating the sight of Killian’s arrogant face contorted in defeat, left the conference room with a lighter step.

All sorts of articles about today’s events would be flooding the news tomorrow, so he needed to conclude his business quickly before things got even more chaotic…

“Extra! Extra!”

“Prime Minister Robert Peel Deposed!”

“Young Wellesley’s Spirit Crushes the Prime Minister’s Old Greed!”

He, passing by in a carriage, momentarily doubted his hearing.

No, how many hours had passed since the motion of no confidence in Parliament, and this was already being circulated in the newspapers?

Was the British Empire’s newspaper industry really this efficient?

“Wait a minute! Bring me all the newspapers being sold there, one by one!”

There was only one newspaper that people were eagerly buying on the street.

It was the pro-Conservative newspaper, the Morning Post, which Robert Peel knew well.

He had seen it several times recently because it had been publishing articles about the Conservative Party’s conflict.

But what had gotten into them?

More importantly, how did they know and print this so quickly?

Could Wellesley have colluded with the media in advance?

[No-confidence vote that was scheduled. Why was the Prime Minister abandoned by the young people of the same party?]

[The other side of Prime Minister Robert Peel. The price of old greed that wanted to monopolize power]

[Avarice for power disguised as tradition. We dissect the case in detail!]

The hand holding the newspaper trembled.

It was certain. This article could not have been written without inside information.

“These bastards were plotting to bring me down all along! How dare they repay my kindness and support in this way?”

He recalled Killian leaving his seat even before the vote of no confidence was cast.

At first, he had dismissed it as a mocking gesture, implying that the outcome was predetermined, but now he realized it was not.

Perhaps he was trying to leave early to execute the prepared plan.

But it wasn’t too late yet.

Even if the Morning Post was putting on a show, their resources were ultimately limited.

How much influence could those who only printed 5,000 newspapers have?

If they started responding immediately, they could discredit those articles as false propaganda and amplify their own message.

“I’m sorry, but please turn the carriage around! I need to summon the middle-ranking lawmakers again instead of seeing Her Majesty first!”

“P, Prime Minister! It’s a disaster!”

“A disaster? What could be a bigger disaster than this right now…”

A secretary ran up to him, panting, as he was about to turn back towards Kensington Palace.

“Charles Wellesley and Killian Gore have started doing something strange. They’re calling all the reporters from the media and making an announcement!”

“They’re calling all the reporters and making an announcement? What on earth is that…”

“All the newspaper companies that had their scoops stolen by the Morning Post sent reporters. They say they’re going to reveal the reasons why the Prime Minister’s no-confidence vote was passed in detail…it’s a mess right now!”

He couldn’t keep up with the speed of events.

Robert Peel’s vision went dark.