I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 115

Became a Hidden Power of the British Empire 115

Sowing and Harvesting (2)

In the northern regions of the United States of America, most states were in the process of abolishing slavery for various reasons.

Boston, a port city, was no exception.

Samuel, who had worked as a carpenter since he was young, initially believed that with skill, he could do anything.

His mother, Eliza, was a slave, but he had been freed around the time of his birth.

He’d naively thought, black people, like white people, are guaranteed free rights and can live the lives they want.

Oh, the land of freedom, great America!

However, it didn’t take long for him to realize that this dream was an illusion.

“Hey, you black guy. This is my chair; the leg is broken, so fix it.”

“Yes, yes. Just leave it there. The fee is…”

“Here.”

He politely reached out his hand, but the middle-aged white man didn’t even look at him and just tossed the coin carelessly.

“That son of a bitch, if you’re going to throw it, you should throw it properly. Why throw it into the corner and act like that?”

At first, he felt immense humiliation, but as they say, humans are creatures of adaptation.

After suffering this for several years, he was no longer angry, just annoyed that he had to pick up the fallen coin.

No, to be precise, he didn’t even have the energy to be angry.

“Hey, you black bastard. The table you fixed last time is already wobbly. What are you going to do about it?”

“I’m sorry. Should I come and take another look?”

“Then come and fix it right now! A guest is coming today, and if it goes wrong because of you, you better be prepared. Anyway, you can’t do anything right, just like a stupid black bastard. Ugh…”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll take care of it right away.”

Strange.

According to the laws of the state he lives in, he is not a slave, so why is he living this kind of life?

Seeing that other black people in the church community tell similar stories, it didn’t seem like he was particularly incompetent.

However, the black people of Boston were still second-class citizens… no, something that was only halfway to being a citizen, and the white people treated them that way as if it were natural.

Even if he wanted to go to church, it was realistically impossible to go to the same church as the white people, and he couldn’t dare to resist any insults.

Once, he was just walking down the street when a drunken madman punched and assaulted him for no reason other than that he was in a bad mood.

However, the laws of the great United States of America confirmed that the man was not guilty and that he had to apologize instead.

He was so, so sorry for blocking the way of their white master who was in a bad mood.

Still, he is said to be lucky.

Boston is still a city, so it only goes this far, but in the countryside, many black people are simply beaten to death.

The South is still maintaining slavery, so are slaves living in even more horrific conditions than this?

Honestly, he didn’t know.

As suspicion, anxiety, anger, and resentment piled up, Samuel had a miraculous encounter.

The black community church, the only place of rest in this dog-like life.

Unlike usual, the atmosphere was even more cautious that day, and a black man named Stuart had a time to testify.

Surprisingly, he was one of the fighters who risked his life to escape from Virginia, escaped to Canada right above, and came back down to take his fellow countrymen.

“Everyone. I can say this for sure. Some of you may remember me, but I lived as a slave in Virginia, barely escaped, and spent two years here in Boston. But the relief that I had finally escaped slavery was only momentary, and the coldness of society immediately brought me back to reality. Here, we are nothing. The North has abolished slavery, but look at the reality. We can’t even sing hymns together with those great white masters in church.”

Even a person who escaped from the South after living as a slave is saying such a thing, so it must be that this place is a hopeless neighborhood.

In fact, the more a person yearned for freedom and risked his life to escape, the more pain he would have suffered from this absurd reality.

“Fellow countrymen! But I am so happy to be able to deliver hopeful news to you in this place. I’m so happy that my heart is about to burst!”

“Is that country called Canada where you are now that satisfactory?”

“Of course. To be honest, the place where I am is just a more desolate rural village than this Boston. I am now working hard with my colleagues to cultivate land, develop villages, and build a foundation. But do you know who those colleagues are? A significant number of them are white people who came from Ireland in the British Empire.”

“White people are cultivating villages with us and living together? Not just passing all the work on to us without lifting a finger?”

“I believed that at first too. Of course, the white people in Canada didn’t completely regard us as equals at first. But they don’t call us by the derogatory term ‘blackie,’ and they worship and sing hymns together in church every Sunday. After finishing hard work, we sit around together, drink beer, and get rid of the fatigue of the day. As a result, the awkwardness I felt at first is now gone, and everyone’s relationship has developed into good friends.”

Sitting amicably with white people, drinking beer, and chatting?

Which world’s folktale is that from?

Stuart smiled bitterly and shook his head at the surrounding reactions that he couldn’t believe at all.

“You probably can’t believe it because of what you’ve experienced living here so far. You might think that only my village is like that. But this is an issue that Killian Gore, the current Minister Plenipotentiary of Canada [a high-ranking diplomatic representative], is strongly promoting as a national policy of Canada. All races are working together to create a more prosperous country.”

“Isn’t the minister the highest person in the country? Isn’t the highest person in the country the president?”

“The British Empire still has a king, and politics are very different from here in the United States. In fact, in terms of authority alone, Minister Killian Gore is said to have much stronger authority in Canada than the president.

I heard that he is from Ireland, and Irish people have lived difficult lives for a long time while being ignored. So there is a consensus with us.”

“Then, if we go to Canada, can we live a life similar to Stuart’s?”

Stuart is not just a person who came down from Canada, but a person who has actually lived as a slave in the South and as a freed slave in the North for many years.

His experience was naturally more persuasive than anyone else’s words.

“Of course. Canada is overflowing with jobs right now, and there is a lot of land to be reclaimed, so it won’t be difficult to settle down.”

Samuel quickly raised his hand and asked.

“Will there be any difficulty in adapting for someone who has only worked as a carpenter all his life?”

“Skilled carpenters are precious. Of course, you will be welcomed.”

“Stuart, are you going up with us then?”

“No. As I said earlier, I plan to go down to Virginia and help my fellow countrymen who lived with me escape. Even if I lose my life, I want to help them experience what true freedom is.”

True freedom.

A word that makes my heart ache and my eyes water just by hearing it.

Before this lingering feeling was gone, Samuel decided to pack his bags and prepare to leave Boston tomorrow.

Looking around, most of the black people in the church seemed to be lost in thought with determined eyes.

Maybe I have those eyes too.

After all, people all think similarly.

Among the black communities, information about the new world where they can live like human beings was spreading rapidly in secret.

* * *

As Webster had confidently predicted, the officials in DC were clearly busy preparing a welcoming event for me.

I feel very refreshed by the fact that I don’t know at all that very spectacular things are happening under the surface right now.

After finishing the welcoming event with all my might, I was guided to the White House by Minister Webster.

President John Tyler, who was sitting in a spacious room with portraits of past presidents hanging, stood up from his seat with a bright smile on his face when I entered.

“It must have been a long journey from the British Empire to Canada, and from Canada to Washington DC here. It’s refreshing to meet the youngest minister, who is famous in the United States, in person like this.”

“I am also honored to meet Your Excellency the President like this. Representing the wishes of Her Majesty the Queen, who loves peace, and our people, I will spare no effort to ensure that the friendship between the United States and the British Empire continues in the future.”

“I heard that you, Minister, are close to both the current Prime Minister and Her Majesty the Queen… Can I interpret what you are saying here as the will of the British Empire itself?”

“Of course. At least as far as the Canadian issue is concerned, I have been authorized by Congress and the government to not seek any separate permission from my home country.”

“That’s a relief. Then we can resolve all the minor conflicts surrounding Maine and New Brunswick on this occasion.”

By the 21st century, Canada and the United States will face the longest border in the world.

The border itself runs horizontally across North America, so it would be stranger if there were no local problems.

Of course, even with various agreements in place, minor disputes continue to occur, and both the United States and Canada are struggling with this issue.

As a lame-duck president [an executive during the period between losing an election and the inauguration of a successor], Tyler wanted to resolve this issue well and shift the evaluation to the side that he has the ability even though he was abandoned by the party.

But for me, I have no intention of having large-scale negotiations with the United States at this point.

Since I can present conditions in a state where this side has preempted a favorable position in a few years, there is no need to make a hasty decision now.

But in order to postpone the decision, there must be a plausible excuse.

This visit to the United States was close to a kind of showy event to steadily accumulate this excuse and justification.

“I also hope that a peaceful agreement will be concluded with your country, but if I think about it calmly, there are still too many unstable factors.”

“If you say unstable factors?”

“Canada is becoming more and more populous, and in order to digest this population, it has no choice but to gradually spread westward. And the United States is also actively expanding its territory by pioneering the West. In other words, as both countries continue to move westward, the length of the border facing each other continues to increase.”

“That’s certainly true. But if we solve it amicably through dialogue every time a problem arises, won’t it eventually subside?”

“If it were just a problem between the two countries, that could be the case. But it’s not just Canada and the United States that are in the West, is it?”

The United States was in the midst of a conflict with the Mexican Centralist Republic over Texas, and in reality, a war would break out between the two countries in about 4 to 5 years.

Of course, if left as it is, the United States will overwhelmingly beat them up and steal territory to the point where it is hard to even call it a war.

“Minister. This is not a statement that ignores Mexico, but I don’t think it is possible for Mexico to take any action against both countries in a situation where the will of the British Empire and the United States is in agreement.”

“I think so too. But we cannot overlook the possibility of making the situation sufficiently chaotic.”

Tyler stopped talking for a moment, pretending to sip his tea, and gathered his thoughts.

*He’s* confused as to whether *they* should join hands and defeat Mexico, or take a more cautious stance.

It’s meant to be confusing, so of course it has to be.

“Certainly… It seems better to look at how the situation is going and discuss the issues related to Mexico in more detail later.”

“Yes. And I heard from Minister Webster, but if the issue of slavery is not to come up in Congress, it is necessary to address this part. The home country is making a lot of efforts to crack down on illegal slave ships in the Atlantic, but the United States is only showing a lukewarm response to this. Voices demanding that a clear position be expressed both in the home country and within the United States will become increasingly louder.”

“I was going to tell you after reviewing that part more carefully. But I’m asking just in case, did Congressman Adams give you any words about this issue?”

“I have to maintain neutrality, so I am not in a position to interfere in the affairs of the United States, but Your Excellency warned me that some congressmen may try to use my position. As a thank you, let me tell you that the majority of congressmen in the North and the abolitionists in the home country think that the abolition of slavery in the United States has already been confirmed.”

“…Excuse me? What’s that again.”

The prediction that the more industrialized the North becomes, the higher its basic physical strength will become compared to the South, which relies on slavery, is a truth that has already been verified in the original history.

If it is dragged until the point when the Civil War breaks out in earnest, it will only become increasingly difficult for the South to overwhelm the North from a long-term perspective.

And there is no way that the intellectuals of the North or the South would not know this fact.

Of course, many of the pro-slavery advocates in the South did not know that the time could come much faster than they expected, but that is not a big problem.

If you don’t know, just let me know.

“The industries that the North is focusing on hardly require slaves. So it was possible to naturally go to the abolition of slavery due to economic logic. The home country also knows this well because it has gone through a similar process. Doesn’t that mean that the North of the United States is likely to achieve dazzling technological development like the home country someday?”

Hearing the prediction that the United States will develop like England should make you feel good, but the president, who is closer to the position of the South, could not smile brightly.

We didn’t say any more to each other, but he wasn’t stupid enough not to understand what was going to happen.

If the situation is dragged on like this, only the North will be at an advantage, and time is never on the side of the South.

Since I’m pushing Adams and Lincoln hard, I should show this red truth to the representatives of the South so that they can be more alert and deal with it.

Mexico on the outside, and the ideological conflict between the North and the South, which is much more prevalent than in the original history, on the inside.

The lame-duck government, which cannot receive the cooperation of not only the ruling party but also the opposition party, can never deal with this issue nimbly.

So, while Canada, a friendly neighbor, is steadily reaching the Pacific Ocean, take good care of the house inside.

You may be able to use external conflicts to somehow integrate public opinion, but can you really do that even if the great escape of slaves begins in the South?

I said earlier that time is on the side of the North, not the South, but I think I should correct that statement.

Time is not on the side of the South or the North.

As long as I’m here, now the time in North America flows for British Canada.