I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 176

As public criticism of the East India Company intensified, the authorities, who had initially aimed only to refine the company’s governance, could no longer ignore the overwhelming public sentiment.

Moreover, the deeper the parliamentary investigation went, the more shocking and illegal evidence surfaced, making a simple punishment and moving on an impossible option.

With the situation escalating, even members of Parliament began to question the board of directors’ motives for cooperating with the investigation.

“Seriously… did these guys really think they wouldn’t get caught?”

“Perhaps they underestimated the possibility of an internal informant?”

“Indeed, the opium hidden in India and the slush funds deposited in the bank provided decisive evidence…”

Newspapers relentlessly dug into the East India Company’s various irregularities, uncovering a constant stream of corruption.

The East India Company had been accumulating wealth in India for well over a century.

During that time, they wielded extraordinary, often unchecked, power, leading to an unimaginable level of corruption.

Their actions, fueled by a sense of impunity, resulted in a mountain of circumstantial, if not hard, evidence.

Illicit wealth accumulation, embezzlement, breach of trust, bribery – the list went on.

For newspapers, it was a never-ending source of sensational stories, a true cornucopia of scoops.

However, human nature dictates a craving for stronger stimuli once exposed to a certain level of excitement.

The newspapers, initially thrilled to criticize the East India Company, began to feel the impact of their stories waning.

While many people still gathered to discuss and condemn the company’s actions, a new catalyst was needed to reignite public outrage.

Sensing the opportune moment, I directed the Morning Post to subtly shift the blame towards the government.

[Is the system to blame for allowing the East India Company to operate unchecked? We condemn Parliament’s irresponsible granting of privileges to the East India Company!]

[What was the governor-general, appointed by the government, doing? Parliament and the government must provide means to protect the assets of citizens!]

Strictly speaking, Parliament had been steadily curtailing the East India Company’s powers for decades.

However, that alone wasn’t enough to absolve them of responsibility.

Instead, as their powers diminished, the East India Company resorted to siphoning money through back channels, while government officials, who should have been supervising them, remained idle.

Some newspapers even began to question whether influential figures in Parliament or the government had a cozy, perhaps even corrupt, relationship with the East India Company.

Parliament, suddenly under fire, was stunned, but the criticism that they bore some responsibility resonated with the public.

Because Parliament’s image had already suffered from the recent incident involving me, this criticism proved even more effective.

-Those guys are capable of anything.

This sentiment of political aversion spread throughout London.

In this situation, Parliament’s only recourse was to thoroughly dismantle the East India Company and demonstrate that they would never condone such behavior.

However, simply pouring fuel on the fire wouldn’t solve the underlying problem.

If the East India Company was dissolved, what would become of India?

The parliamentarians, who initially intended only to replace the chairman and governor-general of the board of directors, suddenly felt the weight of the situation.

The ruling party representative of the investigation committee, Disraeli, the opposition party representative, Gladstone, and I, representing the royal family, gathered to discuss the path forward.

“This seems to be escalating beyond our initial expectations.”

“Indeed.”

“Hmm.”

Only one person in the room seemed to misunderstand the gravity of the situation.

That was Gladstone, while Disraeli and I did our best to maintain a facade of concern and create an atmosphere of anguish.

Doing this made me feel like I was on a hidden camera show.

I’m used to this kind of thing, but I was worried that Disraeli might crack and reveal his amusement, but he proved surprisingly adept at managing his expression.

It must have been difficult for him to suppress his laughter as he watched his arch-rival Gladstone floundering, while he possessed an omniscient understanding of the situation.

“The more we investigate, the more irregularities emerge, and public opinion is coalescing around the idea that the current government and Parliament have granted the East India Company too much leeway. To resolve this and move forward, I believe we must employ the strongest measures possible. What are your thoughts?”

“As Your Highness suggests, the Conservative Party has already requested the Prime Minister to dismiss the Governor-General, and the Governor-General has agreed. We also intend to bring the directors involved in the current situation before the hearing and pursue legal accusations. Does the opposition party have any objections?”

“No. There are also strong voices within the party advocating for strict measures against the East India Company. However, if we dissolve the East India Company, what will happen to the banks that have extended large-scale loans to them?”

“Naturally, we will liquidate the East India Company’s assets and repay the loans.”

If Baring Bank were to falter, it might inflict some damage on the Whig Party, but it was still too early to completely ruin the Baring family.

My goal was to reverse the rankings of Baring Bank and Rothschild Bank, not to bankrupt either one.

Rothschild was currently acting as my loyal follower, but even so, it wasn’t healthy for one family to monopolize the country’s finances.

Above all, it would appear as though I was granting the request that Francis Baring had made directly to me earlier, placing him in my debt.

There would be nothing more desirable than Rothschild controlling the money market as my henchman, with Baring Bank acting as a check on their power.

“But Your Highness, the East India Company’s function extends beyond mere trade and profit generation. While they have engaged in corruption, they also serve the purpose of governing India, so the court may rule that dissolution is an excessive measure.”

“Representative Disraeli is correct. Until now, the focus has been on the East India Company’s corruption. Therefore, I recommend adding another person to the witness list at the hearing.”

“Are you suggesting we call someone from the East India Company?”

“No. It’s someone who can testify that the East India Company is not adequately fulfilling its inherent purpose. The timing is also fortuitous, as he is currently staying in London.”

In fact, I had hinted that he should take a vacation and come to London before I initiated this issue, but there was no need to reveal that to everyone, right?

“If it’s someone who can serve as a key witness, we should definitely call him. Who is it?”

“The commander of the Indian Army who made a significant contribution to suppressing the rebellion that occurred last year: Marshal Hugh Gough.”

* * *

The hearing that summoned the key directors of the East India Company quickly devolved into a one-sided condemnation.

“If you have eyes, look at this! How can you claim ignorance when the evidence is so overwhelming?”

“We are truly wronged! We have no knowledge of the creation of illegal slush funds!”

“Then how do you explain the vast sums of money deposited in the bank under the names of these directors? Furthermore, the timing coincides precisely with the ordering of merchant ships, and the deposited amount matches the down payment exactly, down to the last pound.”

“No, I’m telling you, I know nothing. Someone else must have deposited it under my name. You know that anyone can deposit money into the bank system without the account holder’s direct involvement!”

The directors, dragged before the hearing, made desperate pleas, but the lawmakers remained unmoved.

Disraeli, who once again garnered public attention through this incident, scoffed dismissively.

“So, according to the directors, someone deposited the exact down payment amount into an Indian bank to frame them?”

“Th, that’s right. That’s the only explanation I can think of.”

“Then how do you explain the amount being identical to the down payment, down to the last pound? Very few people would have access to that precise figure in such a short timeframe.”

“So… it must be the people who created that fake company called Asia Shipping…”

“Directors! Do you think this is some kind of joke! There is ample evidence linking the fake shipping company to the East India Company. How long will you persist with such blatant lies!”

Because I had meticulously laid traps at every turn, there was no escape.

No matter how vehemently they denied it, it only fueled the listeners’ anger, making them feel as though they were being treated like fools.

“It’s not a lie; we genuinely know nothing.”

“Ha! Are you going to maintain this charade until the very end? Regardless, there is plenty of other evidence besides this. If you had governed India effectively and succeeded in stabilizing local public sentiment, I might have considered showing some leniency for your efforts. However, according to the investigation committee’s report, it is no exaggeration to say that the East India Company is actively driving India towards ruin.”

Disraeli dramatically placed the documents detailing the East India Company’s supposed achievements on the table.

For the record, the information presented from this point forward consisted of 100% verifiable facts, not fabrications.

The fabrication involving the Rothschild brothers was merely bait to bring the East India Company to trial; there were already more than enough legitimate charges to warrant their downfall.

In reality, all of this had been, to some extent, condoned by Parliament and the government, but that’s often how the world operates.

They had simply turned a blind eye, but that didn’t make it legal.

They were now being held accountable for large-scale embezzlement and the failure to properly manage India, the British Empire’s most important colony.

What better target could there be for the current Parliament, which was desperate for a victory?

If I were in their position, I would have eagerly seized the opportunity to dismantle the East India Company.

“Currently, public opinion in India towards the British Empire is at an all-time low. It’s rare for a colony to view the home country favorably, but India has now crossed a dangerous threshold. Rebellions are occurring periodically in the region, and the rebellion that took place last year was particularly significant.”

“Wa, wait a minute! The Governor-General of the home country also approved of that. Wasn’t the policy to maximize profits in India for the benefit of the home country?”

This was the truth, not a fabrication, so the directors couldn’t simply deny it, and their faces paled.

They attempted to deflect responsibility by any means, but unfortunately, the ruling and opposition parties were unusually united this time and had already decided to dismantle the East India Company.

“To maximize India’s contribution to the home country is, of course, the official policy. But let me ask you this: has the East India Company’s management actually maximized the benefits to the home country?”

“Th, that’s because…”

“Failure to manage local public sentiment, failure to suppress the rebellion early. The losses incurred in India last year alone were enormous due to these two factors. Furthermore, the government has also provided the East India Company with substantial operating loans. How does this benefit the home country? It’s desirable to generate as much profit as possible in India, but isn’t this a situation where you were so focused on short-term gains that you ultimately suffered even greater losses?”

“…”

“Anyone can simply extract resources. Moreover, the current board of directors has explicitly stated that their actions thus far represent the best possible outcome for the British Empire. However, we also have a witness who will testify that this is not the case. Marshal Hugh Gough, please proceed.”

At Disraeli’s summons, Marshal Gough, who had been quietly seated in the witness chair, stood up.

After briefly making eye contact with me, he took a deep breath as I nodded in encouragement and began to speak.

“During the Indian rebellion that erupted last year, the East India Company demonstrated a complete lack of responsiveness. Instead, they consistently created discord with the local army and failed to provide adequate support for the operation.”

“What is the current sentiment of the Indian Army towards the East India Company?”

“It’s extremely negative. The majority of the army consists of sepoys [Indian soldiers serving under British command], but the East India Company does not treat them fairly. In other words, locals are being systematically alienated in all areas, and their dissatisfaction is steadily growing.

Even if it’s not in the civilian sector, if this discriminatory treatment persists within the military, a rebellion may originate within the military itself next time.”

Marshal Gough’s testimony was somewhat exaggerated, but it accurately reflected a reality that was likely to unfold in the near future.

The treatment was already poor, but in a few years, salaries would be reduced, and even the meager retirement pensions would be eliminated.

As Marshal Gough’s testimony continued, the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly somber.

Not only corruption but also incompetent management.

Having been driven this far, there was no chance of redemption.

“There’s nothing more to hear!”

“The East India Company has failed to demonstrate not only its legitimacy but also its continued relevance!”

The lawmakers, now wearing the masks of true patriots concerned about the future of the British Empire, passionately argued that the British Empire’s hegemony could only be maintained by rebuilding India.

And Parliament passed a bill to immediately revoke the East India Company’s stock dividends without a single objection.

From that moment on, the East India Company was effectively out of business.

In other words, it was time for a new ruler to take control of the now-vacant India.