I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 177

Royal Committee

The East India Company, with its 200-year history, was dissolved, and the key directors involved were brought to court.

Unsurprisingly, the court found the East India Company guilty.

Everything proceeded smoothly, but the real challenge was just beginning.

It’s always easier to untie a knot than to tie it again. Destroying a sandcastle is simple, but rebuilding it requires immense effort.

The same holds true for the East India Company.

Dissolving a company that managed the vast Indian territory, with administrative offices in three regions, was easier said than done.

Above all, the most crucial question was how to fill the void after the East India Company’s demise. Parliament ultimately chose the most straightforward solution.

Prime Minister Wellesley summoned key members from both the ruling and opposition parties, including myself, to a meeting where he outlined the government’s future policy.

“After considering all possibilities, we’ve concluded that India must be directly managed by the home country. We’ll begin by forming a Royal Committee to replace the East India Company. We will continue to appoint a Governor-General and have the Secretary of State assist in governing, as we do now.”

“Prime Minister, I have no objection to the method itself, but I do have one concern. According to Marshal Gough, public sentiment in India isn’t very favorable toward the home country. If the leadership changes in this situation, could it lead to chaos in India?”

I was about to raise the same point, but Gladstone beat me to it, making my job easier.

It’s so convenient working with intelligent people.

“You’re right, Mr. Gladstone. That’s why I’d like to make a suggestion. Would you be willing to hear it?”

“Yes, we’ll certainly consider any opinion Your Highness may have.”

“First of all, it’s true that public opinion in India is negative toward the home country. But fortunately, that won’t be a significant problem anymore.”

“Not a significant problem? According to Marshal Gough, there are considerable complaints even within the army itself…”

“Gentlemen, was that a direct order from the British Empire? Did Parliament ever order the East India Company to cut the salaries of the Sepoys [Indian soldiers in the British army] and exclude all locals from administrative positions?”

Understanding my meaning, Gladstone paused to consider and then shook his head.

“I don’t believe so. As far as I know, Parliament didn’t give such direct orders to the East India Company.”

“That’s correct. And let’s add another fact. The British Empire instructed the East India Company to actively embrace local public sentiment and do its best to ensure unwavering friendship between the home country and the colony, as that would ultimately be most beneficial to the national interests of the British Empire.”

“So, in other words, Your Highness is suggesting…”

“Yes. Let’s shift all the dissatisfaction prevalent in India and within the Indian Army to the East India Company, not the British Empire. And we can add more detail to the reason why the East India Company was abolished when explaining it to the locals in India.”

The British Empire directly abolished the East India Company simply because they committed embezzlement and breach of trust.

As a result of the investigation, it was found that the East India Company was exploiting the local area of India, ignoring the directives of the home country. The British Empire resolved to immediately dissolve the company that was intentionally distorting the policies of the home country.

In the future, India will be governed by the Royal Committee, which will be directly run by the royal family of the home country, and the Governor-General and staff who will actually govern will be appointed by the government and Parliament.

This is the whole story of the abolition of the East India Company and the background for the establishment of the new leadership that will be known in India.

“What do you think? Do you believe we can effectively turn local public sentiment around with this?”

“We’ll place all the past wrongdoings on the East India Company… Since it’s already been decided to dissolve it, there’s no problem.”

“And when the new leadership takes over, it will naturally have to demonstrate a direction that is different from what the East India Company did. The treatment of soldiers should be adjusted back to equality, and those locals who have outstanding loyalty to the British Empire should be appointed not only as simple staff but also to high-ranking positions with some authority.”

The current imperialistic colonial management system may seem cost-effective now, but it is by no means a sustainable structure in the long run.

It is impossible to completely absorb a place like India, which boasts a massive population, but to leave it as a huge market that can consume the products of the British Empire, it is necessary to pay some attention from now on.

“Certainly… For the time being, it would be good to create the impression that Her Majesty the Queen is directly looking after the people of India, replacing the East India Company.”

“I agree with that. Her Majesty the Queen punished the East India Company for oppressing India and decided to directly look after the livelihood of the Indian people. There seems to be no better way to effectively suppress local discontent than this.”

Yes.

This is a win-win-win solution that cleans up the mess left by the East India Company, takes care of the local public sentiment in India, and raises the status of the royal family.

No. In addition, Parliament has taken swift action to resolve the situation, so it can instill the perception that they have done their job properly this time. Should we call it a win-win-win-win result where everyone is happy?

At first, I considered the method of awarding Victoria the crown of Empress of India, but this was not the time yet.

Unlike the original history, the Sepoys did not declare the revival of the Mughal Emperor’s rule, so there was no justification for taking over the throne of India.

Taking over the throne in such a coercive way is not as in line with the direction I am pursuing as subtly taking the position after capturing the hearts of the Indian people.

“Since the opinions of the ruling and opposition parties and the government are all in agreement, we will proceed with the launch of the Royal Committee to replace the East India Company.”

“Thank you. Oh, and one more thing. If the East India Company, which had a large number of standing troops, is dissolved, there will naturally be momentary confusion in the security and military systems. To prevent this, I think we should urgently improve the communication system of the Indian Army. If the government approves, I would like to help the Indian Army equip itself with telegraph facilities as quickly as possible. What do you think?”

“I hadn’t thought about that. The soldiers would be really touched if they knew how much you care about them. I will take action as soon as I return.”

If the army introduces new technology before the navy, the pride battle will hold them back, but with this justification, there will be no other noise.

Marshal Gough, I have kept my promise.

Those who faithfully follow the instructions will be given corresponding rewards.

To Rothschild, to Marshal Gough.

I am such a loyal person.

* * *

While Parliament and the government were busy working hard to launch the Royal Committee to replace the East India Company,

I embarked on a second plan for a groundbreaking improvement of the British Empire’s army.

In fact, a groundbreaking improvement did not mean introducing unknown new technologies or new weapons.

If I could create machine guns or tanks, the British Empire could dominate the world, but unfortunately, I didn’t have that knowledge.

All I could do was introduce things that had actually been developed, like the telegraph, faster than anyone else.

And what I was trying to do this time was no different in the big picture.

In particular, the image was very important for this project, so I decided that it would be more efficient to work with Victoria than to do it alone.

“Improving hospitals and medical services?”

“Yes. To be exact, it’s about improving medical services within the military unit.”

“Is the medical care in our British Empire’s army that serious? To the point where I, the Queen, have to step in and urge improvement?”

“Relatively speaking, it’s probably pretty good? Other countries are probably similar or worse.”

“…Hmm? Then it seems difficult to avoid being told that I’m just making a fuss.”

Victoria is right.

If the medical condition inside the British Empire’s army was worse than that of France or Russia, I could naturally raise an issue, but the situation was a little different now.

To be precise, the level of all armies was seriously below common sense, and it was no exaggeration to say that the current state of military hygiene was a total disaster.

That doesn’t mean that the medical staff of this era are fools who don’t know the importance of hygiene.

If that were really the case, I wouldn’t have even dared to improve it in the first place.

Even in the early to mid-19th century, hygiene laws were enacted, and now there was a legal obligation to maintain hygiene within the military.

However, people don’t really know how important it is until they actually experience it.

The same goes for the military.

If everything is abundant, they will naturally pay attention to hygiene, but how many wars are fought in a relaxed state with everything in place?

If resources and manpower are limited, they have no choice but to prioritize tasks, and in that case, hygiene is placed far behind, which is the reality of this era.

This cannot be blamed solely on the military commanders.

Are they fighting a battle where the fate of the country is at stake, and is it possible to allocate resources within the military for something that they don’t even know how much it will actually help?

“So, if we try to forcibly intervene in the military, saying how important hygiene is and what the hygiene laws are, there will naturally be quite a bit of resistance. The military originally hates outsiders interfering.”

No one doesn’t know that the royal family is nominally the highest authority in the military, but that’s just a good-looking facade.

Still, I made a debt to the army this time, so Marshal Gough would listen to me, but he would follow me not because he sincerely believed in my words, but because he was determined to pay off the debt.

In this case, it is necessary to approach with an emotional method rather than a rational one.

“By the way, Killian, you’ve been paying a lot of attention to improving the military’s constitution lately. Is the political situation very unstable?”

“Not right now, but signs of unrest are being detected here and there. There’s no guarantee that it won’t escalate into a large-scale war, so we need to pay attention to it now.”

Leaving aside the Crimean War, which is called a miniature version of World War, there are only a few years left until the wave of revolution that will shake all of Europe hits.

As a result, most of them will end in failure, but it is certain that it will be a large-scale situation involving Italy, France, Austria, Poland, and Hungary.

If something goes wrong, this could also escalate into a huge war that engulfs all of Europe.

So, even if it’s something that will be improved on its own when the Crimean War comes, wouldn’t it be better to improve it now?

“Okay. Then I’ll help you, so tell me what to do.”

“It’s simple. I’ve already requested that data be extracted on what causes soldiers to die in wars that have happened so far. Based on that, Her Majesty the Queen can make an emotional appeal.”

The Queen of this country mourns the futile loss of the lives of soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the country.

What could be more heartbreaking and firmly imprinted on people’s minds than this?

After that, we will establish an institution to enhance the professionalism of doctors and nurses, who are now almost like odd-job workers.

We have already planned several events to promote this, and those who have heard rumors that the royal family will be directly in charge are sending proposals to donate funds in order to improve their relationship with me.

“So, I can say that I was so shocked by the reality that the young people who will be responsible for the future of our British Empire are dying from injuries rather than enemy guns?”

“Yes. First of all, there is a military event scheduled this time, so if Your Majesty brings it up there, there will probably be a considerable response. I’ll take care of the next thing.”

From my point of view, where the top priority is to minimize the consumption of national power, I have to reduce the number of soldiers who die in war at all costs.

In addition, if the importance of hygiene is widely known, it will be of great help not only to the military but also to improving the infrastructure of the city.

To do that, we need to make this event as successful as possible….

I don’t know if they sympathize with my intentions or if they are just donating money to curry favor, but I skimmed through the list of prominent figures who offered to sponsor this event.

While looking at the list without much thought, my eyes stopped on the paper for a moment when I saw a very familiar name.

“William Edward… Nightingale?”

What is this?

I can’t believe this name is coming out here.