I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 178

Royal Committee (2)

A bright spring day in London, 1845.

The uproar surrounding the East India Company had mostly subsided, and the launch of the new committee to govern India proceeded smoothly.

My plan to blame all past misdeeds on the East India Company proved even more effective than expected.

It wasn’t just empty talk; we actually restored the benefits and fair treatment to the local soldiers who had been discriminated against. As a result, criticism of the home country almost vanished in India.

“So, all this was the fault of those East India Company bastards?”

“I knew it! So, these guys pocketed the money they cut from our salaries?”

“That’s right. The home country even instructed them to take care of the local soldiers so they wouldn’t lack anything, but those East India Company guys devoured it all.”

“Those sons of bitches deserve to be torn to pieces. Can I go shoot them right now?”

“Looks like the ringleaders involved in this are going to jail one after another? It’s a good sight to see.”

The East India Company are the worst bastards in the world.

The Royal Family is the embodiment of justice, correcting the East India Company’s abuses and restoring everything to normal.

With such an easy-to-understand dichotomy, it was perhaps inevitable that the Sepoys [Indian soldiers serving under British rule], as well as the suppressed local officials, would feel immense goodwill toward the Royal Family.

“Long live Her Majesty the Queen!”

“From now on, India will be ruled by the Royal Committee!”

In the original timeline, India was nothing more than a giant warehouse exploited for the sake of the British Empire. But from now on, we need to seriously consider the direction it should take.

We can ensure that Canada doesn’t break away from the British Empire for 100 or 200 years.

The preparations for that are already complete, and things are progressing well according to plan.

The fact that I am the Duke of Canada, and that the Irish people who will become the mainstream population in Canada absolutely support me, is proof of that.

Is it just the Irish people?

Unlike the United States, which only talks about freedom, the Black people truly embrace Canada and revere me, who established such a policy, to the point of deification.

And now, there are immigrants flooding in from Asia.

They will be even more loyal than the Irish or Black people, if not equally so.

Asian immigrants will trust and follow me, belonging to the Yi clan or the Tokugawa family, more than the British Empire.

Of course, if this ends only in my generation, it will all be for naught, but fortunately, my children were born in Canada.

The Irish and Asian immigrants will have no choice but to view my son, who has my blood flowing through him, favorably. Above all, the symbolism this child will have if he becomes the next king is immense.

It would be as if the owner of the perfect bloodline, truly integrating the British Empire and colonial Canada, was ascending to the throne.

This wasn’t intentional, but it seems that luck has piled up on top of luck.

Isn’t this a clear sign that the British Empire should not let go of Canada? Or maybe not.

Anyway, unlike Canada, it was still difficult for me to calculate what position India should occupy within the British Empire in the long term.

First of all, an extractive economy that only squeezes resources, like in the original timeline, is definitely not cost-effective.

Then, should we rapidly industrialize it like Canada and incorporate it as one of the pillars of the British Empire?

This is also not a very realistic policy.

India, even if it’s not as populous as Qing China [historical dynasty of China], has a population of hundreds of millions even at this time.

Can we smoothly incorporate such a region into the home country?

That’s impossible.

Then, how about separating only the wealthiest regions and integrating them into the home country?

It’s a method worth considering, but there are too many factors to take into account.

Still, we’ve extinguished the immediate crisis, and the local Indian public opinion isn’t bad, so we can gradually improve things.

For now, the most important thing is to successfully complete the event that is right in front of us.

1845.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the victory at Waterloo, a large-scale event was planned again this year.

Although he is now out of politics, or rather, precisely because of that, the Duke of Wellington, who can 부담없이 [without burden] step forward as the main figure of this event, was able to 다시 맞이할 [welcome again] a shining moment in his life after a long time.

The 기념 행사 [commemorative event], attended by key military officials, as well as the Prime Minister, the Queen, royal family members, and various veterans, proceeded smoothly without any setbacks.

Soldiers marched in their uniforms, and military equipment and weapons used at the time were 전시되었다 [displayed], transcending 30 years of time.

The atmosphere of the heated venue reached its peak when Prime Minister Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington’s son, took the stage to praise the merits of the Waterloo veterans.

“Dear ladies and gentlemen, and veterans who have graced this occasion. You can easily imagine how deeply moved I am to be giving this congratulatory speech at this moment. In fact, when the 용사분들 [brave warriors] here were bravely fighting at Waterloo, I was still a young child, so I was anxiously waiting for the results of the battle to arrive from the home country. If I close my eyes like this, I can still vividly recall those memories.”

He paused for a moment, then looked towards the Duke of Wellington, who was sitting right next to the Queen and me, and continued.

“And when the 소식이 [news] finally arrived that our British Empire had defeated Napoleon’s army and won the war, everyone remembers how much we cheered and rejoiced. At that time, my father, who had defeated Napoleon and returned, seemed greater and bigger than anyone else in the world to me as a child. And I am honored to be able to pay my respects to my father and the veterans as the Prime Minister of this country in this position. I believe that I was able to become Prime Minister and have the opportunity to dedicate myself to the country because of you. Thank you once again.”

“Waaaaa!”

The soldiers gave thunderous applause as the Prime Minister of the British Empire himself bowed 90 degrees to the audience.

The Duke of Wellington, who was sitting next to me, even teared up and stood up from his seat, cheering and applauding more loudly than anyone else.

Now that the Prime Minister has finished his speech, it is the Queen’s turn.

As Victoria stood up and exchanged places with the Prime Minister, the somewhat bustling venue suddenly became orderly.

“I am truly pleased to be able to see all of you at this event commemorating the 30th anniversary of Waterloo. Waterloo is a truly meaningful victory for our British Empire. It protected the freedom of Europe from Napoleon’s clutches and successfully proved once again that our British Empire is a nation leading the era.

However, it is my wish as the king of this country that we never forget that there were heroes who sacrificed their lives to achieve this glory.”

Victoria focused on honoring the 추모자들 [those who are mourned], as I had instructed her to do.

Since the Prime Minister had already given a speech praising the merits of the veterans, it was balanced for the Queen to give a speech commemorating the fallen.

As I came up with a list of names, 옮겨적은 그대로 [written exactly as they were], of the contents of the memorial to the soldiers who died at Waterloo, Victoria carefully accepted it and continued.

“There are many things we have built up by winning the war, but we must not forget what we have lost as a result. Countless young people of the British Empire bravely risked their lives for the country, for the precious people living in this country, and became bodies that could never return. I think that if it weren’t for the 활약 [achievements] of heroic commanders like General Wellington here, even more soldiers would have lost their lives. As the king representing the citizens of this country, I would like to express my gratitude to our heroes who saved the lives of so many people.”

Each and every comment touches people’s hearts.

This is not a part that I wrote, but seeing this, Victoria seems to have 확실히 깨달은 [definitely realized] how to touch people’s emotions.

“We have already celebrated the 30th anniversary of our glorious victory at Waterloo. During that time, our British Empire has made truly great progress and will continue to build an even more brilliant empire in the future. However, the efforts of those who sacrifice their lives for the country in the process must never be forgotten. And so that young people with unlimited potential can have an environment where they do not face such unfortunate sacrifices, the royal family, as well as everyone in this country, will unite to create a stronger and more solid British Empire. We believe we can do it.”

After finishing her speech, Victoria lightly bowed her head towards the list of names of the Waterloo war dead.

There was no cheering or applause.

Instead, the military generals and veterans stood up from their seats and responded with sharp salutes, and everyone remained in their seats without a single movement until Victoria stepped down.

After that, several sequences followed, but the overwhelming majority of impressions were that the highlight of the day’s event was the Queen’s speech.

The 판 [scene/situation] is now perfectly 깔렸다 [set].

Now we can proceed with what we were going to do very easily.

* * *

“Well, everyone. Thank you all so much for attending this event.”

“Not at all. The royal family thinks so much of our military, so we 당연히 [of course] have to attend.”

Marshal Hugh Gough, who has been getting closer to me recently, looked several years younger than before.

“Her Majesty the Queen also said at the Waterloo event a while ago that she hoped that young people who sacrificed their lives for the country would not lose their lives in vain. As her husband, how can I turn a blind eye to such a wish? I must be at the forefront more than anyone else to fulfill Her Majesty’s wish.”

“Your Highness the Prince Consort has a truly overflowing love for Her Majesty.”

“Actually, I also sympathize with Her Majesty’s 마음 [heart/feelings]. Even when we were at war with Qing China last time, there were actually hardly any soldiers who died in battle with Qing China. Rather, more soldiers died from 풍토병 [endemic diseases]. I tried to be as careful as possible, but I couldn’t prevent some soldiers from dying. The precious lives of soldiers who wouldn’t have had to die if we had prepared more thoroughly were extinguished in vain.”

“Originally, the most important thing to be aware of when going on an expedition to another region is 풍토병 [endemic diseases]. But if it’s about the level of the last war, then you really 대처를 잘한 [handled it well]. I think that if Your Highness hadn’t been there, there would have been at least 10 times more casualties.”

It is 당연한 말이지만 [obvious] that commanders are never particularly interested in improving the treatment of the wounded or those with infectious diseases within the military.

When 100 injured soldiers are 발생했을 때 [occur], the combat power of that army does not simply end at the level of 100 combatants being 빠진 [missing].

The consumption of manpower to care for them, the resulting delay in the movement of the unit, and even the morale of the soldiers…

The impact of one injured person was at a level that could never be expressed by the number 1, and veterans who had experienced several wars, like Marshal Gough, knew that fact better than anyone else.

“According to my 조사해본 [investigation], more than 40 percent of soldiers who are injured in war die as a result. In severe cases, it even exceeds 50 percent.”

“It’s a 참담한 일 [tragic thing]. Actually, when you fight in a battle, you don’t die from enemy fire as much as you think. Even if you get shot, you don’t die instantly on the spot.”

Of course, just because you didn’t die instantly doesn’t mean you’re alive.

Most of the soldiers who were shot and taken to the 병동 [wards] suffered terrible pain before dying.

In the case of gunshot wounds, even if you thoroughly disinfect the wound and keep the affected area and surroundings clean, it may or may not heal, but the 병동 [wards] inside the military were never at that level.

Wouldn’t it be too harsh a death to be shot in a vital spot and die instantly, rather than suffering until the moment of death after sustaining a fatal wound?

“So I’m trying to improve the medical environment within the military. Of course, this shouldn’t affect the military’s combat power, so I’m going to try to improve it in a way that’s good for everyone, but to do that, help from within the military is essential, isn’t it? So I’d like to have opportunities to discuss this agenda with the Marshal from time to time.”

“I’m all for it. Hahaha!”

After agreeing with Marshal Gough, I walked around 인사 나누며 [exchanging greetings] with the people who had sent donations to the event.

And finally, I was able to meet someone I had wanted to talk to since I saw the list of sponsors.

“Your Highness the Prince Consort! It’s such a great honor to be called by you in person like this.”

“Not at all. You sponsored an event hosted by the royal family, so I 당연히 [naturally] had to invite you. Your name was William Edward Nightingale, wasn’t it?”

“Oh my gosh, you even remembered my name…”

“It’s rare for a 명망있는 지주계급 [reputable landowning class] in the region to be interested in the issue of improving the medical environment within the military. But what made you interested in this matter?”

“Um… well…”

William Nightingale scratched his head a little awkwardly, then lowered his voice as much as possible and let out a sigh.

“Actually, my daughter said something ridiculous – that she wanted to become a nurse… I wanted to somehow dissuade my daughter.”

I was going to ask if he had a daughter anyway, but he told me 알아서 잘 [all by himself].

By any chance, what’s that daughter’s name?