I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 193

A Humiliating Defeat

While it’s commonly said that the British Empire dominates the seas and France the land, the French navy was by no means weak.

To be precise, the British navy was simply superior, but the French navy was certainly formidable by European standards at the time.

Their warships might not have been on par with those of the British Empire, but they were more than capable of holding their own against other nations.

However, France was consistently hampered by the skill of its sailors, which was significantly inferior compared to the British.

What was one of the main reasons for France’s crushing defeat at the Battle of Trafalgar? It was the vast difference in skill between the officers and sailors, an embarrassing disparity when compared to the British.

The difference in ability was so pronounced that the rate of firing cannons of the same performance was almost twice as fast.

Having been repeatedly thwarted at sea, France invested heavily in strengthening its navy.

In particular, with the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the resolution of disputes between European countries, the importance of naval power became even more apparent.

At the time, European countries prioritized the ability to sail safely to Asia, and the presence of large, impressive cannons served as an excellent means of communication with Asian countries, projecting power and securing trade agreements.

France actively embraced this trend, building powerful warships and increasing its naval strength.

This trend intensified, especially as the British Empire decisively defeated the Qing Dynasty [the last imperial dynasty of China] in real time.

Having witnessed the pathetic naval capabilities of Asia so clearly, how could they not invest in their own navy?

Sending warships promised a return several times the initial investment.

The French army’s morale was soaring after their successful deployment to Vietnam.

Several months before François Guizot met with Killian Gore.

Admiral Cécille of the French Navy, having effectively demonstrated France’s might to the Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam, was heading to his next destination.

“Listen up, everyone. Our next mission is to go to Korea and hold them responsible for the execution of missionaries.”

“Shall we proceed in the same manner as in Vietnam?”

“No. Korea recently established diplomatic relations with the British Empire. They supposedly have a mutual defense treaty with Russia, which doesn’t directly concern us, but we need to approach them more cautiously than Vietnam.”

In fact, considering only Joseon’s [historical Korean kingdom] actions, the situation was far more serious than what had occurred in Vietnam.

The reason France had destroyed the port and sunk ships in Vietnam was because they had imprisoned French missionaries.

So Admiral Cécille immediately sank the entire Vietnamese fleet docked in Da Nang, demanding the release of the missionaries.

It was an outrage that would never occur between equal nations, but having assessed the state of Asia, France felt unconstrained.

“Admiral, since Joseon can’t resist no matter what we do, shouldn’t we just pressure them as we did in Vietnam?”

“I don’t mind, but it seems the government wants us to pressure Korea and have the British Empire mediate. So there’s no need to overdo it.”

In fact, like the officers said, Admiral Cécille also considered destroying the ships docked at the port of Joseon.

Wasn’t the most effective way to initiate diplomacy with Asia to fire cannons first and then offer greetings?

As the French fleet, which had set sail from Vietnam, approached the Korean Peninsula, this sentiment within the fleet grew stronger.

Admiral Cécille, riding high on the success in Da Nang, was intoxicated by the power of a great nation.

To the French navy at this time, Asia was merely a punching bag, incapable of offering meaningful resistance.

With a clear justification for revenge—the execution of missionaries—they felt emboldened.

Even as their ships approached the coast with great fanfare, Joseon remained silent, showing no sign of activity.

“First, clearly convey to Korea the reason we are here.”

“Yes, sir!”

“We want two things: an immediate apology for executing the missionaries and sincere compensation for it.”

They would understand that if the compensation was not satisfactory, they would experience cannon fire, even without explicitly stating it.

“But Admiral, what if Joseon trusts the British Empire and doesn’t readily comply with our demands? Should we issue an attack order immediately?”

“I don’t think they’re that foolish, but we should help them make a choice. How about approaching the coast a little more and firing a few warning shots? Of course, we need to ensure the shells don’t directly hit their territory.”

“That’s a great idea. I’ll move the warships closer.”

“Ah, but there are many reefs along this coast. I hope there won’t be any unforeseen incidents?”

“That’s impossible. Even if the wind blows or there are reefs ahead, the latest steamships can easily navigate them.”

When undertaking expeditions to Asia, the most crucial consideration is not the resistance of the opposing country, but the natural environment.

No admiral is unaware of this truth.

However, the orders from the home country were to achieve results quickly, before the British intervened.

Taking the time to meticulously measure and analyze the coastline would inevitably cause delays.

The British Empire was already stationed in Shanghai, able to monitor both Joseon and Japan, so even a slight delay could lead to their immediate intervention.

If they wasted time, the British Empire might step in to mediate first, potentially reducing the concessions they could obtain.

They needed to intimidate Joseon to some extent in order to secure favorable terms in the subsequent negotiations.

Okay, the decision was made.

“Alright. We can’t waste any more time here, given the orders from the home country. Let’s settle this before the British ruin it!”

“Understood!”

The moment had arrived to demonstrate to the ignorant Asians, who dared to execute their missionaries without knowing their place, the might of France.

The French navy’s awareness of potential danger had completely dissipated after turning Da Nang into a wasteland.

“Commence firing!”

Boom! Boom!

The shells fired from the warship’s cannons shook the coast of Joseon with threatening sounds, but Joseon did not react.

Even the Vietnamese had attempted to resist, but was Joseon such an incompetent force that it couldn’t even manage that much?

The French forces, full of momentum, approached even closer, churning up the sea as if to show off.

But only for a moment.

Feeling uneasy, they looked at the coast with binoculars and saw the seawater strangely fluctuating.

Was that water moving towards them?

“Wait a minute. It looks like the water is getting lower… Am I seeing things?”

“…Yes?”

“Navigator! Call the navigator!… No, the water is receding! Deal with it quickly!”

“Turn around! Get out to sea quickly!”

As the seawater began to visibly recede, the admiral’s face turned pale.

No matter how advanced a steamship was, what could it do if all the water disappeared?

“You morons! You brought a warship in without even knowing the tide cycle?”

“Well, there wasn’t enough time to gather information…”

“Damn it! No! Get out of here! Get out as fast as possible!”

Thanks to their quick realization, they could probably save the ship without difficulty if they turned around and left immediately.

As the warship, which had quickly turned around according to the order, began to move forward, the admiral breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hoo… That’s it. If we get out of here and reorganize…”

Crash!

“Ugh!”

“Wh-what!”

But as soon as he finished speaking, a huge shock ran through the entire ship, and the officers’ bodies fell backward.

“Wh-what! Is it Joseon’s shelling?”

Logically, there was no way the Joseon army could accurately shell them from the distant coast.

An officer who had hurriedly gotten up and assessed the situation came in and shouted urgently.

“The ship… the ship seems to have collided with a reef!”

“…What?”

“We were in too much of a hurry to get out…”

“Damn it! Then fix it quickly! The water is going to recede if we stay here!”

“B-but…”

No matter how much he raised his voice, it was impossible.

The admiral tore at his hair, watching the sea level gradually lowering in the distance before his eyes.

“N-no! No!”

If all the water disappeared, the warship would be stranded with absolute certainty.

He tried to fix it somehow, but the admiral, the officers, and all the sailors knew that there was nothing they could do.

And eventually.

Swish.

Squeak.

With the sound of water receding, the ship tilted with a terrible noise.

Admiral Jean-Baptiste Cécille’s navy, which had traveled halfway around the world to demonstrate the might of France in Vietnam, was stranded off the coast of Joseon.

* * *

When the French warship first appeared, the Joseon camp was in chaos.

According to the interpreter, they were saying something about executing missionaries, but as the commander responsible for defending this place, it was nonsense not worth listening to.

However, the rumor that the military power of the Westerners who had subdued the Qing Dynasty was beyond imagination was already widespread.

Although their numbers were small, their defense forces were not strong either.

If those Westerners started shelling, their defense forces would not be able to stop them.

Many suggested that they should pretend to listen to their demands until a message came from the court.

However, Kim Deok-mu had no intention of yielding to the Westerners’ demands.

“Listen, everyone! We may have to bury our bones here today. But if we show weakness here, those Westerners will think of Joseon as a country they can control as they please! So we must never back down here, even if we die! Everyone! Be prepared to give your lives to protect our country!”

“Ooooooh!”

“Let’s repel the Westerners!”

Giving their lives for the country.

In the previous Japanese invasion [Imjin War], and in the subsequent Manchu invasions [Qing invasions of Joseon].

Numerous patriots had given their lives to protect this country.

Even soldiers who were not so deeply loyal were filled with the desire to protect their families from the Westerners, not anyone else.

They said that they were cannibals who ate people, and if they couldn’t stop them here, their precious children and wives waiting at home might be eaten.

Those who were determined here were not just risking their lives to protect Joseon.

All of this was for their precious families.

“Everyone! Set your hearts on fire! No matter how strong their weapons are, we can overcome anyone if we face them with the determination to give our lives! Don’t be afraid!”

“Ooooooh!”

There was no way that soldiers who had never fought a proper battle would not be afraid of fighting.

What they were shouting now was just a bluff to shake off their fear.

Knowing this, Kim Deok-mu took the lead himself and continued to encourage the soldiers so that their morale would not be broken.

“But General, the tide will be receding soon, so why are those guys still shooting cannons over there? Are they planning to land right now?”

Logically, it was almost time for the tide to go out, but there was no other way to explain why they were churning up the area as if to show off.

No, even if they were going to land, what were they going to do with the remaining ships when the water was all gone?

Did that mean that the Westerners’ ships could freely ignore the tides?

If that was really the case, he couldn’t even imagine how much the difference in technology was.

“Whatever the case, if this is the first battle between Joseon and the Westerners, we must never show weakness! Everyone, prepare! They will be landing soon!”

It was a truly barbaric way to launch a landing operation without even a declaration of war, but wasn’t that why they were called barbarians in the first place?

Watching with half fear and half tension for a while.

“…Huh? General, they’re turning the ship around.”

“There’s no way. No… Are they really turning around?”

Could it be that they really came all the way here without even knowing the tide cycle?

Anyway, now that they had turned their backs and were pulling out the warship, wouldn’t it be possible to maintain the standoff until orders came from the court?

As Kim Deok-mu was thinking that, he widened his eyes when he saw the French warship, which was quickly retreating, suddenly shaking violently.

The warship, which was stuck as if it had hit something, and the coastline, which was gradually lowering as the water receded.

He, who had been setting the mood, saying that he would give his life, looked back at the soldiers who were staring at him with blank eyes.

“…”

He didn’t know what was going on, but what did it matter?

He raised his sword, which he hadn’t even drawn yet, high into the sky and let out a cry of victory.

“Ooooooh! We have defeated the enemy! This battle is a victory for our Joseon!”

“Waaaaaaah!”

“You crazy Western bastards! Do you think the West Sea is a joke?”

“It’s Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s [Korean naval commander] blessing! Admiral Yi Sun-sin is protecting us!”

“Ooooooh! Long live Admiral Yi Sun-sin!”

“Our Joseon defeated the Westerners who had overthrown the Qing Dynasty!”

He didn’t know why Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s name was coming up or why the Qing Dynasty, which hadn’t even fought with France, was being mentioned, but what was important was that the brutal Westerners were helplessly isolated in the middle of the sea.

The generals and soldiers in this place all shouted cheers with one mind and one heart.

And a few days later.

Kim Jwa-geun, who had rushed all the way to the West Sea to avoid a fight with France, let out a deep sigh after seeing the warship stuck on the reef.

“…So, are you telling me that I ran all the way here from Hanseong [historical name for Seoul] because I was afraid of those guys?”

“…”

Unfortunately, there was no answer.