I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 223

< Declaration of War (3) >

By now, everyone in Europe knew that Russia had stirred up trouble.

[The Rebirth of the Great War? Will the Ottomans Declare War on Russia?]

[Does Russia Dream of Becoming Napoleon! Remember the End of Futile Territorial Ambitions!]

[The Choice of France and Great Britain? War or Negotiation!]

Articles poured out endlessly, and newspapers enjoyed an unexpected boom.

Having defeated the Ottoman army on the banks of the Danube, Russia didn’t hesitate to annex the nearby principalities, signaling its firm intention not to withdraw its troops.

Newspapers, always eager to boost sales, weren’t about to miss this opportunity. Not only British, but also French newspapers were constantly buzzing about the events in the East.

Those who still remembered the horrors of the Napoleonic Wars raised their voices, warning against war, but unfortunately, their numbers were too few.

It had been 34 years since the Battle of Waterloo.

The soldiers who were young men then were now old, and most young people had a romanticized view of war.

“War? I’ve done it before. The time on the ship is the hardest part. The actual battle is easier than you think. You just have to shoot your gun when they tell you, and it’s over.”

“You little brats who don’t even know what real war is… What you did was not war but violence against weak countries. Real war is nothing like that!”

“Ugh, the old geezers are starting again. Back in my day~ the Napoleonic War was like this~”

“That Napoleon, Napoleon. Even he couldn’t beat Russia and lost. Stop bringing up the story of a loser. We’ve all been to the battlefield, you know?”

“You’re so stupid and frustrating! I’m telling you, real war is not like that!”

Fortunately for those who wanted to avoid war, there were quite a few politicians who remembered the Napoleonic Wars.

A prime example was former French Prime Minister Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult.

Now an 80-year-old man, he returned to politics and spoke out daily, arguing that France-led wars should be avoided.

“Everyone! Remember history. France has already initiated a major war, and history proves how much damage it suffered. War should be the last resort, not a decorative sword you can draw whenever you please!”

Soult’s speech made the hot-blooded young men scratch their heads, but the middle-aged and older generations strongly supported him.

And this passive attitude further emboldened Russia.

“Just as we thought. France and England are desperately trying to avoid war. Still haunted by the ghost of Napoleon, they won’t intervene unless we completely destroy the Ottomans.”

“Your Majesty’s insight was correct.”

“It’s all thanks to the minister who discovered in London that England and France aren’t ready for war. Now we just need a plausible excuse, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to work hard on that. How is it going?”

“Yes. We are informing all of Europe in detail that the Ottomans are continuing to oppress Orthodox Christians, and our Russian Empire, the guardian of the Orthodox Church, cannot ignore this and has raised an army.”

It was almost nonsense, but Russia gained quite a bit from this alone.

It’s often the case that refuting a single lie requires a mountain of evidence.

The Ottoman Empire, being an Islamic country from its inception, naturally didn’t recognize the Russian Orthodox Church as it was.

But would the already weakened Ottomans be foolish enough to oppress Christians?

If they did, the European powers would immediately rejoice and rush in with their armies.

Even if they didn’t officially embrace Christianity, there was virtually no state-sponsored oppression of Christians.

Still, there’s no place where people live without strife and conflict.

Russia mobilized all its intelligence to scrape together cases of Orthodox merchants and citizens who had been discriminated against or persecuted in the Ottoman Empire and elevated them to the cause of war.

In addition, the jurisdiction over the holy sites that France had taken from the Ottomans also became a problem.

This was because Russia had previously defeated the Ottomans and acquired the protection of Jerusalem with the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca [a treaty signed in 1774, ending the Russo-Turkish War].

However, France cleverly exploited the ambiguous points of this treaty to take away their rights, and Russia blamed all of this on the Ottomans again.

“We must occupy the Black Sea region unconditionally this time. The Greeks are weak and cowardly, so if they are placed under our influence, they will just bow down to whatever we tell them to do. So all we have to do is crush the Ottomans.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If we end it quickly, England and France will never intervene. The French haven’t shaken off the nightmare of the Napoleonic era yet, have they?”

The French, having already tasted defeat at the hands of Russia, were out of the question from the start, and the only thing that bothered him was England, but Nikolai wasn’t worried.

“The British are all talk, and their actions so far have consistently shown their desire to avoid war with us. When we annexed the Primorye region [a region in southeastern Russia], they tried to settle the matter by buying Alaska instead of blocking our advance. They even avoided confronting us directly by using weak countries like Joseon [historical Korean kingdom] as shields.”

“Your Majesty is right. This time, they will probably try to mediate the war in exchange for other interests. They are even trying to hold new international events, such as the World Expo.”

What distinguishes Russia from these cowards is that they are not afraid of fighting.

When you think about it, the weak countries of Western Europe have always been like that.

As a result of settling in the blessed and abundant land, they lost their innate wildness and fighting spirit.

The only one who was somewhat decent was Napoleon, but even he eventually failed to overcome the great mountain called Russia and collapsed in the middle.

The only country that always proved its strength at the very end was Russia, no one else.

England? They are out of the question.

Those sly bastards who only sail around taking advantage of being an island nation were on a different playing field from us.

However, no matter how much you sail around, it’s impossible to occupy a region without a strong army.

Could the Royal Navy, which the British boast about, come all the way to Moscow or St. Petersburg and fire cannons?

“Since the Ottomans have treacherously reneged on their negotiations with us and given greater authority to France, this is nothing more than a war to restore the prestige of our Orthodox Church. How dare the Catholics, who declined more than 100 years ago, try to control Jerusalem.”

“Your Majesty. Then when will the negotiations with the British side be…?”

“What do you think? To end the war, we must first accept their mediation, but I think the later the better.”

“I think so too. Then, let’s try to seize as much territory as possible from the Ottomans first and then proceed with negotiations.”

It had been 24 years since he ascended the throne.

During that time, he made every effort to reform society and abolish serfdom, and he saw some success, but fundamental structural improvements were still lacking.

The reason was that the normalization of the national finances, which had been devastated by the Napoleonic Wars, wasn’t yet complete, and above all, commerce wasn’t 활성화 [invigorated] because of England’s check.

Of course, not everything was England’s fault, but the emperor, who was the pinnacle of a country, couldn’t blame himself.

There was a need for a group to take responsibility for Russia’s economic situation, which wasn’t commensurate with its size, and there was no country better suited for that than England, which was currently competing with Russia.

So if we get rid of England, Russia will be on a roll.

This unfounded belief became more and more radical and soon reached the point where it paralyzed even fear.

Besides, how strong could England be?

This is the Great Russian Empire that even defeated Napoleon, the strongest in the world in the past.

If England chooses to be hostile to Russia, it will suffer the same fate as Napoleon.

In Nikolai’s mind, the Union Jack of the British Empire was already being torn to shreds by the claws of the Russian double-headed eagle.

* * *

[Prime Minister Guizot Probes Russia for Negotiations!]

[Former Prime Minister Soult’s Cry to Avoid War, Is He a Coward or a True Politician Who Loves Peace?]

[The Orthodox Church’s Challenge to Catholicism! What Are the Differences Between Catholicism and the Orthodox Church?]

Despite the efforts of some anti-war activists, the situation was slowly but surely deteriorating.

No matter how hard Guizot, who was ordered by Louis-Philippe, tried, the situation showed no signs of improving.

“Look at this terrible persecution our Orthodox Christians are suffering. The Ottomans have subtly handed over the rights they gave us to France. This is an explicit expression of their intention to disregard the Orthodox Church even more than they do now!”

“No, I’m saying that this agreement doesn’t conflict with the previous agreement between Russia and Turkey. The Ottomans clearly stated in the previous treaty that they didn’t transfer jurisdiction over Jerusalem itself to Russia.”

“That’s just the Ottoman’s sophistry. Besides, the Ottomans have been constantly provoking us, Russia, with the confidence that England and France will side with them if anything happens. Our Emperor has declared that he can no longer tolerate their arrogance and has finally raised an army. This is our Russia’s legitimate exercise of rights and legitimate defense.”

“Then, isn’t it over since you annexed the principalities in the Danube River area? If you stop right here, we are willing to mediate on the condition that we confirm the territory as it is now.”

“We can’t do that.”

Russia, which had already become a runaway train, was completely dominated by the invisible belief that France would never jump into the war and entrusted itself to this flow of madness.

“You must also accept that jurisdiction over Jerusalem is in the Russian Empire.”

“No, what… Why is Russia telling us what to do with the agreement that our France officially made with the Ottomans?”

“Because Jerusalem was already virtually 归属 [belonging] to our Russian Empire, the headquarters of the Orthodox Church, due to a prior treaty.”

At this point, is this going too far?

Prime Minister Guizot, who heard the absurd conditions of the Russian ambassador, was gradually reaching the limit of his patience.

It doesn’t matter at all to them whether the Ottomans, who have nothing to do with them, are beaten by Russia.

But isn’t it too much to bring up the issue of religious pride?

Of course, when considered rationally, Russia’s intentions were understandable.

War needs a cause, and since they have made that nonsense the cause, the words they have 뱉은 [spit out] have become a snare and they cannot get out.

But shouldn’t France be able to understand their situation?

“I will say it clearly. We cannot give up Jerusalem. Instead, we are willing to accept any other conditions, so let’s find a compromise in another direction.”

“His Majesty wants Jerusalem.”

“Then what are you going to do? Are the Russian troops going to cross Anatolia and push down to Jerusalem to physically occupy it?”

“If the Ottomans continue to oppress our Orthodox Christians, we have no choice but to consider that means.”

This guy is seriously out of his mind.

In other words, if you don’t agree to negotiate, do you intend to send troops all the way to the end of Anatolia?

Of course, this isn’t a real intention, but a 강짜 [bluff] that France should obediently give up and hand over jurisdiction over Jerusalem.

In other words, it is to leave a clear fact as a precedent that France has yielded to Russia.

If he starts a war, Louis-Philippe will dismiss him right away, but if he gives up Jerusalem, will he be able to keep his position?

At that time, he may be 몰릴 [driven] as a heretic who has plunged the entire Catholic Church under the Orthodox Church.

Guizot finally made a choice in the face of the hellish 양자택일 [either/or choice] that 퍼먹는 욕 [invites a flood of criticism] in either direction.

“I’m going to London, so please arrange a schedule as soon as possible.”

The man who has taken the ship to London more than any other Prime Minister in French history.