I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 226

< Declaration of War (6) >

François Guizot, influenced by Killian’s persuasive words and encouragement, finally steeled himself and returned to Paris.

There’s no other way.

He had hoped to resolve things through dialogue, but that stubborn man [referring to the Russian Tsar] won’t listen unless he’s thoroughly defeated.

Therefore, someone must enforce discipline, and France is the only country in Europe with the justification to do so.

“If we’re forced down this path anyway…”

War is inevitable.

-Sult, former Prime Minister: “Wars led by France have historically resulted in disastrous outcomes.”

-Voices questioning the current Prime Minister’s leadership are growing…

Crack.

He crumpled yesterday’s morning newspaper and summoned the heads of the cabinet.

“I’ll be direct. The Ottomans will soon formally declare war on Russia and engage in combat. We will then issue an ultimatum to Russia, demanding the withdrawal of its troops. If they refuse, we will declare war.”

“······.”

“Lord have mercy…”

“Prime Minister, did negotiations go well in London?”

“We avoided the worst-case scenario I had envisioned. The rest is up to us.”

France would bear the brunt of the bloodshed, but at least they gained confidence in their ability to win the war.

The only remaining task is to minimize the damage, which requires securing the active cooperation of the British Empire.

Fortunately, Killian seemed to have a plan. Before leaving London, he arranged a meeting with the American ambassador through his connections.

“If we join the war, the British Empire and Austria will follow suit. And if necessary, the United States of America has agreed to provide aid.”

“…Excuse me? The United States?”

“They stated they couldn’t send soldiers directly, but they offered to provide supplies and food at a reduced price. It’s a belated repayment for our assistance in their independence long ago.”

“That’s certainly welcome news.”

“Unlike those with British blood, they seem to understand gratitude.”

Having multiple countries on their side increases their chances of victory and reduces the amount of sacrifice required.

The very next day, after receiving a positive response from the cabinet, at noon.

“Russia’s ambition and arrogance are shattering the peace of Europe, plunging us back into the abyss of war!”

Prime Minister Guizot, standing on the podium, closed his eyes and roared passionately.

“Our France has exhausted every means to avoid war. Was it because our country was truly afraid or cowardly? No! It is because we understand the horrors of war better than anyone! As a nation of true philanthropy, cherishing peace above all else, we have sought a path to peace through dialogue, not conflict!

But Russia rejects all dialogue, repeating the same demands. They seek to undermine the authority of Catholicism and elevate their Orthodox Church, even demanding we relinquish jurisdiction over Jerusalem, rightfully obtained by France!

Gentlemen, the notion of resolving everything through war is a foolish delusion. However, when a patient consumed by that delusion attempts to drag everyone around them into destruction, it is the duty of a nation with both strength and reason to stop them!

At 6:30 this morning, the Ottoman Turks declared war on the invading Russian army. We boldly condemn Russia’s invasion and have given them a final opportunity to abandon their futile ambitions and withdraw their troops. Should Russia comply, we can restore peaceful relations. But if they ignore this and continue to spread blood and violence, damaging the order established by our ancestors, let it be clear that Russia will bear sole responsibility for the consequences!”

Guizot’s speech was more forceful and powerful than anyone anticipated, leaving even his critics speechless.

And naturally, this led to one conclusion.

France must have something substantial to rely on to be so confident.

Guizot, who had previously been hesitant and trying to avoid war, had completely changed his stance and was acting tough because he must possess a clever plan to defeat Russia.

Energetic young people, in particular, flooded the streets, celebrating the Prime Minister’s bold decision.

“Defeat Russia!”

“Show the spirit of France!”

In a way, ever since the Napoleonic Wars ended in defeat, the French had been subconsciously waiting for this moment.

France was, after all, a nation that prided itself on being the best in Europe.

How could they accept the humiliation of defeat and becoming a mere nuisance to Europe for the rest of their existence?

This incident presented a clear-cut conflict: France standing against the rampage of Russia, the bully of Europe.

To everyone, the other side was evil.

This side was the apostle of justice punishing evil.

When Guizot suddenly adopted a hard line, former Prime Minister Sult’s opinion that war was unacceptable was simply disregarded.

Louis-Philippe, who had previously threatened to dismiss Guizot immediately if he initiated war, subtly changed his attitude as the Prime Minister gained public support and grew increasingly assertive.

Guizot’s strategy to unite domestic public opinion was simple:

-This war is a grand undertaking led by France, and Russia is merely a paper tiger, a corrupt and second-rate army.

-As soon as France joins the war, France’s allies will take sides, and all of Europe, as well as the American continent across the Atlantic, will support France. This proves that the entire world is waiting for France to make a decision.

France, which had been somewhat sidelined since the Napoleonic era, was once again immersed in the feeling that the world revolved around them.

Rational calculations about troop mobilization and material consumption were no longer relevant.

And it wasn’t just France that had completely lost its reason.

Russia, which had lost its reason long ago, didn’t even deign to respond to the ultimatum sent by France.

“To send an ultimatum instead of a declaration of war at this point? Haha! These guys are just weaklings.”

“It’s just a bluff. The weaker the dog, the louder it barks, and seeing how noisy they are, France is worse than a stray dog.”

“That’s exactly right. They’ll just keep watching with their fingers in their mouths, no matter how strongly we come out. Just ignore them and keep attacking the Ottomans.”

Emperor Nicholas was not originally such an extreme person.

The reason why his thinking was becoming so extreme was that, in the Emperor’s mind, Russia’s adversary was not France, but England.

The reason why England was not directly involved and was using its loyal lackey France as a front was simply because it was unwilling to engage in a full-scale war with them.

So now is the perfect opportunity to completely seize control of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus Strait, which Russia had long desired.

No one opposed the conclusion derived through this perfect syllogism.

The Russian army, which had scoffed at France’s ultimatum, continued to attack the Ottoman army even more fiercely.

Exactly ten days later.

“Minister Nesselrode! Are you an idiot?”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Didn’t France declare war, siding with the Ottomans? No, France is fine. They’re just empty shells who can’t do anything on their own anyway. But why did England declare war, siding with France?”

“Well… I thought France might have been begging England…”

“Didn’t England say they didn’t want to fight Russia! You went all the way to London and said it was reliable information!”

“Your Majesty… that is…”

Foreign Minister Nesselrode was dismissed from his post that day, but no one could undo the war that had already begun.

A catastrophe brought about by a strong-arm confrontation that valued only emotions and pride from beginning to end.

France declared war on Russia, and then France’s allies, the British Empire and Austria, also declared their intention to wage war against Russia.

A large-scale war that could be called a miniature of the World War.

The Crimean War had begun.

* * *

Let’s turn back time a bit, to two days before England declared war on Russia.

The parliament and cabinet had already agreed to declare war on Russia, and they had roughly concluded the procedures for mobilizing troops and establishing primary war goals.

After the formal declaration of war, they had to drive the enemies like a storm.

Of course, the French army’s proportion was greatly increased in the army, which was likely to suffer the most damage, and they would focus on the navy, but that didn’t mean they could neglect preparations.

They had to pull out all the stops to reduce the damage to their country as much as possible.

Although the war broke out a little faster than in the original history due to the power of an unknown butterfly effect, they had prepared as much as they could.

And pulling out all the stops meant bringing in even the slightest level of help, like dust.

The Joseon [Korean Dynasty] ambassador to London.

Kim Jwa-geun, who held this title that was truly incompatible with Joseon, was still sipping his milk tea while watching my every move, not yet guessing why he had been called.

“Your Highness. The atmosphere has been a bit chaotic recently. Is something big happening?”

“You’re quick to notice. I called you because of that, but it’ll be easier to talk now.”

“…Yes?”

He probably can’t imagine what Joseon has to do with the chaos in London.

But unfortunately, it’s not unrelated.

“This time, our British Empire is going to war with Arasa, that is, Russia.”

“Is that so? I heard that Arasa has the second-largest military power in Europe after the British Empire… It will be a huge war.”

“Well, to be precise, France is waging the war, and we are joining as their allies. Still, war is war, so first of all, our British Empire has decided to thoroughly exploit the weak points of Russia’s defenses.”

“So, the strategy is to expand the front by taking advantage of the superiority of power. But what does that have to do with our Joseon…?”

I thought he would understand if I said this much, but his train of thought hasn’t progressed that far yet.

I smiled calmly and poured tea and milk directly into Kim Jwa-geun’s teacup.

“Do you remember the treaty that Joseon previously signed with our British Empire?”

“Of course, I remember.”

“To avoid the clutches of Russia, Joseon borrowed the power of our British Empire. It was close to a mutual defense treaty. Do you understand if I say this much?”

“Ah…!”

Splash.

The milk tea he had just taken a sip of flowed back into the cup from Kim Jwa-geun’s mouth.

I’ve seen this scene a lot somewhere. I didn’t know it was actually possible if you were too surprised.

It was quite a ridiculous sight, but Kim Jwa-geun didn’t have the luxury to care about his disgrace and asked with trembling hands.

“So, Your Highness, you mean…”

“Yes. It’s a bit of a coincidence. I checked the agreement again just in case, and it’s exactly as you think.”

If the British Empire declares war on Russia, Joseon will automatically enter a state of war with Russia as well.

Kim Jwa-geun’s eyes, who had clearly only been thinking about the opposite case, began to shake violently.

“Your Highness, as you know, Joseon does not have the capacity to wage war with other countries…”

“Ah, it’s okay. I’m not asking you to participate directly. Just provide the necessary supplies while our navy razes the ports of the Primorsky Krai [a region in Russia]. You can do that much, right? Of course, this is a request we will make to the shogunate [Japanese government] as well, not just Joseon.”

“······.”

“But please make the declaration of war itself. As grandly as possible, if you’re going to do it. Do you understand?”

Joseon declares war on Russia.

It’s an absurd situation, but it’s also a kind of test to see if they have at least a minimum of sense.

If they can lie low and submit, they can avoid being boiled in a pot, but if they act up, saying they don’t care about the agreement, they know what the end will be, right?

So keep proving your worth. Bravely and faithfully.