I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 227

< The Whale Fight and the Shrimp's Back >

“Joseon should also declare war on Russia.”

Kim Jwa-geun, after finishing his meeting with Killian, nearly collapsed as he left the room. His legs buckled.

This is bad.

This is really bad.

Looking back, it was a perfectly obvious course of events, so why did he overlook it?

He had only thought about suppressing Russia by borrowing the power of England, and it was his fault for not considering the opposite scenario at all.

But only a third-rate person would lose their mind here.

Now that things have come to this, he must quickly come up with a plan and decide on the country’s policy.

Kim Jwa-geun hurriedly returned to the embassy and summoned all the staff to explain the situation Joseon was in.

“Looking at the situation, it seems impossible to simply ignore England’s demand to declare war. They’re not making unreasonable demands, but just asking us to act according to the treaty.”

“But do we have the capacity to go to war with another country right now?”

“They didn’t tell us to actually fight in the war, did they?”

“That’s just what they say. We share a border, and we’ve declared war, so there’s no way a battle won’t break out. Isn’t their aim to just start a war and then let everything else take care of itself?”

Even though they have the disadvantage of being somewhat narrow-minded, the young scholars are sincere in their concern for the country.

Unlike the old and cunning officials who are intoxicated with the taste of power, they have a firm belief in the future of the country and its people.

Having come to London and realized how much of a frog in a well Joseon was [an idiom referring to someone with a limited worldview], they are now seeing the situation accurately in their own way.

The problem is that as much as the British Empire feels like a high mountain, the fear of Russia, known as the British Empire’s rival, has grown even greater.

“Minister… no, Ambassador. Don’t you know, Ambassador, that our Joseon is not at all prepared to fight them right now?”

“Hmm…”

“They say that Russia is the second most powerful country in Europe after England, so if we go to war with them… a disaster that can’t even be compared to the Japanese invasion or the Manchu invasion could happen. To put it bluntly, our army can’t even fight them at all.”

“What you say is true. But after talking to the Prince Consort, he said that Russia’s main force will be deployed to France, so there will be forces in the Far East that aren’t even strong enough to be called a second-tier army.”

If the explanation Killian gave is true, then there is virtually no chance that Joseon will suffer a devastating blow from Russia.

Of course, there was no guarantee that what he said was all true.

“But even a second-tier force will have power that can’t be compared to our army. It’s embarrassing, but that’s the truth.”

“That’s right. But fortunately, England doesn’t have any plans to push into the Far East with ground troops. They say they will maintain the front by destroying all the ports that Russia is ambitiously building and striking only major cities.”

“Then should we be responsible for supplying things like drinking water and food?”

“For now, yes. After all, we can’t supply weapons that match the level they’re using. And they say they’re going to make the same request to Japan, so we need to make a decision quickly.”

Currently, the shogunate side was one step behind Joseon, having just established a consulate and dispatched a new ambassador.

Looking at it that way, the first thing that ambassador will hear upon arriving in London is the demand to declare war on Russia.

Somehow, Joseon’s situation seems like a fairy tale.

“In my opinion, now that things have come to this, we have no choice anyway. If we don’t want to do it and break the treaty, can we handle the aftermath? If we have no choice but to do it, wouldn’t it be better to receive treatment as a definite ally to the point where we can use England’s influence this time?”

“Are you saying we should be more proactive?”

“…That’s right. From what I see, the shogunate side won’t be able to make a decision right away either. They say that the conflict between the shogun and the daimyo [powerful feudal lords in Japan] is not unusual.”

Of course, there is a way to divert domestic unrest to the outside, but that is only possible when the daimyo listen.

“You’re saying we should provide more support than England wants and get some more goodies when the war is over… is that possible?”

“It will be difficult. But at least we can prove that we are a valuable ally. As you have felt here, Asia is nothing more or less than a source of blood to be sucked by the European countries. In a way, this may be the last lifeline for Joseon. Then we have to grab it, what else can we do?”

One good thing about coming to London is that I have been able to access detailed information about how the world is turning.

And the stark reality I learned was more cruel than expected.

This is because I learned too nakedly how the European countries view Asia.

While they knew nothing and closed their eyes and ears, the world had already changed so much.

At least everyone here shared this sense of problem.

However.

“Ambassador, but will the home country listen to us obediently?”

“…”

“…”

Yeah. Everyone thinks the same thing after all.

What Kim Jwa-geun is most worried about right now is not the war with Russia, nor the fact that Europe sees Asia as meat with dripping juice.

He is more afraid than anything else of the judgment that the Joseon court, which clearly still does not understand the situation, will make.

It is said that the enemy within is more frightening than the enemy outside.

Still, the current King was a man of sound judgment, so he could only place a glimmer of hope on that.

Please, please, I beg you, make a wise decision in the court.

* * *

When big whales move, small shrimp around the surface move busily to avoid getting caught up.

As the war between France and Russia began in earnest, countries in the vicinity were naturally hit directly.

Most European countries were wary of Russia and secretly hoped for Russia’s defeat, but there was one country that took a different path from the others.

The newly independent country of Greece in the Balkans.

King Otto, who had been under Ottoman rule in the past and became independent with the support of the great powers, was actually a German with no connection to Greece.

He even believed in Catholicism, unlike most of the people who believed in the Orthodox Church, so he gained the antipathy of many people from the beginning of his reign, and he has been carrying out quite oppressive rule to appease this.

Having carried out this rule for more than 10 years, there is no way that the public sentiment within Greece would be good.

There was a need to create a groundbreaking breakthrough, and King Otto saw the Russo-Ottoman War as an opportunity.

In particular, Russia, which was an outcast in Europe, was desperate for as many allies as possible, and Greece, which had extremely bad feelings towards the Ottomans, was a perfect match.

“Your Majesty. Now is the time. Why has Greece, which was once the center of European culture, been pushed back like this? It’s all because of those Ottoman bastards.”

“Hmm…”

“If we destroy the Ottomans, we will be able to recover the vast ancient territory of Greece. We, Russia, will actively help.”

“It is true that anti-Ottoman public opinion is strong in the country.”

Alexander Gorchakov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, who was in charge of Russian diplomacy after Nesselrode was dismissed, focused all his efforts on attracting Greece.

Now that even England has begun to antagonize Russia following France, the existence of an ally to serve as a meat shield is indispensable.

If Greece could divert even a little attention, Russia would have nothing more to ask for.

“Your Majesty. The current territory of Greece is only a part of the region centered on Athens. In order for Greece to expand further, it must eventually take away the land currently occupied by the Ottomans. And what is that, frankly, where is Ottoman land? Hasn’t it been Greek land since thousands of years ago?”

“That’s definitely right.”

“I will promise you clearly. If we win, we will allow Greece to recover the Thessaly region. And we will spare no support to help you get Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Epirus, and even Crete.”

The Megali Idea [the Great Idea] – the almost delusional ideal to restore the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire, but for Otto, whose popularity was hitting rock bottom, there was no choice.

As it happened, Greek citizens did not like the German Otto very much, but the fact was that they hated the Ottomans even more than that.

If he could get good results here, wouldn’t the public’s criticism of the king be instantly replaced with praise?

Of course, Otto was not a moron, so he had no intention of fighting directly with England and France.

He would just take the territory that the Ottomans currently occupy and subtly defend it, and wouldn’t the war naturally end?

Even if it has weakened, the Ottomans are not at the level of losing to Greece, but the Ottomans are facing off against Russia.

He calculated that retaking the Thessaly region would not be that difficult.

“Okay. Then let our Greece also declare war on the Ottomans. We must unite with the same Orthodox Church.”

“That is a wise decision.”

Otto, who was thinking of a scale of about the previous Greek War of Independence, casually shook Gorchakov’s hand.

Well, they’ll just fight and then fizzle out, so they can just get some profit here and get out.

On the other hand, Gorchakov’s thoughts, who was constantly bowing, were completely different from Otto’s.

England and France are not fools or idiots, and logically, wouldn’t they fight a weak enemy first rather than wage a full-scale war with Russia right away?

The value of the Kingdom of Greece is that it will be the sandbag of the Anglo-French Allied Forces at the same time as the outbreak of the war, and that’s it.

In the meantime, the powerful Russian army will destroy the weak Ottoman army and complete its reorganization.

After that, if they fight moderately with the Anglo-French Allied Forces who have cleaned up Greece and maintain the confrontation, wouldn’t it be possible to draw a ceasefire without difficulty?

Megali Idea?

‘Greece ended two thousand years ago, so what kind of great Greece are you talking about? Do they really think they are the successors of the Eastern Roman Empire?’

The position of the head of the Orthodox Church has already passed to Russia, and all Greece can do is protect the cultural assets left by its ancestors and attract tourists.

Anyway.

Gorchakov, who had secured a reliable sacrifice, let out a sigh of relief and was able to return to his home country.

With this, he was able to avoid the disgrace of being dismissed as soon as he took office as minister.

All that remains is to draw the most favorable conditions in this war and conclude a peace treaty, but this is something that the military must work hard on.

Since he made even one ally in this chaotic situation, wouldn’t it be fair to say that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has done its job?

If there is anyone who says no, I will curse them out, even if they are the Emperor.

‘Damn it. It’s not like I’m out of my mind, if I hadn’t started the war in the first place, it would have been over.’

No matter how much he lamented, the reality was already a mess.

In his eyes, who was a normal person, everything in this world seemed to be going crazy these days.

* * *

“…Greece declared war on the Ottomans?”

Originally, war is supposed to be irrational, but it’s going beyond the third and fourth levels and entering the realm of brain damage, so my head is spinning.

As I recall, Greece made a big mistake in the Crimean War in the original history, but even if the timing is faster, that doesn’t change.

Wellesley, who told me this news, seemed to be dumbfounded as well.

“The military is also reacting with disbelief.”

“Did you summon the ambassador?”

“That ambassador couldn’t come to his senses either, so I just felt sorry for him and sent him away after saying a few words. Huh, geez…”

I knew it roughly, but experiencing it firsthand is definitely powerful.

No, what are they really believing in to do this?

Geopolitically, don’t they know that the British or French navy must pass through their territory to enter the Black Sea?

Or are they believing that they will pretend not to know and pass by?

Whichever it is, it’s clear that they’re not in their right mind.

But now that everyone is extremely sensitive, there’s no way things will go well after stirring up aggro like this.

In particular, it is not a good look for the British Empire, which wanted to delay a little longer rather than sending troops directly to Russia, to have stirred up aggro like this.

“We will declare war on Greece and immediately dispatch the navy. And before the full-scale outbreak of the war, there was talk that it would be more helpful to stir up the soldiers’ will to fight if Your Highness gave a speech. Would that be okay?”

“Okay. I’ll be happy to do it.”

I’ve become a soldier, so it would be best for me to give a speech myself.

As expected, he’s someone who’s been in the military, so he knows exactly what the soldiers like.

Before that, shall we go and crush the spine of the fearless shrimp that has joined the whale fight?