I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 233

-The Shogunate is opening all strategic coastal locations to support the British, demanding unconditional cooperation from the Daimyos.

The Joseon court, having received an urgent report from Dongnae, reached its own conclusion.

“It seems the Japanese are also willing to follow the British.”

“It was obvious from the start. As an island nation surrounded by the sea, they couldn’t possibly defy the British.”

The Joseon perception was that the Japanese were inherently strong against the weak and submissive to the strong.

Therefore, they had no choice but to prostrate themselves before the most powerful nation in Europe, Great Britain.

However, one thing was puzzling.

“Why didn’t the British explicitly declare war on us to pressure Arasa [a dated term for Russia], but not say the same to the Shogunate? Does the Ministry of Rites know anything about this?”

At the King’s question, the Minister and Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Rites blinked blankly, as if they hadn’t considered it.

With everyone’s attention focused on him, Minister of Rites Park Won-young hesitated before speaking.

“…Your Majesty. We have not heard that the Shogunate has declared war on Arasa.”

“But haven’t we already sent a declaration of war to Arasa?”

“Yes. The Arasa garrison in the Maritime Province was in complete chaos.”

They say the Arasa reaction was so dramatic that it was a shame not to witness it firsthand, as they apparently never expected Joseon to declare war.

As Kim Jwa-geun predicted, they had already concentrated all their main forces far to the west, leaving them with no choice but to defend the Maritime Province with existing troops.

But with the need to defend not only the sea where the British would invade, but also the Tumen River region bordering Joseon, how anxious must they be?

“Come to think of it, did Arasa threaten us?”

“Yes. The person in charge of the Maritime Province openly said that we might regret it.”

“As expected, the barbarians’ habits don’t change. They don’t hesitate to threaten when things don’t go their way.”

“Beasts bare their teeth and threaten when they sense danger. Arasa is reacting at the same level as beasts, so there’s no need to pay attention.”

Even officials who were passive about the war completely changed their stance after hearing Arasa’s arrogant and threatening remarks.

If they can only make futile threats no matter how much we provoke them, there’s no reason to be afraid, is there?

After all, the British fleet will do the actual fighting, so we can just sit back and watch.

“But is it true that there’s no possibility of Arasa actually attacking us?”

“Of course. Still, we plan to thoroughly defend the Tumen River region just in case.”

“Good. A one-in-a-million chance could occur, so concentrate all available resources from Hamgyeong Province on guarding Arasa. If necessary, we can even bring resources from Pyeongan Province, can’t we?”

“Considering the recent situation in Qing China, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

Joseon has too many precedents of being caught off guard and beaten.

Even now, there’s a strong atmosphere of certainty that Arasa can never touch Joseon, and that may be true, but it seems important not to be overconfident.

“Then, let’s deploy enough cannons and, while it may be impossible to deploy a large number of troops, make sure the defenses are thorough so that we don’t feel lacking.”

“Your Majesty, strengthening defenses and being cautious is certainly a wise decision. However, if we deploy additional troops, it will incur costs…”

“Are you saying we don’t have that much capacity?”

“I regret to say, that is the case.”

Are they saying they don’t have money to deploy troops to the border now that it’s a wartime situation, even though we’re not even fighting a full-scale war?

Unlike Qing China, which shares a long border, Arasa only borders a very small part of the northernmost part of Hamgyeong Province.

“Can’t we move troops from the border with Qing China?”

“That’s the maximum we can do, and it would be difficult to newly conscript soldiers.”

“Hmm… I see. Ah, by the way, if Great Britain wins this war against Arasa, can we also share in the spoils of victory? We’ve already declared war, haven’t we?”

A moment of silence filled the room.

Until now, everyone had been so focused on the situation after the declaration of war due to the suddenness of the declaration and the reputation of Arasa, but they had forgotten that this was actually more important.

Still, most of the people here were known as child prodigies in their neighborhoods during their prime, even if they were narrow-minded.

However, this was a case that had never happened in recent Joseon history, so no one could give an immediate answer.

“Um… Your Majesty. How about comparing it to the case of the past Naseon Conquest [French campaign against Korea in 1866]? At the time, we didn’t know who the Naseon people were, but it was ultimately a fight between Qing and Arasa, wasn’t it? Qing China won and a treaty was signed, but I know that our side, which supported the troops at the time, gained nothing.”

“But I heard that was more of a series of small-scale battles than a war. Great Britain and Arasa are fighting on a terrifying scale in the west. If you add up the number of allies they’ve brought in, it’s said to be a great war involving tens of thousands of people. If it’s a great war of this scale, wouldn’t the loser have to concede a lot to the winner? What do you think?”

“Your Majesty’s words make sense. However, the main front is in the west, and there’s a high possibility that we’ll only be facing each other here, so I don’t think it will be easy for us to claim a stake in Joseon.”

“Indeed… you’re right. We can’t demand spoils of war without any achievements.”

At this moment, the King and his subjects were furiously calculating the expected gains and losses in their heads.

If, just if, Great Britain neutralizes the Arasa forces in the Maritime Province.

Then, wouldn’t they be completely unable to respond even if our troops quietly moved north?

After that, when the war is over, we can say that we contributed to the victory and ask for some compensation… this seems like a good idea?

“Let’s continue to find out the trends of Great Britain and the Shogunate and continue to discuss our corresponding responses. Focus on how Joseon can gain the most benefits and gather your wisdom.”

“We will keep that in mind!”

“We will prioritize national interest above all else!”

If the Shogunate hasn’t declared war yet, Great Britain may have made different demands to us and them from the start.

If so, we need to find out what Great Britain’s true intentions are.

The King, who has been coughing up blood recently, straightened his fading mind and took a breath.

Let’s just hold on until the end of this war at least.

Can’t we rest after that?

* * *

The northern end of Japanese territory.

The control of Hokkaido, known as Ezo, was not yet institutionalized, with the Matsumae clan and the Shogunate taking turns to occupy it.

However, unlike usual, a considerable number of soldiers had finished lining up.

“All preparations are complete.”

“This is the perfect opportunity to drive the Roske [Russian] bastards out of our land. The weather is perfect for sailing.”

“It seems that the Emperor is protecting us and the divine wind is blowing for us.”

Objectively speaking, the number was not that large, but the number of Roske bastards in Karafuto (Sakhalin) was even smaller.

“Come to think of it, Joseon declared war on Russia, didn’t they?”

“They must have received the same offer as us. It seems they chose to align with Igirisu [England] rather than oppose them.”

“Then Russia must be in a hurry now. They share a border with Joseon, so they have to defend that side as well… this is going to be easier than expected.”

From Russia’s point of view, there is no reason to leave troops in Karafuto, which is nothing more than a remote area.

They don’t know when the enemy’s fleet will attack, and Joseon has declared war.

“But shouldn’t we also declare war since Joseon is doing it?”

“That’s why we’re doing it. This declaration of war, written by the Emperor himself, will soon arrive in Russia.”

The timing will be after our troops land in Karafuto, but we are not completely failing to send a document announcing the war.

The diplomat carrying the declaration of war departed first, but it’s okay to say that he was delayed due to an unexpected strong wind.

They don’t have any supernatural powers, and they can’t prove that it’s a lie that they encountered a storm in the middle of the sea.

“All troops! Set sail! Expel all the Roske who have trampled on our territory and dedicate Karafuto to the Emperor!”

* * *

“Haa… it’s peaceful today.”

“Hey, they’re telling us to come to training?”

“Training my ass. Anyway, they’re the only true soldiers.”

For the Russian soldiers stationed in Sakhalin, the war was a story from another country.

They say there’s a war going on somewhere in the Black Sea, but most of the soldiers here didn’t even know where the Black Sea was.

Most of them had never even been near Saint Petersburg or Moscow, let alone the Black Sea.

They were just people who lived in the countryside and were pushed to settle here to develop the East.

So, they can’t possibly like the current situation where they’re making a fuss about some war.

“Suka! [Russian curse word] Are the British guys idiots? Would they bother to bring a fleet to this shitty land?”

“That’s right. If they were to attack this area, they would hit Vladivostok.”

Everyone knows that Russia has been putting the most effort into developing Vladivostok since it took the Maritime Province from Qing China.

Vladivostok is a place where the outer harbor freezes in winter and requires an icebreaker, but the inner harbor does not freeze.

Therefore, it was essential for Russia to develop Vladivostok as a port city, and they are actually doing so.

So, if the British launch an offensive, their ultimate goal will inevitably be there.

Sakhalin? I doubt the British guys even know this bug-like shitty land exists.

But what’s with this war preparation training?

The soldiers here can just stay quiet until the war is over and just roll around until the day they are discharged.

Tang!!

And a gunshot rang out as if to break that vague thought.

“Huh? What is it?”

“Did they fire because we didn’t come to training? Are they going to shoot if we don’t come?”

“Those crazy bastards.”

“No, but didn’t it sound like it came from outside the training ground?”

Just as they thought a crazy instructor had fired into the air to threaten the soldiers, an alarm sounded and a scream-like shout rang out.

“Enemy! The enemy is attacking!”

“Yellow monkeys are attacking with weapons!”

“What? Yellow people? Where? The Korea bastards who declared war recently? Did those bastards come all the way here?”

“No, no! Yapon! [Japanese] It’s the Yapons!”

Puh-uh-uhng!

A tremendous collision sound and the sound of a collapsing bulkhead were heard, as if they had even brought artillery.

They hurriedly grabbed their weapons and looked through binoculars, and saw the Yapon army rushing in from behind.

The number was not that large, but it looked like there were at least several hundred.

There’s no way this base, which is only defended by a few dozen people, can stop them.

“W, w, why the hell are those bastards attacking here!”

“Guns! Raise your guns! Stop them from coming!”

“I only have 10 bullets, how am I supposed to kill those bastards with this!”

When Korea declared war a while ago, they loaded all the ammunition and cannons they had onto ships to strengthen their defenses.

They said they would send supplies later, but the situation coincided with the worst possible time when those guys rushed in.

“N, no! Stop them! St…!”

As if mocking the commander’s desperate cry, the Japanese soldiers, who had drawn their swords and guns, entered the Russian base and indiscriminately wielded their weapons.

In less than an hour, a wave of brutal blood and violence swept through the Russian army.

Not a single survivor emerged from the unexpected wave of natural disaster.