I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 238

Emperor Nikolai was anxious.

At the beginning of the war, he had been intoxicated with the might of the Russian Empire, easily overwhelming the Ottomans.

There is no feeling of superiority quite like when an opponent you once fought fiercely against now seems utterly insignificant.

Former Foreign Minister Nesselrode had confidently asserted that the British Empire was not prepared for war at all, so there was nothing to hold back.

The original plan Russia had devised was to quickly crush the Ottomans and then moderately compromise with the noisy French.

Although France was a nation that carried some weight, it could never declare war on Russia alone.

So, the logic was that they could act tough, but with that damn England getting involved, the whole game was ruined.

Still, at first, they had some confidence.

The Black Sea, where the war was taking place, was practically Russia’s front yard, and no matter how strong England claimed to be, they wouldn’t be able to fight here.

Why, even in the Battle of Sinop, they achieved an unprecedented ratio of almost 100 to 1, turning the Ottoman navy into fish food.

If they were this strong, they thought they could fight the British navy from a position supported by ground batteries.

So, he confidently gave Admiral Nakhimov the special mission to defend Odessa.

But it was their ships that became fish food.

Once they lost control of the sea, they were bombarded from all sides, and the capital became a scene of chaos every day with news pouring in from various locations.

“Your Majesty! Enemy fleets have appeared near St. Petersburg again. Nearby cities are under attack!”

“Your Majesty! Local commanders are constantly requesting supplies from the resources in the Sea of Azov. We must recapture the Sea of Azov!”

“Your Majesty! Five of our transport ships secretly transporting supplies in the Black Sea have been seized by the British!”

Damn it. What am I supposed to do with these reports?

No matter how much the British try, as long as the troops are concentrated in the capital, it’s impossible for them to land directly here.

So, while it’s unfortunate for the nearby cities, they didn’t have the capacity to save them.

If they felt wronged, they should come and live in the capital.

It might seem cold-hearted, but it was unavoidable.

If they sent troops to protect other areas and the British fleet took advantage of the weakened defenses of the capital, what would they do?

Maybe that’s what they wanted, so they couldn’t recklessly weaken the capital’s forces here.

As it was, the troops were scattered in various places, making it difficult to control them, and they couldn’t divide the army any further.

“The areas where we need to concentrate our forces are mainly two: this capital and Sevastopol in the Crimean Peninsula. If we have the *yoyu* [leeway or margin], we can *tonyu* [invest or commit] them to push back the Ottoman forces in the Caucasus, and we have no choice but to give up the rest.”

“Your Majesty…”

The officials’ faces darkened, but of course, they didn’t have any other alternatives.

Russia’s territory was too vast, and it was virtually impossible to effectively cope with the battles taking place in various locations.

Choosing the areas to protect and concentrating forces there was the best they could do.

So, the Emperor endured.

Even when the Grand Duchy of Finland was devastated and Helsinki was ruined.

He kept enduring.

Even when the shipyard on the Åland Islands, built with blood and sweat, could no longer function.

He had to endure until the time for a counterattack came… but news from the distant east stirred his emotions.

“Your Majesty, Korea and Japan are attacking Primorye.”

“What? Who is attacking where?”

“Korea and Japan… especially Japan, attacked our Sakhalin Island without a declaration of war, and beheaded all the soldiers without even accepting their surrender.”

What is this? After hearing so much bad news, was he hallucinating?

A declaration of war was understandable. Those guys were allies of England.

But they actually raised an army and attacked their territory?

The yellow monkeys of Asia?

“…The declaration of war?”

“Korea sent it relatively quickly, and Japan belatedly declared war after the attack. According to them, the weather suddenly worsened, and their ship drifted in the middle…”

“What nonsense!”

He wasn’t this angry even when the port of Helsinki was destroyed, but this time, he couldn’t control his emotions.

Helsinki was destroyed by the fleet of their arch-enemy, England, so he could accept that.

The opponent was the sea thugs with the world’s strongest naval power.

But Japan? Korea?

Weren’t they the ones who ran to England, begging for a non-aggression pact because they were afraid of Russia?

And after reluctantly agreeing to the treaty, they bowed and scraped, thanking them, only to stab them in the back as soon as the war broke out?

“Even if our army doesn’t have many troops, are you saying that the defense forces in Primorye are so pathetic that they can’t even beat Korea or Japan?”

“That is… because the Japanese occupied Sakhalin with a surprise attack…”

“Even so, there should be troops in Vladivostok!”

“Yes, yes. There are. But according to Acting Commander Gennady, he can’t let his guard down because the British Asian fleet might attack Vladivostok at any time.”

“What about the East Siberian Army? Didn’t they have a small number of troops there too?”

He was now at the point of scraping together troops even from the remote corners of Siberia, but he had to use whatever he could.

It seemed ridiculous to seek pride rather than *silri* [practical gains or benefits] in the midst of war, but Russia was a country that lived on pride.

This great empire was attacked first and had its territory taken away by third-rate Asian countries like Korea and Japan.

If they left this alone, it might remain an obstacle that would greatly undermine the Emperor’s authority when the war ended.

“The East Siberian Army is small, but… it should exist. Probably…”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Siberia or not. Just return the troops stationed in the east among the troops not directly *tonyu* [invested or committed] in the current front to Primorye. I will crush that arrogant country no matter what.”

“Your… yes, I understand. I will do as you command.”

See? Once they crouch down and act weak, even lowly bastards think they’re on the same level and crawl up.

But they touched the wrong opponent. The Great Russian Empire never tolerates provocations from weak countries.

He didn’t want to prioritize pride over *silri* [practical gains or benefits], but that didn’t mean pride was less important than *silri* [practical gains or benefits].

He could never endure the stigma of being the only European country to have its territory taken away by an Asian country.

The Emperor’s eyes, looking at the four island fragments and one peninsula stuck in the far eastern corner, burned with revenge.

* * *

I expected things to go well, but now that everything is falling into place so perfectly, I’m starting to feel uneasy.

Prussia, which had promised to give an answer soon, officially decided to participate in the war and raised its army.

It was a step faster than Austria, which was expected to participate the fastest among the allied nations.

Thanks to this, the operation of the fleet roaming the entire Baltic Sea gained even more momentum.

Now, they might soon see the sight of the Russian Emperor abandoning the capital and running east.

In any case, as Prussia and Austria almost simultaneously expressed their intention to participate in the war, the command of the Crimean Peninsula front regained some *yoyu* [leeway].

-If we slowly dry them up here, they might open the gate and surrender on their own accord?

When the Prussian and Austrian forces, supported by the Royal Navy of the British Empire, begin to move north, will the Russian army still be able to push its forces into the Crimean Peninsula?

The support troops currently being formed will be immediately diverted to defend the capital.

Then, the fate of Sevastopol will be decided at that moment.

This is the end of a great power that neglects diplomacy like a *dokbuljanggun* [a lone wolf or someone who acts independently] and boasts that only they are right.

What’s the point of being strong?

If all sides are enemies, no matter how strong the army is, one place will inevitably be *ttulrige dwieo inneunde* [breached or penetrated].

Even if they were an overwhelming superpower like the United States in the 21st century of *wonyoksa* [original history or timeline], they wouldn’t do such a thing, but since Russia, which is still below the British Empire, is in such a situation, they have no choice but to slowly wither away.

However, this did not simply mean that the war would end in victory.

What kind of country is Russia?

Even if the economy collapses, it is a country with the guts to proudly endure, saying that the ruined economy is a tradition of Russia.

Even if soldiers die, it is a place ready to endlessly *galadael* [grind or replace] future resources with the mindset that if one dies, they can push in two more.

Even if they are in a situation where they can never win, the possibility that they will be determined to grab the ankles of the participating countries and fall into the abyss together was by no means low.

Even in *wonyoksa* [original history or timeline], if Emperor Nikolai had not died, Russia might have continued to *bakasseuljido byeongryeogeul* [stubbornly pushed troops] regardless of whether they won or lost.

So, complacency is *geumul* [forbidden].

If this was a war that took place around the same time as *wonyoksa* [original history or timeline], it would be one thing, but since it happened a few years earlier, they couldn’t know how long Emperor Nikolai would live.

The war could last as long as possible, and the damage to their allies could increase accordingly.

“Admiral Parker.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Unlike the Allied forces, which were engaged in a back-and-forth battle in Sevastopol, the British Empire’s navy was only sending news of victories from everywhere.

The side that holds control of the sea dominates the war.

Admiral Parker’s face, who had become even more proud with this war, was filled with undisguised confidence.

“It seems that there is nothing more to do in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov other than blocking Russian supply lines. I think it would be better to focus a little more on the Baltic Sea. What do you think?”

“That might be an efficient way to make Russia more anxious. But what about the Asian side? It seems like Russia’s pride has been greatly hurt.”

“I praised the shogunate and *Joseon* [Korea] to the Governor-General of Shanghai and told him to continue to instill confidence in them. If things go well, they might even occupy Vladivostok altogether.”

Even if the Union Jack flies in Vladivostok instead of the Russian flag, they won’t be able to keep it, but they will be in a very advantageous position in future negotiations.

“Then, I will instruct the Asian fleet to engage in battle more actively. If we link up with the Pacific side, we can make it impossible for the Russian army to even look at the east.”

“I understand. Then I should talk to the Prussian side a little more. It seems that they are seriously thinking of striking the capital.”

According to the ambassador’s telegram, the person who came out as Prussia’s representative was none other than Bismarck.

The fact that he came out as the representative of the negotiations means that his will may have been largely reflected in this participation in the war.

It seems like he’s aiming for something, so let’s try to figure out what his intentions are for now.

He’s a good person to be close to in the long term, but Bismarck’s goal is to make Prussia a great power.

If they always think of him as a good puppet doll that moves as they want, they might get hit in the back of the head someday.

As I was about to get up to order a telegram to be sent to Prussia after summarizing the current situation.

“Your Highness! Urgent news has arrived from Asia. There has been a clash in the Primorye region.”

“…A clash? Did the Russian army attack *Joseon* [Korea] and Japan so quickly?”

No matter how angry Russia is and sends additional troops, this is not physically possible?

Considering Russia’s inferior environment without railroads or telegraphs, it is highly likely that they have only now heard the news that Japan attacked Sakhalin.

But a clash occurred…

“After receiving a report that Russia had fallen into *jajungjiran* [internal strife or chaos], a small number of Qing troops near Manchuria seem to have moved. It seems that there have been some casualties from the clash between the *Joseon* [Korean], Japanese, and Manchurian armies.”

So, Qing, which had been *galgo itdeon* [sharpening their] teeth after losing Primorye to Russia, thought now was the time to take revenge and moved its army with a smile, only to clash with the *Joseon* [Korean] army that happened to enter Primorye?

The Qing army and the *Joseon*-Japanese [Korean-Japanese] allied forces clashed on Russian territory. What’s going on in Asia?

By the way, the fact that everyone is moving at the same time with the same thought is a point that I shouldn’t laugh at, but I can’t help but laugh.

As expected, the Northeast Asian *samguk* [three countries] of Korea, China, and Japan are reliable.

A chuckle escaped my lips, but my head started spinning from the unexpected variable of Qing.

Come to think of it, the area that always deviates from my expectations in this war is none other than that area.

As expected, Asia is a *yojigyeong* [kaleidoscope or bizarre situation].