I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 242

< Killian and Guilian >

“Our Joseon [Korea] expresses its deepest condolences for the incident in the Maritime Province and is willing to bear the medical expenses of the injured soldiers if necessary. However, after a detailed investigation, it has been determined that the cause was the threatening movements of the Qing Dynasty cavalry, and we would like to inform you that the field commander cannot be held responsible.”

Hamfeng Emperor, upon receiving the personal letter from the King of Joseon, trembled with disbelief at the situation.

Was this truly meant for the Son of Heaven, the ruler of the Central Plains, the pinnacle of Chinese civilization?

This scrap of paper written in such presumptuous and unrefined language?

It was a provocation and an insult to the Qing Dynasty.

It was an indirect declaration rejecting the Sino-centric system [the historical hierarchical system of East Asian international relations].

“Your Majesty! We must never condone this arrogance from Joseon!”

“If Joseon defects, the repercussions will be unimaginable.”

“But how do we keep Joseon in check? Do we really have to strike Joseon?”

The inability to find direction in this situation was not limited to the burning heart of the Hamfeng Emperor.

The ministers of the Grand Council also engaged in fierce debates about practical feasibility, but no clear answer emerged.

In times like these, Hamfeng Emperor could only trust his wise and insightful younger brother, Prince Gong, who was well-versed in overseas affairs.

“What do you think? If we strike Joseon with the army gathered in Manchuria, will it be effective?”

“Our military situation is not ideal, but Joseon is in a similar state. However, what we must be wary of is not Joseon, but England.”

“England? Indeed… Joseon is acting like this because they trust in England’s backing. But didn’t the English ambassador say that this is a matter between the two countries and should be resolved accordingly?”

“That’s true, but that only means resolving it diplomatically. If we strike Joseon, the situation will become complicated. Joseon is currently siding with England to attack Russia.”

Since when did the Great Qing have to be mindful of other countries when rebuking a tributary state [a state that acknowledges the supremacy of another and pays tribute]?

Although it was absurd, Hamfeng Emperor was not a fool who couldn’t grasp reality. He knew better than anyone that there was no other choice.

“Still, wouldn’t it be okay to issue a threat?”

“You mean…”

“Cross the Yalu River to chill their livers and then withdraw the troops as a warning.”

“In normal times, that might have worked, but if we show such passive movements now, Joseon might actually gain confidence. They might think that no matter how noisy they are, this is our limit.”

Prince Gong’s advice was persuasive because, unlike others, he considered both the realistic limitations and international affairs.

“But if we strike Joseon, will England really protect them? They are also at war with Russia, so they might not have the resources to take care of Joseon.”

“That… is a possibility, but it’s too much of a gamble. We must be cautious, as we could turn England into an enemy.”

“Then, the only option is to advance into the Maritime Province and wipe out all the Joseon and Japanese troops there. If they protest, we can just say it was an accident, right?”

Although it seemed like the right approach, it wasn’t without risks.

If a large-scale battle were to occur in the Maritime Province, there was a risk of clashing with the Russian army as well.

“Currently, Russia has deployed a significant number of troops to protect the Maritime Province. If our troops enter on a large scale, Russia may see us as a greater threat than Joseon or Japan.”

“Ugh… frustrating.”

“However, as Your Majesty said, now that we’ve raised an army, we must do something. Otherwise, Joseon will only look down on us even more…”

As the saying goes, if you draw a sword, you should at least cut something. Now that we’ve sent a stern ultimatum, we must do something.

Otherwise, the perception that the Qing Dynasty is all talk will only strengthen.

This is not just Joseon’s perception, but every country watching this situation will think the same.

In the end, it depends on the Emperor’s choice.

After pondering for a moment, Hamfeng Emperor closed his eyes tightly and issued an imperial decree.

“Advance the troops across the Yalu River. I will receive Joseon’s surrender.”

“Your Majesty, what about England…”

“Joseon is a vassal state of the Qing, so this is a civil war. It’s not a war with an external country, so inform England that they have no grounds to intervene.”

If Joseon were attacked by another country, England would have an obligation to protect them, but according to Western standards, Joseon is a colony of the Qing, according to the current claim.

So, if Joseon is truly a colony of the Qing, Hamfeng Emperor’s argument is logically correct.

The problem is… the British Empire has just shifted its focus to Asia.

* * *

The Eight Banners army [Qing Dynasty military units], having received the Emperor’s order, confidently crossed the Yalu River.

They lacked proper combat experience, but the Joseon they knew was a weak country that had been brutally trampled by them in the past.

The leadership’s plan was to beat them up a bit, and they would come to their senses and surrender on their own. Everyone actually thought so.

However, the Qing army, which charged headlessly without any particular plan, was not simply facing the Joseon army at the border.

Bang! Tat-tat-tat!

“Enemy fire!”

“Ugh!”

“What, what is it! Is it a Joseon army ambush?”

It was said that the Joseon army’s armaments were poor and they were not properly prepared, but something was wrong.

The threatening hail of bullets pouring in from that far distance and the exploding shells are definitely not the armaments of the Joseon army.

“Re, retreat!”

The Eight Banners army, which suffered dozens of casualties in an instant, turned their horses in horror, and their first surprise attack was blocked in vain.

Upon hearing this news, the Joseon ministers finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Your Majesty! A report has come in that the Qing troops that crossed the border have been repelled!”

“I couldn’t believe it, but they actually invaded. It was worth asking Shanghai for help in advance.”

“Yes. However, England clearly said that the Qing and Joseon should handle it themselves, but they sent troops directly. I’m worried that there might be problems later.”

“Well, they must have their reasons, so it’s not our problem to worry about.”

If necessary, even if they overturned what they had said before, no one could say anything to England.

Even if it was underhanded, wasn’t that a privilege that the strongest country in this era had?

“By the way, Minister of War, now that the Qing Dynasty has actually crossed the border and attacked us, can we interpret this as a state of war?”

“Yes. This is a clear act of aggression by the Qing.”

“If so, immediately inform England of this news. Of course, even if we don’t tell them, they repelled the Qing, so they probably already know.”

After telling the Qing envoy to go eat taffy [a dismissive gesture], Joseon immediately informed the English ambassador and requested assistance.

Fortunately, England temporarily deployed troops to defend the northern strongholds. As the Qing army passed through that area at just the right time, the English were able to achieve some success.

Now, all that’s left is to stick to England as much as possible and condemn the Qing’s reckless invasion; they will take care of it.

One concern is whether the person in charge of a small territory like Shanghai or Hong Kong can handle such a significant matter.

Depending on the situation, they may have to threaten war with the Qing, but do they have that kind of authority?

“Y-Your Majesty! Urgent news from Shanghai…!”

“Hmm? What’s all the commotion about?”

“England wants to hear from both sides regarding this dispute and has asked us to send a representative.”

“Well, that’s a natural procedure, so why are you making such a fuss?”

He wasn’t feeling well these days, and the Chief Royal Secretary’s fussiness irritated him. He clicked his tongue softly and accepted the hastily written letter.

As he had heard, the letter stated that if Joseon sent a representative to Shanghai, they would be taken to Hong Kong to present their case.

Hwan, who had wondered why they were taking them to Hong Kong, soon understood why the Chief Royal Secretary was so agitated.

“Therefore, Joseon and Qing are expected to clarify this situation before the Admiral of the British Empire… Killian Quai?”

“Yes! Killian Quai… is said to have arrived in Hong Kong leading the English fleet!”

Hwan’s eyes widened, and he jumped up from his seat.

“We must go to the throne room immediately!”

The person with the authority he had been waiting for had arrived in Asia.

A person with very great authority.

* * *

“What is the state of the war?”

“Yes. In short, the Qing crossed the border of Joseon and were repelled by our reinforcements.”

Having just arrived in Hong Kong, I had gathered all the information about what had happened in Asia, leaving nothing out.

“You supported Joseon with reinforcements?”

“Yes, but it wasn’t many. The Qing’s morale was lower than expected, so they retreated after taking some damage.”

“I see. But Qing didn’t say anything?”

“They are protesting right now, saying that we reversed our position to remain neutral.”

The farting dog gets angry [idiom for someone making excuses when caught], but what reversal are you talking about?

And when did I say I would remain neutral? I told you to handle it yourselves.

Look at how subtly they change the words.

“Joseon will send a representative soon, so has the Qing envoy already arrived?”

“Yes. The Governor-General of Liangguang [a vast region in Southern China], Xu Guangjin, has come in person.”

“He must be busy dealing with the Taiping Rebellion [a large-scale civil war in China], but he received orders to handle this as well. I feel a little sorry for him.”

“Then what… should we tell them to wait until the representative from Joseon arrives?”

“No. He must be busy suppressing the rioters, so I’d feel bad keeping him here. I’ll meet him once to talk about it in advance.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the Governor of Hong Kong called Xu Guangjin, the Governor-General of Liangguang, who had come as the Qing ambassador, inside.

I sat down with an attitude that was not at all sorry and greeted him as he rushed in.

“You must be very busy, so thank you for coming all the way here. As the agent of Her Majesty the Queen of the British Empire and as the Admiral, I would like to hear your opinion on this incident.”

“…I know that His Excellency has come much further than I have. However, we believe that we have the right to strongly protest against your country for this matter. I heard that our soldiers suffered many casualties in the conflict with Joseon due to the shooting by your soldiers.”

“I heard that was the case.”

“Didn’t your country say that the issue between Joseon and Qing should be handled by the two countries? Moreover, the home country has already clearly stated that the issue with Joseon, which is a vassal state of the home country, should be resolved by the two countries. So how…?”

“Ah, calm down, Governor-General. It’s a misunderstanding.”

I leisurely savored the scent of the finest Longjing tea [a type of green tea] placed in front of me and put on a truly pitiful expression.

“The home country judged that there was a risk that Russia might launch a retaliatory attack on Joseon, so it dispatched reinforcements. We received information that Russia was scraping together troops from Siberia and sending them to Primorsky Krai [a region in Russia near Joseon].”

“Then you should deploy troops to the Tumen River area, but why are you deploying them to the Yalu River?”

“According to the report, they were going to the Tumen River. But coincidentally, your army attacked the area where our army was passing through at that time. Our army thought they were local mercenaries hired by the Russian army and opened fire.”

“No, that’s…”

“Isn’t that so? Currently, the only country that would cross the border of Joseon, an ally of the home country, and attack is Russia.”

You are indirectly asking if you dare to attack Joseon, an ally of the British Empire, and the Governor-General of Liangguang was rolling his eyes and trying to come up with words that would not be held against him.

“Ha, but this is clearly an issue between Joseon and Qing…”

“That’s right, but that didn’t mean you could attack Joseon. And this is an issue between Joseon and Qing, but when I think about it, I can’t separate myself from Joseon.”

“…Yes?”

“Do you know what my name is?”

The flustered Governor-General of Liangguang looked at a piece of paper he had brought from somewhere instead of the transliterated Chinese characters and showed me his name written in crooked letters.

“Aren’t you His Highness Killian Gore Hanover…?”

“No. To be exact, it’s Killian Gore Lee Hanover. I am also a descendant of the Lee dynasty [the royal family of Joseon].”

I shrugged my shoulders at the governor-general, who was looking at me with a dumbfounded look, as if asking if there was a problem.

You guys are good at saying one thing and doing another, but I have three names in one body.

In Europe, Killian Gore Hanover.

In Joseon, Killian Gore Lee Hanover.

In Japan, Killian Gore Tokugawa Hanover.

“Governor-General, shall we now talk not only as the envoy of the British Empire but also as a relative of the Joseon royal family?”

Killian of Europe is neutral in this matter, but Killian of Joseon has a lot to say about this?

Perhaps guessing the situation, the Governor-General of Liangguang spat out the tea he was drinking and looked at me with an almost crying expression.

Oh, it’s just starting, so what are you doing already? If you’re going to cry, cry after listening to everything.