I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 245

< Killian and Guilian (4) >

“What? Someone attacked us?”

Gennady was stunned by the lamentations of the Siberia Brigade, which had been routed by the Qing’s surprise attack.

“…There must be some mistake. That doesn’t make sense, does it?”

“Are you saying we were attacked by ghosts, then!”

It was a surprise attack at a truly unimaginable time, with our position perfectly pinpointed.

The unit that had been so painstakingly gathered was virtually annihilated without even fighting a proper battle.

This was devastating news that would bring tears to the eyes of not only the brigade commander but also Gennady.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t believe it, but that he didn’t want to believe it.

“Still, you must have salvaged some soldiers and weapons, right? Even if it was a surprise attack, it was just one attack…”

“Most of the attackers were cavalry. How could anyone escape unless they were officers on horseback?”

“No… but still.”

“The Qing bastards seemed to be deliberately trying to kill our soldiers. No matter how far we ran, they relentlessly followed, wielding their weapons and taking prisoners.”

So… out of the nearly 5,000 troops, only those who arrived in Vladivostok were all that was left?

“I heard that 382 people arrived this time… Is that really it? There must be more, right?”

“…Was it 382? I don’t know either. Surviving at all was a miracle.”

Logically, not all the remaining soldiers could have died.

Most of them must have been taken prisoner, and the rest must have simply abandoned their weapons and fled elsewhere.

But in any case, the fact that the unit formed by the Emperor’s order was completely destroyed remained unchanged.

And the fact that they lost not to the British, but again to an Asian country, made him more uneasy than anything else.

If this news reached the Imperial Palace, would he be safe?

Nicholas was not such an impulsive emperor, but he knew well how difficult the recent wars had been for Russia.

In this situation, if he lost the suicide squad he had scraped together without even fighting a battle?

Instead of living comfortably in St. Petersburg, he might be dragged away to take responsibility for the defeat and have his head chopped off.

‘No. I can’t take all the blame like this.’

Frankly speaking, he felt wronged.

Those crazy Japs [derogatory term for Japanese] launched a preemptive strike without declaring war, and the Qing bastards went even further, proposing an alliance and then launching a surprise attack.

What could he, as the temporary commander, do to stop this?

He glanced at the brigade commander, who was in a terrible state, and racked his brains.

Okay. Even if Asia acted like savages, someone has to take responsibility since there were casualties.

Wouldn’t this guy, who was the field commander, be more responsible than him?

If this guy dies, I live.

Having made up his mind, he put on a worried expression as inconspicuously as possible and brought the brigade commander some warmly heated wine.

“How could we have known that those barbarian bastards would do such an absurd thing? Still, it’s a relief that you came back alive, so you and your soldiers should get some rest.”

“…Th, thank you. Then, what about this matter…”

“Let’s be honest. Who could have imagined that there would be such sons of bitches who would propose an alliance and even write up an agreement, only to stab us in the back?”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

“Even if Napoleon were in your position, he probably would have suffered the same fate. So don’t worry about anything and go and soothe your tired body.”

“Thank you! Thank you, Commander!”

Gennady, who had soothed the anxious brigade commander, picked up a pen as soon as he left.

-To His Imperial Majesty. I, Gennady Nevelskoy, have been fully prepared and waiting for the support troops Your Majesty sent to arrive.

While preparing to launch a massive counterattack as soon as the support troops arrived.

The Qing attacked our troops with an unprecedentedly barbaric method of launching a surprise attack after proposing an alliance. I was against forming an alliance with the Qing from the beginning, but I had no choice due to the opinions of the field commanders that our troops were insufficient…

How could he give up the position he had climbed up to? Absolutely not.

The uncivilized surprise attack committed by the Qing, and the detailed grievances that he, the temporary commander, was not at fault.

His report, to which he devoted his heart and soul, was over 10 pages long.

* * *

The Qing, who had coolly pushed back the Russian army in a way that even I hadn’t imagined, proudly sent Yangguang, the governor-general, back to Hong Kong.

Seo Gwang-jin, who had returned looking completely dead, puffed out his chest like a triumphant general and confidently sought me out.

“Hahahaha! Your Highness, did you see? Our Qing’s Eight Banners army has completely subjugated the evil Arasa army [Russian army].”

“Ah, yes. I heard. You used a very… impressive strategy.”

“Of course, strictly speaking, it may not be the right way, but Arasa didn’t use such fair methods when they took our land either. You reap what you sow, as they say, don’t you?”

But I remember Russia declaring war before invading.

Well, considering the lofty pride of the Qing Dynasty, they may think that the fact that those foreign devils dared to take their land was a capital crime.

But if that’s the case, our Great British Empire is the same, isn’t it?

Are these guys planning to do that to us later?

“Has Russia protested?”

“Since it happened so far away, the news doesn’t seem to have reached the Arasa capital yet.”

“I see. I’m a little curious to see how Emperor Nicholas will react when he hears this news.”

Let’s think about this from the other side.

What if Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom] lured ships to the harbor under the pretext of supplying the Great British Empire’s fleet, and then sank all the ships with traps they had set up?

From that day on, Joseon would be a confirmed colony of the Great British Empire.

If I were Nicholas, I would really grind the Qing Dynasty to dust, but do they have the confidence to handle the aftermath?

“What can Arasa do even if they get angry? They’re bound to be completely defeated by the British in this war anyway.”

“Ah… that was the aim.”

No wonder they were acting so recklessly, they were betting everything on the fact that Russia would be completely destroyed in this war and would not have the strength to retaliate.

It’s almost a gamble, but if you only look at the practical benefits, this might have been a choice worth considering.

Is the current emperor probably Emperor Xianfeng? Even among all the Qing emperors, one of the rulers with the worst reputation wouldn’t be able to make this kind of judgment.

“Governor-General, was this plan directly ordered by the Emperor?”

“I understand that Prince Gong proposed it and His Majesty approved it.”

No wonder the response was extreme, but it seemed to have some basis. The plan didn’t come from Emperor Xianfeng’s head.

If it was really led by Emperor Xianfeng, they would have just blindly rammed into the Russian army and suffered a great loss.

“Anyway, thank you. It might have been a difficult decision, but thank you for doing this much.”

“Then can we assume that the suspicion that our Qing Dynasty and Arasa have a close relationship has been cleared?”

“Of course.”

It’s not just about clearing the suspicion of an alliance, but about choosing the path of becoming enemies who can’t live under the same sky. How can I doubt it?

“But Governor-General, what are your plans for operating the Eight Banners army [Qing Dynasty military units] that defeated the Russian army?”

“Well. I don’t know that well…”

“Now that you’ve completely turned your back on Russia, why don’t you take this opportunity to continue attacking the Maritime Province together? That way, even after the war is over, Russia won’t dare to retaliate against your country.”

“Yes?”

If it ends ambiguously here, which country will Russia beat up first when it regains its strength?

The Great British Empire? They are stronger than them in the first place, so they can’t even hit them even if they want to.

France, Prussia, and Austria have already formed an alliance with the Great British Empire, so it is impossible to raise troops in Europe, as Osman provided an excuse for a great war by attacking recklessly this time, so he has no choice but to leave it as it is for the time being.

All that’s left is Asia, but Japan, which caused a lot of aggro in the beginning, has to cross the sea by boat and is located at the far east.

Considering that they will lose Sakhalin and the Maritime Province will be devastated in this war, it means that even if they want to attack Japan, there is no realistic means of attack.

In the first place, Japan has a mutual defense relationship with the Great British Empire against Russia, so they don’t even think they will be attacked.

Then, by the process of elimination, there is only one country left. Isn’t it the Qing Dynasty?

“Isn’t that right? If I were Emperor Nicholas, I would attack the Qing Dynasty first as soon as I recovered my national power. I wouldn’t even declare war. There’s no other country as thorough as Russia in the spirit of returning as much as they received.”

“…So you’re saying that our Qing Dynasty should join your country’s encirclement of Russia?”

“It’s not such a grand proposal. In the first place, your country doesn’t seem to have that much leeway right now. I’m just suggesting that instead of disbanding the 5,000 troops you’ve gathered in Manchuria, why not inflict more damage on Russia?”

“…I understand. I will report it to the Imperial Family through the postal station.”

Afterwards, Seo Gwang-jin received my signature on a firm assurance that the Great British Empire would not antagonize the Qing Dynasty and returned to Guangdong Province.

It’s a little different from what I expected, but I can’t help but take advantage of this situation.

So that Russia’s anger can be concentrated on Asia. Especially if they become enemies with the Qing Dynasty, wouldn’t the justification for me to legally intervene in the Qing Dynasty increase more and more?

There are three countries that could be the biggest threat to the hegemony of the Great British Empire in the long run.

Russia, China, and the United States, which secured an exit to the Pacific Ocean by defeating Mexico.

If two of these places become eternal enemies, fighting and bickering, there could be nothing better than this.

I’ll make it even more chaotic. Hehehe.

* * *

“What? The Qing Dynasty defeated Arasa?”

“Yes, Your Majesty! They achieved a great victory that even the British considered unexpected.”

“Heo… The Qing Dynasty defeated Arasa? In the end, it means that they are moving according to the will of the British.”

If a country that was about to attack Joseon suddenly turned its head and attacked Arasa, there is only one answer.

“Has Heungseon returned?”

“He will enter Hanseong [old name for Seoul] tomorrow.”

“I need to hear the details as soon as he returns. Now that even the Qing has jumped into the war with Arasa, the Maritime Province is a lamp before the wind… no, it can’t help but be a living corpse that is grateful for even that.”

“Yes. That is so.”

“But I don’t understand. How did the Qing army, which couldn’t even cross our border, defeat the Arasa army?”

The king, who clearly saw the disgrace shown by the Eight Banners army last time, as well as the ministers of the Border Defense Council, now clearly knew that the Qing Dynasty had gone mad.

Then how terrible is the Arasa army that was defeated by such a Qing army?

“That is… after the Qing Dynasty proposed an alliance, they even wrote up the actual alliance agreement and stabbed them in the back.”

“…What?”

Lee Hwan doubted his ears for a moment.

No, even so, isn’t the Qing Dynasty the owner of the great Sinocentric order [belief in China as the center of the world], which is the center of this land?

Even the Japanese, who are ridiculed as pirates, used cunning methods, but the Qing Dynasty used such a base trick?

“Your Majesty. After all, the Qing Dynasty’s leaders are descendants of the Manchu Jurchens. Isn’t it that the civilization has not been properly enlightened?”

Usually that interpretation would be correct, but these days, so many absurd things are happening in a row that it has become impossible to grasp what is right and what is wrong.

The shogunate threw a declaration of war after a preemptive strike, citing a storm as an excuse.

The Qing Dynasty, which even exchanged alliance agreements and launched a surprise attack.

Perhaps… is only Joseon unnecessarily putting on airs and fighting like scholars?

Should we just cause an accident too?

The king and ministers gathered in the throne room were having a hard time controlling their minds from the unexpected temptation of the devil.