I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 253

< The Great Ocean Empire >

“Of course. I’ll let you ride as much as you want. Or would you like to ride all the way to Jeolla Province? Going from Dongnae to Hanseong [modern-day Seoul], wouldn’t it be a little closer to go up from Jeolla Province?”

“Should I? Ah, but the royal physician will vehemently oppose it, so that might be difficult. He was the one who opposed even coming here with his eyes blazing.”

“Speaking of the royal physician, does His Majesty know exactly what illness he is suffering from?”

“…Well, I don’t know exactly. Actually, my health hasn’t been very good. I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t produced an heir yet. So I kept eating various foods that were said to be good for the body, but there was no particular improvement.”

Although it’s just superficial knowledge, Heonjong unfortunately died young while trying to check the powerful families and strengthen the royal authority.

So, conspiracy theories like the poisoning theory, which always appear at times like this, were circulating, but it didn’t feel like poisoning.

Now that I’ve talked to him, if I can keep someone like Heonjong alive as long as possible to protect his position, it would be good for me too. Is there any way?

No matter how many good stories I share here, if Heonjong dies and receives the posthumous title of the real Heonjong, I don’t know what will happen.

The next king to succeed him may be Cheoljong as in the original history, or it may be someone else, but there is no guarantee that he will be as easy to talk to as this person.

And if he’s not just hard to talk to but even foolish, then my already almost non-existent liking for Joseon might plummet.

“If you don’t mind, why don’t you get a checkup from our doctor while you’re staying on the ship? My personal physician is one of the best in the British Empire. Since Korean medicine and Western medicine have different systems, they may be able to treat diseases that we can’t treat, or vice versa, we may be able to cure diseases that they can’t cure, don’t you think?”

If I say that our medicine is much superior, so you should get help, he will refuse out of pride, but if I say it while subtly saving his face like this, it will be different, right?

As expected, as soon as I finished speaking, Heonjong’s eyes flashed with a glimmer of anticipation.

“Does your medical team have records of the symptoms I’m experiencing now?”

“I don’t know, but my personal physician might know. It won’t hurt to get a checkup, right?”

“Thank you. Then, I’ll pretend that I want to ride your warship and stay on this ship a little longer.”

Of course, if they administer medication and something goes wrong, it will become a serious diplomatic issue, so it’s difficult to perform active procedures.

Still, if the treatment is helpful, I can make Joseon owe me a huge debt, so there’s nothing to lose.

I just need to cross the South Sea [referring to the seas south of Korea, likely the East China Sea or Yellow Sea] and observe the progress of the disease while doing a few checkups.

“Well, let’s get the treatment little by little later, and can you tell me why you wanted to meet me so much?”

“The reason… Don’t you already guess? According to Ambassador Kim Jwa-geun, Your Highness is a remarkable person with a deeper mind than Ambassador Kim Jwa-geun.”

“Did he say that?”

“Yes. Moreover, with the impression of a war hero who has jumped into all kinds of battlefields and achieved great achievements, I thought Your Highness was a person with a heavier and more solemn impression.”

What do you mean heavy and solemn when I was called the most beautiful boy in London.

Still, like Heonjong said, many people who see me for the first time often say that I’m a little different from what they imagined.

“If that’s the case, I was a little surprised that Your Highness’s impression was different from what I heard from Ambassador Kim Jwa-geun. Let’s just assume that Ambassador Kim Jwa-geun’s insight isn’t very good and move on.”

“Hahaha! I understand. Now that it’s come to this, to be honest, the reason I wanted to see Your Highness in person was to discuss the future direction of this Joseon.”

“Are you saying that you want to discuss the future of Joseon with the British Empire’s envoy?”

“No. I want to discuss it with His Highness Kirian, a member of the Joseon royal family and my relative.”

He’s trying to call me out by using my name-changing skills in reverse. He has quite the eloquence.

Well, I’ve been going around changing my name like that, so it’s about time I heard these words.

Anyway, now that the King of Joseon has directly called me a member of the royal family in a place with historians, it’s also beneficial to me.

“I understand. Then, from now on, I will try to express my opinion as a member of the Joseon royal family as you wish.”

“Thank you. Then, as General Lee Beom-gyu said earlier, our Joseon felt that it was necessary to clearly define Joseon’s position in the international community and move forward.”

“Was the recent conflict with Qing [Manchu-led dynasty of China] the trigger?”

“Yes. Of course, it is an undeniable fact that Joseon recognized Qing as its superior and had a tributary relationship. However, we have never thought of ourselves as a colony of Qing.”

“It seems that Qing is now acknowledging that, but Your Highness means that you want to completely sever even the tributary relationship with Qing.”

What is the intention of openly attacking Qing as a rebellious country?

It’s a build-up to argue that Qing is no longer a country worthy of being treated as a superior by Joseon.

He’s laying the groundwork like this and then trying to seize an opportunity to completely cut off relations with Qing.

“That’s an accurate insight. But the problem is what happens after cutting off relations with Qing. First, we thought about claiming the Mandate of Heaven [the divine right to rule] since it has now come to us, and establishing a new dynasty.”

“Are you talking about something like the Korean Empire?”

“Korean Empire… That’s good. It’s a name that feels like it has a solid legitimacy and roots. To come up with such a name right away, you have a talent for naming things.”

“Hahaha, you flatter me.”

Well… it was actually a name that existed.

Heonjong nodded, muttering the word Korean Empire a few times.

“We may be able to use such a national title someday, but no matter how much I think about it, it’s impossible to suddenly establish a dynasty given the current conditions of Joseon. Moreover, even if Qing is not in its right mind now, we don’t know when they will pressure us again once the internal chaos is somewhat resolved.”

“That’s a reasonable assumption.”

“So, I thought that we should first establish a clear logic that Qing cannot dare to refute and completely break away from Qing, and then seek a way for Joseon to move forward independently.”

After hearing this, I can guess the rest without seeing it.

He wants to completely switch to the British Empire line instead of the Qing Dynasty, right?

“I have never heard of an Eastern country treating a European country as its superior.”

“Of course not. We’ll be the first.”

“Will the Confucian scholars stay still? Memorials will be pouring in from Confucian academies [private educational institutions] all over the country. ‘Your Majesty! Why are you abandoning the way of Confucianism and trying to go under the barbarians! Please have mercy!’ Isn’t it obvious that it will flow like this?”

“You really know Joseon… I heard you left when you were young.”

“I’m the type of person who knows ten things when I learn one. Anyway, the idea is plausible, but it lacks practicality.”

“There is a way. Originally, justification is something you can create. The mandate of the times, the qualification of the emperor, the owner of the tributary system. These are ultimately concepts that people have defined, aren’t they? So, you can just change them. Above all, Your Highness is in England.”

This time, I didn’t really refute Heonjong’s words.

As he said, it didn’t matter if I just took the justification appropriately. However, that’s only the case when I can successfully attach it.

Seeing my suspicious gaze, he calmly added a few words as if he knew it.

“Your Highness has the same blood flowing through us, and is well-versed in the way of Confucianism. And you have already defeated Qing and received their surrender. In addition, you will lead the war with Russia to victory this time, so England will become the undisputed center of the world.”

“But the position of the owner of the Central Plains [historical region in China] is not something that is recognized simply by being good at war. Unless you push and occupy all of the Central Plains.”

“That’s why Your Highness’s existence is necessary. Not just a barbarian with excellent skills and strong power, but a true civilized country and a country that has inherited the Mandate of Heaven from Qing. It is not difficult to create the logic that England, where Your Highness is, is such a country. Right now, there are reports from Ambassador Kim Jwa-geun at the British Consulate, so it will be easier to strengthen the logic by referring to them.”

This is more serious than I thought.

From Joseon’s point of view, it’s asking me to be a strong shield to silence Qing, but it’s not like I’m going to lose anything by matching their tune.

If I use this well, I might be able to completely take away the position of the Son of Heaven [the emperor] that Qing is currently occupying.

If England leads this, it will be too obvious an act of invasion, but if Joseon sets the stage, it will be succession, not usurpation.

Not bad… definitely not bad.

I was already slowly laying the groundwork in India, so if I combine this, I might be able to make Victoria an Empress instead of a Queen more neatly.

In the original history, Disraeli gave Victoria the position of Empress of India, but it was criticized as a blatant power grab.

However, since Joseon’s intention is like this, it’s not like they’re asking us to do it, and they’re voluntarily making us their substitute for Qing, so there’s no reason to be criticized as coercive, right?

It’s obvious that it’s unnatural for a kingdom to become a tributary state of a kingdom, so the existence of Asian countries can naturally elevate the status of the British Empire.

Later, whether Joseon advocates for an independent country and establishes a dynasty or not, once the position is raised, it will not come down again.

Unless someone forcibly takes away the position that they originally occupied like Qing.

It will be the time when Russia surrenders and the British Empire becomes the only superpower in the world, so the timing is just right.

Okay, it’s worth pursuing.

Looking at the clock on the wall, it was almost time for dinner.

I smiled at him, who couldn’t completely hide his nervousness.

“You must be tired, so why don’t you take a break and share the details while having dinner? I’ll call my personal physician right away so you can get a checkup.”

Lee Hwan, you’re hired.

I hope you stay healthy and maintain a good relationship in the future.

* * *

Boo-ooo!

With the sound of a horn that makes you feel overwhelmed, a huge steel ship cuts through the sea.

Who would have imagined a ship that moves on its own without the help of wind or oars?

After finishing the interview with Kirian’s personal physician and coming out on the deck, I saw the ministers gathered in a group, looking at the warship.

They couldn’t look around because of their pride, but they looked this way and that way, glancing sideways, which looked even more ridiculous.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? Are you also curious about what principle the ship is moving on?”

“Your Majesty! Is the meeting over now?”

“Did you have satisfactory results?”

“I can say it was a satisfactory meeting because I heard the answer I wanted.”

Against the backdrop of the ministers’ congratulations and flattery, Lee Hwan looked around and unknowingly exclaimed.

“The sight of warships lined up and spewing smoke is truly spectacular. If you combine all the warships scattered around the world, there must be at least dozens of them. Since they dominate the seas of the world, isn’t this the Great Ocean Empire?”

Since the contract has been signed, I can throw out the bait as I please without worrying about what others think.

“Now that technology has developed so much and the whole world is connected as one, I think the Mandate of Heaven is with those who dominate the sea rather than the land. What do you think?”

“Yes? Well, that’s…”

“If you haven’t sorted out your thoughts yet, you don’t have to answer. Rather, Minister of Taxation, do you have any relatives who have unmarried daughters among your close relatives?”

“That’s not my responsibility, so I don’t know the details, but I think there might be one. But why are you suddenly asking…?”

“No, I was just curious, so don’t worry about it.”

Although it was only a short conversation, he was convinced.

Since I can’t say that I’m completely involved just by manipulating the genealogy, wouldn’t it be best to actually mix blood this time?

I asked casually and found out that he already has three children, so it couldn’t be better.

If I had a son or daughter, I wouldn’t have to worry about it, but since I haven’t had an heir, I have no choice but to find the closest relative for now.

Or should I try to work hard and have an heir in the remaining time?

Somehow, I have one more reason to live a little longer.