I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 257

Traitors who betray their allies and side with the enemy have always been numerous, regardless of era or country.

And so are those who try to undermine the morale of enemy countries by using these traitors.

However, staging a betrayal show disguised as a sudden confession of conscience in a place where even reporters are gathered on a large scale is probably unprecedented.

Before mass media was sufficiently mature, the term propaganda itself was rarely used to mean this kind of agitation.

In this era without radio, it will be difficult to achieve the same effect as [Joseph] Goebbels [the Nazi propaganda minister], but what I am trying to do is to deal a final blow to the morale of the already collapsing Russian army.

For such a modest goal, this kind of stage is just right.

“Ge, Commander Gennady! What are you doing now······.”

“Oh, my. You told me not to interrupt and wait a moment ago, so why are you trying to interfere now?”

“No, but this is······.”

“When you thought it was in your favor, you had to keep listening, but now that it might not be, you’re going to shut me up this time? I clearly said that it’s better not to talk about things that haven’t been agreed upon, and you’re the one who said that we should listen to any story. Then you should at least maintain consistency.”

In fact, in a normal situation, as soon as Gennady started talking nonsense at the repatriation ceremony, they would have immediately told him not to talk nonsense and broken up the meeting.

But as I said before, since they said they would listen to the whole story first, they can’t back down now, can they?

So, if you had just been kinder from the beginning… looking back, this is all your fault.

As I silenced the Russian side, Gennady continued to speak calmly.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am a defeated general. I am a prisoner of war who suffered a humiliating defeat in Asia. But I am not trying to excuse this. However, I am telling you this because I do not want those who risk their lives to fight for their country to suffer the same misfortune as me.”

“Gennady, Commander! What kind of disgrace is this at the prisoner of war repatriation ceremony! If you have something to say to us, you can say it at the fortress!”

“That won’t do. All of our country’s reporters must be here to make it meaningful. I’m not doing this to save my own life. To be clear, I’m already prepared to die. So I can say these things.”

The expressions on their faces said that you were originally destined to die anyway, but of course, no one said that out loud.

It would have been even more fun if a chaotic scene had unfolded, but no one lost their minds to that extent, which is a bit disappointing.

Still, as they suddenly started fighting among themselves, reporters from each country quietly moved their hands while holding their breath.

Reporters from Russia were no exception.

“What, what are they talking about?”

“Is Gennady crazy? How is he going to handle the aftermath of saying such things in public······.”

“If you’re going to die, just die quietly alone. Why say such things?”

They are uttering rational words on the outside, but the way their hands are moving faster than anyone else makes me laugh.

As expected, the body is honest, unlike the mouth. Tsk tsk tsk.

In the end, a young reporter who had been agonizing with a troubled face couldn’t stand it and interjected.

“Commander Gennady! So what is the gist of what you’re trying to say!”

“How many Russian soldiers are there on this Crimean Peninsula right now? 100,000? 200,000? They all came to the battlefield risking their lives with the single thought of fighting for their country! But what exactly did we want to gain from this war? No, that’s okay. Because it was for the national interest. But the current situation is by no means normal! His Majesty the Emperor is not ending the war purely for the sake of his pride!”

“What is the basis for that claim?”

“Prussia and Austria have declared war on our country. And they are pushing into the capital. To defend the capital, Russia is concentrating all possible forces only there! The soldiers here, who are fighting fiercely against the Allied forces at the risk of their lives, have all been pushed to the back burner. The same was true in Asia, where I was. They told us to fight because the war had broken out, but how can the Primorye [Maritime] defense forces stop the British navy! From the beginning, the Primorye forces were given the mission to fight with all their might and be defeated!”

He conveniently left out the fact that he had been humiliated three times in a row by Japan, Qing [China], and Joseon [Korea], but in any case, what he said was not wrong.

With Russia’s power, it was impossible to defend the Asian front from the beginning.

Even if they had brought all three Northeast Asian countries into their alliance, there would have been no answer at sea, but since they had turned against those countries, there was no way there could be an answer.

“If you’re a soldier······.”

An officer hurriedly tried to refute, but Gennady shouted more quickly and desperately as if spitting out blood.

“I am prepared to die for my country! The problem is that if we give our lives for the country, the country should respect us! But what is the meaning of your existence now! To just become meat shields and die so that the Allied forces here cannot threaten the capital. That’s all there is to it! If anyone knows what kind of patriotism and loyalty there is here, please say something!”

“If you’re trying to shift the blame to avoid punishment for defeat······.”

“As I have said many times, I have already abandoned any lingering desire to save my life. You will soon know what this means, so I will not refute it any further.”

At Gennady’s meaningful words, the officers couldn’t say anything more and closed their mouths.

Moreover, the officers below the brigade commander, not the useless stars [high-ranking officers], seemed to have dissatisfaction and questions deep in their hearts, and their faces were becoming more and more troubled.

If I push a little more, there will be a crack.

I asked Gennady in a reluctant tone.

“Commander, why didn’t you tell me in advance that you were going to make such revelations?”

“If I had, the British Empire would have clearly used my revelations for political propaganda. Everyone! I am not doing this to benefit another country. I am standing here only for the one purpose of hoping that our Russian youths will no longer shed meaningless blood.”

Other Russian reporters who had been silent gradually hesitated and stammered questions.

“Then is it true that you detonated this independently without any coordination with the British Empire?”

“Of course. You all saw His Highness Killian’s embarrassment earlier. If anyone suspects that the royal family and soldiers are as good at acting as stage actors, go ahead. However, that doesn’t mean the truth will disappear.”

Even if he were a seasoned politician, I am the envoy of the most powerful country, the British Empire, and Gennady is a soldier.

Is there anyone who can think that he has been memorizing the script I wrote and practicing acting day and night while coming all the way from Asia?

Neither the Russian reporters nor even the officers raised such questions.

“Soldiers are not tools. Every single soldier here on the battlefield is a precious young man who deserves to be respected in his own right, and has loved ones and family. They are not lives that should be sacrificed in a war that cannot be won, just to save face by protecting only the capital!”

“······.”

“And you are all feeling that supplies are gradually running out. No matter how excellent an army is, it can never continue to fight without solid supplies. What are you going to say to your soldiers? Still believe in the country, believe in your superiors, and be prepared to give your precious lives? What words will you use to coax those poor patriots into death? I am ashamed to say that I have already done so. That is why I am writhing in pain because I cannot stop the rising regret. Please, do not make the same mistake as me.”

This time, unlike before, there was no immediate rebuttal.

It must be because they felt the sincerity of worrying about the soldiers, rather than just making excuses to shift the blame for the defeat.

Now that the atmosphere is ripe enough, shall we decorate the final finale?

Gennady, who had been looking around intently, staggered to his feet and bowed deeply for the last time, lowering his posture.

“To confess, I drank a glass of vodka before coming here. I didn’t think I could reveal everything so refreshingly otherwise. It’s okay if something goes wrong with me. But I would be grateful if you could remember only my sincerity. It may have sounded disorganized, but I did my best and poured everything out. I hope you feel my sincerity. Thank you.”

After speaking, he staggered, opened the tent, and approached the storage box where the weapons were stored.

The soldiers panicked and reflexively pointed their weapons, but he slowly picked up his pistol and pointed the muzzle towards his chest.

“Ge, Commander Gennady! What are you doing!”

“What face does a defeated general who has driven countless soldiers to their deaths and urged them to surrender have to live and return to his country? Your Highness Killian, I am not worthy to be buried in my homeland. Please just throw my body into the Black Sea to become fish food.”

The panicked Russian officers hurriedly got up from their seats, but Gennady looked up at the sky and raised his voice before they could even take a step.

“Long live the Russian Empire! God, please take care of the soldiers of the Empire so that they can return home!”

Bang!

The resounding firing sound. And with a slight time difference, crimson blood stained Gennady’s left chest, and his body collapsed to the floor.

“Uh…uh?”

“He, he really shot himself?”

Who would have imagined that he would pull the trigger on his own chest?

While no one could move a finger in this unprecedented situation, I quickly moved and called the soldiers.

“Medic! Move Commander Gennady to the ward right now! Call all the medical staff and start the surgery!”

“Yes!”

The soldiers who had been waiting in advance set up a wall like a screen so that Gennady’s body could not be seen, and took him away as he fell to the floor.

Perhaps the shock was so great that no one opened their mouths until the soldiers disappeared far away.

Soon, someone’s flustered voice broke the silence and echoed in the room.

“When he said he had abandoned any lingering desire to save his life, I thought it was possible, but he really shot himself in the chest in this place······.”

“Yo, Your Highness. Is Commander Gennady…dead?”

“He will be undergoing surgery right away, but he shot his left chest with a pistol…I think you should prepare yourself.”

“But why? Why did he commit suicide after calling so many people······.”

“Judging from the commander’s last words, I think he took extreme measures to completely block the criticism that he was making excuses to avoid his responsibility. He pulled the trigger to prove that he said those words with a heart for the Russian soldiers, not for himself.”

Of course, what Gennady fired was a blank bullet, and what soaked his chest was sheep’s blood that had been put inside in advance.

Still, even blank bullets can cause serious injury if fired at close range, so he wore all kinds of protective gear inside, which made his movements look uncomfortable.

The original plan was to naturalize him and then fake an accidental death, but if we did that, wouldn’t there be suspicion that he was lying and betraying for the purpose of naturalization?

So, it’s best to create such a shocking scene in front of everyone.

However, the Russian officers, who had no way of knowing the truth, lowered their heads as if ashamed, and an untimely solemnity enveloped the room.

Of course, while commemorating the courage shown by the deceased, the reporters, who had a duty to report this scoop as quickly as possible, were busy packing their bags.

“Quickly! We have to go back and write the article!”

“Russian commander! Criticizes the Emperor and commits suicide with a pistol after refusing repatriation!”

“Throw my body into the Black Sea. Why did the Russian commander have to leave such a tragic will? Okay, let’s start with this for the article title······.”

The Russian reporters, watching the Allied reporters who were rushing out, gritted their teeth and closed their notebooks.

“Damn it! I really can’t do this.”

“Hey, I don’t know! I’m just going to write an article and quit. I’ll just get arrested!”

“I can’t be a reporter because it’s so dirty. I’ll just say what I want and go to jail.”

Adding more words here would be counterproductive.

“An unexpected accident has occurred, so I think we should end this meeting. Commander Gennady has a will, and we need to restore his consciousness to make repatriation possible, so we will treat him for the time being.”

I deliberately frowned and left the scene.

A sigh leaked out from among the Russian officers who were frozen in their seats, and the reporters’ curses were rampant.

This kind of scene must be what they call a pandemonium [a wild uproar or commotion].

I feel so full that I don’t even need to eat. Heh heh heh.