I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 264

Became a Hidden Tycoon of the British Empire – Episode 264

Even though Russia has collapsed, that doesn’t mean the threat to the British Empire has disappeared.

History has proven that if a nation’s potential remains, it will revive at any time unless it is completely crushed beyond recovery.

This is easily understood by looking at Germany, which twice plunged the world into war.

Russia may not have fully modernized yet, making its power seem like a bubble, but things could change rapidly if it establishes itself as a true nation.

There’s no guarantee that something similar to the Soviet Union won’t emerge there in the future.

We’ve suppressed them for now, giving us decades of breathing room, but the long-term future is uncertain.

The American continent presents a similar concern.

In fact, America is the region I’m most worried about.

This is due to the United States, the most likely candidate to challenge the British Empire’s global dominance in the future.

However, the war with Russia took precedence, so I didn’t have much time to focus on the conflict between the United States and Mexico.

From the start, Mexico had little chance of winning against the United States, so I felt that my attention wouldn’t change the outcome.

There was no need to intervene unless the British Empire sided with Mexico and went to war with the United States.

Within the British Empire, many believed that a conflict between a second-rate and a third-rate country wasn’t a major concern, and everyone’s attention was on the Crimean War.

Frankly, I’d feel the same if I were European.

If Son Goku and Vegeta [characters from Dragon Ball, known for their epic battles] are having a fierce battle, who would pay attention to Krillin and Yamcha [weaker characters from the same series] fighting nearby?

They’d just laugh and say, “What are they doing?”.

“No, Prime Minister. Are you saying that the United States and Mexico are still fighting?”

“…Didn’t you know?”

“No… well. I actually thought it was over already.”

I don’t know exactly how long the US-Mexico war lasted in the original timeline, but I know it lasted about 2 years.

Considering that, it might just be entering its final stage.

Logically, even though the United States is only an emerging power, it shouldn’t struggle against a third-rate country like Mexico, right?

But Wellesley’s subtle expression suggests that an unexpected variable has emerged.

Please don’t look at me like that. It makes me uneasy.

“By any chance, and I’m just asking, the United States didn’t lose to Mexico, did they?”

“That’s not the case. If that were true, we’d be beyond surprised and shocked. However, the US military’s advance is slower than expected, and they are facing resistance in several areas.”

“…Why?”

The United States and Mexico are vastly different in strength, and the original war’s outcome proves that they are no match in an all-out conflict.

Unless a significant factor intervenes, the United States shouldn’t be struggling unexpectedly. What went wrong? Is it because of me?

As Wellesley was about to answer, I quickly waved my hand to stop him.

“No, no. Wait a minute. I don’t know what it is, but do I have to handle this? The parliament can deal with it, right?”

Whether the United States and Mexico are squabbling or one of them gets crushed, the British Empire’s parliament or administration can handle it.

Isn’t it a bit much to pass this problem across the Atlantic to the royal consort who has been away from home for years and has just returned after suffering?

“I understand Your Highness’s feelings, but this matter subtly overlaps with issues outside my authority, making it impossible to handle alone.”

“How many issues are there in the British Empire that are beyond the authority of the Prime Minister and the Parliament…”

“Canada is a prime example. Your Highness holds all the power regarding Canada.”

“Canada? Why is Canada suddenly relevant?”

Even though it’s probably busy building factories, selling weapons, and making money, I know that Canada has signed a treaty with the United States.

Initially, they enthusiastically sold weapons to Mexico, but they stopped exporting to Mexico after the United States agreed to buy the remaining weapons.

So, Canada should no longer be involved in this US-Mexico war.

Unless the Mexican guys are crazy, they wouldn’t attack Canada to demand weapons.

“I know what Your Highness is thinking. You need to see this to understand the current situation.”

“No! I’m going to play with my children! If I go back to America so soon after returning, Victoria will really kill me! And before that, do you think the Prime Minister will be safe? Victoria will dissolve the parliament; aren’t you afraid of the consequences!”

It’s crucial to build a close relationship with my third child, Alfred, right now, but how dare you try to send me back again.

In the first place, if they say they need my help again, our Victoria, the Queen of this country, will not forgive…

“It’s up to Your Highness to decide whether to cross the Atlantic or not, but please take a look first. This is an issue that requires Your Highness’s judgment.”

Seeing his insistence, it seems I have to handle it in the end, so I can’t be stubborn anymore.

I sighed heavily and took the report Wellesley handed me.

I wonder what absurd things are written in it that he wants me to see.

Anyway, look at those pathetic Americans; they were boasting as if they could conquer Mexico in an instant, but they’re still dragging it on.

If they had ended the war sooner, I wouldn’t feel this anxious.

I grumbled inwardly and quickly skimmed through the report. As the Prime Minister said, the US offensive was slightly delayed due to the unexpected counterattack of the Mexican army.

Still, the United States isn’t at a disadvantage; they just haven’t been able to sweep away Mexico and force an unconditional surrender as expected.

However, what caught my attention was the fundamental reason why the war situation turned out this way.

“…What is this? Is this real?”

“We’re investigating, but it seems to be real.”

“A large number of Canadian weapons flowed into Mexico? We controlled the exports?”

Logically, it doesn’t make sense, but in a capitalist society, even things that don’t make sense become possible if money is involved.

This huge problem on the American continent also originated from the fundamental human desire to earn more money.

* * *

Let’s go back in time to the American continent when the British Empire and Russia were at war.

The United States, which was enthusiastically attacking Mexico from the beginning of the war and trying to end it quickly, faced several difficulties from the start.

First of all, the biggest misjudgment was that Mexico had prepared for the US invasion, contrary to expectations.

Even if Mexico is considered lazy, they aren’t incapable of learning.

Having been invaded for questionable reasons in the past, Mexico knew that the United States could attack at any time and replenished its troops and weapons.

California has already been ceded to Canada, so the only areas to defend are New Mexico and Arizona.

Thanks to importing a lot of weapons from Canada at the beginning of the war, they were able to put up a decent fight.

However, since there is an overwhelming difference in naval power, port cities such as Veracruz have been devastated, but that was already expected.

Mexico’s fighting spirit was surprisingly strong, and this became the first obstacle to the US military’s advance.

“Fight! Defeat those evil American invaders and protect our homeland!”

“Even if we die, killing just one of those guys makes our death worthwhile! We will not become a colony of the United States!”

It would have been an absurd slogan in the United States, which had no intention of making Mexico a colony in the first place, but the fighting spirit of the Mexican patriots who wanted to protect their country from the invading United States did not die down.

This is because Santa Anna, the leader of Mexico, desperately spread the information that the United States was plotting to annex Mexico after the war.

In other words, this isn’t just a simple war for Mexicans, but a holy war to fight against the invading forces trying to colonize them.

Even with inferior military power, even with guerrilla warfare and several villages devastated by the US military.

Even with several ports devastated and many people dead, Mexico’s will to resist only burns more fiercely.

However, now that the war has moved beyond the Middle Ages and into the modern era, fighting spirit alone has its limits.

Shouldn’t they have guns and cannons as good as the enemy’s to inflict damage?

“We need weapons, weapons! We can’t fight the Americans with the weapons produced in Mexico right now!”

“If we only had weapons of a similar level, we could buy time and inflict more damage on the enemies.”

“Didn’t we import a large number of weapons from Canada before?”

“That’s almost all gone. If we don’t have a way to replenish our weapons, we’ll eventually be pushed back!”

“Canada has signed a treaty with the United States, so it’s impossible to export directly to our side…”

“Those dirty American invaders!”

There is nothing more unfortunate than having enough morale from soldiers and citizens but eventually losing due to a lack of weapons.

Santa Anna tried his best to bring in British weapons by any means.

And as if by magic, a lifeline appeared.

“How about this: if we get you some weapons, are you willing to buy them?”

“Is that true?”

“Of course. We don’t want the United States to become stronger than this. If Mexico continues to fight like this, there’s no reason not to support them from behind.”

The senile tiger of Europe, who had been watching with his arms folded until now.

Spain, which had fallen from its position as the strongest country and become a relic of the past, suddenly contacted Mexico.

Unlike other countries, Spain, which did not participate in the Crimean War, was carefully watching the outcome of this war.

If Mexico was hopelessly pushed back, they were just going to laugh at the stupid and lazy Mexican taco guys, but surprisingly, these guys are fighting well, aren’t they?

Of course, if the United States inflicts 10 points of damage, Mexico is only retaliating with about 2 to 3, but that’s still something.

After watching the war situation for about a year, Spain made close contact with Santa Anna’s side when they calculated that they could profit from it.

Mexico, which had not been independent for long, did not like Spain, which was the oppressor of the past, but as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

To be honest, the United States, which was beating Mexico to death right now, was more hateful than the enemy of the past, so there was no reason not to join hands.

“For some reason, the American guys have been picking on our Cuban Governor-General’s Office lately. If Mexico falls into the hands of the United States, our home country believes that those guys will extend their reach to Cuba.”

“Those American guys would do that. They’re insatiable. But how are you going to give us weapons? I know that Cuba doesn’t have any industrial facilities, so are you going to ship weapons from Europe?”

“That’s too much of a waste of time. Besides, the American guys will definitely freak out. Instead, we plan to bring weapons from Canada.”

The Cuban Governor-General’s Office, which had accumulated enormous wealth through trade in tobacco, sugar cane, and intermediary trade with Europe, was particularly wealthy even within Spain.

Of course, the wealth was concentrated in a small number of people, and the locals hardly benefited from it, but the Cuban Governor-General’s Office alone had more than enough resources to bring in a sufficient amount of weapons from Canada.

“So, you’re saying you’ll buy weapons from Canada and sell them to us at a premium?”

“We have to take a commission, too.”

“But we don’t have enough money to give you that much…”

“Oh, why are you like this? We know better than anyone how many silver mines there are in Mexico. You can pay with silver mine mining rights instead of money. It won’t be a bad condition for your country, will it?”

“Hmm… I don’t like having to rely on Spain’s power again, but there’s no other way.”

Based on what I’ve seen, the performance of Canadian guns is superior to that of the guns used by the United States.

If we bring in various shells here, we can put up a decent fight in small-scale battles.

Even the United States did not expect this bizarre alliance that no one had imagined.

Canada also operated its factories to their heart’s content and sent weapons to Cuba without hesitation when Spain asked them to sell weapons.

The amount of weapons secretly moved in this way breathed new life into the exhausted Mexican resistance army.

“Woo-oh-oh! We must defeat the invaders! Let’s fight with our lives on the line!”

“We also have British weapons! Don’t be afraid and fight! Let’s show a battle worthy of the deaths of our comrades who have fought so hard so far! Let’s slaughter those invaders and honor the spirits of our comrades who went ahead!”

It was the moment when the United States, which was advancing relentlessly in the great typhoon caused by the butterfly’s wings, was hit directly.

“What, what? Why are these taco bastards suddenly resisting so fiercely?”

“Clearly, their power had been declining recently; is this their last stand?”

“General! The new Mexican soldiers on the front lines are armed with British weapons! We investigated the equipment of the unit we repelled yesterday, and it’s definitely true!”

“Were there still weapons left from the ones we brought in before? No, that can’t be. Could it be…”

I was wondering why the lazy and weak taco guys were fighting so well.

Those vile Canadian bastards were selling weapons through the back door!

We must inform the higher-ups of this fact as soon as possible.

The US military commanders, who faced the red truth, trembled with betrayal and sent an urgent report to Washington D.C.