I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 274

< What Happened at the Expo (4) >

The conflict between Joseon [historical Korean kingdom] and Qing [the last imperial dynasty of China] that erupted at the Expo naturally reached the ears of officials from all countries.

Many consuls witnessed the squabble firsthand, and as it became quite the issue, almost all ambassadors were aware of it within two days.

In truth, not many knew exactly where Joseon was located, but that wasn’t the important part.

“To make the British Empire the Emperor of Asia, what kind of outlandish talk is that?”

“Not the Emperor of Rome, but the Emperor of Asia?”

“Can a European nation even become the Emperor of Asia in the first place?”

“Actually, there’s no reason why not. If the Asian kingdoms treat the British Empire as their emperor…”

In Europe, the prominent countries currently claiming the title of emperor include Austria, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire.

However, none of these countries truly possessed the power to warrant the title of emperor, merely holding it in name.

At best, Russia had the might to be considered an empire, but that was only until the Crimean War [a military conflict fought from 1853 to 1856 in which Russia lost to an alliance of France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and Sardinia].

The Ottomans claimed to be the emperors of Rome, but since no one in Europe recognized them, they were irrelevant.

The empire with the most legitimacy was Austria, which inherited the Holy Roman Empire [a multi-ethnic complex of territories in Central Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806], but now it was struggling just to keep pace with the rising Kingdom of Prussia.

“Well… what meaning does the title of emperor have now anyway? It’s just for self-satisfaction.”

“Indeed, indeed. This isn’t the 15th century. The title of emperor feels more like an outdated symbol.”

Those drafting reports to send back home tried to rationalize it, but everyone knew it was just a case of sour grapes.

Meaningless? How could it be meaningless?

Of course, it was to boost self-satisfaction and national pride, and anyone involved in diplomacy would know how important that is.

However, since there had never been a case of a European nation being recognized as the emperor in Asia, they were at a loss as to how to interpret this.

“But hasn’t everyone been expecting the British Empire to ascend as the Emperor of India?”

“Well… ever since the British Empire took over India, we thought it might happen. But this is a different case.”

India was practically in the hands of the British Empire, so they could ascend to the throne at any time.

However, if the British Empire became the emperor even in unexpected Northeast Asia, it would hold both the title of Emperor of India and Emperor of Northeast Asia.

And more than anything, this was bound to be a significant burden for the great powers that saw Asia as a new honeypot.

That’s the fundamental difference between this and someone like Napoleon, who just declared himself emperor.

“How dearly does the British Empire cherish India? They’ll bite and claw if any other country tries to exert even a little influence there…”

“Are you saying Northeast Asia could become like that too?”

The French camp, which had been confident that they could successfully conclude the Expo, leaving Prussia far behind, was suddenly on high alert.

Foreign Minister Louis clicked his tongue softly, reviewing the reports from diplomats who had deeply analyzed the current situation.

“This is no time to be bickering with Prussia. I need to seek the opinions of the Prime Minister and His Majesty immediately.”

“But even if we intervene, there’s no clear solution, is there?”

“That’s right. That’s the problem.”

What could France do if the Asian countries willingly chose to serve the British Empire as their emperor?

However, if they stood idly by, all of Asia could fall under the influence of the British Empire.

To be precise, the problem wasn’t the British Empire becoming the Emperor of Asia, but the *threatening process* of becoming emperor.

Recognizing the British Empire as an emperor meant becoming involved with them in some form, whether as a tributary state in Asia or a vassal state in Europe.

In the end, no matter how strong the military power of France or other European countries, it would become impossible to extract concessions by force.

“Which countries are currently trying to enthrone Britain as emperor?”

“Joseon and Ryukyu [an island chain in East Asia that is now part of Japan]. And judging by the situation, Japan is also likely to join.”

“Where is Ryukyu located?”

“Ah, I apologize. Here’s a map…”

“What? It’s barely visible. I didn’t know there was such a tiny country.”

Although small in size, it was still an island that couldn’t be ignored when looking at the entire map of Asia.

“Hong Kong is already taken by the British Empire, and they’ve seized Tainan [a city in Taiwan] and Shanghai. That alone encircles the continent, and now they’re including Ryukyu, Joseon, and Japan in their sphere of influence?”

“And Joseon and Japan have taken Sakhalin [a large Russian island in the North Pacific]. Britain says they’ll establish a military base there.”

“Right. There’s that too.”

Connecting the lines on the map showed that if this structure was completed, the entire Northeast Asia would be surrounded by the vast net of the British Empire.

They already have India, and now they’re extending their reach to the continent of Australia in the Southern Hemisphere.

“Hmph… looking at it like this, they really are greedy. Does that mean the other countries should just be satisfied with dabbling in Southeast Asia and Indonesia?”

Moreover, even if they made Southeast Asia a colony, they couldn’t avoid being surrounded by countries under the influence of the British Empire on three sides.

The British Empire was currently an ally, but for France, which was actively expanding its overseas colonies, this situation was not welcome.

To recover from the damage of the last war and outpace Prussia, more colonies and more intense exploitation were essential.

“But there’s something I don’t understand. If Britain wants to maximize its own interests, shouldn’t it ultimately manage its colonies and extract as much as possible? Will simply planting flags like that bring any real benefit to the home country?”

“I don’t know. It’s unlikely that Britain suddenly turned over a new leaf, and Crown Prince Killian’s disposition might have had an influence, or there might be other possibilities, but these are all just speculations for now…”

“Either way, what’s certain is that if things continue like this, the areas we can acquire will be extremely limited, right?”

Annam [historical name for central Vietnam], ruled by the Nguyen Dynasty [the last ruling dynasty of Vietnam], and Southeast Asian countries like Laos.

France was currently planning to unite and rule them under the name of the Indochina Federation, and fortunately, it seemed that this wouldn’t be hindered.

The problem was that this was likely to be the alpha and omega [the beginning and the end] of the colonies that France could develop…

“Minister, the Nguyen Dynasty is also a country that pays tribute to Qing. Isn’t that why we tried to attack Qing when we annexed the Nguyen Dynasty?”

“…Ah, I forgot about that. That’s right. The Nguyen Dynasty was also a tributary state of Qing.”

Minister Louis’s mind went blank for a moment.

Cochinchina [a French colony encompassing the southern third of Vietnam] (Indochina) was the core area of France’s Asian colonial plan.

Among them, Annam, ruled by the Nguyen Dynasty, was an area that could never be abandoned.

How much effort had they put into acquiring it so far?

The groundwork was already roughly laid, and they were measuring the optimal time to pressure Qing to give up Annam.

But what if the British Empire ascended as the emperor of Northeast Asia and took over all the countries that paid tribute to Qing?

“…I need to send a telegram to the Prime Minister immediately. And I need to find out what the intentions of the Northeast Asian countries are. Who was the ambassador of Joseon?”

“Are you referring to Monsieur Kim?”

“Yes, yes. I need to see that Kim person. Arrange a meeting, preferably in secret.”

Going to the British Empire first might lead to being manipulated by Killian, who has the tongue of a devil, so it’s better to understand the intentions of the Asian countries first.

Negotiating with Killian comes next.

The bombshell declaration from a small, weak country in the East was plunging the great powers of Europe into deeper confusion.

* * *

While France was in chaos due to an unexpected controversy,

“Hehehe, the French are sweating bullets.”

Bismarck was watching all of this unfold with a sense of schadenfreude [pleasure derived from someone else’s misfortune].

Perhaps it was fortunate that, as a latecomer, he had no plans to look towards Asia for the time being.

Bismarck had no particular interest in whether the British Empire acted as emperor in Asia or managed a colonial empire.

From the beginning, his theory was that in order for Prussia to permanently solidify its position as a great power, it should not pursue imperialistic expansion policies like other great powers.

Of course, he didn’t intend to *not* expand territory, but that should only target some countries in Africa or Oceania that were out of reach of the British Empire or France.

Compete with the British Empire for colonies?

Such a foolish plan was never in his mind from the start.

However, for greedy France, this was naturally a bolt from the blue, and they would have no choice but to have many concerns.

In other words, this was a good opportunity for Prussia to emphasize that it was a kind great power, different from France, and a loyal ally of the British Empire.

Bismarck, who had been watching for an opportunity, was finally able to bring up this discussion under the guise of consultation when Killian visited the Prussian Pavilion.

“So, Prussia actively supports our British Empire’s policy.”

“Of course. It’s not just anyone, it’s between you and me, Your Highness. Hahaha!”

“I appreciate it, but in relations between countries, there’s nothing as empty as personal friendship.”

“That’s true, but as you know, Your Highness, Prussia frankly doesn’t have much interest in Asia right now.”

Killian nodded slowly with an inscrutable expression.

In fact, to put it bluntly, whether Prussia supports it or not, it doesn’t benefit or harm the British Empire.

However, as an ally, they need to earn some points in order to minimize the British Empire’s intervention when taking the lead in Germany in the future, so they need to bow down unconditionally here.

What Bismarck wanted was not the land of Asia, which was far away and required a long journey by ship, but the leadership of the entire Germany.

“This seems to have unintentionally caused confusion for many people. It’s not like our British Empire has revealed any ambition to swallow all of Asia, but some people seem to understand it that way.”

“Hahaha, I know you well, Your Highness, and that’s unlikely. And if the British Empire really wanted to take over all of Asia, they would have used more direct means, not such roundabout tactics.”

Someone like Killian might have taken such a cumbersome approach to build a reputation, but if you think that far, you have to doubt everything in this world.

Of course, Bismarck didn’t care, so there was no reason to worry about it.

“As expected, Ambassador Bismarck understands. It’s always a pleasure to be with someone who is so understanding.”

“If so, please visit our Prussian Pavilion more often. You’ve visited the French Pavilion four times to drink wine, but you’ve only come to our side once.”

“Well, they’re giving away free bottles of the finest Bordeaux wine there, how can I not go?”

“Unfortunately, our Prussia doesn’t have such delicious grapes. Instead, we’re trying to understand Your Highness’s intentions and actively expressing our support. So please look kindly upon us, hahaha!”

“Well, it’s good to have a competitive spirit, but there’s no need to be too consumed by it, is there? At the current rate, we’ll easily achieve 3rd place in the final number of visitors, which is already amazing.”

If those sly French bastards hadn’t used the strategy of attracting VIPs with wine, they could have aimed for 2nd place.

Still, they managed to push down Austria, so they maintained at least a minimum of face.

“Thank you, Your Highness. Still, I can’t let you go back empty-handed after coming all this way, so I’ve prepared a gift for you.”

“A gift? You didn’t have to do that…”

“No, you’ll definitely be satisfied.”

It was a fact that he had accidentally learned while monitoring France, and Killian might know it in a few days, but it’s always better to know these things even a day earlier.

Bismarck whispered the fresh information that had just come in.

“France seems to be secretly contacting Asian countries. It’s not certain, but they’ve sent someone, so it’s probably safe to assume that’s the case.”

“That’s an interesting tip. I understand.”

Judging by his satisfied expression, it seemed to be to his liking.

“Your Highness. Then, it might be a bit much to call it a reward, but perhaps in the future regarding Austria…”

Bismarck, who was about to continue speaking, froze as soon as he saw two familiar faces entering the Prussian Pavilion.

People he never wanted to encounter in this place, where he had many people who respected and followed him, even if it was a private setting.

Why were those people coming here at a time like this?

“Oh? Isn’t that Bismarck? Long time no see.”

“I heard you became the ambassador of Prussia! It’s true! You’ve risen so quickly! Oh? Crown Prince Killian is here too!”

He was about to turn his face away immediately to avoid being seen, but heaven was merciless.

Seeing them again as soon as he returned to London made him wonder if they were bound by a truly terrible fate.

The living dark history of the Iron-Blooded Ambassador Bismarck, who had even exchanged blows in the past.

Marx and Engels were approaching the two with undisguised smiles of victory.