I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 28

The Strong’s Inevitable Victory

For a politician, having a reliable patron is incredibly important.

Especially for young politicians like Disraeli who haven’t fully established themselves, it was not an option but a necessity.

Still, he didn’t rashly grab the hand that Killian Gore, a boy, extended.

He might seem frivolous due to his striking appearance and witty remarks, but Disraeli’s true worth lay in the seriousness hidden beneath the flamboyance.

At first, he even wondered if this kid Killian was trying to deceive him.

It made sense from a common-sense perspective.

How could such a child possess such a large sum of over 100,000 pounds?

Moreover, it wasn’t inherited wealth, and his assets would multiply several times over when combined with real estate.

The fact that he couldn’t find anything strange no matter how he looked was even stranger.

Even the terms of the patronage were excessively favorable to him.

The only thing Disraeli had to keep at all costs was to conceal the fact that he was receiving patronage from Killian Gore.

That was the only condition.

Killian even arranged a meeting with Charles Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington’s second son, to show his sincerity.

The reason was to get acquainted in advance since they would become comrades when they entered Parliament together next year.

It was then that Disraeli realized Killian was serious.

It was hard to believe, but the boy had truly seen his worth after reading his book, which he had poured his soul into writing.

Even though he was a child, if he had accumulated that much wealth on his own, he was no longer a child.

He was just someone a little younger than himself.

Disraeli took Killian’s hand and decided to trust him at least until the end of this election.

And from the first day Killian began to support his election campaign in earnest.

‘This is… an election?’

He could feel with his whole body how much easier an election could be with money.

“There are currently two leading candidates in High Wycombe: George Dashwood of the Whig Party and Colonel Robert Smith of the Tory Party. Unless there are any major variables, these two are expected to be elected. George Dashwood has been a fixture in High Wycombe for the past 10 years, consistently getting elected as a local figure, and Colonel Robert Smith is a distinguished soldier who participated in the Napoleonic Wars.”

People who looked professional, no matter where they came from, were rattling off information about the two competitors as if they were dissecting them.

“Colonel Robert Smith is the easier opponent to defeat. However, if Disraeli joins the Tory Party next year, tarnishing Robert, who could become a fellow party member, could be a bad move. Let’s strategize to push out George Dashwood and get elected.”

“Well… it sounds easy, but as the young master’s informant said, George Dashwood is a local figure who has been building rapport here for 10 years. Pushing him out isn’t as easy as you think.”

“It’s alright. Even the strongest opponent has weaknesses. We’ve already been using informants to investigate all the influential figures in this area since before making an appointment with Disraeli.”

“You were already investigating my competitors before even meeting me?”

It was another moment that proved Killian’s words that he had been eyeing him from the start were not empty words.

Honestly, he didn’t know why he was being recognized so much, but it would be a lie to say he wasn’t touched.

Moreover, Killian didn’t stop there and printed out a ton of promotional materials such as slogans and manifestos to promote Disraeli and spread them all over the election district.

“A young politician representing the times! A clean vote for Disraeli!”

“The trend is youth! Disraeli is the best choice for High Wycombe!”

It was a bonus to even hire a singer to go around singing Disraeli’s election song.

“Disraeli is treating! Get some bread and money. Never pay it back! We’re not lending it to you~”

All the people who came to receive the manifesto were provided with small gifts, money, and food.

“Wow! It’s Disraeli!”

“The hope of High Wycombe!”

Strangely enough, as he continued to spend money like this, the number of people who recognized him increased in a short period of time, and interest also skyrocketed.

Above all, it drew people’s attention to the fact that he, who had not been able to conduct a proper election campaign, was now spreading money around, wondering what kind of sponsor he had caught.

Perhaps Killian was predicting this reaction and ordering more active activities on this side.

But the surprise didn’t end there.

It was natural that elections became easier with money, but that was only a one-dimensional thought.

Disraeli realized for sure through this one election that the important thing was how to efficiently pour that money in.

* * *

It’s easy to get the feeling that a country that has been holding general elections and establishing parliamentary democracy since the early 19th century is something great.

In fact, when I first came to England, I almost got caught up in that hype to some extent.

But it didn’t take long to realize the truth.

The elections and parliamentary system currently held in England were something that had the same name but a different essence compared to modern times.

From a modern point of view, the only impressions that come to mind when looking at the system are ridicule and astonishment.

“It is estimated that there are about 500 people with voting rights in High Wycombe, where Disraeli is running. So, the number of people who actually vote will be a little over 400.”

“It’ll be easier to work with fewer people.”

“It’s not exactly a small number. Most constituencies will be about this size now.”

“James is right. This is a relatively competitive constituency.”

I was expressing my impressions based on modern standards, but James and Disraeli were showing reactions that were perfectly in line with the standards of this era.

As the two said, this is a matter of course in this era.

The reality was that there were only a few hundred voters per constituency, and even large constituencies like Southampton, where Wellesley was running, had only about a thousand people.

In fact, if the constituencies with small populations had not been merged due to this year’s election law reform, even this number would not have been possible.

Until the previous election, there were places where the number of people with voting rights was less than 10.

It may seem like child’s play, but judging coldly, it may be great to have even this level of appearance in the 1830s.

So what if the voter ratio is only 5%?

The important thing is that it has made great progress compared to the last election, which was 1%, and the fact that it will continue to improve is important.

Considering that there are countries in the East that cannot even take a single step forward from the present, this alone was good enough.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to conform to the current system and laws that were full of holes.

“According to our informants, George Dashwood seems to have enjoyed quite a few vested interests while working in this area for 10 years. Let’s focus on attacking this point.”

“Ah. Are you suggesting we attack him for corruption? Certainly, the Whig Party has always attacked the Tory Party in that way, so attacking in reverse should be quite effective.”

“No. That’s a good method when there are tens of thousands of voters. The issues that people with voting rights really care about now are different. We need to throw them a story they’re interested in.”

“Is that so? I was going to compete by fully showing my ambitions and showing the differences between me and the stale established politicians…”

As expected, since it was his first time running, Disraeli’s election strategy felt too textbook and upright.

There may be people who like this kind of character in modern times, but this is the 1830s.

It’s an era where property determines voting rights.

In other words, all the voters who cast their votes are middle class with a certain level of wealth, so wouldn’t they want something different?

“Such speeches are certainly important. But that’s just the ability needed to solidify a victory, not the power to take victory away from the opponent. So, let’s first bring down George Dashwood so that Disraeli can stand on the same stage as his competitors.”

“You clearly said earlier that voters wouldn’t be that interested in corruption, didn’t you?”

“It’s not simple corruption. George Dashwood has been designing almost all policies to benefit the upper class rather than the middle class in the region. Of course, he also received various benefits. We will criticize this point as strongly as possible.”

Until last year, George Dashwood’s strategy, who was the member of parliament for this region, was not wrong.

The majority of people with voting rights were in the upper class, and those who gained voting rights for the first time this year had difficulty influencing his election until last year.

It’s slightly different from the Whig Party’s policy, but people who are not interested in central politics prioritize protecting their seats above all else.

The best way to do that is to focus only on the side that gets votes.

It was the most basic and efficient strategy, but wouldn’t things be different in a time like this year when the election system has undergone a major change?

It’s impossible to use this strategy in every constituency, but there are only two people I need to get elected this time.

Even if I spend informants and money like crazy, it’s not a big burden.

“We will distribute pamphlets throughout the region about how much vested interests George Dashwood has given to certain wealthy people under the pretext of serving the region. And Disraeli, please announce pledges that cater to the tastes of the middle class and give speeches accordingly.”

“I don’t trust the middle class, but it coincides with my belief that they need to be strong… But wouldn’t there be a backlash from the upper class who have been voting until now? You’ll lose all their votes.”

“Now, let’s assume that Disraeli puts out policies that suit their tastes. Would the people who have always voted for Dashwood and shared profits with him vote for Disraeli? And anyway, the votes of the upper class will go not only to Dashwood but also to Colonel Smith. Since there will be more than 400 valid votes, realistically, if you get more than 150 votes, your election is almost certain.”

If the number of voters increases dramatically, you cannot win the election simply by dividing them.

If you throw away votes in that way, there may come a point where the number of votes you throw away is greater than the number of votes you get.

But only 400 votes. In an election like this where the classes are clearly divided, dividing them is the most sure-fire strategy.

In the first place, the middle class, who are just starting to make economic strides, tended to hate the class who had been accumulating wealth for a long time.

-We worked hard and became self-made, but these gold spoon guys who live off their ancestors act like they’re so great?

Should I say it’s something like this psychology?

Some may call it envy mixed with inferiority, but I don’t care what it is.

The important thing is to explode those emotions and make them oppose each other, and absorb the votes of the larger pie into Disraeli.

“Let’s start in earnest three days later. Let’s finish all the preparations by then and rush in at once. James, get the people ready by then, and Disraeli, please think more about slogans and speech content that can appeal to the middle class.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll try to write it so that it feels sincere.”

George Dashwood probably doesn’t think this side can do anything.

Even though he’s been spending some money recently, Disraeli is ultimately just an independent rookie politician.

Thanks to that, even while digging into his background and printing out all kinds of pamphlets, there was no sign of any checks on this side.

* * *

“Everyone! Please calm down! This is all baseless nonsense! It’s a lie to slander me!”

Dashwood desperately shouted, pounding his chest in front of the angry voters.

“Ooooo! Get out of here!”

“Dashwood, explain yourself!”

“Dashwood, a henchman of the privileged class, wake up!”

“The lackey of the privileged class should resign immediately!”

“I’m innocent! For 10 years, I’ve been doing my best for the development of this region without sparing myself!”

It was not easy to appease the voters who were already very angry, no matter how desperately he tried to explain.

It’s no use shouting that he’s innocent like that.

How he has sacrificed the interests of the middle class for the benefit of a small number of privileged people who get votes.

And how much damage has been accumulated over the past 10 years.

A document with appropriate seasonings added and made much spicier was delivered to the homes of all middle-class people with voting rights.

Originally, one of the scariest negatives in this world is a slight exaggeration based on facts.

You can’t even tell where to start refuting, and even if you do refute, you are bound to be counterattacked by saying that these parts are true after all.

For Dashwood, it must be a feeling of encountering a real natural disaster.

On top of that, as if he had been waiting for this time, Disraeli went around giving speeches that poured oil on this angry public opinion.

“Everyone! How long do we have to watch politics that only represents a small number of privileged people! Who is it thanks to that this country has achieved such rapid development! It’s us! It’s the result of what we’ve worked for with our own hands! As society is changing rapidly, politics must also change in that way.

With complacency accustomed to the existing methods, we cannot move forward even one step. We need a young and ambitious representative who will fight for our interests. So please allow me, Disraeli, to fight for you! Allow me to shed blood for you!

Prove with your votes that this country is being reborn!”

“Waaaa!”

“Well said! Let’s get rid of everything this time!”

“If Dashwood likes aristocrats so much, go to the House of Lords!”

“Disraeli to the House of Commons!”

As the pre-hired cheerleaders led the public opinion, the atmosphere of the constituency changed drastically in just a few days.

Of course, it was possible because he constantly distributed pamphlets and used people to expand and reproduce rumors.

The time it took for Dashwood’s popularity, which seemed so solid, to wane was only about half a month.

Disraeli, who felt the power of money and organization so desperately, approached after finishing his speech and asked in a dazed voice.

“Looking at the current situation, I felt deeply how unprepared I was.”

“I just did it a little too much because I have a personality that makes sure everything is done properly. Other candidates won’t do this much. And Disraeli would have been able to realize this level of method anyway in a few years.”

“Still, just by advancing those few years, I have received a favor that I cannot repay. But I’ve been thinking about it… I don’t think you could have done this much with the 2,000 pounds you said you would give me at the beginning.”

“Of course, 2,000 pounds is not enough. I would have spent at least twice as much, right?”

“Yes? But didn’t you say you would support me with 2,000 pounds at first…”

Facing his bewildered face, I replied nonchalantly.

“Once I’ve decided that it’s worth investing in, I don’t bother saving money on the investment.”

“Ah…”

Disraeli, who was about to answer something, lowered his head with a slightly flushed face.

It is said that men devote their loyalty to those who recognize them.

I don’t believe those words, but it is true that you can receive considerable favor in such cases, even if it doesn’t go as far as loyalty.

And with this election as a starting point, I was able to have the confidence that I had gained the favor of Disraeli, who would grow into a great figure in the Conservative Party in the future.

The election expenses that I poured in twice this time are nothing more than a speck of dust compared to the benefits that this relationship will bring.

By now, Wellesley must have been smoothly approaching the election, so the sowing season is over.

The harvest season that came a few months after the year changed.

As expected, the general election ended with a great victory for the Whig Party and a crushing defeat for the Tory Party, but an unusual event occurred in which all three young men who entered politics for the first time were elected.

Subsequently, Disraeli took the unconventional step of abandoning his independent status and joining the Tory Party.

Led by Charles Wellesley, the Tory Party reported this amazing result every day, highlighting their young politicians.

Thanks to that, someone who clearly pulled strings behind Disraeli was naturally forgotten in people’s attention.

Surprisingly quickly.