I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 304

Scorched Earth (2)

I nodded at Okubo, who, while appearing servile, didn’t stop talking, urging him to continue.

“Opportunity? What kind of opportunity are you asking for?”

“Once this turmoil is over, the political system of this country will undoubtedly face a major upheaval. Satsuma and Choshu have suffered tremendous damage, but that doesn’t mean their young human resources have disappeared.”

“True. But wouldn’t that be even more of a problem? The more young and belligerent people there are in the new government, the more likely the country is to become extreme.”

“…Your Highness is right. I cannot offer any excuses regarding the term ‘belligerent.’ But that is precisely why I will be even more useful. I have realized through this incident that Japan must completely revise its policies and reform with the determination to destroy everything and rebuild, with the British Empire as its ideal goal.”

*Saying that he will be useful means he knows what I am worried about and how much my influence will play a role.*

*That’s probably why he’s groveling and pleading faster than anyone else right now.*

“But why are you saying that in front of me? You should say it in front of the Shogun or His Majesty.”

“If this country embarks on modernization with the British Empire as its goal, who will be the most respected and followed by the intellectuals and officials of this country? If His Majesty the Emperor is the father of this country, then Your Highness will be recognized as a teacher. Those who follow Your Highness’s will, those who want to resemble Your Highness, and those who interpret Your Highness’s words well will lead the new order.”

*Hmm… is it to that extent?*

*No. Considering the characteristics of the Orient, especially Japan, Okubo’s words are not without merit.*

*Originally, once Japan starts making a fuss, it can be more extreme than Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom] in many cases.*

*Usually, ordinary Westerners might not, but I am being accepted as a member of the Tokugawa lineage, beyond just being another Asian.*

“In that situation, how can you be useful?”

“Satsuma and Choshu, as Your Highness said, have many hot-blooded individuals. Moreover, there are still many who emphasize the samurai spirit, so there is a risk of them running wild. But I have different ideas from them. If this country is to truly reform with the British Empire as its goal, shouldn’t the authority of the samurai be drastically reduced? There will be those who are dissatisfied in the process, but I, being from Satsuma, can suppress them with the least amount of side effects.”

*He’s volunteering to be the shackle that suppresses the young and extreme ones.*

*Seeing him volunteer for this role, it’s clear that he has a keen sense and an unparalleled ability to read the situation.*

*If I use Okubo to eliminate the extremists, at least Satsuma won’t act out like in the original history.*

*Provided that this man isn’t assassinated.*

“That sounds good. You have a good eye for objectively assessing your position, and I like your disposition. But how can I trust your words?”

“…That is…”

“I’ve seen too many people who change their minds between entering and leaving the bathroom. How do I know if you’ll use my name to get ahead and then wash your hands of me?”

“If such a thing really happens, wouldn’t it be easy for Your Highness to bury me as a traitor? Ah, I see that you don’t want to bother with that. I understand. I will offer my leash to Your Highness here and now.”

He looked around for a moment, then wrote something down on a piece of paper in his own handwriting.

“I, Okubo Toshimichi, am willing to send all my comrades and friends from my hometown to prison, or even purge them if necessary, in order to succeed. This includes not only the lord I served but also my fellow student Saigo Takamori. All of this is to become a key figure in the government…”

He wrote down phrases that would be enough to bury him immediately if made public, and after stamping his fingerprint in blood at the end, he politely handed the paper to me.

“With this, you can expose me and expel me as soon as you think I have other intentions. And I have only written down things that will not cause any harm to Your Highness even if they are made public. Wouldn’t this be the most excellent leash?”

“Alright. If you go this far, I can trust you.”

*Establishing the Emperor’s honor with a constitutional monarchy and appropriately blending in the British aristocratic system will suppress the anxieties of the Shogun and the local daimyo [feudal lords], roughly completing the framework itself.*

*And laying down young intellectuals who will lead the reform with a thorough pro-British Empire motto.*

*Okubo will appropriately weed out the military personnel who will trigger Japan’s rampage, so I can just watch for the time being, right?*

“Thank you! Your Highness! You will never be disappointed.”

“Do well. But if you’re going to be the villain, you know you have to thoroughly protect yourself, right? Don’t forget that there may be assassination attempts at any time, and do your best to protect yourself.”

“To even worry about such things… I understand. I will always keep Your Highness’s advice in my heart.”

*I’m not just worrying, I’m telling him because I know he’s actually going to die that way, but if he’s more careful because of this, there’s nothing wrong with that.*

*If he’s not good enough, I can just replace him.*

I listened to Okubo’s plans and what he had to do in the future, waiting for the negotiations to end.

*My work here is also nearing completion.*

* * *

Kyoto, where the Emperor of Japan resides.

Here, a ceremony was being held to punish the leaders who had started the rebellion.

“It wasn’t me! I only did what the lord of the domain told me to do. The lord of the domain said that the Shogun had confined His Majesty the Emperor, so how could I, as a vassal, not believe it!”

“You trash! The lord of the domain has cherished us so much, and now you’re selling out the lord you served because you’re afraid of death!”

The lords of the Shimazu and Choshu domains had already decided to take all responsibility and commit seppuku [ritual suicide by samurai].

However, how could those who stood tall as victors not enjoy the fun festival of dealing with the defeated soldiers?

As I suggested, most of the young people without decision-making power were not held responsible, but the elders were not.

Some came forward to protect their honor with seppuku, but in fact, those with such samurai spirit were, strictly speaking, a minority.

“I have been arguing for surrender since His Majesty ordered the suppression of the rebels!”

“I sentence the rebels, who show no remorse, to death.”

“I’m, I’m innocent! Ugh!”

Since they hadn’t introduced proper modern trial procedures, they could just send anyone to the gallows with a single word of “rebel,” so there was nothing to be polite about.

The shogunate side was more sincere in dealing with the key figures of the powerful domains than in destroying basic facilities or weapons.

“We don’t think we did anything wrong! Everyone knows that the Shogun has been treating His Majesty the Emperor like a puppet and wielding power privately, so why does the Shogun deny this fact!”

“Your Highness Killian! Your Highness is helping the Shogun ruin this country… Keuk!”

In the execution ceremony, which was called a trial and lasted for three days, many people lost their heads.

Of course, seppuku was not allowed for these people.

In fact, even if it was called seppuku, it was mostly a case of executing the death penalty and then documenting it as seppuku.

Stabbing one’s own stomach is not something that can be easily done, no matter how brave one is.

That’s why seppuku tended to be portrayed as a noble death.

From a third party’s point of view, it seems like a barbaric act, but that’s why those who were defined as rebels would never be allowed to commit seppuku.

The fact that the lords of Satsuma and Choshu were allowed to commit seppuku was closer to a conciliatory measure to secure unconditional surrender.

Of course, after such a large-scale purge was carried out, it was natural to appease the public sentiment of those who remained.

The Emperor once again took the lead in resolving the post-war chaos.

“My loyal subjects. The tragic battle that divided the national opinion into two and caused people to kill each other ends today. Our Imperial country will be reborn from this moment, bid farewell to old customs, and ensure that such tragedies are never repeated in this divine land!”

“Waaaaaaah!”

They didn’t really know what was going on, but since the living god, the Emperor, was coming out and saying so much for the first time, the people felt that something was different from what had been happening.

The daimyo who had been holding their breath in various places were relieved for the time being by the shogunate’s assurance that there would never be such a large-scale purge.

However, this was only the beginning, and another large-scale reform that would determine the future of Japan was waiting for them.

“The Imperial country has been trying to accept only the advanced civilization of the West in name only, while maintaining pre-modern ways of thinking. However, it has become clear that we cannot keep up with the times by doing so. The shogunate, with the approval of His Majesty the Emperor, declares that it will undertake reforms to fundamentally revise the system of the country. Following His Majesty’s era name, this will be called the Kaei Restoration…”

“What does this mean?”

“Does that mean the shogunate is disappearing?”

“What about us? What about the territories belonging to us daimyo?”

“The Shogun should immediately issue a statement guaranteeing the privileges of the samurai class!”

“If you are a true samurai, it is natural to follow the will of His Majesty the Emperor! Do not be bound by the private interests in front of you, but look at the great will of His Majesty the Emperor!”

“You dog of the Shogun! Then tell me what that great will is!”

With the sudden announcement, the whole country was naturally thrown into chaos, and the shogunate side and the pro-shogunate figures who had discussed things with me in advance quickly alleviated their dissatisfaction.

“The Imperial country will refer to the system of the British Empire, the world’s strongest and most advanced country, and undertake reforms. If we modernize the system and reorganize the governing system, the jurisdiction of the territories will inevitably be reduced, but that is the same for the Shogun. However, we will set up a separate parliament for us to ensure that the opinions of the daimyo are not ignored, so don’t worry and follow us.”

“The British Empire has a parliament called the House of Lords, which is joined by nobles corresponding to the daimyo, and the overall policies of the country cannot be passed without the permission of the House of Lords. In this way, even if the control over individual territories is lost, the right to speak on important national affairs will be much greater, so you should not think that you are suffering a unilateral loss.”

*In the beginning, there is a 100% chance that they will only transplant the framework and modify the system as they please, but the significance lies in taking the first step.*

Even if they persuaded them like that, the daimyo did not listen easily, but the Shogun side took action first.

The Shogun first carried out the return of land and people to the Emperor, and Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa, and Saga followed suit.

In the meantime, the Shogun side subtly inserted a clause that they would exclusively occupy the position of speaker of the newly created House of Lords.

In addition, they did not forget to subtly accompany the pressure that if they did not follow, they would become rebels against the Emperor.

“His Majesty the Emperor has already exchanged an agreement with His Highness Killian Gore of the British Empire to engage in mutual cultural exchange. However, going against His Majesty’s will here is ultimately no different from being a rebel who hinders the deep relationship between the British Empire and our country. Keep in mind that you will face the same fate as the rebels who dare to oppose His Majesty’s will!”

*If you resist, you will be treated to a bombardment from British Empire warships like Satsuma and Choshu, so take care of yourself.*

*If you agree here, you can live as a member of the Japanese version of the House of Lords, making some noise, and if you disagree, you will be branded as a rebel.*

In addition, when they told the daimyo that they would give them about 10% of the levy that used to come from their domains as stipends, a significant number of daimyo showed a reaction to accept it.

*Saying it’s 10% is just a figure of speech, but in order to manage the territory, they had to hire many people and pay expenses, but if they received a stipend, there was no money going into it, so it was by no means a small amount.*

*If you tell the head of a company that you will give them 10% of the sales every year, so step down and hand over ownership, wouldn’t there be people who would accept it?*

Closing the doors of each domain and moving on to the enactment of the constitution was the same as the Meiji Restoration [period of modernization in Japan] in the original history, but there was one major difference.

“The new Imperial country should take the British Empire as its model and reorganize the system.”

“His Highness Killian Gore said that the military’s involvement in politics is something that only happens in barbaric countries! Our newborn Imperial country will strictly control the military so that it never becomes such a barbaric country!”

“You took the swords from the samurai, and now you’re even taking away the right to participate in politics!”

“Leave if you don’t like it.”

There were still seeds of discord left, but it doesn’t seem too difficult for the pro-Killian Gore faction to reach the center of power.

From Joseon to Japan.

The blueprint for a grand plan to completely dominate Northeast Asia was roughly completed.

All that’s left is… Victoria’s back smash?

On the way back

Around the time Killian, who had laid the groundwork for Joseon and Japan, was returning to Shanghai.

The European Allied Forces, gathered to overthrow the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom [rebellious state in China] in Qing China, were in the midst of carrying out their operations.

British Empire, France, Prussia, Austria.

In addition, the righteous armies recruited by Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang, Qing’s last hope, began to push back the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s forces.

In fact, the Eight Banners Army and the Green Standard Army were so terrible that Qing’s power was not originally so weak that it would be pushed back by mere civilian rebels.

When proper commanders such as Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang directly led the righteous armies, the situation became somewhat similar, and when the Western support forces were added, the situation was quickly reversed.

The European Allied Forces were only deployed to battlefields where the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s soldiers were heavily invested, but the damage to the allied forces was not significant.

Originally, they were scheduled to be deployed a little later, but the most efficient weapon for using pre-modern armies armed with melee weapons.

The early model of the multi-barreled machine gun was deployed to the front lines.

The item was created by Killian after the war with Russia, but the principle itself could be implemented with current technology, so development wasn’t difficult.

The key was that it had multiple barrels and something rotated to fire bullets alternately from each barrel.

It was an early model, so it fired a little less than 200 rounds per minute. But at this point, where the limit was about 3 to 4 rounds per minute for standard firearms, that alone was revolutionary.

“Ugh… ugh….”

“S, s, save… save me!”

“It’s the devil’s weapon! Run away!”

In fact, even with groups using melee weapons, it was possible to overwhelm armies using firearms by sheer numbers.

No matter how fast a gun fires, it was possible to overwhelm the opponent by covering them with even greater numbers.

However, after the introduction of the machine gun, simple numerical superiority became meaningless in a head-on fight.

Doo-doo-doo-doo!

The moment the ear-splitting firing sound erupted, those running ahead were all riddled with holes and collapsed to the ground.

Even if the accuracy was low, it was more difficult to miss if tens of thousands of people charged together, so there was no need for precise aiming.

The brave people who ran ahead died first, bleeding profusely.

Those who followed also died with a scream before they could even grasp the situation.

The more they were clustered together, the more they died like practice targets without any resistance.

The French and Prussian forces, witnessing the overwhelming firepower of the British Empire, salivated and vowed to develop such weapons as soon as they returned.

The righteous army leaders, who were there to support the Allied forces, were horrified by the massacre unfolding before their eyes.

“This… isn’t a battle.”

By order of the imperial court, even those who surrendered were executed and their lineage wiped out if they were rebels of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom [a large-scale revolt against the Qing dynasty in China, lasting from 1850 to 1864], so this massacre should have been welcomed.

However, even though they were rebels, Li Hongzhang couldn’t bear to see them being helplessly massacred like that.

It wasn’t so much that the rebels were dying, but the worry of what would happen if those terrible weapons were aimed at them.

Still, with that weapon, it was impossible to lose in a full-scale war, even if they wanted to.

This fact had a significant impact on boosting the morale of their side.

“Spread the word about the tremendous killing power of the English… no, our Allied forces! If those rebel bastards know this, they will run away or give up to survive.”

Even if they would be executed no matter what if they surrendered, so they wouldn’t surrender with a white flag, they could expect a mass desertion or a collapse in morale.

The ignorant people of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom would change their strategy once they realized it was impossible to push through with numbers.

He judged that if they pierced through that gap, they could push the enemies more easily than expected.

Thus, Li Hongzhang requested the British Empire to deploy machine gun units in every important battle, playing a major role and easily suppressing the rebels.

Anyway, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom bastards were the worst of humanity, killing Manchus [the ruling ethnic minority in China during the Qing dynasty] without question as soon as they saw them.

Even if they killed millions, they shouldn’t feel any guilt.

“His Majesty’s order is to not spare a single rebel! Kill them all!”

“Attack, commence attack! Let’s kill all those rebel bastards and avenge our families and friends!”

“You, you children of the devil! Aren’t you ashamed to sell your souls to the Westerners and use such impure weapons!”

“Those guys are afraid of our new weapons and can’t fight together! Exterminate all the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom bastards!”

The hell of this world, where more than 20 million people were dying, continued to devour countless lives and grow even larger.

* * *

The continuous stream of victory reports and the army’s success.

Even the estimation of the terrifying number of deaths, which they had given up counting some time ago.

No matter how much the Qing Dynasty officials closed their eyes and ears, they could no longer deny reality.

Two days before returning to the British Empire, Prince Gong [an influential statesman of the late Qing dynasty], who had rushed from Beijing, obediently accepted all the conditions I presented, effectively declaring to the world that they could no longer call themselves an empire.

“···Qing confirms that Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom] and Ryukyu [chain of islands in Japan] are completely independent sovereign states with no relation to Qing, and will not demand any interference in Joseon’s system, such as contributions or precedents.”

In the case of Vietnam, they decided to leave it to France to take it by force.

Prussia and Austria would also sign treaties with Qing that were nominally for trade but were actually unequal.

With this, Qing was effectively finished.

France, which had been drooling over the huge market of Qing, was jumping for joy, and Prussia and Austria, which had been sucking their thumbs because they had no room to intervene, were cheering with delight.

Prince Gong had no choice but to accept our demands.

To completely suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, they would still have to carry out suppression operations for at least several years, but what if the European Allied Forces withdrew from here?

Given the current state of conscience of European countries, they could easily turn their guns around, not just withdraw from the war.

Then the war situation, which had barely been reversed, would quickly tilt again. How could they resist?

“Our British Empire only wishes to share friendship with the Qing imperial family on an equal footing, so please convey this well to His Majesty, Your Highness.”

“Of course. Our Qing also hopes to build a lasting friendship with the British Empire.”

“So, you have no objection to Joseon and Ryukyu recognizing our British Empire as an empire, right?”

“···Joseon and Ryukyu are countries that have no connection with our country, as I said before. Whatever they do has nothing to do with us.”

They had to nail this down firmly to prevent any complaints from coming out later.

“Then the British Empire promises to maintain the Allied forces until the end of this suppression war, right?”

“Of course. We will provide generous support as long as your country pays for the maintenance.”

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

Anyway, the work of elevating the British royal family to the status of an imperial family through Joseon and Ryukyu had been successfully completed, and since they had already permanently taken the juicy land, there wasn’t much more to covet from Qing.

All that remained was to make the entire island of Taiwan, in addition to Tainan, their territory.

However, taking that much land in exchange for supporting the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was not reasonable, so they needed to pretend to be restrained for now.

Since France and Prussia, overflowing with greed, would definitely want something bigger, they could subtly join in at that time and take Taiwan.

The long Asian schedule was completely finished with this.

Since there would be no reason for me to return directly for at least ten years, I said goodbye to Prince Gong and left Shanghai behind.

And the great powers of the 19th century, who were already intoxicated with their own power, realized that their era had perfectly opened with this event.

“There are no more regions in this world that our white people cannot control at will! Now is the opportunity! Let’s mobilize as many troops as possible to expand our colonies so that our France does not fall behind the British Empire!”

“Countries that only use melee weapons are no longer our opponents. We should also commercialize Killian-style machine guns right away to develop overseas colonies. We can now suppress uncivilized people with fewer soldiers, so if we hesitate here, other countries will take the lead! We must not fall behind France, even if we fall behind the British Empire!”

“That’s right! From now on, it’s a competition of who can grab land faster!”

“The government is urged to immediately establish a plan for colonial expansion and implement it….”

Countries that were already obsessed with securing colonies became even more confident and unrestrained.

The gap in firepower and technology, which could never be closed, was believed to be the victory of the civilization created by white people.

-Because white people are mentally and physically far superior to yellow and black people, it is natural for European white people to rule people from other regions. It is an act of grace for us white people, who boast a civilization superior to them, to rule the colonists, and it is our duty to civilize them.

Sounds that would shock modern people of the 21st century were openly spread to the public through the mouths of intellectuals and newspapers without any hesitation.

The age of imperialism was clearly heading towards its peak.

* * *

February 1854.

After finishing my Asian tour, which took longer than expected, I returned to London and stepped proudly on the ground, receiving praise from citizens and numerous politicians from both parties.

“Long live Killian!”

“Welcome back!”

Now, no one could deny that the British Empire had become a true empire.

It was not just a title with mere pomp, but the negotiations with Russia were also completely concluded, and a large amount of grain produced in the Black Earth Plains began to flow into the home country.

For the common people, the latter would have been much more tangible than the emperor title, which they probably didn’t even feel.

Of course, politicians spared no praise for my achievement of bringing Northeast Asia under the influence of the British Empire without even waging a war.

“With this, even if Russia recovers its power, it will never be able to come out through Asia.”

“If Joseon and Japan smoothly come under our influence, the Pacific Ocean will practically become our sea.”

“If Rome called the Mediterranean Sea its inner sea, our British Empire is the same as having the oceans of the world as our inner sea. It is truly the birth of the most powerful empire in world history!”

“Esteemed members of parliament. I know you are excited, but we still have a long way to go. It is too early to boast that we are the most powerful empire in history.”

It was good to be hopeful, but I felt uneasy hearing stories that seemed to be filled with arrogance.

Wellesley and Disraeli, as well as Gladstone, who had a clearly different tendency from them, were all sparkling their eyes and shouting ‘More territory! More influence!’

The fact that all of this happened within an hour of arriving in London made my head spin.

“Your Highness! Do you have any areas in mind for future development?”

“What should we do with the Australian region you mentioned last time?”

“Your Highness! Please take the lead so that other countries cannot expand their influence in Northeast Asia…!”

“Stop! Stop! I just returned to my country today, please let me rest!”

It was like they were hyenas, as if colonies would fall from the sky if they clung to me.

I was carried to Buckingham Palace half-fainted, my whole body tattered with fatigue.

“···I was wondering how to scold you properly when I saw you in person.”

Victoria, who saw me for the first time, who was prepared for endless back smashes and 24-hour nagging, shook her head with her forehead in her hands.

“Ha… haha, it’s been a while, my respected and beloved Queen….”

“Okay, go up and sleep first. I can’t even get angry because I feel sorry for you.”

She, who said words that were so welcome that I could count them on my fingers, gently hugged me and patted my back.

It felt like she put a little too much strength into it, but it felt as soft as an angel’s touch, probably because of my sins?

“I’ll cancel all the schedules for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, so stay at the palace and rest. It would be a disaster if you got sick.”

“I’m sorry….”

“However, don’t even think about moving from here for at least 5 years. I will never allow you to board a ship until you have at least two more children.”

“Yes. That is a wise decision.”

A great sinner who had spent more time abroad than with her since we got married, that was me.

A 5-year travel ban was rather a light punishment, so I had to bow my head and thank her. I couldn’t dare to object to the decision of the generous Victoria.

Still, she didn’t say a single word about international affairs or colonies, and quietly stayed by my side until the moment I closed my eyes in bed.

For some reason, I almost shed tears because I was so grateful, but I didn’t show it.

I’m glad I came back after all. Home.