I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 309

The Dawn of a New Era (3)

As the conflict in America surfaced ahead of the upcoming presidential election, other European nations didn’t consider it a serious issue.

Of course, there weren’t any complete fools who didn’t pay attention at all. Everyone was analyzing data and trying to figure out how much of an impact it would have on their respective economies.

However, all their attention was focused solely on their own economies.

Whether the United States fought among themselves or not, Europe didn’t care about political stability across the Atlantic.

As long as the massive amount of food coming from the northern regions and the world’s largest supply of cotton from the southern regions were maintained, most places didn’t care what happened.

‘Oh, we don’t care if you abolish slavery or not, just give us cotton.’

‘Flour and corn are produced just fine without slaves, right? Then I guess it doesn’t matter.’

Great Britain, as well as powerful nations like France and Prussia, were all optimistic about the situation.

This was because even within the United States, the party involved, very few people thought a real problem would occur.

Numerous politicians in Europe and the United States had watched the North and South bluffing countless times, making strong statements, so it was inevitable.

“If the North oppresses our legitimate rights in the South, we will no longer remain within the framework of the Union! It is the North’s Republican Party’s atrocities that make us do so, not our fault!”

“If our Republican Party wins the presidential election, we will immediately abolish the barbaric and inhumane slavery system! Slavery is an outdated evil practice that only erodes the progress of society! Which of the major European powers still maintains slavery!”

The current political landscape of the United States had recently split into a two-party system of Republicans and Democrats, but the Republican Party, which was close to a new group, was not a completely unified group economically or politically.

It was closer to a kind of alliance in which the remnants of the now-defunct Whig Party [a political party active in the mid-19th century], anti-immigrant sentiments, and anti-slavery sentiments were united only for the single purpose of abolishing slavery.

However, as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and the slave states in the South, which were increasingly crossing the line, had long been synonymous with dislike in the North.

In fact, the North wasn’t that favorable to black people.

Northerners also considered blacks to be an inferior race and believed that it was only natural for whites to hold key positions in society.

The Democratic Party also constantly whispered white supremacy to target these people, but the reason why it was ineffective was because the perception of the slave owners in the South was so terrible.

Even those in the North who were conservative and said that there was no need to treat black people so well were like, ‘Still, the South is a bit much…’

The South knew this well, so they made strong statements every day, and the North escalated their statements, creating a vicious cycle.

Nevertheless, the North still did not expect the South to really leave the Union.

The South, which had been saying that for decades, had already become the boy who cried wolf.

“We have clearly warned you! Everyone knows how we will act if a Republican who advocates the abolition of slavery wins the presidential election! Slavery is the foundation of our Union, which even the founding fathers did not deny, and the Republican Party is trying to shake that foundation by promoting the fancy word of human rights! I clearly say that this is different from the previous lukewarm warnings!”

“Oh, I see. Yes, yes.”

-If you warn us, what are you going to do? Are you really going to leave the Union?

-The population is small, and the level of industrial maturity has already widened to an incomparable level. What can you do?

Even by simply comparing the population, the North already had nearly four times as many people as the South, and it was producing incomparably more food than the South, where agriculture was the main industry.

Unlike the South, where manual labor was still the norm, the North had introduced state-of-the-art machines, and the level of difference had widened to the point where even women could farm instead of men.

Because of this situation, Northern intellectuals mocked that the South was falling behind even more because it was adhering to slavery.

They said that because they were only exploiting slaves without the will to develop, they had less incentive to develop new technologies.

The flow of the times has already completely shifted.

There is no way that the politicians of the new Republican Party would not know this fact, which even Northern intellectuals know.

The key figures and aides of the party preparing for the presidential election were already confident of victory at this point.

“The analysis from yesterday, Candidate, is very encouraging. If we continue like this, there will be no problem in securing at least 170 members of the Electoral College [a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president], so victory is virtually certain.”

“There are still several months left, but you say it’s certain? Don’t you know that even a winnable fight can be lost with such a complacent attitude? Never let your guard down at any time.”

“Ah, yes! I’m sorry.”

“Still, let’s hear the analysis first. Maybe it’s analyzed too favorably for us, right?”

Even if it is true that it is advantageous, it is useless if the tension is lost like that.

Lincoln nodded, trying to suppress the thought that was flooding in his mind, ‘I need to crack down on discipline on a large scale,’ at the secretary’s report.

Although he has been exuding a powerful presence for several years and has established himself as the leading candidate of the Republican Party, if he loses this fight, all his efforts so far may be in vain in an instant.

Even if you have an advantageous position, isn’t the election something that can be overturned enough with just one trivial variable?

Of course, even so, there was a reason why the secretaries were so confident.

“The current election situation is proceeding as an unprecedented four-way battle. It is expected that the conservatives of the old Whig Party will gather a considerable number of electors in the South-Central region, and the Democratic Party is strongly opposed to Douglas, who wants to follow the freedom of each state, and has fallen into self-destruction by putting Breckenridge as a new candidate.”

“But isn’t it possible to succeed in a dramatic compromise and unify all candidates except me? Even if the possibility is low, we must always keep the worst-case scenario in mind.”

“Yes. However, according to a rough survey, we can easily gather a majority only in the northern regions that want to abolish slavery. There are already 173 absolutely dominant support areas that we can know without even opening the lid. In other words, the situation is that there are 21 more people than the 152 needed for a majority.”

“······.”

At this point, it is no exaggeration to say that the presidential election is over.

This means that even if we assume the worst-case scenario in which we do not get a single vote in the South and South-Central regions, we have already exceeded the majority by a wide margin.

But even in a situation where he was virtually designated as the winner. No, that’s why Lincoln’s expression wasn’t so bright.

“Why is that? Is there a problem with our calculations······.”

“No, that’s not it. Rather, it’s because it’s too consistent with my thoughts.”

“…Yes?”

If we can win smoothly like this, he has a worried expression, so the secretaries exchanged a look that they couldn’t understand.

“Isn’t it surprising that our party, which doesn’t have a long history, is gaining such an overwhelming advantage? If this continues, the Democratic Party will never be able to escape from being a minor party that can’t even spread its wings properly unless it’s in the southern rural villages······.”

“Yes. So that’s the problem.”

“······?”

At this rate, he’s about to be branded as a Republican presidential candidate who’s worried about the Democratic Party.

Still, Lincoln thought he had a duty to tell his party comrades, who were drunk with victory, the cold reality.

“Now, I know very well what you are thinking. You must be happy. You must be excited. If this continues, we will be able to bring not only the presidential election but also an overwhelming number of seats in the House of Representatives. The South and the Democratic Party are completely isolated, and the situation is about to unfold where our Republican Party completely controls the House and the executive branch and can do everything we want, so why wouldn’t you be happy?”

“…Are you worried that the party might split if there is no strong competitor?”

That won’t work. As expected, they don’t even have a clue what the problem is.

“Now, think about it. Do you think the Democratic Party doesn’t know the facts that you and I know? What about the Southern planters [wealthy landowners in the South who relied on slave labor]?”

“They know…right?”

Even if the Senate can’t be helped, the number of seats in the House of Representatives is determined in proportion to the population.

In other words, now that the population difference has already widened to nearly four times, the South has found it impossible to get their will through the House of Representatives no matter what they do.

Even in the presidential election, it turned out that there was no problem in completely excluding the South.

To put it simply, this means that the United States can operate without any problems even if it completely excludes the South, and the South can no longer exert any influence on the operation of the United States.

This is why Lincoln is taking the South’s threats differently than usual.

“If all the states in the South unite and cast their votes, realizing that it has no effect…can’t you guess what will happen then?”

“······.”

The best result Lincoln wanted was for even a few regions in the South to have dissenting votes.

That way, the South could turn the arrow to the traitors and start looking for the culprit because they lost.

But if the president is decided even though not a single member of the Electoral College was obtained from the South… .

“Is there any way to secretly contact the ambassadors of Great Britain or France?”

“They will welcome you if you ask to meet them because they know who the leading candidate is. However, it is not good to be known to the outside, so I will try to create a meeting as secretly as possible.”

If this is known, the Democratic Party will attack, saying that he is acting as if he is already the president, but the reality is that he cannot think of a better way than this now.

“Yes, keep in mind that these few months may be the decisive moment that will determine the future of the United States.”

For now, creating as much tension as possible like this was all he could do.

* * *

At the same time.

London, Great Britain, Buckingham Palace.

“According to statistics, wheat and cotton prices are steadily declining.”

“That’s a good sign.”

“Egypt is planning to increase cotton production even more than it is now. It seems that Your Majesty has put a lot of wind into it.”

“‘Put wind into it’? I just casually mentioned that it could be a good business opportunity. It’s their fault that they went crazy, not mine.”

I just casually told them about the current presidential election situation in the United States and the results it would bring.

I only added the possibility that the South might try to secure the support of European powers by using cotton exports as a weapon, but I didn’t say a word about extracting more cotton?

“I guess so. The South also has to make money, so they won’t be able to hoard cotton for ten million years, and then Egypt, which has increased production, will have to bear a huge deficit again, but of course you wouldn’t have mentioned that possibility, right?”

“Isn’t it the person who undertakes the business who bears the risk in the first place?”

“Show Egypt a taste of money and then return a bigger deficit later… truly a strategy worthy of His Royal Highness. Then what will you ask Egypt for in return?”

“When I saw it last time, the Egyptian government was caught up in the strange delusion that the Suez Canal was theirs. Isn’t that because they have a small stake in it? I plan to recover all the shares neatly so that such words don’t come out at all.”

Still, making the stake 0% is too harsh, so would it be better to leave a little bit?

Whatever the case, it is necessary to prepare in advance from now on to make the leash on Egypt stronger and tougher.

Wellesley shook the glass filled with red wine and smiled wryly.

“For Your Majesty’s plan to become a reality, the South must eventually resume cotton exports, but surely you don’t have any plans to side with the South to antagonize Canada?”

“If it’s purely for the benefit of our Great Britain, it’s better for the South to win. But isn’t it too ugly for our Great Britain, which abolished slavery first in the world, to show a move that supports slavery?”

“So if you’re going to help the South, you’ll have to bring up something other than supporting slavery.”

“Not only from the perspective of the home country, but also for Canada, selling weapons directly to the South can cause considerable backlash. Anyway, Canada is welcoming countless blacks by treating runaway slaves like human beings, but siding with the South instead of the North and supplying weapons? It’s like throwing away your own principles.”

However, if weapons are only supplied to the North, which already has abundant industrial production capacity, the possibility that performance will be worse than expected cannot be denied.

“If this side unilaterally supports the North, the war will tilt in an instant even if a war breaks out, as Your Majesty said. It would be shocking if the United States heard it, but it seems better for the war to be a little more balanced for the benefit of this side.”

As if he wasn’t the prime minister of the original Hate Empire, he was trying to exploit the prey to the bone as soon as the opportunity to make money came.

Yes, that’s what it takes to be called the Prime Minister of my Great Britain.

“As the Prime Minister said, it is not profitable to sell to only one side. And the region that is relatively more in need of weapons is the South, so we have to sell more weapons to the side that will make more money.”

“But it is difficult for Canada to openly sell weapons to the South because the local public sentiment is as Your Majesty said······.”

“Wise people gain experience from the past. There is already a route that has been quite successful.”

“…Ah, that’s right. There were guys who were perfect for the role of buying weapons and adding a premium.”

One of the reasons why the United States, which was trying to push Mexico coolly, was unexpectedly struggling.

Our friend Spain is watching the American continent with his eyes wide open, looking for an opportunity to make money, so shouldn’t we use these guys?

Above all, Spain is also drooling over the American continent, so they will want the power of the United States to weaken more than anyone else.

Having gained experience from the previous time, they will be able to bring and sell supplies more skillfully this time.

If we sell weapons and also entrust them with the role of being a shield, taking all the resentment from the United States in the future?

This is sweeter than I thought.

The Weight of the Crown

October, about a month before the US presidential election.

Edward, the Crown Prince of the British Empire, finished his tour of Canada and arrived in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States.

In fact, this itinerary wasn’t planned with the unusual atmosphere in the United States in mind.

It was just a casual plan made without much thought, thinking that since he was visiting Canada, it wouldn’t hurt to stop by the United States to promote friendship.

Since he had to find Antonio Meucci in the United States anyway, he had no choice but to come over here at least once.

However, he never dreamed that such a sharp conflict would arise precisely when he happened to be visiting the capital.

Thanks to this, Edward never had a moment of peace of mind while attending balls and various social gatherings.

The only time he felt comfortable was when he was talking to President Buchanan, who wasn’t running for re-election after this term.

Even when he attended the Academy Ball in New York.

Even when he visited George Washington’s tomb in Mount Vernon.

He was dizzy from the subtle approaches of the Northern and Southern congressmen who were subtly appealing for the British Empire’s support.

“Your Highness, did the President give you any hints during this visit?”

“Did the current President say anything about matters related to the Democratic Party…?”

“Your Highness, a human rights protection commemoration [memorial event] will be held in New York this time, and it would be a great honor if Your Highness could grace the occasion with your presence.”

“It would be better to attend the commemoration held in Mississippi this time than that ev–[ent]…”

*What event are you talking about?*

It was obvious that it would be a revival meeting for the abolition or advocacy of slavery, so what would I hear if I participated in it?

Anyway, my aides will cut off all that nonsense, but even if they don’t, I have no intention of causing unnecessary political controversy here from the beginning.

In the first place, I’m just a Crown Prince with no real power, so why are they so eager to exploit me?

In other words, it means that the political situation over there is serious, and this is a problem that must be taken seriously.

I want to leave right now, but considering the purpose of coming here, I can’t, so it’s driving me crazy.

However, if I don’t meet with anyone and only take a safe course because the situation is sensitive, I can’t avoid criticism that I only have that much ability.

If the goal is a safe politician A, I can just do nothing, but the position I’m in is not just that.

In the end, Edward took the time to greet all the presidential candidates who were currently in sharp conflict, with the aim of promoting the unwavering friendship between the British Empire and the United States.

Wouldn’t this silence those who keep making noise to subtly probe the British Empire’s intentions?

It was customary to meet with key representatives of all parties for diplomatic etiquette and neutrality, so it was tiring, but there was no choice.

Diplomats or high-ranking officials of the visiting country generally do not interfere in internal politics, but I felt the need to understand the current situation clearly.

It would be a good achievement to anticipate what the candidate who is likely to be elected is thinking and how it will affect the home country.

To be honest, Douglas, Breckinridge, and John Bell had virtually no chance of being elected, so meeting them was just a smokescreen.

The real target was Republican representative Abraham Lincoln, and he also showed great interest in this meeting.

“Our United States will not waver no matter what happens and will continue to firmly maintain its center as it is now. It is my wish to build an unwavering relationship of trust with the British Empire in the future.”

“So do we. Our country and the United States are becoming more and more economically close, aren’t they? I think it would be best for both sides to stand firm without wavering.”

Lincoln continued to emphasize the words ‘trust’ and ‘unity’ throughout the conversation.

It must be an expression of his determination that the United States will not be divided or fall into internal strife due to this conflict.

“Many people in the British Empire may be worried about the future of the United States after the election. But I believe that not only I but also other candidates have said the same thing. No matter who becomes president, the United States will not be shaken by this. As always, the conflict will be resolved, and like the ground hardening after the rain, it will take root more firmly. I would appreciate it if Your Highness could reassure those who are worried across the Atlantic that there is no need to worry.”

“Of course. Our country also wants your country to continue exporting various foods and cotton as it does now, so in a way, the British Empire is the one that wants the United States not to waver more than anyone else.”

“If so, please be sure to mention that our United States is an attractive investment destination. Hahaha!”

The atmosphere was friendly until the end.

If the person who will become president is saying this much for sure, the United States will not be shaken even after the election.

After all, all the rumors circulating in the world were nonsense.

There won’t be anyone stupid enough to think that I should reassure those who are worried as soon as I get back, right?

As the saying goes, a cornered dog barks loudly, and the more anxious a person is, the louder their voice becomes.

When was it? Suddenly, a word my father told me as a joke flashed through my mind.

‘Don’t use words that are too strong. Because it looks weak.’

At the time, I laughed it off, but the current political situation in the United States was exactly like that.

-There will never be division.

The voices of those who shouted this sounded to Edward’s ears as if they were shouting, ‘We are in danger of division right now.’

[United States…It is highly likely that they will face serious internal conflict as soon as the presidential election is over. Both the North and the South seem to absolutely want the support of the British Empire, so I suggest considering how to use this situation to our advantage.]

Maybe this is an opportunity.

An opportunity to change the current evaluation of being a mediocre son of a great father into praise that the son is like the father.

Edward, who had clearly organized the situation in his mind, seriously pondered what that useful application was and moved to fulfill the remaining schedule.

* * *

[South Carolina, “If Lincoln is elected, we may secede from the Union.” Are these increasingly radical remarks sincere?]

[Jefferson Davis rebukes! “Lincoln’s election is the North’s declaration of war to ruin the South.”]

[“A house divided cannot stand.” Republican candidate Lincoln dismisses the possibility of division!]

“How is it going?”

“As expected. Everyone feels that the atmosphere is getting more and more ominous. But it seems that there are still no people who feel that it is a real crisis. If that were the case, investors would have pulled out, but there are no signs of that. Ah, but it seems that His Highness Edward feels that the situation is unusual. He secretly added that we should seriously consider the possibility of civil war and discuss intervention plans.”

“That child?”

“Yes. Isn’t he admirable? He seems to be diligently collecting information in the United States in the hope of being of some help to the home country.”

Wellesley smiled and showed the coded message that Edward had sent by telegram.

*Sigh*, I told him to just enjoy the trip comfortably, but he was running around like that, so he must not have been able to rest properly.

As I shook my head, Disraeli, who had been listening to the story quietly, threw out a word.

“Your Highness, why don’t you send him a word of praise?”

“Praise?”

“Yes. In a way, His Highness Edward has directly proven Your Highness’s prediction, hasn’t he? So, even a word of praise or encouragement…”

“Good idea. Your Highness, let’s do as Minister Disraeli says.”

How should I interpret the fact that the Prime Minister and the Secretary of the Treasury of the British Empire are proposing to send a message of encouragement to my son?

“Did Edward say anything to you two separately?”

“Yes?”

“No, well… I did mention it because he asked me about various things.”

“What did he ask?”

“Just various stories about Your Highness’s childhood… But I didn’t say anything special.”

Wellesley quickly added a word, and then Disraeli belatedly waved his hand and hurriedly added.

“It wasn’t me either. I just said that His Royal Highness helped me when I was a freshman. Really.”

“No, when did I ever blame you? I’m just trying to find out the facts.”

I wondered why he seemed to have so many thoughts lately, but it seems he heard unnecessary stories.

However, I had no intention of blaming Disraeli or Wellesley.

I couldn’t deliberately downplay it and say that your father wasn’t a big deal to a son who came to hear about his father’s achievements, could I?

Especially if the target is the Prince Consort and Crown Prince of this country.

“I kept telling him not to do that since he was a child because he might feel burdened, but it seems it was no use.”

“…That’s usually the case. It is said that children with capable parents inevitably have complexes. I heard that the Prime Minister also had similar concerns…right?”

“That was the case, but you and Your Highness are different, aren’t you? The Prime Minister’s child does not become the Prime Minister, but the Crown Prince has no choice but to become the Emperor, so the quality of the burden will be different.”

“No, well…”

He *may* become Emperor.

If that child lives to be almost 70 years old…he *may* be Emperor for a few years, right?

Considering Victoria’s lifespan in the original history, Edward is destined not to feel that burdened.

But I can’t say that your mother will live to be 90 years old, so don’t worry too much, can I?

Besides, even if becoming king is a distant future, it would be a huge stress to be criticized as an incompetent Crown Prince.

That’s why I gave him information about the phonograph and sent him to North America to give him as many opportunities as possible to build achievements, wasn’t it?

I was originally going to praise him for bringing Antonio Meucci, but I didn’t know that the order would be so twisted.

I’ve been feeling this way for a long time, but it’s not for nothing that people say that there’s nothing you can do about raising children.

Politics and economics still have some truth to the saying that you reap what you sow, but raising children is not like that.

It was an unpredictable field where A was sown but B came out, and B was sown but Z came out instead.

The focus is on the Crown Prince Edward, but if you look at it honestly, it’s not just that child who has a problem.

Adelaide, his twin sister, also sometimes does things that make Victoria grab the back of her neck.

This clever princess also figured out that her father would die for her if she acted cute a few times, so she always used me as a shield when she was at a disadvantage.

How many times have I been sincerely scolded by Victoria…Before raising children, the status of the husband, who was a trustworthy and respected figure, plummeted in an instant.

“Prime Minister?”

“Yes.”

“If you have time, could you help me review the message to send to Edward? I’m not very good at this kind of thing.”

“Your Highness is also having a hard time.”

Wellesley nodded with a bitter smile of sympathy.

The Prince Consort and Prime Minister of the British Empire are discussing how to cheer up their troublesome son.

It would have been much easier to discuss how to deal with a civil war in the United States.

If I went to see the house next door collapse and came back to find that my house had collapsed, I would really cry, right?

After that, I had to rewrite the contents of the letter as many as five times in order to write a comment that was as understated as possible, amazing, and yet encouraging.