I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 313

Day of Division (2)

“Um… Your Highness? I apologize for asking, but I don’t understand. May I ask a question?”

“Of course.”

“Maintaining neutrality while issuing a statement supporting the North, considering Canada’s demographic makeup, seems like the obvious choice. But isn’t continuing to operate the munitions factories a contradiction?”

John Bright, who posed the question, and even Palmerston, who had been advocating for supporting the South, both looked bewildered, as if they couldn’t understand.

It was a logically sound point.

Unless they were supporting the South, the North, already equipped with large-scale industrial facilities, wouldn’t need to import that many supplies from Canada.

If the war dragged on, they would naturally import supplies, but running all the factories at full capacity just to produce that amount would be wasteful.

Russell quickly added a word in a polite but urgent tone.

“Furthermore, Your Highness, if we support the South with Canada’s full capacity, they will be quickly overwhelmed by the North. If we were in a situation where the North desperately needed food, we might consider it, but they are already importing vast amounts of food from the Black Earth region. I doubt there’s a need to do that.”

“That’s a valid point. The reason Canada declared neutrality is precisely because of that. If the North ends the war too quickly, there’s a risk that the Union’s power will grow to an unmanageable level.”

“Then we should support the South…”

“That’s rejected. We need to prepare various excuses just to declare neutrality. Supporting the South is out of the question. The reason we’re keeping the factories running is that the countries to which we will export weapons have been decided. Canada has signed contracts to supply weapons to Spain and Mexico for the time being.”

“Mexico? Spain?”

Almost everyone except Wellesley blinked and looked at each other.

Do you understand what he’s saying? I don’t.

Yeah, me too?

Even without hearing their voices, I could read their thoughts just by looking at their eyes.

With the representatives’ urging for further explanation, I calmly continued my explanation.

“Recently, the Spanish Ambassador from Cordoba visited me. Spain is expressing deep concern about the Union’s belligerence. They feel considerable anxiety about their willingness to wage war against other countries, and even engage in civil war if their policies don’t align.”

“…That makes sense.”

There have been many countries at war recently, but no country in Europe is currently engaged in such a large-scale civil war.

They’re beating up other countries and their own people, throwing punches in all directions, so it’s no wonder that neighboring countries are anxious and can’t live in peace.

“So Spain felt the need to increase its own armaments.”

“Yes. They requested it from Canada, not their home country, so I signed the contract under my authority.”

“But did Spain have the capacity to import that much military supplies?”

“They made a lot of profit selling weapons to Mexico in the last war. And they also have the mining rights to the Mexican silver mines, so they will pay with that.”

The superficial excuse was already perfectly prepared.

Even though it’s a colony, Spain considers Cuba virtually a part of its territory, and who can say anything if they buy weapons to defend this territory?

“Then Mexico…”

“Mexico goes without saying. Mexico has been declared war on by the Union twice for ridiculous reasons. They even fought fiercely in the second war, so of course they would want to strengthen their defense capabilities.”

“The North will also purchase some supplies, and the rest will be imported by Mexico and Spain… That’s about right.”

“That’s right. For the sake of our Great British Empire’s dignity and prestige, we will not directly intervene in the war, but we will reap the benefits that can be gained from the war. Others may call it cold-hearted, but as Lord Palmerston said, we must prioritize the national interests of the Great British Empire.”

In a way, my words, which were a reasonable compromise, made both the North and South support factions set aside their claims and nod.

“If we issue a statement supporting the North and export supplies when the North wants them, I have no objection. Then we won’t directly export weapons to the South?”

“Selling weapons made by hardworking black laborers to those who don’t even treat blacks as human beings doesn’t look good.”

“Exactly! I fully agree with Your Highness’s policy!”

The North support faction was completely satisfied with this and closed their mouths, but Russell still didn’t look relieved, as if his worries hadn’t completely disappeared.

“It’s certainly good to take care of both the justification and the practical benefits. But if the North quickly suppresses the South, won’t the period for reaping those benefits end quickly?”

“Now, now! Lord Palmerston, you know very well that His Highness is weighing the righteousness and the practical benefits to find the best middle ground. Just because the practical benefits are good doesn’t mean we can side with slavery and sell weapons or warships to the South!”

“…That’s true, but frankly, if the South loses this year, the losses from starting and stopping the factory could be greater. Although there won’t really be any losses…”

“Now, now, esteemed representatives. You don’t have to raise your voices so much. And Lord Palmerston, I know what you’re worried about, but it won’t be decided that quickly.”

Most of the official statements in Parliament are recorded in Hansard [the official report of all parliamentary debates] and can be viewed from the outside.

If it were a national secret-level document, the statement itself would not be recorded, but today’s meeting is not that important, so I could see the stenographers diligently moving their pens.

So, I won’t say a word here about Spain selling weapons to the South.

Good-natured Canada has only sold weapons to Spain and Mexico, who are experiencing security concerns.

The Great British Empire and Canada absolutely do not condone the inhumane atrocities of the South, who treat blacks as slaves!

I really couldn’t have imagined that Spain and Mexico would sell weapons to the South.

But since we’ve already signed the contract, we can’t help but continue to export, can we?

That was roughly the development I was trying to come up with.

So, the war will never end in a short period of time, but I can’t say that fact here, can I?

Once I had racked my brains, I tried to come up with the most plausible reason.

“The North and South have different goals for the war from the start. That’s what I meant when I said it would inevitably drag on.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“What does the North have to do to win the war? They have to crush the South’s will to resist itself. In other words, they have to not only win the battle but also bring all of the more than 10 states to their knees so that the South cannot resist. But what about the South? Does the South also intend to beat the North directly?”

“Since they started the war, they must win… Ah, I see. The South doesn’t have to beat the North directly.”

The quick-witted representatives nodded in agreement.

In fact, this is also the reason why the South dragged out the war in the original history, so it wouldn’t be a wrong explanation.

Rather, it could be said to be a cold-hearted analysis.

“As the wise representatives have noticed, the South just needs to drag out the time while waging a war of attrition. No matter how strong the North is, if the South deliberately drags out the time and uses a strategy of accumulating damage on both sides, an anti-war sentiment will inevitably arise in the North. The public now supports the war, but the South will eventually spread the frame [narrative] that the North is shedding white people’s blood and dying for black slaves.

It’s common sense that the side defending is at an advantage, so if I were the commander of the South, I would continue to deliberately drag out the war and use a strategy of waiting for anti-war sentiment to arise in the North.”

“Well, since they also decide policies by election, if a new president who advocates for anti-war is elected, the war will be over.”

The North, which has to get the South back in its entirety, and the South, which simply wants permanent severance.

From the beginning, the points of termination they want are different, so there is no choice but to have a difference in the difficulty of carrying out the war.

“Besides, the motivation itself will also have an impact. The South is highly motivated because they believe their right to survival is at stake. The North is also highly motivated now, but as I said earlier, if the war drags on, dissatisfied voices will naturally come out. Considering these comprehensive factors, the war will never end overnight. It’s unfortunate for those who will be harmed by the war, but it’s presumptuous to actively intervene and end the war, so I think it’s best to remain neutral.”

Palmerston and Russell, who had been raising their voices to emphasize the importance of national interest, closed their eyes and pondered.

I was just making things up, but it seems like everything fits together perfectly, even to me?

“If the parliament has any objections to my policy, I will follow it. Even if I have full authority over Canada, I don’t think it’s above the authority of the parliament and the administration, which are representatives of the citizens of the Great British Empire.”

If I leave such a clear message, this will be a matter agreed upon by the Parliament and the Prime Minister of the Great British Empire, so no one will question my unilateral decision.

Of course, even if the parliament really tells me to reconsider the policy, I don’t intend to say yes, I understand, and follow it, but at least it won’t look that way to the outside, will it?

In fact, even though I have the authority, the atmosphere of the lawmakers, regardless of whether they are in the ruling or opposition party, feels much better because I give them words that boost the parliament’s morale like this.

No one would raise an objection, Wellesley, who had been quietly watching the situation from behind, finally wrapped up the situation.

“If the parliament passes the declaration of neutrality, the administration will implement policies accordingly. If there are no more opinions, the chairman will proceed with the vote.”

“Understood.”

That day. The Parliament of the Great British Empire defined the war in the United States of America as a civil war and declared the principle of not participating in foreign wars.

And it was also reaffirmed that there were no legal problems with my full authority over Canada, that is, the principle that all diplomatic and administrative matters could be handled independently.

* * *

Not long after the speech in Parliament was successfully completed.

Gladstone, who had decided to have tea time with me after a long time, accompanied me in the carriage to the palace.

“Your Highness’s speech made the opinions of the parliament, which had been all over the place, coincide at once. It was the right answer to ask Your Highness to attend.”

“I just presented a suitable compromise. Isn’t that the role of the royal family?”

“No, no, it was a good analysis. Certainly, we can’t ignore both justification and practical benefits. I was secretly thinking that it would be better for the war to be a little longer, but after listening to Your Highness’s analysis, my thoughts became clear. Of course, there are still some 불안한 [unstable] points.”

“Is that so? For example, what?”

“According to the analysis I heard, the North’s naval base is paralyzed now, but it will soon recover its power. Your Highness said that time is on the South’s side, but if the North recovers its naval power, can’t they just blockade the sea with that? If it is certain that the South can be blockaded until it starves to death, the citizens of the North will not just lean towards the anti-war sentiment.”

That’s a pretty sharp analysis. Certainly, the strategy of just 존버 [enduring/holding out] until the anti-war sentiment in the North becomes the mainstream is too much to leave everything to luck.

As Gladstone said, the North could blockade the sea and drag out the time until the South can’t stand it anymore.

“Food is something that the South can produce to some extent, but in the end, if weapons are lacking, the South will also feel the limit.”

“That’s right. But to put it another way, if they have the ability to keep fighting, the South will keep fighting whether the North blockades the sea or not, right?”

“Yes? That’s… but there’s no guarantee that will happen.”

“That’s what I mean. But Representative Gladstone, that thought that it would be good for the war between the North and the South to be longer. Are we the only ones really thinking that?”

“…Yes? That’s…”

His mouth suddenly widened as he was about to say, of course not.

As expected, our smart senior. Now, the overall picture seems to be drawn in his head.

“No, but Your Highness… You didn’t say a word about that just now…”

“If I said such a thing when all the records remain outside, wouldn’t it slightly tarnish the prestige of ‘our’ Great British Empire?”

When I emphasized the word ‘our,’ Gladstone nodded up and down.

“In that sense, I have a favor to ask of you. Could you possibly grant it?”

“Yes? Why me?”

“Well, because Representative Gladstone is now considered a neutral faction. Originally, people listen more to the stories of those who are not biased towards either side, don’t they?”

“I will do what I can. But could you please tell me what it is first?”

“Of course. This is all for our Great British Empire.”

No matter how I think about it, wouldn’t it be much more profitable to supply magnificent steamships than to sell ammunition or cannons little by little?

So, esteemed Senior Gladstone, you will have to do some 영업 [business development/sales] in other countries for this junior.

Instead, I’ll give the Liberal Party an extra bonus, so don’t be too 섭섭해 [disappointed/resentful].