I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 317

Diplomatic War (4)

“Are you saying… Spain will support the South?”

“This is top secret, so you must not tell anyone. If this gets out, it will be assumed that the Prime Minister leaked it.”

“No, no, that’s not important right now… Is it true? Spain? Why?”

His reaction is amusing.

He really didn’t know? What is French intelligence doing?

Considering Spain’s past, they should have considered the possibility of them doing something like this. Didn’t they think they would repeat what they did before?

You can fall for the same strategy up to three times, so they should have paid more attention.

“Isn’t Spain a country that has always been very interested in South America? They were driven out because their national power couldn’t keep up, but now that a gap has opened up again, wouldn’t they want to jump in with everything they’ve got?”

“But Spain doesn’t have the capacity to produce weapons that the South can handle. Especially warships…”

Prime Minister Guizot’s eyes darkened sharply at that point.

He seems to remember how Spain screwed over the United States in the last war.

“Are you saying they’ll be coming from Canada…? So, Your Highness, you knew all along that Spain was secretly selling weapons to the South?”

“Of course not. We only recently obtained intelligence that Spain was planning such a thing. It’s a super top-secret, so secret that you could put five ‘super’ prefixes on it.”

“…Then, it’s against Canada’s neutral stance, so we must immediately terminate the export contract.”

“But the contract doesn’t specify such a thing. Besides, it’s not like Spain has actually done anything like that yet. I guess even monkeys fall from trees sometimes [even experts make mistakes]. I was completely fooled by Spain! Hahaha.”

To deceive the great Killian Gore… those original troublemakers from Spain are indeed scary.

“…According to our analysis, the South is surprisingly choosing options that are close to the correct answers. Especially when Slidell, the ambassador, came to France last time, he seemed to know what we wanted. Many argued that they would pressure us by controlling cotton exports, but they were proven wrong. Many people felt favorably towards their refined and straightforward appeal for support.”

“The South is smart.”

“There have been talks that they have people who are well-versed in European news. Was that also closely related to Spain?”

“I think so.”

I feel like they’re misunderstanding something. The conditions the South presented to France weren’t something I hinted at.

If I had known that France would be so eager, I would have told them to probe in advance.

The rest of the advice is what I gave them, but the condition that moved France didn’t come from my head!

I’m so frustrated by the way you’re looking at me that I’m speechless.

“But no matter how I look at it, I can’t imagine Spain standing above Your Highness. What do you think about this?”

“Then you are overestimating me too much, Prime Minister. Where in the world is there someone who can always control everything as they please?”

Guizot’s eyes, glancing at me, seemed to be shouting, ‘It’s you, you!’ but I lightly ignored it, thinking it was just a misunderstanding.

“Now that you’ve obtained new information, you’ll need more time to contemplate, right? I’ll give you a few more days, so feel free to think about it at your leisure and come back.”

I was going to give up if things didn’t work out, but now that he knows that the South could become independent and Spain could take all the honey from South America if he just stands still, that’s impossible.

If Spain, now a second-rate power, starts drooling over South America with the help of the South, France will inevitably be criticized for what they were doing.

Even if it’s the British Empire, being behind a country like Spain? Guizot would have to pack his bags and step down from his position as Prime Minister that day.

It would have been different if I didn’t know that Guizot had the intention of devouring South America, but since Guizot himself confessed, what can I do?

“Your Highness, is there really no possibility that the British Empire will intervene in the North American front at the same time as us?”

“No. Unfortunately, not at the moment.”

If you want to go to war, you have to strike first. We’ll just put our spoons in [join the winning side].

It was a blatant demand that was no different from a gangster, but Guizot couldn’t say a word.

If he didn’t like it, he would be called a second-rate country that was even worse than Spain.

Either way, I can sell military supplies and even deliver battleships, so I can make a fortune.

And they don’t know, but even if Spain or France colonize and exploit South America again, the prestige of the British Empire won’t be shaken in the slightest.

No matter how they manage their colonies, the benefits will soon be minimal compared to the costs, and only their image will fall into the gutter.

If you really look 100 years ahead, you have to thoroughly distinguish between places to colonize and places to assimilate into the home country and use a customized strategy.

Like how we are trying to merge Canada and Australia into the home country and transform India into a huge market for the British Empire.

I don’t need to pay attention to those who don’t consider this and just do things like, ‘Hehehe, it’s a colony, immediate exploitation!’

No, I’d rather they run wild even more.

That way, the British Empire-style colonial management led by Killian will stand out in contrast to that simple and ignorant method, right?

“Your Highness, then I… I will send more messages to the home country. Please wait a little longer.”

“I understand. Take your time. The war will be long.”

Still, if they think that we won’t participate at all, France will inevitably be reluctant to step forward.

I’ve prepared myself to be covered in filth, so should I push them a little more?

* * *

“Your Highness! All we want is just one thing! To protect our homeland. Our Confederate States of America is a completely separate nation from the Union. Prominent figures in our country have long admired the British Empire and have actually interacted with many nobles. If you acknowledge this fact, we promise that as long as our Confederacy exists, we will never forget the grace of the British Empire.”

James Murray Mason, carrying the fate of the South on his shoulders, knelt down in front of me with a desperate tone, as if he was prepared to die.

“Unfortunately, our position is neutral. Recognizing you as a formal nation would be a violation of our neutrality, so I’m afraid it would be difficult to grant that request.”

“Your Highness! How can recognizing a nation as a nation be an act of siding with one side! We do not want any support or help. We just want to guarantee the obvious fact that we are an independent nation to protect our freedom!”

They rose up for freedom? Are they talking about the freedom to handle slaves or something?

They’re saying such ridiculous things so confidently that I don’t even want to argue.

Hate is building up deep inside my stomach, but I calmed myself by remembering the saying, ‘Give the disliked one another rice cake’ [appease someone you dislike].

Those incompetent guys need to be active so that my Canada can grow, so let’s be patient a little longer.

The urge to smash their heads with a chestnut just by listening to them?

I like it even more.

If they show that they are hopeless like that, I won’t feel any guilt even if I use them to the fullest and then throw them away.

“The Union’s ambassador came to me before and vehemently argued that we should never recognize the South. He confidently said that this is just a rebellion and will soon be suppressed.”

“That is just their one-sided argument. There are already more than 10 states participating in our Confederacy. Just looking at the territory, it is several times the size of most European countries, and the population easily exceeds millions. How can this be a simple rebellion?”

“Since the claims of both sides are conflicting, siding with one side is the same as not siding with the other. Especially if our British Empire expresses its opinion, there is a high possibility that other allies will take the same stance, so we have to be even more careful.”

“Then, even if it’s not the British Empire, at least Canada…”

No, Canada is already giving you guys unimaginable help, so what are you talking about now?

Still, seeing them clinging so desperately, it must be that even those who came as ambassadors of the South don’t know what secret agreement Canada has with Spain.

Well, strictly speaking, this is just a personal verbal promise between me and Ambassador Cordoba, and there are no official documents left, so there’s no way they would know.

Even the Spanish merchants who buy and sell weapons probably don’t know the whole story.

In other words, if I play my cards right here, I can move the South to my liking.

They don’t even know who their biggest supporter is behind the scenes. It’s like watching a Daddy-Long-Legs [someone who provides secret support].

But the reason why this Daddy-Long-Legs is sponsoring you is not because you are pretty.

I raise them to eat them.

“As I have said many times, we cannot officially support the South. The British Empire and Canada have defined slavery as an evil that erodes society. However, I always respect and admire those who risk their lives for their homeland and people. So, I would like to give you some personal advice. Would that be okay?”

“Of course! If we can receive advice from Your Highness, who is famous in Europe, we couldn’t ask for anything more! Thank you for your grace!”

“I had a brief conversation with Prime Minister Guizot of France before. He said that the South had offered very attractive conditions.”

“Ah, that, that… Of course, if the British Empire participates, we will definitely promise the same conditions.”

“To be honest, I don’t really want to have any more colonies in South America. If we could really receive it, we would offer different conditions. But as I told France, our British Empire must remain neutral, so we cannot participate.”

Murray’s eyes, which had briefly sparkled with hope, were instantly filled with disappointment.

Still, judging from his reaction, it seems like he had roughly expected it.

The reason why I didn’t copy and paste the conditions I presented to France to this side is because this side didn’t seem to be very interested in South America.

That was actually correct, so their judgment itself was not wrong.

However, if they really wanted to get our cooperation, they should have come up with a different plan, and in that respect, they can be said to be disqualified.

Anyway, it’s a waste of time to expect something great from people who shout for the freedom to handle slaves. What can I do?

So that France can more boldly volunteer to be the world’s punching bag.

I have to set the direction so that the British Empire doesn’t get the blame for being a hypocritical country that abolished slavery and defends the South.

“I feel like I’ve said this until it’s ingrained in my mouth, but the reason why the British Empire and Canada cannot side with the South is because of slavery.”

“But that doesn’t mean we can abolish slavery. If that were the case, this whole situation wouldn’t have even happened…”

“I haven’t finished speaking yet. I’m not telling the South to abolish slavery, and I have no intention of doing so. What I’m saying is that it’s impossible for us to support the South no matter what, so change your thinking.”

“Change our thinking?”

“If you can’t create a reason to support the South, then create an excuse to antagonize the North. For example, if the North bombards or seizes our British Empire’s ships… whatever the case, if an incident equivalent to that happens, even if we dispatch the navy, no one will say anything.”

Murray’s mouth dropped open.

“There’s no way the North would do such a thing with common sense, so you would have to set up a trap or carry out various schemes, but that…”

“That’s what you guys have to do.”

Why would we take the risk of fabricating an incident?

Still, I can give you some ideas, but it has to be treated as if it came entirely from the Southern Confederacy’s side.

Murray trembled with excitement, scribbling down every detail of the plan I laid out.

Do you ever get bored playing a rigged map where you’re guaranteed to win?

How could I? It’s fun every moment, and it feels new every time.

This sweetness never gets old.

Mutual prosperity.

Shortly after the Southern ambassador Murray staggered away, looking as if he’d received a divine revelation,

I called in Wellesley and Disraeli to inform them of some minor adjustments to the plan.

“Are the preparations going well?”

“Of course. To be honest, there isn’t much for us to prepare directly. Canada is the one getting busy; our homeland’s role is relatively small.”

“That’s true, but we need to make a few changes. Even though we have plenty of time, we should prepare these things in advance to avoid future problems.”

The Prime Minister of France returned, saying he would discuss it further, but the South, having heard my advice, would surely give him a hint.

If France declares war first, they will fabricate an incident to draw the British Empire into the war.

If that happens, the North will be blockaded at sea, and the Southern forces, supported by Spain with its suspiciously large amount of military supplies, will become even more powerful.

With the addition of the French army, it will be impossible for the North to annex the South, no matter what they do.

Since we have already declared that we have no interest in South America, France only needs to consider competing with Spain over South America afterward.

Disraeli, having heard how the situation was unfolding, immediately stated his conclusion.

“France’s participation is a foregone conclusion.”

“Indeed. It’s more profitable for them to join in and take half, rather than giving South America entirely to Spain.”

“Besides, France will think they can’t lose in a competition with Spain.”

In Europe, Spain was seen as a toothless, clawless hyena whose bones were rotting away.

A hopeless country that would start a civil war as soon as its national power showed signs of recovery, or suffer a natural disaster that would undo everything.

If we were to compete with such people, we should be grateful and bow down.

On the huge world map spread out on the table.

Wellesley placed a piece representing France on the American continent and fiddled with a piece representing the British Empire over the Atlantic Ocean.

“France will participate, and the South will create an excuse for us to send the navy… When do you expect this to happen?”

“We should wait at least one to two years.”

The British Empire’s participation is the decisive move to end this war.

That means the time to sell weapons is running out, so why would we send the fleet right away?

“Then, shouldn’t we make a long-term plan for four or five years?”

“If it gets too long, the North might make a decision that gives them a decisive justification for this war. Then it might be difficult to intervene, so we should avoid drawing too big a picture. It would be a problem if the canvas gets torn, wouldn’t it?”

In the original history, the Civil War saw Britain and France constantly considering whether to intervene.

The North’s decisive justification was the famous Emancipation Proclamation, Proclamation 95.

Originally, the North’s position was not to completely abolish slavery within the Union, but to allow states currently practicing slavery to continue as they were.

Eventually, the civil war broke out, but Lincoln and the Union leaders did not change their opinion to gradually abolish slavery in consultation with each state.

However, as the war became protracted, influenced by events such as Frémont’s Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln eventually announced that he would completely abolish slavery within the United States.

After this declaration, Britain and France decided that the losses outweighed the gains from intervention, and their opinions solidified to almost withdraw. I also need to pay attention.

Of course, if I explained all of this, I would be accused of having the blood of an Eastern shaman awakening again, so I glossed over it with a story about not being too greedy.

Wellesley and Disraeli knew that I was a cautious person, so they didn’t raise any objections.

“Then we will prepare on our side as well. But Your Highness, unlike Canada, if we directly participate in the war, shouldn’t we also take some concessions like Spain or France? How about that…”

“As the Prime Minister said, we should definitely get something in return. However, South America is not a very attractive colony. The anti-European sentiment is already too strong there, making assimilation impossible.”

“Still, unlike Spain, we have hardly managed large-scale colonies in South America. If we differentiate ourselves by saying we are different…”

“It’s too late now, unlike 100 years ago. There are already countless countries that have become independent under the banner of anti-Spain and anti-Europe. Of course, establishing a pro-British puppet regime wouldn’t be a problem, but the benefits we could get from doing so wouldn’t be that great.”

“Ah… you’re talking about the end of colonial economics.”

If it were France or Spain, there would have been an immediate backlash, but Wellesley and Disraeli now know my policy well.

How much effort did I put into making them understand that consolidating our internal strength in consideration of the distant future is 1000 times more profitable than simple, ignorant territorial expansion and flag-planting?

At first, I tried to rationalize it by bringing in all sorts of theories to avoid showing that I knew the future.

However, it was no exaggeration to say that all the politicians of this era were obsessed with imperialistic mindsets, with only slight differences in degree.

Disraeli certainly had a strong tendency in that direction, and Gladstone was also deeply rooted in imperialistic thinking, even though he cared about the British Empire’s external reputation.

Wellesley was, of course, no exception.

So, after much deliberation, I changed my strategy to write an analysis from the beginning that the colonial economy would inevitably come to an end in the future.

Of course, it was absurd for me, busy with official duties, to come up with such a theory and publish it as a paper.

Instead, I needed a graduate student to organize the data and publish the book, and fortunately, I had someone right next to me who was perfect for that role.

After years of effort, I finally came up with a result that I liked.

This is the darling of the economics world who published ‘Das Kapital’ [a critical analysis of capitalism], which is quite different from the original due to my encouragement that this is the way to bring down the evil capitalists, and brought tremendous shock to the entire United Kingdom.

My great protector, Marx, who is enjoying his professorship with tremendous love calls from both Oxford and Cambridge, has now written a book called ‘The End of Colonial Economics.’

The author is Marx, but the preface states that the concepts and theoretical basis originated from me, so there is no need to worry that my insight will be questioned in the distant future.

Wellesley and Disraeli, who had been skeptical at first, came to firmly believe that my policy was correct in the long term after reading the book.

However, this book was not made public like Das Kapital.

Would I be crazy enough to tell other countries the top secret that would guarantee the British Empire’s interests?

This was only allowed to be read by me, Marx, the Prime Minister and key leaders who are in charge of actual policy, and the Minister-level officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Even if only these people share the problem awareness, the uniformity of the policy will be roughly guaranteed.

Marx wanted to make this public to the world, but I dissuaded him with a plausible excuse.

-People don’t believe it until the results come out. When the difference between the British Empire and other countries becomes clear, people will accept the contents of this book more shockingly.

The reaction was similar when Das Kapital was published, so Marx believed me this time as well, and for the time being, Europe continued its meaningless territorial expansion competition.

“The concession that our British Empire should get is not to expand colonies to South America, but to secure influence that can last for 100 or 200 years. For example, this place. If we secure only this place, we can throw all the other places to Spain or France.”

Disraeli and Wellesley nodded without saying a word when they saw the area I was pointing to.

“Panama? Your Highness certainly sees everything from an economic point of view.”

“Of course. Securing colonies, expanding territory. All of this is ultimately to get more money and more wealth. We must take the benefits that can be reliably calculated with numbers, rather than chasing after illusions that are not properly grasped.”

To avoid misunderstanding, I would like to add that I am not completely denying something invisible.

There is definitely an invisible something. However, it has not been analyzed with current techniques, and it is far from something like a psychic phenomenon.

First of all, the value of Panama, whether in terms of arithmetic figures or influence, is immeasurably high.

Disraeli and Wellesley are well aware of this fact, so they are just staring at the map silently.

“Panama as a reward for intervening in the war… But Panama is currently part of Colombia.”

“That’s not a problem. We can have the South make the Panama region independent from Colombia and take over the canal’s operating rights. Of course, we need to prepare in advance for all sorts of tricks they will use to ask us to run the canal later.”

Panama is the best location to build a canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and serious discussions about building a canal have been going on since Spain advanced into South America.

In the 19th century of the original history, Lesseps, who had built the Suez Canal, took the lead and challenged it, but he suffered a miserable failure due to malaria.

However, I already know that the vector of malaria is mosquitoes, so there is no possibility of doing the same as France in the original history.

“A canal… a canal. It’s not bad, but it’s not the same as Suez. Canada already has several ports that can go directly to the Pacific.”

“Still, the western ports have to go around the huge American continent to get to the Pacific. The Panama Canal can drastically shorten that distance. More than anything, the reason I want to occupy this area is because the United States will be sure to try to take it with their eyes wide open.”

Since Canada took the entire California region, the United States is now almost completely blocked from accessing the Pacific Ocean.

They can still go around the California Peninsula through the Sea of Cortez [Gulf of California], which they obtained in the war with Mexico, but how many ports can they cram into that tiny piece of land?

Moreover, that area is the southernmost part of the United States, so it is likely to be incorporated into the territory of the Confederate States after this war.

Then the North will lose its way to the Pacific Ocean, so they will look for an alternative, and the likely solution is the canal located in Panama.

In other words, if we can occupy this place?

We can properly grab the lifeline of the North, which will have no way to go to the Pacific Ocean in the future.

We need to quickly stake our claim on this prime location before anyone else tries to take it.

“So, the preparation Your Highness mentioned meant finishing the preliminary work so that we can occupy the location where we can build a canal in Panama. I understand. There will be no problem with the administration, and the parliament will be able to easily lead public opinion if Congressman Disraeli and I work together.”

“But Your Highness, what about Spain and France, aside from our country’s preparations? When the war is over, if we say we will occupy Panama, I don’t think they will be happy about it.”

“So we need to coordinate in advance. Don’t worry. I’ve already sent the best person in advance.”

Originally, I was going to bring Panama no matter what, regardless of the British Empire’s intervention, but now that we can send the navy directly, there’s no need to negotiate.

“Congressman Gladstone will bring an agreement to Spain to turn a blind eye to our occupation of Panama in exchange for selling them warships. If the Conservative Party agrees to that, then that land will be ours.”

The Spanish guys don’t even own that land now, so there’s no reason to oppose it.

People are always infinitely generous when making promises with things that are not in their pockets.

There’s a reason why credit delinquents exist in the world.

The price to be paid will be much higher than expected, but Gladstone, who is actually negotiating, will not know that fact, so he will not be criticized for deceiving.

In later generations, the assessment that the sky oppressed Spain again will be dominant.

As always.