I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 321

PLVS VLTRA. Further beyond.

El imperio donde nunca se pone el sol. The empire where the sun never sets.

This phrase symbolizes the Spanish Empire, once the most powerful nation in Europe.

Now, the saying ‘the empire where the sun never sets’ has completely passed to the British Empire, and Spain is left as a symbol of a rapidly declining nation.

Still, even a rich man’s ruin lasts three years, and Spain, despite being past its prime, was still considered to have a decent navy.

The problem is that they can’t fully utilize that naval power; it’s true that they possess the strength to be called the gatekeeper of the great powers.

The reason they couldn’t properly use that power was solely due to extreme domestic instability and natural disasters.

At least, that’s what a significant number of Spaniards thought.

[Northern Federation’s unreasonable demand to halt exports. Parliament resolves to firmly reject!]

[No one has the right to block legitimate exports. What is wrong with the North’s claims?]

[There’s a reason the South seceded. The North’s coercive diplomatic methods.]

“…Yes, this is it. We can only exert power when public opinion supports us like this.”

Duke O’Donnell of Tetuan, who rose from Secretary of State to Prime Minister of Spain, read the newspaper headlines aloud with satisfaction.

Although he is currently the Prime Minister, he was once a general and is a strong supporter of imperial policy.

He was also the one who immediately approved this plan without question when the Ambassador to Cordoba brought the initial draft.

He had seen substantial gains in the Mexican War, and there was no reason to refuse doing the same thing on a larger scale.

The United States’ tantrum? If they were really going to do something, they would have done it already.

According to Prime Minister O’Donnell’s calculations, the United States would not point its guns this way at least until this war was over.

And by the time the war is over, the North will be so devastated that they won’t even think about war. What war are we even talking about?

“Hehehe, good, good. If things continue like this, there will be no problem extending our term in office.”

What I’ve learned from the chaotic domestic politics so far is that it’s useless to be good at politics in this country.

No matter how well you build the foundation, it will never last long without visible results.

All that’s needed is overwhelming success that can shut the mouths of your political rivals.

In that respect, this war was a golden opportunity.

The talk about the domestic economy and the lives of the workers has completely disappeared.

Even the guys who were spouting nonsense in the newspapers are now churning out articles criticizing the North.

The conflict structure has already become clear.

Frankly speaking, ordinary people don’t care who is practicing slavery across the continent.

What’s important is that our Spanish Empire is finally breaking its long silence and trying to take off again, but those guys are unreasonably holding us back.

If you delve into the details, the North would have no choice but to grab the back of their necks, but isn’t it human nature to favor your own?

Already in Spain, the North has become a money-crazed capitalist and an evil force trying to oppress other countries.

Conversely, we are solidifying our image as fighters who steadfastly defend the justice of free trade without yielding to their tyranny.

“Prime Minister, the British Empire says they will sell warships as promised.”

“Good work. Now the problem is how to naturally hand this over to the South.”

“Considering the current atmosphere, wouldn’t it be fine to just sell them off?”

“…Is that so?”

Indeed, the United States’ threats towards Spain are increasing day by day.

The relationship has already soured beyond repair, and reconciliation is impossible.

It might not be a bad idea to just put on a straight face and openly support the South.

What was the reason for trying to secretly pass it off as an accident in the first place?

Wasn’t it to have insurance in case it becomes difficult to handle the aftermath after the war?

“We’ve already come too far to cover our eyes and pretend. Rather than taking a half-hearted approach, I think it would be better to just openly support the South.”

“That makes sense. But even if we’re going to do that, we need at least a minimal reason. Even if it’s just to establish diplomatic relations with a country other than the United States.”

“Isn’t the United States already giving us the reason? If we keep letting them antagonize us, won’t they take care of things on their own?”

“Ah. That’s true too. Is that an analysis from the Ministry of Interior?”

“The embassy in London has also submitted a report with the same content.”

I can definitely feel that the time when we no longer need to be cautious is slowly approaching.

“What are we going to do with Mexico?”

“Well, Mexico is applauding and cheering us on right now. They’ll do anything as long as it harms the United States.”

Who would have imagined that Mexico would sincerely support Spain?

That just means that the United States has been committing terrible acts against neighboring countries.

“Good. Proceed with the work according to the Ministry of Interior’s analysis, and at the same time, thoroughly distribute press releases about what the United States has done to neighboring countries so far to further turn public opinion in our favor. Anyway, no country in Europe will side with the North right now.”

Thinking about it, this is also quite strange.

Clearly, the bad guys are the South who are using slaves, and the North is trying to stop them, but why is the balance like this now?

Before we knew it, the North was isolated, and the South was receiving everyone’s support.

I don’t know why, but we can just suck up the sweet stuff, so I don’t care.

Politics would be so much fun if it were always like today.

Prime Minister O’Donnell poured wine directly from Burgundy [a region in France known for its wine production] into his cherished glass.

He used to drink a lot of strong whiskey, but recently he’s been craving this kind of alcohol more.

He had no doubt that these days would continue in the future.

* * *

Unlike Prime Minister O’Donnell, I, still a trustworthy husband, was diligently apologizing every day to soothe Victoria’s anger.

“…Is your anger all gone now?”

“Do you even know what you did wrong?”

“No, I didn’t know she was this serious! I thought she would back down if I told her to persuade you first, but I didn’t know she would blurt it out like that.”

“Yes, yes, I know. But you should have told me in advance.”

My son’s sudden outburst initially caught me off guard, but Victoria probably knows that it’s the best option if she thinks about it calmly.

However, if you trace the root cause, it’s all because I’m constantly going to the battlefield, so I have nothing to say even if I had ten mouths.

“But please trust me that I will never send him to a dangerous place.”

“Haa… Since someone-someone went off to war with Russia, there’s no way to stop that child, so what can I do?”

“It wasn’t all for my own good, but for the sake of you, my beloved, and our children’s future…”

“Of course, I know. That’s why it ended like this.”

Yes, yes, I am moved to tears by Her Majesty the Queen’s merciful heart.

Of course, even if she knows it in her head, Victoria’s anger hasn’t completely subsided.

What mother wouldn’t be upset when her beloved eldest son suddenly says he wants to go to the battlefield like his father?

Before her ignition point gets triggered again, I quickly decided to change the subject.

“As you know, Edward seems to be under a lot of pressure.”

“It must be the weight of being the eldest son of a great father. Of course, the eldest daughter is also causing trouble in a different sense because she has a father who is too great.”

“There’s nothing I can do about Adelaide… so I can’t help it, but I think we should pay a little more attention to Edward, so I was wondering if I should take him around and tutor him… what do you think?”

Still, after talking so far, it wasn’t like Edward had no potential at all.

No, rather, I felt that he could become a great person if he was raised well.

However, it is already an objectively proven law that parents cannot objectively see their children.

When raising a baby, there are few parents who don’t have expectations that their child might not be a genius, but at least a prodigy.

Thinking that Edward could become like me might just put unnecessary pressure on him, but if I keep him by my side, wouldn’t he definitely improve?

Seeing that Victoria’s nagging has subsided, it seems like she likes my suggestion to some extent.

“Well, if you keep telling him by his side, he will gain confidence, so it’s not a bad idea.”

“Right?”

“But you’re not going to follow him to the war, are you? If father and son go to war hand in hand, I can’t guarantee what I’ll do then.”

“Even if I wanted to go, Edward wouldn’t allow it, so don’t worry about that. The biggest problem is that I have to get him to a safe rear area, but he’s not the type to be oblivious…”

He’s going to build up his war record, so if I follow him, the spotlight will be on me, so it’s natural for Edward to be disgusted.

So, if I put him in the rear, he’ll foam at the mouth and demand to be sent to the front, right?

To prevent this situation, it is necessary to educate him thoroughly from now on.

Fortunately, Edward agreed with both hands when I said I would tell him all the know-how I have accumulated so far.

“So, Edward. What do you think is an important ability for someone who has to sit at the top?”

“Isn’t it the ability to see the overall flow? The Prime Minister said that my father is unparalleled in that regard, and I want to develop that ability too.”

“Yes. Of course, the ability to draw a big picture is important. But there’s something even more important than that.”

I’ve never told anyone this before, but I need to tell my successor for sure.

“Everything in the world is related to politics in a big sense. The current civil war in the United States is the same. It was something that could have been resolved politically before the problem got so big, but in the end, it failed to overcome the limitations of the deeply rooted economic and social structure and collapsed.”

“Father, you knew that this would happen a long time ago.”

“If I didn’t, how could I have set up such a large-scale plan? Now, let’s assume the future situation from here and discuss the appropriate strategy we should take.”

When I spread out a huge world map and spread out chess pieces symbolizing various countries, Edward’s expression changed to serious in an instant.

I can clearly feel that he is burning with the desire to prove his knowledge here, which makes me laugh for some reason.

“First of all, the current situation is that Spain is selling our weapons to the South, and France has recognized the South as a formal country.”

“That’s right. Then how will the war go from now on?”

“If this happens, the North will become impatient. Spain will continue to maintain the current situation, and France’s intentions are clear, so wouldn’t they try to intervene as soon as possible? If France joins the war, the balance will tilt greatly towards the South.”

Anyone who can think a little can fully guess this far.

Edward added a few words after seeing my eyes asking if that was all.

“If France’s participation is confirmed, I think we should also form a navy and intervene as I said last time. And if we can demand surrender from the North and receive corresponding concessions, our British Empire will benefit the most overall.”

“Yes. That’s the standard. But Edward, don’t you think we’re getting too little profit if the war ends like that?”

“Yes?”

“To put it bluntly, I have no intention of securing colonies in South America. But everything in the world is relative, so if Spain or France eats that side too easily, it won’t benefit our British Empire. So I think we need to review the fundamental premise once again. Is it really beneficial for us for this war to end with the South’s victory?”

Edward stared at me blankly as if he was momentarily overloaded.

In the first place, if you are overly focused on something, it becomes impossible to see other aspects of things.

Edward, Spain, and France too.

They are only thinking about helping the disadvantaged South win the war and taking a big chunk of it, so they are missing the opposite case.

“There should be no winner in this war. Except for our British Empire.”

Of course, the United States, Spain, and France are no exception.

“Are you perhaps saying…”

“Yes. Everyone except us must be losers.”

Edward, who had come into contact with the knowledge of the New World, stared at me with his mouth wide open.

As expected, exactly a week later, news arrived that France would dispatch a large-scale army.

The civil war limited to North America is now over.

With Europe beginning to participate in earnest, the war was now moving into the next phase.