I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 342

Where there is light, there is shadow, and where there is sunshine, there is shade—that’s the way of the world.

As capitalism emerged and the severe problems of early capitalism continued to mount, it was inevitable that the number of people dreaming of a communist revolution would increase.

Marx is the most well-known, but besides Marx, there are countless famous communists in the world today.

It’s not just communism; the number of radical revolutionaries who simply hate capitalism and want to destroy everything is also steadily increasing.

The British Empire was far removed from such an atmosphere, but Europe was clearly reaching a point where social discontent was exceeding the critical point, much like the contradictions of the old era.

Even an earthworm squirms when stepped on, so how could there not be a reaction when people are ground to the bone until they die?

The slogan “Stop exploiting the proletariat!” was simply the inevitable consequence of the karma that early capitalism had created.

“Your Highness, what brings you here? If it’s about the paper you requested last time, it’s about half finished now.”

“Is that so? The progress is going as expected. But I heard some commotion on my way here. Was something going on?”

“Ah, that… Engels came to visit.”

I thought he would gloss over it as if it were nothing, but he surprisingly confessed so readily.

Was it because he thought I would find out soon even if he tried to hide it?

Marx readily told me all about the internal strife that had just occurred and even asked for my opinion.

“What do you think?”

“What do I think? About Engels?”

“Yes. I honestly thought Engels would understand my logic. Considering his intellectual level, there’s no way he wouldn’t understand my reasoning.”

“He’s already so consumed with the communist revolution that he’s experiencing cognitive dissonance [the mental discomfort experienced when holding conflicting beliefs]. It’s not a matter of logic, but a matter of ideology.”

It is not without reason that the most terrifying conflict in the world is not religious conflict but ideological conflict.

Once someone’s eyes are set on something, they abandon their family, so what is a friend worth?

“Your Highness, what are you planning to do about Engels?”

“Hmm? What am I supposed to do?”

“…Didn’t Your Highness say that a communist revolution that skips steps will only bring destruction? I am a little worried about that friend in that regard.”

“Were you the type of person who worries about friends?”

“I owe Engels so much from the past, even if it’s not the case for other people. I have at least that much conscience.”

He has a conscience? Why didn’t I know that until now?

In fact, I knew how angry Engels was when he left, so I could guess why Marx was worried.

Judging by the fact that he even said something like he was going to become Marx from now on, like a middle schooler with delusions of grandeur, I can guess what he’s going to do in the future.

“You don’t have to worry; you can just leave him alone for now.”

“Yes? But isn’t what Engels is trying to do a full-speed sprint towards the catastrophe without a future that Your Highness mentioned?”

“Anyone can run. The important thing is getting to the goal. Can Engels really do that?”

“Engels is also an excellent scholar. He has abundant economic knowledge, and his philosophy and political theory are impeccable. Aren’t you underestimating him too much?”

What nonsense.

Even in the original history, Marx was the one who completed the theory, but Friedrich Engels was the one who brought it all together and founded Marxism.

Knowing that, how could I underestimate him?

Rather, it is because I know his abilities accurately that I am paying attention to this extent.

“Of course, as I said to you, even if you try to start a clumsy communist revolution, it will only be a lower version of the French Revolution. If there is someone who is clearly going to bring harm to the world, I cannot just leave him alone. For that reason, what I will do with Engels depends on you, Marx.”

“Are you telling me to take responsibility and persuade Engels?”

“Of course not. It’s not like you’ll listen if I tell you to, and more than anything, there’s no way he’ll be persuaded. But according to you, Engels ran off saying he would do it alone from now on. Do you think he will completely create and establish a new communist theory from scratch?”

“That’s not it. He said that the things I said in the past were the truth, so wouldn’t he try to piece them together appropriately and announce them?”

Yes, that’s exactly what I think.

Engels is deeply influenced by the theories that Marx used to advocate in the past from the root.

That’s why he burst into fierce anger at the fact that Marx subtly changed his course and ran out to protect the purity of communism.

There’s no way such a person would suddenly create and appear with a grand new theory.

Clearly, he will only end up compiling and recycling what Marx used to say in the past.

“But that theory may become a scripture that is sufficient to unite workers who are dissatisfied with society and start a revolution. I think Engels has the ability to establish such a theory.”

“That’s what will happen if you do nothing and stay still.”

I don’t know what name Engels will use to develop his communist theory.

It could become Marxism as it was in the original history, or it could become Engels-ism under his own name.

I don’t know the power of this ideology.

No, isn’t it possible that there is no one in this world who knows it better than I do?

It’s obvious.

How could a traitor who ran away from the Demonic Cult be more proficient in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art than I, the cult leader?

If he rides the current trend well, with the hatred for capitalists already rising, Engels may be revered as the leader of the red tide that turned the era upside down.

But that’s only the case when the theory he advocates has a genuine stamp on it.

What Engels is holding now is not a compilation of theories advocated by Marx, the genius of the century, like in the original history.

It’s just an illegal copy patched up like a rag after being defeated in a keyboard battle with a friend and scraping up his friend’s dark history.

No matter how much a fake, not a genuine product, tries to attract attention as a great theory, it means that in the end, when the original author comes forward, he will have no choice but to back down.

“…So, are you telling me not to persuade Engels, but to crush him before he gets too carried away?”

“To be precise, it won’t be before he gets carried away, but when he’s in the middle of it.”

This time, Marx frowned as if he didn’t understand what I meant.

Logically speaking, it is standard practice to eliminate those who will have a socially dangerous influence before they grow.

However, that method is only effective when that seed is the only one.

Even if it’s not Marx and Engels, communism was already thickly spread like poison gas in Europe.

It was truly a Warring States period for the heretics.

Engels was just one of the great devils with the potential to become the greatest.

Even if Engels is cut down before he shows his talent, it does not mean that communism will disappear and that there will be no one advocating for a communist revolution.

If Engels disappears, then a human influenced by Weitling will come out and cause trouble, and if that guy is defeated, then another guy will come out and make a fuss.

Of course, an absolute magic that shatters the heads of communists as much as Marxism may not come out.

But isn’t that just a story about academic completeness?

It is not necessarily necessary to be academically complete to make people go crazy and turn around.

More crude and sloppy, but extremely captivating propaganda can come out at any time.

In fact, if you pay close attention to the situation in Europe, you cannot deny that such signs are gradually being observed.

That’s why I didn’t stop Engels from running out.

I didn’t tell Marx, but to be honest, I can’t deny that I also think this is an opportunity given by heaven.

Of course, Marx, who is a scholar, not a politician, would not be able to understand.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand exactly what Your Highness wants. Are you saying that you will let Engels fall when he reaches the peak of his life because he is annoying?”

“How could you think that… You are more evil than I am.”

“No, it’s because there’s no reason to do that unless that’s the case.”

“The communists of today don’t have a clear center of gravity. They don’t share a unified ideology, and they’re just poor people who hate capitalism and hate corrupt capitalists scattered everywhere.”

In this state, no matter who you catch and beat, another guy will pop out from somewhere else.

Moreover, in this situation, the upper class, whose brains are paralyzed by greed, do not react.

If they don’t feel the danger that society might be overthrown if things continue like this, would they be crazy enough to share what’s in their pockets?

From that point of view, the uprising of communists united and raising their voices could be said to be a necessary evil.

A benevolent threat that makes them change direction on their own before their necks are cut off in a revolution or a bamboo spear is stuck in their bellies.

It was best to create just that level of awareness, but as of now, communism did not have that much power.

But if you give it too much power, wouldn’t a real red revolution break out and the country be turned upside down?

This dilemma could be solved at once thanks to my dear traitor, Engels.

Marx, who had heard the story up to this point, shook his head, sticking out his tongue as if he understood the picture in my head.

“So, Your Highness is saying that you will watch Engels until he becomes the leader of communism?”

“That’s right. The theory that Engels advocates is very plausible on the surface, so many communists will be fascinated, and his scholarship will soon be accepted as the orthodox theory.”

If that happens, the power of the communists will grow, and countless red dinosaurs will run wild in all walks of life in Europe, saying, “Do you want to taste the revolution?”

At that time, I can say, “I knew this would happen,” and implement policies to appropriately resolve social dissatisfaction.

Of course, even if I do that, the communists will not listen and will run wild even more, but as long as they believe in Engels’ words as scripture and run wild, I always have a card to suppress them, don’t I?

“Marx, from now on, I want you to systematically organize the fact that your old theory, that is, the communist theory that Engels will surely put forward, is absurd and has no logical consistency.”

It is not very effective for other outsiders to attack the falsehood of communism.

No matter how logically you beat them day and night, they can achieve an invincible mental victory that it is a capitalist’s scheme to undermine communism.

But what if Marx, the founder of the theory and someone who understands communism better than anyone else, comes forward?

What if they find out that the theory that Engels ambitiously announced was actually a bootleg copy that was defeated in a keyboard battle with a friend and reconstructed by scraping up his friend’s dark history?

It is obvious that he will become a laughing stock in an instant, and of course, there will be tremendous division within.

With such a flawed theory full of holes, he cannot overthrow any country, let alone Russia.

This was the future I had prepared for Engels, who was dreaming of leaving the Heavenly Demon Cult and establishing the Blood Demon Cult.

“You are saying that you will use Engels as nourishment for this world to develop further. As a friend, I have a slightly complicated feeling.”

“But if you refuse this, the future that Engels will face will be even bleaker. I can’t just leave someone who is clearly going to disrupt society alone. I won’t kill him, but I will take measures to appropriately isolate him from society.”

“That’s also true. It wouldn’t be right to pretend not to know even if I see a friend running towards destruction.”

After pondering for a while, Marx tapped the desk a few times with his pen, then took a deep breath and nodded.

“I understand. I’ll do it. It may not be right to say it’s the price for the sponsorship I received in the past, but I will take responsibility and smash Engels’ vain dreams.”

“Good. Then I’ll look forward to it.”

When the true Heavenly Demon Divine Art appeared before the Blood Demon who claimed to be the Heavenly Demon, the fakes scattered like dust in a panic.

Wow, I want to see that sight with my own two eyes.

So, my dear Engels.

I sincerely hope that you will stand tall as the leader of the Blood Demon Cult as soon as possible.