I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 366

As Killian confidently assured Wellesley, the Asian countries welcomed the British Empire’s offer to sell them weapons with open arms.

The British Empire’s firearms technology had made remarkable progress during the Civil War, and they had now established a highly efficient mass production system.

For Asian countries, where the majority of their forces were still armed with outdated muzzle-loading rifles, let alone trapdoor rifles [an early type of breech-loading rifle], these modern weapons were incredibly appealing.

Of course, their economic power wasn’t sufficient to purchase weapons on a large scale without depleting their national treasuries, so the actual quantity purchased was somewhat limited.

However, the Qing Dynasty, which had been invaded by Japan and was facing unrest in Joseon [Korea], became a significant buyer.

“Excellent. If the British Empire is willing to provide so many weapons, we are naturally eager to buy them. The Minister of Trade has also been instructed to actively pursue these purchases.”

“That’s very fortunate. How would you feel about us handling not only firearms but also warship construction?”

“We couldn’t ask for more.”

The most powerful figure in the Qing Dynasty was undoubtedly Empress Dowager Cixi.

And under her, influential figures such as Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang were spearheading the modernization efforts.

However, Zuo Zongtang argued that the army should be strengthened to contain Russia, with whom they shared a land border, while Li Hongzhang insisted on prioritizing naval power. This difference in opinion led to a strained relationship between them.

As a result, both initiatives progressed simultaneously. Li Hongzhang focused on strengthening the navy, while Zuo Zongtang led the army on an expedition to pacify Xinjiang [a region in Northwest China].

The reason Joseon confidently pushed north was that Zuo Zongtang’s forces, numbering nearly 100,000 strong, were deployed in Xinjiang and unable to return quickly.

Furthermore, Li Hongzhang was in a precarious position because the naval forces he had ambitiously built up had been utterly destroyed by Japan.

Zuo Zongtang was achieving success in the Xinjiang campaign, and if Li Hongzhang, who had championed naval power, suffered a significant defeat, it was clear whom Empress Dowager Cixi would favor.

Initially, they had hoped to overwhelm the Japanese or Joseon forces with a show of force, but the reality proved different.

In fact, the Qing Dynasty found itself unable to effectively demonstrate its strength, even if it desired to.

The already inadequate forces had been largely committed to Zuo Zongtang’s Xinjiang expedition.

With as many as 100,000 troops tied up there, how could they spare defensive forces for Manchuria, which was implementing a blockade policy?

To halt the current expedition would create even greater problems.

Moreover, the war had begun with the Fujian Fleet being annihilated in a surprise attack by the Japanese navy, leaving their naval power significantly weakened.

The Beiyang Fleet [Northern Ocean Fleet] was still in its early stages of formation, and the Nanyang Fleet’s [Southern Ocean Fleet] development plan had been abandoned.

Only the Guangdong Fleet [fleet based in Guangdong province] was somewhat operational, but considering the skill level of the soldiers and commanders, their chances of victory appeared slim.

For the great Qing Dynasty to be defeated by the Japanese in a naval battle, regardless of the scale, would be a devastating blow.

If such a thing were to happen, Li Hongzhang’s esteemed reputation would be ruined.

His efforts to strengthen naval power were just beginning, and no matter how loudly he advocated for it, his arguments would be dismissed as excuses.

The stark reality would be that he had enthusiastically promoted naval power, only to be defeated by the Japanese.

Who would understand or accept such a failure?

He had to compensate for it somehow, and to do so, he urgently needed more power and more weapons.

Li Hongzhang persuaded Empress Dowager Cixi with the idea of prioritizing quantity over quality and proceeded to purchase weapons indiscriminately.

“First, purchase up to 100,000 of the British Empire’s new rifles sequentially in installments. And of course, warships, as well as education and systematic training for the officers…”

Combining the sales to Japan and Joseon and multiplying it, the volume of imports from Qing was enormous beyond comparison.

Regardless of modernization efforts, the fundamental difference in national size could not be overcome.

Just as Carthage, led by the brilliant general Hannibal, was ultimately defeated by Rome, tactics cannot triumph over strategy.

Besides, Japan and Joseon are no Hannibal Barca.

At best, they are Hasdrubal Barca [Hannibal’s brother, a less successful general].

The plenipotentiary ambassador, Governor Parker, who was overseeing the negotiations, sensed that the war would likely end in Qing’s victory, thanks to their willingness to spend vast sums of money.

Killian had predicted that no matter how well Qing performed, it would eventually falter due to internal issues, but this time, wouldn’t his prediction be proven wrong?

‘Your Majesty. It seems that you have miscalculated this time.’

Upon careful consideration, Qing’s market size alone surpasses even India’s.

Therefore, shouldn’t Britain allow Qing to emerge as the victor and maintain it as a valuable commodity market?

Governor Parker sincerely believed so.

Until the Qing minister, acting as the plenipotentiary ambassador, spoke up.

“Ah, but Governor Parker. The contract size has already been agreed upon, but could we make a slight adjustment to the details?”

“Yes? What details?”

“If you look here, you agreed to repurchase and dispose of our old rifles in exchange for purchasing a large number of new rifles, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

These were outdated weapons that were no longer in use, but they could be melted down and reused, or resold to places like Africa for a reasonable profit.

Since the purchase price was about one-eighth of the new rifle’s price, this deal was already profitable for the British Empire.

“But I would like you to adjust the price a little more.”

“You may feel it’s expensive, but it’s certainly not overpriced. Actual use will demonstrate that the price is justified.”

“Ah, you seem to have misunderstood. I’m not asking you to lower the price. It’s the opposite.”

The Qing minister lowered his voice and produced a document from his pocket that contained the exact same information as the document on the table.

He wondered why the minister had bothered to create a duplicate, but upon closer inspection, he noticed discrepancies in the contents.

“No, this is…”

“It’s as you can see. I will be using this agreement from our side, and I would appreciate your understanding.”

From the British Empire’s perspective, the amount of money received and the number of old rifles taken from Qing remained unchanged.

The only difference was one thing.

It was the amount of money from the sale of old rifles that was reported to the Qing government.

“If this is the case, the reported price for the repurchase of firearms will be reduced by approximately 20%…”

“Yes. But the amount your country receives will not change at all. There is no loss whatsoever.”

The Qing government prepares the funds for purchasing firearms from the British Empire, and the British Empire also allocates the cost of the old firearms to be acquired from Qing.

To simplify the calculation, the cost that the British Empire has to pay to Qing could simply be subtracted from the cost to be received, but the minister insisted on using the cumbersome method of preparing and exchanging money on both sides.

The reason for this was obvious.

This minister was boldly planning to embezzle 20% of the proceeds from the sale of old rifles that Qing would sell to the British Empire, diverting it into his own pocket.

“…I’m sorry, but it’s a little difficult for me to cooperate with this…”

“Ah, I’m not asking for your cooperation, Governor. I’ll handle everything else, so you don’t need to know anything. I’m simply informing you in advance to avoid any confusion later.”

“Ah, yes…”

Incredibly, the minister, representing his country during wartime, was brazenly embezzling funds intended for weapons purchases and not even attempting to conceal it?

Governor Parker felt a wave of dizziness and quickly signed the agreement.

He now understood why Killian was so confident that this country would collapse under its own weight.

Would the firearms listed on the document actually be delivered to the Qing soldiers?

He would wager his entire fortune that they wouldn’t.

* * *

Joseon [Korea].

It is now a word that symbolizes this country, but in the distant past, it referred to the first country founded by the Korean people.

For convenience, it is called Gojoseon [Ancient Joseon] with the old character, but there were many in Joseon who believed that they had inherited this Gojoseon.

Since the name is the same, it would be more strange if they didn’t think so.

Is that why?

“Is this the old territory of Joseon? I never thought we would break through to this place so easily. Did our ancestors also want us to recover this land?”

Joseon’s commander, Eo Jae-yeon.

He could not hide his amusement at Qing’s weak resistance.

He passed the military examination in his youth and rose to the position of Naegeumwijang [a military post in the royal guard], but when Kim Jwa-geun seized power, he quickly joined the Enlightenment Party [a political group advocating for modernization].

The reason was simpler than expected.

While serving in Naegeumwi, he was deeply impressed by the British Empire’s army that visited Joseon.

Since that day, he had lived with the sole ambition of making the Joseon army as formidable as that of the British.

And now, as he led the Joseon army and advanced into the Liaoxi region [a region in Northeast China] for the first time in Joseon’s history, he was overcome with emotion.

“How is General Yang doing now?”

“The unit led by General Yang has successfully secured the entire Liaodong region [another region in Northeast China].”

“I assumed Liaoxi was undefended, and I wondered if Liaodong would be different, but it wasn’t. Good. We will reinforce our defenses here and await His Majesty’s orders.”

The Joseon army’s initial objective was to conquer the Liaodong and Liaoxi regions and observe Qing’s response.

They anticipated it would take some time, but Qing’s defense forces were so weak that they achieved their goals quickly with minimal resistance.

Even when Qing belatedly sent troops, they were easily repelled.

Eo Jae-yeon and Yang Heon-soo.

Until now, they had been hesitant to confront these adversaries, but now they felt as though they had been deceived.

They had heard that Qing’s main force was engaged in the Xinjiang expedition, but even if their main force were to arrive, the situation would likely remain unchanged.

The Joseon army was now brimming with confidence.

“How is Japan doing?”

“The Japanese army is in a similar situation. They are winning every battle, and Qing appears to be no match for the Japanese navy. Japan is in the process of fully integrating the Diaoyu Islands [a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea claimed by both Japan and China], which they claim as their own.”

“It’s absurd. The once-mighty Qing Dynasty now seems like a paper tiger.”

Even a wealthy family retains some wealth for three generations after bankruptcy, but he honestly didn’t understand how this could be happening.

Perhaps this was a ruse by Qing to lull them into complacency while they prepared a counterattack.

He tried to believe that and remain vigilant, but their response was strangely slow.

As a result, the soldiers fighting on the front lines, and the higher-ups receiving reports from the home country, experienced a complete shift in atmosphere.

The initial tension stemming from Qing’s reputation had dissipated entirely, replaced by a sense of relaxed confidence.

If they performed well, they could potentially claim not only Liaodong and Liaoxi but also the entire Northeast region for Joseon.

Given Qing’s current state of disarray, it seemed plausible.

The challenge lay in managing this vast territory…

Eo Jae-yeon penned a glowing victory report that the king would undoubtedly read, and gazed out at the expansive plains stretching before him and the hills rising in the distance.

It was a complete fabrication that Joseon cherished peace, revered Confucianism, and harbored no desire for conquest.

Just as no one can remain indifferent to money and power, it seemed that everyone was captivated by the allure of ‘conquest’.

Moreover, hadn’t Joseon endured the humiliation of defeat, a suzerain-vassal relationship, and countless instances of interference and contempt?

How could they not feel exhilarated by so decisively driving back the Qing Dynasty, to whom they had once bowed?

He could easily imagine the atmosphere within the government without needing to witness it firsthand.

The determination to rectify all the historical injustices and humiliations was sweeping across Joseon and all of Manchuria.