I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 369

Just before Engels initiated a ‘go big or go home’ strategy against Spain.

The division of the United States of America was a living specimen that provided scholars worldwide with immense research material.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t the first time a country had been divided after a war.

However, it was definitely the first time in history that a divided country had completely shifted to a different system.

From the outset, the South was the first to see the emergence of a communist state, so it was only natural.

One side was capitalist, the other communist.

Economists, historians, and political scientists around the world were invariably excited by this bizarre confrontation, studying and researching this valuable sample.

Both countries suffered enormous damage from the war, but the process of overcoming it was slightly different.

The South constructed a new nation through revolution, completely denying the existing order.

Conversely, the North defined the South as absolute evil, strengthening their solidarity.

It was still unclear who would be the victor, but everyone agreed that the North’s national power was stronger than the South’s, so the prevailing opinion was that the North was unlikely to be pushed back.

As expected, the North quickly recovered from its wounds based on its superior industrial power and became even stronger than before the war.

Even though the South had seceded, the superior food production and industrial facilities concentrated in the North remained intact, making this feat possible.

In addition, improving the treatment of workers to keep the Southern communists in check greatly reduced social unrest.

Thanks to Killian’s tip-off and thorough preparations to crack down on the communists, political turmoil was also minimized.

Furthermore, the authority of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which was created as a leading contributor to communist eradication, greatly increased, and Lincoln’s approval rating, who created it, unexpectedly rose.

It was truly a situation where everything had entered a period of stability.

However, Lincoln did not let his guard down.

He believed that firmly establishing the foundation at this time would allow the North to clearly lead in the system competition with the South and lay the groundwork for unification.

The conflict between Spain and the South erupted at this moment.

“Hehehe, the Spanish bastards seem properly flustered.”

“Indeed. It’s so refreshing. Burp!”

“It was a predictable future since they were consumed by greed and meddled in all sorts of disputes. After stabbing other countries in the back like that, they expected their own backs to be safe.”

“It’s good that the commies don’t care about what others think in times like these. Hehehe.”

If you were to pick the country that the North hated the most right now, the name of Spain would be mentioned by politicians and ordinary people alike.

Prussia and France also intervened in the last war, but Spain’s misdeeds were far deeper than theirs.

They interfered in the war with Mexico, and it was Spain that gave the impression that the South was doing well in the early stages of the war.

If it hadn’t been for Spain, it would have been impossible for the South to perform so well, and France and Prussia would not have intervened.

As these analyses continued to emerge, Spain was permanently enshrined in the hearts of Americans in the North as the number one country they wanted to tear apart.

“But when you think about it, isn’t it funny? When you consider that the South’s independence was thanks to Spain, but now they’re stabbing them in the back like this.”

“That’s the nature of commies. They swallow what’s sweet and spit out what’s bitter.”

“In fact, there’s no way those commies are grateful to Spain. Aren’t they from Europe?”

From a cold perspective, the South was repaying kindness with enmity, but people in the North were reacting as if the South had done well this time.

However, there was no way that Spain, with its own problems, would just take this backstabbing lying down.

Sooner or later, there would definitely be a conflict, whether big or small.

The United States had to decide what position to take in this situation.

“Your Excellency. How about siding with Spain this time to put pressure on the South? If we do that, we might be able to eradicate the threat of communism forever.”

“Siding with Spain, of all countries? Do you think the citizens would accept that?”

“…It’s impossible.”

“Unless we’re willing to give up the next election, we should erase the option of doing something with Spain from our minds. That leaves us with two choices: either ignore it completely, or support the South in reverse.”

“Are you saying we should join hands with the commies now?”

“Your Excellency! Even so, that’s…”

Not only the ministers but also Vice President and acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Andrew Johnson showed a disgusted reaction.

From the beginning, the motto of the current regime was to crack down on commies, so this was no different from denying their own identity.

It was no wonder that the ministers were reluctant.

“Now, now, calm down. Of course, I’m not saying we should have full-fledged cooperation with the communists. All we’re doing is making Spain pay the price for the atrocities they’ve committed so far.”

“Make Spain pay the price…”

“I guarantee that if our citizens could trample on Spain, they wouldn’t care who shook hands or embraced the commies.”

“That’s… probably true. Congress won’t object either.”

To be precise, they would go beyond objecting and take the lead in condemning Spain in order to get involved in any way possible.

In the United States right now, hitting Spain was synonymous with rising approval ratings, so the effect was excellent.

Until now, they couldn’t easily come forward because they had to recover from the damage of the war and take care of the chaotic political situation. But now the time has come.

Seeing that Spain was still reeling from the aftermath of the war, there might not be a better time than now.

“Spain has been constantly showing interest in the American continent. It seems they’ve infiltrated Mexico again, and if we leave them alone, they’ll continue to hinder us in every way.”

“That’s right. Beyond simply embarrassing them, we should take this opportunity to drive them out completely.”

Hitting Spain would please the citizens, so there would be no political burden, and driving them out would help security, so there would be no practical downside.

The only problem was how to coordinate opinions with the South, but if Engels had any sense, he wouldn’t refuse.

Given the South’s conditions, which were not yet fully stabilized, it would be too burdensome to confront Spain alone.

“Your Excellency. So, you’re not just saying we should support the South’s claims…”

“That’s right. We need to crush Spain so that they don’t even think about meddling in the American continent again.”

It was an emotional statement filled with anger, but everyone in the room deeply sympathized with the President’s words and nodded.

Lincoln was the politician who wanted the integration of the country more than anyone else.

How could his anger at Spain, the culprit who had buried that dream and desire in the trash, be small?

If you were to pick the person in Washington DC who hated Spain the most, Lincoln would be at least in the top three.

And those who sympathized with the President’s anger more than anyone else were the ministers and members of Congress.

In fact, most politicians thought the same as Lincoln, so there was no reason to object.

“Then I will contact the South immediately.”

“And send a message to the embassy in London. No, if possible, I would like Secretary Seward to go there himself.”

“Excuse me? Go to London?”

The ministers tilted their heads for a moment, then nodded as if they understood.

Even if the United States was trying to vent its anger on Spain, there was a concern that the situation might escalate if other European countries intervened.

It was necessary to make it clear that this was entirely a matter between America and Spain.

* * *

While Joseon [Korea] and Japan were waging a petty war with the Qing Dynasty [China’s last dynasty, ruling from 1644 to 1912] to become the dominant power in Asia, I was once again having a meeting with the Secretary of State of the North.

I could have conveyed my opinion through the ambassador, but I heard that the ambassador had gone to Wellesley.

Seeing that they were sending even the Secretary of State to simultaneously target me, it seemed that the United States was truly serious.

This is why people or countries shouldn’t reveal their weaknesses and incur hatred.

As soon as a weakness is revealed, they try to tear it apart without mercy, right?

If you’re going to do it, you should put someone else forward as a shield and hide behind them, like me.

When I think about it, Spain’s misdeeds are all my doing.

Of course, that doesn’t prick my conscience at all.

I just set the stage, but Spain was the one who danced on it, even doing windmills and airtracks while breakdancing.

They should have been more moderate. What were they doing, recklessly running around, saying, ‘Hehehe, Spain is making money!’ without looking ahead or behind?

“It must not have been easy to cross the Atlantic. Thank you for your hard work. It would have been simple if I had been in Canada, but the timing was a bit off, so you had to suffer.”

“Not at all. Rather, I am grateful that you have postponed other schedules and met with me like this.”

“Well, that’s because you brought up a topic that the other side couldn’t help but listen to.”

As I had confidently told Wellesley, I expected it was only a matter of time before Spain’s misdeeds would explode.

Spain, where the prime minister was constantly being replaced, they were fighting each other, and the state of the country was so terrible that they couldn’t even manage their colonies properly, would not properly repay the debt they owed here.

And would the South, which was just beginning to get its act together, willingly repay this debt to Spain?

Of course not, and there was no way the North would let this opportunity to screw over Spain pass by.

I listened quietly to Secretary of State Seward’s lengthy explanation, interjecting with occasional agreement.

“I see. Certainly, the South’s claims also seem to have room for dispute from a legal point of view. Of course, it would be difficult to accept the South’s opinion as it is, but it’s not as one-sided as Spain’s claims.”

“Yes. That’s why the home country issued a statement supporting the South. What clearer evidence could there be than the fact that the home country, which hates communism more than anyone else, has sided with them?”

“Of course, of course. I have no doubt that the United States has made an objective judgment. So, what you want here is for us to agree with the United States’ opinion?”

“No. Isn’t the British Empire currently focused on Asia because of its troublesome allies?”

In summary, they want me to focus all my attention on Asia and pretend not to know what’s happening in America.

Of course, that was exactly what I wanted, but if I nodded obediently here, I wouldn’t be Killian.

“Of course, the British Empire is currently most concerned about Asia. However, as the King of Canada, I cannot help but pay attention to the trends in America. If an ominous atmosphere lingers in America, it will inevitably affect Canada. Do you understand?”

“…Of course.”

“Even more so if America goes to war with Spain. In order to appease the anxiety of the citizens, we need more solid proof.”

The Canadian citizens would just take it as gossip whether America and Spain fought or reconciled, but what could we do if we were anxious?

Secretary Seward, understanding my intentions, took a light breath and closed his mouth.

Realizing that it was a silent gesture to tell me what I wanted, I looked at the map and muttered as if to hear.

“Hmm, by the way, in order to sort out the situation in Asia, I need a gift to give to France and Prussia, but I can’t sell this side’s colonies, so it’s difficult. If there was land to be handed over from somewhere, I could sell it to them and show off, but I wonder if there’s any such land…”

Secretary Seward, discovering that my gaze was fixed on one point on the map as I was talking to myself, lowered his voice as much as possible and opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty, what we want is Cuba.”

Yeah, of course. If they could get their hands on Cuba, the North would be able to gain a strategically important location to pressure the South.

“Any other terms are negotiable.”

“We have one concern. We have money to receive from Spain, but what if they squander all their national treasury while bickering with your country and can’t give us the money they owe us?”

“Then, of course, they should compensate with land. Let’s see… the Philippines, which Spain happens to have, catches my eye.”

Good. I’m glad the conversation is going well.

This was not an official negotiation or a contract, so I didn’t give any definite answers.

I was just expressing my wish that it would be nice if that happened, and Secretary Seward was just reciting a hypothetical scenario that it would be okay if it were like this.

Having confirmed each other’s interests, we shook hands and parted ways.

Even though it’s a hypothetical story, if you desperately wish for it, the whole universe will help… no, won’t it become reality?

Finally, the last puzzle to build the Pacific Defense Line has come into my hands.