I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 377

< The End of the Old Era >

As I suggested, with the British Empire intervening to mediate, Spain and the United States quickly began preparing for peace treaty negotiations.

The venue was London.

Each country’s delegation would consist of no more than five members, and the treaty would be ratified immediately according to their respective constitutional procedures.

Spain, not really in a position to refuse, formed a delegation without much argument and arrived in London early.

The Duke of Valencia, Narváez, who had served as prime minister four times, led the Spanish delegation and, naturally, came to see me as soon as he arrived.

“Your Majesty, thank you for readily agreeing to mediate.”

“Is there anything to thank me for? If the war between the United States and Spain drags on, Europe might be affected. And with conflicts happening elsewhere right now, the British Empire has stepped in directly, hoping to bring the conflict between the United States and Spain to a swift end.”

“Thank you.”

In fact, Spain probably knew very well that a brutal defeat [a crushing loss] awaited them if the war continued much longer.

So, I pretended not to know anything and offered an apology with an apologetic tone.

“And I should be the one thanking you. Spain must have been preparing a large-scale counterattack, so there must have been considerable internal conflict when the home country suddenly wanted to stop the war. A powerful country like Spain wouldn’t want to end the war with only losses, but you made a significant decision to save face for your home country, didn’t you?”

“Well…that’s…”

Actually, they were being unilaterally beaten without even being able to mount a proper defense, but they couldn’t admit they survived only because someone intervened, even if their life depended on it, right?

They might want to put on a brave face and agree, but they didn’t know how much I knew, so bluffing was difficult.

It was amusing to see their thoughts so clearly on their faces in this desperate situation.

‘Oh, shit, I can’t thank him for stopping the fight, and if I try to bluff and get caught, there’s no greater humiliation. What should I do?’

If they were like that in actual negotiations, they’d be thoroughly exploited by both the North and South.

However, I couldn’t give the impression that I was taking advantage of Spain, even though I knew everything, so I calmly led Narváez to the office.

“As you already know, the negotiations will be attended by 5 representatives from Spain, 5 representatives from the North and South, and 2 representatives from the British Empire—one each from the House of Lords and the House of Commons—plus Prince Edward of Canada, for a total of 13 people. Of course, we have no intention of interfering in the negotiations between the two countries, so we will mainly be observing.”

“Yes. I’ve already heard that Duke Wellington and Member of Parliament Disraeli will be representing you. But I didn’t know that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would be participating.”

Did they think the British Imperial Family had no real power and were surprised by my sudden appearance [unexpected involvement]?

I mean, he’s participating as a representative of the Kingdom of Canada, not the British Empire.

He’s absorbing the experience I’m providing him well, so if he performs well in this negotiation, he’ll become someone who can handle his responsibilities even more effectively.

I’ve created a situation [set up a 판] where he can easily succeed even if he only does the bare minimum, so there’s no need to worry about him messing things up.

I wondered if I was making him too accustomed to negotiations from a position of strength, but considering the future Edward would live in, I was convinced this was the best approach.

Building up and protecting are similar, but subtly different.

In my case, I had to play a role that encompassed both, but my children clearly only need to focus on the latter.

By the time those kids have to jump into political issues in earnest, the British Empire will have already established its unrivaled position as the world’s strongest power.

This means they should focus on learning how to coax and persuade other countries using their position and how to foster alliances.

In fact, I had been reminding him since he was young that he should not act like a loner [독불장군], intoxicated by the position of the world’s strongest power.

It’s right to use other countries, but in a more sophisticated and subtle way.

My goal was to help him grow into someone who could pursue practical benefits [실리] while maintaining the reputation of a respected imperial family.

Of course, it’s easy to say, but if he didn’t have the potential [싹수], I was just going to give him a formal position and tell him to live happily on his own. Fortunately, Edward has always delivered when given a task.

So, even if I take him to these negotiations, no one objects. If I had forcibly inserted an incompetent son, there would have been criticism [뒷말] no matter what I did.

After that, following formal welcoming procedures, the Spanish representatives remained in London, looking gloomy like death row inmates awaiting execution.

About a week later, a joint delegation from the North and South arrived in London, exuding confidence [위풍당당하게].

Unlike the gloomy atmosphere of the Spanish representatives, who resembled a defeated nation [패전국], the North and South representatives were very confident.

First of all, the lineup [면면] was impressive. The North formed a delegation with Secretary of State Seward and two senators.

The South also showed sincerity no less than the North, with a member of the Supreme Council accompanying Bakunin.

Secretary of State Seward had been to London several times, so the reaction was, “Oh, he’s here again,” but Bakunin was different.

An anarchist who was famous in Europe had risen to become the second-in-command in a communist country and returned to Europe, so he naturally attracted a lot of attention.

Still, he seemed aware that he was there to promote his country’s interests, not to cause trouble, so Bakunin put the North forward and stayed in the background.

Of course, he didn’t overdo it or wander around [돌아다니지], but he didn’t hide the sense of victory they had achieved in the war.

Finally, the day of the agreement arrived.

As I watched the delegations from both sides arrive in a separate room in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Edward, I couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle [헛웃음].

Former Prime Minister Narváez, walking with a slumped posture [축 쳐진] like an animal being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

And Secretary Seward and Bakunin, entering confidently [위풍당당하게] as if they had graduated at the top of their class from Seoul National University Medical School and were attending a family gathering for the holidays.

“I feel like I can see the outcome of the meeting before it even starts.”

At Edward’s words next to me, I chuckled [피식] and nodded.

“You can say that again.”

* * *

Ah~ I don’t want to decline [몰락하기] like that.

Edward sincerely thought so as he watched the dejected [쭈굴해진 모습] Spanish delegation.

Is that the end [말로] of an empire that was once called the empire on which the sun never sets and led the invincible armada across the entire ocean?

In fact, the Spain of the past and the British Empire of today had subtle common ground [은근].

Having naval power that no one could match and being called the empire on which the sun never sets by pioneering colonies all over the world.

In that respect, watching the decline [모습] of an old power being suppressed [눌리는] by a rising power was not a pleasant feeling.

Especially the fact that the rising power was a country that had gained independence from the British Empire made him feel even more complex emotions.

In fact, he wasn’t even born when the United States became independent, let alone when they fought a war after that, so he hadn’t experienced that history.

But the more he thought about it, the less he understood his ancestors.

Why couldn’t they embrace that country and allow it to become independent?

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand it, so he remembered looking up the records and history books in detail at the time.

Because he couldn’t believe that his ancestors were ‘stupid idiots [멍청한 빡대가리들]’ as his father often said as a habit.

Still, after researching diligently [열심히 조사한], he concluded that his ancestors weren’t completely hopeless idiots [답이 없는 멍청이들].

At the time, the United States was much smaller than it is now, and there was a lack of awareness that resources and food were pouring out indefinitely like an unbelievable land of gold.

If they had known, the response would have been different.

Wellesley and Disraeli, who had been the Crown Prince’s mentors since he was young, had said similar things.

Judging past events based on current outcomes can cause serious errors. It was something along those lines.

But didn’t his father raise Canada, which wasn’t noticed [주목하고] by the home country at the time, to an unbelievable level?

In fact, if you force a connection [끼워 맞추면], you could say it was a good thing in the end.

When we started industrializing in earnest, the cities near the Great Lakes could easily obtain the necessary resources.

We bought Alaska to keep an eye on Russia, but all kinds of resources poured out from there, and even gold came out.

We occupied the California area to prevent the United States from advancing into the Pacific Ocean, but when we brought water [끌고와 물길] to that place, which we ridiculed as a desolate wasteland [desert 똥땅], it was perfect for farming.

Clearly, the initial goal was A, but when I actually did it, a strange situation occurred where B, C, D, and even Z resulted.

Some people just dismissed [흘려 넘겼다] it as good luck, thanks to God’s blessing, but Edward didn’t think so.

Coincidence is only a coincidence once or twice. If things go well by chance repeatedly, is that a coincidence? It’s inevitable [필연이지].

In that sense, he believed without a doubt that his father’s decision to divide the United States in half and weaken [죽여놓은] it was the best choice for the future of the British Empire.

It wasn’t just a one-dimensional goal of preventing the United States from becoming stronger right now, but a grand [대국적인] decision that looked to the more distant future.

Edward speculated [추측하고] inwardly, and when he saw this scene today, he realized that his prediction was true.

“Dear Representative Narváez, thank you so much for agreeing to this peace agreement. I didn’t know that Spain, a European power, was such a peace-loving country that it even gave up its counterattack to avoid conflict with our United States, isn’t that right, Representative Bakunin?”

“That’s right. I was nervous [조마조마] about when the Spanish invincible armada would cross the Atlantic, but I was relieved to hear that Spain had chosen peace.”

He’s openly mocking [조롱을 하는구나] them, mocking them.

Secretary Seward, whom Edward knew, was a gentleman who was courteous both publicly and privately.

But he was saying such sarcastic [비꼬는] words so openly.

Of course, that’s proof that the people of the North don’t have good feelings for Spain.

“Ahem… The home country simply wants to conclude matters without the war escalating [확대되지] any further.”

“I see. Of course, we don’t want the war to escalate [확대되는] any further either. What country would want to fight the Spanish invincible armada?”

“······.”

This meeting isn’t going to end overnight anyway.

It’s a large-scale undertaking [작업] that can take at least a week to fifteen days, or even almost a month, so Seward was determined [작정하고] to pour all his sincerity into roasting [조리돌림하는] Spain.

If the angry Spain were to lash out [박차고 일어나면], it would be even better because they could beat them up [두들겨 패면] even more.

Secretary Seward’s refreshing [상쾌한] expression, watching [바라보는] the Spanish representatives who were trembling [부들부들] with a constipated [똥씹은] expression, reinforced this speculation.

Is this how the powerful nations [강대국] of this era exploit [빨아먹는] the defeated nations [패전국]?

Something flashed through Edward’s mind like lightning as he observed the North’s approach [방식], which was merciless [인정사정 없는] even though they were both white countries.

‘Wait. If Spain bears [감당한다] the Cuban debt alone [단독으로]…’

Originally, he was going to intervene [끼어들] if the atmosphere became too excessive [과해지], but his mind changed.

After that, Edward carefully watched [유심히 지켜보았다] the scene of Seward and Bakunin placing [올려 두고] the Spanish representatives on a sizzling hot plate [지글지글 끓는 불판] and turning, flipping, and stirring [돌리고 지지고 볶는] them.