I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 418

< The Communist Civil War >

The world’s first workers’ paradise.

Mikhail Bakunin, a member of the Supreme Council of the Southern Socialist Union, was in an extreme crisis.

Even when the exposé on Killian first broke, he was ambitiously preparing to seize power in the South.

Once Killian was cornered, he would reveal the shocking truth that Engels was his henchman and formally initiate impeachment proceedings against the General Secretary in the council.

The leader of the workers, followed by all the proletarians of the world, was the head of the British Empire’s royal family, the ultimate capitalist.

How much chaos would follow once this shocking truth was revealed?

In fact, there were quite a few hints of this in the revelations about Killian.

Because the content was so vast and extensive, the parts that were catching fire varied slightly from continent to continent.

In the Americas, the North was horrified by the fact that the British Empire’s royal family was behind the North-South War, and the South was stunned by the fact that the theoretical establishment of communism was the work of the British Empire.

Now, the decisive moment would come when the British Empire’s royal family admitted all these facts, or when an environment was created where they had no choice but to admit them.

Bakunin had already made thorough preparations and was waiting for that day to come.

However.

-Shock! Alexander II of the Russian Empire virtually admits that he is behind all these conspiracy theories!

-The countries involved in this are Russia and the Southern Socialist Union.

-Was it okay to be a communist as long as it was to check the British Empire? Ideological conflict was meaningless in the face of national interests.

He had finished all the preparations to bring down Engels, but what was this bolt from the blue?

Friedrich was a traitor?

If James was a traitor, he would at least blame himself for being deceived, but what did it mean that Friedrich was a traitor?

His head was spinning, and he couldn’t understand how the situation was unfolding.

But, unfortunately, thanks to the speed of information transmission, the truth, which he wished would arrive slowly, began to spread rapidly in the South as well.

-Mikhail Bakunin was the one who led this with Alexander II!

-This is an attack on communism! Strengthening European unity.

With the major European powers, centered on the British Empire, stepping on Russia, the direction of the guns naturally turned to the Americas.

“Councilor Bakunin! Say something!”

“Is all of this true?”

“True? Everyone, this is all a blatant lie! How can my comrades not believe me!”

“Then what is all the evidence they’re presenting? And what about hiring a detective agency in the North to investigate the British Empire’s royal family!”

“That, that was just information gathering for any eventuality. Isn’t it not wrong to gather information about other countries in the first place? I was just gathering information in preparation for any unforeseen events. This was all out of patriotism for our country! So what did I do wrong!”

It goes without saying that Bakunin had no intention of admitting that he was an accomplice of Alexander II.

How did he get this far? If he admitted this fact, all that would be left for him was ruin.

It was truly a ridiculous thing.

He used to shout about anarchism and criticize those in power.

Now that he had risen to become the second most powerful figure in a major power that everyone in the world couldn’t ignore, he was desperately telling lies to protect this position.

There would be many who would criticize him for being a hypocrite or for changing.

But who in the world could just give up such a position and walk away if things went a little wrong?

I guarantee it. There are no such people in the world.

Of course, he might consider stepping down honorably, but if he admitted all those facts and left now, it wouldn’t be a retirement but an expulsion.

His life might even be threatened, so he could never admit it under any circumstances.

“So are you saying that Europe is framing Comrade Bakunin?”

“Of course! As I said, it’s true that I requested an investigation into the British Empire’s royal family. I won’t deny that. But I have never conspired with Alexander II. This is just the delusion of those greedy capitalist pigs who are trying to attack us on this pretext!”

“Then how did Crown Prince Friedrich know that you were investigating the British Empire’s royal family?”

“Very unfortunately, I hired the same detective agency as them. Since they were discovered, I, who was acting separately, was caught up in it all at once.”

This was just a coincidence, and he never plotted any conspiracy with it.

He was just purely gathering information, and who could say anything since it was an expression of loyalty for his country?

Of course, he could be criticized for being careless, but this wouldn’t be a fatal flaw that would lead to his downfall.

However, even after hearing Bakunin’s explanation, Engels’ face didn’t brighten much.

“Comrade Bakunin, but if you look at the content of the conspiracy theory that Russia first revealed, there were many things that were intertwined with us. Are you saying that this is all a coincidence too?”

“Of course, General Secretary. I swear to the heavens, I have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“…Well, we’ll find out when we investigate.”

It was clear that Engels had no intention of believing Bakunin’s words.

Bakunin didn’t think he could deceive Engels from the beginning.

This was because the content that Alexander II revealed briefly mentioned the relationship between Killian and Engels.

Others were naturally taking all of that as fake now, but Bakunin and Engels knew very well that it was true.

But logically, how could Alexander II or Crown Prince Friedrich have known that content and revealed the conspiracy theory?

At least, the fact that the content was circulating in Europe meant that someone in the South must have leaked it.

Moreover, Engels was the only one in the South who knew this fact.

If there was one more person, it would be the very few people who had fiercely debated with Engels in the early days of the International’s establishment.

And Bakunin was one of the most likely suspects.

Such a person used the same detective agency as Alexander II and was unfortunately caught up in the conspiracy theory?

That’s a ridiculous excuse that even a three-year-old wouldn’t believe.

‘Preserving this position… might be impossible.’

Just as Bakunin had changed a little after gaining power, Engels had also changed a lot from his past self.

In the past, he might have forgiven someone who tried to stab him in the back, but not now.

From the fact that he had leaked the relationship between Killian and Engels to the outside, Engels had tentatively concluded that Bakunin was a traitor.

The titles of the second-in-command of the council or one of the founding members of the South meant nothing in front of the General Secretary.

If he wanted to live… he had to escape from here somehow.

If he could escape unscathed, that is.

* * *

“Thoroughly investigate Bakunin’s background. Although he denies it, he is the culprit in this incident.”

“Yes, General Secretary.”

“And as soon as evidence comes out, indict him for treason. I will strip him of all his powers as a council member, confiscate all his assets, and send him to a forced labor camp until he dies.”

“…Yes? Treason?”

It was certainly a huge mistake to attack the British Empire’s royal family in collusion with Russia, only to be caught in the act.

Thanks to this, the South was now receiving a lot of criticism diplomatically and was also under pressure to formally apologize to the British Empire along with Russia.

However, there was bound to be controversy over whether it was a reasonable punishment to ruin the country’s second-in-command for treason.

“I’m not doing this simply because he has tarnished the country’s honor. Bakunin clearly tried to shake this country by spreading nonsense about me.”

“Nonsense… Ah, are you perhaps referring to the ridiculous rumors related to the General Secretary in that conspiracy theory…?”

“Yes. In all likelihood, Bakunin provided that to Russia.”

“No. What on earth was Comrade Bakunin thinking… Could it be that he was aiming for the General Secretary, not the British Empire’s royal family?”

“Perhaps he was thinking of dealing a fatal blow to both of them at the same time?”

Doing such a thing targeting the General Secretary, not someone else, was enough to constitute treason.

Engels gave strict orders to the heads of the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs of the South, which he had recently established.

“If you understand, thoroughly investigate those involved in this situation, secure evidence, and indict them. And investigate all of his associates, as there may be collaborators besides Bakunin.”

“Yes! General Secretary.”

“And tell the British Empire that we will take responsibility for identifying the mastermind behind all of this and make them pay the price, and send a formal apology to the British Empire. They may ask for related evidence, so keep that in mind and organize it.”

“Understood.”

“Hoo… It’s not pleasant to have to oust an old friend. Why on earth did that man do this…?”

They had clashed a few times in the past, but he thought that their interests had been well aligned since the establishment of this country, but it seemed that he was mistaken.

Perhaps the words of the ancient sages were right that power is a distance that cannot be shared even with family.

But even if he was a close friend who had worked together to achieve great things since the old days, he could never just let it go if he drew a knife on his authority.

Only when this country stands firm can additional communist countries be established in Europe, and only then can this world become a true paradise for workers.

So this country… his authority must never be shaken.

Anyone who tries to shake this position even a little will not be able to escape the blade of purge.

Engels inwardly felt the need to separate a separate organization specializing in internal audits from the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs [internal security agency].

If he granted them the authority to conduct their own investigations and even make arrests, and made them a direct organization under the General Secretary, he could prevent people like Bakunin from appearing in the future.

How did he build the country, and how did he get this position?

He could not hand it over to anyone.

Engels’ eyes, who had begun to create a secret police, were burning with a completely different kind of desire than when he was debating with Marx in the past.

* * *

Around the time when the South was conducting a political investigation to find traitors.

London, British Empire.

“The South is explaining that this incident is not a state-level smear campaign, but solely the independent action of a deranged council member. They have promised to send us all the evidence soon and give that person a definite punishment.”

I tapped the table in front of me and continued.

“Of course, this is not a story that has much to do with you, but you know why I called you at this time, right?”

“Are you telling me to fulfill what you said in the past?”

“Yes. Is everything ready?”

“It’s been finished for a long time.”

“So all I have to do is set the stage.”

The original founder of Engelsism, who made the current South possible and gave birth to Engels, the General Secretary of the South.

Marx shook his head and then stared at me and asked.

“Exactly when and how should I step in? Engels is the General Secretary of the South. No matter what I, a mere university professor and scholar, try to do, if they don’t respond, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve prepared bait that they can’t help but react to.”

I picked up a newspaper that I would release to the Times and Morning Post tomorrow and handed it to Marx.

[Engels, the father of communism, is actually a plagiarist?]

[Engelsism is the product of theft!]

[The owner of Engelsism, the bible of communists, was someone else! The truth of theoretical theft is finally revealed. Who is the real owner?!]

I told them to criticize the Reds, and they filled it with very stimulating phrases without any brakes.

I could almost feel Engels’ rage coming from across the Atlantic,

But the most interesting thing in the world is watching a fight, so it’s none of my business.

I just have to eat popcorn and enjoy watching this battle of the century. Mwahahaha!