I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 460

Although they had agreed to end the war, the Qing Dynasty couldn’t simply brush it off.

It was already a profound humiliation to have Manchuria, their spiritual homeland, seized by Joseon [an ancient Korean kingdom], whom they had regarded as a tributary state for centuries. Furthermore, they lost parts of Fujian and Guangdong, along with the entirety of Taiwan, to Japan.

To top it off, even the subjugation of Xinjiang [a region in Northwest China], which had been proceeding smoothly, was left unfinished because they were too preoccupied with the north and south. The Qing had thus suffered a triple blow to their prestige.

“It is unacceptable for our Great Qing to sign a truce treaty with such humiliating terms!”

“Shouldn’t we at least hear the terms before deciding?”

“Terms or no terms, we have only one demand! They must return all the territories they have unjustly occupied and restore everything to its previous state!”

“Please, think before you speak!”

“If you’re so confident, why don’t you pick up a gun and go to the battlefield yourself? Your Majesty! No more fighting! Absolutely not!”

There were still some hardliners who hadn’t come to their senses, but their voices were quickly suppressed and no longer heard.

The real power in the Qing Dynasty was held by Empress Dowager Cixi [the de facto ruler of China from 1861 to 1908], and her close advisors were, without exception, self-serving officials who prioritized their own well-being over the country’s safety.

So, instead of advocating for continued resistance, they wanted to end the war immediately.

Even those who called for resistance didn’t have any clear solutions; they just kept talking about the spirit of the Central Plains [historical region in China] and the pride of the Celestial Empire [a traditional name for China], so they were hardly persuasive.

Most people with the will and ability, like Li Hongzhang [a leading Qing Dynasty statesman], were busy trying to manage the chaos outside, while those who lived with the young emperor and the cunning empress dowager only sought their own safety in the deepest parts of the capital.

This was the reality and the future of the Qing Dynasty.

Eventually, the ministers of the Military Affairs Department persuaded Empress Dowager Cixi to accept the British Empire’s mediation request, and they went outside to discuss it among themselves.

“What do you think will happen?”

“Is there any brilliant solution right now? The only option is to give up as much as possible to the enemy.”

“No, no, that’s not what I mean. If we have to give it up anyway, wouldn’t it be better to get something else in return?”

If the ministers of the Military Affairs Department here agreed, they could accept some humiliating conditions.

And if it was an inevitable humiliation, it might be better to accept it and gain other benefits.

Of course, the problem was that those benefits would go to individuals, not the country.

“Where will the agreement be made? London?”

“No, they say it will be in Hong Kong. But since Killian himself is the final decision-maker in this matter, someone inheriting his will is likely to come and just sign the agreement. Maybe the Crown Prince will attend.”

“I guess so. Then I’ll secretly contact both the embassy and Hong Kong.”

The ministers of the Military Affairs Department were quick-witted, not stupid.

In fact, truly stupid people wouldn’t even come up with such ideas.

If they couldn’t protect something anyway, selling it off wouldn’t be due to their incompetence.

And if they could also line their pockets a little, wouldn’t that be a miraculous negotiation that created profit without any loss?

The common notion that people would call it treason was not in their minds.

In fact, treason is something that cannot be understood with ordinary emotions.

* * *

At the same time.

London.

The actual agreement was being made in Hong Kong, but the real negotiations were taking place in my office.

Joseon, Japan, and Qing.

The representatives of each country, receiving all instructions from their home countries, were fiercely arguing to get as much as possible and lose as little as possible.

“Our country can never give up Manchuria. At least, we must make the territory we occupy our own.”

“Isn’t that too much? The area Joseon occupies is only a small part of the vast Manchurian territory. If we really only take the areas you occupy, we should adjust the border accordingly.”

“The areas we occupy are, in fact, the core areas. So, of course, we should exercise control over the area.”

“Land that you can’t even digest all of… Okay, let’s make some adjustments.”

What? I thought they would have a fierce debate, but surprisingly, the Qing side seemed to be listening.

From the Qing’s perspective, Manchuria was a sacred place and a spiritual home that they could never give up.

Of course, it was impossible for Joseon to swallow the entire Manchuria, but according to their current claim, they would gain territory almost comparable to that of Goguryeo [an ancient Korean kingdom].

Logically, they shouldn’t agree, but I wondered if the two had made some secret deal.

Even so, I doubted that the Qing representative would be making deals regarding Manchuria, but the high-ranking officials of the Qing Dynasty in this era always easily exceeded my imagination.

Those people might really sell off Manchuria.

“Then we have no objection to ending the war as it is.”

“Next is the Japanese side. You’re asking for the Taiwan area and… Hainan? Hainan has never been occupied by your country.”

“Instead, we will not demand the cession of the areas currently occupied by our country. Of course, we will have to look into the details, but that’s the big picture.”

“Hainan and Taiwan…”

Both are islands located at the southernmost tip of Qing, and places that China must have in order to advance into the sea in the future.

But that was a problem for future Chinese people to worry about; the current Qing people didn’t seem to care how much their future descendants would suffer.

The Qing ambassador’s attitude of readily accepting the demands was so strange that it seemed like something shady was going on behind the scenes, but what did I care?

I’m just satisfied with taking as much as I can get right now.

Joseon and Japan took land, but what does that have to do with the British Empire?

It’s not like Qing has a monopoly on behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

About three hours passed, and the negotiations, or rather, the agreements, of the three countries were roughly finished, and everyone left, but the Japanese ambassador, Yoshida Shoin, remained in his seat.

“Your Majesty, how… are you satisfied with the results?”

“It’s perfect, I couldn’t ask for more. Thank you for your hard work. Please convey my regards to the Prime Minister as well.”

“Yes. The Prime Minister has repeatedly asked me to convey his gratitude to Your Majesty.”

Hmm. The angle of his bow is excellent. He must have practiced in front of the mirror many times.

In fact, it was a clear act of treason for an ambassador of a country to do this, but his position was a little different.

Yoshida Shoin, who was particularly close to the military personnel, was scheduled to become a duck out of water after the military was largely deposed.

But Okubo didn’t bother to kick him out.

To be precise, he wasn’t a significant enough figure to be kicked out, so he left him alone and put him in debt to him.

In fact, being the ambassador to London is a fast track to success for all diplomats around the world.

Since no one would want to be dismissed from here, Yoshida Shoin, who was in a position to be cut off, had no choice but to try to please me and Okubo.

“Then, as soon as the truce agreement with Qing is over, let’s sign a separate agreement to sell Hainan and Taiwan to us.”

“Yes. And part of the loan owed to the British Empire…”

“Of course, we will write off a significant portion. If you combine it with the money from selling those two islands, the financial burden will be much lighter.”

Japan boldly sold off the territory it had acquired to stabilize its internal affairs, while Joseon swallowed the huge territory of Manchuria.

The two countries, which had been on the same path, sharing the same boat, diverged for the first time.

I’m not really interested in which one made the right choice, and the important thing is that the British Empire has completely taken control of the seas of Northeast Asia through this negotiation.

As long as we hold Hainan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, Qing will never be able to advance into the South China Sea, no matter what.

The East China Sea is also virtually blocked as long as Shanghai and Taiwan are our territory.

The encirclement was so tight that those who made this agreement might be cursed as the worst traitors in Chinese history.

“Your Majesty, please tell the Prime Minister that I am working hard for the friendship between the two countries…”

“Ah, I understand. I will definitely write that today’s friendship between the British Empire and Japan exists thanks to the efforts of Ambassador Yoshida Shoin.”

“Thank you! Thank you!”

Anyway, with Japan’s current size, it is impossible to govern Taiwan and Hainan across the sea, no matter what.

So, selling it to us for money was not a bad choice, and they got a good debt write-off, so Okubo would be less burdened when he led the new cabinet.

This was a deal where I gave a proper carrot to a loyalist who had faithfully followed my will, so I had nothing to regret.

The parliament, which had been watching with its arms folded, would make a fuss, wanting to get even one spoon on it if I said that they had gained a huge amount of land by shouting ‘Gal!’ at the end.

No matter how much they talked about economic benefits or diplomatic victories, there was nothing as effective as taking a picture and saying, ‘We got this much land.’

* * *

Crown Prince Edward’s visit to Asia could be described as a great success in one word.

The Asian situation, which had been as complicated as Gordius’ knot [an intricate knot in Greek legend], was surprisingly calm like a sea without a breeze after the Crown Prince finished his tour.

In the meantime, there was a commotion in which the royal flag was burned, but the perpetrators were immediately caught, and even Japan sold the territory it had acquired at a reasonable price as an apology for it.

Northeast Asia is now completely the British Empire’s backyard.

Is it just Northeast Asia? Considering that the British Empire has a firm grip on India, it may be said that only some parts of Asia are not under the influence of the British Empire.

The British Empire, France, and the United States.

They were planning their next move, recognizing that there were almost no more areas left to expand.

And the Iron Chancellor of Prussia [Otto von Bismarck] was no different.

“The British Empire seems to be thinking about not only the present but also the future hegemony.”

“Yes? Isn’t that obvious?”

“It is obvious. Most people are so busy taking care of themselves that they are anxious.”

He was convinced once again through a series of events.

Looking away from the fierce present and looking to the future may seem like an excessive luxury in some ways.

However, from the perspective of a clear number one, it is extremely natural and wise to look wider and farther.

Pushing out Russia and holding hands with the British Empire was the right decision in that sense.

At least so far, Bismarck did not doubt that his insight was correct.

The alliance between the British Empire, France, and Prussia was leading the world by appropriately sharing the interests as much as they could digest.

But what about the future?

The Congo, which had never belonged to anyone, was reborn as a global rubber exporter by Leopold II, a con man of the century.

The interests in Asia, which they thought would be eternal even if they kept eating endlessly, were now so difficult to divide that they were coming to an end.

The New World? It should be seen as a miracle that they even salvaged Panama.

Therefore, the benefits that Prussia could take were now limited.

And Killian of the British Empire would certainly not be unaware of this.

“That person is likely waiting for me to bring up this story.”

“This story is…?”

“We have been diverting attention well with external problems so far, but don’t you know that we can no longer avoid it?”

It is the law of the world that two suns cannot exist in one sky.

The conflict between Prussia and Austria, which had miraculously avoided conflict until now, was more than enough to escalate into a new powder keg in Europe.

If that time of choice comes, what will happen to the world?

At least it wouldn’t be peaceful.