I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 491

< Uproot the Roots >

There’s a saying that being cautious is good, but being too cautious means you can’t do anything.

In fact, no matter what, being overly cautious is better in every way than not being cautious at all, but there are times when it backfires.

Like Bismarck, who became overly concerned by assigning too much meaning to someone acting without much thought.

“I see. So, Chancellor Bismarck actually apologized and even worried about you.”

“Yes… Your Majesty—I mean, Father. It wasn’t long, but it was a pleasant time. The Chancellor of Prussia seems to be very considerate and kind. He even went out of his way to come and apologize.”

“Yes, I suppose so. If that’s how you felt, then he must be that kind of person.”

Poor Bismarck must have left there with his head spinning madly.

When he came all the way to Buckingham Palace and said he wanted to apologize directly to Edward and Gisela, I clearly told him that he didn’t have to go that far.

But I had an idea why he insisted on apologizing, so I just let him do as he wished.

“The Chancellor also gave me words of encouragement, saying that if I work hard, the citizens of the British Empire will recognize my efforts. I may not see the Chancellor of Prussia often, but I think we could become close friends who exchange letters. Oh, do you think it would be a problem if I contacted him privately like that?”

“No. No one would say anything about exchanging personal greetings.”

“That’s a relief. Actually, I had a plan of my own!”

No matter how I look at it, she seems like the type to only make plans for things like charity events or volunteer work, so the fact that she’s plotting something is suddenly piquing my interest.

“Yes. I may be a member of the British Imperial Family now, so it’s difficult for me to represent Austria, but my younger brother will be the next emperor, so the situation is different, right?”

“That’s right.”

“As it happens, while talking with Chancellor Bismarck this time, we agreed to work harder for peace between our two countries. So, I was wondering if I could play a bridging role between Rudolf and Chancellor Bismarck.”

Gisela excitedly explained in detail what she had talked about with Bismarck, without leaving out a single sentence.

As someone who knows both of them well, I could vividly picture how fantastically their conversation had gone awry, and it was hard to hold back my laughter.

“Yes, I see. I’m glad Chancellor Bismarck seemed very satisfied.”

“Yes. Other people call him the Iron Chancellor, but from my perspective, he seemed emotional and kind. I guess he has to be cold-hearted sometimes to run a country, so he’s misunderstood.”

“Chancellor Bismarck would be happy if you wrote that in a letter later.”

Bismarck thought he was launching a brilliant psychological warfare campaign, but unintentionally, it all flowed into Tai Chi [a Chinese martial art and exercise system emphasizing balance and yielding] and he ended up getting countered, so I wonder how frustrated he must have been.

It’s like in MOBA [Multiplayer Online Battle Arena] games; a Challenger can’t predict an Iron player’s movements.

You try to anticipate and shoot where they’ll dodge, but they just keep walking straight, so all your shots miss.

Similarly, if you brought a world chess champion to commentate on a beginner’s game, their predictions would all be wrong.

Of course, if they actually played against each other, the better player would overwhelmingly win, but that’s only when they’re in the same ring.

Gisela will never step into the arena with Bismarck, and Bismarck won’t know that fact, so they’re destined to remain eternal nemeses.

“So, Father, you approve of me acting as a mediator?”

“Of course. Why would I refuse? If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll gladly do it.”

It’s a situation where Bismarck is dribbling alone, stumbling over his own feet, but there’s no reason not to take advantage of this chance.

If I can use this unintentionally formed relationship to accelerate the internal reorganization of Prussia, I can reach my desired outcome even more easily.

I feel a tiny bit sorry for Bismarck, but ultimately, it will benefit everyone, so I hope he won’t be too upset.

As long as the result is good, the process can be tolerated, right?

“Gisela, then I’ll arrange an opportunity for you to meet with the Prussian ambassador soon. I’ll be there to help, so feel free to do whatever you want.”

“Yes. Thank you so much, Father.”

“What? I’m the one who’s grateful.”

Bismarck is a quick-witted person, so if I leave him alone, he’ll realize he was mistaken about something, but if I keep adding fuel to the fire, he won’t find out for a while.

I benefit because I can achieve my goal, Gisela benefits because she can feel a sense of accomplishment as the Crown Princess of the British Empire, and Bismarck benefits because he can achieve the improvement of Prussia’s constitution. Isn’t this the completion of a world where everyone is happy?

* * *

Bismarck, who went to remove a lump but ended up adding another one.

The first thing that greeted him upon arriving in Berlin was, as expected, the king’s scolding for making an issue of shedding tears at the wedding.

“I received reports from London, but your antics were the biggest topic of conversation in Berlin for days. Surprisingly, everyone had a different interpretation, which made me realize that human creativity is extraordinary.”

“I expected as much.”

“Many of the Junkers [Prussian landed nobility] don’t like the strengthening alliance between the British Empire and Austria, so they seem to have already concluded that you were frustrated. So now, there are those who are voicing their dissatisfaction. They say we should have arranged the marriage between Princess Adelaide and Friedrich before.”

Of course, I would have liked to do that if I could.

It was Crown Prince Friedrich himself who threw ashes on the finished soup, so who can I blame?

Even now, Bismarck’s impulse to smack the Crown Prince upside the head bubbles up whenever he thinks about that incident.

“Your Majesty, dwelling on the past won’t change anything. Rather, how we handle this situation from now on is far more important.”

“I agree with you. But first, I need to know the reason. Why did you cry there?”

“······.”

How can I say that I was feeling sad about getting older and then Killian said something warm to me, which made my emotions surge?

I wouldn’t say that even if my mouth was torn.

He had been thinking of excuses ever since he left London on the ship, and he showed a faint smile with an unwavering attitude.

“Your Majesty, would I have done such a thing if I didn’t know it would draw so much attention if I shed tears there?”

“…Hmm? So, you mean that was planned…?”

“Of course, it was all planned.”

How could I let my prestige as the Iron Chancellor be damaged by such an incident, after building up my image like this?

The Iron Chancellor Bismarck must always be recorded as a cold, intellectual, and dignified person.

“I didn’t realize you had the acting skills to control your tears at will.”

“What is there that I can’t do? Originally, politics is something you can only do if you have a certain level of acting ability.”

“Is that so? Now that I hear it, that’s true. Then you can tell me what you were trying to do by deliberately showing tears, right?”

“…It was to create a situation just like this.”

Even if you have a pipe dream, if you just bring it up as a premonition, it becomes a premonition. That’s the way of the world.

Now that things have come to this, Bismarck had completely finished calculating how to raise his stock with this.

“A situation like this?”

“Your Majesty, as I said before, Prussia’s future diplomatic front is not bright. We are currently in an alliance with the British Empire and France, but where is there an eternal alliance in the world? Prussia’s growth will inevitably stimulate the surrounding countries, and then our diplomatic strategy will have to change.”

“That’s right. That’s why you said we should abandon Pan-Germanism [the idea of a unified German nation-state], which is easy to provoke other countries.”

“That’s right. Such expansionist moves by Prussia will stimulate Russia and France at the same time. If we make a mistake, all the diplomatic relations we have built up so far could become scraps of paper in an instant.”

A powerful German Empire that the British Empire is watching, France is anxious about, and Russia is courting is nothing more than a figment of the imagination.

What is the beautiful tradition of Europe that has been passed down for hundreds, no, even thousands of years?

The friendly perception that all countries in Europe have deeply rooted in them is that they should beat up the successful ones.

From that point of view, Prussia’s maximum territory was just the level of the current German Confederation, excluding Austria.

If we go beyond this, something is bound to happen someday.

“But what does that have to do with you crying at the wedding?”

“Think about it. As I unintentionally became the center of attention, Pan-Germanists and Small Germanists [those who favored a German nation excluding Austria] in our country started arguing again, didn’t they?”

“Hoo… So you’re saying you deliberately re-ignited this debate to clearly sort things out?”

“Of course.”

Even he thinks this is nonsense, but he straightens his back and insists so confidently that Wilhelm just blinks and nods in confusion.

“…It’s amazing that you went to London thinking about that. So, you have a plan to solve this since you sparked the controversy, right?”

“Yes. It will be a somewhat radical method, but the agreement with the British Empire is already half done, so there won’t be any problems.”

Killian hinted that he should suppress those who would become a source of trouble for Prussia in the future, and Gisela confirmed this once again through her words.

What does her statement that she will work for peace between Prussia and Austria mean?

It is impossible to interpret it as anything other than that Prussia and Austria should go their own ways and compromise at an appropriate level.

Moreover, she would not have said such important words without communicating with the imperial family, so this should be regarded as the official opinion of the British Imperial Family.

“If you are infected with a disease that can rot your body, you must tear off and cut away the flesh before it reaches the bone, even if it hurts a little.”

“You don’t mean to forcibly suppress the Junkers, do you? That could lead to internal strife that divides the country.”

“Of course, I don’t mean to do that openly. We need to make them realize how unrealistic Pan-Germanism is and how harmful the expression of extreme nationalism is to the country.”

If you beat up those who say such crazy things within the German sphere, it will inevitably cause division of public opinion.

But what if crazy people from the outside say such things and we get hurt instead?

“Isn’t nationalism rampant in the Balkans, and independent countries are being created? We should use that to… make a small scratch on our country.”

“What? Are you saying we should deliberately suffer damage?”

“If we shed a little blood now to avoid amputation in the future, what could be cheaper than this? And as a result, our Prussia will become even stronger, so you don’t have to worry.”

Wilhelm’s eyes naturally flashed with anxiety at the statement that he would sacrifice the extreme nationalists in the Balkans.

“If we move directly, other countries will inevitably react, won’t they?”

“The British Empire will turn a blind eye, so there’s no problem. Then all that’s left is for France to shut up.”

“Isn’t that France the problem?”

“That is…”

In the midst of a brief awkward silence that filled the room.

Bismarck cleared his throat to sound as calm as possible and suggested a solution.

“We should bring a Crown Princess from France.”

“…?”

Will France do that willingly?

Bismarck nodded with conviction to the king, who was looking at him with distrust.

If Austria moves as we expect, this plan will definitely succeed.