I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 506

< The Sunset Hour >

I had anticipated the deepening conflict in the Americas, but I still believed a full-blown war was unlikely.

However, surprisingly, there were quite a few in the world who seemed to desire a clash between them.

Production had begun to increase explosively due to technological advancements.

For now, they were just churning things out under the assumption that supply creates demand, but more and more people were starting to question this principle.

With the colonization of new territories nearly complete and food production increasing dramatically, the world would soon experience unprecedented abundance.

So, Europe seemed eager to sell its surplus resources elsewhere, and if the North and South were to clash, they would likely try to exploit the situation rather than prevent it.

Most European countries knew how handsomely the British Empire had profited during the last Civil War.

After hearing the Southern ambassador’s significant request, I returned to London immediately, where Wellesly, who had been having a rough time, was waiting for me.

“Goodness, Prime Minister, why do you look so gaunt after only a few days?”

“Isn’t it because His Majesty left me with a difficult task before departing? Did your trip to Canada go well?”

“Fortunately, it went very well. Alfred will stay there to handle the remaining matters, so I need to take care of things back in London.”

“That’s a relief. I was secretly worried that His Majesty would decide to spend the winter on the warm coast of California this year. I briefly suspected that he might have left me to handle everything while he went to relax, but I see that His Majesty is not that kind of person after all.”

“Of course not. What do you take me for?”

To be precise, I was planning to return right before the end of winter, but unfortunately, my attempt to delegate responsibility failed.

If it weren’t for that Engels and his mustache, I could have comfortably lazed around in Canada before returning.

We chatted idly over milk tea for a while.

When he heard about the acquisition of the grain company in the United States and my plan to use Alfred to take control of the global grain market, he chuckled in disbelief.

“Your Majesty, are you really planning to turn the British Imperial Family into the mastermind pulling the strings of this world?”

“I don’t intend to go that far.”

“To me, you look exactly like a sinister ruler trying to conquer the world. Is there something wrong with my eyes?”

“Yes, there is. How dare you misinterpret my touching paternal love to leave each of my children something substantial so they don’t fight over property?”

“Who in the world tells their children to dominate the global grain market out of paternal love? Well, that aside, why did you return so quickly?”

As expected, we’ve known each other long enough that he knows me very well.

Even though he said that, how could he not know that I was planning to laze around in Canada when we’ve spent so much time together?

My sudden return meant there was a good reason, and Wellesly, sensing this, was staring at me with the expression of a student facing an exam from a professor.

“Ahem, well, you see, President Lincoln recently succeeded in winning a fourth term in the United States, didn’t he?”

“There was an unspoken rule since George Washington to only serve two terms, but he brilliantly shattered that. I thought someone like that would eventually appear.”

“But our mustachioed dictator in the South seems incredibly uneasy about Lincoln’s fourth term victory. He’s begging me to help him out, saying that war is inevitable.”

“War… It’s happening just as Your Majesty predicted we should prepare for such a thing. At this point, isn’t this a self-fulfilling prophecy?”

There’s a serious misunderstanding here. I warned about a world war breaking out in Europe, not a war on the American continent.

However, Wellesly, unaware of this, seemed to believe that my ominous prediction had come true once again, clicking his tongue and touching his forehead with his palm.

“Still, as I see it, unless something goes terribly wrong, there’s no chance of the North and South clashing.”

“Why is that?”

“First of all, that Engels guy has become a complete power-hungry maniac. He’s ready to compromise with anyone, whether they’re capitalist lackeys or whatever, to maintain his regime. And Lincoln is a smart man. If it’s made clear that a war would only benefit Europe, he’ll never be the first to act.”

Of course, there’s no such thing as absolute certainty in this world, so I have no intention of neglecting our defenses by trusting solely in human reason.

There’s no guarantee that some extreme radical in the South won’t assassinate Lincoln for the sake of their country.

“I have similar thoughts to Your Majesty. And after considering the suggestions of other members of parliament, I think we should officially establish an organization where powerful nations can gather to coordinate their opinions.”

“It’s not that I haven’t considered that, but will other countries willingly cooperate?”

“That’s the problem.”

Prussia or France would likely welcome the idea of us gathering to manipulate international issues as we please.

But which major power would eagerly participate if we were to create an international organization like the modern UN [United Nations]?

Unless we create something like the Security Council with permanent member states and greatly expand its authority to operate.

Then, we could gradually reduce its authority, but even then, there’s one thing that bothers me.

Wellesly, also thinking about the same thing as me, mentioned the name of the country that has always been a stumbling block to international cooperation.

“Other countries can be compromised with the right bait, but Russia is the problem.”

“Russia… Russia, huh.”

In the end, if we give Russia a corresponding price, they might listen, but there will inevitably be voices questioning whether it’s right to guarantee Russia such authority.

Moreover, Russia’s tendency to stick to its own path, like an island on the continent, both in the past and now, means they will inevitably clash with other countries.

If only there was something concrete that could keep Russia in check, things would be easier.

“Do you perhaps have any good plans this time? A clever solution that can make Russia as obedient as France or Prussia.”

“If I had something like that, I would have used it already.”

In reality, they are not an enemy of the British Empire if we were to fight, but Russia is a country that makes me uneasy if we leave them alone.

With the South, born from the communist revolution, in such a state, the possibility of it being overturned by a communist revolution like in the original history is low, so how should we restrain them?

“Let’s wait and see for now. It’s not that urgent, so let’s find a way to continue maintaining the current peace by carefully appeasing both the North and South so they don’t act rashly.”

In any case, the current precarious system in the South is in a state where it’s impossible to predict how it will turn out when the dictator Engels dies.

Therefore, it’s necessary to create countermeasures that consider as many scenarios as possible for how to handle the South after it falls into chaos following Engels’ death.

I ignored Wellesly’s grumbling that he would retire once this matter was over and prepared for a meeting with the cabinet ministers.

It’s said that maintaining peace is more difficult than quelling chaos, and the path to preparing for a world without war is indeed arduous.

Why can’t people learn unless they experience it firsthand?

I can only hope that this time, we can create a world where reason can suppress desire without having to be hit.

* * *

Russia was a very contradictory country.

It possessed one of the world’s leading military forces, but when you looked closely, its technology was poor and the morale of its army was not very high.

It occupied the largest territory in the world, but most of it was useless ice land.

Its population was also the largest, excluding China and India, but it was not effectively utilizing that population.

It seemed like a very flimsy country when you looked at it, but Russia’s scary aspect was that only the British Empire could confidently say it was stronger than Russia.

However, due to the many inherent weaknesses, Russia felt that maintaining its current position was becoming increasingly difficult.

The British Empire seemed to have already run far ahead, and Prussia, which was powerful but considered a step below, had grown to the point where it seemed stronger than Russia.

France, a traditional powerhouse, was also continuing to grow, and across the sea, the United States was rapidly emerging as a new major power, with its national strength increasing day by day.

Alexander II, feeling a sense of crisis, tried every means possible, but did not see the expected results.

The plan to tarnish the honor of the British Imperial Family backfired, and the plan to become the leading nation of the Slavic people ended in only partial success.

Serbia, one of the key pillars of the plan, went on a rampage on its own, and the regime collapsed, with pro-Austrian forces taking power.

At this rate, Russia will never be able to catch up with the British Empire.

No, a tragedy may occur where it is evaluated even lower than Prussia, let alone the British Empire.

Becoming desperate, Alexander II felt the need to tighten the reins of reform even more strongly.

When Prussia announced its industrial promotion policy, Russia was dealt a decisive blow.

“More actively foster industrial capitalists and actively encourage peasants living like serfs to move to the cities! We must achieve an industrial level comparable to that of the British Empire or Prussia within 10 years!”

In fact, thanks to the industrial concentration strategy that had been steadily pursued since before, Russia was seeing considerable success in the heavy industry sector.

Steel production and mineral mining had risen to a level comparable to that of any country in Western Europe, and the number of workers continued to increase as the rural population continued to flow into the cities.

But…

“Please! Please let us rest on the weekends!”

“What? The factory must run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and you want to rest? Then who will run the factory!”

“Hire more people…”

“Are you going to pay for that? Aha! You bastard, you’re a British Empire spy trying to lower our nation’s competitiveness!”

To catch up with the British Empire, which is far ahead, there is no time to waste even a second.

The government issued a special order to record a higher economic growth rate than the British Empire or Prussia every year, and each factory was also assigned a goal that was difficult to achieve.

“Are you saying we should increase production by more than 30% compared to last year?”

“That’s right. According to our calculations, it’s a fully achievable goal, so everyone should work diligently!”

“We couldn’t even rest for a day a week last year, and that’s how we got this result. How can we increase it by another 30% from here…”

“So, are you saying you can’t do it? You bastard! Are you a British Empire spy trying to undermine our industrial competitiveness?”

“N-No, that’s not it! I’ll do it!”

“There are plenty of guys who will work even if you don’t, so if you think about being lazy, I’ll cut you off right away!”

If you don’t like it, don’t work.

There are plenty of people left over anyway, and workers are rolling around on the streets.

Unlike Western European countries, which are moving towards guaranteeing basic labor rights, Russia is instead going against the times, squeezing and squeezing workers like dry rags.

It’s not like they didn’t have thoughts.

Isn’t the time when the British Empire, France, and Prussia are letting their workers rest the perfect opportunity to catch up with them?

At least, once they are sure that they have overtaken Prussia, they can pass a labor law to alleviate their dissatisfaction.

After all, workers are just pigs and dogs, so it’s enough to squeeze them to the limit and then slightly ease their breathing when it’s no longer possible.

Moreover, the reds, who were once the object of fear for capitalists, have already disappeared from most of Europe.

Having seen that creating a red country ends up like the South, who would listen to them?

“Come on! You lazy bums, don’t even dream of going home unless you work more than 100 hours a week! Work hard with the patriotism and pride that our Russia is getting stronger as much as you work!”

The more you use workers, the stronger they become.

Unlike other ethnic groups, the Slavic people are fundamentally diligent and specialized in labor.

These absurd theories and papers actually began to appear endlessly, and Russia smoothly increased its industrial level.

And in the midst of this chaos.

“Communism was a failed ideology. If you had taken the lead in the International [International Workingmen’s Association] from the beginning, the history of Europe would have been different!”

“Teacher! Please do not turn a blind eye to the workers of Russia who have fallen into misery!”

“You are also a key player in the revolution, not just Engels! Please give Russia a ray of hope…!”

The former second-in-command of the South and a key figure in the revolution who fled to Canada to escape Engels’ purge.

Mikhail Bakunin, the godfather of anarchism [a political philosophy that advocates self-governed societies based on voluntary institutions], which is gaining popularity as an alternative to failed communism, has landed in Russia.