I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 71

The Cracks Begin (2)

Grand Imperial Commissioner Lin Zexu, entrusted with full authority by the Emperor and serving as the Governor-General of Liangguang, a crucial region, felt cold sweat trickling down as he bit his lip.

‘What am I hearing right now?’

Could they be trying to play a prank on me?

No, there wasn’t a single fool under him who would joke in such a critical situation.

Then what on earth is this?

He certainly sent them to gather information, but this is going too far.

Still, as the Governor-General of the Great Qing Empire, he must maintain composure and calmness at all times.

No matter how shocking the report, he must not show any emotional agitation.

If the Governor-General is anxious, it will inevitably affect all the officials under him.

However, despite knowing this iron rule well.

Lin Zexu couldn’t suppress the trembling in his voice after hearing Yang Seong-won’s report.

“So… you’re saying that the obsequious [excessively eager to please or obey] behavior those English bastards are showing is all an act?”

“If we are to believe him, that’s how we should see it.”

“Are you sure this Elliot is trustworthy?”

“I double-checked everything in case my memory was wrong. Elliot is indeed the former head of the English who had a lot of contact with us since the time of the previous Governor-General, Deng Tingzhen. He said back then that he understood our intention to ban opium as much as possible, but he couldn’t completely disregard the interests of the merchants of his home country.”

“So he’s a reasonable man. Come to think of it, something was strange. That Elliot was clearly too moderate and was removed from his position, but the man who came after him is being overly cooperative with us, which is suspicious.”

If England really intended to stop the opium trade, they could have just told Elliot, the former head.

He was also negative about the opium trade, so he would have happily followed if his home country had made such a decision.

“It seems reasonable to assume that Killian is hiding his true purpose and acting in front of us. And according to Elliot, that purpose is to buy time to undermine our efforts to ban opium.”

“Yes. It seems they intend to continue selling opium behind our backs while pretending to sincerely negotiate with us, and even engage in diplomatic maneuvers.”

“Opium smuggling is what they’ve always been doing, so let’s leave that aside, but diplomatic maneuvers… Are they really going to try to use Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom] or the Japanese?”

“I don’t know. I can’t be sure no matter how I look at it…”

Lin Zexu’s head began to ache from the flood of information he hadn’t imagined.

Judging calmly, it seemed certain that England had other intentions.

But to involve Joseon and Japan?

It was hard to believe without concrete evidence.

“Tell me, Seong-won. Do you seriously think it’s possible for England to collude with Joseon to harm us?”

“It’s theoretically possible, but if you ask whether Joseon would have a reason to do so, I honestly don’t know.”

“I suppose so. It’s not like Joseon is on such good terms with us, but they are also members of our world who recognize the order of the Central Kingdom. Why would they side with those Western barbarians we’ve never even heard of and antagonize us?”

“But there have been rumors that the Japanese have been in contact with the West for some time. Might they be capable of it? And in the case of Joseon, if they were promised significant benefits, you never know.”

As he said, it was only a low possibility, but he couldn’t be sure that Joseon would unconditionally side with Qing.

From the start, it was common to be backstabbed even by people of the same country, so it didn’t make sense to absolutely trust another country.

Moreover, what bothered him was that the representative of England had close ties to Joseon, unlike others.

As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water. Could he completely rule out the possibility that England and Joseon would become closer through Killian?

Of course, the possibility was infinitely low. To be precise, it might be around 10%, but what if they were backstabbed by that 1% chance?

“Is it true that Killian spoke very favorably of Joseon?”

“Yes. When I asked him if he had a hard time growing up in Joseon because it was a closed society, he said not at all.”

“I suppose so. He must be a well-known aristocrat even in England, so he must have found favor with the upper class in Joseon. Even if he were a barbarian, they couldn’t ignore him to his face.”

The fact that he could speak Qing, Joseon, and even Japanese was the most solid evidence.

Being fluent in three languages was something only interpreters could do, but Killian had already reached that level as a child.

No matter how talented he was in languages, it would have been impossible without systematic education from a young age.

But here, another question arose.

“Isn’t there a reason why Killian was educated to be fluent not only in Joseon, but also in our language and Japanese?”

Frankly, this seemed like too much of a stretch, but there was no doubt that there was a strong link between Killian, England, and Joseon.

“Let’s wait a little longer since a messenger has been sent to Joseon. If we see what kind of answer we get from them, it will become clearer.”

“What if Joseon completely denies any relationship with Killian or says they don’t know who he is?”

“Hmm… Then our suspicions will be further solidified. Would you be able to accept that answer if it came?”

“Nonsense. It’s not worth considering.”

Lin Zexu nodded, letting out a bitter laugh at his confidant’s immediate reply.

In other words, if Joseon sent back an answer saying they didn’t know Killian, it would be tantamount to officially declaring that they had no intention of giving them information.

Could they not know that the highest-ranking nobleman, equivalent to the Minister of Rites in England, was born and raised in Joseon?

Moreover, if he was educated in Qing and Japanese, it would mean that he had received cooperation from the Joseon side through some channel.

“If they really send back an answer saying they have nothing to do with him…”

Then he would have to advise the Emperor to take a stronger response than now.

Perhaps it would be right to show them our strength once and for all.

To the Westerners and the surrounding tributary states alike.

So that they can once again realize which country is the center of the world.

* * *

About half a month after injecting Yang Seong-won with gas.

Reports that their movements had become busy began to reach my ears, and the opium merchants seemed to feel uneasy about the Qing’s increased activity.

It seems that Lin Zexu is running around with his ass on fire because of the information I leaked, which is a very desirable phenomenon.

He’s probably sent people to Joseon to find out about my identity, but no matter what answer he gets from there, he won’t be able to satisfy them.

The possibility that Joseon remembers me is close to zero, but even if they do, Qing would never accept it as the truth.

“Minister, is the negotiation progressing well?”

“The atmosphere was very good when we met last time. Is there anything bothering you?”

“No… I’ve heard rumors recently that the Governor-General will further strengthen the crackdown on opium.”

“Strengthen the crackdown on opium?”

In fact, strictly speaking, opium has not been officially banned for just a day or two.

But our willful Englishmen would never listen if they were told not to sell it.

British merchants have created numerous loopholes to sell opium to Qing, ignoring the ban, and are still secretly bringing in and selling opium, evading government crackdowns.

The funniest thing is that they pretend to be Americans, not British, because they are illegally smuggling and selling it.

People usually only think of England when it comes to ‘opium sales,’ but the United States and England are like brothers, doing similar things.

The United States, seeing England making enormous profits from opium, was importing opium made in the Ottoman Empire and distributing it to Qing.

Thanks to the crazy collaboration of the United States selling drugs disguised as British merchants and England disguised as American merchants, the perception of Westerners who speak English in Qing was getting worse day by day.

Of course, the United States was still less powerful than England, so they were more cautious of Qing.

“They say they will block not only smuggling but also opium transportation using fast crabs and scrambling dragons [types of fast boats used for smuggling].”

“Don’t those ships usually dock outside the jurisdiction of the authorities? Are they going to directly crack down on these ships outside the sea area controlled by China?”

“I don’t know. But if they go that far, I don’t know what we should do…”

“Don’t worry. We are currently negotiating peacefully, so they won’t act recklessly and coercively.”

Anyone could see that Killian Gore, the Foreign Secretary of the Great British Empire, is doing his best to resolve this issue peacefully.

If they backstab us, it will be a clear mistake on the part of Qing.

And it will be opium merchants like William Jardine and James Matheson who will be unlucky enough to be sacrificed to this Qing’s tantrum.

To put it coldly, they could be called sacrifices, but I swear I never told them to do that, nor did I intend to push them.

If the merchants give up their greed and stop opium smuggling, they will not face the worst outcome.

They may have suffered quite a bit of loss so far, but that can be compensated by extracting reparations from Qing, so they can start anew.

Of course, human greed will not allow that, so the result is already determined.

“Did Governor-General Lin Zexu notify you separately?”

“Well, we’ve decided to negotiate once more next week. Officially, opium smuggling is illegal, but wouldn’t it be much easier for you if they just loosened the crackdown a little?”

“That alone would be very satisfying. How likely do you think that will happen?”

“When I met Governor-General Lin Zexu and the officials assisting him in person, they all showed a favorable atmosphere. If we respect Qing’s rights and diligently create backdoors, wouldn’t there be good results? The ultimate goal is to go to Beijing and meet the Qing Emperor.”

Until now, British ambassadors have never directly met the Emperor due to conflicts caused by cultural differences.

From the start, they had no intention of sincerely meeting us.

However, if we say that we will meet and negotiate directly with their Emperor, others will feel that our will to solve the problem is enormous.

“Then… can we buy more opium from the East India Company? I heard they are having trouble with inventory disposal.”

“Well, it’s hard for me to say anything about that. I’m a politician, not a merchant.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I asked something unnecessary. Anyway, since you said that the atmosphere of the meeting with the Governor-General was not bad… I’ll increase the opium inventory a little more and watch the atmosphere.”

“Yes. I will let you know the details as soon as I finish the meeting.”

Just a few hopeful words made the merchants’ faces noticeably brighter.

I didn’t make any definitive remarks in case it might cause problems later, but those who have already gone crazy will maximize their happy circuits and interpret it as they please.

Is this what they call being crushed by a self-inflicted disaster?

The opium merchants will pile up opium inventory to the point where it is difficult to handle, and the East India Company will reveal to the world that it has no ability to control this frenzy.

In addition, if the silver coins received as payment for opium sales are stolen, public opinion will question the raison d’être [justification for existence] of the East India Company.

If you want to put new wine in new bottles, shouldn’t you throw away the rotten leather bag first?

We don’t need cancer cells that not only fail to perform their role but also drag down the country.

The only way is to cleanly excise it before it metastasizes to other organs.

* * *

1838, Hanseong [present-day Seoul], the capital of Joseon.

In a time of internal and external turmoil due to the treason case that occurred a few years ago and the conflict surrounding Catholicism, another unexpected event swept in.

Jeong Won-yong, the Minister of Rites (Yejo Panseo) [a high-ranking official in charge of diplomacy], a Senior Grade 2 official in charge of Joseon’s diplomacy, was struggling to hold back the curse words that were about to burst from his mouth.

“It’s not a joke… If they suddenly come and tell us to find someone, do they think we’ll just say, ‘Yes, we understand,’ and hand them over? How many people are there in Joseon? Why are they suddenly asking us to find someone and give them information? Damn it.”

Unable to hold back, he spat out a string of curses and sighed repeatedly as he looked at the scrap of paper on which the contents of the document brought by the Qing messenger were transcribed.

“Do you have anything more to say about this?”

“……”

“……”

“Yes. Of course, you wouldn’t. I’m the idiot for expecting an answer.”

He wanted to slam the desk with his fist, but this was by no means the fault of the Ministry of Rites.

Therefore, Minister Jeong Won-yong did not say anything apologetic to his subordinates.

All he could do was gather not only the Vice Minister of Rites but also the Councilors and Junior Councilors in one place and lament their situation like this.

They had already spent several nights staying up to welcome the Qing messenger who had suddenly barged in without any prior notice, and now they were being asked to find someone.

The Vice Minister of Rites, unable to bear it any longer, looked at Jeong Won-yong with bloodshot eyes that clearly showed a lack of sleep and opened his mouth.

“Sir, isn’t this frankly absurd? In vulgar terms, we can only interpret this as them pulling a prank to mock us. Is this even a reasonable request?”

“Yes. I agree. But what can we do? It’s a decree directly from the Qing Emperor.”

“No matter what, there are things you can say and things you can’t. They’re asking us to find out if there are any Joseon noblemen or merchants who had children with high-ranking English nobles, and to accurately identify and report their identities. Why would the noble families of our Joseon have affairs with Western barbarians?”

Because it was an order directly from the Emperor, they couldn’t say it openly in front of the messenger, but this was the feeling of all the officials of Joseon.

If the King were not a young boy who had barely turned ten, it would not have been strange for him to get angry.

This was enough for Joseon to feel that Qing was treating them on par with Western barbarians.

Of course, the Emperor did not send the messenger with that intention, and Joseon knew that fact, but it was purely a matter of pride and feeling.

How else could all the Six Ministries, not just the Ministry of Rites, as well as the Three Chief Councilors, have gathered in one place to curse Qing?

“I don’t know where this guy named Killian Gore came from, but is it certain that he’s from Joseon?”

“I don’t know. But to be frank, if there really was such a person, wouldn’t rumors have spread widely in the court?”

“Of course, they would have. If a nobleman’s daughter had a child with a Westerner, we would have heard about it naturally without having to ask.”

Above all, Killian Gore was said to be a high-ranking official equivalent to the Minister of Rites in Joseon and a nobleman with a solid background.

Since Joseon basically does not trade with the West, if such a person came, he would have been shipwrecked and drifted in with the current.

In that case, even if he were a Westerner, Joseon, the nation of gentlemen, would not have turned him away.

They would have taken care of him to some extent, like other barbarian tribal chiefs, and then sent him back.

And given Joseon’s characteristic of valuing records, it can be asserted that there is no possibility that such data has been lost.

“Sir, we have confirmed once again that the Ministry of Rites has never officially contacted England, and we have also confirmed that there is no record of an English nobleman staying in Joseon. Killian Gore is a person who cannot exist in Joseon in the first place.”

“This is really crazy. Then why on earth did Qing ask us to provide information about a person who doesn’t even exist?”

“Could it be that they are trying to find fault with this as an excuse to extort something from us?”

“Extort?”

“It’s just a rumor, but I heard that Qing has not been on good terms with Western barbarians recently. If a dispute arises, they may use this as an excuse to demand that we send troops.”

It was still in the realm of speculation, but considering the case of the Nasun Conquest, it might not be an entirely absurd story.

Of course, Joseon would not say ‘Yes, we will’ if they were asked to send troops.

In any case, no matter how you reason, the fact remains that this is an absurd request.

Just as Jeong Won-yong was about to utter another curse.

One of the Junior Councilors of the Ministry of Rites, who was looking through the data, spoke urgently as if he had just remembered something.

“Sir, now that I think about it, there was a story that one of the slaves of a certain old man’s house had Western blood. Could Killian Gore be that slave?”

“What? A slave?”

When Jeong Won-yong glared at him with an absurd look, the Junior Councilor hurriedly lowered his head.

“I’m sorry! I don’t think that’s possible after all.”

“Didn’t you see the phrase written here? It says he is a high-ranking nobleman of England and is fluent not only in Joseon but also in Qing and Japanese. Would you teach your family’s slave Qing and Japanese?”

“I’m sorry! I was short-sighted!”

“If you understand, let’s just pretend to investigate properly and create an answer to give back to them. We’ve searched all over Joseon, but Killian Gore did not exist, and we couldn’t even find any trace of him.”

Anyway, these Qing bastards have recently crossed the line with their arrogance, even though they are the Celestial Empire [Qing Dynasty’s self-proclaimed title].

I don’t know if they are trying to tame us with these shallow tricks or make absurd demands, but it won’t work.

This time, even the opposing factions gathered their opinions surprisingly quickly.

Thus, exactly three days later.

Joseon officially wrote and handed over a reply to be delivered to the Qing messenger.

They had done their best to find out, but it seemed that Killian Gore had no connection with Joseon.