I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 80

The Downward Spiral

An unprecedented, historic defeat.

However, with a fundamental strength, one defeat isn’t enough to completely tip the scales of war.

Especially for a great power like Qing [Dynasty], the loss of 30 junk ships can be quickly replenished.

Both the British Empire and Qing China believed this.

Therefore, the British Empire was not so benevolent as to slow its offensive and give the enemy time to recover.

Nemesis, a warship built from the start to operate in Asia, pushed straight into the Guangzhou coastline, smashing the entire defense line.

The ground defenses, though somewhat equipped, were mostly armed with outdated cannons and could not withstand the British warships’ fire.

If there had been wooden ships to act as shields, they could have put up some resistance, but since they were already sunk at the bottom of the sea, proper defense was nearly impossible.

Eventually, realizing that victory was impossible and even resistance was futile, Lin Zexu requested negotiations to end the war as quickly as possible.

I also needed to clearly convey our demands, so I pretended to agree to the negotiations.

I knew they wouldn’t accept it, but showing a willingness to negotiate would give me a clear justification for future actions.

“It’s been a while. I regret that we have to meet again like this.”

“…I feel the same.”

“The Governor-General requested negotiations, so I agreed, but we are not convinced. Is this meeting even meaningful?”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“I pride myself on having been sincere in the previous negotiations. Of course, so did the Governor-General. I don’t doubt that. However, no matter how much the Governor-General agrees to the terms, if Beijing rejects them, it’s all for nothing, isn’t it? I’m wondering if this meeting might be the same.”

I had been delegated full negotiating power by the British government, so if I said yes, it would directly translate into the country’s decision.

But no matter how much Lin Zexu struggled, he was just an official who could lose his position with a single word from the Emperor, so his authority was inevitably limited.

“First of all, His Majesty is willing to provide a generous consolation payment. We will show enough sincerity, so how about ending this conflict with that?”

“No… You were the ones who showed an attitude that you didn’t mind going to war. You refused to investigate and acted like ‘hit me if you can,’ but after getting hit once, you immediately offer money and tell us to go back? Isn’t that looking down on our Great British Empire too much?”

Having lost all justification from the start of the war, they couldn’t appeal to morality or international customs.

It was a limitation of the Qing Dynasty’s system, where all procedures could be ignored in an instant depending on the Emperor’s mood and disposition.

“We will, of course, receive reparations. But there should be no confusion with terms like consolation money or tribute. It must be clearly stated that Qing is paying reparations to the home country.”

“No, that’s… Wait, do we have to compensate for the disposed opium as well?”

“That part needs to be divided into cases. You don’t have to pay compensation for items confiscated through legal procedures within your territory. But you must compensate for setting fire to goods on an island under our control. Even merchant ships were burned.”

“That’s…”

“So, to summarize, our demands are: to open the ports we designate, to pay reparations, to set tariffs according to our demands, to abolish the Cohong [a guild of Chinese merchants who had a monopoly on trade with the West], and to cede Hong Kong and the southern part of the Kowloon Peninsula near Hong Kong. There are also the establishment of embassies and freedom of religion, but we can adjust our understanding through negotiations later.”

Lin Zexu’s mouth dropped open at the terms of the armistice.

It was true that Qing had been defeated in the naval battle and the Guangzhou sea had become our playground, but he probably never imagined that such conditions would be presented.

“Wait a minute! These are unacceptable conditions. Didn’t your country have no intention of negotiating with us from the start?”

“Why are they unacceptable?”

“Qing has never ceded territory to another country! Moreover, demanding that reparations be clearly stated is like asking us to take the form of surrendering to your country.”

Isn’t it surrender, not just taking the form of it?

As the same reaction I had mentioned before came back, Admiral George’s eyes sparkled with admiration as he listened to the translation from behind.

Since everyone in the home country is watching the events unfold like a prophecy, my reputation as Asia’s top expert will become even more prominent.

This is a very good flow.

“So, Qing has no intention of accepting these conditions. No surrender, the lofty pride of China, is that it?”

“Even if I accept it, His Majesty will never accept these conditions. First of all… I will convey your demands to Beijing, but a good answer will not come back.”

“I see. I understand. Then we will wait until His Majesty gives us an answer.”

Lin Zexu himself may be expecting it, but if these conditions reach the Emperor’s ears, it’s not just the negotiations that will be over.

Even this talented person with ability, judgment, and loyalty will not be able to avoid disaster.

It’s unfortunate, but the most trouble in a declining country is always suffered by such capable and loyal subjects.

If the Daoguang Emperor knew that this was the cheapest option and engaged in negotiations, the story would be different, but what are the chances of that?

Qing has no history of ceding land, so it’s absolutely impossible?

Then don’t give it, eh-beh-beh.

From now on, I’ll be staking out until you beg me to take this and go back.

* * *

Lin Zexu, who had sent a messenger to Beijing at the fastest speed by mobilizing all the relay stations, received the Emperor’s reply not long after.

After finishing negotiations with Killian, he was honestly in a complicated mood.

The demands of the English were clearly humiliating conditions that Qing had never accepted before.

But the power of those he had learned about this time was so great that it could not be compared to any other country he had seen so far.

If only he could have purchased new-style cannons or steamships from the American merchants a little earlier.

If only the Emperor had engaged in diplomacy a little more calmly and given them time to prepare.

With the basic national power that Qing China possessed, they would not have suffered such a miserable defeat.

But the ship had already sailed, and the enemies were clearly aware of how weak they were compared to them.

If they refused to negotiate now, they would probably send more troops to pressure them, and in the end, they would have no choice but to conclude a treaty with even worse conditions than those.

Then it might be better to make a treaty now and plan for the future, but he couldn’t bring himself to say these words.

He knew better than anyone that the moment he said to cede territory and send them back, his head would fly.

Still, this country was not completely defeated.

Even now, if they quickly imported various weapons in the form of guaranteeing concessions to American merchants, they could strengthen their defenses to some extent.

It would be a difficult path, but if he was given a little more time and budget, he would show them how to end the war in a way that minimized the damage to this country.

However, the heavens did not allow even that small wish of the last loyal subject of the era.

“Lin Zexu is dismissed from his position as Governor-General of Guangdong and Imperial Commissioner, and his position is entrusted to Zhili Governor-General Qishan. Lin Zexu will be held responsible for causing this situation, will be subjected to a rigorous investigation in Beijing, and a definite disposition will be decided.”

A decree that he had a feeling might come down, but never expected to actually happen.

Lin Zexu hurriedly asked the official who had come down with the Emperor’s order.

“Wait a minute! Even if my summons is so, what policy will the next Governor-General use to continue fighting the English?”

“I don’t know the details, but since the Westerners have invaded, they must be driven out. We will gather as many troops as possible and wipe them out.”

“No… It shouldn’t be like this.”

“His Majesty believes that the Governor-General’s complacent policies have caused unnecessary damage. You may suffer a great setback in Beijing, so prepare yourself well before going up.”

Unfortunately, this was reality, and until now, he had been unable to escape from a fleeting dream.

He had tried his best to straighten up the collapsing country, but all that came back was the cold wind of purge.

In Lin Zexu’s eyes, the sight of the country’s future being uprooted at once by the Emperor’s misguided judgment was like a hallucination.

Originally, once national fortune runs out, it is impossible to revive it with human effort.

The loyal subject of Qing did not complain about his resentment towards the Emperor or the unfairness of his situation.

In his eyes, as he sadly received the order and got on his horse, there were only a few drops of tears mourning the decline of the country.

* * *

The great war between the strongest Western power and the strongest Eastern power was of great interest to the Western powers in itself.

In particular, the Netherlands, which was still actively involved in international trade, even though it was being evaluated as past its prime, was watching the flow of this war more closely than anyone else.

They wondered if they could record detailed information and use it as a basis for opening up other Asian countries.

The British Foreign Secretary reached out first.

“If you’re going to investigate anyway, we’ll provide you with information so you don’t have to go to unnecessary trouble. There are only two conditions. To provide this information to all Qing’s tributary states, and if there is any country that wants to establish diplomatic relations, the Netherlands will mediate with our Great British Empire as well. If you keep these, we will not only provide you with information, but also help you prevent Qing from interfering when you contact other countries in Asia.”

For the Netherlands, which was already hungry for opportunities, it was a groundbreaking condition that they could agree to with both hands.

The Netherlands, which immediately accepted the British proposal, was able to receive from the British side not only the naval battles that had been fought so far, but also the results of the battles that were currently taking place in real time.

All records of why the war broke out, the names and careers of the negotiators, and the number of ships mobilized and the results of the naval battles were recorded on paper with detailed figures.

The Edo Shogunate [the feudal military government of Japan during the Edo period], which usually received Western information from the Netherlands, was shocked by this unbelievable news.

“…So, according to the contents of this letter, Qing China is being crushed by the English to the point where the word ‘miserable’ is not enough to describe it?”

“That is what they say.”

The Shogun [military dictator of Japan during the Edo period] of the Shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyoshi, read the letter again with a look of disbelief, written to His Majesty the General of the Eastern Expeditionary Force of Japan.

“But does this make any sense? Qing China sent more than twice as many warships to confront the English, but without any tactics or tricks, they lost in an all-out war without sinking a single ship? Moreover, Qing China had more than 30 ships completely destroyed, but the English didn’t have a single casualty, let alone a ship?”

“It is an unbelievable result, but that is what they say. And the English seem to be going in and out of Qing’s sea like their own backyard, paralyzing the city, and Qing is helplessly suffering without being able to stop their movements.”

“No matter how I look at it, it’s unbelievable.”

If the English were winning moderately, well, he could have thought it was possible.
The mysterious objects coming in through them recently, or even the cannons he had seen before, were far beyond their level.

But no matter what, is it possible that more than 50 ships could not destroy even one enemy ship and more than 30 were destroyed?

Moreover, the English didn’t even have 10 casualties, let alone deaths, so wouldn’t that mean there weren’t even injured soldiers except for those who slipped and got hurt on the ship?

“Besides, what is this? Qing fired cannons, but they didn’t even penetrate the armor of the English warships and bounced off? If this is true, it means our weapons are of no use to them now.”

“Cannons lose their power as the distance increases, so it will be difficult to see the effect at long distances.”

“But at that distance, the English warships freely sank Qing’s ships.”

“It seems that the difference is undeniable.”

The Shogun sighed and read the back of the letter.

The content was mostly about how this shocking disaster could one day affect Japan, so wouldn’t it be better to open the ports wide and establish diplomatic relations to avoid such risks?

“Is there a possibility that they are trying to confuse us with false information in order to trade with us?”

“The Dutch have never provided us with false information. Especially this case is not a war happening in that distant Europe, but in Qing’s sea, where we can check it anytime by launching a ship. Even if they are telling lies, they will be caught right away.”

“That’s right. But it would be dangerous to make a hasty decision on such a serious matter based only on their words. Send someone secretly to find out.”

“Yes!”

“Ah, and…”

The result of the war was the result, but in fact, what caught his eye the most was the background of the person in charge of the war.

The Shogun ordered that the authenticity of this information be verified first and foremost.

And this commotion brought tremendous shock not only to Japan but also to the royal family of Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom], which had hardly ever established diplomatic relations with the West.

“…So, there is a high possibility that the contents of the letter sent by those people called Holland [mistranslated as Hwarang in the original text] are not wrong.”

“Your Majesty, it is not Hwarang but Holland. There was a Westerner who naturalized to Joseon during the reign of King Injo. That person is from Holland.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard that story. Was his name Park Yeon? That person was from Holland.”

The de facto ruler of Joseon, Queen Sunwon, who was in charge of the regency on behalf of the young king.

Queen Sunwon was reviewing the contents of the letter brought by the Westerners this time with her younger brother, Jwageun.

Originally, Westerners’ letters rarely reached the royal family, but this time was different.

Just recently, news came that Qing China was picking a fight with Joseon for no reason and waging war with a country called England in the West.

Not only that, but Qing China also suspected that Joseon had joined hands with the Westerners and committed threatening acts by sending troops near the border.

Since such a commotion had occurred, Holland had written and brought a detailed report on this war, so they had no choice but to receive it.

But the contents were so absurd that it was hard to believe.

“First of all, the other members of the family are saying that we should send an envoy to Qing China to find out the detailed situation. Since we have an excuse to explain that we have not joined hands with the English, it is not strange to send an envoy.”

“I think it’s a good idea. However… If this content is true, I’m worried about whether it will be explained.”

“We’ll have to find out whether it’s true or not. Last time, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel said that Qing’s claims were unfounded, but if this is true, it’s proof that they are not doing their job properly. We have to replace them all.”

She suspected that they might have deliberately hidden information, but that didn’t seem realistic.

But if that was the case, wouldn’t that mean that they were incompetent people who had not properly confirmed the facts even though an incident had occurred that almost led to a direct confrontation with Qing?

Whatever the case, the fact remains that they were people who were not faithful to their duties.

If everything written in this content is true, she couldn’t even grasp how the aftermath of the war would affect this country.

Queen Sunwon could not take her eyes off the name and background of the person in charge of this war, which was written in the report translated from the official letter sent by Holland.

-Killian Quai, Minister of Rites of England (confirmed to be from Joseon).

Queen Sunwon could not take her eyes off the name and background of the person in charge of this war, which was written in the report translated from the official letter sent by Holland.

-Killian Quai, Minister of Rites of England (confirmed to be from Joseon).