Chapter 156
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: To Asia Again
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Everything proceeded at a breakneck pace.
Now that my trip to Asia was confirmed, the most important thing, above all else, was securing my safety.
I had gone before in my capacity as a minister, but the status of a minister and a Prince Consort were worlds apart.
Besides, back then I had mainly visited places under the de facto control of the British Empire, whereas this time, I was visiting Japan on the first official invitation ever extended to the Empire.
Naturally, the first, second, and third priorities in all the planning had to revolve around my safety.
And since I had requested to move up the departure date as much as possible, minor details inevitably had to be glossed over.
“Have a safe trip, Your Highness, the Prince Consort.”
“Mr. Prime Minister, you must do exactly as I’ve emphasized.”
“Ahem, I will certainly try my best, but…”
The traitor. So he’s only looking out for himself.
But to reduce even a fraction of the blowback that would come my way, Wellesley’s cooperation was essential, so I held my tongue for now.
When you get down to it, this is all my own doing. Who else can I blame?
“If you act boldly here, Mr. Prime Minister, I can do more for you when I return. It’s always a matter of give and take, isn’t it?”
“There is but one person in this British Empire I find difficult to deal with, and unfortunately, that person happens to be Her Majesty…”
The reason I was wrapping up all my domestic affairs as quickly as possible and preparing to depart as soon as my security was guaranteed?
It was, of course, because I had to leave before this news reached Victoria’s ears.
She was still in Canada with the children, who hadn't yet crossed the Atlantic, just in case the worst should happen.
The problem was that I had told her I would take care of my business in London as quickly as possible and come right back.
How was I supposed to know the Shogun of the Bakufu would suddenly lose his mind and invite me?
Anyone would have understood if I had refused, saying I couldn't possibly go on a long-distance trip because my loving wife was waiting for me, but honestly, considering the national interest, it was right to just bite the bullet and go.
This was a golden opportunity to make not just Canada, but all of Northeast Asia, Killian Gore’s personal backyard, not just the British Empire’s. Miss a chance like this?
Absolutely not.
“Mr. Prime Minister. Let me say it again: what I’m doing now will eventually come back to benefit you.”
“…Didn’t you once say that the credit should be shared by all, regardless of party lines?”
“Ah, come now. Am I supposed to stand in Parliament and declare, ‘Though I am the Prince Consort, I will spare no effort to ensure that Prime Minister Wellesley’s party governs this nation for a thousand years’? At this point in our relationship, you should be able to read between the lines.”
This wasn’t just an empty promise; it was more than half true.
Even with athletes, people talk about their short-term impact at the time, but in the end, what remains is their record, isn't it?
It’s the same for politicians. With the passage of time, the achievements accomplished during their time in office are all that remain on record.
If things continued this way, the period when Wellesley was Prime Minister would be hailed as a golden age when the British Empire solidified its foundation to remain the world's most powerful nation.
“I told you I would make it so that when people speak of the greatest Prime Minister in the history of the British Empire, the name Wellesley comes to mind. But if you can’t even grant me this simple favor, I’m disappointed as a friend.”
“Well… I wouldn’t exactly call this a simple favor. This is basically asking me to take the full brunt of Her Majesty’s wrath on your behalf, is it not?”
“Who said you have to bear it alone, Mr. Prime Minister? Let’s just share the responsibility. If you’re uncomfortable saying you persuaded me directly, you can always drop the names of Disraeli, Gladstone, or Palmerston. I even had the Whig Party propose me as the person in charge of Asian affairs, so it should be easy to make excuses, shouldn’t it?”
Wellesley let out a gasp of admiration at my proposal, a wry look on his face.
“Don’t tell me your suggestion to pass the proposal off to the Whigs was all part of this plan?”
“I didn’t know I’d end up flying all the way to Japan, so it was insurance in case things got complicated. But now is the perfect time to use it.”
I had wanted to finish my work in the shortest time possible for my beloved wife and return immediately, but alas!
Of all things, Russia had to attack the Qing Dynasty, throwing Joseon and Japan into chaos and forcing them to send an urgent SOS to the British Empire.
On top of that, Parliament, concluding that no one could handle this matter better than I, had begged and pleaded with me to take on this grave responsibility.
In the end, my burning patriotism made it impossible to refuse Parliament's proposal, and I resolved to undertake this weighty mission. With the Japan issue piling on, I found myself heading back to Asia before I knew it.
This was the ideal scenario that would minimize the scolding I’d get from Victoria.
“Your Highness, I will await good news from Asia. As for Her Majesty’s anger, I… no, we will do our best to appease her, so please do not worry too much.”
“Then I’ll be counting on you. Ah, right. And there might be some commotion from the East India Company, but it won’t significantly affect the homeland, so there’s no need to be alarmed.”
“The East India Company?”
“It’s practically a walking corpse with no future anyway; it’s about time we tidied it up. We need to ensure a soft landing with minimal repercussions and entrust India to another, more properly managed entity instead of the East India Company.”
Although I planned to slowly dismantle the East India Company using the Rothschilds, it was still a corporate giant with considerable influence in Britain.
If it went belly-up, it would naturally cause major ripples within the British Empire, and public sentiment would inevitably sour.
The economy is a field where even easily manageable problems can spiral out of control if people become psychologically shaken.
By giving them a heads-up like this and planting the idea that it’s no big deal, the dissolution of the East India Company could proceed more smoothly.
“The Qing Dynasty, Joseon, Japan, not to mention India and France meddling in Vietnam. Your Highness, you wouldn’t have a moment’s rest even if you had two bodies.”
“Tell me about it. Still, since the Qing and Russia have just had a war, I expect there will be a bit of a lull for a while… No. Saying things like that will only jinx it. I should go fully prepared for the worst.”
“You need not worry too much. After all, it is the Prince Consort of this nation who is going. There won’t be any madmen in the world who would dare try any foolish tricks.”
No, man, if you keep saying things like that, you’ll set a flag.
I barely managed to change course, and here he is, trying to jinx it again.
“Not at all. One must always prepare for the worst-case scenario in all matters. That is the only way to deal with unexpected situations easily.”
With the mindset that I would absolutely not set any death flags, I renewed my mental fortitude and finally boarded the ship bound for Asia.
I had sworn to myself that future trips to Northeast Asia would be via the shortest route across the Pacific, but who would have thought I’d be rounding the Cape of Good Hope from London once again.
Still, how should I put it?
The feeling was different this time, as my mindset was completely different from when I had headed to the Qing Dynasty with a heavy heart after being appointed minister.
For starters, the guards accompanying me were on a completely different level than before.
Moreover, I was told that additional security forces would join us upon arrival in Asia. At this rate, I mused, the naval escort alone might be enough to crush any decent-sized Asian nation.
However, the intention behind assembling such an excessive naval force was clearly to showcase the might of the British Empire to the nations of Asia.
You could feel it just by looking at the state-of-the-art steam warships, the kind you’d only bring to a war, assigned as my escorts.
This was a subtle way of showing that this was a nation capable of such feats without batting an eye.
After a long journey, we stopped in Hong Kong for supplies and a short respite. Elliot, who was still serving as the Governor of Hong Kong, came to see me.
“I never thought I’d see you again in Asia. It’s been a long time! I suppose I should call you Your Highness now, not Minister.”
“And you, Sir Elliot, are now Governor, not Ambassador.”
“Governor is a grand title for managing this tiny speck of land. Your Highness, are you planning a long stay here?”
“No. I plan to head to Japan as soon as we’re resupplied.”
“Ah, I see. I thought you might stay a little longer because of that incident that’s causing such a stir, but I guess not.”
What was he talking about?
Why would the war between the Qing and Russia, happening on the opposite side of the continent, be a concern here in Hong Kong?
Or had something else happened in the meantime?
“Is there something else besides the war between the Qing and Russia?”
“Ah! It seems the reports must have gotten crossed while you were at sea. There’s an uproar in the south of the Qing Dynasty. They’re called the Heavenly Kingdom rebels or something. They say pseudo-religions run rampant when a country is in turmoil, don’t they? It’s exactly that.”
“By Heavenly Kingdom, do you mean the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom?”
“That’s right. It seems a report did get through to you.”
Strange. As far as I knew, the Taiping Rebellion should have coincided with the Second Opium War.
Of course, the organization would be in its nascent stages around this time, but there should still be quite some time before it grew into a movement large enough to reach the ears of the Governor of Hong Kong.
Could this also be a butterfly effect, causing the timeline to jump forward?
“What’s the current situation? Has it already escalated into a large-scale rebellion across the entire Qing Dynasty?”
“Not yet. For now, it’s particularly noisy around the Guangxi area, but the problem is that the Qing Dynasty is too preoccupied with its war against Russia to pay it any mind. So, that organization is currently expanding rapidly without any interference. If left unchecked for a few more years, it might just be as Your Highness said, with those rebels rising up all over the Qing Dynasty.”
“Things will get even more chaotic if the Qing loses to Russia.”
“Yes. Their main followers are said to be peasants dissatisfied with the Qing imperial court. The more disgracefully the Qing behaves, the more traction their claims will gain. What’s interesting from our perspective is that the foundation of their ideology is Christianity.”
Hearing his story, it was clear that this was indeed the Taiping Rebellion I knew.
A pseudo-religion with roots in Christianity.
And the fact that it was rapidly spreading from the south and gaining power.
Could it be that the Qing’s more devastating defeat in the last war, coupled with the current conflict with Russia, was allowing them to expand their influence more quickly?
“If the Qing Dynasty falls into disarray, it won’t just be Russia; other countries might try to get a piece of the pie as well. Is that what you intended to report to me?”
“Well… if it were merely that, I could have just waited for instructions from the homeland. But upon some investigation, I discovered a rather interesting fact.”
“An interesting fact?”
“The leader of these rebels is a man named Hong Xiuquan. He was able to rapidly expand his power by successfully recruiting those disillusioned with the current Qing court. But here’s the thing: the man has been openly claiming that he had many conversations with the minister of the British Empire who brought the Qing Dynasty to its knees in the last war, from which he gained great enlightenment, and that they still advise each other.”
“I see. The British minister who defeated the Qing in the last war… hmm? Me?”
As I pointed a finger at myself and let out a hollow laugh, Elliot also smiled awkwardly and shook his head.
“The funny thing is that such a ridiculous rumor is actually working. That’s why I sent a report asking for an opinion on whether we should intervene or not.”
“That makes sense.”
I had no idea why such a preposterous rumor was so effective, but one thing was certain.
So, the reason the Taiping Rebellion was happening so much earlier here was none other than me?
It was absurd, but since the name being used was that of the British Prince Consort, it would be awkward for the Empire not to respond.
However, from my current perspective, I judged that there was no need to postpone my trip to Japan or stay here to monitor the situation.
Elliot might be wondering whether to intervene now, not knowing how large the Taiping Rebellion would become, but I could see it all clearly.
The future of the Qing, losing the Maritime Province to Russia and feebly failing to suppress rebellions erupting across the land.
“Governor. Let me be clear. The British Empire has heard nothing about the movement these cultists are stirring up. The fact that their leader is using my name is also, for now, something we are completely unaware of.”
“…Pardon? Are you saying we should just pretend not to know?”
“Yes. The time is not yet right. For now, just desperately pretend you can’t hear or see anything.”
Elliot seemed a bit unconvinced, but since I put it that way, he nodded in understanding.
Elliot had probably planned to use the fact that they were invoking my name as a pretext for military intervention in the chaotic southern region of the Qing Dynasty, to suppress the rebels and extort a great deal from the Qing.
It wasn't a bad plan.
However, it was highly likely that the Qing Dynasty did not yet consider the Taiping Rebellion an unmanageable crisis.
They were probably just leaving it alone for a moment while distracted by Russia, thinking of them as nothing more than a band of thieves that the Eight Banners Army could crush at any time.
Therefore, the time to intervene would be later, when the Qing realized they could no longer control them on their own.
I’m the type to fatten up my prey before eating it.
For now, I had to deal with the immediate problem in Japan first.
By the way, I wonder if this means I’ll be summoned back to Asia again later.
I really hope they’ll give me a break.
Seriously, what am I that Joseon, Japan, and the Qing Dynasty are all tripping over themselves to use my name?
I guess this proves once again that while they may hate each other more than anyone, their thoughts and actions are remarkably similar.
How reliable, the three nations of Northeast Asia.