Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Anglo-German Negotiations (2)
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"Thank goodness the public's reaction isn't bad."
It was probably thanks to the Morocco Crisis, which had stirred up strong resentment toward France and Russia in Britain while boosting favorable views of Germany.
Muttering to himself, Edward VII rubbed his bleary eyes and set down the glasses he was wearing onto the newspaper.
He never imagined that during his reign, the day would come when Britain would ally with Germany, but for the British Empire, it wasn't a bad choice.
Through the alliance with Germany, Britain had fully escaped its splendid isolation and gained a friend to check France and Russia.
Moreover, since the alliance with Germany wasn't officially a military one, even if war broke out between the Triple Alliance and the Franco-Russian Alliance, Britain could simply hang back and provide support to Germany.
Just like during the Seven Years' War seven years ago.
Of course, Hans—well aware of how Britain had stabbed Prussia in the back during that Seven Years' War—was determined to drag Britain into the quagmire of a world war alongside Germany, even if it meant becoming a drowned rat.
Edward VII couldn't know that much for now.
"And with this, the Navy can catch a breather too. Admiral Fisher will be pleased."
Originally, Fisher had been the one insisting that Germany's naval buildup needed to be watched closely, but surprisingly, he had reacted positively to the alliance with Germany.
Since the whole world was going mad with the battleship race anyway, joining hands with Germany, who was in the lead, would give the Royal Navy some breathing room—that was the biggest reason.
Especially now, with his plan to scrap outdated ships that Parliament had opposed due to gaps in fleet strength and use the funds to build new-type vessels, this was the perfect opportunity to push it through. For Admiral Fisher, it was the icing on the cake.
"The real problems are Russia and France, though."
Russia had always been in confrontation with Britain, and due to its domestic chaos, it had been relatively quiet without much bandwidth for foreign affairs. But France would never stay silent.
Of course, this was to be expected once Germany had been chosen as a partner.
As Edward VII thought, the French political world was erupting like a volcano, making the Dreyfus Affair seem like nothing.
"This is a dirty deal! A conspiracy! Great France will never stand idly by while Britain and Germany hatch their filthy plot!"
"Hear, hear! Hear, hear!"
When the new French Prime Minister Maurice Rouvier flushed red and shouted from the rostrum, French politicians rose as one, shouting in unison.
Here, there were no right-wing or left-wing factions.
There were only Frenchmen furious at the British pirates and Prussian pigs joining hands.
"The British claim their alliance with Germany has no military implications, but it's an age-old truth that you can't trust words from British mouths. To protect France from this threat, we must expand our military strength and tighten our bonds with our ally, the Russian Empire!"
Until recently, French politics—centered on the left—had been daily criticizing Tsar Nicholas II and the Russian government for Bloody Sunday. But now, for the greater good, it was time to look away from justice.
And that greater good was protecting Europe—and France—from the wicked alliance of Tommy and Fritz.
For that, the French were willing to join hands not just with the Russian Empire but with any bastard.
This showed just how desperate France had become with the emergence of the Anglo-German Negotiations.
The negotiations already gave them an overwhelming naval advantage over the Franco-Russian Alliance. Even Italy, a member of the Triple Alliance, was stirring behind Germany's and Austria-Hungary's backs with secret treaties to France.
To survive, France had no choice but to steel itself and grow stronger.
They had no choice but to cling to the Russian Empire, even if it made them question whether they were truly allies after the Morocco Crisis.
Bowing to Germany and Britain was no longer an option for France.
Meanwhile, Russia's ally, the Russian Empire itself, was too busy quelling peasant and worker unrest and smashing revolutionary forces rampaging across the country to care about any Anglo-German talks.
"So it has come to this, after all."
Sergei Witte muttered with a regretful expression upon hearing the news that the Anglo-German Negotiations had succeeded.
There had been signs since the Morocco Crisis, but Germany had ultimately joined hands with Britain.
Given Russia's relations with both countries, it was a headache for the Russian Empire.
Of course, they had cooperated with Germany over the Russo-Japanese War, but it had only been a temporary arrangement, making further progress unlikely.
Hans von Choi—that boy—had foreseen even this much?
"But that's not our problem right now."
Witte sighed at the mountain of reports piled on his desk.
No matter how much they cracked down, the riots and unrest erupting across Russia showed no signs of subsiding.
The peasants and workers were trouble enough, but the agitators inciting them and the subject peoples—like the Poles and Finns—crying for independence were giving Witte ulcers.
"We have no choice but to show the people that the Russian Empire has changed and soothe their anger."
In other words, reform.
Tsar Nicholas II and the Russian nobility, who believed absolute monarchy was the only right path, wouldn't like it, but to Witte, there was no other answer.
The Russian Empire as it was could no longer navigate the storms of this turbulent era.
At the very least, they needed to establish a parliament, introduce liberal policies to give the people breathing room, build constitutional order, and form a constitutional government.
That way, they could not only quell the people's anger to some extent but also pull moderates like the liberals back to their side, isolating the far-left revolutionaries.
"Hm?"
As Witte pondered the Russian Empire's new future, one report caught his eye.
"Ho."
As he carefully reviewed it, Witte let out an involuntary exclamation.
The report was from Saratov: not only had they calmed the furious workers and peasants, but they had successfully suppressed the unrest.
Unlike other regions screaming in chaos or unable to cope, Saratov had already regained its peace.
The process and outcome were so clean and perfect that Witte grew curious about who had handled it so flawlessly.
"Let's see. Saratov Governor, Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin."
Witte closely examined this Stolypin's record.
"Well, well, looking closely, this isn't just some impressive fellow."
From what Witte saw, Stolypin was knowledgeable in agriculture and economics, an outstanding administrator.
Moreover, he excelled at cracking down on revolutionaries and maintaining public order in his region.
This went beyond mere competence.
"To think we'd overlooked a talent like this. It seems the Lord in heaven hasn't abandoned our Russian Empire yet."
Pyotr Stolypin.
A talent to covet, and exactly what the Russian Empire needed now.
"Secretary, we need to bring one man to St. Petersburg."
Leaving such a talent as a mere provincial governor was the Russian Empire's loss.
And so, Pyotr Stolypin—Russia's last great statesman who would succeed Sergei Witte in original history—set foot in St. Petersburg earlier than destined.
This, too, was a minor change brought by altered history.
January 1905.
The Anglo-German Negotiations, which upended the world's diplomatic map, caused a huge stir in Germany too.
Germans didn't have particularly fond feelings toward Britain—just as they had grimaced when Wilhelm II spouted nonsense like "I actually like Britain" and more in his 1907 interview with the Daily Telegraph.
Of course, it was less outright hatred and more an arrogant rivalry.
So when Germany and Britain actually allied, there was some grumbling, but since they had acted together during the Morocco Crisis, most Germans grudgingly accepted the alliance with Britain.
As the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers—at least Britain was better than France or Russia.
But my interest right now was focused on a momentous experiment that would shake the world in a different way from the Anglo-German Negotiations.
"Mr. Tesla. We can just speak into this as is, right?"
"Of course, Baron."
I nodded eagerly at Tesla's words, cleared my throat, and spoke slowly into the carbon microphone before me.
"Ah~ ah~ microphone test. Microphone test."
My voice echoed through the room via the microphone.
At the same time, my voice emerged with static from the large box-shaped machine some distance away.
It was the world's first radio, finally unveiled to this world by Tesla.
I couldn't hide my joy at the perfectly functioning radio and continued speaking with an excited face.
"The Joseon sailors trembled in fear, but Admiral Yi watched them silently. The overwhelming might of the Japanese Navy against the dismal state of the Joseon Navy with only 13 ships left. Even Admiral Yi couldn't declare certain victory this time, so he understood their feelings. Yet, as always, he spoke in a resolute voice. 'The Art of War states: Those who seek to live will die; those who fight to the death will live.' At those words, the captains lifted their heads."
It had been a while since I last read aloud from Immortal Admiral Yi,
"Oh, fir tree~ Oh, fir tree~ Your leaves are so faithful~ Green in summer too~? No, green even in snowy winter~♪"
and I even sang a song.
The radio before me had some static but produced satisfactory sound quality with no major issues for listening.
But the important part wasn't this radio here.
It was the radios deployed across Germany.
Only if the radios far from Berlin performed similarly could we proudly declare the radio development a success.
Ring ring ring~!
Soon enough, the sound I'd been waiting for assaulted my ears mercilessly.
The phone bell.
I glanced tensely at Tesla, took a deep breath, and picked up the receiver.
For some reason, my heart was pounding harder than when sealing the Anglo-German Negotiations.
"Hello?"
[Ah, Hans.]
The first call came from Viktoria Luise, listening to the radio at the New Palace in Potsdam.
Unable to hide my anxiety, I asked Luise how the radio sounded.
[It came through fine! But Hans, you can actually sing? If it was as awful as your drawing skills, my ears would've really suffered.]
"......That's a relief in a different way. Thank you anyway, Princess."
I set down the receiver and checked off Potsdam on the list of city names.
Ring ring ring─!
[Hans! It came through great here too! I'm so glad it succeeded. Now Tesla can finally leave Friedrichshof, right......]
The next call was from Princess Margarete at Schloss Friedrichshof.
Friedrichshof was near Frankfurt, so count it as Frankfurt—check there too.
[This is Hamburg. Heard it without issues!]
[Königsberg here. Your Tannenbaum echoed all the way from Berlin. Radio's perfect!]
[Ah, in Munich too, Baron's voice came through crystal clear. Congratulations!]
[Dusseldorf here too—loud and clear!]
Reports poured in one after another from those dispatched to other cities.
Check marks filled the list steadily, and finally, with Dusseldorf last, every city name had a V beside it.
"Mr. Tesla, you've worked so hard. A resounding success!"
"Hahaha......! What a joyous occasion. We must raise a toast today!"
Perhaps because it was a long-awaited success,
Tesla beamed with flowers on his face while tears of joy streamed down continuously.
The radio age had dawned.