Chapter 40 · 10 min

Chapter 40

Return of the Swindler (3)

The new Foreign Minister Lord Granville was a person showing a completely different color from Palmerston.

- Wow. Is this really human writing?

Let’s pass that he is a legend-level bad handwriting for now. Since it’s not a very important story.

While I was struggling for the freedom of Joseon people, in the home country London that famous Great Exhibition - Expo was held. Lord Granville stood out in this Expo work, and became close with my sponsor Gladstone.

“I really heard a lot of stories about you! Please sit.”

“Nice to meet you for the first time. Truly honored to meet the Foreign Minister.”

“They said the conqueror of the Far East is very young and full of spirit, ambition is blazing a lot.”

Ah. Got caught. I was originally a humble person but the world ended up making me like this.

“But work is work. Come, will you explain why it became a treaty of this form?”

- Well of course for this bastard’s illicit wealth accumulation and grabbing a share.

Turn off the local broadcast a bit.

“Because the most valuable commodity in Joseon is manpower, and manpower that can be used as soldiers.”

“I heard the Joseon army is poor? There wasn’t even one proper engagement, right.”

“That’s because of the fear of being implicated in treason. Rather please pay attention to the point that the country was maintained even while adjacent to China by land route. They are owners of extremely excellent combat power.”

Trying to say words even I find hard to believe is a bit hard. Trying to say ‘elite Joseon army that fights well’ the tongue feels rough and hard. The nuance is strange from the start.

But I poured teeth about <Hamgyeong Province Tiger Hunter Chosen Sharpshooter Jaeger Corps> with all heat and sincerity, and Lord Granville who listens even to subordinates’ words nodded. As expected because he saw the tiger skin sent directly from Joseon and put in the house. If one sees the dignity of that great tiger fur lump one would reconsider once about the combat power of Joseon people rolling with such guys.

“I have no thought of recklessly starting work like Lord Palmerston. But, some members and the press worry whether you did not make a wrong judgment due to personal relations. What do you think?”

In the end if removing the car and cannon and looking only at the core issue this is it.

Why such a moderate treaty?

Why sucking less like this?

Investing blood-like blood tax and even fighting war yet is being satisfied with just this really a thing for national interest? Not because of your personal feelings or personal relations?

Of course prepared.

Because I am a pro.

“In the end the core of all discussion is how to handle Joseon’s future.”

“Ho.”

“I saw making Joseon a colony as a great bad plan.”

Colonies of this era are not just going with guns and shooting all to death and threatening ‘hyat ha you are our slaves from today!’. To be precise most places where that is possible are already European powers doing that so the remaining countries are mostly countries that can’t be eaten that way.

Swallowing a country like Joseon that is a quasi-civilized country requires a much higher dimensional and long-term plan.

Economic subordination through loans.

Logistics control through railway construction.

Communication control through telegraph construction.

Every time an anti-foreign force riot breaks out tear reparations and station army under the pretext of protecting the legation.

If railway attack happens create an independent railway guard under that pretext etc.

And absurdly, this process mostly happens complexly and independently. Mainly the guys on site tear out rights one by one to accumulate achievements and succeed and at some moment go to colony.

Cases like the Japanese Empire that consistently ‘that guy! Let’s make those guys our slaves!’ and persistently aim over dozens of years are unexpectedly rare.

“If the British Empire sets its mind making Joseon a colony is not a big deal. But, if doing so instead of utilizing their labor only 20 million anti-British rioters will arise.

Even if sucking this and that from Joseon it does not have more value than the role of checking Russia and advancing to the Chinese market as a bridgehead.”

“So dividing the villain role to other countries and we play the role of benevolent sponsor.”

“Yes. Anyway didn’t we insert the <most favored nation treatment> clause. Leave the matter of imposing harsh clauses on Joseon to the French and Americans. We just sit still and enjoy most favored nation treatment.”

“Is that all?”

“Business rights that can make money have already been arranged so our influence reaches.”

This is the core.

Why did I not write things like ginseng monopoly right or mine development right in the treaty document and just covered with verbal consultation with Heonjong?

Because one must catch all as ‘individual’s private commercial act’ to eat alone.

From now on other guys will also all insert most favored nation treatment clauses, why turn rice cakes to unrelated guys too when interests must be eaten only by me and the British Empire?

But rather than being torn raw at least receiving the advanced technology and know-how of our British Empire East India Company and providing a modest commission would definitely be much better from Joseon people’s position. A hundred times better than just taking with guns and swords.

As my brilliant report ended, Lord Granville nodded.

“Then the remaining problem is only one.”

“What is it?”

“The possibility they betray.”

As expected look at worrying whether quasi-civilized country ugaugas will backstab worthy of British people who backstabbed on the stage of the whole world.

“There is no such thing. The more they know the world, they will know how close to special benefits they enjoyed and came out to the world stage.”

“Moved by grace and take our side?”

That gaze of ‘is that something to say?’. As expected worthy of a person engaged in the diplomatic stage stained with distrust.

“The immediate threat Qing and Russia’s eastward advance in the not distant future. If Joseon wants to preserve the national polity isn’t it clear which country to solidify faithful loyalty with?”

“Having raised Joseon as a Far East base yet if taken by Russia this is not an ordinary problem. But... the plan itself is excellent.”

Finally he nodded.

“You worked hard. You may go back.”

“Then I will withdraw now.”

“Great achievement for the first actual battle. You may boast anywhere.”

Unlike Palmerston who is vicious and sucks anything tenaciously, Lord Granville was a person close to isolationism so the point seemed caught on ‘Britain does not directly get involved in Far East problems’. As expected because Gladstone’s friend the conscience is excellent.

Passed a big crisis.

Since Lord Granville tacitly approved, inserting a steel straw into Joseon was also my share.

Done.

Now I am confirmed rich man...!

***

The Joseon-Britain Friendly Trade Treaty came into effect as if nothing happened.

Britain helped Joseon purely for justice with a heart loving Christian spirit and freedom without any conditions or interests.

Joseon did not open the door after getting beaten but voluntarily opened the door seeing the goodwill of British people who ‘saved the ancestral temples and altars from the traitor who tried to overturn the country’.

Everyone is happy.

Perfect.

But in the world there are also groups of evil that hate justice and dislike freedom.

“Joseon is a country of barbarians that cruelly murdered our missionaries who wanted to peacefully proselytize! Those island country bastards finally threw off even minimal pretense and are rolling with barbarians!!”

We call the country where only such people live <France>.

French people were very angry.

Did inferiority explode from feeling the difference in power at the Expo, or did the ugly ones believing in Catholicism want to slander the country of justice the British Empire? Either way truly pitiful and pathetic.

“Since caused a coup achievements would be urgent.”

“Since declared making a strong France must show with action.”

“We arbitrarily did Joseon? From the beginning the target agreed to fight together is Qing what nonsense are those frogs?”

Ah. There is that too.

End of 1851.

A coup occurred in France. A self-coup caused by Louis Napoleon Bonaparte who was the president.

People often say looking at Joseon it perished because of factional fights, but looking at France one sometimes thinks factional fights and the country perishing are not particularly greatly related.

- Wouldn’t they also be declining the country by fighting until the gourd bursts like that?

If saying France declines where is there a well-living country in the world?

- Could have lived better but blew the opportunity? That feeling?

This was another amazing experience.

The jar ghost is not a person from the beginning so the resolution about the human world is a bit low. Not that there is no interest but should say it seems a bit not knowing the ways of the world somewhere.

So usually I think a bit cynically ‘realistically’ and the beast should think positively as a beast and spread dog shit logic, but today this flow had become the opposite.

France’s political topography is truly a rag.

Conflict between royalists and republicans, conflict between Paris and the provinces, conflict between liberals and socialists, conflict between Bonapartists and Orleanists, conflict between Catholics and anti-clericalists etc. endless.

The comments of those who seized power by coup in modern society are mostly similar.

Our society is too chaotic so a strong leader is needed!

The country’s appearance is a mess so I will take the lead and make a united country!

That fake Napoleon is precisely a person who is about the founder of this modern style coup.

Anyway since a guy who caused a coup shooting cannons even at republican ‘rioters’ in Paris the public’s support would obviously be very hungry. This means France’s foreign policy might also change completely.

Even in the situation where the fun Second Opium War is in progress in the Far East on the opposite side of the earth, and Britain and France are fighting together against the despicable Qing yet openly expressing dissatisfaction like that. As expected French people have no way of keeping faith.

How international dynamics will flow in the future, how the France newly led by Napoleon III will secure new colonies.

These things are actually not problems I need to worry about.

Rather the most important thing to me.

“How about this young lady?”

“I know one good person. Let me introduce!”

It’s marriage.

Previously bluffed backed by the British Empire’s prestige somehow, but from now on I am a body that has to do business on Joseon land for at least several years.

Joseon people do not treat unmarried bachelors as adults.

No matter what happens one must marry. Joseon people might really seriously recommend me to take Joseon concubines. One must do marriage first.

The story that I am looking for a bride candidate I definitely only said at the club, but before one knew all London was seeing tabloids like <Younger brother of the Far East conqueror brothers Arthur Lee, urgently seeking bride candidate! Who will marry this young hero?>. Going crazy.

“Who? Who do you want?”

Older sister Violet seen after a long time was burning with the will to definitely pick a decent person.

“No, well. If a decent person it would be good.”

“That’s what everyone wants. Speak a bit in detail.”

“It would be good if there is some money at home. And if there is a business contact point.”

“A family that might be related to Far East business. Again?”

“It would be good if pretty.”

“Again?”

“Even if going to the Far East together and living-”

“...Suddenly the difficulty goes up sharply.”

Can’t be helped. Originally if one tightly holds the wives’ salon the range of movement goes up sharply.

But the world was truly a wonderland.

Always this damned world far surpassed my expectations and shouted ‘Haha! More novel-like than a novel!’.

Palmerston did it.

Really shot his own Whig Party and collapsed the cabinet. Express deep consolation to Lord Granville who had to step down from the position in just three months.

And one more.

[Found a person to marry.]

[Rich widow.]

News that flew from Liverpool.

Perhaps Daniel also wrote a slave contract and was dragged to 19th century Britain like me?

Author's note

Came back alive becoming a dragoon. Will somehow write tahheuk

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