Chapter 58: Grand Duke of the North (4)

Russia planned to use Manchuria as a foothold to occupy the Korean Peninsula and turn it into a military base!

Naturally, the Korean Emperor’s urgent message found its way into the hands of the British Foreign Secretary, and judging that it was not a matter he should handle alone, Grey briefly exchanged views with the Prime Minister.

Of course, saying that it was not a matter to be handled alone did not mean that Britain ought to intervene in the Korean Peninsula.

A sovereign monarch had appealed to them directly. The question was how to brush him off with sufficient finesse.

Grey showed the Prime Minister the personal letter and request for intervention that Gojong himself had sent, a bitter smile on his face.

“What do you think, Prime Minister?”

“Good grief… As if we didn’t already have enough to worry about, now this pointless matter has landed in our laps as well.”

Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Prime Minister of the British Empire, clicked his tongue with a deep scowl.

“Are we certain that Russia intends to turn the Korean Peninsula into a military base?”

“Even when the Russo-Japanese War ended, did we not receive intelligence that Russia intended to annex the Korean Peninsula outright and turn it into a military base? It happened under the previous government, but we intervened and put a stop to it.”

“And now you propose that we do the same thing again?”

“No. From what I’ve learned, Russia is concentrating all its efforts on developing Manchuria. They do appear to intend to connect the Korean Peninsula to it by rail and draw in labor, but they do not seem to be considering annexation.”

Expanding one’s influence was the natural right of a victor, so Britain had no particular objection to Russia bringing the Korean Peninsula into its sphere of influence.

Of course, it would be a different matter if Russia intended to strip the Korean Empire of its diplomatic rights altogether or turn it into a colony.

But if Russia had no intention of going that far, there was no reason for the British Empire to act.

“What Russia actually intends is the most important question.”

Grey gave a brief nod.

“That part is somewhat unclear. But one thing is certain. Now that Japan is finished, intervening in the Korean Peninsula would carry far too much risk.”

“True. Japan will be of no use to us for some time.”

Japan had been battered so thoroughly in the Russo-Japanese War that it was hardly an exaggeration to say the country was ruined.

Most of its fleet lay at the bottom of the sea, and it could not even begin to contemplate repaying the money it had spent on the war.

For a generation, at least several decades, it would clearly struggle even to catch its breath.

The idea of rebuilding such a Japan and using it to shackle Russia again was unrealistic from the outset.

“Besides, to put it crudely, no matter how large a fleet Russia gathers in the Far East, could it ever even get close to India?”

It was a somewhat optimistic assessment, but not an incorrect one, so the Prime Minister nodded leisurely.

That was because Dreadnought, the monster among monsters that had rendered every existing warship obsolete, had made her imposing debut that very year.

No warship currently afloat could even hope to challenge Dreadnought.

It was no exaggeration to call her a game changer that had once again driven home the fact that there was no country on Earth capable of challenging the British Empire’s naval supremacy.

“What we need to worry about is Russia crossing the mountains and approaching overland. There is no longer any reason to concern ourselves with the sea.”

“…Quite. And if we wish to contain Germany, we also need to ease tensions with Russia.”

The Liberal government currently regarded Germany, not Russia, as its principal concern.

If Britain wanted to join hands with France and Russia and complete the encirclement around Germany, then the last thing it wanted was to make an enemy of Russia over the Korean Peninsula.

The problem was determining exactly what Russia intended.

“It will take some time to sound out Russia’s intentions.”

Just as Campbell-Bannerman was about to murmur those words, a knock sounded from outside the door, followed by a voice.

“Prime Minister, a letter has arrived from the Russian Legation.”

“Russia? Already?”

“Yes. It concerns the Korean Empire.”

Campbell-Bannerman’s brow furrowed.

How long had it been since they received Gojong’s personal letter, and Russia had already sent its position?

Campbell-Bannerman immediately accepted the letter and unfolded it, his expression growing increasingly peculiar as he read.

“…Well, now.”

“What does it say?”

“Read it yourself.”

The contents of the letter handed to Grey were concise and clear.

If the British Empire did not intervene in this affair, Russia would generously overlook the reckless actions of the Korean imperial house.

Russia would seek only reasonable compensation in return for the Korean Empire’s cooperation with the development of Manchuria, and nothing more.

It contained an explicit promise that Russia would not even consider annexation or the deprivation of Korea’s diplomatic rights.

“…It is almost as though they knew exactly what we were thinking.”

Britain’s true desire not to become entangled in the Korean Peninsula.

And the line up to which Britain would tolerate Russia’s actions, but beyond which it would not stand idly by.

The Tsar’s letter stood squarely on the very edge of that boundary without taking a single step beyond it.

There was no reason for Britain to reject the proposal.

There was only one thing Campbell-Bannerman could not understand.

“Secretary, since when did Russia become this shrewd at diplomacy?”

Russia… conducting competent diplomacy?

Campbell-Bannerman let out a hollow laugh as he set down the letter.

Then, as though something had suddenly occurred to him, he turned toward Grey.

“Wait. Come to think of it, I hear strange rumors have been circulating in Petersburg lately. Have you heard them as well, Foreign Secretary?”

“Yes. I have. The story is that Nicholas II has actually been hiding his abilities and merely putting on an act all this time.”

“Yes. What do you make of it?”

“When I first received the report, I was certain it was nothing more than an absurd false rumor. The idea was simply too preposterous. So I ordered the matter reinvestigated.”

Campbell-Bannerman did not fault his minister.

Had he been in Grey’s position, he would have issued exactly the same order.

All those years of Nicholas II, famous for his indecisiveness and incompetence, had supposedly been nothing but an act?

It was too ridiculous even for a joke told over drinks.

Yet looking at the letter now in his hand made his head spin.

Then who had written this letter, which read Britain’s intentions as clearly as if they had been laid out on the palm of his hand and presented an irresistible proposal at precisely the right moment?

Of course, the fact that Nicholas II’s name was clearly stamped upon it did not guarantee that he had written it himself, but the problem was that Campbell-Bannerman could not think of any mastermind behind the scenes with enough influence to control the Emperor.

It would make sense if Russia had someone like Germany’s Bismarck of old, but there was no such figure, was there?

“Could it be Witte?”

“It is certainly not Witte. I hear he was only recently restored to favor, so the timing does not fit.”

Then there was a strong possibility that Nicholas II’s own judgment had been involved, and the thought made Campbell-Bannerman’s head reel.

“…Secretary.”

“Yes.”

“Suppose. Just suppose.”

Campbell-Bannerman pressed a hand to his temple and slowly began to speak.

“If Nicholas II truly has been hiding his competence all this time… how are we supposed to formulate our foreign policy?”

…Reassess the foreign policy of the British Empire on the assumption that Nicholas II was competent?

Grey felt as though everything before his eyes had gone dark.

It was a situation he had never once imagined in his entire life.

—

“Misha, did you really write all of this yourself?”

Nicholas II reread the letter in his hands again and again, unable to conceal his admiration.

Even after reading it once more, the diplomatic letter sent to Britain was clean and concise, without a single unnecessary word.

It addressed exactly the concerns Britain wanted addressed while still securing everything Russia needed. It was, quite literally, flawless.

“You flatter me. Your Majesty drew the larger picture. I merely filled in the details.”

Mikhail bowed politely, but the Tsar’s admiration did not easily subside.

And there was something else that had astonished the Tsar even more.

Looking at the Emperor’s letter of consolation that was to be publicly released in the Korean Empire, Nicholas could scarcely understand how his own son had managed to write something like this.

When he had asked why it was written this way in the first place, Mikhail had explained that he had refined the contents after taking the cultural characteristics of the Korean people into consideration.

Almost as though he already understood how the people there thought.

“I admit that I cannot understand this way of thinking at all, but I suppose this is what one might call an Eastern perspective?”

The letter was filled with benevolent words consoling the people of the Korean Empire for the suffering they had endured through the war.

Yet hidden among them were subtle phrases of agitation.

Not a single word directly alluded to the Korean Emperor.

And yet any Korean who read the letter would naturally find themselves thinking about him.

About just how far removed their own Emperor was from the kind of governance described in the letter.

“Now I finally understand what you meant before.”

Reduce the Korean Emperor to an idiot whom even his own citizens disregarded, thereby stripping him of his influence.

Nicholas had understood the general idea when Mikhail first explained it, but he had not understood precisely how it would be accomplished. Now that he could see the finished product, it made perfect sense.

Nicholas thought that the son smiling before him looked even more mature and clever than before.

“Misha, when in the world did you manage to study even that remote little country in the Far East so thoroughly?”

“Your Majesty has been devoting so much effort to Manchuria. I thought it was only natural for someone who will one day oversee the intelligence service to study a country bordering Manchuria.”

“My word….”

Could there possibly be another son in the world so good and admirable?

Feeling his son’s heartfelt loyalty, Nicholas II was moved once again.

The thoroughness to take care of matters without even being told, and the loyalty behind it all, since everything Mikhail did was ultimately for his sake.

In any event, Britain and Korea had both been dealt with neatly.

All that remained was to accelerate the development of Manchuria while slowly tightening the noose around Korea.

Watching everything proceed so smoothly with satisfaction, Nicholas II firmly made up his mind.

A son this competent and admirable deserved a proper position.

With the Far East in turmoil over Manchuria and Korea, now was the perfect opportunity.

That boy would surely resolve all these troublesome matters splendidly, and would Misha not be delighted once he realized his father’s intentions?

After all, he would finally be able to cast aside the false identity of an illegitimate son and be acknowledged as a full-fledged member of the imperial house.

Of course, placing a boy who had only just turned eleven in charge of the Far East was, by anyone’s standards, an extraordinary move far removed from the ordinary.

That was why Nicholas II had carefully prepared what he considered a suitable way around the problem.

Several days later, a State Council meeting convened to discuss the issues of Manchuria and the Korean Empire became the surprise stage for the gift he intended to give his son.

“With the situation in the Far East so unsettled, it seems We require someone to oversee the entire region.”

As soon as the Tsar broached the subject, the ministers all nodded in unison.

The development of Manchuria was in full swing, and now the Korean issue had been added on top of it. It certainly would be more efficient for someone to oversee the Far East as a whole.

“Chairman Witte may be overseeing the practical affairs, but the post of Viceroy of the Far East, the highest administrative authority, remains vacant, does it not?”

The moment the Tsar finished speaking, one name naturally sprang to the minds of the ministers.

In Russia, it was customary for an important position like that to go to a Grand Duke related to the Tsar.

And the only Grand Duke currently on the Tsar’s side was Grand Duke Mikhailovich.

If the Tsar intended to place a member of the imperial family in the weighty position of overall authority in the Far East, the candidate seemed obvious.

They all reached the same conclusion and waited for the Tsar’s declaration.

But then.

“We shall entrust overall responsibility for the Far East to Our son.”

“…Pardon?”

Words none of them had expected emerged from his mouth.

“Y-Your Majesty. His Imperial Highness the Tsesarevich is still….”

Even so, appointing a baby not yet two years old as the man in charge would make the Tsar’s intentions far too blatant.

But the Tsar’s next words were even more outrageous.

“Ah, We do not mean Alexei. Even We know that child is too young, no?”

“…Pardon?”

What was he talking about now? Then surely he could not mean to put one of the Princesses in charge of Manchuria….

“We have not spoken of this until now, but We have another son.”

“Y-Your Majesty… wait….”

You’re moving too fast, Your Majesty.

Not only the ministers who knew nothing of the circumstances, but Yakov, the head of intelligence, and even Grand Duke Mikhailovich and Mikhail, who knew the truth, stared at the Emperor with their mouths hanging open.

“Your… Majesty? Could it be that this person is present in this room….?”

The gazes of everyone present naturally turned toward the single most suspicious person.

Amazingly, the Emperor answered at once.

“You all catch on quickly.”

The members of the State Council nearly fainted on the spot.

~~~

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