359 – British Cuisine, Hatred Nation, Imperial Puppet (3)
Immediately after parting ways with Peter Yeager, the Foreign Minister visited James I, the monarch of the United Kingdom of Britannia.
This is because I decided that I should quickly report the news that the Reich Empire had made a very unconventional proposal.
“I meet His Highness James, the rightful ruler of Britannia, the Highlands, the Sails and the Bluelands.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs got down on one knee and expressed his respect, but the young King, whose enjoyment of night life was interrupted so late at night, kept yawning and looking annoyed.
It was an appearance that no ruler of the Reich Empire, or even a normal country, would show.
The fact that a minister of a country requests an audience at such a time means that something important has happened that even the king needs to put aside everything else to know.
Getting annoyed without thinking about such things first would be evidence that you lack the skills to be a king.
“What happened to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to ask for an audience with me at such a late hour? “If it’s anything serious, I’d like him to report it tomorrow morning.”
“I’m sorry, but because Imperial Marshal Peter Yeager personally came to me and gave me a mouth-watering offer.”
James waved his hand after hearing that.
“What on earth are you suggesting? Well, I guess I wasn’t suggesting an arranged marriage between my daughter and the imperial prince. “Where are you talking about going to war with us?”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs took a moment to catch his breath and spoke with weight in his voice.
“That’s not true, but Peter Jaeger has offered to give us a port through which we can cross over to the Francois Republic.”
No matter how incompetent, or rather capable, but unfaithful the king was, upon hearing the news that the ‘landing port’, which had been the biggest obstacle to the United Kingdom’s attack on Francois, had been resolved…
In an instant, James’s unpleasant feelings about being interrupted during his fun time disappeared.
The place was filled with expectations and hopes that they could now take revenge for being defeated by Francois after a war that lasted 120 years and being imprisoned in an island country.
The irritated expression suddenly changed into a smiling expression with the corners of the mouth raised up to the ears, and the attitude of wanting people to turn it off on their own because they were not interested changed to an excited look like a child listening to an exciting adventure story.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs could emotionally understand the King’s changed attitude, but still, the thought of a man named the King getting annoyed because he was interrupted by an urgent matter while having s*x at night… He felt a tug in the back of his neck.
‘It is natural for any human being in the United Kingdom of Britannia to jump for joy when they hear that a way to take revenge on those Francois has been opened. But before that, our Highness shows such displeasure after only having s*x interrupted once?’
However, if he utters that thought, the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, which he obtained by paying a huge bribe and even engaging in political maneuvering, could be lost, and it could be at a disadvantage to his family.
I spoke with my resentment buried in my heart.
“Can I tell you the details?”
Hearing those words, the King looked at the Minister of Foreign Affairs with an expectant expression, like a child with candy in front of him.
“Let it be done.”
“What Peter Jaeger proposed to us was to conquer the Francois Republic, which was in chaos due to civil war. And if we grant his request, he will threaten the Grand Duchy of Belgium to lend us a port for our use.”
James’ eyes sparkled at those words.
Because the Grand Duchy of Belgium was on the border with the Francois Republic, as long as they rented a port in Belgium, they could attack Francois from there.
He happens to have disgruntled elite Highlander infantry still remaining in the Highlander region, and there are nobles and soldiers under his influence within the kingdom who oppose him, so what if he dispatches them to Francois…?
If you can clearly physically reduce the number of dissatisfied people, and in the process acquire even a little bit of Francois’ land, your position and power will definitely increase.
‘As the monarch of the United Kingdom of Britannia, I have the opportunity to regain the territory lost to the Francois Republic. If I miss this, I am not even a human being.’
In addition, James’ unique temperament of going back and forth depending on his mood was displayed, and crazy ideas that even Peter Yeager could not have imagined came into his head.
However, the Minister of Foreign Affairs did not know the king’s thoughts and continued his words.
“The Reich Empire threatened to mobilize 200,000 troops to fight us if we did not accept this offer.”
King James I became angry when he heard that.
“Peter Yeager, you damn bastard… How dare you threaten to fight against our great knights of Britannia. “If it weren’t for the diplomatic mission, I would have smashed his head.”
“But Your Highness, Peter Jaeger of the Reich is not a person to be trifled with. “No matter how outstanding Sir Lancelot is.”
“Who doesn’t know that! If that crazy guy had been a general of our United Kingdom of Britannia, he would have already destroyed not only the Archduchy of Brumandy but also half of the Republic. “The bards sang a lot about the Battle of Richen Hill, so I had them collect records about the battle.”
James’ face gradually blushed, and he spoke with a hollow smile.
“A force that makes you wonder if it is a human being, a leadership ability that allows the soldiers under his command to stand in front of the spear blades of tens of thousands of knights, and even the ability to design strategies. It’s not a human bastard. 200,000? Yes, if that damn bastard brings in 200,000 people, Britannia will be like a candle in the wind. I don’t know what Deus liked about the Reich Empire to send down such a monster, but that thing isn’t a person, it’s a monster. “It’s like a natural disaster!”
Even the Minister of Foreign Affairs could not bear to deny what the king said.
The King slammed his fist into the armrest of his throne.
“But this threat is not necessarily a bad thing for us. Wouldn’t it be perfect to threaten those who don’t want to fight the damn Republic? The Empire has secured the port of Belgium and paved the way for Francois to recapture Brumandy, but if we refuse this, we will have to fight against the scourge called ‘Peter Jaeger’. “If you threaten them with that reason, it will be enough.”
Both the Minister of Foreign Affairs and James were reluctant to follow Peter Jaeger’s suggestion, but it was a golden opportunity to get revenge on Francois, and if they refused, Britannia would be able to stop it if Peter Jaeger came with a real 200,000 army. Because I know very well that there isn’t one.
Grinding his teeth, the young king revealed the amazing solution he had come up with after listening to Peter Yeager’s suggestions.
“Recapturing the Grand Duchy of Brumandy is a wish that the United Kingdom of Britannia has had for hundreds of years. Therefore, I will never miss this opportunity that came my way. “Even if we deploy the maximum number of soldiers and resources that can be mobilized.”
Although the Minister of Foreign Affairs is not the Prime Minister himself, he was warned by the time he had accumulated while rising to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs.
‘If it is a war in which the United Kingdom mobilizes the maximum power it can muster, its national power will be greatly reduced, so it must be prepared to give everything it has. And the fate of the country will depend on the future commander of the army. ‘Who will lead that army?’
“And when that happens, all power will be concentrated on the person who commands the army.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Therefore, this army will be personally commanded by me, James Marlborough. Then, since they will be united around the king, there will be no fights for command. “Isn’t that right?”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs felt dizzy before his eyes as he recalled that damn war hundreds of years ago.
King James took this opportunity to centralize all power in himself by driving local soldiers and nobles who had gradually expressed their dissatisfaction with him into a dangerous battle line and disposing of them with ‘martial law’ if they did not follow his orders. We set a goal to strengthen.
‘Our ancestors used similar methods hundreds of years ago, so I will be able to strengthen my royal authority using similar methods.’
The king, now convinced, stood up from his throne and gave orders to the secretaries waiting around him.
“Tomorrow morning, we will gather all the ministers to discuss the great expedition to the Francois Republic and make plans to recapture Bromandy! So, please write a subpoena.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs thought while looking at the scene.
‘Peter Jaeger You son of a b*tch, it’s all well and good to invade the Francois Republic. How far did you read this before you made the king do such a disservice by saying he would run his own government?’
Peter Jaeger could not hear this, but he would have been mortified if he had.
Because even the King’s own family was an issue that he could not consider.
However, since it was an achievement that went beyond what he intended, there was nothing bad about the Reich Empire.