In the past, the Ottoman Turks had terrified all of Europe and displayed a might that could justifiably be called the emperor of Europe.
They possessed perfect regional control capable of mobilizing more than one hundred thousand soldiers at once, along with a highly systematized bureaucracy.
Their vast territories stretched across Anatolia and Greece.
And they commanded brave soldiers who feared death little and clung to their enemies until the very end.
Until Russia rose during the modern era, the common enemy of the European states had unquestionably been the Ottomans.
Not only European nations—many Islamic states outside the Ottoman sphere had even united to contain them.
That was how formidable they had been.
But the rise and fall of empires is inevitable.
By the nineteenth century, the Ottoman Empire had long since lost its former brilliance.
Once, they had fought Russia—an old rival—with victories and defeats on both sides.
At some point, however, those struggles had turned into one-sided beatings.
They lost the war over the Crimean Khanate.
They lost the war over Russia's annexation of Crimea.
They lost the war they themselves had launched during the Napoleonic era to counter Russia.
And after losing the Greek War of Independence as well, it became widely understood that the Ottoman Empire had effectively become Russia's punching bag.
The emperor of Europe—once feared by Russia, courted by Western Europe, and anxiously watched by Eastern Europe—had now changed professions.
He had become the sick man of Europe.
To the great powers of Europe, the Ottomans were nothing more than a buffer against Russia and an easy prey to carve apart.
France was no exception.
Especially for the regime of Louis-Philippe, which had only recently survived the storms of revolution and entered a phase of stabilization, expanding its base of support was essential.
If France could obtain jurisdiction over Jerusalem, it would naturally gain overwhelming support from Catholics.
The matter was urgent.
Fortunately, thanks to the recently established telegraph connection, sending news to Paris was no difficulty at all.
And in less than a single day, the count received a reply from Prime Minister François Guizot.
—Confirm whether Britain has already signed a formal treaty. If not, France should secure jurisdiction over the Holy Land first.
Even if Britain lay just across the English Channel, receiving a reply in a single day still felt astonishing.
So this was the power of technology.
The telegraph network had been built with British capital and technology.
But that fact only made Count Beaufoy feel better.
After all, technology itself was only a tool.
Whether one gained advantage or lost it depended on how it was used.
Now that he had approval from Paris, the count immediately arranged a meeting with the Ottoman ambassador and began negotiations in earnest.
"For Catholics, Jerusalem is nothing less than a spiritual homeland. And France is recognized by the Pope as the protector of the Catholic faith. Britain may also be devoutly Christian, but in the end it is an Anglican church separated from Catholicism. I believe France can administer Jerusalem with greater sincerity."
"That is true… but Mr. Gladstone has been pushing this matter quite strongly, so we find ourselves in a difficult position."
"Has Britain already reached a formal agreement with you?"
"Not yet. However, Mr. Gladstone said that once the Foreign Office finalizes matters, the treaty could be signed immediately. He said it would take less than a week."
Which meant that even a draft agreement had not yet been prepared.
In that case, there was no reason to hesitate.
In the end, diplomacy was not so different from business.
If one supplier offered better conditions than another, switching partners was hardly something worth criticizing.
Of course, abandoning a signed contract would be problematic.
But that was not the situation here.
"Ambassador, France can sign within three days."
"Truly…?"
"Of course. And Mr. Gladstone may have expressed his intention to pursue the matter, but it is not yet official government policy. On our side, however, the Prime Minister has already approved it. That means we can begin negotiating the details immediately. What do you say? Naturally, any guarantees offered by Britain will also be guaranteed by France."
"Britain promised that while administering the Holy Land, it would ensure that our empire would not be exposed to external threats."
In other words, they were offering something akin to a mutual defense agreement.
And in truth, it was only natural.
If the Ottoman Empire were under attack, how could the administrators of Jerusalem simply ignore it and celebrate peacefully?
Without such guarantees, the Ottomans would never have handed over Jerusalem—a city sacred to Islam as well.
The reason other powers hesitated to accept such conditions was obvious.
Russia.
However, Count Beaufoy believed that Britain's willingness to offer such guarantees suggested Russia would not dare attack the Ottomans.
If this had only been his personal judgment, it might have been questionable.
But Paris had also ordered him to proceed.
Which meant they had reached the same conclusion.
"As I mentioned earlier, France will offer the same guarantees as Britain. While administering the Holy Land, we will ensure the Ottoman Empire suffers no harm from foreign aggression. However, this does not apply if the Ottomans themselves attack another country. Britain surely included the same condition."
"Of course. Our empire loves peace and has no intention of subjugating other nations by force."
It was the sort of statement that the countries absorbed into the Ottoman Empire might laugh at.
But France was hardly in a position to criticize, so the count remained silent.
"Very well. Let us proceed as soon as possible with a formal agreement."
"If Britain attempts to pressure us using this issue, France must protect us. We are trusting your country by accelerating this agreement."
"Of course. Please do not worry. Thank you for the tea. I must begin preparations immediately."
Clink.
Count Beaufoy gently placed the teacup down and stood.
He had done it.
He had cleanly intercepted negotiations that Britain had been preparing.
Killian would surely be furious.
Now all that remained was to circulate documents throughout Europe demonstrating that the alliance between France, Britain, and Austria was firm enough to deter Russian aggression.
On the surface, it looked like a high-risk gamble.
In reality, it was a miracle transaction with almost no risk at all.
The count's steps felt light as he left.
"Heh heh heh."
"Heh heh heh."
Clink.
Two glasses struck together with a clear, pleasant sound.
It was always a delightful sound.
Not the laughter.
The sound of glasses.
"As expected of the greatest genius produced by Eton. The pride of Eton itself—Mr. Gladstone."
"Hahaha. Surely the greatest pride of Eton is Your Highness. Or perhaps the Duke of Wellington. I still have a conscience, after all."
"Then let's revise that slightly. The greatest politician produced by Eton. The Duke of Wellington was more a great soldier than a politician. And I'm hardly a politician anymore either—I'm royalty."
"Even among politicians, Prime Minister Wellesley may be superior to me."
Now that was remarkable self-awareness.
Public perception certainly placed Gladstone below Wellesley.
But if one examined objective ability through the lens of Killian's personal scouting system, very few politicians could rival Gladstone.
Perhaps Benjamin Disraeli.
Of course, Wellesley with me supporting him was an entirely different matter.
That was practically cheating.
"In any case, thanks to your convincing performance, France took the bait immediately. To be honest, I did not expect it to succeed in one attempt."
"Luck played a role. If Count Beaufoy had been less ambitious, we would have needed another strategy."
"From France's perspective, they are eager to be treated as Britain's equal. Considering their pride, this outcome was only natural."
"Hah. Equal? Perhaps briefly during Napoleon's time. But objectively speaking, have they ever truly been our equal?"
Even though Britain and France now maintained a strong alliance, centuries of rivalry did not disappear overnight.
Even in the twenty-first century the two nations would still compete over prestige.
So in this era, the rivalry was even stronger.
Normally mild-mannered Gladstone clicked his tongue.
"It reminded me of Harrow desperately trying to be treated as Eton's equal. Don't you think so, Your Highness?"
"Well… now that you mention it, that does sound accurate. Whether Harrow or France, they seem unable to accept the position of second place."
"Lord Palmerston might get along well with France then. Perhaps I should recommend him to the Prime Minister as the next ambassador to France. He might get along splendidly there."
So he was still holding a grudge about that earlier debate.
Honestly, I had found it ridiculous as well.
But now that I thought about it…
Palmerston really might suit France rather well.
"Ah, by the way, Your Highness. Is the visit to Eton for Ambassador Jagang Kim proceeding smoothly? Since he is from your homeland, I can't help taking a little extra interest."
"It's already scheduled for this weekend. Eton is quite honored and has promised to prepare a proper reception."
"Ambassador Jagang Kim is fortunate. The first European school he sees will be the greatest in the world. If this experience enlightens him, perhaps Joseon may develop more quickly than other Asian countries."
"Hm… I'm not so sure about that."
What would become of Joseon depended entirely on how Joseon itself acted.
I had not reached any conclusion yet.
They would certainly not end up as a Japanese colony.
But aside from that, all possibilities remained open.
Which meant Kim Jwa-geun carried quite a heavy responsibility.
"In any case, Joseon is not the most important matter right now. France is. It would be ideal if they continue strutting about confidently."
That was hardly difficult.
After parting with Gladstone, I summoned Count Beaufoy to the palace.
"…I heard that France has signed an agreement with the Ottomans."
"News travels quickly. I did not expect it to reach Your Highness so soon."
"Mr. Gladstone seemed quite upset. The opposition had been pursuing this plan enthusiastically, only for France to move faster."
"Oh dear… it seems the Liberal Party shared our thinking. That was not our intention, but I almost feel apologetic."
He pretended regret while stroking his teacup.
But the triumph in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Or perhaps he had no intention of hiding it.
He seemed positively delighted.
"Well, hearing about it made me feel somewhat regretful as well. If the agreement had gone smoothly, Britain's prestige within the Christian world would have risen greatly…"
"Please do not worry. Britain and France remain steadfast allies. France will ensure that British Christians encounter no difficulty visiting Jerusalem."
"Well… I certainly did not expect France to move so swiftly. But when it comes to matters of Christianity, it seems difficult for us to match France. After all, France is known as the protector of Catholicism."
"Science and technology may advance, but the foundation of the human spirit always lies in religion. France has simply not forgotten that truth."
I openly displayed disappointment.
The count continued smiling victoriously.
Damn it.
So frustrating!
After spending the entire day praising France and sending the count home in excellent spirits—
Exactly one week later.
Oh dear.
What a shame.
Breaking news swept across Europe.
Russia had forcibly annexed the Danubian Principalities.