"Joseon should also declare war on Russia."
The moment Kim Jwa-gun stepped out of Killian's room, his legs nearly gave way beneath him.
This is bad.
No—this is truly bad.
In hindsight, it was obvious. So obvious that he could hardly understand how he had overlooked it.
They had only thought about using Britain's power to restrain Russia—never the reverse situation. This was the price of that blind spot.
But collapsing in panic would make him nothing more than a third-rate official.
If things had come to this, then they needed a policy—immediately.
Rushing back to the embassy, Kim Jwa-gun summoned all the staff and laid out the situation Joseon now faced.
"From what I can see, ignoring Britain's demand to declare war is no longer an option. They're not asking anything unreasonable—they simply expect us to honor the treaty."
"But do we even have the capacity to go to war with another nation right now?"
"They didn't say we had to fight directly."
"That's just what they say. We share a border. If we declare war, how could there be no clashes? This is clearly a move to set things in motion and let the rest unfold on its own."
The younger scholar-officials, though somewhat rigid in thinking, were sincere in their concern for the country.
Unlike the seasoned power-holders intoxicated by authority, they carried a genuine sense of duty toward the future of the nation and its people.
And now, having seen London with their own eyes, they understood just how narrow Joseon's worldview had been.
The problem was that the higher they regarded the British Empire, the greater their fear of Russia—Britain's rival.
"My lord… I mean, Your Excellency. You know as well as we do—Joseon is in no condition to fight a war."
"Mm…"
"They say Russia is the second-greatest power in Europe after Britain. If we go to war with them… it could become a catastrophe beyond anything like the Imjin War or the Manchu invasions. Frankly speaking, our army wouldn't stand a chance."
"You're not wrong. But from what I've heard, Russia's main forces are all tied down in the war against France. The troops stationed in the Maritime Province are barely second-rate."
If Killian's explanation was accurate, the risk of Joseon suffering catastrophic losses was low.
Of course, that assumption itself was not guaranteed.
"Even so, their second-line forces would still far surpass ours. It's humiliating, but it's the truth."
"True. But fortunately, Britain has no intention of advancing overland into the region. Their plan is to destroy Russia's ports under construction and strike key cities—nothing more."
"Then our role would be to supply food and water?"
"For now, yes. It's not as if we could provide weapons matching their standards. And it's not just us—they'll be making the same demand of the Shogunate. We need to decide quickly."
The Japanese envoy had only just arrived in London, lagging behind Joseon.
Which meant the first thing he would hear upon arrival would be the demand to declare war on Russia.
By comparison, Joseon's situation almost seemed fortunate.
"In my view, we don't really have a choice. If we refuse and break the treaty, can we bear the consequences? If we must comply, then we should go further—secure recognition as a true ally of Britain and leverage their influence."
"You mean we should act more proactively?"
"…Yes. I doubt the Shogunate will reach a decision quickly. Their internal conflicts between the shogun and the daimyō are already severe."
They could try to redirect domestic unrest outward—but only if the daimyō cooperated.
"If we provide more support than Britain expects and claim a greater share of the spoils afterward… do you think that's possible?"
"It won't be easy. But at the very least, we can prove our value as an ally. You've all seen it yourselves—Europe views Asia as nothing more than prey to be drained dry. This… might be the last rope extended to Joseon. And if so, we must grab it."
One advantage of being in London was access to real information about the outside world.
And what they had learned was harsher than they had imagined.
Europe's view of Asia was laid bare—brutal and unvarnished.
While they had remained blind and deaf, the world had already changed beyond recognition.
Everyone present shared that realization.
But—
"Your Excellency… will the court back home truly agree to this?"
"..."
"..."
Yes. That was the real problem.
Kim Jwagun's greatest fear was not Russia, nor Europe's predatory gaze upon Asia.
It was the decision that would come from a court that likely still failed to grasp the situation.
After all, an enemy within is always more dangerous than one without.
Still… the king was a man of sound judgment.
All they could do was place their hope there.
Please—just this once—let the court choose wisely.
When great whales move, the shrimp caught in the currents have no choice but to scramble for survival.
As the war between France and Russia escalated, nearby nations were inevitably swept up in its wake.
Most of Europe feared Russia and quietly hoped for its defeat.
But there was one country that chose a different path.
***
Greece.
A newly independent state in the Balkans, freed from Ottoman rule with the help of the great powers.
Its king, Otto, was not even Greek—but a German.
Worse, while his people were overwhelmingly Orthodox, he himself was Catholic.
From the very beginning, his rule had been met with resentment, which he suppressed through force.
After more than a decade of such governance, public sentiment was predictably poor.
He needed a breakthrough.
And he saw opportunity in the Russo-Ottoman War.
Russia, increasingly isolated in Europe, desperately needed allies. And Greece, with its deep hostility toward the Ottomans, was an ideal candidate.
"Your Majesty, this is our chance. Why has Greece fallen so far from its former glory? Because of the Ottomans."
"…Mm."
"If we crush them, we can reclaim the vast lands of ancient Greece. Russia will support you."
"It's true that anti-Ottoman sentiment is strong at home…"
With Nesselrode dismissed, the new Foreign Minister, Alexander Gorchakov, focused all his efforts on bringing Greece into the war.
With France and Britain now aligned against Russia, allies—no matter how weak—were essential.
Even a minor distraction would benefit Russia.
"Your Majesty, look at your current territory. Barely more than Athens and its surroundings. If Greece is to grow, it must take back lands from the Ottomans. And truly—can those lands even be called Ottoman? They were Greek for thousands of years."
"…That is true."
"I give you my word. If we win, Thessaly will be restored to Greece. And we will support your claims to Thessalonica, Macedonia, Epirus—even Crete."
The Megali Idea—the grand dream of restoring the Byzantine Empire.
It was little more than fantasy.
But for Otto, whose popularity had plummeted, it was a temptation he could not ignore.
His people might resent him—but they hated the Ottomans even more.
A victory here could transform criticism into praise.
Of course, Otto was not a fool.
He had no intention of fighting Britain or France directly.
If Greece simply seized Ottoman territory and held it, perhaps the war would end before greater powers intervened.
And with the Ottomans already tied down against Russia, reclaiming Thessaly did not seem impossible.
"Very well. Greece will declare war on the Ottomans. We must stand with fellow Orthodox nations."
"A wise decision, Your Majesty."
Thinking this would amount to little more than another small-scale conflict, Otto clasped Gorchakov's hand without much concern.
A quick fight, a modest gain—and an easy exit.
At least, that was his plan.
Gorchakov, bowing politely, thought otherwise.
Britain and France would never ignore Russia and attack weaker targets first.
No—Greece's role was simple.
A sandbag.
A sacrifice to buy time.
While the Anglo-French forces dealt with Greece, Russia would crush the Ottomans, regroup, and prepare for the real war.
Then, after sweeping aside Greece, the great powers could face Russia—and negotiations would follow.
Megali Idea?
Greece collapsed two thousand years ago. What 'great Greece' is left to restore? Do they truly believe they're heirs to Byzantium?
The leadership of Orthodoxy now lay firmly with Russia.
Greece's only real value was preserving ancient ruins for tourists.
Still—
Gorchakov allowed himself a sigh of relief.
At least he had secured a useful pawn.
That alone spared him from disgrace upon taking office.
Now all that remained was to extract favorable terms from the war.
Surely that counted as doing his job.
And if anyone disagreed—
Even the Tsar could hear his complaints.
Damn it. This entire war shouldn't have started in the first place.
But regret was meaningless now.
To a sane man, the world had simply gone mad.
"…Greece declared war on the Ottomans?"
Even knowing that war often defied reason, this had gone far beyond absurd.
I remembered that Greece had made a mess of things even in the original timeline—but seeing it play out firsthand was something else entirely.
Charles Wellesley looked just as incredulous.
"The military is equally baffled."
"Did you summon their ambassador?"
"He seemed just as confused. I let him go after a few words—felt almost sorry for him."
So it was true.
But seeing it unfold made the scale of the chaos undeniable.
What exactly did they think would happen?
Did they not realize that any British or French fleet heading into the Black Sea would have to pass right through their territory?
Or did they think we would simply… overlook them?
Either way, they were out of their minds.
Still—
In a moment when tensions were already razor-thin, this reckless move had handed Britain a perfect excuse.
Especially when we had wanted a bit more time before directly engaging Russia.
"Then we will declare war on Greece and deploy the fleet immediately. And before full-scale hostilities begin, it would help morale if you delivered a speech."
"Of course. I'd be happy to."
As a soldier now taking part in this war, it was only fitting.
And Wellesley understood exactly what stirred the hearts of men.
But first—
Time to snap the spine of a reckless shrimp that had wandered into a war of whales.