Beijing — the capital of the Qing Empire.
A place that, until recently, had been believed without question to be the center of the world.
"Haah…"
Kim Jwa-geun sighed heavily, unable to shake the sense of unease weighing on his chest.
What he had witnessed here was something he never could have imagined when he first arrived.
How was he supposed to organize everything he had seen and experienced so that the shock of it all could be properly conveyed to the court back in Joseon?
At first, he had thought the answer was simple.
Return home as quickly as possible and report this earth-shaking event to the entire country.
But now that he had returned to Beijing, he realized that the matter was nowhere near so simple.
Ironically, the people who had made him realize this were the very members of the diplomatic mission who had come with him.
"Hoho… It seems the shock affected you greatly. But this too is merely a passing storm. There is no need to worry yourself so much."
"My lord, with respect, this was hardly a passing storm. Nanjing was swept away, and Beijing itself nearly fell into the hands of the Western barbarians."
"But in the end, it was resolved through negotiation, was it not?"
Kim Jwa-geun almost stared at him in disbelief.
Was that really how one could interpret what had happened?
It hadn't been resolved through negotiation.
The Qing had been stripped bare at the negotiating table, forced to hand over enormous concessions.
For a moment Kim Jwa-geun wondered if Jo In-yeong had gone senile.
Then he remembered something important.
He had been the only member of the Joseon mission who had accompanied the Qing envoys to the negotiations.
The Grand Scholar Jo In-yeong and the rest of the delegation had never moved from Beijing.
That meant only one person had actually witnessed what had happened.
Only him.
Only Kim Jwa-geun had seen just how alien a being Killian Gore truly was.
Only he had heard the way that man twisted negotiations with nothing but words.
Everyone else still believed Britain to be nothing more than a powerful barbarian state.
"My lord," Kim Jwa-geun said carefully, "the damage the Qing have suffered this time is not something that will pass with time. Britain intends neither to kill the Qing nor to allow it to recover. They mean to bleed this land for profit while planting their influence deep within it. And with this treaty, they have achieved exactly that."
"Even so, they remain barbarians. There have been many such barbarians throughout history. The Khitans, the Jurchens, the Mongols. All of them began as barbarians, yet in time they were absorbed into the civilization of China. Britain may seem formidable now, but in the long flow of history, they are nothing unusual."
Kim Jwa-geun shook his head.
"That is precisely what makes them different. If Your Excellency had seen the negotiations yourself, you would understand. They are not merely strong. They are cunning. And they are intelligent."
"I have heard as much. But is that not because the negotiator was a man born in Joseon? If he grew up here, he would naturally understand Confucian learning. That would make him quite different from the other Westerners."
So that was it.
Rather than acknowledge Britain's strength, they simply dismissed Killian Gore as an anomaly.
In truth, the Grand Scholar's argument was not entirely unreasonable.
History did indeed contain many examples of China bowing to so-called barbarians.
The Song dynasty had been battered by the Liao, the Jin, and the Mongols.
Even the Ming had fallen to the Manchus.
And yet, in every case, those conquerors had eventually been absorbed into the Chinese world order.
Britain, he believed, would be no different.
But Kim Jwa-geun could not agree.
"Those conquerors defeated China through cavalry and brute force," he said. "But Britain is different. What barbarian people in history has possessed ironclad ships and cannons like those?"
The Grand Scholar shrugged.
"Simple. If the Mongols once conquered the world on horseback, these Westerners simply do the same upon the sea. Horses have merely been replaced by ships."
Kim Jwa-geun sighed.
"…Very well. Even so, should we not prepare ourselves? There is no guarantee Britain's next target will not be Joseon."
"You spoke with this Killian Gore yourself, did you not? Tell me—did he seem like a villain capable of attacking the land of his birth? If he understands Confucian learning, surely he would not behave so disgracefully."
Kim Jwa-geun had agreed to accompany the negotiations not only because he could not refuse the Qing emperor's command, but also because he wished to learn more about the man.
If Killian Gore truly was born in Joseon, then they needed to understand where he stood.
But after meeting him, Kim Jwa-geun found himself more confused than before.
"I can say one thing with certainty," he said slowly. "He does not consider himself Joseon."
"Hmm… Perhaps that is inevitable. After all, he carries Western blood."
"But the matter is more complicated. When he lived in Joseon, it seems someone persecuted him for not being fully Joseon. Because of his mixed blood."
"…Persecuted in Joseon?"
Jo In-yeong frowned.
"Then he might not merely feel indifferent toward Joseon. He may resent it."
And that was exactly the problem.
Indifference would have been far preferable.
If he hated Joseon…
What if he decided to take revenge?
Britain had sailed halfway across the world and crushed the Qing Empire.
How could Joseon possibly fight such a power?
Even if they somehow survived, the damage would be catastrophic.
"He appeared quite young," Kim Jwa-geun continued. "I heard he has not yet reached thirty. Perhaps even younger. That means he may still act on emotion."
"To rise to a position equal to a minister of state before the age of thirty… He must wield tremendous influence in Britain."
"Which is why we must prepare. Even if Britain is eventually absorbed into the Chinese order like previous barbarians, that will not stop their cannons from firing today."
Originally, Kim Jwa-geun had intended to argue for the study of Western military technology.
But now he realized that saying such a thing would only get him labeled a heretic.
Even those who had personally witnessed Qing humiliation still refused to grasp reality.
What would the Joseon court think?
He already knew the answer.
"I will write a report describing exactly what we experienced," he said finally. "Without opinion—only facts."
"Yes. See that you do."
Killian Gore knew Joseon far too well.
He had recognized the Andong Kim clan the moment he heard Kim Jwa-geun's name.
Making such a man into an enemy would bring terrible consequences.
But Joseon itself would never act on Kim Jwa-geun's warnings.
Which meant there was only one solution.
Someone needed the power to steer the nation.
Just as his father Kim Jo-sun once had.
Joseon had always been guided by the Andong Kim clan.
And now…
That responsibility would fall to him.
Kim Jwa-geun quietly resolved that when he returned home, the first thing he would do was track down the man who had persecuted Killian Gore.
Some time later.
Edo — the center of the Tokugawa shogunate.
"So Qing truly no longer possesses the strength to lead the world order."
"Yes, my lord."
Shogun Tokugawa Ieyoshi slowly reread the report Toyama had prepared.
No matter how many times he read it, the contents were shocking.
The earlier Dutch reports had predicted this outcome.
But no one had imagined the war would end so decisively.
"If Britain were to demand that we open our ports… could we resist?"
"…Even the Qing Empire collapsed so quickly. Even if we resisted, the damage would be immense."
Ieyoshi sighed.
And there was no guarantee they could resist successfully at all.
The British had sailed freely along China's coast, from Guangzhou to Zhoushan to Tianjin.
If they wished, they could simply circle the Japanese islands and destroy every coastal city.
"I heard the British commander was born in Joseon. If he bears goodwill toward Joseon, perhaps we could mediate through them?"
"That seems unlikely. The Joseon delegation appeared just as confused as we were. If the British representative favored Joseon, they would not have looked so shaken."
"True enough. A mixed-blood child would hardly have been welcomed there. He likely harbors resentment."
Ieyoshi tapped his fingers against the table.
Then suddenly—
A brilliant idea flashed through his mind.
Killian Gore had been born in Joseon.
But he had also been rejected there.
Which meant…
"Toyama."
"Yes, my lord?"
"Is there any way to learn what his status was in Joseon?"
"We could ask the traders who deal with them."
"Do so. And try to learn what his attitude toward Japan might be."
"You are considering diplomatic relations with Britain?"
For centuries the shogunate had maintained its policy of isolation.
But if they could secure the friendship of the most powerful Western nation—
Then perhaps…
"I will only consider it if we can ensure a favorable relationship."
The shogunate's authority was weakening.
Reforms had failed.
Domains like Satsuma and Chōshū were growing stronger.
If Ieyoshi did not restore the shogunate's authority now, it might never recover.
The Tokugawa lineage had ruled Japan for generations.
It must continue to do so.
Then suddenly—
Ieyoshi froze.
"Wait… the blood of Tokugawa?"
His eyes widened.
Why had he not thought of this sooner?
There was a perfect solution.
A way to strengthen relations with Britain and reinforce the shogunate's legitimacy.
If Killian Gore could be linked to the Tokugawa lineage…
Then everything would change.
"Toyama."
"Yes?"
"What if we discovered that Killian Gore… carries Tokugawa blood?"
Even Ieyoshi felt a shiver at the brilliance of the idea.
Although the war had ended, I could not immediately return to Britain.
There were still countless issues to settle.
Treaty enforcement.
Administrative appointments.
The preparation of indemnity payments.
All of it needed to be organized before I left.
Even if everything went smoothly, I would remain here for at least three months.
Possibly six.
"Ten treaty ports are being opened, and the territories we received are scattered. We'll need to establish administrative structures and infrastructure. Hong Kong will remain under Superintendent Charles Elliot, while Shanghai and Tainan will be governed by Admiral George. I've already sent word to London."
"Thank you, Minister!"
"You must be looking forward to your future back home, Minister."
"Perhaps," I said with a smile. "But unfortunately I'm not blessed with such an easy fate."
For the first year or two, I would be praised.
The man who had opened Asia.
But praise in politics had an expiration date.
Sooner or later, Parliament would turn on me.
After all—
I was Irish.
Half Asian.
And young.
Those three things alone guaranteed enemies.
Until now I had been protected by Wellington's influence.
But my success had grown too large to hide.
Soon someone would try to push me out.
And I knew exactly how.
"Asia requires Killian Gore. No one else understands the region well enough."
That would be the argument.
It sounded flattering.
But in reality it meant exile.
"Surely the public would never allow that?" Admiral George asked.
"They wouldn't be removing me," I said calmly. "Just relocating me."
If I were my own political enemy, I would absolutely use that strategy.
"Then will you return to Asia soon?"
"No."
I smiled.
"Not for a while."
I had already prepared the next move.
Thanks to certain information I had extracted from opium merchants.
And thanks to the items James had procured in America.
Asia was not the only place where Killian Gore would be needed.
Just as I was enjoying the moment, a courier entered with several letters.
"Minister. A message from the Edo Shogunate."
"That was fast."
I opened it.
As expected, it was full of flattery.
Then I reached the final paragraph.
And froze.
Our investigation suggests that General Killian Gore may in fact be a descendant of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Edo Shogunate…
I blinked.
Wait.
What?
Now I'm Tokugawa's descendant?
I burst out laughing.
These people were insane.
But suddenly a delightful idea struck me.
What if I quietly leaked this story to Joseon as well?
That would produce the most entertaining political chaos imaginable.
Too bad I didn't have popcorn.
Humans truly were fascinating.