Everything moved forward at lightning speed.
Once it was confirmed that I would be going to Asia, the most important matter—above all else—was securing my safety.
I had gone there before in my capacity as a minister, but the status of a minister and that of the Prince Consort were entirely different.
Moreover, back then I had mostly visited places effectively under British control. This time, however, I would be visiting Japan at the official invitation of the shogunate—the first such visit in the history of the British Empire.
Naturally, first, second, and third priority all had to be given to planning everything around my safety.
And since I had also requested that the departure date be moved forward as much as possible, all the minor schedules had to be brushed aside.
"Have a safe journey, Your Highness."
"Prime Minister, please make sure to handle things well, as I emphasized."
"Ahem… I will do my best."
You traitor. So you're planning to save yourself alone?
Still, Wellesley's cooperation was essential if I wanted to reduce the fallout that might land on me, so I kept my complaints to myself.
If you really think about it, this was my own doing anyway. Who else could I blame?
"This is precisely the moment for you to act boldly, Prime Minister. If you do that, I'll make sure to repay the favor properly when I return. As the saying goes, what goes around comes around."
"There is exactly one person in the British Empire whom I find difficult to deal with, and unfortunately that person happens to be Her Majesty…"
The reason I was trying to wrap up all domestic affairs as quickly as possible and leave the country the moment my safety was secured?
Because I had to depart before this news reached Victoria.
She was still in Canada with the children, unable to cross the Atlantic just yet in case of emergencies.
The problem was that when I had come to London, I had promised her I would finish my business as quickly as possible and return immediately.
How was I supposed to know that the shogun of the shogunate would suddenly lose his mind and invite me?
If I had refused on the grounds that my beloved wife was waiting for me and I could not possibly undertake a long overseas trip, anyone would have understood.
But if I were honest, considering the national interest, this was something I simply had to do.
This was a golden opportunity—not only to make Canada my sphere of influence, but to turn Northeast Asia itself into the backyard of Killian Gore rather than the British Empire.
And miss that chance?
Absolutely not.
"Prime Minister. I'll say it again—what I'm doing now will eventually circle back and become your achievement."
"…Did you not say that credit should be shared by everyone, regardless of party?"
"Oh, come on. What do you expect me to say in Parliament? 'Though I am the Prince Consort, I shall continue to devote myself so that Prime Minister Wellesley may rule this nation forever'? Between us, you should know what I mean without me spelling it out."
This was not entirely empty talk.
Even in sports, people talk about short-term impact in the moment, but in the end what remains are the records.
Politics is no different. When time passes, the achievements of a politician's time in power are all recorded.
If things continued like this, the period when Wellesley served as prime minister would be remembered as the golden age when the British Empire laid the firm foundations needed to maintain its position as the world's strongest power.
"Didn't I promise I would make people say Charles was the greatest prime minister in British history? If you can't grant such a simple request, then I must say I'm disappointed as a friend."
"…I'm not sure that counts as a simple request. You're basically asking me to take the full brunt of Her Majesty's anger in your place."
"Who said you had to bear it alone? Let's just share the responsibility. If it's awkward to say you personally persuaded me, you can conveniently invoke the names of Benjamin, William Gladstone, or Henry Palmerston. I even arranged for the Whigs to propose appointing me as the official overseer of Asian affairs, so the excuse should be easy enough."
Wellesley leaned back crookedly and let out a low groan.
"Don't tell me… you planned to push this proposal onto the Whigs with that in mind as well?"
"I didn't expect I would end up flying all the way to Japan. It was just insurance in case things became complicated. But this is exactly the sort of moment when it comes in handy."
I wanted to finish everything as quickly as possible and return to my beloved wife.
But of all times—
Of all times, Russia attacked Qing China, while Korea and Japan fell into turmoil and sent an urgent SOS to the British Empire.
Then Parliament, deciding that no one could resolve the situation better than I could, practically begged me to take on the responsibility.
In the end, unable to refuse the plea of Parliament out of burning patriotism, I accepted the task. And once the Japanese situation was added on top of it, before I knew it I was heading back to Asia.
This was the ideal scenario in which Victoria would scold me the least.
"Your Highness, then we shall await good news from Asia. As for Her Majesty's anger… I—no, we—will do our best to calm it, so please don't worry."
"Then I'll trust you and be on my way. Ah, right. There may be some commotion involving the East India Company soon, but it shouldn't cause serious trouble in the homeland, so there's no need to be overly alarmed."
"The East India Company?"
"It's practically a half-dead organization with no future anyway. It's about time we started winding it down. We should let it land as gently as possible and hand India over—not to the East India Company—but to an institution capable of managing it more properly."
The plan was to slowly bring down the East India Company using the Rothschilds, but it was still a giant corporation with enormous influence in Britain.
If it collapsed outright, it would inevitably create major shockwaves within the empire, and people's confidence would suffer.
In economics, even a problem that could be handled easily can spiral out of control if people become psychologically unsettled.
If we warned them in advance and planted the idea that it was nothing serious, dismantling the East India Company would proceed far more smoothly.
"Qing China, Korea, Japan… and now India and even France stirring trouble in Vietnam. Even if Your Highness had two bodies, it still wouldn't be enough."
"You're telling me. Well, at least Qing and Russia have just fought a war, so perhaps things will be quiet for a while… No, never mind. Saying things like that invites bad luck. I'd better prepare myself for the worst."
"There's no need to worry too much. When the Prince Consort of this country is traveling, there isn't a madman in the world foolish enough to try anything."
No, man, when you keep saying things like that you're practically planting a flag.
I had just managed to change the subject and he was already sprinkling ashes on it again.
"No. One must always assume the worst and prepare accordingly. That way you can deal with unexpected situations."
With the firm resolve never to raise a death flag, I steeled myself and finally boarded the ship bound for Asia.
I had sworn that the next time I traveled to Northeast Asia I would take the shortest route across the Pacific.
Yet here I was again, departing London and rounding the Cape of Good Hope.
Still… how should I put it?
When I had gone to Qing China before, newly appointed as a minister, my heart had been heavy. This time, my mindset was completely different, and the feeling was strangely refreshing.
To begin with, the guards accompanying me were on an entirely different level from before.
And additional escort forces would join us once we reached Asia. At this rate, the navy assigned to protect me alone might be able to sweep aside a decent-sized Asian country.
The reason for assembling such an excessive naval force, of course, was to demonstrate the might of the British Empire to the Asian states.
You could tell just by looking at the latest steam warships assigned as escort vessels—ships that normally would only be deployed in war.
It was a subtle way of saying: we are a nation capable of doing this without effort.
After a long journey, we stopped in Hong Kong to replenish supplies and catch our breath. During that brief pause, Elliot—still serving as Governor of Hong Kong—came to see me.
"I never imagined we would meet again in Asia like this. It's been a long time! I suppose I should address you as Your Highness now, not Minister."
"Sir Elliot, are you not a governor now rather than an envoy?"
"Well, 'governor' only means managing this tiny patch of land. Do you plan to stay here long, Your Highness?"
"No. Once the resupply is finished, I will depart for Japan immediately."
"Ah, I see. I thought perhaps you would stay longer because of the incident causing such a stir lately."
What was he talking about?
Why would Hong Kong be concerned about the war between Qing China and Russia on the other side of the country?
Or had something else happened already?
"Is there something besides the war between Qing China and Russia?"
"Ah! You must have missed the report while you were at sea. There's chaos in southern Qing China right now. Something about Heavenly Kingdom rebels. When a country falls into disorder, strange cults always seem to appear, don't they? It's exactly that sort of situation."
"Are you referring to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom?"
"That's correct. So the report did reach you."
Strange.
According to what I knew, the Taiping movement overlapped more closely with the Second Opium War.
The organization might exist around this time, but it should still have been far from becoming a large-scale movement significant enough to reach the ears of the governor of Hong Kong.
Had the timeline advanced because of some kind of butterfly effect?
"What exactly is the situation now? Has it already become a large-scale rebellion across the Qing Empire?"
"Not yet. It's particularly noisy in Guangxi for now. The problem is that Qing China is at war with Russia and cannot pay attention to it. So the group is expanding rapidly without interference. If things continue like this for a few years, it could indeed spread across the entire empire, just as you said."
"If Qing loses to Russia, things will become even more chaotic."
"Yes. Most of their supporters are peasants dissatisfied with the Qing court. The more humiliatingly Qing appears, the more persuasive their claims become. What interests us, however, is that their ideology is based on Christianity."
From what Elliot described, it was definitely the Taiping movement I knew.
A cult rooted in Christianity.
And spreading rapidly from the south.
Perhaps Qing's crushing defeat in the previous war and the current conflict with Russia had accelerated its expansion.
"If Qing China descends into chaos, other countries besides Russia may try to get involved. Is that why you wished to report this to me?"
"Well… if it were merely that, I could have waited for instructions from London. But during our investigation we discovered something rather interesting."
"Interesting?"
"The leader of these rebels is a man named Hong Xiuquan. One reason he has gathered followers so quickly is that he successfully attracted those disappointed with the Qing court. But the strange part is that he claims he gained great enlightenment after speaking extensively with a British minister who forced Qing China to its knees in the last war—and that they still exchange advice to this day."
"I see. A British minister who defeated Qing China in the last war… Hmm? Me?"
When I pointed at myself and laughed in disbelief, Elliot gave an awkward smile and shook his head.
"The amusing part is that such an absurd rumor is actually working. That's why we sent a report asking whether we should intervene."
"That makes sense."
I had no idea why such a ridiculous rumor was gaining traction, but one thing was clear.
The reason the Taiping movement had accelerated here was, apparently, me.
Absurd as it sounded, the British Empire could hardly ignore the fact that the Prince Consort's name was being invoked.
Still, at this stage I saw no need to delay my trip to Japan or remain here to observe the situation.
Elliot might be worried because he had no idea how large the Taiping rebellion might become.
But I could see the future clearly.
The future of Qing—losing Primorye to Russia, failing to suppress rebellions across the empire, and slowly collapsing.
"Governor. Let me make this perfectly clear. The British Empire has never heard of this movement those cultists are carrying out. And we certainly have no knowledge that their leader is invoking my name."
"…Pardon? You're saying we should pretend not to know?"
"Yes. It's not time yet. For now, pretend you hear nothing and see nothing."
Elliot still looked unconvinced, but since I had said so, he nodded.
He had probably planned to use the excuse of my name being invoked to justify military intervention in southern Qing China—crushing the rebels and extracting concessions from the Qing government.
It wasn't a bad plan.
But at this stage, the Qing court likely did not yet see the Taiping movement as something impossible to contain.
They were simply distracted by Russia for the moment. In their eyes, the rebels were probably nothing more than a band of thieves that could be crushed anytime with the Eight Banners.
So intervention should come later—when Qing finally realizes it cannot control them alone.
Personally, I prefer to raise something properly before harvesting it.
For now, I should deal with the immediate problem in Japan.
Still… at this rate, I might end up being dragged back to Asia again later.
Please spare me.
Honestly, what am I supposed to be that Korea, Japan, and Qing China are all so eager to invoke my name?
Then again, they may hate each other more than anyone else—but in their thinking and behavior, they are remarkably alike.
Reassuring, really.
The three kingdoms of Northeast Asia.