Holy Roman Empire

The British government shirked responsibility, leaving the Chilean government in a difficult position. Without Britain’s backing, even with all the courage in the world, Chile wouldn’t dare seize ships from over twenty different countries.

At La Moneda Palace, Chilean Foreign Minister Domingo spoke, “Mr. President, these are the diplomatic protests from various countries. Under pressure from France and Austria, they’ve already formed a diplomatic delegation. What should we do?”

There was no escaping this now. President Aníbal Pinto waved his hand and said, “Stall them for now. Probe their intentions before deciding our next move.”

In this era of survival of the fittest, international diplomacy followed a simple rule: bully the weak, fear the strong.

It was the British Navy that had seized the ships and confiscated their cargo, so initially, all protests were directed at the British government. But under mounting domestic and international pressure, the British simply passed the blame onto the Chilean government, instantly changing the situation.

Protests?

No, that was far too civilized. The intimidating presence of the diplomatic delegation made it clear. If the Chilean government didn’t pay up, this matter wouldn’t be resolved peacefully.

No one wanted to offend the British, but Chile? That was another story. The countries didn’t even need France and Austria to lead them anymore—they were acting on their own initiative.

President Aníbal was beginning to panic. The British position was clear: if the Chilean government couldn’t withstand the pressure, they would lift the blockade and allow the ships through.

That was something Chile absolutely could not accept. If Bolivia and Peru received external aid, Chile’s hopes of winning the war would become a distant dream.

Seeing that President Aníbal was at a loss, Foreign Minister Domingo suggested, “Mr. President, we cannot respond passively. We must propose a plan to show these countries our sincerity.

Although many nations seem to be protesting, in reality, the key players are France and Austria. The other countries have minimal interests at stake and are mostly just trying to gain visibility. A formal apology and compensation should be enough to appease them.

We need to take the initiative and divide the diplomatic delegation. To achieve this, our efforts alone won’t be enough, we’ll need Britain’s cooperation as well.”

President Aníbal shook his head and said, “Dividing them seems like a good strategy, but in reality, it’s useless.

France and Austria are firmly supporting Bolivia and Peru, and we cannot offer enough benefits to buy them off. The positions of the other countries are inconsequential and offending them doesn’t really matter.

The real problem is that the British government’s stance is starting to waver under both internal and external pressure. You must realize that the seized ships also include those belonging to British shipping companies.

These are people who have lost out in the struggle for profits. They now want to recover their losses by trading with Peru and Bolivia.”

Chile had handed procurement orders and shipping contracts to British companies, seemingly compensating them for their losses from being excluded from the Peruvian and Bolivian markets. But in reality, only a select few benefited.

Most capitalists, those without the right connections, gained nothing and even suffered losses. Naturally, they wouldn’t sit still.

But capitalists are resourceful. If they can’t profit from Chile, they’ll simply resume trade with Peru and Bolivia. After all, “free trade” must truly mean “free.”

Looking back at the Near East War, British merchants smuggled goods to Russia; during the Ethiopian War, British merchants even smuggled arms to the resistance forces. Compared to those, this current situation is hardly worth mentioning.

If one were to investigate thoroughly, it would become clear that some people are profiting from Chile while simultaneously doing business with Peru and Bolivia.

With ships being seized and goods confiscated, their financial lifeline has been cut. For capitalists, the optimal profit comes from playing both sides.

The unrest in Britain is essentially driven by capitalists seeking greater profits, stirring up the public to pressure the government.

Compared to their own profits, what does government strategy matter? Ideally, the War of the Pacific would drag on indefinitely so they could continue profiting from it.

President Aníbal, being a lawyer by training, understood the appetite of capitalists all too well. If the British government cannot suppress domestic capital, the so-called blockade will quickly become meaningless.

Foreign Minister Domingo disagreed, saying, “Mr. President, we must trust the British government. Right now, with a comprehensive blockade, no one can navigate this route, and other countries can still tolerate it.

But if the Royal Navy starts selectively allowing only British ships to pass, do you think the other nations will sit quietly? At that point, they will suspect Britain of trying to monopolize South American trade.

If everyone’s interests are severely damaged, who knows if France and Austria might lead in establishing an anti-British alliance?”

It’s not a matter of ‘it might,’ but rather ‘it definitely will.’ Interests drive people, and as long as the benefits are sufficient, there’s nothing that can’t happen.

After hesitating for a moment, President Aníbal said, “What’s your plan? We don’t have many bargaining chips so it’s hard to win over so many countries.”

Foreign Minister Domingo responded confidently, “It depends on the level of Britain’s support. If the British government invests enough resources and France and Austria remain preoccupied with European affairs, the diplomatic pressure from other countries will become insignificant.

We only need to offer limited benefits to win over France and Austria, such as selling them a batch of saltpeter at low prices annually or opening our domestic market to them.

We don’t need their support—just keeping them neutral will be enough. Once the war is over, renegotiating these terms will be much easier.

As for other countries, we’ll handle them based on their actual influence. For instance, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay—countries capable of aiding our enemies—should be prioritized.

We don’t need to offer them real benefits, just empty promises will do. Exploit their ambitions and use the potential spoils from Peru and Bolivia to keep them in line. Whether we fulfill these promises after the war will depend on the circumstances.

As for nations without the power to impact the war, their importance is minimal. We can simply stall them for now.”

The law of the jungle was on full display here. Once again, reality proved that justice and morality require cannons to back them up.

President Aníbal nodded in agreement and replied, “Alright, proceed with your plan! I’ll go meet with the British ambassador right away. The diplomatic mission is in the hands of your Ministry of Foreign Affairs now.”

…

While the Chileans were taking action, changes occurred once again on the Prussian-Russian front. After the Prussian army split its forces, the Russian troops in Kamin couldn’t resist the temptation and launched a counterattack.

An unexpected scene unfolded. The tentative counterattack completely crushed the Prussian forces, marking Russia’s first major victory since the outbreak of the war.

When Franz received the battle report, he could hardly believe his eyes. When did the Russians become so fierce? This feels like they’re cheating!

Not only was Franz stunned, but even the Russians themselves were shocked. They couldn’t understand why the Prussian army had suddenly become so weak.

It’s worth noting that even after splitting their forces, the Prussians still had 20,000 troops stationed in Kamin. Under normal circumstances, with such a large force entrenched, the Russians shouldn’t have been able to secure a victory in such a short time.

Even two days after the battle ended, Lieutenant General Olivier Soenfeld was still in disbelief, unsure how such an incredible opportunity had fallen into his lap.

However, Lieutenant General Olivier Soenfeld didn’t let the victory cloud his judgment. He chose to consolidate his gains instead of pushing further and risking overextension.

The knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

“Come in!” Olivier called out.

A young officer entered with a tense expression and reported, “General, something doesn’t seem right. During our interrogation of the Prussian prisoners, we discovered that most of these soldiers were transferred here just a week ago, and many have less than a month of service.

Lieutenant Colonel Daniel, who was inspecting the prisoner camp, noticed that most of the uniforms of those we captured are either too old or too small. The proportion of able-bodied men is less than one-fifth, and many of them are Poles.

All signs suggest that the enemy force we defeated was not the same one we previously faced in combat. This was likely a decoy force meant to draw our attention, while their main forces have already been relocated elsewhere.”

Lieutenant General Olivier Soenfeld’s expression changed drastically. He quickly unfolded the map and began analyzing the Prussian army’s movements.

“This is bad. The enemy’s target is Brest. The Prussian troops that left three days ago weren’t just one infantry division, they were two divisions. Their target wasn’t Pinsk, they took a detour to mislead us.

Send an urgent telegram to headquarters explaining our situation. Also, notify the garrison in Brest and have them increase their vigilance immediately.”

The young officer hesitated and cautiously suggested, “General, if we report this directly, our military merit will be significantly reduced. Perhaps we could adjust the narrative a bit or wait until the news spreads through the army before officially reporting it.”

After all, securing a rare victory meant everyone could expect promotions and rewards. If it all unraveled, resentment would inevitably brew among the ranks.

Olivier Soenfeld paused briefly, then shook his head and explained, “This information is too critical. We must report it immediately but you can add some artistic embellishment.

Say that during our interrogation of prisoners, we discovered that the enemy had concealed their forces and that the Prussian troops who left three days ago consisted of two divisions, likely targeting Brest.

Secretly execute a portion of the prisoners and include them in the casualty count to bolster our victory data. Gather the able-bodied prisoners, have the war correspondents take a few staged photos, and send them back home. Who would dare question our achievements then?

Defeating a second-line Prussian force is already an impressive achievement. If we exaggerate further, no one back home will believe it anyway.

Prepare the related documentation as you see fit. The news of our victory has already spread, and as long as everything looks plausible, the government won’t investigate too closely.”

The overall strategic situation had to be prioritized, but military merit couldn’t be disregarded either. The solution was to sacrifice the prisoners. Given the high proportion of elderly and weak among them, if a portion wasn’t discreetly dealt with, the truth might become apparent.

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