The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 141



< Uncle and nephew (3) (photo attached) >

After re-boarding the Atlantis that I had sailed on to England I am once again crossing the North Sea.

‘I can see land over there.’

After just one day on board the cruise ship German soil began to come into view.

I drank coffee on the deck and quietly admired the scenery.

“This prince.”

Me and Ethel.

And besides Winston Churchill who was Britain’s Secretary of State for Trade another person was also on the cruise to Germany.

‘You came just in time.’

Baron Rothschild kept his son Walter by my side to closely monitor my movements.

I accepted it because I felt it was better for me to be watched so openly.

‘Even if I had refused to accompany Walter the Baron would have tried to monitor my movements in some way.’

The Rothschild family’s influence was greater than expected.

I don’t know about the US.

In Europe if you cross a bridge there’s usually at least one Baron’s man stationed around you.

That is why I did not refuse Baron Rothschild’s offer.

Because Walter who was friendly to me seemed like a better choice than the invisible watcher.

“This prince!”

I pretended to notice Walter approaching me belatedly.

I pulled out the chair next to me and offered it to Walter.

“Oh it’s you Walter. Okay sit over here.”

I was holding a letter in anticipation of his arrival.

As he appeared I quietly placed it down on the table.

Walter glanced at me and mentioned it to me.

“What kind of letter is it that you are reading its contents with such a serious expression on your face?”

“Oh this?”

Get notified for updates: https://discord.gg/93rmBjgP6B

Baron Rothschild would like to take away my power if he gets the chance.

But his son Walter was a little different.

Maybe it was because we had a near-death experience together during the San Francisco shooting but he seemed to have a slight crush on me.

To find out Walter’s disposition I decided to test him again.

“It’s nothing.”

I slightly piqued Walter’s curiosity.

As expected.

He reacted immediately to my actions.

He continued to look as if he couldn’t take his eyes off the letter.

I snickered and quietly revealed the sender’s identity to him.

“You know the King of Belgium….”

“Are you referring to Leopold II?”

“Yes. He sent me this letter.”

I spread Leopold’s letter wide open so Walter could see it at a glance.

After that I summarized the contents inside.

“You need my help.”

“What help do you need?”

“What could it be? Investment advice. Didn’t you send someone when you first arrived in England? You could have given up but you keep sending letters and begging me.”

Not only was my investment ability excellent but Leopold II kept approaching me because of Hearst.

‘Because there’s so much criticism about racial discrimination in the US and Europe.’

It seems like he wants to become close with me as soon as possible and then pressure Hearst through me to write his bad articles.

No way.

‘How will Walter react?’

I gave him a quick glance and subtly asked for his opinion.

Walter raised an eyebrow with a serious expression.

“Do you think you would accept that request?”

“well.”

I paused for a moment and carefully observed the changes in Walter’s expression.

“Maybe it’s because it’s money stained with the blood of 30 million Congolese people but I feel a little reluctant.”

“….”

“But even if it’s not me someone else will definitely take care of it right? So I was wondering if I should accept it.”

I paused for a moment and then opened my mouth.

“What would you choose?”

Walter answered me right away.

“If it were me I would reject it outright.”

“okay?”

“yes.”

Join our discord and ping me to update more chapters. Discord: https://discord.gg/93rmBjgP6B

If he were a baron.

He must have been teasing me into accepting this request for investment advice.

Walter gave an answer that was 180 degrees different from his father’s.

‘Actually… this suggestion is a very poisonous suggestion.’

Leopold II is a monarch with a notorious reputation even within Europe.

If you accept this kind of blood money there may be a backlash someday.

‘The Baron must have been luring me into holding a card that could be a weakness.’

Fortunately Walter didn’t show any signs of liking me.

“Why?”

“Because it could have a negative impact on future business. More Europeans than you might think resent Leopold II. Even his own subjects are ashamed of their king.”

I nodded reaffirming my affection for Walter.

“Thank you for the advice. It was advice that really helped me.”

“no.”

If you go to Germany.

You will meet other Rothschild family members.

I mentioned this to see what Walter’s reaction would be.

“Oh I heard that someone who is your relative is coming to this Lee & Light demonstration. He’s quite famous in Europe. What’s his name?”

Walter mentioned the next name with a slightly displeased expression.

“Are you referring to Alfred Rothschild?”

“Yes yes. Alfred. That was him. He’s your relative so you should know better.”

Rumor has it that Walter and Alfred have a strange rivalry.

Just by looking at their expressions I can roughly picture their understanding in my head.

‘It looks like we’re not on good terms.’

I checked the relationship between Alfred and Walter and discussed the rumors.

“Rumor has it that your face looks exactly like mine.”

“They may look similar but their personalities are quite different from mine.”

“okay?”

“Yes. If you experience it yourself you will understand what I mean.”

Walter raised his guard revealing a sour expression.

So I didn’t talk about this subject any more.

I thought that if I kept mentioning this my good relationship with Walter might get worse.

“By the way… there seem to be quite a few ships around here. I guess it’s because of the canal?”

Walter looks slightly surprised.

I continued speaking while watching his reaction.

“Wasn’t the canal connecting the North Sea and the Baltic Sea completed a dozen years ago? I understand you can observe it before you reach the port of Hamburg. The name of the canal is… the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal I think?”

“Your Majesty is truly knowledgeable. Most people do not know this.”

I told Walter how I found out about this canal.

“Hasn’t the Panama Canal construction started recently? Because of that there has been a lot of interest in canals around the world.”

“Oh so that’s what happened.”

Walter gave me a detailed account of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal then quickly unraveled an interesting bit of gossip.

“Your Majesty have you heard that rumor?”

“What rumor?”

“I heard Kaiser has a girlfriend recently.”

“lover?”

“Yes. He is an Oriental merchant from the Qing Dynasty. He is a man.”

hmm?

Something sent shivers down my spine.

Because I wondered why it had to be an Asian man.

‘It can’t be because of me right?’

* * *

After arriving at the Port of Hamburg the first port in the German Empire.

Our group headed to Berlin on the imperial train which Wilhelm had personally chartered.

“Prince come in.”

Wilhelm II welcomed me even more warmly than during my last visit.

“Hahaha. Your face has brightened up.”

“Do you see it that way?”

“Yeah that’s true.”

Kaiser greeted me relatively normally but Ethel aware of Kaiser’s strange behavior kept glaring at him with a slightly wary expression.

Wilhelm II looked at me and then at Ethel.

“Ah this is it…..”

“This is my wife Princess Ethel Rockefeller Lee.”

“Hoo. Nice to meet you.”

Kaiser soon turned his head towards me again.

He kept looking at my hand and smacking his lips.

“Thanks to this prince of mine I feel a lot of strength in my shoulders these days.”

Kaiser spoke to me with a very excited expression.

“Haven’t I warned you before? That the Japanese are dangerous.”

The Kaiser brought up his long-held delusion of the Yellow Peril theory again in front of me spitting at me.

“I warned you over and over again that they might do something outrageous. And they ended up doing exactly as I predicted.”

Kaiser scanned my entire body checking for any sore spots.

“By the way that’s fortunate. I heard you were badly injured… but you’re still fine. Your pretty hands are still the same.”

The last sentence was so quiet that only those nearby could hear it.

Ethel opened her eyes wide at Kaiser’s monologue and held my hand tightly.

“Ahem.”

After the Kaiser led me into his reception room he began his story.

“Oh I just got a report of some interesting information.”

“What news?”

“Our military officers dispatched to Tijuana reported that the level of the Korean Empire’s militia is improving day by day.”

ah….

He did help our volunteer army a lot.

It’s time to praise it.

“This is all thanks to the Kaiser’s help. Thanks to the excellent teachings of the German Empire we are now fighting the Japanese army on equal terms in the South Manchuria region.”

Wilhelm II shrugged and looked at me.

“I guess it was very helpful.”

“Yes that’s right.”

Kaiser snapped his fingers and brought up the next topic.

“There have been rumors recently that this prince is interested in developing machine guns. Is that true?”

“Yes that’s true.”

“Wouldn’t a heavy machine gun be better than a light machine gun? There would be a big difference in firepower…”

In response to Wilhelm’s question I mentioned the advantages of a light machine gun.

“Isn’t everything a one-time thing?”

“yes.”

“We are trying to improve it because we have often heard from frontline officers that the machine gun is inconvenient.”

“Any inconvenience?”

“Yes. In defense machine guns are excellent but in offense they are too heavy to be carried and moved. This is especially true in terrain with poor transportation.”

“ah….”

“Firepower is important but sometimes mobility is also important. That’s why we’re developing a new weapon that will allow one infantryman to carry one light machine gun.”

“Sometimes mobility is more important than firepower…”

Kaiser repeated to himself wondering if he had any feelings for my last words.

“Is Your Majesty interested in machine guns?”

“It’s not really anything like that but the representative of Mauer keeps bothering me…”

Mauer is a well-known defense company in Germany.

The fact that such a representative has shown interest in the machine gun means that it could lead to joint development or patent export.

In short it means that it smells like money.

“Do you have some time?”

“Yes any time is fine as long as it’s not the day of the demonstration.”

“Then I will make time for you to meet me.”

“All right.”

I agreed without missing a beat.

“Oh by the way. Are you also interested in the parallel construction project of the Manchukuo Line?”

“Oh! I heard that the prince owns the business rights.”

“Yes that’s right.”

“Is there any room left?”

“Yes of course. Even if you don’t have it I’ll make it for you.”

The Mancheol shares must be broken down into very small pieces.

Then when Japan invades South Manchuria everyone who owns these stocks will be on my side.

“But unfortunately… I don’t have enough money to invest.”

“It doesn’t have to be cash. Isn’t there a really good investment vehicle called stock exchange?”

“Stock exchange…..”

Kaiser narrowed his eyes and mentioned another company he owned.

“Does this mean we should exchange it for shares in Shandong Railway Corporation?”

“Yes that’s right.”

Germany has already advanced into the Shandong region.

They established Shandong Railway Company and built the Jiaoji Railway between Qingdao and Jiaozhou.

“There is a saying that you should divide your eggs. Diversifying your investment portfolio can also be considered a method of investment.”

Japan’s next target will most likely be the Shandong Peninsula.

I intend to get ahead of them again and secure this.

The aim is to take preemptive measures to ensure that Japan does not benefit as much as possible from taking over the Shandong Peninsula.

“Please try selling some of your stock without harming management rights. That’s how I run my business.”

The Kaiser responded to my suggestion with a thoughtful expression.

“I will think about it.”

He stopped me as I was about to leave and urged me on.

“Oh and. Are the preparations for the demonstration going well?”

“It will be held in Szczecin in three days.”

“I had a hard time convincing my military personnel. This demonstration must be a great success.”

Not only the German military but also the British Dutch French and Russian military.

Many people participate in this event.

There are many eyes watching so how could I have prepared this carelessly?

“Of course. Don’t worry too much.”

< Uncle and nephew (3) (photo attached) > End