Chapter 1106: 1012: The Correct Way to Resist

Chapter 1106: Chapter 1012: The Correct Way to Resist

“The English nobles have taken our lands and defamed our faith as heresy!

“Our brothers are exiled, our mothers weep in famine, our children are sold as slaves! And yet today, they wish to use the lie of the ‘United Kingdom’ as chains to make Ireland a colony!

“For the glory of the Celts, for the freedom of future generations, we will face the British flintlock guns with our blood, fighting to the last breath…”

Joseph took advantage of McLaren’s pause for breath, raised Thorne’s letter, and interrupted his impassioned speech: “I admire the spirit of the Irish resisting oppression. So, are you planning to start a revolt?”

Thorne’s letter mentioned that the United Irishmen Association had secretly contacted thousands of freedom fighters, ready to stage an uprising against British rule when the time was right. He was confident in rapidly expanding the resistance army to thirty to forty thousand people. Finally, he hoped to collaborate with the great France against the cruel, evil British.

At this time Porte Yer had been taken to another room, but McLaren still habitually glanced around the room before speaking seriously: “Your Highness, this is not a riot but a revolution for freedom!”

“Fine, a revolution.” Joseph nodded, “Then tell me, how long do you plan on taking to defeat the British army?”

“Defeat the British?” McLaren hesitated for a moment, then declared loudly, “In half a year, or even a few months, we can drive them out of Ireland; they face the wrath of the entire Irish people!”

Joseph sighed, stating bluntly: “Forgive me, but you are simply no match for the British army.

“Your soldiers lack systematic training, are severely under-equipped, and scarcely have any logistical supplies.

“The most deadly issue is that Ireland is an island, and under the blockade of the British fleet, you cannot get external assistance.”

He knew well that historically, the Irish uprising broke out four years later, declaring independence from the British Government at the end of May, followed by the British army landing and wiping out all the rebel forces by October. Afterwards, the British carried out a massive purge, executing tens of thousands of insurgents, strengthening their rule over Ireland.

Essentially, the Irish rebel army was a ragtag bunch, poorly trained, with incompetent commanders. Even with forty thousand people, doubling that number could not defeat the British army.

Moreover, the Irish populace was not as united as McLaren claimed. The core force of the uprising mainly consisted of nobles and the bourgeoisie, while the participation of the lower-class farmers was not high.

Yet McLaren remained confident, bowing slightly:

“Indeed, these problems exist, which is why we humbly request your aid. Britain is our common enemy, and if Ireland successfully gains independence, it will become France’s most steadfast ally, posing a close threat to Britain!”

Joseph merely shook his head with a smile.

Father’s bankruptcy from sponsoring the Americans’ independence is still fresh. At that time, the Americans similarly swore to ally with France against Britain.

But what was the result? For trade interests, the Americans consistently flirted with Britain, occasionally undermining France.

Furthermore, Ireland’s economic dependency on Britain is even more serious, making it unrealistic to expect them to remain perpetual enemies with Britain.

McLaren seemed anxious, taking a step forward: “Your Highness, you just need to send a force to land in Ireland when the revolution breaks out—those smuggling ships know well how to evade the British squadron’s search—the might of the French Army combined with us will easily defeat the British!”

Joseph continued shaking his head.

Historically, Napoleon once sent an expeditionary force to secretly land in Ireland, but it was quickly cut off from resupply by the British fleet. The Irish were unable to provide the French Army the required operational materials. Ultimately, the French Army surrendered even faster than the Irish rebels.

If the French Navy had the strength to confront the British Navy and supply Ireland, there would be no need to trouble the Irish uprising—sending troops to sweep London would be more direct, wouldn’t it?

McLaren paused for a moment, then smirked coldly: “Alright, it seems I shouldn’t have come; you simply dare not…”

Joseph interrupted his goading: “Frankly speaking, you don’t actually know how to deal with the British.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know what your greatest advantage is?”

“Courage, unity, and the yearning for freedom!”

Joseph shook his head: “No, your greatest advantage is having the British identity.”

“Huh?”

“You can freely enter British cities, invest there, speak out there, without raising any suspicion.”

“What kind of advantage is that?”

“In other words, you can disrupt British finance, damage their production, and interfere with their opinions.” Joseph explained patiently, “The United Irishmen Association has thousands of members; splitting half to circulate throughout British regions would impact Britain far larger than a couple of riots. Oh, pardon me, revolutions.”

McLaren frowned: “But what use is that? We need Irish independence.”

“Only when Britain is sufficiently weakened do you have any chance of defeating them,” Joseph stated, “Meanwhile, you must also strengthen your resistance forces.”

“Meaning, provide us with some weapons?”

Joseph exhaled: “Weapons can be provided, but that is not the focus.”

“You need to incite more Irish participation in the movement against Britain.”

“All Irish people will do so!”

“No, Ireland has a population of nearly four million, but you’re not even mobilizing one percent now.”

The Irishman’s face flushed: “There will always be some cowardly, foolish people…”

Joseph replied, unhesitatingly: “It’s your strategy that’s flawed. What are you using now to rally the people?”

“Freedom, equality, rights, and hatred…”

Joseph chuckled: “You’re saying this to farmers? They care only about whether they can eat enough and if their children can survive to adulthood.”

McLaren blinked, clearly not understanding.

Joseph continued: “Please tell Mr. Thorne to send your people to every village and town, telling the folks that as long as the British are driven out, they won’t have to pay all those damned taxes, and can use the money to buy bread and butter.

“Once Ireland gains independence, you can impose tariffs on the British, allowing your industries to rapidly develop in a non-competitive environment, and later sell products to the British for profit.

“Without British legal restrictions, your wheat and flax sold to London won’t need price limits, and can sell for a third more than now.

“If done well, in a few years, your membership could even reach a million.”