Reincarnated as Napoleon II-Chapter 147: British Reaction

Lord Palmerston, Foreign Secretary of the British Empire, was present for the commissioning of the battleship. Along with him stood a small group of British officials and naval observers who had traveled to Brest after hearing rumors about France’s newest warship.

They watched the vessel settle into the water as harbor tugs began moving slowly toward her sides.

"Monster..." Palmerston muttered, his mouth slightly open. "Two hundred forty-eight meters in length, a beam of thirty-three meters, and a draft of ten meters. It’s larger than our steam warships."

Beside him, the British naval attaché lowered his field glass slowly.

"It’s not only the size, sir," he said quietly.

Palmerston glanced at him.

"What else?"

"The armament."

The attaché lifted the glass again and focused on the forward section of the ship.

"Those forward turrets... four guns each. That means eight heavy naval guns facing forward alone."

Palmerston frowned slightly.

"And the secondary battery?"

"Three triple 152-millimeter turrets aft, by the look of it."

Palmerston stared at the ship again as the tugs secured thick cables to guide her toward the fitting docks.

"Good Lord," he murmured.

The attaché continued studying the vessel carefully.

"The armor belt appears thicker than anything currently afloat in Europe."

"And the propulsion?" Palmerston asked.

"Steam, certainly. Possibly turbine-based."

Palmerston shook his head slowly.

"That would give her speed."

The attaché nodded.

"And endurance."

They watched as a plume of steam vented briefly from the ship’s funnels while engineers inside began bringing auxiliary systems online.

The attaché adjusted his glass again, focusing on the superstructure.

"Sir... there’s something else."

Palmerston glanced toward him.

"What?"

The officer pointed.

"Above the command tower."

Palmerston followed his direction and squinted toward the structure mounted above the bridge.

A rotating metallic frame slowly turned in the wind.

"What is that supposed to be?"

The attaché lowered the glass again.

"I’m not entirely sure."

Palmerston crossed his arms.

"It doesn’t resemble any naval equipment I’ve seen."

"Nor I," the officer admitted.

For a moment they watched in silence.

Then they didn’t notice that the Emperor of France has approached them.

"Lord Palmerston," Napoleon II called.

Palmerston turned immediately.

For a brief moment his expression shifted from surprise to recognition.

"Your Imperial Majesty," he said, inclining his head respectfully.

Napoleon II stopped a few steps away, Napoleon I standing beside him with his hands behind his back.

"It has been some time since we last met," Napoleon II said calmly.

Palmerston nodded.

"Indeed it has. Long time no see, Your Majesty."

His eyes briefly shifted back toward the battleship floating in the harbor.

"I must congratulate you," he added. "That is an extraordinary vessel your navy has just commissioned."

Napoleon II accepted the remark with a small nod.

"Thank you, Lord Palmerston."

He turned slightly and glanced toward the warship as the harbor crews continued guiding her toward the fitting dock.

"I will admit something, however."

Palmerston raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Napoleon II smiled faintly.

"We were inspired."

Palmerston looked mildly amused.

"Inspired?"

"Yes."

Napoleon II gestured toward the harbor where the massive battleship now sat in the water, towering over the surrounding vessels.

"By the Royal Navy."

Palmerston’s expression remained composed, though his eyes sharpened slightly.

Napoleon II continued.

"For more than a century Britain has demonstrated something very clearly to the rest of the world."

He clasped his hands behind his back.

"That empires control the world through control of the seas."

Palmerston allowed a thin smile.

"That is a conclusion many nations have reached."

Napoleon II nodded.

"And we learned from the best."

Napoleon I glanced briefly at his son, amused by the conversation.

Napoleon II continued speaking in the same calm tone.

"So in truth, Lord Palmerston, we are simply copying what Britain has done."

Palmerston folded his arms slightly.

"Copying?"

Napoleon II looked back toward the battleship.

"Yes."

He paused for a moment.

"Only an improved version."

The British naval attaché standing beside Palmerston shifted his weight slightly but remained silent.

Palmerston studied the young Emperor carefully before letting out a short chuckle.

"I admire your honesty, Your Majesty."

Napoleon II shrugged lightly.

"There is no reason to hide it."

He gestured toward the warship again.

"The Royal Navy demonstrated what global naval power looks like."

Palmerston nodded slowly.

"And France now intends to join that club."

Napoleon II met his gaze directly.

"France intends to compete."

For a moment the two men stood quietly while the harbor continued its activity around them.

"I hope you don’t mind having one competing for dominance in the sea, right?" Napoleon II asked.

Palmerston allowed a polite smile.

"Competition between great powers is nothing new, Your Majesty," he said evenly. "Britain has grown accustomed to it."

His tone remained calm and diplomatic.

But his eyes drifted once more toward the massive battleship floating in the harbor.

Inside, his thoughts were less composed.

For more than a century, Britain’s position in the world had rested on one simple fact: the Royal Navy ruled the seas.

That supremacy had been the shield of the British Empire.

On land, Palmerston knew the truth well enough. Britain had never been able to match the French in continental warfare. French armies had long dominated the battlefields of Europe.

But the sea had always been different.

The Royal Navy had been stronger, larger, more experienced. It had given Britain the advantage where it mattered most.

Until now.

Palmerston watched the new warship again as it settled fully in the harbor.

The vessel dwarfed the surrounding ships.

Its steel hull rose higher than most masts. The massive gun turrets alone looked capable of destroying entire squadrons.

The rotating device above the command tower still turned slowly in the wind.

Palmerston did not know what it was.

But he suspected it was something new.

Something Britain did not yet possess.

Napoleon II was watching him carefully.

"You seem thoughtful, Lord Palmerston," he said.

Palmerston returned his attention to the Emperor.

"Merely admiring the scale of the achievement," he replied.

Napoleon II glanced toward the battleship.

"Our engineers worked very hard."

"I can see that."

Palmerston’s voice remained calm.

"The Royal Navy will certainly take interest in this development."

Napoleon II nodded.

"I expect they will."

Napoleon I spoke for the first time since joining the conversation.

"Well, they should."

He gestured toward the harbor.

"Ships like that tend to attract attention."

Palmerston allowed himself a short laugh.

"That they do."

He looked once more toward the battleship.

The truth, he knew, was simple.

If France began building more vessels like this one, the balance of power at sea could change.

And if Britain ever lost its dominance over the oceans, the consequences for the Empire would be severe.

Trade routes.

Colonial supply lines.

Naval security.

All of it depended on control of the seas.

Palmerston pushed those thoughts aside and returned to diplomacy.

"Well," he said, looking back toward Napoleon II, "I must say, Your Majesty, it has been quite the impressive ceremony."

Napoleon II nodded politely.

"We wanted to make the occasion memorable."

Palmerston glanced again at the ship.

"You succeeded."

Around them, the dockyard continued its celebration. The brass band played while workers cheered and naval officers moved across the docks to begin preparations for the ship’s next stage of testing.

Napoleon II followed Palmerston’s gaze toward the battleship.

"This is only the beginning," he said quietly.

Palmerston heard the remark clearly.

And that thought concerned him more than the ship itself.