The Fox of France

While France was going through political upheaval and Napoleon was assuming the role of First Consul, the political landscape in the United Kingdom was also experiencing intense turbulence.

The Whigs launched a fierce attack on the Tory government, with most of their criticism directed at Prime Minister William Pitt. They blamed him for Britain's failures on the European continent. Furthermore, Pitt's stance on religious policies in Ireland and his disputes with King George III added to the controversy.

During this time, the British monarch still wielded considerable authority and power, unlike the purely symbolic role they would assume later. King George III, in particular, was a staunch supporter of Pitt. It was this royal support that enabled William Pitt, at just over twenty years old, to rise to the position of Prime Minister. It was a partnership with the King that allowed Pitt and the Tories to maintain control over the government, effectively pushing the Whigs into the background. However, it's worth noting that Pitt referred to himself as a "Whig" throughout, even though neither the Whigs nor the Tories acknowledged this.

King George III had a deep appreciation for Pitt, but their views on religious matters were a major point of contention between them. In an attempt to placate the Irish, Pitt proposed allowing legal Catholic activity in Ireland. This policy was meant to divide the Irish, but it angered the King.

In the United Kingdom, the Church of England had been the King's staunchest supporter ever since the days of Oliver Cromwell's revolution. Although the Church of England was considered part of the Protestant tradition, it shared more similarities with Catholicism than with continental Protestant denominations like Lutheranism or Calvinism. Aside from rejecting the Pope in favor of the British monarch, their doctrines, rituals, and even attire bore a striking resemblance to Catholicism.

As a rule of thumb, when two religions have significant differences, they may coexist in relative peace. However, when their differences are minimal, conflicts tend to intensify. It was often said that heretics, who deviated slightly from an established faith, were more detestable than outright infidels, as they were seen as a greater threat to the faithful.

For the Church of England, acknowledging legal Catholic activity, even if limited to Ireland, posed a significant threat. By this time, the Church of England had become the bedrock of political support for the British monarch. Though King George III suffered from porphyria and, during severe episodes, experienced mental disturbances, such as the bizarre incident in 1788 when he mistook a large oak tree for the King of Prussia and engaged in a two-hour debate with it on important matters, he remained clear-headed when not afflicted by the disease.

Despite the King's enduring support for Pitt, he would never entertain the idea of allowing him to proceed with this policy, as long as he was in his right mind. Thus, the Prime Minister lost his most critical ally at this perilous juncture.

In the end, to maintain Tory rule, at this critical moment, they had no choice but to sacrifice William Pitt and let him shoulder the blame. So, after Napoleon took Hanover, Pitt resigned from his post.

It's said that when his successor, Henry Addington, entered Pitt's office, the former Prime Minister was directing his servants to pack up his belongings for departure. One of the servants rolled up a large map of Europe that hung on the wall, intending to pack it, which caught Pitt's eye. The former Prime Minister exclaimed, "Leave that map for Henry!"

The servant hurried to hang the map back up, but Pitt gave a bitter smile and said, "Never mind, since you've already rolled it up, leave it that way. After all, I don't think any British Prime Minister will need to look at a map of Europe in the next decade."

In reality, even with the change in leadership, the new Prime Minister, Henry Addington, had limited options to address the current situation. However, sometimes, a change in leadership can bring about a change in fortune.

This was akin to some football clubs in later years, where, when their performance was abysmal, they would switch coaches without much thought, simply to see if a change would improve their luck. Often, with a new coach in charge, even without significant changes, the team's fortunes would suddenly turn around.

In a similar vein, the change in Prime Ministers seemed to have yielded positive effects for the British. Shortly after the new Prime Minister took office, the British Navy received good news: their newly developed ships, which had required substantial funding for research, had achieved success in testing. According to the Navy, these ships were sure to significantly reduce the efficiency of the smuggling routes from France to Ireland.

In the preceding period, both Britain and France had been preoccupied with the war on the European continent, resulting in a period of relative calm in Ireland. The British lacked the resources, and the Irish received minimal supplies, so the activities there had been relatively subdued.

Now that France had secured an undisputed victory on the European continent and received substantial compensation, it was clear that they would substantially increase their support for Irish rebellions.

This was another issue for the Tory party. Although William Pitt had lost his position as Prime Minister, the position itself still rested in Tory hands. Many Whigs believed that the current situation hadn't shown clear signs of improvement yet, nor had it reached its nadir, so it wasn't the right time to make a move. Rushing in at this point might backfire, leaving them stuck halfway up the mountain.

Upon receiving this news, Prime Minister Addington was elated and immediately went to the Admiralty to learn more.

"Prime Minister, this is a model of our new ships," a naval officer at the Admiralty began explaining relevant information to Prime Minister Addington.

"Well, why does this ship look... so peculiar?" As Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Addington was certainly familiar with ships. However, this vessel appeared somewhat unattractive, especially when compared to the elegant model of the French clippers displayed nearby.

"Prime Minister, if you look at the French clippers next to it, you'll see that those ships have low sides, are prone to taking on water, and sway considerably. They can't even carry large cannons. But they're so fast that they don't need cannons; no warship with cannons can catch them anyway.

You see, for intercepting these high-speed smuggling ships, we once copied a batch of such vessels and relied on conventional naval combat. However, the enemy quickly changed their strategy and developed maritime weapons, similar to Byzantine 'Greek fire.' We were caught off guard and suffered significant losses."

Prime Minister Addington nodded, already aware of these circumstances from before he took office.

"But things have changed now. With this new ship, we can not only catch up to the enemy in terms of speed but also carry large cannons to engage in combat." The naval officer continued to explain.

"Is this ship capable of catching up with the French smuggling vessels?" Addington inquired.

"It's not certain," the officer shook his head. "The fastest French clippers can reach about 15 knots, while our ship can reach a maximum speed of eleven knots."

"How can that work?" Prime Minister Addington asked.

"Prime Minister, this is still an experimental vessel, with room for improvement. Moreover, the clippers can't always reach fifteen knots; in calm weather, their speed is also limited. Our ship is less affected by wind conditions, and it can travel in a straight line. So, while our ship may have a lower top speed in terms of numbers, it might still be able to catch up with them in a real chase at sea."

"Are there any issues with our ship at the moment?"

"Prime Minister, our ship relies on a steam engine, which requires us to carry coal. If the coal bunker is too large, it slows down the vessel, but if it's too small, it affects the voyage. Additionally, our ship has poor performance in high seas, far worse than the clippers."

"What? It has worse performance in high seas than the clippers? Then how can we use these large cannons on it?" Prime Minister Addington was taken aback.

"Prime Minister, in high seas, the ship's rocking will cause the paddle wheels to surface, drastically reducing propulsion efficiency. It's not because of any other reason, so under normal sea conditions, our ship can still use the cannons without any issues. It's just that due to the arrangement of the steam engine and paddle wheels, the number of cannons we can carry is relatively fewer."

Prime Minister Addington listened and nodded. "When can these official warships be put into use? It's time to teach those French a lesson and show them that the United Kingdom's technology is truly world-leading!"