Chapter 150: Churchill's warning (for collection)
Chapter 150: Churchill's warning (for collection)
?? On the second day after the ship review ended, Qin Tian and von Kidren Wachter boarded the battleship 'Nassau' and set off to return to Germany. Prince Edward personally rushed to the pier to see them off, demonstrating the friendship between Britain and Germany.
??The British Navy's ship review style is undoubtedly shocking. The whole world was shocked by it, and was shocked by the powerful strength shown by the Royal Navy. Some countries even firmly believe that the British Empire is the most powerful country on this planet.
??Of course, some countries have decided to increase their investment in the navy because of this. For example, the Americans on the other side of the ocean have enough money to carry out an arms race. Small countries in the East have also strengthened their belief in developing their navy. They have many similarities with the United Kingdom. Since the British can become the world's hegemon in one fell swoop, they believe that they may also become the next British Empire.
??As for Qin Tian, ??he saw the British Empire's external strength and internal strength. In the past, the British Empire dominated the world, and some people refused to accept it, so they just sent a powerful navy to teach them a lesson. But now, the wolves are looking around, and Britain, which has begun to decline, can only use the ship parade to show off its force to frighten other countries, thereby consolidating its position.
?? What's more, Germany has already determined the goal of overthrowing Britain and replacing it, so how can it be frightened by the British showing off their force? Except for the cutting-edge dreadnoughts, the rest of the warships that the British participated in the review were old pre-dreadnoughts. For Germany, this is not a threat at all. As long as the German Navy defeats Britain in terms of dreadnoughts, the remaining former dreadnoughts of the British Navy will be completely at their disposal.
??After the representatives and envoys of various countries left the UK, British society gradually returned to calm. Although, the king has changed. But it has no impact on the political situation in the UK. Under the constitutional monarchy, the power of the king has been greatly compressed, and there is not much real power at all. The power of the country is almost always in the hands of the cabinet headed by the prime minister.
??British Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith held a cabinet meeting. In the previous cabinet, he was chancellor of the exchequer. After the term of the previous prime minister expired, he successfully became the prime minister of the United Kingdom.
?? It's just that Prime Minister Asquith doesn't think the position of prime minister is a good job. When other people were prime ministers, Britain could be said to be peaceful and coercive all over the world. However, while he is prime minister, the situation is now becoming increasingly tense. The Germans are becoming more and more aggressive at sea, wanting to challenge the British maritime supremacy. The Americans on the other side of the ocean, relying on their industrial output value to rank first in the world, are also unwilling to be just an industrial power, not a world-class military power. Although he has won over France and Russia, Prime Minister Asquith still has no certainty of winning the future war.
?? Then King George V of England ascended the throne and held a grand ship review ceremony to deter other countries, which was the decision of the cabinet.
?? "Gentlemen, how is the effect of our ship review this time?" Prime Minister Asquith asked excitedly.
?? "Your Excellency, our ship review is very effective. At least, many countries are shocked by the Royal Navy." Secretary of the Navy McKenna smiled.
"Very good, very good, this result is what I want. Let the whole world know that the Royal Navy of the British Empire is still the most powerful navy in the world. Any attempt to provoke the British Empire will be punished by the powerful Royal Navy." It was smashed." Prime Minister Asquith said excitedly.
?? "Your Excellency the Prime Minister, our French allies and Russian allies are envious of the strength of the Royal Navy. They also want to build a powerful navy." Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Gray said.
"No, no! The task of the French and Russians is to develop the army and contain the Germans on land. The task of developing the navy and defeating the German navy will be undertaken by the Royal Navy. I believe that the Royal Navy will be very good Complete this task." Prime Minister Asquith said with a smile. The strength of the Royal Navy allowed him to find confidence, tasking that the hegemony of the British Empire was still impregnable.
"That's right, what your Excellency the Prime Minister said is right. The powerful Royal Navy can definitely beat the **** out of the Germans. Just like the Spaniards, Dutch and French back then, they were defeated by us time and time again. .No one can wrest sea power from the hands of the British Empire." Colonial Secretary Lewis? Vernon? Harcourt said. The reason why Britain was able to seize so many colonies around the world is inseparable from the strength of the Royal Navy. Without a powerful navy, those British colonies might have been seized by others long ago.
??All the ministers almost laughed. Everyone is very optimistic about the future situation, thinking that Britain will definitely be able to defeat Germany and other enemies and defend their world hegemony.
??However, among the many cabinet ministers, one person did not have a smile on his face, and his mind was not dazzled by the success of the ship review this time. This man is Churchill. Although he is now the Minister of the Interior in the cabinet, he also served as the Secretary of the Navy before becoming the Secretary of the Interior. I have a very good understanding of the situation of the navy.
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, gentlemen. Everyone seems to be too optimistic about the current situation. Maybe my words are not very pleasant. However, the fact is that. If we blindly arrogant, the British Empire may usher in a fiasco in the future That will cause us to lose world hegemony. Lost hegemony, lost overseas colonies. Will the British Empire continue to be strong? I am afraid that it will directly become a second-rate country from the world hegemony. Therefore, we cannot continue to be blindly optimistic Now, we must be vigilant and try our best to develop our military power. Only in this way may we be able to defend the supremacy of the British Empire!" Churchill said with a serious face.
?? Indeed, Churchill's words were not very pleasant to the ears of other ministers, and many people's faces became unsightly. They even want to speak out if they can.
??Prime Minister Asquith didn't care about Churchill's words. He already valued Churchill very much, otherwise he would not have entrusted him with important tasks. If Churchill had unique insights, he was also willing to adopt them.
?? "Your Excellency Churchill, do you have any suggestions?" Prime Minister Asquith asked.