Chapter 415 Only the old man is left (second update, please subscribe)
When the door was opened, a huge figure came into view of Cofield and Cowell.
He stood there, wearing a formal suit, a pair of semi-circle and half-way glasses on the top of his nose, and the famous cigar in his mouth. For a long time, all this has become an indispensable part of his life.
This is him!
The image of Churchill has been lingering in Cowell’s mind since ten years ago. He had been his greatest enemy in the Third Reich, and now?
He is just an old man, an old man who was quickly abandoned after leading Britain to victory.
"Sir, have you seen Attlee?"
Churchill looked at Cofield, this guy who is still working hard for the British Empire to this day. There are too few such guys.
It is precisely for this reason that he agreed to meet today, because they have both worked hard for the British Empire.
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Cofield's tone was respectful. Although they were similar in age, he had sincere respect for Churchill, a man who defended the British Empire during the war and helped Britain win.
Facing this aging lion, Cofield felt more sad - the empire's final glory could only be maintained by old people like them.
The younger generation of people have no idea of the glory of the empire at all. They only want to eat, drink and have fun, and want to enjoy the benefits of the empire, but are unwilling to bear the responsibilities.
“He refused, didn’t he?”
“No, he is considering it!”
Cofield's answer stunned Churchill, and he even paused for a moment before putting the cigar to his mouth.
"Isn't he, like Mountbatten, worried about the tragic prospect of a divided India, the terrible situation of chaos there, and the dark specter of the crisis of civil war. How come he is not worried now!"
Churchill's evidence was full of sarcasm and even a hint of anger. He had always opposed Indian independence, then and now, but what was the point of his opposition?
The British Empire was no longer able to maintain its rule there - there were not enough troops to maintain its rule there. It was all caused by that bastard Attlee.
“Because we made an offer that he can’t refuse.”
Cofield said.
“Oh? What conditions!”
“Five billion US dollars of interest-free national debt!”
“What!”
Churchill was shocked and said .
"Is it your damned "Fanatical Highness"? These guys are so damn rich!"
Churchill was a little bit off guard. He could even imagine how much the Labor Party could do after getting this money. This has added many variables to his comeback.
This is not a good thing.
"In this case, you should not need my help. Attlee and his group of short-sighted guys will definitely agree. You succeeded, Sir."
Cofield said in response to Churchill's response.
"No, Your Excellency, without your support, I will be terrified in my heart!"
Churchill, who was smoking a cigar, did not speak. He did not even want to talk to this guy. You put five billion dollars in If you send it to my competitor and ask for my support, I'm fucking sick, right?
Because the Conservatives held a majority in the House of Lords, Churchill could use all the tools of parliamentary procedure to stop this.
Churchill was silent, and Cofield was silent as well. At this time, the atmosphere in the study seemed a bit depressing. At this moment, Cowell said.
"Your Excellency, not only will the independent princely states always remain in the Commonwealth, but they will also always be the most loyal followers of the Commonwealth. The Royal Affairs Bureau will ensure this!"
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Cowell's words aroused Churchill's interest. He took a look at this lawyer, a political adviser to princes, and a guy with an annual salary of 20,000 pounds!
"Oh? Why?" "Your Excellency, we all know that Nehru once gave you a guarantee that India would remain in the Commonwealth, but Your Excellency, as we all know, a guarantee without binding means nothing , just like the Munich Agreement.”
Cowell’s metaphor made Churchill raise his brows slightly and raise the corners of his mouth, showing a hint of pride.
Chamberlain's failure led to his success.
"But the princes are different. Over the past hundreds of years, as their protector, the Princely Affairs Bureau has carefully accumulated and preserved a large number of documents, recording the secret history of the crimes, debauchery and scandals of the princes. Sir Cofield has always been very worried. , Once these documents fall into the hands of India and Pakistan, they are likely to become weapons for political blackmail. Therefore, it is necessary to transport these documents back to London for preservation.”
Anyone can learn from Cowell’s words. When I heard what he meant, I was not worried about falling into the hands of India and Pakistan. He was clearly telling Churchill that those documents were their bargaining chip to ensure the loyalty of the prince.
"Is it true? Sir?"
Churchill really didn't know much about this matter.
"Yes, there are mountains of documents. They were originally stored in a safe, and only myself and my assistants had the keys. The carefully compiled documents have a history of 150 years and record the scandalous anecdotes of the princes. ”
Cofield answered truthfully.
“It is within my scope of duty to be their protector and to assist them in these scandals,”
In history, at the last moment of India’s independence, Cofield As the protector of the princes, he ordered all documents to be destroyed, and dozens of tons of documents, official documents and archive materials were burned. He also notified British officials and political representatives stationed in various princely states that all documents related to the princes' private life must be burned immediately. relevant documents.
This was the last thing he did for the princes - to prevent their private lives from becoming a weapon of political blackmail.
In fact, the British collect those documents for the purpose of using them as weapons!
Taking a puff of his cigar, Churchill fell into silence. He had already made up his mind to stop all this - to avoid the disintegration of India, to avoid civil war...nonsense, he never cared about the life or death of Indians.
If India can be kept in the UK, there is no problem even if 2 million Indians are killed!
All he cared about was the British Empire. What was Mountbatten’s promise?
It was Nehru's guarantee that India would remain in the Commonwealth forever. In Churchill's view, this was the final concession.
But how reliable is such a guarantee?
In contrast, the guarantees of the princes are indeed more effective. They need the support of Britain to remain independent, but what about Britain?
They also have their handle!
Churchill said, puffing on his cigar for a long time.
"To protect them, I think those documents should really be shipped back to London!"
Okay!
At this moment, Cofield breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that the last obstacle finally disappeared!
Churchill will not stop this!
Looking at this tall figure, Cofield's admiration for him deepened. Between politics and empire, he chose the latter.
"Your Excellency, it is the honor of my life to meet with you!"
Facing Cofield's bow and compliment, Churchill took a puff of his cigar and then said.
"Only we living fossils care about certain things, Mr. Cofield."
After leaving Churchill's residence, Cofield, who was sitting in the car, looked solemn and serious. After a long time, he said to Covey Er said.
"Mr. Cowell, I am undoubtedly lucky. Today I saw a villain, but it was against his background that I realized how great the real great man is!"
After that, he turned to look at Cowell and said.
"Mr. Cowell, one day you will definitely enter politics. I hope you will never sell your conscience for money like them. Remember, what we are guarding... is the British Empire! This is a responsibility and mission that transcends all money!”
Faced with Cofield's words, Cowell had only one thought in his mind - is five billion dollars important?
That’s five billion dollars!
(End of this chapter)