Chapter 93, The British Catastrophe
In the early morning of October 13, 1946, outside London, the British capital
A heavily guarded convoy, crowded in front and behind, slowly drove out of London in the dawn mist, driving on an empty road with very few vehicles because it was a war period, heading straight to the city forty kilometers southwest of London. The royal family went to Windsor Castle, a forbidden area.
After leaving the city of London, the scenery along the way is full of European pastoral style. The smooth hard road is lined with tender green lawns, and groups of cattle and sheep stroll leisurely on it. Further afield are scattered small patches of lush forests, tranquil ponds and lakes, as well as manor villas belonging to wealthy British aristocrats. In those quiet towns, the bells of the steeple chapels can sometimes be heard echoing leisurely.
However, although he was surrounded by beautiful scenery that seemed to have come out of an oil painting, Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the car had no intention of admiring it.
At this time, he is facing the biggest crisis in his political career! And the British Empire is also facing the biggest disaster in two centuries!
——The smoke of World War II has not yet dissipated, and the even more terrifying World War III has already broken out.
For the British Empire, which had exhausted its national treasury and private wealth, wiped out an entire generation of young people, and lost most of its colonies during World War II, this was really a disaster... What's more, In this unexpected three wars, the British Empire got off to a bad start at the beginning, losing the crucial Scapa Flow Fleet and the Fortress of Gibraltar. Without the navy, what was left of the British Empire? What?
Despite this, as the saying goes, the tiger is thin and ambitious. No matter how depressed the British Empire is now, it can't even lack the courage to challenge it, right?
After all, even the Qing Empire at that time was not so cowardly as to be like this - even though they fought and lost every battle against the great powers, they still fought hard and fought a few battles, and they were not so weak that they dared not even fight. To the point of unconditional surrender. It would be so shameless to really end up in this world!
Therefore, after the Soviet Union took the lead in declaring war, the upper and lower chambers of Congress in London still declared war on the Soviet Union. Next, although China, North Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Romania, and Bulgaria , Austria, Yugoslavia The socialist regimes of , Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Finland, and Norway also declared war on the United States and Britain. However, neither the United States nor Britain recognized the legitimacy of these socialist countries, that is, they did not recognize the existence of these countries, so it was unnecessary. There went a whole bunch of declarations of war.
However, it was completely different from World War I and World War II. From the beginning of this war, the British top brass had a serious lack of confidence. As early as the declaration of war, many people had only hard words. Even Churchill, a bellicose madman, was very, very guilty.
There is no way, more than six consecutive years of war have completely destroyed the last bit of wealth in the British Empire. At least one-tenth of the 46 million people in Britain before the war had died, and the majority were still strong men who were the main labor force. More than three million British girls are about to become spinsters and widows. The Royal Navy and the merchant fleet that once dominated the world have basically ceased to exist.
By 1945, in order to ensure the replenishment of the army, the war cabinet led by Churchill had no choice but to recruit female soldiers on a large scale while recruiting Arabs and blacks from African colonies to join the army - otherwise, they would really have to The Boy Scouts went to fight the Bolsheviks!
As a result, because they were forced to mobilize a large number of black troops to defend the British mainland, countless lonely and thirsty British widows and old maids fell into the trap of these strong black young men with great skills and heroic appearance, and soon fell in love with them. A large number of mulattoes were created, causing very serious Social and ethical issues... Under the fierce public opinion, the wartime cabinet led by Churchill was really in a state of distress, but they did not dare to ruthlessly suppress the black troops. There were not many men left in Britain who could fight. If there was another war, The consequences of the "black adulterer's chaos" will only make matters worse.
In short, before the outbreak of World War III, the British Empire had become a broken ship with leaks on all sides. It could capsize at any time in the face of the strong winds and waves of the new era. Even the most stubborn Churchill himself no longer dared to hope for a glorious and comprehensive victory.
In fact, if the opponent had been Napoleon, Wilhelm II or even Hitler, Churchill might have had to bite the bullet and prepare to kneel down and sue for peace.
However, this time the British Empire's opponent was Stalin, the revolutionary leader of the world's proletariat and the unrelenting class enemy. Moreover, at this time, Stalin had conquered almost the entire European continent and had nuclear bombs. He was already sure of victory before declaring war. Therefore, for the British Empire, there was no such thing as surrendering and losing half. The Soviets surrendered unconditionally and prayed for mercy and the option of pardon.
Unable to bear the consequences of unconditional surrender, Churchill felt that he could only bite the bullet and fight until the last Indian was killed.
——After all, he is also the King of the Seven Seas who has dominated the earth for two hundred years. Even a bastard must have a bit of imperial domineering and style! How can you cowardly covet life and fear death? Even if the British Empire is destined to be destroyed, it must be destroyed vigorously!
The problem is that this is just Churchill’s own opinion, and it does not mean that others think so too. On the contrary, many people believe that even unconditional surrender is better than spectacular destruction... Although as a powerful wartime prime minister, Churchill could completely ignore and suppress the opinions of these cowards, but when King George VI After his fighting spirit towards the war began to waver, Churchill could no longer sit back and watch.
——In any case, Churchill is also a subject of the king. His power comes from the grant of the king and can theoretically be withdrawn at any time.
Therefore, on the third day after the outbreak of World War III and the destruction of the Grand Fleet, Churchill drove to Windsor Castle to lobby the king to support his war policy.
Obviously, this was not an easy task, especially since the Soviets had atomic bombs and the British Empire did not.
In short, Churchill is now very distressed and under great mental pressure. He has naturally lost interest in the surrounding lakes, mountains and pastoral scenery.
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As we all know, since the era of the Industrial Revolution, the air quality in London, the foggy capital, has become very tragic. Specifically, it is filled with coal smoke and has a pungent smell. Whether it's the slums of London's East End where the poor live, or Regent Street where the rich gather, they can't escape the trouble of choking smog.
Therefore, starting from the great Queen Victoria, the modern British royal family has been accustomed to living in Windsor Castle in the countryside to avoid the hustle and bustle of the metropolis and the short-lived air pollution. Usually only when they have to attend meetings and ceremonies, or receive foreign guests When the time comes, the royal family will move back to Buckingham Palace in downtown London for a period of time - just like the French Bourbon royal family lives in Versailles and does not often stay in Paris.
During the Battle of Britain in the early days of World War II, in order to boost the morale of the people, the then King George VI insisted on staying at Buckingham Palace in the city. Even though the palace was bombed by the Luftwaffe and the chapel was destroyed by a bomb, he was unwilling to evacuate to Windsor Castle. , declared that they would not leave until the end of the war. Open, to show that we are risking our lives together with the people... Although this spirit sounds a bit touching, it has put a great burden on the health of His Majesty George VI - this king has been weak since he was a child, suffering from chronic gastritis and He suffered from stuttering and other stubborn diseases, and also smoked for a long time, and he developed severe lung cancer at a young age. Originally, if he could recuperate in the picturesque and fresh air of Windsor Castle, he might have lived longer. However, he knew that he was suffering from all kinds of diseases, but he still insisted on staying in the polluted urban area of London. He was frightened by air raid sirens every three days, and was even almost killed by a German plane. He also frequently attended various diplomatic activities and public gatherings. And worrying about various state affairs, he accelerated his already poor health to collapse.
In short, after persisting until 1945, King George VI's health began to deteriorate rapidly, and he had to break his previous promise and move back to Windsor Castle from Buckingham Palace to rest in peace... However, during this year, The deteriorating national situation and the influx of bad news, as well as the bleak prospects of the British Empire and the Windsor Dynasty, forced the sick king to once again pay attention to national affairs and worry about it.
And this is why Prime Minister Churchill had to rush to Windsor Castle to persuade King George VI to continue supporting his war policy. According to some reliable information, less than seventy-two hours after the start of World War III, a cabinet fell. The trend is already brewing...
After checking the documents, Prime Minister Churchill's car entered through the gate and drove along the straight avenue to the front gate of Windsor Castle. The royal gardens on both sides of the road are not large, but they are very exquisite, showing a typical symmetrical layout, dotted with circular fountains with exquisite statues in the center, tall trees of various shapes, and rare collections from all over the world. Plants... In front of the luxurious castle at the end of the avenue, several strong Scottish men in skirts had been waiting for a long time and respectfully welcomed Prime Minister Churchill in.
Then, in a spacious hall in Windsor Castle where the walls were covered with various oil paintings and the roof was covered with giant murals, Churchill saw His Majesty George VI sitting on the sofa drinking coffee, and there were people standing next to him. , the serious-faced Labor leader Attlee - Seeing this guy taking the lead in meeting the king, Churchill couldn't help but darken: Obviously, this old political rival in front of him must have said a lot of bad things about him just now.
"...Good morning, Prime Minister..."
King George VI stood up and shook hands with Churchill and said hello. His manner was very elegant and his attitude was very kind. However, because of his stutter, his speech was extremely slow. Churchill was well aware of this and just nodded respectfully. Say more polite nonsense.
Next, the conversation quickly got to the point - just like a candle in the wind, George VI asked in a low voice in a staccato tone, "... In the past few days, our country... has just formally... War was declared and the losses were heavy from the beginning...right?"
"...Yes, it has been published in the newspapers in the past two days. The Soviets bombarded Scapa Flow and Gibraltar with nuclear bombs. The empire lost its strongest fortress and most powerful main fleet. The casualties alone were Over one hundred thousand.”
Although Prime Minister Churchill did not dare to lie, he still avoided the important point and said it lightly. However, Labor Party leader Attlee obviously did not let him go. "...Why don't you talk about the damage to the ship? Mr. Prime Minister. The nuclear weapons in Scapa Flow In the explosion, we lost the battleship Howe and Anson USS battleship, HMS Formidable fleet aircraft carrier... Well, it is too troublesome to calculate the loss figures. Let's talk about how many warships we have left now. Your Excellency, Prime Minister, please be sure to provide an accurate and truthful number, Your Majesty the King. Very interested in this issue.”
Although Churchill didn't want to answer, looking at the king's eyes, he had to report truthfully, "...It is indeed true, Your Majesty, most of the native fleet was originally gathered in Scapa Flow, but in the end they were all gone. . If you don’t count the Eastern Fleet scattered in the Far East and India, and the escort fleet in the Atlantic, then there are only six destroyers left in Britain, and the rest are minesweepers and torpedo boats..."
"...What?" George VI was taken aback. He swayed and almost fainted. The royal attendants who were standing by at all times quickly supported him, "...so...our country...no longer has a fleet...to defend the homeland." "?" the king asked incoherently.
"...I'm sorry, Your Majesty." Prime Minister Churchill lowered his fat head.
"...So, is there any way for the cabinet and the military to restrain the Soviet atomic bomb?" George VI took a breath and slowly continued to ask. This time, he spoke very slowly, trying to be precise with every word. He spoke clearly, and his tone seemed to contain a hint of disappointment and anger.
Perhaps, this is the so-called emperor's unique "not angry but self-assertive"... Unfortunately, it seems to be of little use to shameless veteran politicians.
"...It's a pity, Your Majesty." Churchill lowered his head again, "...The power of the atomic bomb is too great. With the current level of military technology, it is really difficult to prevent it. The only feasible countermeasure is to use nuclear strikes to counter it. Nuclear strike, but we don’t have atomic bombs..."
"... Only the use of atomic bombs... can deal with the enemy's atomic bombs... But we don't have atomic bombs in our hands... right?"
King George VI gave him a meaningful look, "...In this case...is this war...still necessary to continue?"
"...Your Majesty! If the British Empire withdraws from the war so cowardly, then we will lose everything we have forever!" Churchill protested.
"...If we continue this hopeless war, then Britain will really lose everything!" Seeing that Churchill still looked like a stubborn duck, Attlee could no longer hold back and said regardless of etiquette. Interjected, "...Do you want our nation to perish?"
"...So, do you want to persuade His Majesty to abdicate, depose all the nobles, and let the Bolsheviks rule this country?"
Churchill shrugged his shoulders, "...Hitler may be willing to tolerate the continued existence of the British Empire, but Stalin wants to destroy everything we know! What I just said is the mildest situation. Think about the fate of the Tsar's family!" Maybe Stalin has prepared a guillotine for us!”
"...You are completely self-righteous conjecture! Prime Minister! This is not the reason for your arbitrary rejection of all peaceful efforts..."
……
Just as they were arguing fiercely, a sharp air-raid siren suddenly sounded. Everyone in the hall had to end the audience, helped His Majesty the King go out and went straight to the air-raid shelter... However, the air-raid siren went as quickly as it came. Before they could enter the air-raid shelter, the alarm had been lifted. It seemed that the Soviet planes had not bombed Windsor, so they returned to the hall just now, ready to continue the war of words.
However, before Churchill had time to speak, he was shocked to feel a blazing light instantly filling his field of vision, which made him feel dazzled for a moment. The next moment, the ground under his feet suddenly trembled, and Churchill trembled before he could stand still. His butt fell to the ground.
Next, before he could understand what was happening, a huge roar like thunder came from the window, instantly shattering almost all the glass windows in Windsor Castle! Glass fragments the size of marbles flew everywhere like bullets, making everyone's eyes dazzle with stars.
After an unknown amount of time, Prime Minister Churchill, with his forehead painted, blood on his face, and his ears ringing, groggily got up from the carpet strewn with broken glass, and looked up through the window with only the wooden frame remaining. Looking outside, I was very surprised to find a bright and huge mushroom cloud rising in the east - and that was exactly... the direction of the capital city of London! ! ! !
God! The savage Russians actually nuked London! ! ! How dare they...how could they do such a thing? ! ! !
Thinking of this, Prime Minister Churchill's vision suddenly went dark, and then he completely lost consciousness.
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——On the morning of the third day after the official start of the Third World War, the Soviet Red Army, which had always been simple and crude in its methods, did not consider the issue of protecting human cultural heritage at all, and brazenly dropped atomic bombs on London, the foggy city, as a response to the previous nuclear explosions of the US and British camps. Madrid’s Revenge…
At this point, less than seventy-two hours after the declaration of war, millions of people in the British Empire had died in the three wars, which was extremely tragic. However, for the arrogant British gentlemen, their disasters and nightmares have just begun...