Chapter 100, The Sorrow of Britain
December 7, 1946, Windsor Castle, southern England
Although the hands of the wall clock on the wall were quietly approaching ten in the morning, the sky was still as dark as dusk.
Under the leaden gloomy sky, thick and dense clouds blocked the weak winter sunshine, and the biting cold wind wrapped in snowflakes roared from the north, quickly taking away the accumulated heat of the earth, filling the bleak and lonely scenery. Look at every corner of your field of vision.
Her Majesty Elizabeth II, the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Queen of India, and the protector of the Christian faith, who has just turned twenty this year and hastily ascended the throne less than half a month ago, is lying on the window sill of her bedroom at Windsor Castle, looking up in boredom. Looking out the window at the dark sky.
Looking at the depressing and gloomy scenery around her, she couldn't help but have the illusion that she was not the Queen of the British Empire who ruled the world of the Seven Seas, but just one of those fairy tales with a medieval background. The princess is mostly trapped in a castle.
In fact, Elizabeth II also knows very well that the land that truly belongs to her, the queen, is probably the only one left now, which is not a large Windsor Castle. As for the place outside Windsor Castle, it has become an inhumane Shura hell...
Although newspapers and magazines have long since disappeared, government officials have not visited Windsor Castle for many days, and most domestic radio stations in the UK have also stopped broadcasting. But by listening to the radio news on the European continent across the strait, as well as the high-power radio station dedicated to the royal family, and the occasional escapees passing by Windsor Castle, the young Her Majesty the Queen can still get some latest intelligence... Unfortunately, almost all of them are bad. information.
——After the nuclear explosion in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Soviet bombers still did not stop strategic nuclear strikes on British cities. Last week, it bombed Portsmouth, Southampton, Bristol and the Scottish industrial town of Glasgow, and this morning it bombed Swansea, Wales. Even Queen Elizabeth II, who has been staying at Windsor Castle, witnessed the flash of nuclear explosions from her window more than once.
Due to the collapse of the British central government, the military command system was also paralyzed. The local Royal Air Force, radar units and ground anti-aircraft artillery units were unable to receive necessary supplies and instructions. Their ability to resist enemy air attacks became increasingly weak and it became increasingly difficult to deal with them. The Soviets' nuclear strikes and strategic bombing posed an obstacle.
By early December, the skies over Britain were almost completely open, allowing Soviet aircraft to come and go as they pleased.
And as cities one after another turned into radioactive wastelands in the mushroom clouds, the terrified British urban residents packed up their belongings, supported the elderly and the young, and fled to the countryside outside the city - this atomic bomb was not the one used during the British Air War. , a few small bombs dropped by Nazi German planes could be withstood by digging an air-raid shelter in one's own backyard. More importantly, even if they continue to stay in the city despite the risk of being bombed by nuclear bombs, they will no longer be able to obtain the supply of water, electricity, heating and food rations - because the British government and logistics system have collapsed .
In other words, the national machinery of the British mainland has been shattered by the Soviet nuclear bombs that have been falling one after another. The British mainland, at least the area of England that has suffered the largest number of nuclear explosions, has basically entered a state of anarchy. Transportation, commerce, and logistics are all suspended.
To be clear, England, which had a highly complex society and a prosperous economy and logistics, has been driven back to the dark ages after the collapse of the Roman Empire by the Soviets using atomic bombs! The consequences of this are basically devastating. Those who are hit by the atomic bomb will naturally die. Even people who have not been hit by the atomic bomb, living in a collapsed and fragmented modern society, still live like a nightmare.
The famous sociologist, historian, philosopher, and educator, Mr. Dylan Gould, winner of the Nobel Prize in Sociology, once said: The production and concentration of material wealth in modern society has reached such an extent that it makes Some people have the illusion that human existence is ordinary and natural, that people should be happy when they are alive, and will naturally have happiness - however, the cold reality is not so tender.
In an anarchic state where logistics collapses, what will a modern city look like? First, power supply, running water, and heating were all gone, and the living standards of urban residents fell back to the Middle Ages overnight. Second, the daily necessities and food imported into the city were gone, and banknotes became waste paper. People found themselves fighting for a piece of bread, Fighting each other over a can or even a mouthful of clean fresh water; third , no one collects the garbage in the city, and no one cleans the sewers. A city with a large population will soon become filthy and smelly, causing mosquitoes and flies to breed and diseases to spread; finally, law and order It will disappear very quickly, and the city will instantly turn into a criminal paradise where the weak prey on the strong, and a bloody hell where violence is rampant. Guns, knives, blunt instruments, and all kinds of incredible gadgets will be used by hungry people to take away other people's lives and supplies. Everything from food, medicine, clothes, fuel, soap, toilet paper to young women, etc., are the targets of their robbery. Those military police who are supposed to maintain law and order will rely on their weapons and military training experience to rob homes and houses, and in turn become the most terrifying robbers and thugs
Faced with such a dangerous and terrifying life, the unbearable citizens had no choice but to escape from the city that had become purgatory and head to the countryside where food seemed to be available... After all, this world is material, and spirit cannot replace bread, even if it is Jesus, if you don’t eat for a month, you will still starve to death.
However, without government agencies to organize evacuation and resettlement, even if they arrived in the countryside, they would not be able to find food or shelter. The banknotes and ration cards in the pockets have long become a piece of waste paper that is too hard to wipe the buttocks. If you want to get some food from the increasingly indifferent farmers, you have to exchange jewelry, watches, clothes and other things. , and the price is often ridiculously high. Sometimes a wedding ring can only be exchanged for a few potatoes...
Because the law was gone, many British citizens who could not be exploited or were driven mad by hunger took up arms in anger, killing farmers who cultivated the land and owned agricultural products, and robbed them of food, housing and firewood. The farmers in the countryside of England naturally responded in kind. Not to be outdone, they armed themselves in groups and formed various robbery gangs to kill the refugees who fled the city and plunder their belongings. Many citizens who came to the countryside excitedly were extremely disappointed to find that the pastoral pastoral fields that used to be beautiful, exquisite, and inviting have now become so cruel and indifferent.
All in all, in this cold and hungry winter, humans in England seem to have degenerated into savage animals. The ethical relationships and social etiquette that constitute society have been replaced by the complete law of the jungle. No matter in the city or in the country, people have become He became Jack the Ripper, walking through the streets and fields with guns and knives, hunting his own kind wantonly, and then taking from them the supplies needed to sustain life.
At the same time, the war to punish Ireland for betraying the alliance is still going on, but its nature and significance have changed dramatically - because the British industrial production has completely collapsed, and it is difficult to maintain a stable supply of ammunition, arms and fuel. The British regular army only controlled a few important ports in the eastern part of the Republic of Ireland, and they began to struggle and their attacks were weak. But then a large number of England's National Guardsmen, armed with various old shotguns and even cold weapons, crossed the sea and poured into Ireland in various simple boats. Once ashore, they were like nomads raking grass and grain, robbing houses and plundering food. , clothes and fuel, or blast the Irish out of their houses to house themselves and their relatives as if they were armed immigrants...Obviously, this is no longer a fight for the glory and hegemony of the empire, but for themselves and their relatives. Fight for your family's survival!
Under this situation, seeing her own United Kingdom gradually descending into the barbaric Dark Ages, Queen Elizabeth II was naturally anxious, but she was almost helpless - as a political newcomer who had just come to power, a As a mere political symbol and vase, she has no way to end the war, nor can she force the country to act according to her own wishes, nor can she save these subjects who are in existential crisis.
As a royal restricted area of the British Empire, Windsor Castle does store a lot of food, fuel and other supplies, as well as its own generators, which can still ensure the basic living standards of the castle owner at this moment of impending doom. However, in the face of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of refugees arriving, this amount of supplies is still a drop in the bucket. Just to maintain the daily consumption of so many people in the castle is already barely enough.
However, it is impossible for those refugees who are hungry, cold, without food and clothing, and whose lives are in danger, to understand the Queen's difficulties. They first gathered a crowd to petition outside Windsor Castle, asking for mercy and relief. Then, because they were not satisfied, they started riots and attacks one after another out of anger and fear. Like medieval vagabonds trying to rob a lord's mansion. If it weren't for the fact that there was a loyal guard at Windsor Castle who had stocked up enough arms and ammunition to fire many times to disperse the refugees who were attacking the castle, she, the queen, might not even be able to guarantee her own safety.
Right now, she had nothing to do except stay in Windsor Castle and listen to the bad news one after another on the radio.
Fortunately, at this moment, her mother, Queen Elizabeth, and her sister, Princess Margaret, had already left Britain shrouded in the mushroom cloud of nuclear explosions on a military plane (the British always seem to like to take such a few Repeated names, Elizabeth, Margaret and Edward), passed through the Icelandic airport and fled to the Canadian territory on the other side of the ocean for refuge. They are now safe and sound.
As a queen, she must fulfill the responsibilities brought by the crown and stay in this country that is about to be destroyed until the last moment...
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As the wind-up clock on the wall rang twelve times, it was finally time for lunch.
Amid the reminder from the maid, Queen Elizabeth II yawned miserably, got up and walked out of the bedroom, walking along the escalator to the dining room.
Just like the previous few days, Her Majesty the Queen's lunch today is very simple. On the gorgeous tableware decorated with gold and silver, there is only a cup of black tea, two slices of bread with jam, a hard-boiled egg, and a few slices of fried spam. Luncheon meat, at first glance, is simply too crude to be worthy of the royal family of the British Empire. But in this "nuclear winter" where the vast majority of British people can't even eat potatoes, just having a hot meal is considered a luxury.
Not to mention the hot air from the radiator and the music playing from the gramophone in Queen Elizabeth II's private dining room...
As usual, Elizabeth II, who was dining alone, first prayed to God in a low voice and thanked the "Almighty Lord" for giving her food. Then she grabbed a shiny silver knife and fork and cut a piece of fried spaghetti. Tom luncheon meat... However, before she could put the luncheon meat into her mouth, a secretary hurriedly brought unappetizing bad news, "...Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The telegram just received! Today in Scotland There’s a coup!”
——On the early morning of December 7th of this year, after witnessing the tragic scene of Glasgow being swallowed up by a mushroom cloud, facing the danger of being blown to ashes by an atomic bomb at any time, I found that the Scottish capital was likely to be the next target of a nuclear explosion. In Edinburgh, a military coup suddenly broke out.
Due to some tacit understanding (which is better than a nuclear bomb anyway), with the collective watching and acquiescence of the Edinburgh garrison, police and government officials, a small group of armed rebels appeared out of nowhere and suddenly occupied They stormed government buildings and radio stations, and energized the country to announce that Scotland would secede from the United Kingdom and become an independent country again. At the same time, we surrendered unconditionally to the Soviet Union, hoping that the Soviet army could ensure the safety of the lives and property of the Scottish people...
Obviously, for the citizens of Edinburgh who were frightened by the power of nuclear bombs, only the last one was the real focus.
When Edinburgh issued an initiative for independence and unconditional surrender, all parts of Scotland, who were also afraid of the imminent nuclear bomb, also responded in groups.
So, almost in the blink of an eye, Elizabeth II found that her United Kingdom was missing a vital piece.
What's even more disturbing is that now that she is trapped in Windsor Castle, she can't do anything about Scotland's rebellion and secession.
Next, before Elizabeth II could finish the tasteless lunch, another even more disturbing bad news came.
——Prime Minister Churchill sent a secret message from Northern Ireland, saying that given the current situation, it is impossible to successfully resist the Soviet invasion on home soil, but the war must continue. I hope the Queen can prepare as soon as possible and go to Canada with him to establish the British Empire Government-in-Exile...
However, Queen Elizabeth II firmly rejected this reasonable suggestion.
"...No! I won't leave! I've had enough! Let the Prime Minister go to Canada by himself! I want to live and die with my country!"
She wiped her mouth with a napkin and said decisively, "...Don't think about laws and conventions anymore! Now send a clear signal to the whole of Europe and declare an armistice and surrender in my name... If Stalin wants to take away my crown , then let him come and get it!" Having said that, Yi Elizabeth II seemed to have exhausted all the strength in her body, and she collapsed softly on the chair, looking exhausted, still muttering to herself, "...that's it. , no matter what, let this damn thing end soon!”