"To be honest," Wen Sili crossed her legs and said to the hesitant Moriarty, "This is the first time I have seen you so wavering. Aren't you always very decisive? You decided to risk everything back then.
Where is the criminal genius who went to rob the National Bank?"
Moriarty glared at Wen Sili, and then sighed: "Back then, I failed most and kept my name anonymous. There is nothing I can't afford to lose. (.) Now if something goes wrong, all those years of hard work will be in vain."
"It is said that the more you have, the more you worry about gains and losses. This is the situation." Wen Sili still spoke eloquently, but Moriarty did not respond. This talented man who had just become the first Lord of the Navy changed the subject.
Turning the topic to the current situation, "Prime Minister Asquith simply doesn't think that war will break out. Chancellor of the Exchequer David George Lloyd is a stubborn anti-war faction. Most importantly, Kitchener is opposed to war.
, so even if you plan to launch a preemptive offensive against Germany, it will be difficult to obtain the consent of the parliament and cabinet."
This is where Britain is different from Germany. Although Moriarty uses a fake queen to hold the throne, and his followers have entered all aspects of the political arena, the British political system that has been gradually improved over hundreds of years still instinctively prevents her from becoming the British
The advantages and disadvantages of the two political systems are clear from this comparison: du cai is more efficient and can play a greater role in the hands of a wise king, while a republic has a strong self-correction ability, but its relative efficiency is relatively low.
, there are a lot of troubles, and a lot of time, energy and social resources are consumed in internal fighting.
"Kitchina is a big trouble," Moriarty bit his lip fiercely, "We lost that stupid queen, who was our best bloodline holder, and then her damn reputation in the army...
"
"Finally," Wen Sili added very "considerately", "Many people in the country are already doubting 'Queen Isabella'. It is impossible to repeat the same tricks to get rid of Kitchener, right?"
In the last time and space, Marshal Kitchener was the iconic figure of the British Army, a pivotal hero. He had the supreme honor before the war began. His presence in the early stages of the war prevented the British Army from wasting too many lives on
Attacking the impregnable German defense line - of course, many, many British soldiers died senselessly in front of the German barbed wire. But without Kitchener, the situation would have been much worse.
In this time and space, the status of the Army Generalissimo has been further consolidated because of her excellent Shenji bloodline. In a sense, her opinions represent the voice of the British Army.
Now Kitchener says that Britain should remain as neutral as possible in the future. This will give even Moriarty, who has so many magical powers and can cover the sky with one hand, a headache.
"I hate these generals so much. They just want to fight."
Facing Moriarty's complaint, Wen Sili shrugged, then elegantly picked up the goblet filled with champagne and took a sip. Then she said leisurely: "The current situation is that if the Germans do not take the initiative to attack,
Just like convincing the cabinet and parliament to go to war. Even if the Germans take the initiative to attack, depending on their attitude, parliament may urge the cabinet to adopt neutrality. The good news is that everyone in the cabinet believes that the Germans cannot be allowed to easily intervene in the Persian Gulf.
.However, everyone has no unified opinion on how to stop the Germans. Sir Lloyd believes that we can mediate before Germany and express goodwill to Istanbul, thereby preventing the Enver regime from ceding Kuwait to Germany. Foreign Secretary Sir Gray also supports
His view. Others think we should put pressure on Istanbul or encourage Arabs to revolt."
"And what's your opinion?"
Moriarty asked Wen Sili.
Wen Sili drank the wine in one gulp and spread her hands: "My opinion is simpler. We should occupy that area, induce Germany to go to war with us, and then defeat them all. Completely restore the balance of power in Europe, it's that simple."
Moriarty stared at Wen Sili, seeming to say, "Are you serious?" Finally, she shook her head and sighed.
"The sky battleships currently in the hands of Germany are too great a threat to our navy. Before we build a sky fleet of equal numbers..."
"Wouldn't it be over if we just buy that new style of general armor from the Chinese?"
"If Lin Youde can sell it, it means that he has more advanced equipment in his hands. This is the conclusion I have come to after observing his behavior for so long. I am not willing to consider this possibility." After finishing speaking, Moriarty continued directly.
Back to the original idea, "And now that Germany has its back against the Soviet Union, even if we carry out a naval blockade, they can get enough grain, ore and coal. The possibility of forcing them to submit with a naval blockade has now become very low. I think
Now is not a good time to start a war with Germany. Anyway, there is still a considerable gap between Germany's finances and ours, and they can't beat us in the arms race. Just like the plan designated by the stupid queen said before, time is on our side.
Here, the longer it is delayed, the better it is for us."
Wen Sili laughed three times after hearing this, and then agreed: "Yes, before she was fascinated by Lin Youde, she was indeed a qualified queen. So, back to the topic, what good way does the professor have to deal with the current situation?"
"It's just like what you just said." Moriarty gave an answer that made Wen Sili frown slightly. She smiled at the confused Wen Sili and continued, "However, the prerequisite for using force is to bring the Chinese Federation into our fold.
Here, come with us. Germany already knows that the Chinese have weapons that can threaten their sky battleships, so they will not easily go to war with us."
"What if the Chinese ignore our proposals?"
"In that case," the smile on Moriarty's face showed an evil meaning, "in that case we will cause trouble in Alsace, arouse the local people's antipathy towards the Prussians, intensify the contradiction between France and Germany, and make them
No time for him to care."
"If possible, you even plan to let France take the initiative to attack Germany, right?"
"Why not?"
As a result, Zhu Erdian started a new wave of travels in Beijing with new instructions from the UK. This time, the scope of his movements was too large, and it was impossible to keep secrets.
By the beginning of July 1908, the Sino-British coalition's attack on Baghdad had become a public issue. Not only were various politicians talking about this issue in the streets and teahouses of Beijing, but it was also a popular topic in cities across the country.
Popular.
But at this time, the federal election was coming, and no one was willing to take a stand on such an important matter easily. As a result, Zhu Erdian was active for a long time, with no results. At the same time, the German Empress had spent enough time in the Netherlands, and finally came with a healthy wheat color.
Bai Yinzi and Bikini arrived in Bei Jing on their own flagship for a state visit to the Federation of China. This made the composition of the Sino-British coalition forces even more elusive and distant.
At the same time, Berlin was actively mediating between Vienna and Istanbul. Conrad had to temporarily return to Vienna from the front line - correction, from the headquarters 300 kilometers away from the front line, trying to persuade Vienna to let the cabinet and the old emperor Fran
Joseph believed that the huge benefits brought by continuing the attack would be worth offending the Germans.
On the other side, the Enver regime in Istanbul breathed a sigh of relief. At this time, the Ottoman Empire was the same as the late Manchu Qing Dynasty. Germany was a "foreign master". The words of the foreign master were still very intimidating to the old bureaucrats.
All of this made most people think that the Balkan crisis would end like this in early July 1908, with the Germans being the big winner, the Austro-Hungarian Empire being the small winner, and the Ottoman Empire losing again - a situation like this recently.
It has happened countless times over the past hundred years.
Lin Youde's European Bureau received a tip that British agents were preparing to disguise themselves as Prussian officers and carry out murders in the French-speaking Alsace area, further stimulating anti-Berlin sentiment in Alsace and Lorraine, triggering disputes, and diverting Germany's attention.
The Gestapo and the European Bureau immediately began to act according to Lin Youde's instructions, preparing to destroy the British plot.
But no one expected that at this time, the Serbs would once again come into the sight of all countries. And behind them, supporting them, was a ghost that no one had imagined - it seemed unwilling to be forgotten by the great powers. (To be continued...