With white windows and chandeliers, the British Prime Minister's official residence at 10 Downing Street is as elegant and magnificent as ever, and in the details of the decoration, it all reveals the solemnity and nobility that belongs to the core of the power of the empire on which the sun never sets. Several richly dressed men in suits sat on the soft sofas in the main living room, showing the demeanor and etiquette of the upper class celebrities with their gestures; However, their expressions were a little gloomy at the moment, and their eyes containing resentment and anger were all focused on a book on the purple wood coffee table in front of them.

In the second half of 1926, a book on the old German Imperial Navy became popular in Germany; The arrogance of the German right-wing forces suddenly rose and fiercely resisted the definition of "evil aggressor" imposed on them by the Entente powers. As a country inextricably linked to Germany, Britain has been aware of the changes in its neighbourhood. As for the book that sparked this trend, the relevant departments in the UK also studied it with concern. And when the book was translated into English, it directly caused a major earthquake among the British readership; The difference is that ordinary British people feel the fury of being blasphemed and slandered, while the British high-ranking people are angry, but also have some fear and horror that is difficult to hide!

As the direct helmsman of a world-class powerhouse, the elite of Downing Street know all too well what they are not looking for. Whether it is the frenzied colonial plundering of the exclusive trade scissors of the past, the centuries-old tireless disturbing of Europe and the hatred, the paranoid hatred of the newly industrialized countries, or the unprecedented weakness of the present empire behind the glamour, these are all things that Britain needs to cover up to the world; But now, all this sordid and ugly and weak has been mercilessly exposed. Every word and word of the other party in the book is like a resounding slap in their face; For the pirates of London, accustomed to being sanctimonious hypocrites and pretentious in vanity, this was enough to give them the urge to flip the table in a hideous manner. If this is all there is to it, the lie about the sacredness of sea power that Britain has tried so hard to propagate after the war has also been completely exposed; Once the deadly halo of evil arrogance on Wilhelm II's head is removed, I wonder how many careerists will return to his path!

"Personally, I would love this book to disappear from the world, but it is undoubtedly impossible. It is conceivable that this highly subversive apocalypse of the rise and fall of the German High Seas Fleet will soon reach the world, which will not only greatly damage Great Britain's reputation, but also face an even more severe situation in the maritime situation. Prime Minister Baldwin, who was in his sixties, had a solemn look on his face and broke the silence that enveloped the room with a slightly hoarse voice. He slowly glanced at the core cabinet members in front of him and said, "How do you think Britain should respond to this sudden change?" ”

Hearing Baldwin's inquiry, the expressions of several cabinet ministers became a little heavier; In any case, they never imagined that the British Empire, which was still in its prime, would shake the country because of a book that was said to be written by a "little baby" who was not yet under the crown of weakness. However, this thing that sounds completely unbelievable is happening very real now. Although the major powers had signed the Washington Naval Treaty in 1922, which aimed to limit naval armaments, the treaty did not stipulate the number of cruisers; If the United States, Japan, and other countries, especially the United States, are stimulated to set off an arms race in the field of cruisers, which is second only to capital ships, then Britain will not have the qualifications to compete with the other side for a long time, and in the end it will only be exhausted and out of breath, and the throne of the "world's No. 1 navy" that is already rootless duckweed will be completely ousted by the fierce opponents!

In addition to this, the situation in the Mediterranean is not optimistic. At present, although France and Italy are each allowed to have 175,000 tons of capital ship tonnage, due to the lack of subjective demand, the two countries not only have a margin in the total tonnage of capital ships, but also do not take any action in the years when the treaty allows them to start construction of new ships. What's more, even if the French lost the "France" dreadnought due to a landrun in August 1922, the French Navy did not have a corresponding plan to build a replacement ship. The present peaceful and tranquil atmosphere in the Mediterranean is undoubtedly the best situation for Britain, which has a large interest in it.

However, once France and Italy were stimulated to begin building their naval fleets in earnest, Britain was bound to deploy more ships in Gibraltar and Alexandria, Egypt, in order to balance their forces, which would undoubtedly weaken their power in the Far East and the Atlantic. Needless to say, the pressure in the Far East is that Japan, which defeated Russia, is now the absolute hegemon in the Western Pacific; The "Nine-Power Pact" and the "Four-Nation Alliance" attached to the Washington Naval Conference were in fact the end of the Anglo-Japanese alliance, and the Japanese Navy had grown from a toddler in the past to a powerful presence with 60 percent of Britain's capital ship tonnage, equivalent to the German High Seas Fleet in its heyday. Britain had to deploy a powerful fleet in Singapore to form a deterrent to Japan.

As for the pressure in the Atlantic, the US Navy, which ranks first in the world with Britain, is an even more terrifying adversary than the German High Seas Fleet in the past. What is even worse is that the United States does not have the tragic geographical location of Germany, which can be blocked by Britain's sea power in a small sea area, but can easily enter the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean and directly destroy Britain's sea transportation. Although the United States and Britain have not yet shown obvious signs of conflict, this empire on which the sun never sets is undoubtedly the first stumbling block on the road of the North American cowboy's pursuit of world hegemony. If one day the Americans think that after the end of the war, Britain will be in arrears at the Versailles Conference, pit rights and interests, and squeeze their own forces out of Europe, where blood was shed here, then the North Atlantic, which is not protected by a strong enough fleet, will become a hunting paradise for American warships!

"In any case, we cannot allow an unhindered arms race among States. Even the construction of cruisers inferior to capital ships would also have an impact on Britain's current maritime interests. A fat man with a bloated figure spoke slowly. He is in his early 50s, and he is a young man in the prime of life among politicians; The edges and corners of his facial features reveal a shrewd and sharp aura, which makes him stand out among several cabinet ministers. For the fat man's words, no one present had the slightest contempt; Because as early as 15 years ago, this Winston Churchill was the powerful Admiralty Secretary in Asquith's cabinet, and although he has only one chancellor of the exchequer after the war, he is undoubtedly one of the most influential cabinet members in the maritime field!

With a slight bitterness on his chubby face, Churchill continued: "At present, Britain's economy is just on the road to recovery, and it can only devote its limited funds to the army; The construction of 3~4 new cruisers every year is already the limit of healthy finances, and any more will affect the speed of economic recovery. The most important thing is that Britain is no longer able to start a shipbuilding race with the United States, and their full force will inevitably cause us to lose our naval status today! Therefore, in order to maintain the current status quo at sea, I believe it is necessary to call on the signatories to the Washington Treaty to conclude an additional clause that clearly defines all secondary ships, including cruisers. Since the countries had reached an agreement in 1922 on the limitation of capital ships, it would be feasible to extend it to secondary ships now. ”

Several cabinet ministers looked solemn, and after a brief exchange of reflections, they all agreed with Churchill's words. To this day, even the most fanatical imperial chauvinists and nationalists have to face up to the cruel fact that the British Empire is far less powerful than it once was in relation to other countries; Britain's acceptance of the United States' supremacy on a par with itself at the Washington Naval Conference is the best signal to announce a compromise when it is unable to do so. At present, although it is uncertain whether the United States, Japan, and other countries will change their existing naval policies because of this extremely subversive German booklet, holding high the banner of peace and anti-war justice to "hold a meeting" is undoubtedly the only means for London to maintain its position when Britain is already weak.

"As for the vicious attack on Britain in this book, we can limit its circulation in print at home and refute it in an article that will try to minimize its impact at home and abroad." Foreign Secretary Austin Chamberlain gritted his teeth and spoke, but his words lacked a bit of confidence as a cabinet member. The German book was like a knife, and each knife cut through the dripping wounds and pus-shed sores of the seemingly holy angel of England, making them mad with anger and stinging. And for this sharp and resounding slap, the British high-level can only crush their teeth and swallow it in their stomachs: because the stains and evil deeds they did in those years and the current weak and declining situation are indeed what the other side described, and the mountain-like ironclad evidence listed by the other party makes any British argument and counterattack seem so pale and powerless!

(PS: This chapter is updated as a share for tomorrow.) Tomorrow the author will leave for the imperial capital, and it will definitely not be updated on the train. ）