In the quiet of dusk, an Irish military pilot ship sailed ahead, followed by the old British cruiser "Memphis", and two ships, one large and one small, slowly sailed through the approach channel of Dublin. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 infoAt this moment, the British officers, sailors, and passengers on the ship with a special mission are all very curious about this transformed port city. During the Irish War of Independence, this once prosperous city was almost reduced to rubble, and the population of the population was sharply reduced from nearly one million before the war to less than 100,000, and before it experienced its last battle, the "Memphis" was on a transport mission, and the officers and men on board still have a deep impression of the scene at that time, but the scene in their memory is now difficult to match with the real scene - what is presented in front of them is a majestic fortress city, the port must be entered and exited through layers of anti-submarine nets, and the banks are full of solid concrete fortifications, Large and small gun barrels can be seen in the firing holes of many fortifications, and searchlights and anti-aircraft guns seem to be everywhere......

Standing behind the porthole and looking at Dublin, which had been transformed into a huge fortress, British Foreign Secretary Sir Newgent had a special feeling in his heart. Just a few months ago, he went to the United States as a representative of the British side to promote strategic cooperation between the United States and the United Kingdom, but this far-reaching cooperation was almost aborted because of the photographic work of an American war correspondent. This person used his camera to record many scenes during the war, bloody and brutal battlefields, ruined cities, tired soldiers, sad civilians, these photos have been artistically edited, bringing unprecedented shock to Americans far from the war, this traveling exhibition has even been called "Ragnarok Peep" by mainstream American newspapers, and Dublin is one of the most contrasting and reflective sections. As a result, isolationist sentiment in the United States was on the rise, and many military and political officials feared that a quasi-allied cooperation with Britain might provoke strong resistance from the Allies, which would draw the United States into the next war.

Nowadays, Britain and Ireland are on the verge of war due to territorial disputes, and the atmosphere on the "Memphis" entering Dublin alone is very strange, and the port of Dublin has been closed to the outside world for a long time, which has caused a lot of speculation. In the eyes of the officers and men of the British ships, it was no longer a busy commercial port for ships, but it was not desolate and deserted. Everywhere at the docks, you can see the men in blue navy uniforms busy, there are a lot of supplies piled up on the docks, and there are no less than 100 ships in a moving or stationary state, including at least 50 brand-new high-speed torpedo boats neatly arranged in a dock berth, which is very spectacular at a glance. At another pier, several ships are being outfitted next to the dock where the shipbuilding facilities are located. Judging from the contours and appearance of their hulls, the slightly larger ones should be modified or technically modified, after all, the Kingdom of Ireland has been established for a short time, and under normal circumstances, it takes at least half a year for thousand-ton ships to lay their keels and launch their hulls, and as for those smaller gunboats and torpedo boats, they are likely to be the first ships to be built in Dublin Shipyard.

The "Memphis" was allowed to dock at the north pier, and to the surprise of the British, the Irish authorities did not put on a formal greeting ceremony, and there was no red carpet, a military band, a guard of honor, and no civilians in civilian clothes came to watch, only naval soldiers standing with guns, an old Wolseley car, and two Foden trucks. At this time, the pomp and circumstance were no longer important to the British, who cared about whether they could successfully meet and negotiate with the candidate for the Irish throne, the de facto holder of the country's power, to resolve the war crisis that touched the hearts of countless people......

As soon as the British ship lowered the gangway, two Irish officers boarded the ship and told the British plenipotentiary to disembark with them in an informative tone, while the "Memphis" and all the officers and men waited there. Sir Newgent immediately protested against this arrangement, but the Irish officers were adamant and cold. At Prince Edward's suggestion, Sir Newgent reluctantly accepted this arrangement, which was both unseemly and very suspicious. The group of ten, including the accompanying officers and guards, followed the Irish officers off the ship, but then the Irish demanded that they leave in a truck, and Sir Newgent, who had been in the diplomatic circles for many years, was so angry that he refused to board the car and demanded that the Irish government send a ministerial official of the same status to approach. The Irish officer ignored his request and gave no guarantees, explaining only that it was an order from the top, and the two sides were at a stalemate for a while.

In the past, the British could have walked away, but now that Britain was trying to recover from the devastation of the world war, they were extremely reluctant to get involved in a new war with a country as poor as Ireland, and now they had little time to work hard, and if Prime Minister Beauna-Law, who had gone to Germany to mediate, could not break the deadlock from the Germans, then the last hope was on Sir Nugent's side.

After the confrontation, Sir Newgent made another concession, and from the moment he had no choice but to make his decision, he knew in his heart that whatever the outcome, the trip was doomed to be a failure in his diplomatic career.

Sir Newgent and Prince Edward looked at each other in a truck with a leaky canopy, and the Irishmen transferred them from one dock to another for only ten minutes, and then boarded a cruiser older than the Memphis, which carried them out of Dublin with the Irish-flagged battleship on the flagpole. After leaving port, the battleship tossed and turned the British in dizziness for more than an hour, and then slowed down and sent the British to the Irish Navy's flagship "Belfast", which was in a state of slow sailing.

Finally seeing the long-lost candidate for the Irish throne, Sir Newgent and Prince Edward wanted to beat this guy up, and although Natsuki was very surprised by Prince Edward's unexpected uninvited guest, he was not impressed by the sincerity of the other party at all. In the face of the question of Sir Negand, the British Foreign Secretary and Plenipotentiary Delegate, he coldly pointed out that the British Navy had carried out a preventive military deployment to all of Ireland's naval bases, including Limerick, and that with a radio order from the British Admiralty, a considerable number of submarines, high-speed torpedo boats, and mine-laying ships could carry out a strategic blockade or even a surprise attack on these Irish ports, in order to prevent Ireland's most valuable maritime strategic forces from being put in danger. He would let the main fleet sail out of the harbor in advance and be careful to conceal his whereabouts.

Sir Newgent had already seen the opponent's strong argument skills, and he was weakened by seasickness: "Well, your wise and martial highness, we can leave nothing else to talk about, and we have come today for only one question: Is Ireland determined to retake Belfast by force, no matter how great the cost?" ”

"The answer to this question is in your hands." Natsuki replied, "Have you forgotten that when we tried again and again to resolve the Belfast dispute by diplomatic means, it was you who ignored our proposals, and even mercilessly ridiculed them. The Irish cherish their hard-won peace, but if our sovereignty is trampled on and our dignity is violated, then we will not hesitate to take up arms, no matter how great the casualties. ”

The remarks are like new wine in an old bottle, and the content is exactly the same as what the mainstream public opinion in Ireland has expressed in recent times, but the wording has been strengthened by the use of speeches. Sir Newgent could have used the most common diplomatic tactics to go around with the other side, repeatedly testing the opponent's hole cards, and finally revealing his intentions, but now he really did not have the energy and patience to dwell on these, and after making eye contact with Prince Edward, he said in a straight voice: "Britain can cede Belfast, but your country must accept unconditionally the several demands we have made: first, to give autonomy to the predominantly Protestant regions of the north of Ireland, and to guarantee their freedom of worship and economic status. Secondly, the Port of Belfast should be designated as a demilitarized port, and no military installations should be maintained in the port. Third ......"

After listening to the first two requests, Xia Shu directly interrupted Sir Newgent's words: "I have basically made it clear what Your Excellency is coming to, I'm sorry, since the British government is holding the Xia mentality of interfering in Ireland's internal affairs, we don't need to talk about it anymore, please go back!" ”

Without waiting for Sir Newgent to explain, Prince Edward took over: "If His Highness makes a decision like this, it will be too arbitrary. ”

Xia Shu said coldly: "There is no room for bargaining for the first request, do you still need to listen to it later?" ”

Prince Edward was not at all nervous, but his tone was very sophisticated: "There is no reason why the inhabitants of the north of Ireland, many of whom are of English descent, should not be disregarded for their legitimate rights, and we sincerely apologize if Your Highness feels that we have deliberately offended the sovereignty of Ireland." ”

"What about the second requirement?" Natsuki asked in a soothing tone, "It's Ireland's freedom to garrison troops and build military installations in Belfast, so why should the British government dictate?" ”

"If Belfast were to be turned into a military fortress like Dublin, there would be no need to say much about the potential threat to the west coast of England, and His Highness would certainly have a clear idea. While we are making concessions, shouldn't Ireland show some sincerity for a lasting peace between the two countries? Prince Edward's answer was a wave, any explanation will not change the essence of the negotiation conditions, nor will it change the psychological bottom line of the other party, it acts like a lubricant, in the absence of lubricant, dry can also be done, but the process is relatively painful, with lubricant, this meeting that has room for operation can be carried out confidently.

(End of chapter)