"What do you think...... Where is that Highness now? Could it be that he has secretly returned to Ireland, just secretly hiding in some secret command to manipulate the situation? ”

As if to cover up the awkward atmosphere caused by Kitchener, Foreign Secretary Sir Nugand duly shifted the subject of the Cabinet meeting. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

The fact that the head of state was abroad at the brink of war was almost never seen in the recent history of Europe, so it was widely believed that it was a smoke bomb deliberately thrown by the Irish side. However, to the surprise of the British high-level, judging from the information obtained by various parties, the candidate for the Irish throne did not return to Ireland after the end of his visit to Britain, and the "von der Tann" and "Gneisenau" battle cruisers, which originally belonged to the German Navy, were also nowhere to be found.

Prime Minister Boeen-Law, Foreign Secretary Neugand, and the Speaker of the Privy Council, Sir Jervis, and others all looked at Kitchener, whose previous analysis and prediction had repeatedly proved that he had impeccable military command and organizational skills in the colonies, and finally became the object of dependence of his colleagues at critical moments, but as an army general, he had served overseas for many years before the outbreak of the war, and had little contact with His Royal Highness, who was born into the German royal family and had made great achievements in the naval circles, even before his official visit to the United Kingdom. The two never met. Therefore, Kitchener chose silence.

The Lord of the Admiralty, Earl Aurelius, a traditional civilian official, who had spent many years in British politics, knew little about professional naval affairs, but who had studied human thoughts and deeds, said: "It is not surprising that His Highness would have behaved in such a strange way. He had experienced some of the most glorious victories of his life on battleships, Jutland, Flanders, and the Faroe Islands, and perhaps he felt that he was particularly comfortable staying on a battleship, and that he would once again be favored by the Creator. ”

Admiral Stutty, Chief of the General Staff of the Navy, who was present at the meeting, immediately continued: "The Earl's words remind me of an earlier piece of information, according to our spy spy, which was infiltrated in France, that the 'Belfast', which was converted in Brest, that is, the battle cruiser built by Germany and later sold to the Turks in name, was equipped with the latest German development of radio transceiver equipment, and it was equipped with two sets in one go. At the time, we thought that the ship must be the new flagship of the Irish Navy, and that it should be equipped with sufficient communications equipment, but now that we think about it, the Irish had premeditated the situation at that time. ”

Sir Newgent reluctantly lamented: "If every step had been thought out months ago, this adversary would be terrible!" ”

General Stutty asked in frustration: "How else would we have lost the war?" ”

"Then we'll try to do the opposite, so that he can't guess what our next path will be." Kitchener's sudden proposal instantly attracted everyone's attention, and it seemed to make a lot of sense, but these people had no idea exactly what to do.

Kitchener's gaze swept over everyone's faces, and he said in a solemn voice: "The first and most critical question is whether he wants to fight this battle or not. ”

"Is there any doubt about that? If you want us to make diplomatic concessions, at least negotiate with us, because war could break out at any time, and our diplomats don't know where to go. "Sir Nugent, the Foreign Secretary, was the first to fire.

Kitchener coldly retorted: "This is the understanding of all normal people, but we are not dealing with a person who can be measured by normal thinking, so try to think the other way around: whether he is really fully prepared for military affairs." ”

Sir Newgent asked, puzzled, "But didn't you deduce that the best plan was to hold Belfast for four or five days?" ”

"Yes." Kitchener confirmed his previous remarks, explaining: "We have the best and the worst, and the Irish need to think about them as well. Their best plan was to crush the defenders in one fell swoop, and two days of fierce fighting, at the cost of 30,000 to 40,000 men; The worst plan is to drag on for four or five days and take Belfast at a cost close to or even more than 100,000 men. His Highness will definitely be able to bear such a price, and the key is whether he wants to bear it. ”

While the crowd was still understanding the meaning of these words, Prime Minister Beaunar-Law said: "Your Excellency's reasoning is very incisive, and it is probably the clearest and most thorough analysis I have heard in this week, and I personally wish to make some immature additions - in addition to human casualties, His Highness must carefully consider the long-term effects of this war on Ireland." First of all, the investment in military spending must be a large amount, not only to spend the profits of Ireland's trade in the past six months, but also to put the Irish government with a large amount of additional debt. Secondly, there is the international impact of waging war, and the choice of the use of force when the doors of referendum and negotiation are still open will inevitably give the world the impression of brutality and violence, reduce the potential opportunities for international cooperation, and there are all kinds of effects that cannot be fully predicted, and in a word: for a country as weak as Ireland, war should be the last resort. ”

Sir Nugand seemed to disagree with Kitchener and Bonner-Law, arguing: "In fact, most of us have thought so before, and the refusal to budge in our many meetings with the Irish Government may have exhausted the patience of the Irish, who are determined to settle the matter before the New Year, and it is not surprising that a military ruler of the country and a government of rebels would choose war!" ”

Kitchener asked rhetorically, "Do you think that the British government should now make concessions in order to avoid this unfavorable war?" ”

This sharp question made Sir Newgent a little flustered, and of course he did not dare to give an affirmative answer, otherwise the Cabinet meeting would not have been held from the afternoon until late at night.

Kitchener did not mean to target Sir Newgent, but he took advantage of the situation to conclude that "if we make concessions now, we will be in the trap of our opponents." ”

"So Your Excellency thinks we don't have to pay attention to the so-called military threat from Ireland, and we don't have to do anything now, just wait and see what they do next." Beauer-Rau said this in the affirmative, but Kitchener himself was noncommittal.

Throughout history, most of Britain's prime ministers have not been brilliant or imaginative, with only a few showing a bit of genius. The Prime Minister's role is to manage a group of ambitious and changeable personalities to keep them united in tough times, ensuring that every member of this band contributes to the grand ensemble. Boeen-Rau had a very clear understanding of his role, and although the cabinet ministers and attendees were not convinced by Kitchener, they could not come up with a more effective plan in the current situation. So, Boeen-Rau concluded: "Well, I don't think we can think of a better way at the moment." If you have no other opinions, I will go to the palace to meet Your Majesty, and I hope that it will help Your Majesty to have a good night's sleep, recuperate your spirits, and deliver tomorrow's Christmas message in the best possible condition. ”

Amid a prayer of "God bless Britain", the crowd dispersed and left. At this time, there were still snowflakes in the sky, and the cold north was blowing, giving people a biting chill. Leaving 10 Downing Street, the ministers and generals eagerly got into their cars, and Kitchener had just closed the door when the window next to him was gently knocked on by the prime minister's secretary.

A tired War Secretary rolled down the window.

"Your Excellency, the Prime Minister wants to invite you to the palace with me, I don't know what you think."

"Is this necessary?" Kitchener asked rhetorically, somewhat coldly.

"The Prime Minister should have his considerations, and if Your Excellency finds it inconvenient, the Prime Minister should understand, I don't know ...... you."

Kitchener said with a blank face: "Please Prime Minister first, and we will be there later." ”

Meanwhile, in the southern British ports of Portsmouth and Plymouth, workers at the Portsmouth shipyard and the Devonport Naval Shipyard braved the bitter cold to work overnight to reload the dismantled rangefinders with the Queen Elizabeth and War Weyware, two super-dreadnoughts with 15-inch guns. One by one, tarpaulin-laden trucks arrived at the docks, and well-dressed naval officers and sailors boarded the ships to join some of the crews of the two ships, who would soon be back to full capacity.

On the "Queen Elizabeth", built to the standards of the Navy's flagship, the 44-year-old Royal Navy Rear Admiral John Kelly stared solemnly in the direction of the pier. After a long time, an officer in a trench coat boarded the battleship and went straight to the captain's room.

As soon as he saw the comer, General Kelly asked, "It's all done?" ”

"Yes, it's all done. We can rest assured that we will be able to work all night. The comer replied.

General Kelly snorted coldly, when did the once brilliant British Royal Navy reach the point where it was necessary to look at people's faces, and it was so sneaky to build ships in its own harbor, it made people feel aggrieved when they thought about it.

"If it goes well, it can be completed in two days, right? But sir, Belfast's referendum is due tomorrow, and the Irish will certainly be unhappy with the result, and ...... then."

Admiral Kelly shared the apprehension of the visitor, but as the commander of the new warship, with the hopes of the whole country on his shoulders, he did not want any of his decisions to be influenced by subjective emotions, so he deliberately magnified his tenacity.

"These are not things we can control, Roger, what we have to do is to resolutely obey orders and resolutely defend the territorial sovereignty of the country."

General Kelly's words convinced the comer, but at this moment, in his own heart, there was a sense of ambivalence. The secret order to let the two super dreadnoughts reload the rangefinder came from the Admiralty, I heard that it was instructed by Buckingham Palace, but the Navy Staff and the Home Fleet Command did not know about it, whether it was a matter of communication and coordination, or those big people disagreed, General Kelly had no way to know and could not inquire, but he knew that the status of these two warships was very important, and if there was a mistake, someone would always come out and take the blame as a scapegoat. It's hard for him not to think about what the best-case scenario will be, and what the worst-case scenario will be.

(End of chapter)