The previous chapter numbers are heavy, uh uh......

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On the night of December 22, 1915, just as people were immersed in the festive atmosphere of the approaching Christmas, the situation in Europe changed dramatically. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Ireland to the United Kingdom, on behalf of the Irish government, submitted an ultimatum to the British Prime Minister, demanding that the United Kingdom cancel the referendum in Belfast, which was scheduled to be held the next day, because the current situation in Belfast cannot guarantee the fairness of the referendum, and the results of the referendum are very likely to be controlled by human factors.

In this ultimatum, which had a time limit of 12 hours to reply and to implement the ultimatum immediately if it was accepted, the Irish government took an unprecedentedly tough attitude: if the British government rejected the ultimatum or did not reply, and the referendum in Belfast was held as usual or postponed, the Irish army would launch a military attack on Belfast in order to avoid a division of Ireland against the will of the whole nation.

Immediately after the ultimatum was delivered to the British government, the Irish government sent a note to the envoys of various countries in Ireland, and this astonishing news was quickly transmitted to the countries of Europe and even to the United States across the ocean, and immediately caused an uproar in political circles, most of whom feared that the military conflict would drag Europe back into the purgatory of war.

To add fuel to the fire, just over an hour after Ireland handed over the ultimatum to Britain, the German Government issued a communiqué, which, although it began with a high-sounding suggestion that the parties to the conflict should adopt peaceful negotiations as the preferred means of settling disputes, the key sentence "All territorial disputes fundamentally respect historical origins and national will" clearly expressed the German Government's substantive position of understanding and supporting the Kingdom of Ireland.

In the face of the ultimatum officially submitted by the Irish, if the British top brass turns a blind eye or does nothing, it will inevitably fall into passivity in terms of public opinion and morality. The situation was so urgent that the members of Beauna-Law's cabinet had to brave the snow and wind overnight to rush to the Prime Minister's residence, and after some painful deliberations, the Prime Minister went to the palace with the Cabinet's opinion to listen to the holy will.

In the face of a distraught George V, Beauna-Law cautiously reported: "In fact, all the cabinet ministers, with the exception of Field Marshal Kitchener, the Secretary of War, thought that we could only make concessions in humiliation, because a war with Ireland at this time would only make the Germans the greatest strategic beneficiary - they were in a state of military surplus, and they were worried that they would not be able to defeat us in an economic and trade war, and another naval blockade would be enough to burn the gains of British revival in the past six months!" ”

George V rubbed his temples with two thumbs, closed his eyes and asked, "The marshal's opinion is to grit his teeth and fight this battle with the Irish?" ”

Boeen-Rau replied, "Not really. As he had at the last Cabinet meeting, he insisted that if the battle for Belfast was fought, we would lose all the time and that the wisest strategy would be to avoid war with Ireland. But he felt that if we made concessions now, tomorrow the Irish Government would send a new ultimatum calling for the withdrawal of our troops from Ireland or a military attack. ”

"It's not impossible," said George V, "that His Highness is the most irrational person we have ever met, and such a person is often the most difficult to deal with. Let's take one step, one step at a time, what should we do? ”

Beaunar-Law, a man who knew how to figure out what to expect, hurriedly replied: "According to Marshal Kitchener's opinion, we must find a way to drag it out for the next few days, so that the Belfast referendum can become a given fact." The most advantageous point for us at the moment is precisely the unreasonableness of His Highness, who is now not the chief of staff of the fleet behind the scenes, but the heir to the throne of a country, the de facto ruler. At the national level, all matters must be conducted in accordance with common sense rules, otherwise it will be difficult to obtain international recognition. ”

George V, like a man struggling to cross a river, suddenly discovered a single-plank bridge, but was not sure that it could carry it, so his tone was more tactful: "That is to say, Ireland's present practice is full of loopholes in international practice and established jurisprudence." ”

If this was a feasible way out, Beauna-Law's expression would not be as solemn as it is now, and he replied in a deep tone: "Strictly speaking, but Your Majesty also knows that these rules have always been only for the strong to bind the weak, and although our overall strength is many times stronger than that of Ireland, they have a comparative military advantage in the Belfast dispute, and judging from the consistent practice of their backers, Germany, they probably do not take these constraints seriously." The fact that we have made these efforts has been ignored by the Irish side is a terrible debasement of our national dignity and is likely to be emulated by other countries in the event of similar disputes in the future. ”

"You have a point in your considerations, but the point is that we are not sure of the boldness of His Highness and his supporters, or rather the commitment of the Germans." George V said this with some frustration, and suddenly rebuked angrily, "Can't the intelligence agencies, which we once prided ourselves on, offer any advice?" ”

With the current management model of the British intelligence system, Beauna-Law, as head of state, has no right to interfere in its operations and is not responsible for its failures, so he can respond in a mocking tone: "If nothing else, we don't even know where His Highness is." In addition to accepting the Irish ultimatum, any of our comments and requests may be shelved by the Irish government on the grounds that it is unable to contact a candidate for the throne. ”

George V sneered: "This kind of ridiculous thing can only be done by people like him!" If I were to sail and let you refuse the Irish ultimatum on the grounds that I could not be contacted, I am afraid that the reputation of the British crown would be ruined. ”

"That His Highness is not gambling with his political reputation, and the more advantageous point for him is that he is very young, has very little qualifications, and has outstanding military performance, so it is easier to be forgiven by the outside public."

At this point, Boehner-Law turned the conversation back to the point: "Taken together, we think it is more prudent and rational to accept Ireland's ultimatum and temporarily cancel the referendum in the Belfast area. Since we have established important strategic cooperation with the Americans in the long term, we should make concessions on these non-core issues, so as not to make the Germans find an excuse to intervene by force. Field Marshal Kitchener was actually quite right, but the problem was that it was too risky, and it was not worth gambling the whole country for a few thousand square miles of land and more than 200,000 non-native people. ”

"From the height of big politics, the Cabinet's considerations are very well placed, but, from the perspective of the country's future, this concession must have far-reaching consequences for the United Kingdom, and most of them are negative...... What a dilemma! ”

"And there's so little time left for us to think about it." "The British Empire has never issued such a harsh ultimatum in any dispute or conflict with any country, and whatever the final outcome, we will surely make the Kingdom of Ireland and its pretentious Highness twice the price," said Beauer-Lo reluctantly. ”

Just as the current British prime minister, who has a good public image, is talking harshly in the air, the person who has taken the unusual path is playing against someone in the cabin of a heated battleship. Although his new command ship, HMS Belfast, has a displacement of 20,000 tonnes and a decent seaworthiness capability, its performance is second to none not only in the Irish Navy, but also in Europe today. However, the North Atlantic sea is turbulent, and people who are not accustomed to life at sea stay on a turbulent warship, which is simply a double torture for body and mind.

Natsuki, who had served in the navy for many years, naturally did not have such troubles, and the special envoy from Germany, the personal liaison officer of Kaiser Wilhelm II and a member of the German royal family, Count Maximilian von Kaissen of the Grand Duchy of Baden, had already vomited. However, despite the paleness of the earl and the weakness of his limbs, the skillful chess skills still made it difficult for Natsuki to move on the chessboard.

A game is approaching, and the earl's sunspot is in sight again, and he took the initiative to be relieved: "Your Majesty's chess path is very distinctive, the field of vision is very broad, and the layout of the whole game is particularly exquisite. ”

The candidate for the throne is like the crown prince and should be called "His Royal Highness", but the insistence of Earl von Kaessen on using this title in spite of Natsuki's correction is naturally a deliberate compliment, and in Natsuki's view, this move is also a hint that if Ireland can reclaim Belfast with the firm support of Germany, the Irish candidate for the throne will justifiably wear the crown, and it will not be too presumptuous to change the title in a few days.

"I have a good chance of winning against someone with average chess skills, but when I meet a master like the earl, I will win less and lose more. As it turns out, I still have a lot to learn and sharpen. Natsuki said modestly. On the real battlefield, he has little capital to grow from defeat, so he is knowledgeable and learns from the classics, and on the chessboard, he is keen to try all kinds of things, sometimes with unexpected moves to win big wins, sometimes to lose completely.

The earl shook his head and said: "No matter how good the chess skills are, they will break through the squares in front of them, and in the real world, the real king will not be limited by the lines and rules of the chessboard." Your Majesty has already comprehended this at this age, and I am ashamed of myself for a fellow like me who is only enlightened when I am about to enter the grave! ”

Looking at the chess game in front of him where there was no room for redemption, Xia Shu sighed with emotion: "Chess skills can be practiced in failure, and the game between countries often has only one chance, if I can win steadily and steadily, why should I always take extreme risky strategies?" ”

(End of chapter)