Edinburgh, the proud "Pearl of North Britain" of the Scottish people, is the political, economic, industrial and financial center of the Scottish Republic. There are many historical monuments and ingenious landscapes, bookshops with the fragrance of paper and ink, theaters with moving music, large and small docks, and the metallurgical and chemical industries that have emerged in recent years. The storm is coming, walking in the streets and alleys of Edinburgh, watching pedestrians coming and going, full of vitality, it is not difficult to find that in addition to the military and police on duty Orr chatting, I did not see a few people stationed in ** to talk or talk while walking; Vehicles stop and go, traffic is sometimes smooth, sometimes congested, but the horn is rarely heard. The city is so clean and tranquil, like the perfect place in the ideal, but if you look at it, you will see that it is a false appearance.

The wind from the sea keeps the air fresh, but it can't dispel the oppression that permeates the air.

When night falls, military and police with loaded guns can still be seen everywhere at the streets and alleys and in front of the station. Since Barriol came to power, Edinburgh's crime and unemployment rates have fallen to record lows, murders, robberies, and even frauds and thefts are rarely reported. Except for theatre visits, Edinburgh's citizens rarely go out at night, and as soon as the theatre is over, they inevitably go back to their homes, so that the number of pubs on the street plummets, and restaurants and cafes are generally only open during the day.

Over the years, there have been fewer open pubs, but there has been no significant downward trend in the amount of alcohol consumed by the residents of Lovely Timburg each year. In fact, many people have converted their attics, basements, or warehouses into "underground taverns" to entertain only trusted acquaintances, while workers use all sorts of abandoned or forgotten corners to gather for drinks. In these secret locations, Edinburgh citizens can take off their masks, vent their emotions, exchange information, comment on current events and make friends.

Two almost scrapped trams are parked in the maintenance workshop No. 5 at Gliston Station, which have been idle since the early 30's due to the location of the workshop and the fact that the old equipment is not suitable for the maintenance of new trams. Maintenance workers cleverly sealed the doors and windows of the workshop, leaving only a hidden entrance, and converted the trams into "underground taverns" for tram drivers and mechanics, selling cheap whisky for 1 Scottish pound a bottle, a 20p glass of house-brewed wine and a 5p pack of baked potato chips, usually from 3pm to 8pm.

"Well, read the headline in the Scottish Daily today! Our incomparable 'national leader' had an important meeting with the diplomats of the German Empire in Vienna! Ridiculous! When will the diplomatic strategy of the Germans be decided by the diplomats? Without the support of the royal family, without the nod of the prime minister, it is useless for those diplomats to say anything! Besides, with the relationship between Germany and Ireland, how can it really help us! Ah, maybe the Germans are behind it! A drunken tram driver slapped the table in dissatisfaction, but only to attract a glance.

The evacuation of the new United Kingdom from Scotland, the evacuation of Scotland from Ireland and Wales, and the announcement of the evacuation of its nationals from Scotland by England made even the dullest person smell the heaviness of the impending war.

The train driver who was sitting at the same table sneered, "Of course I did." The Germans said they would guarantee the independent status granted to Scotland by the 1937 Declaration of Freedom, and would not hesitate to use force if necessary, so our 'national leaders' were happy and felt that the Germans were behind us. How naïve this is! Does the Irish, the Welsh, and the English join forces to knock our army down, sack our cities, plunder our resources, and then happily withdraw from Scotland, depriving us of our independence? Will the Germans interfere? Of course not! ”

The repairman who was sitting with them said mysteriously: "Well, I have heard that the three rulers of Britain have held a secret meeting in Vienna. Ahem, it's just a meeting of only three people, anyway, they don't have a language barrier, and they don't need to have an interpreter present! It is said that Joachim I agreed to provide Scotland with a resource compensation of 3,000 to 40,000 marks a year to extend their right to use the Gulf of Salom, but he refused, refused! This guy must have broken his brain! That small bay, which used to be frequented only by seabirds and turtles, was rented out to not only make a good profit, but also to feed the islanders, and now with a large amount of additional compensation. Isn't it good to have 30 million marks enough to replace the old trams in Scotland, to buy a set of surgical equipment for all the public hospitals, or to build a few decent warships for the navy? Do we have to do that thing that hurts others and is not good for ourselves, and provoke those two families to join forces and beat us up? ”

"That's right, it must have broken my brain!" The two tram drivers said in unison.

As they were talking, three men dressed in tram conductor's uniforms and carrying long guns walked in from outside, and this strange costume did not disturb the atmosphere of the "tram tavern" at all, only to see them squeeze to the only empty table and shout at the bar: "Three potato chips, three glasses of wine, and if there is smoked sausage, six!" ”

A middle-aged man's voice came from the other side of the bar: "I haven't seen smoked sausages for a long time, if you see them, please help me greet them!" ”

The crowd burst into laughter.

The three men were not angry, put their spears aside, shook their heads, and said, "Damn Japanese pigs, call us like animals, and at the end of the day, our hands and feet will be blistered!" ”

"Ah, it's the driver's turn to train again tomorrow!" The driver of the train who had just made the loudest noise glared in annoyance.

Another tram driver said, "Why did you bring the gun again?" Do you want to continue training in the evening? ”

The conductor sighed: "Yes, the Japanese pig said that when the enemy's weapons are better than ours, night fighting is a magic weapon to narrow the gap, so let's rest for two hours, and then go back to the playground at nine o'clock to continue training, I don't know how long we have to toss." ”

The young driver said: "I don't understand, the Japanese army has repeatedly suffered defeats over the years, and their last victory seems to be back half a century ago in the Russo-Japanese War, why hire instructors from them and ask for assistance?" ”

The old driver next to him stuffed the whiskey in the quilt, bared his teeth and said: "First, except for Japan, no one in the world is willing to help Scotland fight Ireland, and no one wants to do this kind of loss-making business!" Second, probably since the end of the last century, the Japanese army has continued to expand, fought for many years, and has more actual combat experience than most countries, although in the past ten years, they have been defeated by the Americans, defeated by the Russians, and beaten by the Americans again, but the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army is still very strong, and it is said that in the case of equal forces, they never lose to any country. ”

"The previous words are true, but the latter words, especially the last sentence, I don't agree with them. In the Philippine Campaign, many Japanese troops were beaten all over the ground by the Philippine guerrillas, and they did not show first-class combat effectiveness at that time. Look, look, what kind of standard weapon are they still using, the old toothless bolt rifle! The conductor closest to the drivers replied as he picked up the rifle that had been placed on the table and threw it on the table with a thud.

This Type 38 rifle is one of the large quantities of weapons and equipment that Japan has provided to Scotland free of charge. As the old driver said, in today's world, only the Japanese are willing to take the Scots with them.

"We're just a militia after all." "It's not like the regular army, and it's already using the best Hyaku-style automatic rifles of the Japanese army, which are said to be no worse than the assault rifles of the Irish army." ”

"You believe it?" The old driver asked.

The maintenance worker was immediately choked.

The old driver took another sip of whiskey and said truthfully: "The great Scottish Army, apart from building forts, digging trenches, and suppressing rebels, what other feats are worth showing off?" What credit does the great Scottish Navy have to show off other than wandering around, harassing fishing boats, going ashore to fight? The great Scottish Air Force, apart from using the public for personal gain, eating, drinking, prostituting and gambling, and pampering, what else is worthy of praise? No matter how good the weapons are in their hands, they are only pretend-like decorations, not to mention the weapons provided by the Japanese army, which are not good goods at all. The Scottish army, nothing more than the victims they used to test their weapons! ”

The crowd couldn't refute it, and bowed their heads and drank alcohol.

After a while, a burly middle-aged man hurried in: "Bad news! Bad news! Bad news just got from the Workers' Union! The new United Kingdom has issued an ultimatum to our country demanding that the Scottish army completely lift the blockade and control of Salom Bay within 48 hours and continue to honour the Lend-Lease Treaty, failing which it will ...... They will take the necessary military means. ”

Before the words fell, the audience was in an uproar.

The man asked for a glass of whiskey nearby, tilted his head and killed it, and continued: "They speculate that the government will issue a mobilization order by tomorrow morning at the latest, and the reservists and militia personnel will be fully conscripted. Some of the militia would stay in the city to assist in the defense, while others would be sent to the southern front to help the army build fortifications, fortify the defenses, and even participate directly in battle. ”

"What about England? What did the English do? A maintenance worker asked anxiously.

The man replied quickly: "The English government has not yet expressed its position, but the English army has already deployed heavy troops along the border and allowed the new United Kingdom to cross the border, and once the new United Kingdom attacks us, they will definitely find some reason to send troops to us." ”

"Are we just going to be called up and go to the front with guns?" The old driver reluctantly asked, "Does the Workers' Union have any suggestions?" ”

The man shook his head: "Although we don't want to fight, resisting the government's conscription order is an act of treason, no matter how much we are dissatisfied, we can't be traitors!" Now we can only hope that the government will accept the ultimatum and avoid the scourge of war, or that the army will stand up decisively to stop Barriol's arbitrariness, otherwise we will have to wish each other good luck! ”