Churchill had made up his mind to hold on to London, but Britain was not ready to do so.

You can't expect a war-torn country shattered by artillery fire to win this war without all foreign aid.

The biggest problem facing Britain now is that the confidence and pride that the British were once proud of are disappearing little by little. When a once powerful empire suddenly finds that it is no longer the boss of the world, and has long been left behind, such frustration and pain are difficult for outsiders to understand.

Hodge County was under a frantic attack by the Chinese, and a German unit had come around from the flank, and there was no room for salvation in Hodge County. Once Hodge falls into the hands of the Chinese, it will soon be London's turn.

What the British feared was still happening

On March 21, Hodge County was lost.

And so something that the British once thought would never happen even in a million years appeared: London, a city with a long history, would finally face the most direct attack from the enemy.

Churchill issued a call to defend London on 22 March. However, it is very obvious that the confidence of the British [***] team has been low, and the British people have despaired of this.

Even if they still have full confidence, the reality is that the British will no longer be able to hold on

The losses of troops were so severe that they could not be replenished at all. The reserves of strategic materiel are already almost zero, and it is impossible to organize even a large-scale counterattack.

This is not the era of cold weapons, and it is not possible to rely on one's own tenacious willpower to achieve victory.

The three-dimensional attacks in the sky and the ground are enough to collapse a huge city in an instant. It's a sad scene

The Sino-German forces did not immediately launch an attack on London, but took advantage of their air superiority and dropped numerous leaflets on the city.

The contents of the leaflets were mostly the same, telling the British about the current situation, telling the British that London had no hope of continuing to hold on, and that surrender was the only right choice for the British.

Leaflets can't make a city surrender at once, but they are enough to further crumble their already low confidence

Churchill delivered speeches on March 22, 23, and 24, which meant nothing more than to make the British people show a hundredfold confidence to resolutely defend the British capital and resolutely repel the enemy's attack.

No flowers, no applause, no cheers

The British are completely numb to such speeches, and they don't need motivation now, they need a political axe that can give them a sense of security, a political axe that can stop the war. The British soldiers did not need such an incentive, they needed bullets, machine guns, all the weapons that could help them.

But these were things that Churchill could not come up with

At this time, the attack on London was proceeding in an orderly manner. A huge force of more than 300,000 men from the sky and the ground is about to launch a final assault on London.

A political solution is also under way, but it is clear that it will not have much effect. Churchill and his political axe were not willing to succumb to the fire of the Chinese so easily.

The patience of the Chinese is disappearing, the patience of the Germans is disappearing, the patience of all is disappearing

On 26 March, the first round of shelling of London from the ground began.

Powerful artillery fire enveloped London, shells with the roar of death in London burned raging, explosions continued to sound in the city, firefighters have been helpless against the fire everywhere.

It was one of the saddest moments in London's history

The Chinese seem to have an inexhaustible supply of shells, and they bomb the city almost constantly. Perhaps they thought that the use of artillery shells was enough to destroy the city completely.

The most critical moment in the history of London and Britain has arrived!

The fighters in the air also joined in the bombing of London, and the endless bombing was a terrible torture for the British psyche and **.

For King George VI of England, it was also an endless torment.

George VI was known to his family as "Bertie" and as "Prince Albert" to the public until he ascended the throne. He was the second son of George V and Queen Mary. In 1920 he became Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron of Killarney. At the time, it seemed that he had no chance of succeeding to the throne, as his older brother, the popular and intelligent Crown Prince Edward, was ahead of him in the line of succession. Because of this, Prince Albert was allowed to serve in the Royal Navy during World War I and had more freedom in choosing his wife. In 1923 he finally married Elizabeth after being rejected several times. Bowes. Leon married.

Since they were unlikely to inherit the throne, the couple were able to raise their two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, in a relatively normal environment. Albert was very shy and suffered from a severe stutter all his life. He was unhappy when he learned that his brother, who had succeeded Edward VIII in 1936, had finally decided to abdicate for marital reasons and would succeed to the throne himself. On May 12, 1937, he ascended the throne at Westminster Abbey and changed his name to George VI, in keeping with Queen Victoria's last wishes, so that all British monarchs could not be named "Albert" after his accession, and on the other hand, to rebuild public confidence in the royal family by using the same name as his father.

Two years later, World War II broke out, and the royal family, who were of low prestige at the time, hoped to be a model for leading the country to victory, and they were indeed an important factor in maintaining the fighting spirit of the British people in the Second World War. The King's Christmas speech at the beginning of the war boosted morale.

But now, even in the deep palace, George VI knew that no amount of speeches could continue to boost the morale of the British people

Under such circumstances, George VI summoned Winston. Churchill.

"How's the war going?" George VI asked slowly.

"Your Majesty, we are confident of victory." Churchill said in as brisk a tone as he could: "The British people are incomparably strong in their determination to fight, and Britain is capable and confident of repelling any enemy attack." ”

"I believe you, Mr. Prime Minister." George VI smiled reluctantly: "Under your leadership, Britain has achieved something that has attracted the attention of the whole world. We have repelled the German air raids on London, thwarted the repeated attempts of that German madman against the British, and if we were given some more time, I am sure that the final victor would be us"

Churchill heard what His Majesty was saying, but he did not immediately speak, and sure enough, he then heard George VI say:

"Now that London is being horribly bombed, and our property and people's lives are under terrible threat, do you think there is any need for such a war to continue?"

Churchill's heart was gripped tightly when the most terrible thing finally happened, and His Majesty was wavering in his victory in the war

No, not wavering, in the words of His Majesty the King, Churchill had even heard the meaning of surrender

"Your Majesty, the war will definitely continue, and the final victory will definitely be ours." Churchill cheered himself up: "Believe that London will be able to hold on, the enemy's attack will be crushed, and soon we will launch the greatest counterattack!" ”

A sneering smile appeared on George VI's lips, and then he regained his composure: "Mr. Prime Minister, I don't know many things, but that doesn't mean I'm ignorant. What makes me wonder is, do we still have the capital to launch a counterattack? Some people told me that there was not enough food in London, there was not enough ammunition, and the Americans could not give us the most direct assistance. Oh no, I'm wrong very quickly, and the United States will also be attacked, is that what it looks like? Mr. Prime Minister? ”

Churchill was silent, he didn't know what to answer.

"Mr. Prime Minister." George VI could be heard sighing: "You should know that I don't like to be this king, and I have a very bad stutter, and I am not very good at expressing my opinion in front of the citizens, but since the English need me to be this king, then I have no choice." Not only did I sit in this position, but I also worked hard to correct my stuttering, and finally gave my first speech in front of the British public, which I didn't expect to cause such a big response. ”

Churchill nodded approvingly.

Indeed, the king did give a lot to boost the morale of the British.

George VI said slowly: "A man who does not like to be a king is placed in this position, and a man with a severe stutter has to give a speech in the whole country, which is a painful thing, but it is also his duty and responsibility for a king." Remember what I used to say in my speech? 'Then, with God's help, we will surely win'. Mr. Prime Minister, do you remember? ”

Churchill nodded.

"At this solemn moment, perhaps the most life-and-death moment in the history of our country, I send such a message to everyone, wherever you may be. I can empathize with your feelings, and I even hope to go door-to-door to tell you. Most of us will face a second war, and we have repeatedly sought peaceful solutions to disputes between States. But all in vain, we are forced to get involved in this war, we must accept this challenge, if Hitler prevails, the world civilized order will be destroyed. This belief is stripped of its pretense and is only a naked pursuit of power, and in order to defend all that we hold dear, we must accept this challenge for this noble goal. I call on the people at home, as well as those abroad, to take this as their responsibility, and I implore everyone to remain calm and steadfast and to unite in the face of trials. The trials are severe, we will face a difficult time, and the war is not confined to the front lines. Only with righteousness in our hearts can we act rightly, and we hereby sincerely pray to God that if everyone is firm in their faith, then, with God's help, we will be victorious. ”

Churchill could clearly remember every word of His Majesty's speech.

It was a great speech, a powerful speech. It was precisely this speech that gave Churchill unlimited encouragement and gave infinite encouragement to the British people.

That speech is still clear in our ears, but the situation in the world has changed dramatically.

"Is God still on our side?" George VI suddenly said: "God can't see Britain anymore, Mr. Prime Minister." If my abdication or even death could have solved everything, then I would be willing to make such a sacrifice, but apparently the enemy is not satisfied with more than that. I think that if the war continues, it will bring complete destruction to Britain."

He paused at this point: "I know that I have no right to interfere with your decision, I am only making this proposal as a British king, no, as the most ordinary British citizen, and it should be over." Although surrender is a shameful thing, it gives Britain hope of survival, and I firmly believe that Britain will one day rise again. If anyone has to bear the responsibility, then I think I will bear the responsibility. ”

The King's words deeply shook Churchill.

Yes, the king has no right to interfere in any decision made by the political axe, but he is now not a king, but a most ordinary British citizen.

Perhaps all the English, like the king, did not want to see the war continue

On March 30, London had reached the most dangerous moment, and after a long period of artillery bombardment, the Sino-German forces began to attack London with tanks.

On the same day, British Prime Minister Winston. Churchill gave a speech in the House of Commons, and he said what the king meant. Surprisingly, there was silence among the parliamentarians, who seemed to have prepared for the day, or rather, they had long since become numb.

Surrender or continue to resist?

"We have paid with blood, our lives, our tears," Churchill said slowly, "and we have done everything we could, but now we are facing complete failure." Sir, vote, the future of Britain is in your hands."

The atmosphere was solemn and sad, and everyone knew what it would mean for Britain after the vote.

There were no surprises in the final vote, and the deputies voted for surrender by an absolute majority of 371 votes in favor and 10 against.

Britain, which had resisted for a long time after France, finally gave up the last shred of illusions!

On March 31, 1944, Britain surrendered!

The United Kingdom, the full name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is composed of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, under a central political axe and head of state.

The United Kingdom is located in the northwest of Europe, in the British Isles. Britain was the first industrialized country in the world, and it was the most powerful country in the world between the 18th and early 20th centuries.

Great Britain is an island that is made up of England, Scotland and Wales. The Iberians, Vics, and Celts from the Mediterranean came to Britain one after another. The southeastern part of the island of Great Britain was ruled by the Roman Empire in the 1st-5th centuries AD. After the Romans withdrew, the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes in northern Europe invaded and settled one after another. In the 7th century, the feudal system began to form, and many small states were merged into seven kingdoms, which competed for 200 years, and the history is known as the "Anglo-Saxon era".

In 829, King Egbert of Wessex united England. It was invaded by the Danes at the end of the 8th century and was part of the Danish pirate empire from 1016 to 1042. After a short period of English rule, the Duke of Normandy crossed the sea to conquer England in 1066. In 1215, King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, and royal power was suppressed. From 1337 to 1453, England and France fought the "Hundred Years' War", and England won first and then lost. In 1536 Wales was united with England. In 1588, he defeated the Spanish "Armada" and established maritime supremacy. In 1640, England was the first in the world to break out in the bourgeois revolution and became the forerunner of the bourgeois revolution. On May 19, 1649, the Republic was proclaimed. In 1660 the dynasty was restored, and in 1688 the "Glorious Revolution" took place, which established a constitutional monarchy.

England was united with Scotland in 1707 and Ireland in 1801. From the second half of the 18th century to the first half of the 19th century, it became the first country in the world to complete the industrial revolution. The 19th century was the heyday of the British Empire, and in 1914 it occupied 111 times more colonies than the mainland, making it the first colonial power, calling itself the "Empire of Immortality". After the First World War, it began to decay. Britain established the County of Northern Ireland in 1920 and allowed the south of Ireland to secede from its rule in 1921-1922 to form the Reading State. The enactment of the Westminster Act in 1931 forced the Dominion to recognize its dominions as autonomous in domestic and foreign affairs, and the colonial system of the British Empire was shaken ever since.

1944 was one of the saddest years in British history, in which the Chinese [***] team landed in Britain and completely broke the last British line of defense, forcing Britain to surrender.

What would the British say about this old power, which was completely defeated by a new power, China, when countless years later began to think back to this period of history?

No one can know, no one can answer.

Now Britain has surrendered, and only one of China's enemies remains:

United States of America!

(To be continued)