After exiting Charlotte Hill's room, Natsuki did not return to the Grand Ballroom, but asked one of the attendants about the location of the smoking room. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 When he opened the door and walked into this room decorated with various weapons and armor, where he could smoke, drink, chat, and play cards, the gentlemen inside suddenly fell silent, and forty or fifty pairs of eyes looked at this unexpected intruder, and this strange scene suddenly shocked Natsuki.

"Ah, Your Highness Joachim, you are also smoked by the smell of perfume in the hall?"

The man who broke the silence was the UK's new prime minister, Conservative leader Andrew Bona Law. Although George Lloyd, who succeeded Asquith as prime minister in the wartime cabinet, made a positive contribution to stabilizing the situation in Britain in the later stages of the war and tried his best to protect Britain's core interests in the subsequent armistice negotiations, the ordinary British people were very dissatisfied with the government's signing of the London Armistice Treaty, which ceded 40% of the colonial territory and control of the Middle East to the Allies, and then launched nationwide demonstrations and protest strikes, which led to the collapse of the Lloyd's cabinet after only a few months in power. Bona Rwe served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Lloyd's coalition cabinet and managed wartime finances in good order, thus gaining the support of the royal family and the populace, becoming the first British prime minister ever born outside his home soil.

Beauna-Law's humor defused the awkward scene just right, and Natsuki, who was younger than most of the people present, shrugged with a smile, neither admitting nor denying it.

Immediately afterward, the new British Prime Minister beckoned: "A whiskey, or a gin?" ”

Natsuki looked over the bar, and there were dozens of bottles of different styles and colors in the huge wine cabinet, and the name of the liquor was presumably available here.

"A glass of stout, thank you!"

The English waiter in a white wig and classical attire behind the bar was supposed to be very professional in serving drinks, but he hesitated for a moment, and then saw him bend down and busy with the lattice under the bar for a while, bringing out a glass of dark beer - the cup was a special glass beer glass, but the size was only two-thirds the size of the beer glass most commonly used in Germany.

Natsuki had no habit of nitpicking, and to the astonishment of the crowd, he took the beer from the tray brought by the attendant, and took a large sip of it as if nothing had happened, just a burp, like any tavern drinker in Germany.

"It tastes good." Natsuki toasted to the calm Bona Law.

Beauna-Law, who was a year older than Wilhelm II, smiled heartily: "Ha! His Highness is such a very interesting person! Very interesting! ”

"Why do you think so?" Natsuki asked.

The new British prime minister, with thick eyebrows, deep eyes and a thick mustache, replied: "Because ...... Not only are you the first person to order a beer here today, but as far as I know, the first person to order a beer here in nearly a decade. Fortunately, this gentleman is very dedicated, and if you change to someone who is not so familiar with the environment, you will inevitably be in a hurry! ”

Natsuki was not ashamed, took a second sip of his own thoughts, and the wine glass went straight to the bottom, so he put the empty wine glass in the waiter's tray, and ordered the waiter to "have another glass" without changing his face.

Beauna-Law didn't seem to think of Natsuki as an alcoholic drunk, he took a step forward and whispered, "Just now in the hall, you were surrounded by your admirers, and you didn't have a chance to say a few serious words. You see, I happen to have something here that I would like to hear His Highness's opinion, and this should be His Highness's main concern at the moment. ”

"Belfast?" Natsuki asked without thinking.

"Yes, fearing that it would become a danger of undermining the long-term peace of the British Isles, we have thought for a long time and tried to find a proper solution. What if...... We recognize Ireland's sovereignty over the Belfast region and continue to occupy it by Lend-Lease...... How about His Royal Highness, with the support of the army, justifiably wear the crown of Ireland and the best of both worlds?

On closer inspection, Natsuki said that this was indeed a very tempting suggestion, and it was indeed feasible, but in that case, Ireland was not essentially free from the situation of being held hostage, and he was personally involved in the British government.

But Natsuki didn't refuse, but replied with a panacea-like delay: "I will consider your proposal. ”

In a power position, a simple conversation can also be a contest, in which one side behaves too actively, and it is easy for the other party to see through the original intention and fall into passivity. Therefore, Bona Law put on a posture of "let you choose" and did not ask any questions on this issue.

Not long after, George V entered the room, and all the people who were seated got up.

Like Natsuki, the British king came from a naval background, and their humor and straightforwardness are their common traits.

"Gentlemen, please feel free." George V said as he unbuttoned his neckline, and the glamour of the banquet was very frustrating, both men and women.

"Oh, His Highness Joachim is too." George V pretended to be a chance encounter, but who would believe it?

"Your Majesty." Natsuki raised the wine glass in his hand slightly to show his respect.

Seeing the dark beer in Xia Shu's hand, George V was really a little surprised, but his expression did not see any major changes, and his gaze quickly returned to normal. He asked for a glass of whiskey and a round cigar, and then turned to Natsuki: "Today's dinner didn't disappoint His Highness, did it?" ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your hospitality." Natsuki replied, "I'm flattered by everyone's enthusiasm. ”

"The enthusiasm of the British is only for friends, which shows that everyone wants to be friends with His Highness." George V took a sip of wine, and the liquid level in the glass dropped significantly.

"That's a real pleasure for me." Natsuki politely arrived.

George V set his glass aside, and the attendant duly offered the cigar cutter, which he skillfully and easily cut and seemed to enjoy the process.

After finishing the cigar, George V said to Natsuki: "All friends do not need to treat themselves as guests with me, and neither does Your Highness. ”

Natsuki politely complimented, "Your Majesty's bearing makes me admire. ”

"It depends on who you compare yourself to." George V said with ulterior motives.

"Oh?" Natsuki pretended to be puzzled.

George V, who had just been praised for his magnanimity, was not in a position to belittle others in public, so he automatically skipped the topic and jumped to the proposal that Bona Rau had spoken about a few minutes earlier.

"The reason why we insist on the occupation of the Belfast area is actually that there are many layers of consideration, political, military, religious, and His Highness's wisdom is far beyond ordinary people, and he must be able to understand our suffering. Rather than arguing over this issue and even triggering a new war, it is better for our two countries to take a step back and live in peace, and in the economic and trade fields, our two countries actually have a lot to work with. ”

George V's constant references to "two nations" seem to have fully accepted the fait accompli of the Kingdom of Ireland's independence, and as for what he really thought in his heart, apart from himself, it is estimated that only those who were always with him and who were good at figuring out what he wanted to know.

"I'm a complete novice when it comes to governing the country, but I can find a lot of things in the historical books. As for the dispute between the two countries, my personal proposition is to try to resolve it through peaceful means, after all, war is a Pandora's box, and once it is opened, no one can control the situation. What do you say, Your Majesty? ”

"Your Highness is right!" In a subdued tone, George V said, "In the present state of our two countries, war is not beneficial, and we should stand on the ground of peaceful coexistence and work together to solve the problems left over from historical and political reasons." ”

"I will always keep in mind what you said." Natsuki used another "all-purpose plaster" in political and diplomatic occasions to close the channel for in-depth discussion on this topic. The British could not guess his cards, but after this contact and temptation, they could at least be sure that the heir to the Irish throne from the Hohenzollern family, the de facto holder of the Irish crown, was not as arrogant and open-mouthed as William II.

As for whether he can show Bismarck's formidable skills on the international stage, it will only be time to tell.

George V smoked a cigar leisurely, and suddenly the conversation changed: "If Your Highness doesn't mind, can you ask for a military question?" ”

Since it is a consultation, Natsuki has no reason to refuse.

"It is said that His Royal Highness is the inventor of the German naval chariot, a world-class artillery expert, and the best combat commander on the battlefield, in the Battle of Verdun, His Royal Highness joined forces with the German Crown Prince, and successively invested the strength of two corps and a large number of naval combat vehicles and heavy siege artillery, and still fought hard for more than a month, consumed countless ammunition, and paid the price of hundreds of thousands of casualties before it was captured. Does this mean that strong fortified defenses remain the most insurmountable goal for field troops in our time? ”

George V's implication could not be clearer: the German field troops with elite soldiers and powerful weapons had forced the fortress of Verdun and paid a heavy price, and the defensive strength of the Belfast area was already above Verdun.

As the king and his staff know, Natsuki is the inventor of tanks in this era, proficient in gunnery and knows how to use heavy artillery tactics, and has rich experience in combat command, but they can't open this person's head to see how many unbelievable ideas he has, so they will test it openly and secretly, but unfortunately, the alcohol content of a glass of dark beer is less than a sip of whiskey, Natsuki has always maintained a clear mind, even in the face of George V's provocation, he will not be as bloody as a young man. Instead, he smiled calmly: "Verdun is like the button on His Majesty's neckline, which is not easy to notice under the cover of the collar and medals, but its role is irreplaceable. During the war, the victory over Verdun laid the foundation for the German army; After the war, it became a lesson in rethinking tactical tactics. With the military wisdom of mankind, when the Battle of Verdun appears on the battlefield in the future, do you think that the attacking side will have to pay such a big price? ”

(End of chapter)