Chapter Ninety-Three, The British Catastrophe

In the early morning of October 13, 1946, on the outskirts of London, the capital of the United Kingdom

A heavily guarded convoy slowly drove out of London in the dawn mist, on an open road with few vehicles because it was wartime, and headed for Windsor Castle, a royal forbidden place forty kilometers southwest of London. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

After leaving the city of London, the scenery along the way is full of European idyllic atmosphere. The smooth hard pavement is lined with tender green lawns, on which herds of cattle and sheep roam leisurely. Further afield, there are small patches of lush forests and tranquil ponds and lakes, as well as manor houses belonging to the wealthy British aristocracy. In those quiet towns, the bells of the steeple churches can be heard echoing from time to time.

However, despite the beautiful scenery that seems to come out of an oil painting, Winston in the car. Prime Minister Churchill had no intention of appreciating it.

At this time, he is facing the biggest crisis since his political career! And the British Empire is facing the greatest catastrophe in two centuries!

-- The smoke of World War II has not yet dissipated, and the even more terrifying World War III has already broken out.

For the British Empire, which had already exhausted its coffers and private wealth in World War II, wiped out an entire generation of young people, and lost most of its colonies, this was a leak in the rain...... What's more, in the midst of these unexpected three wars, the British Empire had a bad start from the beginning, losing the vital Scapa Gulf Fleet and the Fortress of Gibraltar - what was left of the British Empire without its navy?

Despite this, the so-called tiger is ambitious, no matter how downtrophic the British Empire is now, it can't even have the courage to fight, right?

After all, even the Qing Empire back then did not have a snack for this - although it was a battle with the great powers and a battle, it still fought a few battles, and it was not so weak that it directly surrendered unconditionally without even daring to fight. If you really want to fall into such a world, it's too shameless!

Therefore, after the Soviet Union took the lead in declaring war, the upper and lower houses of parliament in London still declared war on the Soviet Union -- and then, although the socialist regimes of China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Finland, and Norway also declared war on the United States and Britain, the United States and Britain did not recognize the legitimacy of these socialist countries, that is, they did not recognize the existence of these countries. So it also dispenses with a lot of declarations of war.

However, unlike World War I and World War II, the British leadership was already seriously lacking confidence from the beginning of the war. As early as the time of the declaration of war, many people were left with only a hard mouth, even Churchill, a warlike maniac, was very, very weak-hearted.

There is no way, more than six consecutive years of war have completely defeated the last bit of the British Empire. At least a tenth of Britain's pre-war population of 46 million had died, and it was dominated by able-bodied men who were the main laborers. More than three million British girls are about to become old girls and little widows. The Royal Navy and the merchant fleet, which once dominated the world, have largely ceased to exist.

By 1946, in order to ensure the replenishment of the army, Churchill's wartime cabinet had to pinch its nose and recruit women on a large scale, while recruiting Arabs and blacks from the African colonies to join the army - otherwise the Boy Scouts would really have to fight the Bolsheviks!

As a result, because they were forced to mobilize a large number of black troops to guard the British mainland, in the face of these strong black little fresh meat who were so good and heroic, countless lonely and hungry British widows and old girls fell one after another, hooked up with them, and soon made a lot of mulattoes, causing very serious social and ethical problems...... Under the turbulence of public opinion, the wartime cabinet led by Churchill was really anxious, but it did not dare to ruthlessly suppress the black troops -- there were not many men left in Britain who could fight, and if there was another "rebellion of the black traitors," the consequences would only worsen.

In short, before the outbreak of World War III, the British Empire had become a wrecked ship leaking on all sides, and in the face of the stormy waves of the new era, it was really ready to overturn at any time. Even Churchill himself, who was the most die-hard in his words, no longer dared to hope for a glorious total victory.

In fact, if his opponents were Napoleon, Wilhelm II or even Hitler, Churchill might have been ready to kneel and sue for peace.

This time, however, the opponent of the British Empire was Stalin, the revolutionary leader of the proletariat all over the world, an undying class enemy. Moreover, Stalin had already conquered almost the entire European continent by this time, and he had nuclear weapons of mass destruction, and he was already in control of victory before the declaration of war - therefore, for the British Empire, there was no such thing as surrendering half of everything, only the option of surrendering unconditionally to the Soviets and asking for forgiveness and pardon.

Unable to bear the consequences of unconditional surrender, Churchill felt that he had no choice but to fight until the last Indian was gone.

――After all, he is also the king of the seven seas who has dominated the earth for 200 years, even if he is a-stirring stick, he must have a little bit of the domineering and style of the empire! How can you be greedy for life and afraid of death? Even if the British Empire is doomed, it must be destroyed vigorously!

The problem is that this is just Churchill's own opinion, not that others think so. On the contrary, there are many who believe that even unconditional surrender is better than a bang of destruction...... Although Churchill, as a powerful wartime prime minister, could ignore and suppress the opinions of these cowards, when King George VI's fighting spirit for war began to waver, Churchill could no longer sit idly by.

In any case, Churchill was also a vassal of the king, and his power was granted by the king, which could theoretically be withdrawn at any time.

So, on the third day of the outbreak of World War III and the destruction of the Grand Fleet, Churchill drove to Windsor Castle to lobby the king to support his war policy.

Obviously, this is not an easy task, especially since the Soviets have the atomic bomb and the British Empire does not have it.

In short, Churchill is very distressed and mentally stressed, and he has lost interest in the surrounding lakes and mountains and the idyllic scenery.

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As we all know, since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the air quality in the foggy capital of London has become very tragic, specifically soot and pungent smell. Whether it is the slums of London's East End, where the poor live, or Regent Street, where the rich and wide-eyed, they can't escape the trouble of choking smog.

So, starting with the great Queen Victoria, modern British royalty has been accustomed to living at Windsor Castle in the countryside to escape the noise and short-lived air pollution of the metropolis, and usually only move back to Buckingham Palace in downtown London for a while when they have to attend meetings and ceremonies, or receive foreign guests—just as the Bourbon royal family in France lives in Versailles and does not often stay in the city of Paris.

In the early stage of the British Air War in World War II, in order to boost the morale of the people, the then King George VI insisted on staying at Buckingham Palace in the city, even if the palace was bombed by the Luftwaffe and the chapel was destroyed by a bomb, he was unwilling to evacuate to Windsor Castle, claiming that he would not leave until the end of the war, in order to show that he would risk the same arrows with the people...... While this spirit may sound a little moving, it has taken a heavy toll on the health of His Majesty George VI – the king has been ill since childhood, suffering from chronic gastritis and stuttering, and has been a long-term smoker, suffering from severe lung cancer at a young age. Originally, if he had recuperated in the picturesque and fresh air of Windsor Castle, he might have lived a little longer. However, he knew that he was riddled with diseases, but he still insisted on staying in the turbid city of London, suffering from the fright of air raid sirens for three days, and even almost being killed by German planes, and frequently attending various diplomatic activities and popular gatherings, and worrying about various state affairs, so that his already poor health was accelerated and collapsed.

In short, after persevering until 1945, King George VI's health began to deteriorate rapidly, and he had to break his previous promise to move back to Windsor Castle from Buckingham Palace to recuperate...... However, the deteriorating state of affairs and the pouring of bad news during the year, as well as the bleak prospects of the British Empire and the House of Windsor, forced the sick king to once again become concerned and worried about the affairs of the country.

This is why Prime Minister Winston Churchill had to rush to Windsor Castle to persuade King George VI to continue to support his war policy - according to some credible sources, less than 72 hours after the start of World War III, a wave of cabinet downfall was already brewing......

After checking the documents, Prime Minister Churchill's car entered through the gate and drove straight down the straight avenue to the front gate of Windsor Castle. The royal gardens on either side of the road are small but elaborate, with a typically symmetrical layout, dotted with a circular fountain with an elaborate statue in the center, tall trees of various shapes, and rare plants collected from all over the world...... In front of the luxurious castle at the end of the avenue, several strong Scottish men in skirts had been waiting for a long time, and greeted Prime Minister Churchill in a respectful manner.

Then, in a spacious hall at Windsor Castle, with its walls covered with paintings and the roof covered with huge frescoes, Churchill saw His Majesty George VI sitting on a sofa drinking coffee, and Attlee, the leader of the Labour Party, standing next to him with a stern-faced face -- Churchill couldn't help but look dark when he saw this guy preemptively meet the King: it was clear that the old political rival in front of him must have said a lot of bad things about himself.

“…… Good morning, Prime Minister......"

King George VI got up and shook hands with Churchill and said hello, his demeanor was very elegant, and his attitude was also very kind, but because of his stuttering, he was unusually slow to speak words, and Churchill also knew this, just nodded respectfully and saluted, without saying any more polite nonsense.

Then the conversation quickly got to the point—George VI whispered, "...... in a staccato tone, like a candle in the wind." In the past few days, our country has ...... Just against the USSR ...... War was officially declared. And from the beginning...... The losses were heavy...... Is that right? ”

“…… Yes, it has been published in the newspapers for the past two days, the Soviets bombarded Scapa Bay and Gibraltar with nuclear bombs, and the empire lost its strongest fortress and the most powerful main fleet, with more than 100,000 casualties alone. ”

Although Prime Minister Churchill did not dare to lie, he still avoided the important and said lightly, but Attlee, the leader of the Labour Party, obviously had no intention of letting him go," ...... Why not say a little about the loss of ships? Mr. Prime Minister. In the nuclear explosion of Scapa Bay, we lost the battleship Howe, the battleship Anson, and the fleet carrier Dreadnought...... Well, it's too cumbersome to calculate the number of losses, but let's talk about how many warships we have left, Your Excellency, please be sure to provide an accurate and truthful figure, His Majesty is very interested in this question. ”

Although Churchill was very reluctant to answer, looking at the king's eyes, he still had to report truthfully, "...... Indeed, Your Majesty, the vast majority of the home fleet was originally assembled in Scapa Flow, but it turned out to be all at once. If you don't count the Eastern Fleet, which is scattered in the Far East and India, and the escort fleet in the Atlantic, then there are already only six destroyers left in Britain itself, and the rest are minesweepers and torpedo boats......"

“…… What the? George VI was taken aback, his body shook a little, and he almost fainted, but the royal attendants who were waiting next to him hurriedly supported him, "...... To put it this way...... Our country...... There is no fleet anymore...... Defending the homeland? The king asked inarticulately.

“…… Sorry, Your Majesty. Prime Minister Churchill lowered his fat head.

“…… So, is there anything that the Cabinet and the military can do to restrain the Soviet atomic bomb? George VI took a breath and slowly continued to ask, this time slowly, trying to articulate every word clearly, and there seemed to be a hint of disappointment and anger in his tone.

Perhaps, this is the so-called "no anger and self-authority" unique to the emperor...... It's a pity that it doesn't seem to be of much use to cheeky old politicians.

“…… Sorry, Your Majesty. Churchill bowed his head again, "...... The power of the atomic bomb is too great, and with the current level of military science and technology, it is really difficult to guard against it. The only viable countermeasure is to counter a nuclear strike with a nuclear strike, but we do not have an atomic bomb ......"

“…… Only the use of atomic bombs...... to be able to deal with the enemy's atomic bombs...... And we don't have an atomic bomb in our hands...... Is that right? ”

George VI gave him a meaningful look, "...... Case...... This war...... Is it still necessary to proceed? ”

“…… Your Majesty! If the British Empire had withdrawn from the war in such a cowardly manner, then we would have lost everything that existed forever! Churchill pleaded.

“…… If we continue this hopeless war, then Britain will really lose everything! Seeing that Churchill was still this dead duck's hard mouth, Attlee could no longer hold back, and interjected regardless of etiquette, "...... Do you want our nation to perish? ”

“…… Do you, then, want to persuade Your Majesty to abdicate, depose all the nobles, and let the Bolsheviks rule the country? ”

Churchill shrugged his shoulders, "...... Hitler may have been willing to tolerate the continued existence of the British Empire, but Stalin wanted to destroy everything we know as well! I've just said the mildest case, think about the fate of the Tsar's family! Maybe Stalin has a guillotine for us! ”

“…… You're completely self-righteous! Prime minister! This is not a reason for your outrageous rejection of all peace efforts......"

……

While they were arguing fiercely, a sharp air raid siren suddenly sounded, and everyone in the hall had no choice but to end the audience and help His Majesty the King out of the house and go straight to the bomb shelter...... But this air raid siren came and went quickly. Before they could enter the bomb shelter, the alarm had been lifted, and it seemed that the Soviet planes had not bombed Windsor, so they returned to the hall where they had been, ready to continue the war of words.

However, before Churchill could speak, he was shocked to feel a blazing light instantly fill his field of vision, which made him feel dazzled for a moment, and the next moment, the ground under his feet suddenly trembled, and Churchill fell to the ground without standing firmly.

Then, before he could understand what was happening, a huge roar like thunder came from the window, instantly shattering almost all the glass windows of Windsor Castle! Shards of marble-sized glass flew around like bullets, smashing everyone's eyes.

It was not long before Prime Minister Churchill, with his forehead painted, bleeding and his ears buzzing, staggered up from the carpet of broken glass, looked up through the wood-framed window, and was surprised to see a bright and huge mushroom cloud rising in the east, and there was ...... Directions to where the capital city of London is located!!!

My God! The barbaric Russians actually nukeed London!! How dare they...... How can such a thing be done?!!!

Thinking of this, Prime Minister Churchill's eyes suddenly went dark, and then the whole person completely lost consciousness.

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-- On the morning of the third day of the official start of World War III, the Soviet Red Army, which had always used simple and crude methods, did not think about the protection of human cultural heritage at all, and brazenly dropped an atomic bomb on the foggy capital of London as a retaliation for the nuclear bombing of Madrid by the US and British camps......

At this point, less than 72 hours before the declaration of war, more than a million people in the British Empire were tragically killed in the three wars, which can be described as extremely miserable.

However, for the arrogant English gentleman, their disasters and nightmares were just beginning......