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Chapter 16 The Washington Minister is worried and Downing Street makes a decision

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    In Washington, there is an embassy district on Massachusetts Avenue. Embassies and legations from all over the world in the United States are located here. Here, one embassy is one after another, and each one has strict access control.  //www.// Among them, there is a courtyard with a Union Jack flag raised on the flagpole. This is the British Embassy in the United States. The British Embassy in the United States covers a large area with a large lawn. It is on Massachusetts Avenue.  The largest embassy among the embassies of various countries.

    At this time, in the British Embassy building built in the early 19th century and almost the same age as the city of Washington, Ambassador Alfred Humworth was sitting in his office.  Looking through the congressional documents that had just been sent to him, the resolution documents of the Congress only made him frown, and there was no trace of relaxation on his face.

    Like many ambassadors of this era, Hamworth was not a career diplomat. He was the master of new British journalism.  In 1qc5 he was awarded the title Lord Beiyan.  This newspaper magnate from an Irish lawyer family is a rare journalistic genius.  As early as his childhood, he contributed articles to the famous magazine "Diandai" at that time.  At the age of 17, he officially became an assistant editor of a magazine.  In June 2001, Hamworth founded the magazine "Answer", which was a great success.  In 1894, he bought the bankrupt "Evening News" at a very low price and maintained the record for the highest circulation of evening newspapers in the world for a long time.  In 1896, Hamworth founded the successful popular newspaper "Daily Mail". This self-proclaimed "busy man's newspaper" and "poor man's newspaper" achieved great success.  In 1899, the circulation exceeded 500,000 copies, making it one of the most widely circulated newspapers in the world at that time.

    In 1900, Hamworth bought the Weekly Express.  In 1903, he founded the Daily Mirror.  In 1905, the Observer was acquired.  Particularly surprising was the fact that in 1908, Hamworth gained control of The Times.  Together with many other local newspapers and magazines, Hamworth established the largest newspaper group in British history.

    Hamworth is one of Britain's most influential journalists.  In Britain he was known as the "Fleet Street Napoleon".  He was given the title of nobility in 1qc5.  After the outbreak of the European War, he actively participated in political activities, supported the war against Germany, boldly exposed the shortcomings, and advocated military reform, becoming a powerful politician.

    Just two months ago, he was appointed as the British Ambassador to the United States and took up the post of director of wartime propaganda against the enemy, presiding over propaganda against Germany.  The reason why he received this appointment was that London's purpose was to influence him in the American press, so that the American press would turn to the British and thereby support the British.

    At this time, such a resolution just passed by the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee put Hamworth, an outstanding journalistic genius, into a difficult decision-making situation for a while.

    ¡°These American rubes!¡±

    Although on the surface, this parliamentary resolution granting equal status to China has nothing to do with the United Kingdom, Hamworth knows very well that this resolution has a direct relationship with the United Kingdom, and the privileges and benefits enjoyed by the United Kingdom in China far exceed those of any other country.  As a Western country, it is precisely for this reason that London takes a stand against the "Revision of the New Testament" proposed by the Chinese and even refuses to have contact with the "Special Diplomatic Committee" under the Chinese State Council.

    But now, such an American bill has forced the United Kingdom into a situation where it has to make a choice. The United Kingdom today is not the United Kingdom ten years ago. The United Kingdom now needs the help of the United States and needs the United States to help Britain win this war.  The war in Europe did not end when winter came as many people imagined. Instead, it intensified. Not only did Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey invest all their strength, but Britain, France, and Russia also  Put all the effort into it.

    Tens of millions of soldiers from both the Allies and the Entente were fighting on the Western and Eastern battlefields in Europe. The war was bogged down by trench warfare. Thousands of soldiers were killed and wounded on the battlefield every day. At the beginning of the year,  , when Lord Admiralty Churchill proposed to use the strength of the British navy to open the Dardanelles Strait and land, then land at Gallipoli, and then occupy the Turkish capital Constantinople, forcing Turkey to withdraw from participating in the war with Germany and opening up transportation to Russia.  The Great Battle of the Passage.

    For this reason, Britain and France invested 500,000 troops in Gallipoli, but the result of the war exceeded all imagination. The British and French coalition forces lost too many hundreds of thousands of troops, and Turkey's counterattack brought the war to a stalemate.  It is said that it was this war that made London realize that unless Britain gained more power, this war would only have the possibility of an armistice when Britain, France, Russia, Germany, Austria, and Turkey exhausted the last drop of blood.  .

    It is precisely because of this that Alfred Hamworth's mission has changed since two months ago. Before that, London's request to him was to ensure that the United States would not join the Allies and the German camp, but now it has  It is to promote the United States to join the camp of allied countries.

    In ?In the past two months, through lobbying the American press, Alfred Humworth has successfully "vilified" Germany. Germany is an aggressive country that wants to colonize the world, and Britain and France  The three Russian countries are defending the freedom of the world. In short, Alfred Hamworth, who understands the psychology of Americans, uses what Americans like most - American values ????to influence Americans, thereby influencing the political situation of the United States.  Purpose.

    But now, the resolution passed by the United States has forced Britain into a dilemma, at least Alfred Hamworth has been put into a dilemma. If Britain refuses to "make a new treaty" with China,  If the problem is over, then the Chinese can accuse Britain of "colonialism at heart", and the American press and pro-German people will inevitably make a fuss about it. Once this happens, the favorable situation formed in the early stage will immediately be destroyed.  Disintegrated into nothing.

    "What qualifications does a country that has not changed its colonial mentality towards its allies claim to defend freedom and the world? What they are defending is just Britain's colonies, and all they want is to deceive the American people and fight for Britain's  Fighting for the colonial empire, as for freedom, the British have never considered it!¡±

    After thinking for a moment, Alfred Hamworth's mind came to the articles published by pro-German people in newspapers. Americans may speak English, but the vast majority of Americans do not have much favorable impression of Britain.  , just like some of the Americans he came into contact with.

    What did my grandfather teach me?  Second, speak English and second hate the British!

    Although they are both English-speaking countries, Britain has never left a good impression on Americans in history. Before the Revolutionary War, it imposed exorbitant taxes and extortionate taxes, and then the British and American quasi-wars burned down the White House. Then during the Civil War, Britain supported the Confederacy.  , only from a historical perspective, Americans do have reasons to hate the British. If now, those pro-Germans use China as proof to prove that the British purpose is only to defend the colonies, and the United States participated in the war and shed blood to defend the British colonies.  , then the United States will never be involved in this war.

    If the Germans further add fuel to the flames

    Meditating, Alfred Hamworth's heart was filled with worries about the future. Finally, after putting down the resolution of Congress, Alfred Hamworth picked up the pen on the table and began to write to the Prime Minister.  Got the letter.

    In the Prime Minister's official residence at No. 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith tapped his fingers nervously on the desk in front of him.  He looked tired and troubled. In fact, Asquith was very tired. After the war broke out, he felt exhausted almost every day. In his personal hobby, he was very drunk.  However, Bona Law, who had no reason to like him, said: "Asquith gave a better speech when he was drunk than when we were sober." But war is another matter.

    War requires a completely different government, which can only have one purpose, and all other policies must unconditionally obey this purpose; war requires ministers to be administrators first and then politicians.  A wartime prime minister requires not only wisdom but also energy.  He won't be blamed for losing a campaign, but he will be blamed for losing a battle.  The military defeat in the Dardanelles ultimately led to the replacement of the Liberal government by a coalition government.  It can be said that the Battle of Gallipoli was Churchill's battle, maybe it was. But Asquith was the Prime Minister, actually the Commander-in-Chief, responsible for appointing candidates, and therefore also bear the fault of one of his generals.  To make matters worse, Asquith did not trust Churchill's judgment.

    The generals who lost a battle in France blamed the failure on not enough artillery shells; however, in some cases, too many artillery shells can also cause military failure.  However, at that time, the press criticized the minister, starting with Asquith.  The press was filled with resentment and malice to an astonishing degree.

    However, it also reports some truths; Asquith was getting older, he was tired at times, and he was drinking again - although, it is said, he was never so drunk that it affected his judgment.  This is a fact that his enemies cling to.  He was not able to devote himself to the war with enough fanaticism, and he had no intention of political intrigue.  He also doesn't think much of the talent and reputation of Conservative leader Boehner Law.

    Worse things are still ahead: the issue of conscription. Asquith exaggerated the public's dissatisfaction with this bill. It can be said that Asquith has reached "the end of his rope", and now, there is another  A new crisis was before him.

    Suddenly, after a long silence, Asquith resumed the conversation.

    "I do not understand,"

    He looked at Earl Grey, the Foreign Secretary of the British Empire, in front of him.

      "What you really mean is that the situation in the Far East is not that desperate?"

    "At least it's not as desperate as we thought. As for China, they have never imagined using forceful means to take back their customs and abrogate treaties with other countries. Judging from the process of their choice to revise the new treaty, they still admitted it.  "Treaties must be observed," which means that, to a large extent, they don't have much courage!"

    There was a hint of contempt in Gray's tone at this time. He always maintained a "superior" view of China. In his view, the reason why the Chinese Army Air Force was able to severely damage or even annihilate the Japanese Navy was because  Thanks to that revolutionary sudden attack, the failure of the Japanese Army was caused by the failure of the Navy. This had nothing to do with the combat effectiveness of the Chinese Army.

    But even so, the whole world was still stunned by the dazzling achievements of the Chinese Army. The French Army regarded the Chinese Army as its savior. They made great compromises on the issue of sending troops to China. Everyone in Paris was talking about it.  When "the persevering Chinese corps appears in the trenches, the entire war will be changed." In the eyes of the French, the Chinese corps will reproduce the oriental bravery and oriental perseverance in France, and this is exactly what happened.  It is necessary to defend the front, and in the process, hundreds of thousands of French people will not have to shed their blood.

    "Let's look at Hamworth's letter again."

    Asquith handed over the letter from Hamworth.  The letter was a rewrite of a coded telegram sent by Hamworth

    ¡°Dear Prime Minister:

    Some things that have happened recently have shocked me a lot.

    ¡°Maybe I did something horribly stupid, but I don¡¯t see it that way.  If my conclusion is correct, then Britain must change its position appropriately and change the way it treats China. Otherwise, we must face the attacks on Britain and the Allied Powers by pro-German groups in the United States. Once Americans realize  If they realize that they are only participating in the war to defend Britain's overseas interests, then the angry Americans will not only not participate in the war, but may even turn to Germany. Perhaps Mr. Woolold will firmly oppose it, but in the democratic country of the United States, it will eventually rise.  It is not the president who plays the decisive role, but Congress

    For Britain now, what we need is not the privileged interests in the Far East, but how to win this war. Judging from the current shape of the war, for Britain, if it wants to win this war, it must  To gain more power, the United States is an indispensable force. Once the United States falls to Germany, the blow to Britain will be devastating. In fact, large American consortiums have always existed, competing for overseas colonies.  Thoughts, the only thing they lack now is a suitable excuse.

    ¡°In international history, there are countless wars caused by anger caused by fraud. The United Kingdom must avoid falling into this dangerous situation as much as possible.

    Now the whole incident is undoubtedly extremely detrimental to Britain, but if we accept it, it means that Britain will lose everything it has gained in the Far East since the Victorian era. But please, Your Excellency the Prime Minister and friends in London  We have noticed that this war is completely related to the fate and future of Britain, and its purpose is to keep the British flag still flying in Britain. I think, although we are extremely reluctant, we still need to make a decision.  choose.

    I think I know what the Americans really think. For the United States, they hope to use this to influence China, and then use China to restrain Japan, which has just formulated the "eight = eight fleets" plan. It seems that for the United Kingdom, China is destined to  Perhaps, we can consider restoring relations with Japan and using Japan to maintain balance in Asia. As for whether this is possible, the final judgment needs to be made by the Prime Minister and the elites in London.

    But I have a feeling that if we do this, it will turn out to be the right one.  In short, I put my thoughts and suggestions in a sealed envelope, because they are suggestions I made after careful consideration. I personally think they are extremely beneficial to the UK and are realistic.

    I ask you, my friends, to consider my proposal seriously.

    sincerely yours

    "Elfret=Hamworth"

    Asquith raised his head, this was a new crisis he needed to face, and Britain's interests in the Far East were challenged.

    "If I accept Hamworth's suggestion, then we will have to face the doubts of many people, because we will sacrifice British interests in the Far East!"

    Asquith smiled faintly, but only he could understand the bitterness in his smile.

    "But, are we capable of ensuring British interests?"

    ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Out of Asquith's point of view, he simply cannot enter again now.?Any adventure, otherwise his political life will inevitably end.

    "Do you think¡ª¡ª"

    Looking at Gray, Prime Minister Asquith hesitated¡ª¡ª

    ¡°The Chinese people now have no intention of using forceful means to obtain treaties with other countries¡­¡±

    "Your Excellency, it is a universal principle that treaties must be observed. For China now, they are eager to win the understanding of all countries, rather than confront them! Therefore, they are unlikely to choose tough measures."

    Earl Gray pinched his fingers and then said.

    ¡°For political reasons, I think we can consider some of Ambassador Hamworth¡¯s suggestions!¡±

    "you mean?"

    "Japan's part is undoubtedly extremely important to maintain the balance of power in Asia."

    "However, the ambition displayed by Japan at the beginning of the war proved that they were extremely greedy."

    Prime Minister Asquith said thoughtfully that before the Sino-Japanese conflict, the reason why Britain finally sided with China was very simple. Japan's greed really shocked them.

    "But, what about China?"

    Nodding, Asquith immediately got to the point,

    ¡°I think the most important issue now is China¡¯s issue?¡±

    "Your Excellency, Ambassador Hamworth did not understand something."

    Gray smiled and touched his chin.

    "The fact is that when we chose Japan, we actually made a choice, and this choice is that we have given up on China!"
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