Vol 5 Chapter 54: , British trouble

At 10 Downing Street, London, Prime Minister Lloyd George is worrying about the international situation that the British Empire will face in the future. Affected by the October Revolution, a series of countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Japan, and Mexico have broken out proletarian revolutions.
Although these revolutions have failed, the ideology of the proletariat continues to spread. Affected by unemployment, the British Empire has also broken out a labor movement, and the Proletarian Revolutionary Party has emerged in India.
Forced to be helpless, Lloyd George can only agree to Irish self-government. Of course, he also wants to learn from Bulgaria and send all the Irish away. The British Empire has so many colonies, so just give them a piece of land to establish an independent country.
Of course, this kind of thing is fine. As long as capitalists are unwilling to give up these cheap labor, this situation cannot happen in the British Empire.
Just after appeasing the Irish, the independence movement in Egypt broke out again, starting with the anti-British demonstrations of students in Cairo in 1919, followed by student strikes, workers’ strikes, and merchants’ strikes. Now it has become an armed uprising.
In the rural areas of Egypt, there have been organized guerrillas. They began to attack the local garrisons of the British, destroying the railways built by the British in the local area, and even occasionally guerrillas rushed into the city to fight the British army. street fighting.
The evil consequences of certain policies implemented by the British government in World War I have already been manifested. In the face of these insurgents, the local British garrison did not exert any effort to suppress them.
Obviously, the unfair treatment after the World War has caused the British soldiers to lose their interest in working for the country. When dealing with these Egyptian rebels, they did not take the initiative to suppress them. They just stuck to the city and let the situation deteriorate.
The London government may or may not know these circumstances. Not only the soldiers do not want to fight, but even the officers do not want to fight now.
Their poor fiscal policy during the war made many officers who worked for the British Empire in the World War despair.
They shed blood on the battlefield, but went home and told them that they were bankrupt, the fief had been taken back by the government, and their families had no idea where they had gone. When the British Expeditionary Force returned home, the London government was almost caught by these angry officers. We give subversion.
Although it was suppressed, the military in the British Empire had no intention of fighting. Fortunately, the British did not increase many colonies in this world war, otherwise Lloyd George would be even more worried.
For example: the great uprising in Iraq in history has nothing to do with them, it is Bulgarian.
However, Ferdinand has never received the news of the great uprising in Iraq. It is estimated that it was extinguished before it even started. Not only Iraq, but all the colonies in Bulgaria could not overpower the uprising.
After all, Bulgaria’s way of sitting is a bit cruel. One person rebelled against the whole village and exiled. In just three or four years, more than three million people in Asian colonies were exiled to Africa, and more than two million people were sent to mines, probably no one. Have the ability to make trouble.
This is incomparable by the British. The fiefdom nobles hate the insurgents. These people are smashing their jobs. Usually, they don't need government orders to put out hidden dangers in the cradle.
Such a small matter naturally does not require Ferdinand's intervention, so in general, the Bulgarian colony is still peaceful.
Of course, don’t look at the Egyptians for a long time of revolution. In fact, their results are very limited. Except for the cannon fodder, the British troops have not broken through triple-digit casualties.
Lloyd George knew that the British Army was revenge for the previous government's suppression.
The rebellion has not been suppressed for nearly two years, and the number of casualties in the colony is less than three digits. Perhaps the number of casualties caused by them in their lives is more than that. The number of casualties on the battlefield is high!
Of course, the British were not without suppression. In 1919, they sent 60,000 troops to suppress the peasant uprising. This is really a peasant uprising. Although it is so powerful, in fact, most of the insurgents are cold weapons, and the colonial forces can handle it.
Like India's "non-violent non-cooperation" movement, the Egyptian people also launched a movement to gain independence by "peaceful means", so it is not correct to say that their uprising.
Apart from the fact that some guerrillas actually launched an offensive against the British army, most Egyptians also chose peaceful means such as protests, demonstrations, strikes, and other peaceful means to fight for independence.
The so-called critical situation is essentially that colonial officials are blocking the cabinet, or fighting for their own interests.
But this chaos is also a problem. What about the economic losses of the capitalists? And what if the turmoil continues and finally affects the navigation of the Suez Canal?
Regarding the current problem, both Bulgaria and France have expressed their close attention to the situation. Even the Bulgarian Foreign Minister Metjeev suggested to him that if the British Empire is unable to maintain social stability in Egypt, Bulgaria can help.
Lloyd-George was even more so angry that he couldn't fight it out. Now he really envied the Bulgarian system. There were not so many restraints in the country, and the government never had to worry about the stability of the colony.
But let the Bulgarians help. The British Empire can't afford to lose that person. More importantly, it is easy to ask the gods. Once Bulgaria is put into Egypt, it is difficult to say that the Suez Canal is not part of the British Empire.
Lloyd George asked, "Mr. Gray, how are the negotiations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Egyptians going?"
Gray shook his head and said: "The Egyptian Prime Minister Adri has rejected our goodwill. They do not agree to legalize our garrison!"
Lloyd George said coldly: "Damn it! Don't the Egyptians know that once they leave our protection, they will soon become a colony again?"
Gray said with a wry smile: "The Egyptians think that being colonized by us is no different from being colonized by Bulgaria, and they judge that we will not let Bulgaria control the Suez Canal.
Prime Minister Adri also sent a diplomatic note. He believes that once Bulgaria really takes military action against Egypt, whether the British Empire stationed troops or not, it will be the same result. They think we are an excuse to continue colonizing Egypt! "
Well, this tactic of the Bulgarian threat theory has no effect. The Egyptians said they would not eat this set. They have already determined that Britain will not abandon the Suez Canal.
Lloyd George had to admit that the Egyptians’ guesses were very accurate. Without the Suez Canal, the British would have to go around a large circle to go to India, which was not conducive to the rule of the British Empire over India.
Lloyd George complained helplessly: "Well, tell the Egyptians that our patience is limited. If no agreement is reached, we will take military measures!
By the way, what is Bulgaria doing now? They are really peaceful, making people feel a little uneasy. In order to deal with their customized plan, the empire hasn't used any of them so far! "
Gray thought for a while and said, "It seems to be working on a '10-year plan'. By the way, they bought the province of Bessarabia and the Crimean Peninsula from the Russians just now!
Also, not long ago, the Bulgarian government submitted a proposal to the Congress to open the stock market. The result was not only rejected, but their Congress also issued a decree to permanently prohibit the stock market and securities trading. "
Lloyd-George thought for a while and said: "I have also heard of that law. London newspapers are appearing everywhere these days. It is estimated that the Bulgarian capitalists will be blown up!"
Mr. Gray shook his head and said: "No, in fact Bulgarian capitalists are not angry. It is our domestic capitalists who are really blown up!
Judging from the information collected by the embassy, ​​Bulgarian capitalists are also very supportive of this decree. They believe that restricting these messy stock markets can allow their descendants to do business well and pass down their industries from generation to generation!
If nothing unexpected happens, this decree is likely to appear in the Bulgarian constitution. The old gentlemen of their parliament believe that the stock market is for nothing. It is a traditional virtue of Bulgaria and must be put out in the cradle! "
Lloyd-George rubbed his forehead and said: "This is really a conservative country. It seems that they are repulsive of any virtual economy. This seems to be a good thing for us!
Otherwise, once the stock market is opened, the fiscal revenue of the Bulgarian government can increase by at least 50%, and their economic aggregate will surpass France in a short time! "
Gray replied: "Of course! It is this kind of conservativeness that has restricted Bulgaria's external expansion. In fact, they have always been only interested in the things at their doorstep. Even after they finally entered the Americas, they gave up. .
Even if they have Ferdinand, the greatest king of this century, they can't change their national conservative nature. They are more interested in the continent than the ocean! "
Lloyd-George thought for a while and said: "Forget it, just ignore them, let the Bulgarians continue to work hard, as long as we integrate the three North American countries, they will find that these efforts are in vain!
What are the French and Japanese doing? I don't believe it, they will be so peaceful! "
Gray thought for a while and said: "The French people have not had a good life these days. The Rifle of Morocco established the Rif Republic, and the French and Spain are busy putting out the fire.
There is also the fact that the economic situation in France is not developing very well. Some people in the country have proposed to expel the more than seven million Italians and Germans. If the operation is not good, it will not rule out the possibility of civil unrest!
The Japanese have been very restless recently. We have just blocked our way back from the Pacific region. It seems that they are very unwilling. The Japanese government is beginning to expand its military.
At the same time, they have also accelerated their penetration into the Far East. We are still not sure if he is going to take advantage of the fire to rob the Russians, or attack the Kingdom of Arisgar, or attack..."
The Chancellor of the Exchequer suddenly said: "Perhaps we can hold a meeting to limit the naval power of various countries. Our financial expenditure is too great. If we do not take action, once an arms race is formed, it will be very unfavorable for us!"
Due to the butterfly effect of Ferdinand, the strength of the Royal Navy of the British Empire has increased by at least one-third over the same period in history. The increase in strength comes at a price. The corresponding British naval expenditure has also increased by one-third over the same period in history.
Lloyd George was still hesitating. After thinking about it, Gray said: "This problem is not big. In today's world, only France, Bulgaria, and Japan can pose a threat to us.
The French have a hard time now, and their financial pressure is also great, and it is in his interest to limit the size of the navies of various countries; the Bulgarians’ current strategic focus is not on the ocean, and they should be indifferent.
The last one is Japan. To be honest, I don’t understand them anymore. It is very difficult to feed the current navy with their finances. It is really unacceptable to dare to continue to expand the army! "
After hesitating for a while, Lloyd George suddenly said: "I'll talk about this issue later. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs can first prepare and test the attitudes of various countries.
Let us now discuss the endless rebellion incidents in the colonies. If it is not dealt with as soon as possible, this situation will be contagious! "
The colonial minister smiled bitterly and said: "I think this question should be asked to the army first. If the army is willing to contribute, these are not problems!
We all know that these are small troopers in the colony, and as long as there is no one behind them, they can be easily put out.
However, according to the situation from various places, our army is not active in suppressing the uprising. This situation must be changed, otherwise the hegemony of the British Empire is likely to collapse! "
This question is why, as everyone knows, it is nothing more than the government's lack of glorious behavior in order to raise funds during the World War. In addition, the duration of the World War is not as long as in history, and the strength of the British aristocracy has not been weakened. So miserable!
Although the coup they launched failed, it does not mean that they will not fight back. Now they told the London government with practical actions that without their cooperation, the British Empire's position as world hegemon would not be maintained!
Lloyd George said with a wry smile: "This is indeed a headache. I didn't expect these military aristocrats to have such a great influence in the army!"
The Secretary of the Army suddenly said, "No! It's not just these noble officers. They don't have such a strong strength. In fact, ordinary soldiers are very dissatisfied with the government's behavior!
We must know that during the World War, their military salary was not as large as that of ordinary domestic workers, and their post-war pensions were also unimaginably low. Army soldiers’ pensions were less than half of naval soldiers’ pensions. In this case, they had no opinion. ! "
Everyone turned their attention to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Now if they want them to go to war, raise their military salary first, otherwise no one will die if there is no money!
Being stared at his scalp numb, the chancellor of the exchequer thought for a while and said: "Can we learn from Bulgaria and give the soldiers land as a salary. The British Empire has land!"
Lloyd George shook his head directly and said, "I'm afraid it won't work. I think any Englishman now lacks interest in our land!"
It goes without saying that the land tax and inheritance tax levied during the World War have dispelled everyone's enthusiasm for land.
From the beginning to the end, Bulgaria has never added a land tax. The 5% agricultural tax is all, and the military aristocracy has also been halved, compared with the 80% land inheritance tax in the British Empire~www.mtlnovel .com~ Idiots are interested in the land?
Now even telling the soldiers that all tax exemption on their land will have no effect. After all, the government's actions have deeply hurt them, and it will be difficult to re-establish credibility.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer reluctantly said: "Then the only thing we can do is to increase the military pay. Our financial situation is not very good. How about I suggest an increase of 20%?"
The Secretary of the Army shook his head and said, "I'm afraid it won't work. According to what we know, the military pay must be increased by at least 50% in normal times, and the military pay will be tripled during the war, and the pension will be tripled to stimulate everyone's enthusiasm. !"
The chancellor exclaimed: "Why don't you grab it, your standards are about to catch up with the navy for such a high military salary?"
The Secretary of the Army asked in return: "Is there any problem with this? Do you still want the soldiers to work hard with a salary lower than that of ordinary domestic workers?
Do you think they are all fools? Don’t forget that they are basically veterans from the World War. Who will kill you if you don’t give money? "
The Chancellor of the Exchequer thought for a while and said, "How about we recruit mercenaries, maybe it's cheaper?"
The Secretary of the Army just sneered coldly, and everyone shook their heads. Mercenaries are no longer useful this year. The kind of cheap and capable soldiers has long since existed.
Lloyd-George interrupted the quarrel between the two and said: "First try to increase the salary of the soldiers on the front line, and then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will contact the Egyptians again. If it is not possible, let's try the Egyptians first! If the effect is good, even this part of the expenditure is worth it!"
The chancellor thought for a while and said, "Well then!"
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