Australian Storm 1876

   Chapter 638

  London, Downing Street Mansion.

   "George, I wish you a happy Thanksgiving."

  "Thank you for your regards, my honorable Prime Minister, but please forgive me...what is Thanksgiving?" the gardener George asked a little surprised.

Prime Minister Robert Gascoigne-Cecile laughed happily when he heard the words, reached out and patted the confused gardener on the shoulder, and said in a mysterious tone; "Oh...that's a Yankee holiday, these shameful Don’t you think it’s amazing that the betrayers of "Grateful to the Indians pretentiously, while ruthlessly taking up muskets to slaughter them?"

   "Oh... God, this is really disgusting. I don't want to hear anything about those humble Americans. They are shameful betrayers of the British Empire."

   "That's right, George, I like your outspoken expression of your opinions."

Robert Gascoyne-Cecile walked briskly through the atrium garden to the Prime Minister’s office, picked up today’s "Times" on the desk, and cast his eyes on the table, and saw the nobleman. Evans, leader of the academy and minister of the seal, walked in.

  "Good morning, Honorable Prime Minister, I hope I did not disturb your good mood."

  "Please come in, Lord Evans, if you bring good news, I don’t mind taking a moment to talk to you about the good weather in Devon."

  "The Empire just agreed to sell two fast artillery cruisers to Fusang Country. They reserve the right to continue to purchase two ships. Is this good news?"

   "Oh... two fast cruisers, it sounds good."

"I heard that in order to order these two new fast cruisers, the Emperor Fuso and his ministers tightened their belts. They only ate a rice ball with a little pickled kelp every day and used all the money to purchase British warships. I think This spirit is commendable."

"Oh my God, Evans don't believe those nonsense, the cunning Orientals will look like pitiful people, the purpose is to reduce the purchase cost of a thousand pounds, and then lose face to enjoy the table full of delicacies, these Fusang people are all liars."

  Prime Minister Robert sat down on the seat behind the table with a smile, reached out his hand and made a please gesture, and asked the Secretary of the Seal Evans to sit down and have a few words.

  There is no important thing, who is so idle that he ran to the Prime Minister’s office to brag and slap?

Prime Minister Robert Gascoigne-Cecile is a traditional British upper-class nobleman. The family inherits the title of Marquis of Salisbury. He is one of the conservative leaders trusted by Queen Victoria. He used to be from 1885 to 1886. During this period, he was ordered to form a cabinet, which was his second term as prime minister.

  As a conservative political leader who blindly pursues a policy of non-alignment, Prime Minister Robert has always believed that Britain, like a fish in the sea, does not need allies but only benefits. This is very obvious in his political career decision-making.

  The current cabinet at the beginning of taking office

In exchange for Germany’s unanimous position on the Bulgarian issue with Russia, the current cabinet acquiesced in the expiration of the renewal of the German-Austrian-Italian trilateral alliance treaty, which led the Germans to stand behind the British, exerting greater strategic pressure on the French and forcing It ended its confrontation with Britain in the Suez Canal Zone and obediently let go of the dominance of the Suez Canal Zone.

at the same time

In order to dispel the dissatisfaction of the British, the French stopped infiltrating the Indochina peninsula into Burma and showed full sincerity in exchange for the British to support the French-Russian alliance (proposed) against the German-led military alliance on the European continent. .

  This is a perfect diplomatic action of the current cabinet. It does not take a single shot to obtain the sufficient benefits that it expects. It reflects the ruling style of Prime Minister Robert from one side.

  That is, as long as the benefits are sufficient, betrayal is not a problem.

  The British attacked and suppressed France on the one hand, and on the other hand they secretly supported the French-Russian approach, and adopted strong repressive measures against Germany in trade and military industry to curb the expansion of the German Empire.

  Suppress strategically and relax tactically.

  This seemingly contradictory military and diplomatic goal is a difficult action that other countries cannot complete. London is familiar with playing, and it is easy to lift heavy weights.

"Dear Prime Minister, please forgive me for my presumptuous visit. I want to talk to you about Australia. A few days ago, Count John Lawrence Bald and I spent a pleasant afternoon at the outskirts of the castle and tasted delicious food. Apple Pie, John’s words are quite anxious about the current situation in Australia. The development of the local situation has been out of control and is slipping into an unknowable abyss. Maybe we should do something..."

   "Scream... I'm sorry, please forgive me to interrupt Lord Evans, this John is..."

  "Is the undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I used to be a governor in Australia. I have a good understanding of the situation there. John is a true nobleman who devotes himself to God. I am very confident about this."

"Oh... Undersecretary for political affairs, then John has the ability to influence the relevant policy formulations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Why should the problem be brought to me through other channels?" Prime Minister Robert said in an uncomfortable tone. "This is very confusing to me. This kind of specific matters should be resolved by the Colony Department. I don't think Sir Grofont would like other people to intervene rashly, so I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't give you a satisfactory answer."

  "Your Prime Minister, but a white man from Australia..."

"Okay, dear Evans, you came to report me the good news of the Admiralty Department today. Out of worries about your friends in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you are ready to make irresponsible remarks on the affairs of the Colony Department. I already know your intentions. Please forgive me for not having a lot of time to receive you. The door is behind you. Remember to close the door when you go out."

  The smile on Prime Minister Robert’s face disappeared. His words made Lord Evans feel quite embarrassed, oh...no, there is no word "embrace" in the dictionary of political figures.

  So Lord Ivans could only smile and nodded, then turned and left the prime minister's office.

   Holding the "Times" in his hand and reading slowly, Prime Minister Robert simply ignored this rigid conservative nobleman and allowed him to leave.

  Flicking through the newspaper, Prime Minister Robert said; “Nico, don’t tell me you’re not here. Bring me a cup of coffee when you come in, thank you.”

  The side door of the Prime Minister’s office opened. Cabinet Secretary Sir Nico walked in with two cups of hot coffee in his hand, handed one of them over and said; “Robert, are you really not going to take action?”

In the system of the London government, the cabinet secretary is the highest-ranking official, and the position is equivalent to that of the White House chief of staff plus the chief of staff. They are not cabinet members who come to power by popular votes. They are even more important than the prime minister in terms of specific affairs. Known as "the most powerful person."

  Due to the importance of the cabinet secretary's status, it is generally held by the prime minister's most trusted political partner.

  Prime Minister Robert did not answer in a hurry, took a sip from the coffee cup, and asked in a funny way; "Nico, what is your impression of those Orientals?"

   "Well, being cautious and restrained, abiding by order, keeping promises, having a unique oriental culture and a long historical heritage, and there are many of them."

   "It seems that you have a very high evaluation of Orientals."

"Yes, when I was young, the British and French allied forces captured the city of Peiping. Although the ancient Eastern dynasty was weak but had a good reputation, at least the war reparations were not in arrears, and they maintained good relations with the British Empire. I know that the Government of the Straits Government has been vigorously introducing Chinese immigrants to make up for the labor shortage in China. They are very good farmers."

  "These Chinese in Australia are not like that, they are very restless!" Prime Minister Robert said with emotion, then raised his head and said seriously;

"I pay very little attention to the situation in Australia. I found some information a few days ago. I was surprised. The so-called Earl of Queensland has quietly established a huge power in Australia. The Chinese immigrant population alone is as high as 10 million. Lots of people.

  Moreover, it has developed many sites overseas. This is an emerging power that is emerging and cannot be taken lightly.

  They defeated the Dutch and the Portuguese. Now it seems that there is a tendency to unify Australia, which really gave me a big problem.

  Interference in Australian affairs may plunge the British Empire into another Boer War, and this war is much larger, at least ten times larger.

  The problem now is

  What kind of sound should London make?

  Whether our soldiers deserve to shed blood and fight for these abandoned untouchables, this may cost tens of millions of pounds.

  You know that the exiled to Australia are bandits, thieves and prostitutes. There are a large number of Scottish and Irish descendants, as well as French, Italian and German descendants. It is a place we often forget.

  So, I have to find a reason to convince myself. "

  Nike listened and nodded frequently. The British Empire has always been unprofitable and incapable of having an early temper. Those Australian native whites who counted on British soldiers to live and kill for them, and enjoy their profits, seem to be too straight-tempered and have not experienced severe beatings!

  "Australia is the land where Her Majesty the Queen shines, and London has the responsibility to make a strong voice."

"Maybe you don’t know, Nico, the Queensland Earl who formed the Ocean Kingdom wrote a letter to Her Majesty the Queen, expressing enough humility and respect, and is willing to lead the future Ocean Kingdom to join the Commonwealth and honor Her Majesty is the Lord, this is an official statement that Ocean Kingdom can make public."

   "This trick is powerful, so that... No matter what the life and death of Australia is, it has nothing to do with the glory of the British Empire. Australia is still the land bathed in the glory of Her Majesty the Queen." Nicol suddenly realized that he could not help but nod in admiration again and again.

   "So, I must find a reason to persuade myself." Prime Minister Robert smiled bitterly, picked up the coffee cup and tasted it leisurely.

  He is a politician with rich political experience. He has served as minister of Indian affairs, minister of foreign affairs and other important positions. He has a better understanding of the situation in the East, so he hesitated.

  This should be an issue within the scope of the Colony Department, but the Secretary of the Colony Department Sir Drogfonte has not come up with a solution for a long time. It seems that it is preparation and muddy, and we will talk about it after watching a gust of limelight.

  Prime Minister Robert is also inclined to this plan from his heart. War is not easy to fight. It costs money. First of all, the Minister of Finance will resolutely oppose it, and then the Secretary of the War Department will also strongly oppose this plan.

  In the end

  The size of the British army is still too small. In 1890, it was only 276,000 people. However, it was not enough to colonize the world and maintain global interests. In any case, the manpower was not enough.

  Look at the scale of the current civil war in Australia. The two sides have invested three to four hundred thousand troops at every turn. How much should the British Empire invest?

  If the troops are transferred from India, whether it is 500,000, 1 million, or even 5 million is not a problem. The key is where so much military expenditure comes from?

  If the blood of the Indians is not drained, the British Empire will have enough confidence to launch an intervention war.

  In the final analysis, it is still the issue of military expenditure. This is not a troublesome thing that can be solved by sending an army of 10,000 to 20,000. At least this number must be multiplied by 10.

Thus

  Investment is much higher than that of the British intervention in the Russian-Turkish war. After all, so many troops, as well as a huge amount of military supplies and logistics materials, have to be transported to Australia for thousands of miles, and there is no money to play.

Refer to the virtues of later generations of American soldiers on the expedition, and you will know what the British Empire Army looks like now. The red uniform on the body is dyed with expensive cochineal. The lamb eaten must be Texel or Charolais. As for Veal steaks must come from Angus beef cattle, even if they drink Scotch whisky, it is a familiar taste after all.

  The officers and soldiers were out fighting, and this small requirement could not be satisfied. The British Empire, which was in the Seven Seas, could be ashamed to find a piece of tofu and smashed to death.

  As for some people would say that Australia itself is rich in cattle and sheep, why bother to transport it from the United Kingdom?

  I don’t understand the situation. South Africa is also rich in meat, beef and sheep.

  During the First Boer War, the British army did not eat local beef and lamb. They used Charolais goats and Angus beef cattle sent across the Atlantic. The freight rate alone was amazing.

  What people eat is not steak, but the indelible homesickness and arrogance of the British Empire.

  Prime Minister Robert is now particularly able to understand the distress of Sir Grofand, Minister of the Colony;

  I originally thought that the Australian Dominion was developing very well. It was both exporting wool and donating warships. The tax paid every year was never in arrears, and the rate of increase was quite high.

  It’s hard to see now, the whole of Australia has almost been occupied by the Orientals, and it has become an irresistible trend, which is really a bad dish.

  Prime Minister Robert wants to say that he is not disgusted in his heart.

   "Nico, this matter still has to be handled within the scope of the Colony Department. Please show the muscles of the Royal Navy and try to control it as much as possible."

  "Well, then I will write in the name of the cabinet to urge the Colony Department to properly handle Australian affairs. If necessary, ask the Royal Navy to cooperate. Is this okay?"

   "I think it's ok, so let's do it."

"If you want to use the Royal Navy, you must pay an additional fee, which must be approved by the Parliament, but it is now the end of November, and it will be the Christmas recess. When the deputies come back from vacation, at least they will get the next year. Late January."

   "There is no way. I will discuss with the leader of the parliamentary group in private to see if I can vote on the appropriation proposal in advance. Try not to wait in line."

   "Hehe... it's unlikely." Nicol shook his head helplessly. He knew the nature of the lords of the parliament. How could the lower house council be so efficient?

  The relevant motion on increasing relief for the poor in English cities has been lying in Parliament for two years, and there has been no meeting yet.

  Other important bills waiting to be voted are piled up by half a person, and an additional appropriation bill wants to jump in the line...Why don’t you be so beautiful?

  Is the prime minister very awkward? I'm afraid not necessarily.

  (End of this chapter)