90 – Episode 90 The Road to Ganghwa (1)
I was reluctant to bomb from the beginning.
It was impossible from the beginning to carry out ‘strategic bombing’ with today’s Gota bombers, which had a toy-like explosive payload.
Nazi Germany, with an explosive force over 100 times that of the Imperial Army Air Corps, could not bring Britain to its knees, but what about us?
It sounded like a dream.
But other than that, there was no other way to take revenge on Britain.
U-boats were too dangerous, and a fleet battle was a burden for the British Navy’s strength.
But if there was no retaliation against Britain, there was a problem. This side also had to take countermeasures in consideration of public morale.
In the end, it was political logic that led to the decision to bomb.
‘Even that is hard to find fun.’
In any case, Britain would not have been beaten by Gotha bombers, so it was only a matter of time before a new interceptor appeared.
Wouldn’t it be better to launch another peace offensive when the Gotha bombers are weak?
I had that thought.
But this time, it didn’t seem appropriate for me to be at the forefront.
‘It wouldn’t be a bad idea for the cultural community to step in instead.’
To appeal to the public, a prestigious Nobel Prize winner in literature seemed like a good idea.
There were two Nobel Prize winners in literature in the 20th century: Mommsen and Hauptmann, but Mommsen is already dead.
Anyway, Hauptmann’s personality was suitable.
Hauptmann was an opportunistic and politically driven person who dreamed of becoming a politician and even tried to pledge loyalty to the Nazi Party.
Considering his tendency to pander to the regime, Hauptmann could have been a good collaborator for my plan.
After a while, Gerhard Hauptmann accepted my invitation. I met him personally, and then he told me what he wanted.
Hauptmann looked very nervous, repeatedly wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and nodding.
“If your Majesty wishes, I will write an appeal. By the way, is the title ‘A Shoutout to the British Nation’ correct?”
“That’s right.”
It looks lame because it is the title of a speech written by an idiot.
Hauptmann soon posted an appeal for peace in a neutral newspaper.
“A shout out to the British people.
It is a fact that the people of both countries understand that the war between Germany and England will not end anytime soon.
You should know that moving toward compromise, even if both sides are dissatisfied, is beneficial to the future of both countries.
Who will laugh if the war continues?
Neutral countries selling enormous amounts of materials, and socialists growing their power in the shadow of war.
We saw how the socialists came to power during the war, and we also saw what kind of country they were trying to create.
If the war continues, there is a risk that Britain will also become a socialist country. Germany does not want that outcome.
As a German, I think it is reasonable for Germany and Britain to reconcile at this point and respond to the enemy behind them.
If we continue the war, we will only continue to lose more. Don’t give the enemies behind you a chance because you’re afraid of Germany.
Germany may not be able to take you down, but they can.”
McCarthy gave me one answer.
There is no propaganda that works better than hunting down communists.
Luckily, I also had an example to show the British people.
The communist Soviet Union in the east.
If there were no communists who supported the hegemony of the German Empire with their very existence, it would have been difficult to add even one gram of persuasiveness.
The peace offensive continued with different newspapers.
“Remember, 1915.
The Russian Empire was destroyed by a dagger stabbed in the back.
There is no law preventing the UK from being next. “The British Navy may be able to stop Germany, but can it stop the communists?”
Fear of socialist revolution has always been a winning card.
Of course, we were not immune to revolution, but it was important that we were winning right away.
If you look closely, the reason why Germany collapsed and the communist party rose up and created chaos was because they lost the war, not because the system itself was weak.
The German Empire’s system, formed by the union of military-conservatism-bourgeois, was strong enough not to collapse as long as it gave the people confidence in victory.
I waited for Hauptmann’s peace offensive to be effective and put more effort into the war of destruction.
*
“Your Excellency. There is a growing number of lawmakers in Congress who lean towards strengthening. “It can’t go on like this.”
Hauptmann’s appeal for peace following the damned Gotha bomber depleted the political power of the Balfour regime, which was struggling.
Dove lawmakers even brought up Hauptmann’s logic and said that it was time to take a step back in order to deal with the ‘socialists’.
Because even hawkish lawmakers could not completely ignore the threat of socialism, it was inevitable that their voices would decrease.
‘It’s true that socialists are scary.’
The Prime Minister also acknowledged that.
The Prime Minister had also been briefed on the fact that socialists were growing like wildfire in the shadows of the city without him seeing it. If this trend continued, there was a possibility that the communists would shake up Britain.
But we could not retreat from the German problem.
This is because if the British Empire begs for reinforcement, it will have to make many concessions.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
But is there a solution?
The Prime Minister convened the Imperial Defense Council and gathered key figures to seek their opinions.
“If things continue like this, the voices of Ganghwa will grow louder. For the trade blockade to be effective, we need more time. “I need a way to buy time.”
The Prime Minister asked with anticipation, but the attendees were unable to come up with a clear number. There is no room for reversal on land, and everything that can be done in the air and sea is being done.
What can I add here?
At a time when everyone was silent, Churchill, the Minister of War, came forward. When Mr. Gallipoli stepped forward, the Secretary of the Navy and the Admiralty frowned.
“How about showing a plan that will boost the people’s morale?”
“If it’s about the Middle East, I’ll decline.”
When Balfour showed his refusal, Churchill quickly stopped talking.
“Not the Middle East, sir.”
“Then where are you talking about?”
“It’s the Baltic Sea.”
Everyone looked dumbfounded at those words.
“No, what are you going to do by trespassing in places worse than Gallipoli? “Our Navy would never do something like that!”
Navy Secretary Carson expressed his anger.
Churchill quickly took control before the minister made a sudden move.
“I’m not asking you to send a large ship. “We will send in submarines.”
“Are you really going to wage a war of destruction in the Baltic Sea?”
“That’s right.”
“It seems like it has been done for a long time.”
Britain has been deploying submarines into the Baltic Sea from time to time.
When I insisted on doing it again, the Prime Minister felt puzzled.
“Of course, this is what we have been doing. But wasn’t this an operation that was carried out by following the rules?”
Only then did people realize what Churchill was trying to say.
Let’s engage in unlimited submarine operations in the Baltic Sea.
People were speechless for a moment.
Unlimited submarine operations in the Baltic Sea were an act that would turn the three Nordic countries into enemies.
But why are we going to do something like that while strangling neutral countries?
“That’s too reckless.”
“No, sir. “Only by destroying Baltic trade can we put more pressure on Germany.”
Churchill explained the benefits of unrestricted submarine warfare in the Baltic Sea.
First, it could disrupt the supply of food, timber, and iron ore from the Baltic Sea to Germany.
Second, by disturbing the Baltic Sea, which is like a lake in Germany, it eliminates the place for the German Navy to train and lowers the morale of the German people.
Third, we can provide ‘true education’ by setting an example for Sweden and Norway, which are going against Britain’s will despite pressure to ban roundabout trade.
Churchill’s argument, as always, sounded plausible. Some of the people even nodded at him.
Of course, Secretary of the Navy Carson and the First Sea Lord were not prepared to listen to anything Churchill had to say. The Navy had seen blood at Gallipoli due to Churchill’s atrocities, so it was prepared to oppose even if Churchill’s words were true.
“Go Baltic.”
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The problem was the prime minister.
As the government was under immediate pressure to strengthen, it was not easy to reject Churchill’s argument due to a sense of urgency that something had to be done.
“It is definitely an operation that can succeed.”
Well, since the submarines had a record of going there, it wasn’t really nonsense.
“No, Your Excellency.”
The Admiralty and the Minister of the Navy expressed their opposition with one voice.
Belfour decided to break up the meeting for now.
As the attendees were leaving, the Prime Minister called Churchill alone.
“Are you really confident?”
The prime minister needed assurance.
I was sure about it during Gallipoli and the Middle East, but this time I was 140% sure. Churchill assured the Prime Minister that the operation would be an absolute success.
“If not, I will risk my political career.”
As Churchill struck Bae Su-jin, the Prime Minister also felt his heart move.
“If the minister says that, I will believe it.”
Belfour decided to trust Churchill one more time, pretending to be fooled.
It might have been better to be deceived by Churchill than to be pushed around and beg for peace in front of a one-armed man.
Belfour once again stood on a dangerous bridge.