Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 1149 - 163: Surrender or Not?
Theoretical dust lingers; reality remains reality. Even though it seems that agreements have been made and the crisis has passed, everyone still lacks confidence.
Verbal promises are inherently fleeting, especially those that lack specificity and are ambiguous, offering even less security.
Yamagata Aritomo: "Ito-kun, the Vienna Government still hasn’t agreed to our withdrawal from the war. Right now, it’s just a temporary ceasefire, and there haven’t even been formal negotiations.
You must know, countries like Paris, Argentina, and Uruguay have already signed ceasefire agreements with the Continental Alliance. Although the costs are not yet determined, these countries have indeed opted out of the war.
At the moment, only the Great Britain Empire, the United States of America, and our own country remain in a state of war with the Continental Alliance.
The uncertainty lingers indefinitely; no one knows what the Vienna Government is thinking. What if they suddenly turn hostile?"
Such concerns are not superfluous; although the Vienna Government has a good reputation, the Japanese Government has not achieved any substantial agreement with them.
Including actions against the Russians, the Vienna Government has only insinuated by asking the Japanese Government to "show sincerity" without clearly stating it.
Whether it counts as "sincerity" is entirely up to the mood of the Vienna Government. If they turn hostile, the Japanese Government would be utterly helpless.
Ito Hirobumi: "Yama-kun, things are not as bad as that. The British Empire falls, the Holy Roman Empire is satiated.
So many colonies, digestion always takes time. According to intelligence from Europe, the Vienna Government even plans to abandon India.
Relinquishing the wealthiest India while having an absolute advantage is probably not just to appease the allies but more significantly a strategic core.
As a Colonial Empire themselves, the Vienna Government’s colonial policy undoubtedly focuses on the long-term. Their selections for colonizing lands typically involve areas with smaller populations and richer resources, rarely touching densely populated areas.
This strategy has proven very successful indeed. Not only has it avoided clashes with the major powers during the early stages of colonization, but the Shinra colonies also have the fewest problems.
With successful examples, the same pattern can be replicated without needing any changes.
We are not only densely populated, economically backward, and scarce in resources but also frequently suffer volcanic eruptions, without any strategic value, making us unworthy of the Vienna Government’s attention.
Under such circumstances, as long as we don’t sabotage ourselves, there won’t be significant issues."
To think about it is saddening; "economically backward, resource-poor, and frequent volcanic eruptions" have all become advantages.
However, none of that matters when it comes to survival. Just like a "sea spider," as long as I am of no value, I need not fear being coveted.
Accepting reality calmly, primarily since the Japanese Government has faced numerous setbacks since the Meiji Restoration.
Being bullied by the great powers is one thing, minor issues are not worth getting upset over. As long as it doesn’t involve core interests, it’s endurable.
The most discouraging is being strategically blocked, first attempting to invade Philippines and being driven back by the great powers; then, barely mustering the courage for the Russo-Japanese War, coinciding with the World War.
As the alliances among great powers fragmented, Japan, unfortunately standing with the wrong leader, squandered its painstakingly gathered naval assets.
Helplessly watching the Oceanic Alliance crumble, yet powerless to intervene, the expectations of the Japanese Government naturally continue to diminish.
Even extreme nationalists aren’t as delusional anymore. "Conquer East Asia, dominate the world"—might as well go to sleep; everything is achieved in dreams.
Facing the complex current situation, after much deliberation, the Japanese Government decided on a most reluctant strategy—acting subservient.
…
The decisions of the Japanese Government have been ignored; now the whole world’s attention has turned to the British Isles.
Negotiations aside, the war continues. Both great rogues are masters of international politics, and stalling through negotiations is out of the question.
Unless one side is utterly defeated, or a ceasefire agreement is reached, the Continental Alliance’s attacks against Britannia will only intensify, not weaken.
Unlike the early stages of the war, when various countries were dragged onto the battlefield by the Vienna Government, now the situation is clear—piling on the defeated foe is everyone’s game.
The most notable is the battlefield in India, with the situation changing daily. The British colonial government is powerless to defend India, not to mention the even more incapacious Congress Party.
Uninformed observers might think this is an Indian Independence Organization, in reality, the Congress Party’s founders were all retired British-Indian officials, currently advocating only for representative governance.
Independence? That’s a post-World War II story. For now, they’re obedient babes, closely united around the British-Indian colonial government, upholding the colonial rule of the Great Britain Empire.
Even if Independence came after World War II, it was forced by international circumstances, a declinin
"Armed resistance," this is really putting people in a tough spot. If independence had been granted earlier, perhaps there could have been a chance to fight against the Allied Forces.
Now that independence was just declared, the Allied Forces have come attacking, how can the nascent Indian government endure this?
It is known that they haven’t even completed the transfer of power, let alone organize effective resistance. Apart from having the title of independence, the resistance is still that of the colonial army.
If it were a nation with strong nationalism, perhaps the stimulation of independence could unleash astonishing potential.
Unfortunately, India clearly does not have such conditions. If nationalism were strong, Britannia wouldn’t have been able to colonize India.
Unless there is a liberation of thoughts and a breaking of the caste system, otherwise, the submissive nature of the people simply cannot organize effective resistance.
London’s decisions, based on past experiences, not only failed to stimulate Indian people’s resistance consciousness but also brought greater chaos to India.
Without British bureaucrats, the Congress Party, which just took over some power, clearly could not handle the important task of unifying the country.
If it were peacetime, slowly adapting and growing would be fine, but the current situation is not suitable, the hasty involvement resulted in: local powers falling into the hands of Brahmins and Kshatriyas.
That’s not all, thanks to Britannia’s past undermining in India, deliberately creating numerous ethnic and religious conflicts, adding insult to injury for the newly born Indian government.
Under these combined factors, the situation in India naturally went downhill rapidly. If nothing unexpected occurs, India might change rulers before Christmas.
Without India, there is no Great Britain Empire; this is a global consensus. Watching India fall, the War Party in The British Isles completely extinguished.
India is gone, what’s next?
The Holy Roman Empire is now a major force, with nations around the world scrambling to be its wings, whether it’s attacking Australia, New Zealand, or capturing Canada, it’s not a difficult task.
Without overseas colonies, how long can The British Isles alone hold out is uncertain to everyone.
This cruel world has always had more people who kick others when they are down than those who lend a helping hand. Britannia, having liked to stir up trouble everywhere, has enemies all over the world.
As the war becomes increasingly clear, countries around the world are distancing themselves from Britain, joining the blockade.
The only way to obtain supplies is through the black market. Even this sole channel is not smooth.
It’s not that the capitalists are not strong enough, it’s just that the risks involved are too great. Governments of various countries have been sternly warned by the Continental Alliance, that doing business with British people at this time will be regarded as complicity with Britannia.
To avoid suspicion, countries had to exert great effort to suppress smuggling, so as not to be affected by connected disasters.
With overseas trade lines cut off, and if there are no more supplies from the colonies, what can Britain use to fight the war?
Other issues aside, food alone is a big problem. With the production capacity of those times, the food produced by The British Isles simply cannot sustain its forty million people.
An iron will cannot stand against hunger. Once the reserve food is exhausted, it’s time for the Great Britain Empire to collapse.
Interior Minister Azefdo: "As early as three months ago, we had already implemented a rationing system, but compared to the current predicament, it’s still too insufficient.
The war has been ongoing for nearly a year now, and domestic reserves are depleting very fast, especially food, which at most can last another two months.
If there are no supplies replenishments, this Christmas will be tough for us.
Public opinion is also very unfavorable for us. An anti-war wave has already surged through The British Isles, and now is the time to consider ending the war."
"End the war," this is not the first time someone has suggested this. As early as half a year ago, there were calls to end this wrongful war.
At that time, the London Government and the Vienna Government had a secret meeting, but unfortunately, the installment differed too greatly; the Vienna Government not only demanded hegemony but also asked Britannia to give up a third of its colonies, and the meeting ended fruitlessly.
Two months ago, as the situation deteriorated, anti-war voices rose, and both sides had another secret meeting.
The cease-fire conditions proposed by the Vienna Government last time were acceptable to Britannia, unfortunately, the Vienna Government’s appetite grew bigger.
Not just limited to colonies, they even came up with the idea of splitting The British Isles. Of course, there was still room for negotiation here.
However, involving the homeland, the British Government simply did not dare to agree. If they accepted the Vienna Government’s conditions to split The British Isles, the angry populace might start a revolution.
Now that the situation has completely collapsed, starting negotiations anew, that can no longer be called negotiation. Britain has almost lost all its capital, the balance of power between the two sides has completely shifted.
Foreign Minister Adam shrugged: "Your Excellency, when to end the war, the initiative is no longer in the Empire’s hands. To end the war immediately, unless we surrender."
"Surrender," this word is both familiar and strange. Britain has not been without defeat, nor has it not surrendered to the enemy before.
However, for the past century, Britannia has ascended to the throne of world hegemony. Even if it lost on the battlefield, it was only a matter of cease-fire to cut losses; never has there been a point where it needed to surrender to the enemy.
This time is different, Britain has lost the capital to continue fighting, if the war continues, Britain will truly lose everything.
A weak country has no diplomacy, Adam’s experience is the deepest. As Britain’s Foreign Minister, Adam has more than once witnessed the "helplessness" of the diplomatic envoys of weak countries in negotiations.
He just never dreamed that such a dismal scene would one day be played out in Britain.
Campbell: "Whether to fight or make peace, we have no authority to make decisions on behalf of the forty million British people, let’s submit it to the Parliament for discussion!"
