Chapter 133
This is a violation of the Air Defense Agreement—
No, that’s not right. The Air Defense Agreement was solely meant to counter the invasions of the Communists.
So, it means helping them is possible in the reverse.
The Brits are aware of this. That’s why they’re doing this without saying a word to us.
Damn pirates.
“That treaty is just a diluted version of things. Essentially, we could say the compensation payments are over since the British are digging into their empty pockets to help us.”
Yeah. That seems about right.
Those guys always care about their face, after all.
They call themselves the land of gentlemen while indulging in all kinds of depravity.
And yet, they can’t even digested the pro-British nations they snatched from the Brest-Litovsk Treaty.
Probably, behind the scenes, they’re just murmuring while France splits up the colonies Germany spat out, so their colonies have actually increased.
In other words, colonies + @, pro-British states near Germany + support for the White Army in the Civil War, England has turned into a big egg now.
They’re the victors of the Great War and gained colonies, but they’re worn out from all the post-war reconstruction.
So, even Germany’s little planting of seeds feels like a burden, and it’s just that they can’t completely get rid of the compensation payments for pride’s sake, so that’s the form it’s taking with British support.
They won’t even maintain those colonies for a hundred years anyway; they’re just foolishly trying to uphold imperialism.
Right now, they’re trying to solve immediate realities without looking to the future.
“Is it because of the colonies?”
I still asked just in case.
“Yes.”
Those crazy British.
Could it be they’re now teaming up with Communist Germany to maintain their colonies no matter what?
Regardless, they’re putting on a façade of helping Communist Germany and pitying them moderately.
In the end, it’s like begging Communist Germany not to plant the red seeds in their colonies.
Honestly, who would have thought that the British Empire would turn out like this?
“The Brits are taking such a submissive stance.”
They have debts to repay to the United States.
They want to maintain their position as the victors of the Great War.
They want to maintain their Colonial Empire, the empire on which the sun never sets.
“And they probably don’t want another war. They have trench warfare memories, and they’ve seen our Russian Civil War firsthand, so that’ll be well understood.”
“Hm. This has turned unfortunate. If this continues, those Communist Germans will feel empowered.”
Even so, it’s not like Communist Germany will immediately reconstruct, but at least it will help stabilize their regime.
“Would it really go that way?”
“Right now, the British Empire is the greatest colonial empire. They’re even winners of the Great War and gained a lot. If that colonial empire capitulates to Communist Germany, what do you think will happen when they propagandize this domestically?”
It’s not entirely incorrect from Communist Germany’s position.
If the Brits adjust the reparations, support technology, experts, and manpower, what will that lead to?
It’d be perfect propaganda saying that imperialism has succumbed to communism! How great would that be for the Germans?
They’d probably be thrilled.
Even if the Great War ended without resolution, they all know the Kaiser had to bow down to the British because of the spread of communism.
“Oh. So it’s a war of public opinion.”
In doing so, Communist Germany would be able to comfort the Germans worn down by a sense of defeat, and they could stabilize their regime without resorting to authoritarianism or oppression as they do now.
There’s no need to send political officers to suppress things.
By showing the colonial empire’s capitulation to communism, people will think, “Ah, the communists were right?” and thus support communism.
“Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”
“The popularity of the Communist Party will skyrocket, and they’ll gain confidence. Right now, that vast colonial empire is merely a large egg. And if France is all complicated internally, isn’t it ripe for the taking?”
That’s at least how I see it.
I always say, but if I were them, I’d absolutely have to topple Russia.
For communism to win in competitive regimes, they definitely must knock us down.
The empire caring for its workers is none other than the present-day Russian Republic.
To do that, they will actively use this situation.
Somehow, propagandize it, and even if Russia is like this, they’ll still win.
“Indeed, that’s very much the case.”
“No matter how they’ve turned communist, they surely wouldn’t abandon their habit of trying to resolve things with war. If it’s already come to this, it’s quite obvious.”
It will certainly be that way.
With the British looking so weak, and France having the potential to flip things over, it makes sense.
“Then we need to protest to Britain.”
“Of course, we should protest. But they aren’t the type to listen.”
They’re not the sort who will care about whatever we have to say.
There’s pride involved. They’re far too dismissive of Communist Germany.
Or could it be that the Russian Civil War ending in a White victory caused them to feel this way?
Considering how the Brits view Russia, they must think communism is nothing significant. Is that really the case?
It just so happens that the German Revolution succeeded due to the Kaiser’s blunders.
“I hear that Winston Churchill has been quite vocal, according to the Okhrana within Britain.”
“Winston Churchill, huh? He’s certainly the Chancellor of Armaments, right?”
“Yes. So, Your Majesty, you knew.”
He has indeed become the Chancellor of Armaments as per history.
There’s no way he’d take in what we say; he’ll stick to the gold standard.
“Well, that’s understandable. For now, let’s have a word with that Churchill fellow.”
“Excuse me?”
“We should definitely lend some strength to Mr. Churchill to ensure he doesn’t take the communist side.”
A little bit of help should be okay.
At least even if Churchill doesn’t take a liking to us, he would know that he shouldn’t team up with communism.
If he’s thinking while coming to meet me, he must have been keeping an eye on the situation of the Civil War.
So, it won’t be any nonsense to say I’ll give him Constantinople as a fief.
“Will he listen to us?”
“Well, he’s likely a person who senses crises well. He won’t team up with the communist side while thinking about doing things Russia hates.”
“Understood.”
The problem is that Mr. Churchill shouldn’t start ranting about the gold standard.
Well, we might as well give it a shot.
Hmm, yeah. I think I’ll send Beria who’s been good at his job this time too.
“Let’s send Beria who has been active in Romania.”
He’s quite capable and can’t be left unattended for even a moment.
We should probably show a small measure of goodwill to Mr. Churchill.
* * *
London, British Empire
Around this time, our Mr. Gallipoli, Churchill, was furious.
He was furious enough that it could be said he didn’t even feel this much anger when he began balding at a young age.
The reason was simple.
The news that for the sake of peace in the colonies, they were ostensibly saying they would support Germany by helping the Communists was lingering in Churchill’s ears.
Now the Chancellor of Armaments, Winston Churchill, stormed onto the parliament floor.
“Are you really saying you want to help those communist bastards? Has the entire parliament finally gone mad?”
He hadn’t been paying attention to the state affairs amidst all his recent work, but the nation was going haywire.
Supporting Communist Germany?
Does that even make sense? No matter how much he hated the Kaiser, supporting the Reds? Especially the great British Empire?
“What kind of decorum is this from the Chancellor of Armaments?”
What decorum? Decorum? Well said.
Who is it that’s going to discuss decorum at this moment?
“Let’s get right to it. The ones without decorum are the rootless Reds! And you’re the ones stepping forward to help that ragtag bunch!”
At first, upon coming to parliament, he genuinely thought he was in the secretary’s office of Berlin.
It felt like a red hotbed.
“Your remarks are quite severe!”
Severe remarks? Seems like they’re irked.
Then why are you supporting the German Communist Party?
Churchill’s anger was still not dimmed.
As if stating he would never let it slide, he glared.
“Severe remarks, you say? If this is severe, then just wait until you hear what I have to say next and you’ll be crying like little girls!”
Have you ever seen people like this?
They’re far too dismissive of the communists.
Or do they think that since the revolution failed in Russia, it means the German communists are nothing special?
Neither side sat well with Churchill.
“If we want to maintain the colonies, we have no choice!”
“Of course! We need to find some leeway! We’re only helping them under the pretext of national reconstruction until that point!”
“Ha, so we’re now nobility for the communists? What? Leeway? By the time we regain some leeway, they’ll be rearming and rebuilding their industry! Leeway?”
Are you saying we should grant Germany the time to recover while we’re just catching our breath?
Germany’s rightful government is in East Prussia.
How long has it been since we’ve said this? They support Communist Germany now rather than maintaining the siege?
Churchill was indignant.
“What then? Just because they’re ushering communism in? Are we just going to compromise here? Shall we go to war instead?”
“Absolutely! This is a matter of the fate of the British Empire. We have to do this! If not now, they’ll come for war later! Why don’t you realize that!?”
Churchill, a staunch imperialist deep in his bones, couldn’t understand nor accept Communist Germany.
That’s natural.
Are they not the very ones whose goal is to crush the Colonial Empire?
As evidence, those Germans have been spreading communists all over British and French colonies. What is the reason to support people like that?
Rather, it would be better to sacrifice Britain to that mad Kaiser!
“Do you think those Germans, who couldn’t even protest at the Ruhr occupation, will go to war? Without support from the remnants of the Kaiser’s fleet in East Prussia and German warships, that’s impossible. Sure, Germany’s navy has reached a point to threaten us, but they couldn’t win! What could the hollow Communist Germany possibly do?”
It’s absurd that everyone is so relaxed.
It’s pathetic and absurd.
Are we just going to sit back and watch because we trust the Royal Navy to defend Britain from their invasion?
“We will lose our hegemony in Europe, instead. We’d get labeled as honor-bound communists who collude with communism from the air defense treaty nations!”
“Then what do you propose? Let communism spread in the colonies?”
“If we accept their proposal, those seeds are already sown where? Military threats were supposed to be the way forward! We must assert that all communists emerging from the colonies will be of German origin and must be eradicated! We should threaten to occupy the Ruhr permanently instead of temporarily, just like France! I’m certain, if we keep doing this, there won’t be a single communist left in the colonies!”
“““…….”””
Such ignorant fools.
Here, even if it’s just a bluster, or if the worst comes to worst, can’t we just execute some kind of big special military operation?
As long as it’s not war. Just taking over the Ruhr like France and threatening from that position will lower the popularity of Communist Germany.
The British Empire may struggle, but it’ll prevent those communist buggers from rising up.
Now is the time to root out that weed.
Why walk the hard road when an easy route is right in front?
Churchill’s boiling anger burst forth.
“With the material support we give, communism will claim righteousness, they’ll restore their industrial power with the technology we provide, and with the money we give, they will rearm! Afterwards, they’ll bare their fangs at France and our glorious British Empire! Listen! Austin Chamberlain, the Foreign Minister! What exactly did you bring back from Berlin? Besides begging for a humiliating peace, what do you have?”
They will resurrect Germany with what Britain has supported.
That resurrected Germany will be born as the Red Empire, rearm, and rush to tear apart the British Empire—a once majestic lion already looked down upon by the weary and disgruntled France due to the recent war’s damages.
How can these people be so unaware?
Of course, Britain isn’t immediately threatened by Communist Germany, but its colonies are in significant peril, and Churchill has seen the Russian Civil War.
He saw the Reds there.
Those brutal, weed-like creatures with a knack for incitement—they’re fundamentally meaningless!
“Chancellor of Armaments, please calm down your excitement.”
“Calm down my excitement! Our British Empire should show power even as a show of bluster, and claiming stability in the colonies while begging those who might backstab us? You want me to calm down? Prime Minister, I’ll tell you plainly. You will surely come to regret today’s actions. Future generations will laugh at us, saying we shattered the glorious British Empire!”
Churchill stormed out of the room.
He couldn’t possibly calm down.
The Prime Minister seems to think Communist Germany won’t rebel, but that will be a clear misjudgment.
If they don’t whine and cry afterward, it’ll be a blessing.