When Churchill arrived at the Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Asquith was already waiting in the office. In addition to Prime Minister Asquith, there are Chancellors of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary, War Secretary, Home Secretary, and Colonial Secretary. After receiving the notice, everyone rushed to the prime minister's office immediately. They all know how important this decisive battle between the Royal Navy and the German Navy is, and it is directly related to the life and death of the British Empire.
When Churchill walked into the office, all eyes were on him. However, everyone was quickly disappointed. Because they didn't see a smile on Churchill's face, all of them were serious. Although Churchill tried his best to calm himself down, these ministers were all mature figures, and it was easy to see a trace of despair in Churchill's eyes.
This undoubtedly made these ministers guess the result of the naval battle.
"Your Excellency Churchill, have we lost again?" War Secretary Richard Haldane asked.
Churchill nodded.
"God! Have you already abandoned the British Empire?" Richard Haldane said painfully.
The faces of the other ministers were also full of frustration. Although, they already knew that it would be very difficult for the Royal Navy to win. But in their hearts, there is still a glimmer of hope, hoping that a miracle will happen. Now, reality slapped them hard, letting them know that their previous delusions were nothing but daydreams.
"Your Excellency Churchill, is our loss big?" Prime Minister Asquith asked. He still had a little extravagant hope in his heart. If the loss of the navy is not large, there may be a chance.
"Your Excellency, in this battle, all the capital ships of the Royal Navy were sunk by the Germans. The French still have four battleships left, and the Italians have two battleships left. However, they have all sent to Germany People surrendered. It was because the French and Italians fled in fear of the enemy at the critical moment that the Royal Navy was quickly defeated by the Germans." Churchill said.
"Damn the French and Italians, they actually ran away on the battlefield?" Prime Minister Asquith was furious, and of course blamed France and Italy for the defeat.
Other ministers also cursed France and Italy one after another, as if if the French fleet and the Italian fleet did not flee, they would not have been defeated in this battle.
Churchill shook his head helplessly when he saw this situation. He knew very well that even if the French Navy and the Italian Navy did not escape, the Royal Navy would definitely be wiped out. At most, it just lasts a little longer.
Now, Prime Minister Asquith and others are just using this to vent their anger.
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, ministers, this time the Royal Navy has failed again. I think, from now on, we may not have the strength to challenge the German Navy again? In this battle, the British Empire wants to defeat the Germans. That's almost impossible. So what do we do now?" asked Sir Edward Gray, the Foreign Secretary.
Suddenly, the office became very quiet, and even the sound of a needle falling to the ground could be heard clearly.
Sir Edward Gray's question is undoubtedly a very headache for everyone. There are only two paths before the UK. However, no matter which way it is, it will not benefit the UK at all. If they had a choice, of course they would not choose either path. But unfortunately, the current situation is already very bad. When the situation is not as good as human beings, they can't help but do what they want.
"Well, let's talk about it! Now, what should the British Empire do?" Prime Minister Asquith said.
As the Prime Minister of the British Empire, Asquith was definitely the most powerful person in the world. But now, he would rather he had never been Prime Minister of the British Empire. He was very aggrieved, why the world was peaceful and the empire ruled the world when others were prime ministers. When it was his turn to be Prime Minister, it became like this. Although, the British Empire will have its current fate, and he cannot be completely blamed. However, it was during his tenure that the British Empire went from world dominance to war loser after all. In the history books of later generations, the records about him are obviously not going to be much better. This made Prime Minister Asquith very aggrieved, but more helpless.
"Your Excellency, now, apart from surrendering to the Germans, we have no choice but to fight to the death. As for peace talks with the Germans, it is almost impossible to reach a decent peace. With the Royal Navy already completely lost, I'm afraid we don't have the capital to negotiate with the Germans anymore. The Germans have already taken advantage!" Sir Edward Gray said.
"If you surrender, the conditions of the Germans will definitely be very, very harsh! We may have to lose all of our overseas colonies. Even the mainland may not be preserved. The Germans and the Irish have always been in contact. Even they have been secretly supporting them. If we surrender, Ireland will definitely be separated from the British Empire. I am afraid the situation in Scotland is not optimistic. In addition, the Germans will inevitably extort large sums of war reparations from us. This is almost certain. The Germans have already made this a routine. In order to remove the threat of the Empire being Germany, the Germans may impose various restrictions on the Empire, so that the Empire will never have a chance to stand up. At that time, the empire will inevitably become a small third-rate country," said Sir Edward Gray.
When Sir Edward Gray finished speaking, the faces of all the cabinet ministers present turned pale. They were heartily unwilling to accept what Sir Edward Gray might offer the Germans to offer. However, if they surrender, then everything will be impossible to let them go. They are just a piece of meat on the chopping board to be slaughtered by the Germans.
"No! We must not surrender to the Germans, and we cannot allow the Germans to slaughter us so wantonly! In that case, it would be better to let the British Empire perish." Churchill gritted his teeth and said.
Although the Royal Navy suffered a disastrous defeat and all the main forces had been wiped out, this was undoubtedly a great blow to Churchill. However, letting the British Empire surrender to Germany is still not acceptable to him.
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