The second volume is full of glory and splendor in the capital, and the spirit is full of energy in the foggy city. Chapter 337 Premiere (1)
Chapter Subtitle: To be, or not to be, that is the question
"Eamon de Valera, Provisional President of the Republic of Ireland
Call
His Majesty George Frederick Ernst Albert King of the United Kingdom:
For thousands of years, your country has invaded our country, slaughtered our people, occupied our land, deprived us of our food, destroyed our culture, and changed our religion. The number of our people is too numerous to count. Even today, the atrocities continue to be heard.
The past is over. To resolve the old enmity between you and me, to strengthen the friendship between our two nations, and to ensure the smooth progress of the London negotiations, we hereby invite His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Wales and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Japan, Prince Di Gong, to Dublin to attend the premiere of the film "Orphans of Famine."
The day the ceremony is completed will be the day when the two princes return to the east.
Provisional Government of the Irish Republic
July 25, 1921
His Majesty George V read the politely worded telegram and then handed it to his wife and cousin.
At the same time, copies of the telegram were circulated among members of the British Empire's cabinet.
“…”
“…”
In the magnificent Buckingham Palace and the magnificent conference hall, the well-dressed high-ranking officials were all silent.
Because everyone from George V onwards felt a little uncomfortable in their cheeks, not pain but numbness.
It felt like being slapped dozens of times by a strong man, and it hurt so much that I couldn't feel the pain anymore.
"We..."
After a long time
The former Royal Navy officer nicknamed "Sailor King" was quite straightforward: "I am tired. Prime Minister, you can handle it."
With these words, the old man left with the queen.
"Congratulations to Your Majesty!"
After seeing off the British King and Queen, everyone in the hall turned their attention to Prime Minister Lloyd.
At this time, the British Prime Minister had not figured out what to do, but he was the Prime Minister after all, and he had subordinates to consult (take the blame).
So he pointed at Winston Churchill and asked, "What do you think, Colonial Secretary?"
It should be explained here that the Secretary of State for the Colonies, as the name suggests, is an important official in charge of the State for the Colonies.
However, not all colonies were governed by this person. India and Burma were governed by the Indian Ministry, while protectorates such as Egypt were governed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
By the 1960s, the British Empire had been beaten by wind and rain and had no colonies, so there was no "colonial affairs". This department was merged with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Winston Churchill served as Secretary of State for the Colonies, and his most important responsibility at the moment was to preside over negotiations with the Irish.
Well, now he has no choice but to speak.
Churchill entered politics and was elected as a member of parliament in 1900. It has been twenty-one years since then, and he can be considered a mature politician.
It was precisely because he was a mature politician that he could see how powerful this telegram was.
The amazing thing is that the Irish stood on the moral high ground from beginning to end in this telegram.
Yes, they did admit that the two Crown Princes were in their hands. But they only mentioned invitation, not kidnapping.
Now the whole world knows that the kidnapping group called "Hibiscus Legion" is composed of Chinese. Now for unknown reasons, it has fallen into the hands of the Irish, so the Irish did not violate the ceasefire agreement between Britain and Ireland.
Besides, even if they did it, this invitation is nothing compared to the atrocities committed by the British in history.
The most important thing is that the other party did not make any unreasonable demands. They just wanted the two Crown Princes to attend the premiere of a movie.
The subtext, of course, is that the film is definitely going to be released in Ireland.
The problem is, Churchill was not a complete novice in history. Which famine could the "Famine" in "Famine Girls" refer to?
Could it be the great famines that occurred in the South Asian subcontinent in 1770, 1783, 1866, 1873, 1892, and 1897?
Just take the Bengal famine of 1770, which roughly estimated that 10,000,000 people died...
You read that right, it is indeed 7 zeros, which means 10 million people!
Ironically, the East India Company's revenues were higher in 1771, after the famine began, than in 1768.
Of course, these famines are definitely the fault of the Indian people.
Because Churchill himself famously said, "I hate Indians. They are a cruel people with a barbarous religion. The famine is their own fault, and they breed like rabbits."
The "Big Four" of World War II said this, could they be wrong?
So when famine struck Bengal again in 1943, he diverted medical aid and food that was supposed to be supplied locally to Europe.
The Delhi government sent a telegram outlining the horrific scene of the disaster and the enormous death toll. Churchill's only response was, "Why hasn't Gandhi died yet?"
But I think like Churchill, the Irish would not care about the South Asian subcontinent thousands of miles away. This Famine must be the Great Irish Famine of 1848.
This telegram actually threatened the British government with the lives of the two Crown Princes, demanding that a film depicting the Irish Famine be released in Ireland at a critical moment in the Anglo-Irish negotiations.
If this isn't adding fuel to the fire, what is?
But, but, but can he say "NO"?
If he had refused this request and the two crown princes were killed by the Irish, what would his political future be? But on the other hand, if he had agreed to this request first, the Anglo-Irish negotiations would have broken down and he would have become a scapegoat.
Why did George V leave immediately after reading the telegram?
Why didn't Prime Minister Lloyd act arbitrarily but asked for his opinion?
Don’t they just want someone to say “YES” for them?
After all, isn't he, the Secretary of State for Colonial Affairs in charge of Ireland, the most suitable person to say this word?
"Prime Minister, my opinion is, yes, yes..."
The famous orator in history stammered, "First, confirm with the other party whether the two crown princes are really in their hands."
There are no fathers and sons in politics, and even less friends.
The British themselves say that there are no eternal enemies or friends, only eternal interests.
Prime Minister Lloyd pressed the issue without hesitation: "Secretary of State for the Colonies, what if it is true?"
"Then, then, then agree to them!"
After saying this, Churchill sighed dejectedly and slumped in his seat.
The setting sun shone on him, and he looked as if he had aged a dozen years in an instant.
"Our Colonial Secretary's opinion is to agree to it."
The British Prime Minister repeated it deliberately, then turned to the other cabinet members and asked, "What are your opinions?"
Lord Curzon looked at Churchill with sympathy and said loudly: "Second!"
“Second!”
“Second!”
"Second..."
"Since everyone agrees with this opinion..." Prime Minister Lloyd nodded and said, "Then let's send someone to contact the Irish side and confirm the situation of the two highnesses."
"Secretary of State , I leave this matter to you. After all, this is your job."
"Choke, choke, choke to death, Primneste. "
Winston Churchill reluctantly agreed and suddenly recalled the Chinese man's mocking eyes full of superiority and his handsome face full of playful meaning...
