I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 985: Preventing an Alliance Between France and Germany
"So," MacDonald retorted, "do you have a solution to this problem?"
The Minister of Military Supplies pointed forcefully into the air, "This is what I want to say, Mr. MacDonald, we should stop Charles from expanding his influence, rather than standing with him or doing the same things he does."
Left-wing parliamentarians were discussing fervently.
They suspected that the Minister of Military Supplies was using the threat of Charles to divert attention and ultimately influence their decision-making, but they had no evidence.
Seeing that the parliamentarians were hesitating, the Minister of Military Supplies added more fuel to the fire:
"Gentlemen, Charles has already used his so-called ’International Alliance’ to control many countries in Europe."
"At the same time, he is giving ’French spirit’ to the colonies for freedom. It is easy to guess that these colonies will be deeply grateful and look up to France."
"Do you know what Charles wants to do now?"
Without waiting for the parliamentarians to answer, he raised his hand and pointed, fully asserting his presence:
"Yes, you guessed it right, Charles wants to end the status of England and replace it with France."
"He has already waged war against us, gentlemen. And you are still thinking about cooperating with Charles, do you know what the outcome will be?"
"The whole world will think England has surrendered, the whole world will believe France is the most powerful country, the whole world will abandon England and choose France."
"Is this the result you want for England?"
The parliamentarians engaged in heated discussions, including the right-wing members.
A significant portion of the left-wing parliamentarians did not genuinely speak for the working class; they were fighting for more public support for themselves, just like Clemenceau, who would change his position once he achieved success; after all, it was still for their own interests.
Their advocacy to follow and cooperate with Charles was the same, "cooperating with Charles" was the popular demand of the common people, and by endorsing this voice, the parliamentarians could gain more votes.
But if following Charles would shake England’s foundations, that was beyond what they could psychologically bear.
"But how can we stop Charles?" MacDonald asked, "Fight a war against Charles? Then you must be crazy!"
The parliamentarians loudly agreed:
"Yes, England still has over a million expeditionary forces fighting with the German Army on the soil of France."
"Once France cuts off their supplies, they will have no choice but to surrender."
"Most importantly, no one can defeat Charles, including the British Expeditionary Force!"
...
"That’s right!" The Minister of Military Supplies replied:
"It is very difficult for us to openly wage war against Charles; this is where Charles is shrewd."
"If we were to wage war, we would first need to withdraw the expeditionary forces from France, otherwise, they would be encircled by the German-French coalitions."
"But once withdrawn, we have no way to get a foothold on the mainland."
MacDonald seemed to understand the Minister of Military Supplies’ idea: "You mean, the navy?"
"Of course." The Minister of Military Supplies answered confidently:
"Charles is invincible on land, but our navy is invincible, we have the most powerful navy in the world."
"Most of the French fleet is in the Mediterranean, and the ships available for the North Sea are just a few small-tonnage warships with anti-aircraft and anti-submarine firepower."
"The North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean are our territories, gentlemen."
Before he could finish, he was met with a barrage of opposition from the left-wing parliamentarians:
"So your suggestion is war again?"
"Just like when you guaranteed victory in the Dardanelles Strait, what was the result then?"
"What do we gain from the war? You seem to forget Charles’ torpedo planes!"
...
The Minister of Military Supplies did not rush to refute but waited quietly. When the voices of the left-wing parliamentarians calmed down, he continued: "First, we are attacking Germany, at the German Emden port."
(The red circle in the diagram above marks the location of the German Emden port, which is close to Holland. Because it is too close to the British blockade line, it is easily attacked. During the First World War, it was repeatedly attacked by the British and blocked from the air, thus serving only as an auxiliary port for Germany, with only a small number of minelayers and torpedo boats deployed. The blue circle marks the location of the Ruhr Industrial District.)
The Minister of Military Supplies stood before the left-wing parliamentarians, watching as his secretary distributed the prepared briefing maps, and said triumphantly:
"Look at the location of Emden port, gentlemen."
"The Germans are unwilling to accept the terms of negotiation; attacking them is reasonable and also aligns with the interests of the Allies."
"What reason does Charles have to oppose?"
After glancing at the map, the parliamentarians nodded one after another.
It’s not as if they had torn apart their relationship with Charles. If Charles made peace with Germany, that was his business, and England fighting for its negotiation terms was England’s business; Charles had no reason to interfere.
"Don’t forget that the French Army occupies the Ruhr District, gentlemen." The Minister of Military Supplies continued:
"The French Army is our ally, and they certainly cannot refuse us passing through the Ruhr to attack the German Army."
"Thus..."
"We form a pincer attack on Emden port, from both land and sea."
Right-wing parliamentarians showed their support for this plan one after another:
"The Germans have lost the Ruhr, and their army is suffering from severe supply shortages."
"Charles can only watch as we attack Emden port. If the Germans do not agree to the terms, then we will fight until they do."
"As for how much compensation Charles demands, that is none of our business."
...
The left-wing parliamentarians suddenly realized they had been led astray by the Minister of Military Supplies.
Originally, they opposed war and advocated for peaceful negotiations, even lowering negotiation standards, now they were discussing with the right-wing whether the attack was reasonable.
The Minister of Military Supplies appropriately added:
"I know what you’re thinking, gentlemen. Everyone wants to end the war as soon as possible; we are right on the brink."
"But we cannot end the war like this, because our enemy is not just Germany, but also Charles."
"And Charles is obviously more daunting and difficult to deal with than Germany."
"From this perspective, do you think this plan is reasonable?"
The Minister of Military Supplies cleverly transformed the contradiction of ’compensation’ into a conflict with Charles, the latter concerning England’s international status and even its survival."
Prime Minister George timely added:
"Once we seize Emden port, it means we have one more forward base in Germany."
"Our supply line will not be controlled by France, and materials and troops can be continuously transported to Germany."
"At the same time, we can also surround or even control the Ruhr Industrial District."
The Minister of Military Supplies said confidently:
"Yes, whoever controls the Ruhr Industrial District controls Germany."
"Then we can implement the compensation terms and strike at Charles’ prestige."
"We can also prevent France and Germany from forming an alliance!"
The parliamentarians’ faces changed dramatically.
They were frightened by this last statement. All along, England had been doing one thing: preventing a strong alliance from forming on the European continent.
Otherwise, England would be marginalized.
