Chapter 988: The Horror of Charles

Houses of Parliament in London, UK.

The left wing and the right wing were arguing so fiercely that it could not even be called a "argument" as several people were throwing punches and kicks at each other. If the guards had not forcibly separated them, the two sides would have already started fighting.

Labour leader MacDonald waved the documents in his hand and yelled at the right wing, his face flushed red from the excessive force:

"We should stand with Ciel, he is right."

"Do you know why the Germans did not accept our negotiations?"

"Because you are always thinking about the war, the interests of the capitalists, and your own wallets. This is the fundamental reason why Britain is so passive!"

"You are responsible for your own mistakes. This has nothing to do with others!"

…

(The picture above shows Ramsay MacDonald, one of the representatives of the British left during World War I. He became the British Prime Minister in 1924. The left usually supports the working class and social reform. MacDonald advocated peace through negotiations and opposed unlimited war mobilization.)

Prime Minister Lloyd George slammed the gavel on the podium. It made a loud "bang bang" sound, accompanied by his angry shout: "Quiet, quiet!"

(The picture above shows the gavel, which is used to maintain order and control the rhythm)

It took a while for the parliament to quiet down, and the MPs focused their attention on the Prime Minister.

"The question now is not how we should deal with this matter." George emphasized to the left:

"It's about how to solve this problem."

"You always emphasize negotiation against war, we agree to negotiate, and that is what we are doing."

"The Germans, however, did not agree to negotiate."

There was a chorus of boos from the left wing.

MacDonald loudly demanded, "Are the Germans unwilling to negotiate?"

Then he waved the documents in his hands to the members on both sides and turned his eyes to the podium:

"Let's listen to the negotiating terms proposed by the UK."

"Germany must unconditionally release all prisoners of war, and we have no prisoners to exchange."

"Germany must pay $13 billion to Britain and $10 billion to the United States. France only demands $2 billion in compensation!"

"France, that's Charles' France. They defeated the Germans and only asked for $2 billion, while we asked for $13 billion!"

"Please tell me, Mr. Prime Minister, why do you think we can get a compensation many times higher than that of France? Is it because the capitalists have such a demand?"

The left-wing members laughed and shouted:

"This is not negotiation, this is blackmail. No one will agree to such negotiation terms!"

"You are deliberately sabotaging the negotiations. You do not want peace because it is not you who are sent to fight on the battlefield."

"If the capitalists have such demands for reparations, let them pick up their rifles and go to the battlefield!"

…

Prime Minister George's face was livid. He banged the gavel again, and when the shouting of the congressmen subsided, he could not wait to respond: "Have you forgotten the huge sum of $10 billion we borrowed from the United States? If we can't get a similar amount of compensation, how will we pay it?"

Prime Minister George felt innocent.

The right wing does not want the war to continue and wants peace because they, as representatives of capitalists, can no longer hold on.

So the accusation of "intentionally sabotaging the negotiations" is not true.

However……

The left-wing MPs loudly refuted:

"This is none of our business, none of the British civilians' business, that's your business."

"It wasn't even about the Germans. You made a fortune from the war, and most of the money you got from the loans from the Americans went into your pockets."

"Why should British civilians pay these bills? You don't even have the right to ask the Germans to pay!"

…

The left believes that the correct approach is for right-wing lawmakers to conduct self-examination and return the money they have embezzled, which would be enough to pay off the US loan.

Or the right wing can solve these problems themselves. They started the war in the first place, so they should now take responsibility for the war instead of shifting the blame onto civilians.

Proposing $13 billion in compensation during the negotiations and using the compensation to pay off loans is actually indirectly transferring the risk to civilians.

The Minister of Munitions sat quietly in his chair, not saying a word, as if everything that happened had nothing to do with him.

Prime Minister George turned his angry gaze towards the Minister of Munitions.

The biggest war advocate on the right wing is the Minister of Munitions, and this has been the case since the Battle of the Dardanelles. Now, facing this mess, he plans to stay out of it?

Perhaps unable to bear the Prime Minister's gaze, the Minister of Munitions slowly stood up and said calmly: "Gentlemen, I think we should put this issue aside for now."

MacDonald stood up and asked:

"What's the meaning?"

"Isn't it because of this issue that we are unable to reach an agreement with the Germans now?"

"As long as you give up $13 billion, the war will be over. This is undoubtedly the most important issue at the moment!"

The Minister of Munitions calmly asked, "Do you think so, Mr. MacDonald?"

"Of course, what else?" McDonald asked.

MacDonald was fooled; the Minister of Munitions succeeded in arousing his curiosity and that of the left-wing MPs.

Not only that, right-wing MPs wanted to hear what the Minister of Munitions had to say.

Once others are willing to listen to the Minister of Munitions' statement, all that remains is how the Minister of Munitions "quibbles".

The Minister of Munitions walked to the open space between the seats on both sides with his cane and paced leisurely, just like taking a stroll in the calm seaside after dinner.

"Let us consider what will happen after peace," said the Minister of Munitions.

"We assume that we have resolved the reparations issue and that the UK does not need to bear the loan."

"But is this really our only problem?"

"Have you overlooked the 'French spirit' of the Charles?"

"The 'freedom', 'equality' and 'fraternity' he preached have spread through the battlefield to every colonial army and even to the hearts of every soldier. No matter how we blockade it, it will be of no avail."

The left-wing MPs were speechless. This is indeed a bigger issue than reparations.

With colonies around, the 10 billion loan can be passed on to the colonies.

But if the colonies were lost, would the British Empire still be the British Empire?

The Minister of Munitions spread his hands:

“Maybe you would say this is also a right-wing problem.”

"If we don't join this war, the Charr won't be able to spread this message to the Colonial Army."

“But is this really the case?”

The left-wing MPs could not refute this.

The spread of ideas is pervasive and cannot be stopped by rifles, bullets, or a line of defense.

If Charles could only liberate a few French colonies with this rhetoric, it would spread all over the world, and then the British colonies would follow suit.

This is what makes it so powerful, and also what makes the Charles so terrifying.

(End of this chapter)