Chapter 508: Battle between Land and Sea
The "Secretary of the Admiralty" was here because of a promise he had made earlier: "If the battle of the Dardanelles fails, I will go to the battlefield as a soldier with a rifle on my shoulder."
He did carry a rifle as a soldier, but he did not go to war: he became the commander of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, a unit responsible for security guard duties in ports.
(The photo above shows the "Secretary of the Navy" when he was the commander of the Scottish Battalion)
As a mature politician, the "Secretary of the Navy" behaved politely in front of Charles.
The "Secretary of the Navy" first saluted Charles as a subordinate, then looked at Charles with admiration and said in English: "I have heard of your name a long time ago, General. It is my honor to meet you."
General Winter, acting as interpreter, repeated in French the words of the "Secretary of the Admiralty."
Charles made no secret of his dislike for the "Secretary of the Navy": "If you are here for the 'Camel' fighter, you can rest assured that it will be delivered soon."
A few months ago, Britain exchanged five artillery production lines for Camel fighters. Now that the artillery has successfully entered mass production, Britain will soon get the Camel fighters as it wished.
What Charles said was almost like an order to leave, meaning that if you have nothing else to do, you can leave.
But the Admiral shook his head: "No, Admiral. Although the Camel fighter is very attractive, I am here for other things, something more important."
Charles had no choice but to take them to the reception room on the first floor and asked the orderly to prepare coffee.
Charles deliberately left the "Secretary of the Navy" aside and asked General Winter: "So, you finally ended the war in the Dardanelles?"
"Yes." General Winter glanced at the "Secretary of the Admiralty".
The Battle of the Dardanelles was a major failure of the "Secretary of the Navy". The reason why the "Secretary of the Navy" became a captain here was because of this incident. Charles's question was undoubtedly exposing the "Secretary of the Navy's" scars.
General Winter secretly gave Charles a look with pleading in his eyes, asking him to be merciful even for the sake of his friends!
Charles pretended not to notice and continued:
"Smart move, Admiral. Continuing will accomplish nothing but cause more casualties."
"You British were very generous to the Allies, pushing the Ottoman Empire into their arms."
"So many lives and manpower and resources were wasted in the Dardanelles."
“All of this could have been avoided!”
Then Charles said "Oh" again: "I almost forgot, it was not the British native army who died there, but the colonial army. You don't care, right?"
General Winter looked embarrassed. He looked helplessly at the "Secretary of the Navy" with apology in his eyes.
In the past, the "Secretary of the Navy" would have been furious or would have used his eloquence to argue with Charles.
But now, he listened to Charles's sarcasm with great interest. While listening, he slowly stirred the coffee on the coffee table. After taking a sip, he said, "It would be great if it could be replaced with brandy, but of course you don't have that here."
"You guessed it right, Captain." Charles replied, "My troops never allow drinking during missions. This seems to be different from the customs of the British Royal Navy."
General Winter rolled his eyes. He felt that he shouldn't have brought the "Secretary of the Admiralty" with him at all.
Perhaps sensing General Winter's nervousness, the "Secretary of the Navy" consoled him, "It's nothing, Winter. I see a child who doesn't understand politics and doesn't know how to hide himself. I won't bother with him."
Charles laughed instead of getting angry:
"I almost forgot that you, Captain, are a veteran who has been involved in politics for decades. You are very good at hiding your inner thoughts."
"So, does this mean that beneath your calm surface you are furious?"
"Is this the main reason you wanted to drink?"
"If you agree, I might be able to make an exception and have some sent over..."
General Winter could not help but speak out to stop him: "We are allies, Major General. You can't be prejudiced against the 'Secretary of the Navy' just because he made a mistake. No one wants this to happen."
Charles smiled and shook his head. He was indeed prejudiced against the "Secretary of the Admiralty".
But it was definitely not because of the battle of the Dardanelles, but because of countless outrageous operations in history.
"Put it this way!" Charles put the coffee in his hand on the table, stared at the "Minister of the Navy" and said coldly: "Politicians often say that countries only talk about interests. You and I have different interests and are destined to be opponents. This means that any false courtesy will be useless, right?"
The Navy Minister nodded: "You can say that."
"Well then." Charles spread his hands, "Why don't we just be frank and tell each other what your purpose is today? Or is there anything you want to exchange?"
Charles thought of directional mines and land mines.
But it doesn't seem like it. This is army equipment and the navy doesn't need it at all.
The "Admiral" met Ciel's gaze. "The point is that we have common interests, Admiral. So, I'm here to discuss cooperation."
Charles was stunned for a moment, then he laughed: "I'm sorry, I don't think there are any common interests between us, Captain. So there will be no cooperation."
The "Secretary of the Navy" leaned back on the sofa and habitually reached for the cigar in his arms, but put it back before he could take it out.
Charles doesn't smoke cigars, so he will definitely refuse.
The "Secretary of the Navy" raised his eyebrows and said, "If it was before, your idea would be correct, but it is different now. I guess you have felt the pressure from the British Army, am I right?"
Charles was stunned.
All along, he simply thought of the British as "the British", but he didn't expect that they could be divided into the British Navy and Army.
Come to think of it, the French people can be divided into the common people who support Charles and the powerful people who oppose Charles. Of course, there are different forces in Britain as well.
The Lord Admiral said slowly:
"Britain has always been naval-based, Admiral. It is because of its navy that it became the 'Empire on which the sun never sets'. The navy is the cornerstone of its security and strength."
“But now, that foundation has been shaken.”
"The reason is related to the failure of the Dardanelles Campaign. I think you can understand."
Charles nodded slightly.
The British Royal Navy tried its best but was unable to defeat the Ottoman Empire, which it had originally disdained, while the Western Front was caught in a fierce battle with the army: major powers such as Britain, France, Germany, and Russia were all digging trenches and fighting with the army. Although the situation was in a stalemate, it proved the importance of the army.
This can easily lead to a misunderstanding: the navy is useless, and the army may play a decisive role in the future!
(End of this chapter)
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