The messy flood of news reports, while stirring up public patriotism, also began to affect the British government. The first to be affected was the Home Office. Looking at the crowd outside demanding the government reveal the truth, Home Secretary James Mulder was utterly bewildered. Once he gathered his thoughts, James Mulder immediately ordered, “Send someone out to explain that the assassination of Walters took place in Afghanistan, which is outside the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Police. If they want to know the truth behind the assassination, tell them to ask the Foreign Office.” No matter how powerful the Home Office was, it only dealt with domestic public order. An assassination abroad had nothing to do with them, and James Mulder had no intention of taking the blame for something unrelated. … The Home Office did not want to get dragged into this mess, and neither did the Foreign Office. The unlucky Sir George had barely stepped outside when he was surrounded. A reporter spoke up, “Respected Sir George, we need to know the truth. We cannot let the blood of a hero be shed in vain.” There was no flaw in that argument. Overnight, Walters had been portrayed by the media as a heroic figure who, despite threats and temptations from the enemy, steadfastly defended Britain’s interests. The assassination itself had little to do with threats or temptations, but that was no problem. The entertainment news editors had already filled in the gaps at lightning speed. If they had just a bit more time, they likely would have invented a heroine and added a romantic love story as well. The question had come from a reporter from The London Daily, a political news outlet that, relatively speaking, still maintained a fair degree of impartiality and had not indulged in any absurd dramatization. Facing a crowd of reporters, and in order to maintain his own good public image, Foreign Secretary George had no choice but to step forward and respond. “Sir, the truth of the matter is still under investigation. The Foreign Office has not yet received any relevant information. In fact, we have not established diplomatic relations with Afghanistan and do not have an embassy there. This time, Walters visited Afghanistan under the commission of the Viceroy of India. For more specific details, you may consult the Colonial Office. We will closely follow the progress of the case and will release a statement once we have the results.” Although everything George said was true, that Britain and Afghanistan had no formal diplomatic relations, Walters was not an employee of the Foreign Office, and all the Foreign Office could do was monitor the situation. The reporters were not satisfied. His answer felt too much like official jargon. One reporter pressed, “Sir, don’t you think this is just passing the buck? The Home Office said they couldn’t handle it because the assassination took place overseas and was outside their jurisdiction, so they told us to go to the Foreign Office. We accepted that explanation since the Home Office’s authority is clearly limited to domestic affairs as stipulated by law. Now you’re saying that, because there are no diplomatic ties and Walters was commissioned by the Viceroy of India, we should go to the Colonial Office to find out the truth. That explanation also seems reasonable. But are you aware that we already stopped by the Colonial Office on our way here? Officials there told us that foreign-related incidents fall under the responsibility of the Foreign Office. So who exactly is responsible for this assassination case? And who will give the public the answers they are seeking?” The Walters assassination case involved far too many things. The Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, and the Home Office all had grounds to get involved, but each also had its own reasons to shirk responsibility. Now that he had been cornered by the reporters, aside from cursing his colleagues for their lack of scruples, George could only resign himself to his bad luck. After thinking for a moment, George answered solemnly, “Sir, the question you’ve raised is a very valuable one. However, we also have to take into account the unique nature of the Walters assassination case. Britain is a nation governed by the rule of law, and the powers and responsibilities of each department are clearly defined. Until now, we have had no prior experience dealing with an incident of this kind. Now that such a situation has arisen, it is inevitable that we are somewhat at a loss. The incident took place far away in Central Asia, and none of us knows the full details. In fact, up to this point, the government has received only a single telegram from India. Please give us some time to dispatch people to investigate. If everyone is concerned about departments shirking responsibility, I will propose that a joint investigative committee be formed between the departments.” … After much effort and persuasion, George finally managed to get rid of the reporters. As for the joint investigative committee, that was essentially a joke. By the time the committee was formed and departed from Britain to reach Central Asia, the fastest it could be done would be in two months. After such a long time, what would there be left to investigate? The mastermind behind the case would have already covered their tracks, and the whole thing would turn into a cold case with no resolution. … Following the principle that it is better to share the pain than to bear it alone, George decisively chose to spread the burden among everyone instead of carrying it all by himself. “On the surface, the assassination of Walters was the work of religious extremist organizations, but we have no idea if there are any hidden forces behind it. There are too many potential suspects. Theoretically, the Russians are the most suspicious. Assassinating Walters could eliminate the possibility of Afghanistan leaning towards us. However, such an extreme measure could very likely lead to war. Currently, the Russians’ influence in the Afghan region is limited, and provoking a war wouldn’t benefit them. Secondly, there’s Austria. Not long ago, the Austrian ambassador to Persia visited Afghanistan, primarily to broker an alliance between Russia and Afghanistan. The assassination occurred just after the Austrian ambassador left, which seems a bit too coincidental. The problem is that orchestrating this assassination wouldn’t benefit Austria. Once a war breaks out, Austria would be completely unable to prevent us from occupying Afghanistan. Its only potential value would be to disrupt the arms race. Analyzing it from this perspective alone, the French are even more suspicious than Austria. After all, the French government is the weakest financially and faces the most pressure. Of course, other countries also have significant suspicion. Many nations have the motive to act in the shadows to provoke antagonism between major powers. We also can’t rule out that there’s no mastermind, and it was simply the work of local Afghan religious extremist organizations. After all, Walters had already been the target of multiple assassination attempts before. We have too little information to pinpoint the enemy’s identity. The public wants the truth, but the investigation simply cannot proceed. Anti-British sentiment is severe in Afghanistan. If we send people to investigate, we probably can’t even guarantee the safety of the investigation team members. How can we get the Afghan government to investigate and ultimately give us an answer?” Sir George laid out all the possibilities, certainly not to find the real killer, but more to have everyone choose a “real killer.” Britain’s guiding principle is self-interest. Whoever being the culprit benefits Britain the most, then that’s who the mastermind will be. Colonial Secretary Primrose sneered, “Sir, we don’t really have a choice, do we?” It’s a multiple-choice question alright, just one where the answer has already been announced. You can’t just pick any enemy and expect the public to accept it. A bunch of reporters are hounding the government for the truth. If the opposition party isn’t behind that, nobody would believe it. The only ones with enough weight and credibility are actually Russia, France, and Austria, plus a weak Afghanistan. The Royal Navy can’t be implicated. If they pin the blame on a major power, it will only lead to endless disputes, making it impossible to give the domestic public the explanation they want. For the Gladstone cabinet, that would be completely asking for trouble. First Lord of the Admiralty Sir Astley Cooper Key warned, “This is the enemy’s conspiracy! They want to provoke a Central Asian war and undermine our plan to wear down France and Austria.” The First Lord of the Admiralty’s opposition is inevitable. Once war breaks out, the government’s investment in the arms race will decrease. The final outcome will likely be a compromise with France and Austria to end this arms race. Chancellor of the Exchequer Hugh Childers said, “Undermining our plans isn’t what’s frightening. What’s truly troublesome is that even if we want to stop, France and Austria might not appreciate it. If the Second Anglo-Afghan War breaks out, and France and Austria, unwilling to be idle, simultaneously incite the Russians to confront us in Central Asia while continuing the arms race, our pressure will be immense!” Immense pressure was an understatement, they would clearly be stretched to their limits. Both fronts were crucial, and any problem on either side would shake Britain’s hegemonic status. Foreign Secretary George stated, “It’s not a ‘what if,’ but a certainty. Whether the French will support the Russian envoy’s expansion in Central Asia is uncertain, but Austria definitely will. If possible, the Foreign Office hopes to pause this arms race before the Second Anglo-Afghan War breaks out.” First Lord of the Admiralty Sir Astley Cooper Key hurriedly objected, “That’s impossible! We might be able to stop, but France and Austria won’t. If you don’t want to see the title of the world’s leading naval power change hands after the war, don’t make such jokes.” International competition has always been about “strike while the iron is hot,” there’s no concept of showing mercy. It’s not just about the Franco-Austrian navies surpassing Britain; even if they just reached parity, it would be enough to shake their maritime hegemonic position. Ultimately, there are only three countries capable of vying for maritime hegemony right now, and any two going to war would benefit the observing third party. Once the Royal Navy loses its absolute dominant position, all that remains is its deterrent effect; it simply wouldn’t be able to provoke a mutually destructive war. In fact, the Royal Navy’s deterrent has been declining for the past decade. Faced with the French and Austrian navies catching up, the British government doesn’t have many good options. Seeing the argument escalate, Prime Minister Gladstone waved his hand to stop it, saying, “Hold on, this is not the time for bickering. The situation may seem unfavorable to us, but it’s not actually that bad. The Afghan region was always our target. This assassination simply moved up the timetable, it doesn’t affect our established strategy. As for the naval arms race, unless France and Austria agree to stop together, we will definitely have to continue to keep pace. Everyone’s concern is primarily financial, but this isn’t an insurmountable problem. Waging war is to seek justice for Britain. When we act and to what extent we fight is entirely up to us. We could even declare war on Afghanistan first to give the domestic public an explanation, without actually sending troops for now. We can launch the offensive once we are fully prepared for war.” *** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)
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