Failing to achieve his goal, Lloyd George could only sigh that the world was changing too fast and that the French government was no longer easy to fool. Unlike the pro-British Bonaparte dynasty, the restored Bourbon monarchy had nothing to do with the British government. To avoid suspicion, the Carlos government even deliberately kept its distance from the British. The facts were right in front of them. No matter how great the benefits Lloyd George promised, he could not hide the extremely high risks of joining the anti–Holy Roman war. France was now severely weakened. The wealth accumulated over centuries of being a colonial empire had been completely exhausted. The country simply did not have the strength to confront the Holy Roman Empire. The nation could not withstand more turmoil, and the king could withstand it even less. Although the Bourbon dynasty was the legitimate line, it had been interrupted several times by stronger forces, and its foundation was far less stable than outsiders believed. If not for the reckless policies of previous governments and the harm caused by the Russians that made the people of France fearful at the mere mention of revolution, the Carlos government would likely have been overthrown long ago given France’s current economic situation. It had to be acknowledged that harsh lessons made a country mature more quickly. After a string of defeats, France’s naive idealists had almost disappeared. Without these young hotheads who once served as the main force of the revolution, the revolutionary parties had fallen silent. There was nothing they could do. This happened to be the moment when the public most detested revolution, and conditions for an uprising simply did not exist. No one was foolish. The forces of the anti-French coalition were still stationed on French soil. Rising up now would mean rebelling not only against the Carlos government but also against the entire anti-French coalition. Anyone with sense could see that an uprising at this moment would achieve nothing except getting themselves killed. As for those fools who could not grasp the situation, most had already died off. Even the few who survived by sheer luck could no longer stir up any real trouble. Most importantly, after Carlos took power, although the domestic economy did not improve much, France’s population had sharply declined. With fewer people, the resources available per person naturally increased, and life became more manageable. Having lived through war, the people finally understood the value of peace. The French, exhausted from years of suffering, now wanted only a few peaceful days. Even if life was hard, it was still far better than being displaced and homeless. Against the backdrop of a society longing for stability, France’s internal situation instead settled down very quickly. Failing to sway the French, Lloyd George was deeply disappointed, but he had no time to dwell on it. This trip to Europe was not just about winning over France. Apart from the Holy Roman Empire, which was one hundred percent certain to be an enemy, every other European country was a potential target for British diplomacy. Although geography made it unrealistic to pull them fully to Britain’s side, creating a situation where they were physically in the Holy Roman camp but emotionally aligned with Britain would still be worthwhile. Britain did not need these countries to openly support it. As long as they remained neutral or dragged their feet in the contest for global hegemony, it would already be a major victory for the British Empire. Achieving this was not impossible. The fact that European countries currently depended on the Holy Roman Empire did not mean that they were truly willing. No one enjoyed having an “overlord” constantly monitoring them. If it were possible, every country would prefer to return to a Europe with multiple powers balancing each other. If the Holy Roman Empire really seized global dominance, that would be true one-sided hegemony. Every other country would have no choice but to cower beneath this colossal power. The Holy Roman government might be minding its behavior now, but there was no guarantee it would continue to do so once it stood alone at the top. No one wanted to gamble on their government’s integrity. After all, governments change over time. The Franz era had its own unique circumstances, forcing him to maintain a polite facade and some degree of restraint. That did not mean the next era would display the same restraint. If the Holy Roman Empire had not played so skillfully and risen through the war against France, an anti-Austrian coalition would likely have formed long ago. From this perspective, France actually played a major role in the rise of the Holy Roman Empire. Had France not arrogantly taken the lead and drawn global resentment toward itself, clouding the judgment of other nations, the Holy Roman Empire’s rise would never have been so smooth. Perhaps Lloyd George was simply destined to toil for his country. Even his name began with the character “labor (劳),” and now he was traveling the world as Britain’s special envoy. Unlike the convenient transportation of later centuries, this era did have airplanes, but most politicians did not dare to use them. Even the most luxurious trains of the time could not reach the average speed of later generations’ slow green carriages. The fastest and most comfortable were, of course, private trains for state leaders, but Lloyd George was not entitled to that level of treatment. As Britain’s plenipotentiary envoy, his title could intimidate people overseas, but on the European continent there were plenty who did not care about him at all. Every country would prepare a special train only if King Edward VII were making the visit, and that was understandable. Spending long stretches confined to a train was hardly enjoyable. Fortunately, most European countries were small. If each one were as large as the Holy Roman Empire or Russia, Lloyd George would have gone mad from the endless travel. While he was working tirelessly on the frontlines for the British Empire, things at home were equally busy. Because of the naval budget issue, the British Parliament had already convened seven meetings. As of now, the total tonnage ratio between the Royal Navy and the Holy Roman Navy remained at ten to six point five. The ratio for battleship tonnage was also as high as four to three, with the sole exception that Britain held no advantage in super battleships. Now that the Holy Roman government had increased its budget by one hundred million guilders (equivalent to fifty million pounds), the Royal Navy would need to add at least seventy million pounds to maintain its current lead. This number did not look large at first glance, but in reality it was catastrophic. The annual fiscal revenue of the British Isles was less than one hundred million pounds. Even after factoring in colonial income, the figure was still astronomical. Once this military budget passed, one thing was certain: the British government would run a fiscal deficit this year. And if the original naval budget was included, the Royal Navy’s total military allocation for the year would exceed one hundred million pounds, comparable to the most intense period of the arms race in the original timeline. In fact, the present era was also witnessing an extremely intense arms race, the only difference being that there had been no long buildup. It had simply jumped straight to the final stage. This format, skipping the preliminary rounds and going directly to the championship match, clearly left the British unprepared. At the very least, Parliament had not recovered from the shock. Many people suspected that the Royal Navy and the Holy Roman Navy were performing a coordinated act to extract enormous military budgets. Such things had happened before. Even though the British and Austrian navies had never truly worked together in secret, whenever they sought budget increases, they would tacitly raise the so-called threat level in unison. Once, twice, three times, four times… when something happens often enough, it stops looking like coincidence to anyone paying attention. In the original timeline there were already rumors of the British and German navies colluding to extract military funds. Now that whispers of the British and Austrian navies doing the same had appeared, it was not a surprising development. Under normal circumstances, people would not believe such claims, but there were always situations that were not normal. The British government might have deep pockets, but that did not mean its funds were limitless. If more money went to the navy, spending in other areas would inevitably be squeezed. Behind every member of Parliament stood an interest group. Some would profit from the naval budget increase, while others would definitely lose out. Interests did not think or reason. Opposing for the sake of opposing was entirely normal. Moreover, the Holy Roman Empire had concealed parts of its shipbuilding program, giving Parliament every reason to suspect that the enemy had deliberately created a false threat to trick Britain into overspending. Military budget increases for the navy had never been a one-time investment. After a warship entered service, maintenance costs would rise every year. Britain had been trapped by this kind of thing more than once. Since the Royal Navy did not dare enter the Mediterranean, the Holy Roman government felt no pressure at all about pushing these costs higher. A comparison of the total tonnage made everything clear. For a long time, the two navies had maintained a ratio of ten to seven. But now it has shifted to ten to six point five. The ratio did not look like it changed much, but all that movement represented money poured into fleets. The Royal Navy had even placed a large number of French-built warships in reserve. Without that, the tonnage gap would look even more dramatic. Originally, having a higher total tonnage was a good thing. It meant the Royal Navy’s dominance was secure. But everything changed with the arrival of the super battleship era. After witnessing the combat power of super battleships, the Royal Navy suddenly realized that their existing warships were becoming obsolete. Almost overnight, a revolution in naval technology broke out. In the face of super battleships, traditional capital ships seemed like children’s toys. As the naval order reshuffled itself, the Royal Navy’s overwhelming advantage over the Holy Roman fleet gradually disappeared. Seeing the First Lord of the Admiralty being berated so fiercely by the members of Parliament, Prime Minister Campbell could no longer sit still. At the rate things were going, the enemy would reach their doorstep before Parliament made any decision. “Order!” “All members are instructed to follow meeting rules and refrain from personal attacks.” The Speaker’s voice echoed through the chamber, and order was temporarily restored. It was clear that everyone still cared about their dignity, and at least the session had not turned into a shouting match in the streets. But this was only temporary. In almost every meeting, the Speaker had to issue several reminders. And this was the House of Lords, where members were nobles who generally controlled their emotions. The House of Commons was even livelier. Quarrels there were commonplace and even full-blown brawls were not uncommon. There has long been a saying among the British public: “To be a qualified member of Parliament, you must not only be eloquent but also physically strong.” Once the chamber quieted down, Prime Minister Campbell spoke, “Gentlemen, the situation is extremely urgent. The Imperial Parliament of the Holy Roman Empire approved the increase in the naval budget last month, and their major shipyards have already begun construction. According to the intelligence we have gathered, the number of super battleships currently under construction is as high as thirteen. Everyone here knows what that means. Ordinary warships stand no chance in front of super battleships. If we do not act immediately, once these ships enter service, the Royal Navy’s advantage will disappear completely. With the Holy Roman Empire’s ambition, they will certainly seize this opportunity to challenge us. I have full confidence in the Royal Navy. Even if our ships are inferior, our officers and sailors can still prevail through professionalism and discipline. But that victory would come at a terrible cost, and it would give other countries an opportunity to move against us. As an island nation, we must ensure our maritime supremacy at all times. We cannot afford even a moment of slowdown.” Whenever Campbell mentioned the Holy Roman Empire’s Parliament, he could not help feeling envious. Both were called parliaments, yet the difference between the two was enormous. The Imperial Parliament could pass a decision in a matter of hours at the fastest, and even the slowest cases never exceeded half a month. Such efficiency was something the British Parliament could never hope to achieve. If not for the fact that his own Parliament would never approve it, Campbell would have already followed the Holy Roman Empire’s example and added efficiency clauses to the Parliamentary Act, forcing Parliament to reach decisions within a fixed timeframe. But this was nothing more than wishful thinking. The Imperial Parliament had only a few dozen members, while the British Parliament had several times that number. The two were not comparable at all. More people meant greater strength, but more people also meant a greater drop in collective intelligence. There was no doubt that the more people involved in an argument, the more chaotic the scene became. Compared with the small, tightly managed Imperial Parliament, the overcrowded British Parliament was far more difficult to control. Right after Campbell finished speaking, an opposition member of Parliament stood up and challenged him, “Prime Minister, we all know that the Empire is facing a serious challenge, but that does not mean taxpayers’ money can be thrown around at will. An increase of seventy million pounds in the naval budget, and that is only for a single year. Do you take the pound for waste paper that we can print endlessly? Since the enemy increased their naval budget by fifty million pounds, then we should simply follow with an equal amount. Under the same conditions, does the Royal Navy fear them?” Times were changing, and so were people’s expectations. The Royal Navy’s development standards had already been repeatedly lowered. It had gone from the original Three-Power Standard, to the Two-Power Standard, then down to maintaining a ratio of five to three against the second strongest navy, which later dropped further to ten to seven and four to three. After gritting their teeth for so long, many people had once again lowered their expectations. It resembled Britain’s attitude toward the United States after the First World War. They were initially tough, intending to use the Royal Navy to suppress the Americans. But after trying it for a while, they realized their own treasury was not strong enough, and they were forced to back down. Although things had not yet reached that point, the Royal Navy’s ever-increasing annual budget was already putting heavy pressure on the British government. If it were only a matter of holding on for a few years, then with Britain’s accumulated strength, it would not be a problem. But the Holy Roman Empire had already gained unstoppable momentum, and it was impossible to outmatch them in the short term. No one knew when this sudden naval arms race would end. Looking back at the Hundred Years’ War between Britain and France, many Britons were prepared for a long, drawn-out struggle. They planned to rely on the advantage of the Channel and slowly wear the enemy down, waiting for changes in Europe’s political landscape. If this were a hundred years ago, such a plan might still work. Unfortunately, times had changed. If the struggle dragged on for too long now, it would actually be Britain who suffered more. Frowning, Campbell explained helplessly, “You only see the budget, but you are ignoring the reality. Even though we possess the most advanced shipbuilding industry in the world, the cost of building our warships is still ten to fifteen percent higher than Austria’s. Warship construction is extremely complex. Behind every vessel are hundreds of industries working together. Whether we like it or not, our industrial chain as a whole lags behind that of the Holy Roman Empire. It is not only the construction of warships. The supporting infrastructure, as well as long-term maintenance costs, are all somewhat higher for us than for the enemy.” There was no helping it. Shipbuilding involved countless related industries and naturally depended on the strength of the entire industrial system. As the world’s leading industrial power, the Holy Roman Empire held a clear advantage. For identical components, production costs in the Empire were simply lower, and the more technologically advanced the part, the greater that cost advantage became. In the era of free trade with no restrictions, British shipyards could simply import the same components from the Holy Roman Empire. The only difference was shipping cost, so there was no major price gap. But once the free-trade system collapsed, those good days ended. Imports now carried heavy tariffs, wiping out the cost advantage. Domestic industries, which had once been pushed to the brink of bankruptcy, had finally revived. Now they needed time and space to recover. Prices of components rose, shipyards submitted higher quotes, and naturally the construction cost of every warship increased. For the sake of maintaining a healthy industrial sector, the British government had no choice but to shoulder this burden. To lower costs again, they would have to wait for British industries to catch up technologically. Even so, although costs had risen, it was not enough to justify a forty percent increase. Most of Campbell’s explanation was simply to shift the attention of the members of Parliament and secure a larger naval budget, ensuring overwhelming superiority over the Holy Roman Empire’s fleet.
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