"I will spend my whole life safeguarding the glory of the Empire on which the sun never sets, doing everything I can to protect the interests of the Empire, and strive for more colonies..."
"Today's earth is overcrowded. Although Britain enjoys the glory of the empire on which the sun never sets and has the largest colony in the world, the challenges we face are also endless!"
"In Crimea, in South Africa, in South Asia, in China... we have all encountered countless challenges from foreign races. This kind of provocative behavior is absolutely intolerable!"
"The glory of Britain lies in attacking, not hiding in the house and playing house. You can do it by building houses and roads. Expansionism is our soul!"
"Starting from tomorrow, the Royal Navy will cruise around the world from west to east. The steel battleships of the British Empire will be displayed in front of those inferior nations, letting them see our invincible will!"
"The Empire on which the sun never sets does not allow challenges. The Royal Navy must prove this to the world!"
At the entrance of Downing Street, Benjamin was giving his speech, and Gladstone had already left the Prime Minister's Office before dawn!
But he hasn't left yet. He is hiding in a coffee shop, watching the scene in front of him through the glass, holding his hat low for fear that others will see him.
Several loyal men surrounded him, blocking the surprised gazes of other people.
"After all, I still can't stop this war. The Empire on which the sun never sets will still go to war with that ancient empire... Obviously, semi-colonies cannot satisfy the empire's appetite!"
"Haha, do you know? Those capitalists have long disliked me. I don't listen to investment in education and municipal administration. They all think that I am a money-losing prime minister!"
"They have long been tired of me doing this kind of investment that costs money but does not make money... But who can understand this? The future of mankind will ultimately depend on education level, scientific research capabilities, and industrial foundation!"
"If we British don't do these things, should we let the Germans do it? Do the Americans do it? Let the Chinese do it?"
"Xiao Letian once said to me that when the moon is full, it is waning. The same is true for an empire. Our entire British Empire has fallen into the curse of the prosperous age and cannot extricate itself!"
"Reluctant to do solid basic work, all he wants is quick success and investment returns... Is Benjamin doing a global military parade? His main focus is to find excuses to attack the Chinese!"
"If I guess correctly, there is already an internal war bond being secretly sold in the form of original shares to these capitalists!"
"Once our Royal Navy conflicts with the Chinese in the China Sea... it is certain. Even if they say that the Chinese killed a kitten on our ship, that will be an excuse to start a war!"
"Once the war breaks out, these war bonds will immediately come out of the ground and be dumped all over the world! With the blessing of patriotism, these bonds will be very, very profitable!"
"Then these insider stocks with discount rights will become more and more profitable at this moment. They can sell them and make profits without waiting for the war to end!"
"They are all smart people! They don't bear the risk of war at all, but they have no shortage of ways to make money!"
"Of course I know that the British Empire is bound to win. After the victory and the signing of the new treaty... all these rich people will come out and go to East Asia to harvest all the Chinese semi-finished products! And finished products!"
"The Tanggu Industrial Zone will be divided up, and the coal mines in Kailuan will also be divided up... New ports built by the Chinese will be compensated to us, and even the cities along the Yangtze River will become our colonies!"
"There are also railways, whether they are Chinese or Qing railways, they all belong to us, and the right to build roads in the future is also ours!"
"Isn't this enough? Well, God will bless us. Benjamin will definitely want China's coinage rights! Nan Piao and Bei Piao, silver and gold...the control of currency is all in our hands, hahaha!"
"Isn't it such a beautiful picture? Such a profitable business is much better than me building schools and building municipal projects, right? So they must overthrow me and make me miserable!"
"I can't fight them. I can only give in, retire permanently, and leave the political stage..."
Gladstone lowered his head, looked at the cold coffee in front of him, and listened to the impassioned speeches and thunderous cheers outside the window.
I was speechless for a long time! But there was ten thousand dissatisfaction in his eyes!
He suddenly lowered his voice and said, "But I'm not wrong! I'm really not wrong! Britain can't go on like this, we must have a long-term vision..."
"Our compulsory education was already much later than Germany's. Today's investment is not as fast as that of the Chinese. Our population and local territory are not as large as those of the United States!"
"How can this be done! If things go on like this, one thing will fade away and the other will wax and wane. It won't take long, it will be almost fifty years. Our throne as the world's largest scientific and technological country will definitely be snatched away by Germany and the United States..."
"Until then we will just rest on our laurels!"
If Xiao Letian heard what Gladstone said, he would really become a confidant, because this is the direction of human history in the future, and there is nothing wrong with it.
During World War I, Britain's scientific and technological level was only on par with Germany's, and even in the steel industry, it was weaker than Germany!
Not to mention World War II, Britain lagged behind the United States and Germany in all aspects of science and technology!
Why was Germany so brutal during the two world wars? It’s because they were the first to implement compulsory education and had the most talent pool. The period between the two wars coincided with the explosion of science and technology!
After World War II, Britain could no longer exist as a country with a separate industrial system. It could only find one or two shining points of its own in the process of international industrial cooperation.
This backwardness is caused by several generations of wrong governance. It has been showing its signs since the 19th century. Unfortunately, only a small number of politicians can understand it.
Most people, like these crazy people in Downing Street, fantasize about the glory of victory!
"Dear Prime Minister! Please tell me, if our cruise fleet is provoked by the Chinese navy in the China Sea, what will you do?"
A reporter asked loudly, while Benjamin raised his eyebrows and his eyes were filled with murderous intent, "God bless the Empire on which the sun never sets! I will give them the highest authorization when the fleet leaves the British mainland..."
"I will always believe in the reef spirit of the Royal Navy!"
"When we faced the Spanish Armada, we would not retreat. When we faced the challenge of Napoleon in France, we opened fire bravely..."
"The reef! We are the reef in the ice sea of the North Atlantic!"
"I dare to believe that even if the enemy throws a stone at our warship, our brave naval soldiers will definitely fire back!"
"All the blue areas on this planet... belong to us Brits!"
Long live! The whole Downing Street was in jubilation, and the roar of "Long Live" shook the glass and buzzed. Gladstone threw down a few coins and left the cafe helplessly.
