The only thing that worries Benjamin is the internal political struggle. The two political parties in the UK have always fought with their bayonets. Any party in power is related to the redistribution of countless interests.
Rights are like a cup of poisonous honey. You know it is poisonous, but you still have to drink it!
The Conservative Party led by Benjamin and the Liberal Party led by Gladstone were essentially two groups of British capitalists fighting against each other.
Each faction has its own interests and demands, and whoever comes to power will get the most benefits!
Behind the political struggle is a deep-seated money game. No one can imagine how much money a favorable policy will make capitalists!
The steel group has their demands, the textile group also has their ideas, the military industry companies have their own small calculations, and even the leaders of the agriculture and animal husbandry industry are also chirping non-stop.
Any policy that benefits people must also suffer losses. For example, if a war breaks out, military industrial groups and steel groups will be able to count money until their hands cramp.
But what about the trading group? What about the food service industry? What about the luxury goods industry? It will definitely be a serious blow!
The operation of politics is to compete with each other and forge ahead. This is what Benjamin is most worried about. He is not afraid of the Chinese people scolding them. What he is afraid of is political opponents stabbing him in the back.
Today, The Times actually reprinted part of the Chinese report. This is a signal that Gladstone has begun to show his attitude to the outside world.
How could The Times report unfavorably on Britain without the influence of senior politicians?
"Haha... Gladstone is expecting me to lose!" Benjamin said quietly, "He secretly let go of Xiao Letian's friends before. I thought he was just doing some personal things, but now it seems I was wrong. !”
"Is he betting on me to lose?"
After hearing this, the secretary-general's face turned vicious and said, "Treason! Gladstone is treason. He betrayed Great Britain... He must be severely punished. Your Excellency, Prime Minister... Do you need to explain this matter to the Queen or the Prince?"
"Haha... No need! Can't you understand this after all these years with me? Our UK is a constitutional monarchy. After the Glorious Revolution, the imperial power has been locked in a golden cage!"
"Even the Queen has no war rights. All rights belong to Parliament, and all rules are in the Constitution!"
"What the royal family has now is their influence and the love of all the British people!"
"How to maintain the influence of the royal family? The first thing to do is not to let the prime minister have too much power... And what is the most perfect way?"
"Internal fighting! The fight between the two parties is in the interest of the royal family. Because there is a fight, the importance of imperial power is more highlighted!"
"You have to take another step in the future. You must have this understanding!"
"Gladstone is annoying, but after all, he represents the interests of a large group of businessmen who believe in free trade. Those people are opposed to allocating money to war. They are more willing to invest money in infrastructure or technological breakthroughs, etc... "
"Haha... Because those policies help them make money! It's easy to overthrow Gladstone, but you can't overthrow this group and its interests!"
"Because they always exist! If we attack too hard, it will inevitably trigger a strong rebound from them, and their counterattack against us will be even more fierce in the future!"
"I can't be the Prime Minister forever. It will be difficult to retaliate... What's more, does the Queen really allow us to take him down?"
"Your Majesty wants a fight, not a defeat!"
The secretary-general had a look of enlightenment on his face. Today’s class has really benefited him a lot in his life!
At this moment, there was a gentle knock on the study door, and the attendant at the Prime Minister's residence whispered, "Admiral Fisher is visiting..."
"Oh! The commander of our Great White Fleet is here... Welcome, welcome... Pour a glass of fine red wine for our commander!"
The door opened, Admiral Fisher stood at attention and saluted in front of the Prime Minister, and Benjamin grabbed his hand and laughed, "Oh, my new navy star is here, what good news has he brought me today?"
Admiral Fisher was born into an officer family in the British colony of Ceylon. He was full of freedom and longed for the navy and joined the Royal Navy at the age of 13.
He participated in the Crimean War and the Second Opium War, and personally participated in the attack on the Dagukou Fort!
This is a new general in the navy and a confidant promoted by Benjamin. It is a miracle that he can become a general at the age of nearly forty.
Of course, Benjamin's operation was indispensable. Benjamin trusted him very much, and the command of the Great White Fleet naturally fell on him.
"Dear Prime Minister, everything goes as you wish...the fleet can set off on time on June 1st!"
"But... I must remind the head of state that if you want me to complete this war mission, then additional funding will be necessary. If the money is not enough..."
"1.5 million pounds is just the cost of fuel. What we need to fight the war are artillery shells... The Chinese said that once the cannon is fired, there are ten thousand taels of gold! We need allocations and money..."
Benjamin smiled and shook his head, "Don't worry about this. Parliament will eventually allocate money... Even if it won't allocate funds for the time being, I will secretly order India, Ceylon, Singapore and other colonies to provide you with all supplies!"
"First, by diverting four to five million pounds from the colonial funds, plus the 1.5 million pounds from the last appropriation, and the navy's own budget of more than 3 million pounds, I have raised more than 10 million pounds in military expenses for you..."
"It will definitely be enough! Once the war breaks out and the patriotic sentiments of the British people burst out, the Parliament will not dare not to provide money..."
"I have calculated that the military expenditure for this war is between 25 million and 35 million pounds... Haha, if God bless, maybe 20 million pounds will be enough!"
Fisher held the red wine in his hand but had no intention of drinking it. He frowned and said, "To be honest... I have been calculating this expedition these days, and I have also obtained the information on Xiao Letian's previous battles!"
"I'm afraid it's not that simple! This battle is not easy to fight...I'm afraid 35 million pounds is not enough!"
Benjamin was stunned as soon as he said this, "Isn't it enough? God, we only spent 12 million pounds on the first Opium War, and less than 20 million pounds on the second Opium War..."
"Now I'm giving you 35 million pounds in military expenses, and I've also given you the best warship in the British Empire, with a tonnage more than double that of the Chinese, and you actually say it's not enough?"
General Fisher put down his glass of wine and said with a straight face, "Führer, you also know Xiao Letian. This person is too cunning and has too many back-ups... Who of us can guarantee that he does not have a secret weapon?"
"In addition, today's Chinese have become a phenomenon in East Asia. They have many colonies, including Borneo, Luzon, Annan, Ryukyu Islands... all the way to Fuso and even the Far East, they are his sphere of influence!"
"The Qing Dynasty also has countless industrial zones along the coast. They are all armed fortresses! What if we need to land for combat? It's all money!"
Benjamin was stunned for a moment. "Do you doubt that this war will expand to the scale of the Crimean War?"
General Fisher nodded, "In the Crimean War, the Allies spent a total of 100 million pounds in military expenditures. Although Turkey and France shared part of this, we in the UK also spent more than 40 million pounds in military expenditures!"
"This does not include hidden expenses. If calculated carefully, we in the UK will spend at least more than 50 million pounds!"
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, I am afraid that this war in East Asia will turn into a quagmire! I am not afraid of war, and neither are the heroic imperial soldiers!"
"But we need military spending, a lot of military spending!"
