London. Ever since the news of the outbreak of the Prussian war came, the Government of the United Kingdom had been busy.
Prime Minister Benjamin asked, "What? You're expanding the army again?"
Minister of War Fox reminded him seriously, "Prime Minister, we haven't expanded the army for many years. Except during times of war, the size of the army has not been increased for almost 50 years. "
Benjamin replied awkwardly, "Sorry, I made a mistake. Tell me the reason. Why do you want to expand the army? "
The British Army's presence was too low. Usually, it was the navy that requested to expand the army. Prime Minister Benjamin habitually used the word "again" when he suddenly received the army's request to expand the army.
Fox was used to this kind of situation. This was the status of the British Army. Other than when it was needed, it rarely attracted the attention of the government.
"With the outbreak of the Prussian war, the situation in Europe is about to be reshuffled. We need a strong army to deal with emergencies."
Minister of Finance Garfield Bromley Ancilon objected, "No, the situation in Europe is still under our control. As long as the Fao balance is not broken, there will be no problems.
Besides, even if the balance in Europe is broken, I don't think expanding the army can change anything. "
Although it was harsh, it was the truth. The Austrian standing army was more than 600,000, and the French standing army was close to 500,000.
Both Prussia and Russia, which were at war, had mobilized millions of troops. The total troops of the two countries alone were more than 1.2 million.
How much was the British standing army?
136,000!
Of course, this was not the entire armed forces of the British Empire. In the vast colony, the British also had 500,000 to 600,000 colonial troops and several civilian armed groups.
However, the combat effectiveness of the colonial troops was notoriously low. When considering the issue of Europe, everyone habitually ignored these troops.
Fox's face instantly darkened. This was a blatant provocation. In the recent wars, the performance of the army had not been good, which made him lose confidence.
No matter the combat effectiveness of the army, as the Minister of War, Fox must maintain the dignity of the army. He immediately asked, "Sir, are you doubting the combat effectiveness of the army?"
It was okay to doubt the combat effectiveness of the army, but it was not okay to say it so openly. Compared to the Royal Navy, the British Army was the younger brother, but this younger brother also had a large group of people behind him.
It was obviously not wise to offend such a large group of people for a sentence.
Realizing the slip of the tongue, Garfield immediately remedied, "No, I never meant to doubt the combat effectiveness of the army.
What I meant was that the army is too small, and there is no way to compare it with the European countries. Even if our army is strong.
As an island country, it has been decided that Britannia's focus must be on the Sea. We have decided that the focus of Britannia should be on Sea.
Hearing this explanation, Fawkes' expression softened a little. "It's precisely because of the gap that we have to work hard to catch up and narrow the gap between us and Fawkes.
. "" Kingdom's army is of the Britannia Kingdom Nation ". Not to mention intimidating Fao, even a third-rate country would dare to look down on us. "
Prime Minister Benjamin, who had finished reading the document, picked up a pen and circled a number on it, stopping the two from arguing. "Sir Fux, your plan to expand the army has exceeded reality.
Diplomacy is the key to achieving this goal. There is no need for the army to treat Britannia as an imaginary enemy. This is beyond our ability. "
To achieve this goal, diplomacy is the core. There is no need for the Army to treat Fao as an imaginary enemy. This is beyond our ability. "
Diplomacy is the key to achieving this goal. There is no need for the army to treat Britannia as an imaginary enemy. This is beyond our ability. " Similar things happened almost every year.
There was no one in the military who did not want to expand the army, especially the army. Regardless of whether it passed or not, they had to try at the end of every year.
They did not expect to achieve all the goals. As long as they could increase the size of a regiment, it would be a great victory.
"Prime Minister, even if we don't consider the situation in Europe, we can't just ignore the colonies, right? In recent years, the colonies have been under increasing pressure.
Especially the Indian colonies. We are still preparing to use troops in Afghanistan and Persia.
If we don't expand the army, I'm afraid we can't complete the government's plan with just the colonial army. "
Bnehamin frowned. Austria had expanded their influence to the Persian Gulf region, and they were feeling the pressure as well.
In order to stop Austria's expansion, the Government of London formulated the Persian Strategy and prepared to occupy the Persian region before Austria finished digesting the Arabian Peninsula.
As for the Afghan Strategy, it was a problem left over from history. As the world's hegemon, John Bull also wanted face. A few years ago, the invasion of Afghanistan failed, so he naturally wanted to get back at them.
When the Prussian War broke out, the Tsarist government's energy was tied up in Europe. It was a good opportunity to act. If they waited for the Russians to recover, it would not be as easy as it was now to seize this place.
Seeing that the Prime Minister was moved, the Minister of the Navy, John Wasir, immediately said, "With the current size of the army, it is indeed impossible to complete so many tasks.
But we still have time. After Austria digests the Arabian Peninsula, their next target should be the Osman Empire. Before the Osman falls, we don't have to worry about them competing with us for Persia.
The Regions of Afghanistan are the same. The Prussian War will not end anytime soon. Only when the Tsarist government wins the war, we need to worry about this threat.
Looking at the current situation, the possibility of the Russians winning the war is almost zero. After this war, the Tsarist government will need at least ten years to recuperate.
This long time is enough for us to do a lot of things. If the army is unable to complete the task, the Marine Corps can also do it. "
Suppressing the army was the core strategy of the Royal Navy. Its importance was no less than suppressing the Fao and the Soviet Union.
Insufficient troops?
After the war broke out, they could temporarily expand. Why increase the size of the army?
In the eyes of the Navy, the army was redundant. The Royal Navy and colonial troops were enough for overseas expansion. The police were enough to maintain domestic security. What was the use of the army?
Even if it was to suppress a rebellion, the Marine Corps could do it! At most, they could expand the size of the army. There was no need for the army to join in the fun.
Of course, this was just a thought. No matter how unpopular the army was, the Government of London could not abolish it.
The simplest checks and balances were still clear to everyone. If there was no army, wouldn't the military power of the country fall into the hands of the Navy?
Benjamin nodded. "This issue will be put aside for now and discussed later. If the Army has doubts, they can directly submit it to the Parliament for discussion.
Now let's talk about the Prussian war. This war seems to be limited to Eastern Europe, but it has actually affected the world situation. "
The Parliament was the best shield. Any problem that came to the Parliament could not be discussed in a day or two. It could be called the best weapon to delay time.
Foreign Minister Edward said, "The Prussian war can be said to be the largest war in Europe, and even in human history.
According to the intelligence from the embassy, the total number of troops mobilized by Prussian and Russian is almost three million. Maybe it won't be long before both sides send in millions of troops to fight.
It's really hard to imagine. This is just Prussian and Russian. If the Fao and the Soviet Union mobilized, I'm afraid it will be even more terrible.
Now the war has just begun. No one knows the outcome. The only thing we can be sure of is that this war will be very tragic. There may be millions of lives lost. "
As he spoke, Edward still had some lingering fear. Before the war broke out, no one thought that Prussian and Russian would be so crazy.
Finance Minister Garfield directly complained, "They're all a bunch of lunatics!"
Prime Minister Benjamin waved his hand and pretended to be relaxed. "It doesn't matter if Prussian and Russian are crazy or not. The key is the chain reaction brought about by the war and what benefits we can gain from this change in the international situation.
Needless to say, everyone knows that the arms dealers are going to make a fortune. Let's talk about the situation in Europe and the changes in the world. "
Foreign Minister Edward smiled easily. "It's not that serious. If the situation in Europe changes, although it's still uncertain, as long as the Fao and the Soviet Union want to maintain stability, they can keep it under control.
The impact on the world situation is even smaller. Although Prussian and Russian are not weak, they are not colonial empires. Their influence is mainly in Eurasia.
At most, the Far East will be affected to a certain extent. However, the ruler of Seres is too weak. Even if the Russians are too busy, they probably won't dare to act rashly.
Actually, we just need to drink coffee and eat cakes and watch the two countries fight. We really don't need to do anything! "
Britannia had the confidence to be an onlooker. No matter what the outcome of the Prussian war was, it would not affect their interests.
Colonial Minister Robert shook his head. "No, we can still do something. Everyone's attention is drawn to Eastern Europe, so the war in South America can go according to our script.
Before the end of the Prussian war, I think the Fao and the Soviet Union should not care about making trouble for us. The Chileans have picked up a big bargain this time. "
The navies of Prussian and Russian were not very good. As a maritime country, Britannia could happily make money from the war, but the Fao and the Soviet Union, which were on the continent, could not.
The European continent was too small to squeeze so many big countries. The Fao and the Soviet Union could not let a new big country rise and squeeze their own interests.
Whether it was Austria or France, they had to keep their attention on the battlefield in Eastern Europe and be ready to intervene at any time.
In order to ensure the input of power in Europe, the Fao and the Soviet Union naturally could not care about South America in a short period of time. Bolivia and Peru were tragic.
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
