Unable to achieve his goal, Lloyd George could only lament that the world was changing too fast, and the Government of France was no longer easy to fool.
Unlike the pro-British Bonaparte Dynasty, the Bourbon Restoration had nothing to do with the Government of the United Kingdom. In order to avoid suspicion, the Carlist government deliberately kept a distance from the British.
The facts were in front of them. No matter how much benefits Lloyd George promised, it couldn't cover up the high risk of participating in the war against Shinra.
France's vitality was now greatly damaged, and the assets accumulated over hundreds of years as a colonial empire had also been used up. They simply did not have the capital to go against Shinro.
The country couldn't afford to suffer, and the king couldn't afford to suffer even more. Although the Bourbon Dynasty was the legitimate one, it had been interfered several times in the middle, and the foundation of the ruling was far from as stable as the outside world thought.
If it weren't for the previous government's nonsense and the scourge of the Russians, the people of Paris would have turned pale when they heard the word "revolution."
Otherwise, with the current economic situation of France, the Carlist government would have been ousted a long time ago.
One had to admit that it was easier for people to mature after being beaten by society. After a series of failures, France's juvenile delusions were almost extinct.
Without these cannon fodder main force, the revolutionary party fell silent. It couldn't be helped. It happened to be the time when the people were most disgusted with revolution, and there was no basis for a rebellion.
No one was a fool. The troops of the anti-French alliance were still stationed in France. To rebel at this time, it would not only be a rebellion against the Carlist government, but also a rebellion against the "anti-French alliance."
Any intelligent person would be able to tell that there was no point in rebelling now, other than sacrificing one's life.
As for the idiots who didn't understand the current situation, most of them had died long ago. Even if they were lucky enough to escape, they wouldn't be able to do much.
The most important thing was that after Carlist came to power, although the domestic economy didn't look much better, the population of France had been greatly reduced.
With the decrease in population, the per capita share of resources naturally increased, and everyone's lives were better.
After experiencing the chaos of war, they knew the value of peace. The French people, who were afraid of being tossed around, now wanted a few days of peace. Even if life was hard, it was better than being homeless.
Under the social background of the people, the domestic situation of France quickly stabilized.
Lloyd George was very disappointed that he couldn't fool the French, but he didn't have time to be sad. This visit to Europe wasn't just for France.
Apart from the Holy Roman Empire, which was 100% certain to be their enemy, all of the European countries were targets for the British government to rope in.
Although it was unrealistic to pull people over due to the geopolitics, it would be a great victory for Britannia.
They did not need the other countries to stand on their side. As long as everyone remained neutral in the war for hegemony, or even slack off, it would be a huge victory for Britain.
To do this, it wasn't without hope. Just because the European countries were now vassals to Holy Empire didn't mean they were willing.
No one liked having a "mother-in-law" above their heads. If possible, everyone would be more than happy to return to the era where there were many strong people.
If the Holy Roman Empire really seized the hegemony of the world, it would be a true "monopoly." Countries could only crawl under this behemoth and tremble.
The Government of Vienna paid attention to their table manners now, but it didn't mean that they would still pay attention to their table manners after they became a monopoly. No one was willing to bet on the moral integrity of the Government of Vienna.
After all, the government needed to change. Franz's era had a special social background. They had to pay attention to their table manners and retain basic moral integrity, but this didn't mean that the next era would also have moral integrity.
If it wasn't for the fact that they were too good at the beginning and used the war against France to jump up, the anti-Austrian alliance would have been established.
From this point of view, the rise of the Holy Roman Empire was also due to France.
If it wasn't for them attracting hatred in the front and affecting the judgment of other countries, the rise of the Holy Roman Empire wouldn't have been so smooth.
Perhaps Lloyd George was born to work. His name started with "Lao" and he was now a special envoy of the United Kingdom all over the world.
Unlike the convenient transportation of later generations, although there were planes these days, politicians basically didn't dare to take them.
The most luxurious trains couldn't catch up with the green trains of later generations on average. The fastest and most comfortable train was naturally the special train. Unfortunately, Lloyd George didn't enjoy this level of treatment.
The identity of Britain's plenipotentiary envoy could scare a lot of people overseas, but in Europe, many people didn't care about him.
There was a special train waiting for him in every country. If Edward VII visited in person, it would be more like it.
Staying in the car for a long time was obviously not a pleasure. Fortunately, most of the European countries were small. If they were all like Shinra and Russia, Lloyd George would go crazy.
The front was fighting for the cause of the British Empire, and the back was not idle. To solve the military budget, the British Parliament had held seven meetings.
So far, the total tonnage ratio of the Royal Navy and the Shinra Navy was still 10: 6.5, and the tonnage ratio of battleships was as high as 4: 3. The only thing they didn't have an advantage on was the super battleships.
Now that the Government of Vienna had increased the budget by 100 million BND (equivalent to 50 million pounds), the Royal Navy would have to increase it by at least 70 million pounds if they wanted to maintain their current advantage.
This number didn't sound big, but it was actually very scary. The annual revenue of the British Isles was less than 100 million pounds.
Even if the colony's income was included, it was still an astronomical figure. Once this military budget was passed, the Government of the United Kingdom would definitely be in the red this year.
If the original military budget was added, then the Royal Navy's military budget this year would directly exceed 100 million pounds, catching up with the most intense time of the original space-time arms race.
Of course, now was also the most intense time of the arms race. The only difference was that there was a lack of warm-up at the beginning, and it directly transitioned to the finals.
The British obviously weren't used to this type of game where there were no preliminaries and directly competed for the final championship. At least, the Parliament didn't react.
Many people were wondering if this was a "duo act" by the Royal Navy and the Shinra Navy to defraud the huge military budget.
Similar things had happened before. Although the British and Austrian navies hadn't really colluded, when it came to military spending, they tacitly raised the "threat theory."
Once, twice, thrice, four times … When it happened so many times, it was no longer a coincidence in the eyes of those with ulterior motives.
In the original space-time, there was news of the British and German navies working together to defraud the military budget. Now, there was another rumor of the British and Austrian navies working together to defraud the military budget. It wasn't a big deal.
Under normal circumstances, people wouldn't believe it, but there were abnormal situations, right?
Although the Government of the United Kingdom was rich, it didn't mean that their funds were unlimited. If they spent too much on the military budget, it was necessary to reduce the spending in other areas.
Behind every councilor, there were interest groups supporting them. When the Navy's military budget increased, some people would benefit from it, but at the same time, there would be people who would suffer losses.
Interests were brainless, and it was completely normal to oppose for the sake of opposition.
What's more, the Shinra Navy's warship building plan was covered up. Everyone had every reason to suspect that the enemy deliberately made it up to trick them.
It should be noted that the increase in the Navy's military budget was never a one-time investment. After the warships entered service, there would be an increase in maintenance costs every year.
This wasn't the first time the Government of the United Kingdom had fallen into a similar trap. Anyway, the Royal Navy didn't dare to enter the Mediterranean Sea, and the Government of Vienna wasn't afraid of a collapse.
Looking at the total tonnage of the warships, for a long time, the ratio of the total tonnage of the two navies was maintained at 10: 7, but now it had become 10: 6.5.
The ratio didn't seem to change much, but in fact, it was all money. In particular, the Royal Navy had sealed a large number of legal warships. Otherwise, the difference in tonnage between the two sides would be even greater.
Originally, it was a good thing that the total tonnage was ahead. It meant that the Royal Navy's hegemony was unbreakable. Unfortunately, with the advent of the "Super Battleship Era," all of this changed.
After witnessing the combat power of the Super Battleship, the Royal Navy suddenly realized that "warships were outdated."
Overnight, the Navy's revolutionary technology erupted. In front of the Super Battleship, the traditional main force ships became children's toys.
With the reshuffling of the Navy, the overwhelming advantage of the Royal Navy over the Shinra Navy gradually disappeared.
Seeing the Navy Minister being scolded by the members, Prime Minister Campbell couldn't sit still. Based on the current situation, they probably hadn't made a decision by the time the enemy came to their door.
"Silence!"
"Members, please observe the order of the meeting. Personal attacks are prohibited."
The voice of the Speaker sounded, and the meeting was temporarily restored to order. It could be seen that everyone still respected their status. At least it didn't evolve into "shrews cursing in the street."
But this was all temporary. Basically, every meeting required a few reminders from the Speaker.
This was the House of Lords. The members were all nobles. Most of them could restrain their emotions. The House of Commons was even more lively.
Quarrels could only be regarded as child's play. Fighting happened from time to time.
There had always been a saying among the British people: "To be a qualified member of parliament, not only must you be eloquent, but you also need to be in good health."
Seeing the scene quiet down, Prime Minister Campbell said, "Everyone, the situation is very critical.
The Parliament of the Holy Roman Empire approved the increase of the Navy's military budget last month. Now all the major shipyards in Shinra have started work.
According to the information we've gathered, there are currently 13 super battleships under construction.
I think everyone knows what this means. Ordinary warships have no chance of survival in front of the Super Battleships.
If we don't follow up immediately, once the enemy's warships enter service, the Royal Navy's advantage will be gone.
With Shinra's ambition, they will definitely not let go of this opportunity to challenge us.
Although I have full confidence in the Royal Navy. Even if the warships are outdated, our officers and soldiers can rely on their professionalism to defeat the strong.
However, this requires a very painful price to pay, which will give other countries an opportunity to take advantage.
As an island country, we must always maintain our sea power advantage. We can't slow down for even a moment. "
Speaking of the "Parliament of the Shinra Empire", Campbell was secretly envious. It was the same parliament, but the difference between the two was too big.
When the Shinra Empire's parliament made a decision, it would take at least a few hours, and at the slowest, no more than half a month.
This kind of efficiency was something that the British parliament could never achieve.
If it wasn't for the fact that the parliament couldn't pass, Campbell wanted to follow the example of the Holy Roman Empire and add an efficiency clause in the Parliament Act, forcing the parliament to make a decision within a certain period of time.
Just think about it, how many members did the Shinra Empire's parliament have, and how many members did the Britannia Parliament have? The two couldn't be compared at all.
There was strength in numbers, but it could also forcefully "reduce intelligence." He wasn't sure about other things, but during an argument, the more people there were, the more touching the scene.
Compared to the Holy Roman Empire's parliament which only had a few dozen members, the British parliament which had a large population was obviously more difficult to manage.
Just as Campbell finished speaking, a member of the opposition jumped out and questioned, "That's right.
"Prime Minister, we all know that the Empire is facing challenges, but this doesn't mean that the taxpayers' money can be squandered at will.
A one-time increase of 70 million pounds in the military budget, and it's only for one year. Do you think that pounds are toilet paper, that we can print as much as we want?
Since the enemy increased the military budget by 5000 pounds, we can just follow up with the same amount. Do you think that under the same conditions, the Royal Navy is afraid of them? "
Times were changing, and so were people's expectations. The development plan of the Royal Navy also kept lowering the standard.
First, it changed from the initial three-strong strategy to the two-strong standard. Then, it was lowered to the second-best 5: 3, then 10: 7, and 4: 3.
Gritting their teeth and holding on until now, many people's expectations were lowered again. It was somewhat similar to the attitude of the Government of the United Kingdom towards the Americans after World War I.
In the beginning, they were tough and prepared to use the Royal Navy to suppress the Americans. After trying, they found that their own wallet was not big enough, so they were forced to make concessions.
Although it had not reached that point yet, the Royal Navy's ever-expanding military budget still made the Government of the United Kingdom somewhat unbearable.
If it was only for a few years, then with the foundation that Britannia had accumulated, it would naturally not be a problem.
But the Holy Roman Empire was already established, and the PK could not continue in a short period of time. No one knew when the sudden outbreak of the naval arms race would end.
Referring to the Hundred Years War between Britain and France, many Britons were prepared to fight a protracted war. They were prepared to use the advantage of the strait to slowly wear it out and wait for the situation in Europe to change.
If it was a hundred years ago, such a plan would naturally not be a problem. Unfortunately, times were different now. If it really dragged on for a long time, it would be Britannia that would suffer more.
Kanber frowned and explained helplessly, "Sir, you've only seen the military budget but you've neglected the actual situation.
Although we have the world's most advanced shipbuilding industry, our cost of building warships is still 10% to 15% higher than the Austrians.
The construction of warships is a complicated project. The birth of each warship involves hundreds of industries.
Whether we are willing to admit it or not, in the overall industrial chain, the Empire is indeed behind the Holy Roman Empire.
Not only the construction of warships, but the construction of related facilities and the maintenance of warships in the later stages, we are slightly higher than the enemy. "
There was no way around it. The industry of warships, which involved many related enterprises, had to be affected by the industrial system.
As the world's number one industrial power, the Holy Roman Empire obviously had an advantage in this aspect.
The production cost of spare parts with the same function in the Holy Roman Empire was lower than other countries, and the higher the technical content of the parts, the more obvious the cost advantage.
In the era of free trade, there were no restrictions. The British shipyards could also purchase spare parts from Shinra. It was just a little more freight, and there was no obvious disadvantage in cost.
But with the collapse of the free trade system, these good days were gone forever. Imports needed to pay high tariffs, which lost the price-performance ratio.
The local enterprises that were originally forced to the edge of bankruptcy finally turned around. Now, they naturally needed to replenish their lost blood.
The purchase price of spare parts went up, and the unit price quoted by the shipyards naturally went up.
For the healthy development of the industry, this bill could only be paid by the Government of the United Kingdom. If they wanted to reduce the cost, they could only wait for the relevant enterprises to complete technological innovation.
Of course, although the cost increased, it was not as excessive as a direct increase of 40%.
Campbell's explanation was more to divert the attention of the parliament members in order to obtain a higher military budget and ensure absolute suppression of the Shinra Navy.
