Chapter 917

Anything in the hands of the Parliament meant trouble.

Everyone knew that after the seaborne trade routes, Britannia could no longer fight, but politics was never black and white.

No one had any objections to a ceasefire. However, how to stop the war was a big problem.

The Parliament not only represented the people, but also the interest groups behind them. Unless it was absolutely necessary, no vested interest group was willing to sacrifice their own interests.

Moreover, the Parliament was also unwilling to bear the responsibility of surrendering, which meant the end of their political life.

Even if they really wanted to surrender, they had to pretend to be unafraid of death to prove that they opposed surrendering.

Every one of them was a drama queen. "Noisy noisy …" became inevitable.

The Parliament was noisy, and the people were even more noisy. After all, only a few could bear to let go. Most people still couldn't face reality.

People were contradictory. On one hand, they wanted to stop the war, but on the other hand, they were unwilling to accept the cruel reality of "surrender."

Under the provocation of some people, the ordinary people blamed the incompetence of the government. If it weren't for the useless government, the British Empire wouldn't have been defeated; without defeat, it naturally wouldn't be in the current humiliation …

Obviously, it couldn't vent the resentment in the hearts of the British people. They had to demonstrate and make their voices heard.

During the day, the enemy's planes could come and bomb at any time. It wasn't suitable to shout slogans, so they had to wait until the enemy planes left.

For example, it was very safe at dusk.

The time was a little short, but it didn't matter. Everyone could work overtime and still make their voices heard with flashlights.

"Protect Britannia!"

"Never surrender!"

"Down with the traitorous government!"

…

Earth-shattering shouts resounded throughout London. This made life difficult for the ordinary citizens. They still had to work during the day.

Closing the window with both hands, James complained in distress, "How long is this going to last? Are you going to let me sleep?"

Obviously, as an ordinary citizen, James was not interested in the farce outside.

He didn't understand the general principles, but he knew one thing, and that was if the war didn't end, his family would starve to death.

Since the outbreak of the war, prices in London had been rising, and the only thing that didn't change was wages.

The James family, which was originally living well, quickly fell into a state of being unable to make ends meet, and could only rely on their previous savings to support themselves.

The standard of living naturally fell again and again. The previous bread, milk, vegetables, and beef … had now become black bread, potatoes, and corn …

Especially after the Government of London limited supplies, the James family had to purchase supplies from the black market to ensure the family's food consumption.

It couldn't be helped. Bureaucrats were the same all over the world. Naturally, it was inevitable that they would use their power to gain benefits.

Compared to three meals a day, hegemony and colonies were too far away for James. James didn't even care about Ireland, which was close at hand.

"Stop complaining. You can't control them. Hurry up and go to bed, we still have work tomorrow! "

His wife's words caused James' expression to turn even uglier, "I'm sorry, Emma. "Emma" of "of" said of "of" of James.

As the hostess, Emma shook her head. "What's the point of saying all this, James? You've done well enough.

Their current predicament was mainly because of this damned war. If it weren't for this war, we would still be living happily ever after. "

Of "of Of" of the "of" of Britain of "of" of King of "of. of.

Compared with other countries of the world at the same time, Britannia was a proper developed country, and the standard of living of the people was among the best in the world.

However, all of this disappeared with the outbreak of the war. Even those with good family conditions were able to fill their stomachs. More people were still starving and could only rely on government relief food to survive.

James said wearily, "I don't have to go to work tomorrow. The raw materials in the factory have been exhausted.

The boss is trying to find a way, but now the whole of England is short of raw materials. I'm afraid I'll be unemployed for a long time. "

"Unemployed" was a heavy topic. Especially in recent months, those who lost their jobs were basically unable to find a job.

Import and export trade was cut off, orders for enterprises were greatly reduced, and layoffs had become the mainstream of society.

James' factory was responsible for the production of aircraft parts. It was barely a military enterprise. Not only was it not affected by the war, but it became more prosperous during the war.

Unfortunately, no matter how many orders there were, they couldn't make up for the "lack of raw materials." Britannia didn't have perfect labor protection laws. Without raw materials, capitalists could lay people off at any time.

To be precise, James wasn't laid off. As a small engineer, he was relatively valuable during the war. The management of the enterprise just let him stay at home for the time being and wait for news.

Unfortunately, there was no 'pay' for such a wait. If the enterprise couldn't get the raw materials to start work again, James would be laid off.

Losing a source of income was undoubtedly one disaster after another for this family, which was not wealthy to begin with.

If James couldn't find a job in a short time, it wouldn't be long before they faced a problem of livelihood.

James' family was still fine. Since the war, more than two million families in the British Empire had gone bankrupt and could only rely on government relief food to survive.

In this context, it was difficult for the anti-war voices of the people not to rise.

…

It didn't matter if they argued or argued. As their food reserves continued to dwindle, the British had no other choice.

The King was unwilling to bear the responsibility of surrender, the government was unwilling to bear the responsibility of surrender, and Parliament was also unwilling to take the blame.

After a battle of words, the members of parliament felt that the future of Britannia could only be decided by all the people together. Everyone unanimously decided that the war would be decided by a referendum.

On December 11, 1905, the Government of the United Kingdom proposed a one-week truce to the Continental Alliance and a referendum to decide whether to continue the war.

Looking at the telegram that was forwarded, Franz realized that the British really knew how to play. Normally, they wouldn't think of all the people, but when it came to taking responsibility, they needed a referendum.

Looking at the military map, Franz asked, "How long can the food reserves of the British Isles last?"

Prime Minister Chandler: "According to the analysis of the intelligence we collected, the British food reserves won't last more than three months, and the shortest may be less than a month.

Now the Government of the United Kingdom's reaction also supports this point. If they weren't forced into a corner, the British wouldn't have held a referendum at this time. "

The biggest reason why the Continental Alliance wasn't in a hurry to launch a landing operation was that the British Isles' food reserves were insufficient.

It wasn't that the Government of the United Kingdom didn't want to increase food reserves, it was that the war broke out too suddenly, and there was no time to purchase enough food.

It wasn't a problem of money, but that it couldn't be bought at all.

The Holy Roman Empire itself was the banker in the international food market, monopolizing more than 80% of the trade in agricultural products in the international market. At the same time, it was also Britannia's largest supplier of agricultural products.

If the banker didn't sell food, the Government of the United Kingdom could only buy it overseas. Not to mention whether they could buy enough food, just the transportation capacity was a big problem.

The submarine attack was child's play, the key was that most countries in the world joined the blockade against Britain, and overseas trade routes were almost cut off.

Relying on colonies alone obviously couldn't meet the demand. In particular, the two grain-producing areas in Indochina and India successively became battlefields, which was a heavy blow.

Since the enemy could starve to death, the Continental Alliance naturally wasn't in a hurry to land. It was only a few months, and everyone could afford to wait.

Sliding the globe, Franz said with a smile, "Tell the British, out of humanitarian considerations, we're willing to give them a week to hold a referendum.

But there's only one chance. If we don't get the results we want, then in the next ten years, there won't be a single grain of food entering England. "

There was nothing more tragic than this for Japan. With just a naval blockade, the powerful British Empire was on the verge of collapse.

Not to mention a blockade for ten years, if the blockade lasted for another year and a half, the British Empire would probably become history.

…

On December 12, 1905, Britannia kicked off the referendum. Under the oppressive atmosphere, countless British people walked out of their homes and went to the polling station to cast their sacred vote.

Unlike the previous voting, there were no impassioned speeches this time, no huge advertising banners, only a simple ballot box and soldiers to maintain order.

The scene was eerily quiet, as if they were in a funeral hall. There was only the sound of footsteps and heartbeats, and no one dared to make any noise, for fear of disturbing the dead.