Chapter 230 Sinking and Redemption

The winter sun sets early, barely before 5 o'clock, casting long shadows of buildings and trees on the ground. The dim light seems to herald the decline of this vast empire on earth.

In the adversity of Britain, Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland, stands as the last legitimate palace of the British royal family. The expansive royal gardens present an unusual verdant hue, with hardy rhododendrons (introduced to the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens from China in the early 20th century) and irises blooming brilliantly. King George VI, clad in a heavy coat, walks slowly with his wife Queen Elizabeth amidst these subtly colored flowers. Once upon a time, they were the envy of many. Faced with the fierce invasion of the German army, they displayed the fearless spirit of leaders: the king inspected the troops on the front lines, while the queen organized women's aid teams and firefighting squads in the rear. Especially when the German long-range artillery could threaten the London metropolitan area, the queen refused to evacuate, stating, "The children cannot leave without me, I cannot leave without the king, and the king cannot leave under any circumstances," inspiring countless British soldiers and civilians and earning her the title of "the most dangerous woman in Europe" by the German leader.

Nowadays, London has become a trapped city. With the royal family retreating north and the government relocating, only millions of civilians remain to defend the former prosperity.

The uncertain future is deeply worrisome in the eyes of the king and queen.

On this heartbreaking evening, royal servants in the palace are busy loading luggage onto cars. According to the unanimous decision of the king and the cabinet, the entire British leadership has begun an unprecedented mass migration. Distant Canada, sparsely populated and scenic, seems like a world apart from bustling Britain. As the most loyal member of the Commonwealth, the Canadian government has vowed to continue the arduous war under the leadership of King George VI. They have prepared a large villa for the royal family in picturesque Vancouver—though far from the level of a palace, in times of war, such considerations are secondary!

Among the bustling crowds, a white-haired naval veteran walks with an unusually brisk pace, but even so, he takes some extra time to circumvent the pristine lawn.

After saluting the king and queen, the old veteran reports anxiously, "The Irish government has declared independence from the Commonwealth and intends to reclaim the six counties of Northern Ireland that rightfully belong to them! Their troops have advanced to approximately 50 kilometers north of the border, while the German paratroopers occupying Belfast have not yet shown signs of expanding beyond the city!"

The sturdy King George VI seems reluctant to see his naval minister in such a doomsday-like state. He sighs deeply and says, "One day, we will make the Irish pay a heavy price for their actions today!"

Historical events are often cyclical. The veteran asks cautiously, "Your Majesty, should we consider the proposal sent by the Duke's Salvation Army... to temporarily hand over Northern Ireland to German forces? "

With a touch of anger, the king decisively rejects the suggestion, "There is no need to consider it. We will never bow to **. As for the so-called Salvation Army organized by the duke, they are no different from the Vichy regime in France—traitors who seek personal gain at the expense of the nation! On this matter, please convey to our Prime Minister that it must be broadcast to the entire British people!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The veteran promises, then asks cautiously, "At the just-concluded military meeting, there was fierce debate among the generals on whether to launch a raid and destroy the Formidable and Prince of Wales. No one could convince each other! The Prime Minister's personal inclination... is to rather sink them than let these two new warships fall into the hands of the Germans. He also proposes to immediately transfer the remaining unfinished warships to North America, and those that cannot be completed soon should be destroyed as soon as possible!"

King George VI seems to have anticipated such a result long ago. He quickly and decisively says, "Let's proceed according to his plan!"

"Yes!"

Finally, the veteran hesitates and says, "Your Majesty, a Soviet envoy from Moscow brought a message: the Russian army is facing many difficulties in preparing for a military offensive. They urgently need cars, artillery, and aircraft engines. If possible, they hope to temporarily lease a fleet of our warships!"

"Do we have a fleet of warships to lease? Ridiculous!" The 45-year-old British king says angrily, "Are they trying to blackmail us? Tell them that we also lack cars, artillery, aircraft engines, and warships, but we do not lack brave soldiers! If they are willing, we can send an army to Russia and fight alongside their troops!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! In the past year, the Russians have shown an appetite no less than the Germans'. We should not indulge them but make them fight the Germans themselves! I believe those Bolshevik commissioners should see the current situation clearly: once Britain is occupied by Germany, the powerful German army and air force will surely turn from the Western Front to the Eastern Front! The only solution is to push Germany back into a situation of fighting on two fronts, which is also what the German leaders and generals fear the most!"

A cold wind blows, and the king calms down a bit. He sighs and asks, "What does the Prime Minister think?"

In the constitutional monarchy of Britain, the Prime Minister is the true head and decision-maker of the government. The veteran replies promptly, "The Prime Minister suggests letting the Russians send their own ships to British ports. We can hand over the cars and artillery that cannot be taken away to them. As for the warships, we might consider transferring the partially completed Anson to them! This should offset the German cruiser they received!"

Though not particularly wise or martial, King George VI does not want to be a "prodigal son." With an incredibly conflicted look in his eyes, he finally says:

"Although it's very distressing, but... we may not have a better option right now! Please convey to the Prime Minister that if we must hand these over to the Russians, then try to get them to advance the attack... to February! With Scotland's mountainous terrain, perhaps we can hold out for this one month!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will convey it truthfully to the Prime Minister!" The veteran answers, as colleagues have judged him: Lord Pound is a faithful executor but not a wise decision-maker.

King George VI, holding his queen, turns towards the exit of the garden, murmuring to himself, "One day, we will use the hand of America to demand back the humiliation from the Germans and Russians! These two extremely evil countries should not have survived in this world!"

"America? That profit-seeking country isn't anything good either!" The queen mutters softly.

The visual shifts to Belfast, bathed in the same setting sun, appearing particularly desolate after enduring a cruel ordeal. The smoke that once shrouded the harbor has dissipated, leaving only a few wisps of smoke, remnants of extinguished fires. The indelible scars of the battlefield's bloodshed and the trauma caused by guns and bombs cannot be erased. The former bustling vitality of the port has disappeared. German paratroopers, armed with rifles and submachine guns, are systematically clearing each street block, pulling out British soldiers who refuse to surrender and are hiding in civilian homes, to prevent them from launching attacks after dark.

Although local government officials and police organizations chose to surrender, many historically significant buildings in the port area were destroyed by German air raids before the white flags were raised. While shipyards like Harland & Wolff were spared from bombings, warehouses and docks were set ablaze by the British naval garrison stationed there, using explosives and fuel, to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. Ironically, the invading German forces took on the role of firefighters. Thanks to the efforts of these paratroopers, the tragedy of Borkenhagen did not repeat itself. The aircraft carrier "Formidable" in the fitting-out phase, the "Prince of Wales" anchored here, and seven other vessels under construction were ultimately preserved intact. Adding to them the stranded "Repulse," a battleship that still refuses to surrender to the Germans offshore, the combined tonnage of these vessels exceeds 100,000 tons, sufficient to assemble a formidable fleet!

Although the powerless "Repulse" can only exert one-tenth of its combat power, the German air force has long ceased its bombing raids on it. And since some small boats carrying German paratroopers were repelled, the German army has refrained from launching forced landing operations. On the eastern side of the harbor, Belfast Airport, serving as the breakthrough point for German airborne operations, remains in shambles. German officers and soldiers are diligently filling the numerous craters on the runway. However, everything takes time. Despite losing four Junkers Ju 52s during the landing process, the German air force is eagerly utilizing the relatively flat and solid terrain to land transport aircraft. It seems that the commanders understand well that occupying the port and controlling British ships do not guarantee final victory. Because the main German occupation zones are still in Wales and England across the Irish Sea, Belfast remains an overseas "enclave" hanging in the balance. The nearest British port is only forty nautical miles away. Intimidated by the formidable power of the German air force, the Royal Navy has only dispatched a few fast destroyers for daytime support, none of which have succeeded in breaking into the harbor. However, after dark, many things could happen!