Chapter 404 Operation Starvation (20)

As soon as Lord Adam left, the secretary rushed in, panicked. "Prime Minister, Prime Minister, the Germans are broadcasting that they will bomb our coastal cities!"

"What?!" Churchill was shocked. "How did they say it?!"

The secretary hurried to the radio, turned it on, and tuned in to the channel. Soon, accompanied by the crackling sound of electricity, the German broadcast came through the radio. Since it was a broadcast to England, it was also in English. "...24 hours from now, our bomber forces will indiscriminately bomb all towns, large and small, near the English Channel. We urge the townspeople to leave their cities as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary casualties."

"Damn it!" Churchill slammed the table, already anticipating the consequences of this broadcast. "These despicable scoundrels are actually going to target civilians!" As angry as he was, there was nothing he could do.

Because at that time, the laws of war concerning the protection of civilians consisted only of some scattered articles from the 1899 Hague Convention II and the annex of the 1907 Hague Convention IV.

More detailed legal provisions for the protection of civilians would have to wait until 1949, when the Geneva Conventions would be published based on the aforementioned articles, including "prohibitions against the destruction of undefended towns and villages; prohibitions against the killing, coercion, mistreatment, and deportation of peaceful residents."

Unfortunately, this would still take another 10 years to come into effect, so even if Churchill now appealed to the international community, there would likely be no significant response.

The Germans would say that they were doing this to force the British government to surrender quickly. If the British government didn't want civilians to suffer, then surrender would be the solution.

What would Churchill say then? That even if the entire civilian population of the British Empire died out, he would never surrender?!

"Notify everyone, call an emergency meeting."

As soon as the broadcast was out, the British people along the coast were thrown into chaos.

This time, Dowding could not guarantee that not a single German bomb would fall. Even if he could guarantee it, few British people would believe him. Last time, the Germans had clearly warned that they would bomb London, but that idiot Churchill said that not a single bomb would fall on London. And what happened? London is still under bombardment.

Residents of the coastal towns fled their homes with their families, taking all the transportation they could find and carrying all their belongings, just wanting to leave the city that was about to be bombed as soon as possible.

On the roads from the southern coast to the northern inland, the fleeing people and vehicles stretched for tens of kilometers, and more and more vehicles and people continued to pour out of the villages along the way, joining this massive migration. Many sections experienced severe congestion.

Some people piled all their possessions on top of their vehicles, from pots and pans to fashionable furniture, boxes, bags, and provisions, creating a small mountain that severely obstructed the view of the vehicles behind, leading to many traffic accidents.

On this chaotic road, all class distinctions had blurred. Whether you drove a Rolls-Royce or a half-ton Ford, heaven treated everyone equally and did not allow anyone to run faster because of their nobility.

In the meeting room of the Prime Minister's residence in London, it was also chaotic. "The Germans wouldn't attempt a landing at this time, would they?" An officer muttered softly, as if with a hint of fear.

Churchill frowned and thought for a long time, then shook his head. "They shouldn't. The Germans would be crazy to launch a landing operation in winter." Launching a landing operation in such cold weather? He would never do that.

Everyone looked at each other, and Dowding cleared his throat and spoke. "But the Germans often don't play by the rules."

Initially, everyone said the Germans were crazy to challenge Britain and France, but reality slapped everyone in the face. Germany not only challenged them but also kicked over France, the number one power in Europe, leaving Britain gasping for air.

So, it wouldn't be surprising if Germany launched a landing operation now.

"..." Churchill actually hoped the Germans would launch a landing now. Not because he was crazy, but because if the Germans launched a landing offensive now, the British Empire still had a chance to stop the Germans from landing. However, as time went on, the situation of the British Empire would only get worse. Perhaps by the time the Germans reached the shore, a large number of people would raise white flags to welcome the German army.

"Should we distribute ammunition supplies to the frontline soldiers?"

This question also stumped Churchill. Supplies, of course, included food. If they were distributed now, and if the Germans didn't launch a landing operation, could those supplies be taken back? After hesitating for a long time, he finally shook his head. "Let's observe the movements of the German army a bit longer."

After a long silence, he put out the cigar in his hand and ordered. "Send someone to Germany, contact the German high command, and discuss the matter of peace talks. As long as we can delay time, any conditions can be agreed upon!"

Previously, through the British ambassador in Switzerland, they had contacted the German ambassador in Switzerland, but no results had come of it at that time. This time he decided to send someone directly to Berlin to convey Britain's desire for peace.

The Germans naturally also wanted peace, but they knew that achieving real peace was not easy.

After all, Britain was the empire on which the sun never sets, the former world hegemon, the king of the seven seas! To make such an old-world hegemon lower its proud head was not an easy task.

The Netherlands of those years was a lesson!

At that time, Britain defeated Spain's maritime hegemony, broke the colonial monopoly of Spain and Portugal, and emerged as a rising yet powerful colonialist country. Its struggle with the Dutch colonial power was not only inevitable but also demanded exclusive sea rights, exclusive materials, and exclusive markets, thus developing from competition and plunder to armed conflict.

The First Anglo-Dutch War was launched by the Netherlands on July 28, 1652, with the aim of retaliating against the Navigation Acts passed by the English Parliament in 1651 against Dutch trade brokerage. Besides conducting operations near the coasts of both countries (such as the Battle of Plymouth in 1652, the Battles of Newport in 1652 and 1653, and the Battle of Portland in 1653), naval battles were also fought in the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, and the straits connecting the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. The English navy was equipped with more advanced cannons and had the advantage in both quantity and quality, thus defeating the Dutch navy and imposing a blockade on the Dutch coast, forcing the Netherlands to sign the Treaty of Westminster on April 14, 1654. According to this treaty, the Netherlands effectively recognized the Navigation Acts.

But the war did not end there. The Dutch, unwilling to accept defeat, declared war on England again ten years later, and another war broke out; after more than 20 years of naval supremacy wars, the Dutch maritime power was greatly weakened, but militarily they had not completely lost to England. It was not until the end of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1713 that Britain obtained maritime hegemony and truly deserved its reputation.

Thus, for such an old empire, making them completely submit was not an easy task. As long as their homeland was not fully occupied, and they still had the strength to surrender; they would surely turn the tables in the future.

Therefore, without defeating the British navy and landing on British soil, beating the British people down; they would never truly submit to Germany.