Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 1150: Chapter 164, The War Ends

Any matter reaching Parliament meant trouble.

Everyone knew that after the disruption of maritime trade routes, Britannia could no longer sustain the fight, yet politics was never black and white.

A ceasefire was unanimously agreed upon. However, the method of ceasefire was a major issue.

Members of Parliament not only represented the populace but also the numerous interest groups behind them. Unless absolutely necessary, no vested interest group was willing to sacrifice their own benefits.

Moreover, the MPs were equally unwilling to take responsibility for surrendering, as it signified the end of their political careers.

Even if surrender was inevitable, they had to feign a spirit of facing death unflinchingly to prove their opposition to surrender.

Every one of them was a master actor, “arguing, arguing, arguing…” thus became inevitable.

Parliament was noisy, and the public was even more tumultuous. Those who could put aside their dogma were few; more people were unable to face reality.

Humans are contradictory; on one hand, they thought about stopping the war, on the other hand, they were unwilling to accept the cruel reality of “surrender.”

Instigated by certain malicious people, ordinary people blamed the government’s incompetence. If it weren’t for the useless government, the Great Britain Empire would not have been defeated; without defeat, the current humiliation would not exist…

Merely verbal complaints clearly couldn’t vent the British populace’s frustrations; they needed to march and protest to make their voices heard.

Daytime was unfit for chanting and marching due to the potential of enemy planes bombing, so they waited until the planes had left.

For example: Twilight was very safe.

The time was a bit short, but no matter, everyone could work a night shift, and with flashlights, they could still make their voices heard.

“Defend Britannia!”

“Never Surrender!”

“Down with the traitorous government!”

…

The overwhelming cries echoed throughout London. This was tough on ordinary citizens, who still needed to go to work during the day.

James, with a troubled expression, closed his hands over the window and complained, “How long will this go on? Can’t they let people sleep?”

Evidently, as an ordinary citizen, James was not interested in the drama outside.

He didn’t understand the great principles, but he knew one thing very clearly: if the war did not end soon, his family would starve.

Since the outbreak of the war, the cost of living in London had skyrocketed, but wages had remained stagnant.

James’ family, who had previously been living comfortably, was quickly engulfed in financial troubles, barely surviving on their previous savings.

Their standard of living naturally declined, from past bread, milk, vegetables, beef… to now black bread, potatoes, corn…

Especially after the London Government began limiting the supply of goods, James’ family had no choice but to rely on the black market to ensure their food supply.

There was no way around it; bureaucrats everywhere exploited their power for personal gain as usual.

Compared to their daily meals, hegemony and colonies were too distant for James, even Ireland, which was close by, did not concern him.

“Stop complaining, you can’t control them. Hurry up and get some rest, you still have to go to work tomorrow!”

His wife’s words only made James’ face look even more troubled: “Sorry, Emma. I’ve made you suffer.”

As the lady of the house, Emma shook her head, “Why talk like this? James, you have already done well enough.

Our current predicament is mainly due to this damned war. If it weren’t for this war, we would still be leading a happy and content life.”

As the world’s superpower, the British people enjoyed not only glory but also tangible benefits.

Compared to other countries at the time, contemporary Britannia was a fully developed country, with the standard of living among the highest in the world.

But all this disappeared with the outbreak of the war. Being able to eat enough was considered good living conditions; many others were still starving, only hanging on with government relief food.

James, exhausted in body and mind, said, “I don’t need to go to work tomorrow, the factory has run out of raw materials.

“The boss is trying to figure out a solution, but as of now, the whole of England is facing a shortage of raw materials. I’m afraid I’ll be unemployed for a quite a long time.”

“Unemployment” is a heavy topic. Especially in recent months, virtually everyone who loses their job cannot find another.

With trade cut off, the volume of company orders has drastically decreased, and layoffs have become mainstream.

James works in a factory that produces airplane parts, barely qualifying as a military enterprise that not only remains unaffected by the war but actually thrives amid it.

Unfortunately, no amount of orders can compensate for the “lack of raw materials.” Currently in Britannia, there is no robust Labor Protection Law; without materials to begin work, capitalists lay off workers in minutes.

To be precise, James hasn’t exactly been laid off. As a junior engineer, he holds some value even in wartime. The management has merely asked him to temporarily stay at home and await further news.

Regrettably, this wait comes with “no pay.” If the enterprise fails to acquire raw materials to resume operations soon, James will essentially be considered terminated.

The loss of a salary severely exacerbates the already dire situation for his not-so-wealthy family.

Should James fail to find employment soon, it won’t be long before his family faces livelihood issues.

Even though James’s family is relatively well off, as the war continues, over two million households in the Great Britain Empire have gone bankrupt, relying solely on government relief grain for survival.

Under such circumstances, anti-war cries among the populace are unavoidably on the rise.

…

Whether they yell or riot, with the reserve food stocks continually diminishing, the British simply have no choice.

The King doesn’t want to take the blame for surrender, neither does the government, nor does the parliament wish to bear the responsibility.

After intense debate, the Members of Parliament, feeling a great burden of responsibility, unanimously agreed: the future of Britain could only be decided by its citizens, opting for a national referendum to determine peace or war.

On December 11th, 1905, the British Government proposed a one-week truce to the Continental Alliance, to hold a public referendum to decide whether to continue the war.

Franz, reading the shared telegram, realized how crafty the British could be. In ordinary times they ignore the masses, but when shouldering responsibilities they call for a public vote.

Looking at a military map, Franz asked, “How long can the food reserves in The British Isles sustain?”

Prime Minister Chandler replied, “According to our intelligence analysis, British food reserves won’t last more than three months at most, and could be less than a month.

The current reaction of the British Government also corroborates this. If not cornered, the British would not have thought of holding a public referendum at this time.”

The Continental Alliance hasn’t been keen on launching a landing operation, primarily because The British Isles have inadequate food reserves.

It’s not that the British Government doesn’t want to increase the food reserves, but the war broke out so suddenly, they lacked the time to procure enough food.

This isn’t a matter of money, but of simply not being able to purchase it.

The Holy Roman Empire itself dominates the international grain market, monopolizing over eighty percent of global agricultural trade and being Britannia’s largest agricultural supplier.

With the major supplier refusing to sell grain, the British Government can only seek to buy overseas. Whether or not they can procure enough food is questionable, let alone the logistical challenges.

Submarine attacks are merely trivial; the key issue is that most of the world’s countries have joined the blockade against Britain, causing near total disruption of overseas trade lines.

Reliance on colonies alone clearly cannot meet demands, especially as Indochina Peninsula and India, two major grain-producing areas, have become warzones, adding a significant blow.

As the Continental Alliance can starve the enemy, they naturally see no rush to launch a landing, a matter of merely a few more months; everyone can afford to wait.

Franz, scrolling the globe, said with a smile, “Tell the British, out of humanitarian consideration, we are willing to leave them one week to hold a public referendum.

However, this chance is only once; if we don’t get the desired result, then for the next ten years, not a single grain will enter England.”

This is the sorrow of an Island Country. Just a mere naval blockade, and the formidable Great Britain Empire is on the verge of collapse.

Not to mention a ten-year blockade, even if extended for just a year or half, it’s likely that the Great Britain Empire would become history.

…

On December 12, 1905, Britannia opened the curtain to the national referendum. Under heavy atmosphere, countless British people walked out of their homes to the polling stations to cast their sacred vote.

Unlike previous elections, there were no passionate speeches or huge promotional banners, just a simple ballot box and soldiers maintaining order.

The atmosphere eerily quiet as if in a mortuary. Only footsteps and heartbeats could be heard; no one dared to speak loudly, fearing they might disturb the resting.