"We can't wait any longer like this. The situation is developing in a direction that the British Empire does not want to see." Winston pushed open the door roughly and shouted at the noisy British ministers.

"In the past twenty days, the world situation has undergone tremendous changes, and yet you, the gentlemen on whom the British Empire relies, are here discussing how to politely refuse Serbia's request for help."

"Gentlemen, war is coming soon. Sitting at the negotiating table and talking with words will no longer solve the current problems."

"Dear Prime Minister, in the name of the Admiralty, I sincerely request you to order preparations for war!"

Winston was in middle age at this time, and his speech was not as weak as after World War II. Instead, he was full of energy and had a loud voice.

"Look, who is this? Winston, we know what you are going to say, and we also know how the situation is developing. You can lower your voice. My ears almost deafened you." Marshal, Army

The minister, Horatio Herbert Kitchener, rubbed his ears and said contemptuously.

"If you really knew how the situation was developing, you wouldn't still be sitting here." Winston sat aside with a stinking look on his face.

"Winston, we are discussing this matter." Asquith stood up and explained while waving his hands to signal both parties to calm down.

"Let's continue, Winston, you can listen in first, and wait until others have finished speaking if you have any opinions." Asquith said to Winston alone.

"As you command, Prime Minister." Winston's face darkened.

"Prime Minister, ministers, according to my prediction, war has become destiny and inevitable, unless the Tsar ignores Serbia or Germany disarms."

"We all know this is impossible."

Horatio glanced at Winston and showed a very standard smile, showing eight teeth.

"So, Sir Winston was right about one thing. If the British Empire will no longer adhere to the offshore balancing policy, then we should start mobilizing."

"What about the scale? Marshal Horatio, how many troops should we send to France?" Asquith touched his nose with his right hand, looking a little unnatural.

There are two voices within the British Empire. The first is the voice of traditional politicians, which insists on the offshore balancing policy and sits on the mountain to watch the fight between tigers and tigers.

The other is the voice dominated by the military, the Ministry of Finance, etc., who advocate a tough stance against the Germans.

Almost all of these soldiers had participated in the Boer War. Asquith believed in their experience and abilities, so he was more inclined to war.

As for the Treasury, no one knows better than the Treasury how much the British Empire has invested in the arms race. If these "investments" cannot obtain sufficient returns, the Treasury cannot imagine the consequences.

"Prime Minister, gentlemen, this is a war of unprecedented proportions, and a war between industrialized nations the likes of which we have never encountered before."

"Judging from the Boer War, the Russo-Japanese War, the Sino-Japanese War and other wars, this war will be far more cruel than we imagined."

Horatio began to sing, hoping to attract enough attention.

"Please make it clearer. The Minister of War of the Empire can't express his opinions in vague words, right?" Winston waited anxiously.

Of course, the most important thing is that generally speaking, he is the one singing in any position.

But don’t underestimate this. Listening to people’s speeches can be tiring. After Horatio has finished speaking, who will listen to him later?

"I believe that the war with Germany will be a protracted war that will last for several years. We have all made too many preparations for the war, and no one will surrender in a short time."

"Of course, what is more important is Germany's elite army. Although I hate to say this, the fact is that even if we and the French are combined, I don't think we can be unstoppable on the battlefield."

As a veteran of the Army, Field Marshal, and Secretary of War, Horatio knew exactly what he had under his command.

Drug addicts, gamblers, drunkards, criminals, speculators, almost all the characters that have been despised in human history can be found in the British Empire Army.

"But we still have Russia. The gray animals can easily overwhelm Germany, or at least Prussia, just like they did during the anti-French war." Winston said confidently.

Winston felt that what Horatio said made sense. He also clearly understood the combat effectiveness of the British Empire Army and had no hope.

The treatment of the British Empire Army is divided into three levels. The most important one is the Native Royal Regiment. These people are well-equipped and well-trained, but their number is very small.

Then there is the ordinary corps. One thing is very important. When the ordinary corps of the British Empire recruits soldiers, the threshold is very loose.

You can easily find Dutch, Finns, and even Egyptians pretending to be British within ordinary regiments.

Even the nationality cannot be checked, let alone whether the soldier's background is innocent, whether he has a criminal record, etc.

What is the combat effectiveness of ordinary regiments? Just look at the Boer War and you will know that they will definitely defeat the Green Battalion, but with the same equipment, they may not necessarily be able to defeat the Patrol Battalion.

Then there is the third level, the colonial corps. The more powerful ones include the Australian Legion, the Canadian Legion, etc., and the less powerful ones include the Indian Mercenary Corps, etc.

Many of these people had good fighting ability, but the inherent arrogance of the British Empire made them unwilling to admit that colonial soldiers were stronger than ordinary soldiers of the British Empire.

(It is not the British colonial army, but the army formed in the colonial areas. The former is the British Army, and the latter can basically be regarded as a servant army.)

"Yes, if the Tsar didn't need to worry about the million-strong army of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Bulgaria, he might be able to easily overwhelm East Prussia." Horatio agreed with Winston's words.

"Okay, Winston, sit down. Marshal, how do you think the British Empire will respond to this war?" Asquith took a deep breath.

"If war breaks out, I hope the government can authorize me to form a new army and recruit at least two million people. They should be led by young officers and face the Germans with a new look."

"Once the war breaks out, I hope the government can decisively and actively join the war. I am afraid that the French will make the same mistakes again. They have been blinded by hatred."

"After the war breaks out, we should immediately block all external traffic from Germany and cut off their resources..."

Horatio introduced his strategy in detail, from soldier recruitment to overall strategy, Horatio explained it in detail.

"Very... wonderful!" After Horatio finished speaking, Winston applauded from the side.

"Sir, I'm not giving a speech. Please don't applaud." Horatio looked at Winston confused.

"No! Earl Kitchener, your plan is wonderful and deserves applause." Asquith also applauded.

(Earl of Kitchener, title of Horatio Herbert Kitchener.)

Horatio forced a smile on his face. He proposed this plan. Firstly, he wanted his idea to be adopted by the Prime Minister, and secondly, he wanted to see if they had different opinions.

After all, he is just a soldier, a professional soldier. Although he has begun to study politics and strategy in recent years, these profound things cannot be thoroughly studied in a day or two.

For example, in Horatio's plan, the handling of the wartime industrial system was very taken for granted. (The word didn't exist at the time, but the concept already existed.)

He miscalculated Britain's industrial capabilities and financial situation, and even though he had thought more seriously, he failed to predict the intensity of the war.

In the first few months of the war, the reserves of war supplies were directly exhausted, causing the front lines to waver repeatedly.

This is also one of the reasons why the war lasts for several years. It often takes a month to produce supplies that can be fought in just one battle.

The front line may have just gained an advantage, but cannot open a breakthrough due to lack of ammunition.

"Then, let's start preparations. First recruit 200,000 volunteers, form ten divisions, and take a look at the situation."

"As for Serbia, Winston, it's not that we don't want to intervene, it's that we can't do anything. We don't have enough troops to send to the Balkans, and that's the territory of the Russians."

"Sir Rotter, please explain to the Russians that London will support all their reasonable actions."

Asquith had basically accepted the reality that war was coming and Horatio's view that it would be a protracted war of attrition.

"Winston, stay a moment," Asquith said, and the others stood up to leave.

"How is the Admiralty doing?" When only two people were left, Asquith began to play the emotional card.

"It's okay. With Admiral Jericho in the fleet, I don't have many things to deal with. It's just some government affairs. The most important thing is to argue with the congressmen. I'm good at this."

Winston didn't quite understand the reason why Asquith kept him, so he gave it a half-hearted answer.

"Winston, the war is about to start. I took a look at the supplies we have stored, and they may not be able to last until 1917." Seeing this, Asquith stated his purpose.

"The procurement of supplies is under the control of the Logistics Department, and I will supervise them." Winston said quickly.

In fact, he didn't pay much attention to it. In his opinion, this war could last at most one and a half to two years. If it took more than that, would the Germans be able to fight it?

"No, no, no, it's because a damn war broke out in the Far East. All kinds of supplies have been rising sharply recently. We need too many things and don't have enough funds to purchase supplies." Asquith smiled slightly.

"I see. I understand. I will ask each fleet to step up the collection of supplies. However, I think we should still give the locals some money. This can effectively reduce their resistance."

Winston suddenly realized, isn't it just robbing things? Is this necessary? The British Empire has been robbing for hundreds of years, and the Prime Minister has covered it up?

"You misunderstood Winston, there are some things that must be bought with money, such as rubber and tung oil, so we need money."

"We also need a group of soldiers to hinder the German attack before Marshal Horatio's plan is completed." Asquith said with a smile on his lips.
Chapter completed!