Chapter 1106: Getting Anxious
War was not something that could be started on a whim, especially under Britain's system. The Cabinet Government simply did not have the authority to unilaterally launch a war that gambled the nation's fate.
Yet this was precisely the sort of matter unsuited for discussion in Parliament. Once several hundred MPs knew about it, it was equivalent to the whole world knowing.
By the time everyone finished wrangling, forget striking first—even avoiding being struck first would be a blessing from God.
Although the Royal Navy held the advantage, the Holy Roman Empire Navy was no weak force either. Judging by seventy percent of Japan's standards in the original timeline, they could go at it directly right now.
Once the next batch of battleships entered service, the gap in strength between the two sides would shrink further. With the advantage of entering service earlier, they could absolutely seize the initiative and strike first.
For something like this, there was no point hoping the king would step out and take the blast. Edward VII was not George V; he was not so easily fooled and would not take the blame for them.
The Royal Navy had dominated for too long, and the public had long grown accustomed to victory. In such a climate, winning a naval battle was only natural; losing one was an unforgivable crime.
Frankly speaking, if there had not still been so much time left in his term, Campbell would most likely have chosen to muddle through and dump the trouble on the next administration.
This was no joke. Some people in the Cabinet were already itching to make a "medical retirement." That included the War Secretary, who had been shouting the loudest.
Politics was often like this: the people who shouted the loudest slogans