Modern warfare was no longer confined to the battlefield; more often than not, the struggle beyond it was even fiercer.
From the moment the war for hegemony erupted, Britain had been on the back foot. But that was only because its wartime mindset had been constrained, allowing the Holy Roman Empire to catch it completely off guard.
For the war as a whole, that could only count as an advantage in seizing the initiative; it could not directly determine the final outcome. Just as Germany had first swept across Europe in World War II, only to ultimately slink off in disgrace.
The only difference was that the Soviet Union's meat shield had yet to be born, while the United States' healer was still a little girl.
With its allies proving useless, Britain could only endure the trial alone. Fortunately, Britain was at the height of its power, not in the "setting sun" decline it would suffer during World War II.
Yet no matter how solid its foundations were, they would still be battered by war. Rising prices were not the real issue; the crucial problem was that maritime trade routes had been disrupted, resulting in insufficient domestic supplies.
In the short term, reserves might still hold things together. But a war could not be ended in a day or two, and sooner or later those reserves would be exhausted.
There was no helping it. Everyone had placed expectations on the Royal Navy far too high beforehand and had never considered the security of trade routes.
If the capitalists had not sensed the scent of war in advance and stockpiled part of the supplies, matters would likely have gone far beyond mere price hikes by now.
First Lord of the Admiralty Swinding said, "The navy will escort merchant vessels, but our