British civil servant

Crabs crawled out of the cracks in the rocks.Their flaming carapaces were dotted with spots, disappearing into the growing night.The evening sun shone feebly on their foam.They huddled together and marched unhurriedly towards the dunes.Plants were overwhelmed, and crabs stepped on each other and climbed sand and gravel bumps.

There, willows were peeled by the hot wind and their roots tangled together.Just at the top, the fastest crabs slipped and fell, while the slowest and most nimble crabs jumped over the obstacle with ease, relying on the sand trodden by those unfortunate enough to roll down.

Her sister's narration made Princess Margaret yearn in her heart, and she unconsciously looked at a certain promising Whitehall civil servant who was serious and determined not to fall asleep.

When Pamela Mountbatten showed off the new donkey brand in his hand, Alan Wilson had already started to show early drowsiness symptoms in the air, but the current crown prince and future queen were here, so he didn't dare to make a mistake.

He also wanted to make a good impression on the future Queen, not for any particular reason. Compared to politicians who would do anything for the support rate, the Queen was still very trustworthy.

The so-called which system is the future of mankind is to listen to it. Before the arrival of communism in the Soviet Union, Alan Wilson did not think any system was advanced.

"It's rare for me to see Pamela so happy." Crown Prince Elizabeth looked at Alan Wilson and said, "Alan, I wish you happiness in advance."

"My sister is already married, how about I be your bridesmaid." Princess Margaret took the initiative to say, "Now Charles needs to be taken care of, and it seems that I am the only one who can shoulder this responsibility."

The title of Daying Yinfeng finally woke up Alan Wilson, who was constantly struggling with drowsiness, but his brain agreed to Princess Margaret's proposal.

Thinking back to his mind, Alan Wilson slowly turned his neck away and looked at Princess Margaret. Was the nod just now a little sloppy?

It's a pity that Alan Wilson hasn't watched the TV series The Crown, and has no reserves for many things inside the royal family.

If he could foresee that he would need relevant knowledge one day, he would allocate some of his time as a minister in his previous life to learn about the internal stories of the British royal family.

It can be used as a reference now, at least it won't turn black. Pamela Mountbatten also expressed her honor to see Princess Margaret's proposal approved.After all, Princess Margaret is the face of the royal family.

The princess and the crown prince are similar in appearance, but they are even more admirable. On Margaret's birthday, King George VI said proudly: "She has the appearance of an angel, a beautiful figure and the temperament of a star."

There is such a symbol of royal beauty that can be a bridesmaid, of course Pamela Mountbatten will not object.

"Have you chosen a date?" Crown Prince Elizabeth asked, "I believe it will be very lively then. Has anyone been invited?"

"Actually, it is to invite some business partners." Pamela Mountbatten said with a happy smile, "Alan wants to invite some colleagues from Whitehall, and he also has two foreign friends. As for the date, we are still thinking about it. After all, Father My mother and my friends are coming, but I think it would be more appropriate to choose a date before the end of August, and the weather is also a factor to consider.”

The so-called two foreign friends, one is US Senator McCarthy, and the other is Princess Badia of the Kingdom of Iraq.

There is no Alan Wilson's best friend Ali Khan. The reason is that Alan Wilson does not want to disturb the sale of the Sabah crown. Ali Khan will only leave India when he feels confident. necessary obsession.

As a friend, Alan Wilson is definitely very interesting, and even feels that Whitehall's asking price is too expensive.

After the two left, Alan Wilson mentioned Princess Margaret's self-recommendation, "Isn't it a bit too public for Her Royal Highness to be a bridesmaid? I am mainly afraid of attracting the attention of those who are kneeling and punching."

"The media? You also said that they are kneeling and punching, and you Whitehall should have a solution?" Pamela Mountbatten took the initiative to say, "It's within the scope of your handling."

"Not necessarily, people can do anything for the sake of sales." Alan Wilson just hoped not to make a scene known to everyone, and wondered if he could think of a way.

If it doesn’t work, you need to make a big news to divert attention. Alan Wilson had a flash of inspiration, “The United States is promoting the merger of the occupied areas and the establishment of a coalition government. I will ask my colleagues in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to see where it is. , and then we will fix the wedding time."

"Darling, is it a little too much work?" Pamela Mountbatten's lips curled up slightly. Now she is thinking about her man from a good angle, and she doesn't think there is anything wrong with doing so. Instead, she is a hard-working fiancé .

Maybe that's what love is!Alan Wilson's method is not original, it is nothing more than an old method, and proposed three methods, two of which are completely consistent and the remaining one is completely unacceptable, such as attacking the Soviet Union or bombing Warsaw.

Chapter 619 Give the United States the Knife

With an idea in mind, Alan Wilson lived in Whitehall again. In fact, he really had something to chat with Whitehall, such as talking with Edward Bridges, Secretary of State and Executive Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, about the progress of cracking down on Xiangjiang smuggling. .

The work of combating smuggling has been very effective, passing through Xiangjiang, British Malaya and the British mainland.Responding to the call of the US allies depends on the work of the Royal Navy, and of course the stolen money must be confiscated.

Edward Bridges was very pleased with the progress of the work, and said in a rambling manner, "Maybe our trade volume with China can increase to [-] million pounds in a short period of time. Or to focus on cracking down on smuggling, It will reduce losses by £[-] million."

"Sir Edward, I think this is predictable. The key lies in the protection of our military power. This kind of anti-smuggling behavior is not hindered by enemies or allies." Allen Wilson replied knowingly, "You know, sometimes allies The heart is more vicious than the enemy."

Edward Bridges nodded approvingly, expressing his optimism about the promising future stars.

The so-called background is that even if the United States is richer and stronger than the United Kingdom now, it still relies on the accumulation of the past hundred years.There are still quite a lot of overseas industries in the UK.This can be seen from the assets of [-] million pounds in a certain big country.

Although Chang Gong has been kneeling and licking the United States, and signed a series of friendship treaties that put the Qing Dynasty in comparison, it has not changed the status of Britain as the first investor of a certain big country.

From a currency point of view, the pound is the life and death enemy of the dollar, the pound zone within the imperial system of preferences.It is the target that the Americans have always wanted to eradicate. When British India became independent, the negotiations with Nehru also had to continue on the condition that India's imports and exports were settled in pounds.

Compared with [-], the current proportion of the British pound in the world settlement market is of course small.But in fact, it is not much smaller. First of all, the pound zone still exists.

Another very important reason is that the mainstream currencies in the world will not change naturally.Even if it is compared with the British Empire with 3000 million square kilometers, the United States could compete with the complete British Empire as early as the 30s.

But the U.S. dollar is still only the currency of the United States, and it is also suppressed by the pound to a single digit of the world's settlement share.The so-called argument that a country can internationalize its currency by becoming the world's largest economy is ridiculous.

This kind of ridiculous argument can always be heard by Alan Wilson in his previous life. Before World War I, the total output of the United Kingdom accounted for only 13.00% of the world, and its industrial output only accounted for [-]%, but its currency was a stable international currency. Currency; until now, the proportion of the British economy in the world has been further reduced, but the British pound is still the leading international currency, and its settlement share is not much less than that of the US dollar.

Before World War I, the U.S. economy was already one-fifth of the world, and its industrial production accounted for one-third of the world, but it failed to realize the internationalization of its currency.It can be seen that without the financial and debt crisis of the international currency sovereign country and the efforts of the challenger country, the status of the international currency cannot be automatically transferred.

At present, the British pound is still the international currency second only to the US dollar, and the US dollar will definitely use more brains if it wants to take over the British pound zone in the future.

In fact, until the oil crisis in the 70s, the pound still accounted for one-fifth of the world's settlements.

This is also the result of the accelerated decline in the pound zone after the Suez Canal War, when the United Kingdom was forced by the United States and the Soviet Union.

The Suez Canal War was a blow to Britain because it really let the whole world see that Britain is no longer a player at the same level as the United States and the Soviet Union. If it weren't for the British follow-up series of actions, the British pound might not last until the 70s.

If you want the pound to return to its peak again, unless Britain can bring the United States down, and it must bring the United States down by means of war.

On the contrary, if the British pound wants to become an ordinary currency immediately, it is easy to challenge the United States or the Soviet Union through war and then lose the war, and the British pound will be worthless immediately.

As we all know, the current national strength of the United Kingdom is unable to fight a life-and-death war with the United States and the Soviet Union, so the United Kingdom has only one choice, to prevent any war that may discredit the United Kingdom.

For the UK, maintaining inertia can keep the pound at its current position, and taking risky moves will only accelerate its decline.

"How to use Xiangjiang to expand trade, you have to keep an eye on Malaya not far away." Edward Bridges said this and changed the subject, "Whitehall has spread, you and Pamela are going to get married Yes, the date has not been set yet."

"It's just set in August, and the exact time hasn't been set yet. Didn't I come here to report on my work?" Allen Wilson politely answered Edward Bridges' doubts, and continued, "I hope my colleagues in Whitehall To be able to go together at that time, knowing the connections of the Mountbatten family puts me under a lot of pressure."

"I believe that my colleagues are willing to help." Edward Bridges readily agreed, even if it was for the benefits of combating smuggling.

As for when the Federal Republic of Germany, which is already more than a year behind in history, will appear this question.Edward Bridges looked very serious, saying that the United States is very tough and that Germany cannot continue in this form.

"This matter is very complicated, Sir Edward. As far as I know, Hokkaido in the Far East is still occupied by the Soviet Union. Once we take a tough attitude on the German issue, we will ignore the Soviet Union's protests and form a Germany that is inclined to the free world. Then It may be hit hard in Germany's Soviet-occupied area and Hokkaido, don't Americans take this into consideration?"

"Perhaps the Americans have already considered it, but after evaluating the consequences, the Americans feel that the consequences can be tolerated." Edward Bridges sighed, "Americans think differently now than they did five years ago. Compared with five years ago More self-confidence, even arrogance, whether it is the ruling Democrats or the opposition Republicans."

Alan Wilson frowned slightly, he did not agree with Edward Bridges.If the Republican Party still chooses Eisenhower as their candidate, then the current United States is still rational.

Don't look at McCarthy as a Republican congressman, but in fact, the trend of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party has only just begun to change.

Although Eisenhower was a soldier and a senior American general in the World War, Eisenhower can be said to be the last generation of traditional Republican presidents.

During the Eisenhower period, the situation in the United States and the Soviet Union did not deteriorate much.Even at the end of Eisenhower's term, Americans believed that Eisenhower did not play a role in curbing the expansion of Soviet influence.

Some even say that the United States lost more during Eisenhower than in the entire Second World War.

During his term of office, Eisenhower did not express much mortal hostility to the Soviet camp. On the contrary, he followed the traditional Republican thinking and focused on the construction of the United States.

The interstate highway in the United States was promoted by Eisenhower. The construction of the interstate highway also regulated the road signs and design standards of American roads, and thus produced a series of unprecedented scientific research explorations such as fire simulation in tunnels.

Although Eisenhower was a rare senior general of the US military as president, he did not take actions that would intensify the international situation.The more famous action also fell on Britain, that is, the Suez Canal War.

"Could it be that Truman paved the way for the Democratic Party in order to save his sluggish approval rating? You must know that after MacArthur returned to China, Truman was disgraced. Now it seems that a military boss and a president are both losers." Alan Wilson said Determined, "Is there such a possibility?"

"There is such a possibility. Politics." Edward Bridges smiled wryly. "All countries are the same, and so is the United States."

"The Germans have a saying that I agree with. National competition means that there are fewer mistakes than anyone else." Alan Wilson sighed. He had a feeling that the result of his various efforts was that NATO did not appear and the Federal Republic of Germany did not exist.The situation on the European side is less tense than in the same period in history.

But this situation of surface cooling seems to disappear soon, and the blocked volcano may delay the eruption to be more violent.

Throughout July, while Alan Wilson was preparing for the wedding, two other things were that the peninsula had entered the rhythm of fighting and talking, and that negotiations on the occupied areas of the three countries were intensifying between the United States, Britain and France on the European side.

The most resolute attitude is still France, which combines the two issues of annexation of occupied areas and military alliance.René Previn, President of the French Council of Ministers, launched the Previn Plan.The content of the plan includes the establishment of the European Defense Community by Western European countries, and the European Army will be composed of troops provided by each country; the established German coalition government will join the European Army, but it will not act alone, and it will not set up the Ministry of Defense, the National Defense Forces, and the General Staff.

In order to re-form a coalition government as soon as possible, the Germans approve of France's plan, as long as they merge the occupied areas.

But the Americans didn't like this plan very much, thinking that France wanted to get rid of the United States.

Alan Wilson, who has received recent progress from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suggested to Sir Ismay, the permanent undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "The biggest headache for France now is that Vietnam's combat response is very difficult. Let's communicate with France and let France let the United States step up. Great assistance to France to stop the expansion of communism in Vietnam in exchange for abandoning the Pliven plan. After all, we need the US garrison to withstand the Soviet ground forces."

"We can also take the initiative to mediate between the United States and France, and propose American assistance to France's military operations in Vietnam in exchange for concessions from France. Sometimes the United Kingdom needs to work more bluntly for the unity of its allies."

Alan Wilson is eager to try. This is an opportunity to bring the United States into Vietnam. If it is done, it will not only help France, but also allow the United States to intervene in Vietnam.

This is killing two birds with one stone. Before the Korean War was over, Alan Wilson found the next battlefield for the United States to reflect the majesty of the world's hegemon.

Chapter 6: The Free World Must Unite

After discussion, the two decided that Britain would appear as a neutral party to resolve the dispute and mediate the conflict between the United States and France.

The reason is that Britain should take the initiative to attack this matter. With the current national strength of Britain and France, it is really not allowed by the national strength to completely exclude the United States and fight against the Soviet Union.France's European military plan is not feasible!

"In fact, even if there is a coalition government in Germany, it is not necessary to join the military alliance for the time being. Leave a certain amount of time for Paris to respond!" Alan Wilson remembered that Germany did not join NATO immediately, but in the mid-50s, After France also believed that the European military plan could not satisfy the United States, it recognized the failure of the plan and allowed Germany to enter NATO.

"Now it seems that this is the only way to do it. If you want to do it in one step, the French will definitely not agree." Sir Ismay nodded. He also knew that France's grudge against Germany cannot disappear in a short time. It is not appropriate to maintain the relationship with France. Too much pressure.

Regarding the German coalition government, it is related to Alan Wilson, and it is irrelevant to say that it is irrelevant. It is because he is a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is irrelevant. In the past, there are so many people in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is a civil servant stationed abroad. It is also impossible for the British Empire to be inseparable from him.

On the colonial issue, Britain needs to stand with France, but on the European issue, Britain and France stand together under objective conditions and are not the opponents of the Soviet Union. They can only ask the United States to help.From a British point of view, it is also very sad.

"Oh, by the way, the Mountbatten family seems to be marching into the Persian Gulf, Ellen, be careful not to be caught by Pamela after you get married." Ismay finally mentioned Alan Wilson's upcoming marriage, jokingly "However, I believe that most of my colleagues in Whitehall will help you."

"I don't know anything about the direction of the Mountbatten family's business." Alan Wilson shrugged helplessly, saying that he only heard the news from Sir Ismay.

After leaving Whitehall, Alan Wilson returned to his home. Pamela Mountbatten, who had carefully prepared for the marriage, had already handed over all the property in her hands to the management team, and waited until the marriage affairs were done before taking over.

"Honey, did you go to Whitehall again?" Pamela Mountbatten ran over when she heard the sound of the door, "I must have talked about something that you bureaucrats are interested in."

"No way, that's such a place." Allen Wilson laughed straight, "Who made us the real managers of the country? We must be wary of politicians subverting the country's order. This will be the end of our civilization. By the way, Sir Ismay also asked me that the Mountbatten family is already exploring in the Persian Gulf."

"You must know nothing about what you said. No one knows that your suggestion is more important than the analysis of any professional manager team." Pamela Mountbatten took out the slippers and changed them for her man, very interested Asked, "What are you talking about, tell me about it."

Alan Wilson changed his shoes and took off his coat, followed Pamela Mountbatten to the sofa and sat down. The next moment, for the sake of saving space, Pamela Mountbatten moved a bit and sat between the man's legs , Leaning in the arms of Alan Wilson.

Alan Wilson, holding his fiancée, told all the things he talked about, such as the local economic development, Xiangjiang's important role in knocking on the door of the Chinese market, and the reason why Malaya is valued by Whitehall.Even the Mountbatten Company's entry into the Persian Gulf.

Ultimately these issues can be summed up in one word, GBP!In fact, after the war, the British pound depreciated directly from 30.00:[-] to [-]:[-] against the U.S. dollar. On the one hand, such a high exchange rate cannot be maintained;

The devaluation of the British pound that time was harmful to the mainland, but it was more harmful to Canada, Australia and New Zealand than the mainland.

After the war, the British pound was no longer a unique choice for the world. The pound lost its advantages and became a common currency. There must be enough additional reasons for someone to buy it.This means the UK will have to keep interest rates high, which will adversely affect its domestic industry.

Under the dire economic threat, the British government showed cruel determination and decided to use its special political status to once again force the Commonwealth to sacrifice its own economic interests to satisfy the development of the British mainland.

For example, continuing to exercise control over the trade and investment of the colonies is the reason why Britain increased its military presence in Malaya after agreeing to the independence of British India.

Another point is to sacrifice the interests of the pound zone and change the exchange rate between the pound and the dollar to [-]:[-].

The former is because the rubber and tin mines in Malaya are needed by the United States to stabilize the pound.The latter's depreciation of the British pound is for the local economic vitality, and the cost is shared evenly by the British pound area including Australia.

In fact, doing so will inevitably make the imperial territories including Australia more centrifugal. The solution is the discovery of iron ore in Australia, and Australia is the country that most believes that blood is thicker than water.

Later, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Portugal spread the Indonesian threat theory, which further contributed to the five-nation defense.At least Australia is fine. Now it depends on whether Malaya can act as a production base and produce a lot of extra goods to consolidate the value of the pound.

Any currency needs something to back it up. The US dollar is now gold, and of course the British pound is also used.Other countries use dollars because they are readily convertible into gold, and not for any other reason.

But currency can also be bound to other commodities, and the dollar in the 21st century is bound to commodities rather than gold.

"Honey, the UK can no longer launch an economic war against the US dollar like it did before the World War. The most important thing is that our military power is not as strong as the US. So what the US dollar needs now is globalization, and we, the UK, at least in the short term, want to Stabilize the pound zone. Mobilize all the resources of the colonies for development and construction, support the value of the pound and stop getting rid of the economic support of the United States. You can even print money to invest in overseas territories.”

Pamela Mountbatten listened half-understood for a long time, then said cautiously, "My dear, it seems that this matter is not very easy."

"You just listen to me. Let alone the richest man in the UK, it will not be difficult for me to see the richest man in the world." Alan Wilson reached out and pinched Pamela Mountbatten's earlobe, and said softly, "In this way, British citizens will also benefit. , with the current proportion of world trade between the British pound and the US dollar, we must be more advantageous, after all, our local population is small. This profit is distributed to everyone, and our local per capita is higher, isn't it?"

In the 21st century, it is difficult to say that the United States is stronger than Europe in traditional industries. It can even be said that Europe is still ahead of the United States in most traditional industries. However, the per capita level in Europe is generally [-] US dollars, while that in the United States is [-] US dollars.

It is estimated that Europe is worse than the United States in two aspects, the Internet and the status of the US dollar.That's where the $[-] difference comes in.

This is still a time when the Fed is more embarrassing. If there is any major change, the Americans will open up the water, and the consequences of the pound's suppression of the dollar before World War II will be repeated.

"Australian iron ore is an excellent commodity that binds the value of the pound." Pamela Mountbatten showed her tireless studiousness, and asked further, "So you want to establish a steel industry in Malaya."

"Yes, the potential of our domestic steel industry is limited. I asked my colleagues in Whitehall. Last year it was 600 million tons. It is difficult to make breakthroughs this year. I went to Japan before, and in the United States With the support, Japan’s steel production has exceeded that before the war. We cannot rely on the local industry to realize it. We must find a colony with a good geographical location to share. After losing India, only Malaya has this condition.”

This year's steel output is 600 million tons in the UK and 600 million tons in Japan. It seems that the gap is nearly three times.In fact, Britain's advantage is even more obvious. In World War II, Britain's steel production was only twice that of Japan.

It is about 200 million tons to 600 million tons, but Allen Wilson knows that when Japan's economy was prosperous, its steel output once surpassed that of the United States, reaching a preeminent position that Japan has never had in the world since its appearance.

"British Africa is constructing a benchmark city, exporting raw materials to Malaya, and then Malaya is producing and developing its economy, which is regulated by London." Pamela Mountbatten continued following Alan Wilson's train of thought, "What is this called? ?”

"It can be called industrial layout, and the oil will be handed over to your company in the Middle East." Alan Wilson kissed Pamela Mountbatten, "The prosperity of the British Empire depends entirely on you."

"Don't make trouble, it's actually on you." Pamela Mountbatten felt a little embarrassed when she approached the big marriage. "Many people say that I have a business sense, but you are the man behind me."

"Now I want to exercise the power of the man behind me." While speaking, a big mouth has come closer.

While the two of them were preparing for their wedding, the final negotiations on the establishment of a coalition government in Bonn also began. This time, the US side took a tough attitude.

If the previous war in the Far East was fierce, the United States did not even have time to catch its breath.Now that they finally have a chance to breathe, they very strongly stated that the coalition government must appear immediately.

The British, on the other hand, started the work of peacemaking and persuaded them with two reasons. The first is to establish a coalition government first, regardless of the rearmament of Germany after the war, and the rearmament issue can be discussed slowly.The second point is that France's current military operations in Vietnam need the support of the United States. Under the threat of communism, the free world should unite.

The French army in Vietnam and the US military in the peninsula are equally important to the current free world, and the free world should be harmonious rather than confrontational.