ALL NOVEL Chapter 573 Compensation
"As for the requisition of sailors, I will convey it to the naval department." The British royal family has no real power, so naturally she can't decide anything. The deputy prime minister Clement asked her to ask these questions.
Queen Elizabeth then mentioned another incident. "Your Highness Yannick, regarding the compensation..."
Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Yannick. "Sorry, Her Majesty the Queen, this matter is not negotiable. I have no intention of targeting Britain, but you should know that Vichy France is also paying compensation. If I give Britain relief, what will the French think? We also have to Is it a tax exemption for the French?" He said no, but in fact he was targeting the British. The issuance of the euro has made Germany a huge profit, and Britain's war reparations are just the meat on a mosquito's leg in his eyes; but he will not relax his vigilance or be merciful because of this. After all, Germany's personal experience told him how terrible the consequences would be if the enemy was given a chance to stand up.
"And speaking of reparations, if you really think about the British Empire, why don't you take some of the crown jewels out?"
Since the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the British Crown's art collection has grown and includes paintings, drawings, watercolors, furniture, pottery, clocks, silverware, engravings, jewellery, books, manuscripts, maps, armor, fans and fabrics. Wait, the time span exceeds hundreds of years. Most of these art treasures are hidden in Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral Castle and other places. In addition, there are a total of no less than 3,000 collections, which are displayed locally in the UK all year round and rented to museums around the world for exhibition purposes.
Among them, the jewelry collection alone can rank as the second largest collector in the world. Without looking at its history, just looking at the gemstones and workmanship, it is worth hundreds of millions of pounds. For example, in later generations, the Tower of London displayed the crown worn by the Queen Mother and the Queen during their coronation. It was inlaid with 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and 5 rubies. The most shining one was a dove egg. The largest diamond "Mountain of Light" weighs 105 carats; the "Star of Africa" inlaid on the scepter is the largest cut diamond in the world, weighing 530 carats.
A writer named Leslie Field once wrote a book about the Queen's jewelry and made a list: 14 crowns, 34 pairs of earrings, 98 brooches, 46 necklaces, 37 bracelets, and 5 pendants. 14 watches, 15 rings... The most valuable one is the Queen's Cullinan brooch, with the two Cullinan diamonds on it totaling 158 carats.
"With so many rare treasures from the British royal family, they should be worth all the compensation, right?"
Queen Elizabeth's expression changed slightly. "Those are royal jewels. Only the king has the right to dispose of them. I am only the queen."
"Oh? Really?" Yannick curled his lips disdainfully. "With all due respect, this excuse is really lame. It's okay to deceive those ordinary people. I'm not a three-year-old."
"..." Queen Elizabeth's face turned slightly red, and she turned her head and looked away, trying to appear less embarrassed.
Fortunately, Yannick did not continue to delve into this issue. "The UK needs to resume military production as soon as possible. We can increase procurement. As long as we can build it, we will buy it all. And we will recruit troops in the UK, so that the UK's burden will be reduced." As for how much we can recruit, then It’s hard to say.
After a moment of silence, Queen Elizabeth suddenly asked. "Will Germany beat the United States?"
Yannick raised his eyebrows slightly. "Is this what Clement asked you to ask?"
Queen Elizabeth shook her head. "I'm just curious."
"The issuance of the euro has turned the foreign exchange of European countries in the U.S. treasury into waste paper. Their losses are no less than the payment of war reparations; this war is already won for me. As for the conquest of the United States." Yannick sighed softly. "It's easier said than done. The geographical environment of the United States is great. It is surrounded by oceans on three sides, especially the Atlantic Ocean, which is simply a natural defense barrier against Europe.
Fortunately, this barrier works both ways.
It is difficult for us to cross this gap, and the same is true for the United States. Before the fall of the British mainland, it could be used as a springboard for the United States to attack Europe. But now that this springboard is gone, what can the United States use to jump?
There was originally an alliance with the Soviet Union, but American Secretary of State Cordell Hull intended to assassinate Stalin. Can this alliance still be formed? "At this point, Yannick couldn't help laughing. He didn't expect that the idea he had when he was trying to grab gold a few years ago would have such big consequences a few years later. It was such an unexpected gain.
Queen Elizabeth stared at him suspiciously. "The assassination of Stalin by the U.S. Secretary of State doesn't have anything to do with you, right?"
Yannick nodded happily. "Yes, I ordered him to assassinate Stalin. Do you believe it?" Yannick continued as Queen Elizabeth slowly shook her head. "In any case, the United States has lost its last chance to form an alliance to defeat us. Well, that's not necessarily right. Roosevelt is basically out of luck in this election. The new president said that he will not be willing to turn into a rivalry with the Soviet Union. There is still a chance for the two countries. Allied.”
"Then when the time comes..."
Yannick sneered. "The alliance has been formed, but how can supplies from the United States be transported to the Soviet Union? You must know that most of the heavy industry in the United States is located in the northeastern region. How can supplies from the east be transported to the Soviet Union?"
The regional distribution of American industry is very uneven, mainly concentrated in the Northeast. The industrial area in the northeastern United States was first developed by European immigrants and was also the area where American capitalism developed earliest. It has heavy industrial sectors such as coal mining, steel, and machinery manufacturing. Most of the country's steel, automobile, chemical and other industries are located in this area. It is called the "manufacturing belt" of the United States.
Naturally, the most convenient and fastest North Atlantic route cannot be used, and the Black Sea route and the Iran route are also completely in the hands of the German army. As for the Arctic route, the Germans do not need to take care of it. The bad weather alone is a huge trouble.
"The last remaining route is the Pacific route. Once the Americans open transportation lines, it will become a paradise for the German submarine force. Even if the few supplies are sent to the eastern part of the Soviet Union, they will have to travel thousands of kilometers by land to reach the front line. , Tsk tsk, it’s troublesome just thinking about it.”
Queen Elizabeth said with a shocked face. "Could it be that you are ready to go to war with the Soviet Union? This is crazy."
Yannick said disapprovingly. "What's so crazy? If I don't hit him, he will hit me. This world is a world of the jungle. What you have to worry about is that if we fail to defeat the Soviet Union and are pushed back, what will be the fate of us princes and nobles? Just like the whole family of Nicholas II.”