Chapter 1032 John Russell Steps Down

Chapter 1032 John Russell steps down

"Twice? Why didn't I know?"

"Of course he is your most trusted teacher. John Russell doesn't want you to know. At this difficult time, he almost destroyed Britain!"

Prince Albert couldn't bear it anymore. He felt that this war was entirely the result of the Whig leader's willful behavior.

Prince Albert himself came from the German region. He knew what the so-called Germany and the so-called Holy Roman Empire were. It was completely ignorant and ridiculous to regard them as potential opponents.

Prince Albert knew very well that the Germans were a mess. His own family had participated in almost all the wars, but they had never worked hard, but this did not affect their family status.

In Prince Albert's eyes, it was not just the Germans, but the entire Germanic nation.

He clearly mentioned in "On the Thinking Pattern of the Germans and a Brief History of Germanic Civilization" that the barbarity of the Germans has never changed from ancient times to the present. What has changed is that the stones and sticks in their hands have been replaced by rifles and artillery today, and those tribes have become countries.

Even during the Frankish Kingdom, tribes and countries appeared alternately, and the so-called king was just a powerful tribal leader, no different from the current German Confederation.

As for the title of the so-called German Emperor, Prince Albert was even more disdainful. Isn't that just changing the name of the Holy Roman Emperor?

The Austrians once ruled the Holy Roman Empire for hundreds of years, but they did not become a big threat, but lost the throne of Spain.

Prince Albert did not believe the so-called concerns of John Russell and Palmerston.

"My dear, your words are a bit heavy."

In Victoria's heart, John Russell is an open-minded British gentleman, a qualified teacher who would not deceive her.

Prince Albert shook his head and said.

"No! My dear, things have reached a critical juncture. Not long ago, they rejected the peace proposal without even giving the Austrians a chance to negotiate.

Now the Austrians have won victory after victory on French soil, and their troops are heading straight for Paris.

And the French have long been unable to take care of themselves. The two so-called ever-victorious divisions, one is standing still in Belgium, and the other is hesitating at the gate of the Austrian Empire.

Especially the Bellevue Corps, which has never moved forward since it occupied the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Now even the French politicians think that Bellevue is waiting for a suitable time to enter Paris."

The European nobles of this era are no strangers to Napoleon's war history, and Victoria is no exception.

There are powerful enemies outside and heroes inside, plus repeated betrayals. In Victoria's heart, the French have been sentenced to death. She finally made up her mind and said.

"My dear, what do you want to do? I will fully support you!"

Prince Albert had just returned from Ireland. He witnessed the stupidity and incompetence of the so-called British elites, as well as the outrageous corruption and poverty.

Many British bureaucrats regarded Ireland as weeds and thought that they should be eliminated, or even if they were ignored, they would recover in number as long as time was enough. They fled until the Irish raised their weapons, and then began a near-genocidal revenge.

At this time, Prince Albert thought that the elites in the British Parliament were all idiots, so he said confidently.

"Immediately resume peace talks with the Austrian Empire and resolve this dispute in a peaceful way."

However, Victoria was not so optimistic. She knew that her teacher would not give up so easily, and that Palmerston was a guy who was not afraid of anything.

As for Austria, although she had not met Ferdinand I and Franz, she had met the brothers Albrecht and Friedrich.

These two brothers were not easy to deal with, and the glorious military exploits reported in the war reports could prove this.

Are these people really willing to sit down and negotiate properly? Victoria asked in an inquiring tone.

"But will the Austrians agree?"

"Yes, because the Austrians don't want to fight this meaningless war.

The Austrians' interests are in Central Europe, and they won't get anything even if they win.

Similarly, we won't get anything if we win the Austrians, only some undeveloped colonies and a verbal guarantee."

Prince Albert was so angry that his teeth itched. He really couldn't imagine how those idiots in Parliament passed such a stupid resolution.

For a war with almost no practical benefits, Britain lost the foundation it had built in the Mediterranean region for hundreds of years.

According to the description of the Minister of the Navy George Eden, the Austrians are very good at land warfare, and they have no martial ethics and always make sneak attacks.

Every time they sent a large number of troops to attack the British warehouses and docks from land, forcing the British fleet to enter the ocean.

And then with the betrayal of the French, they defeated the heroic Royal Navy.

Even if the Royal Navy soldiers were brave, they could not defeat the Austrian Imperial Army, which was several times larger than themselves. George Eden took the cause of the defeat away from himself.

However, this was also in line with the general concept of the time. After all, the British Empire Navy was invincible, but a tiger could not stand up to a pack of wolves, not to mention that land warfare was not the Royal Navy's strong point.

However, Victoria's answer surprised Prince Albert.

“Maybe this was indeed a meaningless war before it started, but now it is not.

My dear, peace is our wish, but the foundation of the British Empire in the Mediterranean cannot be lost! "

Victoria is not a political novice. She understands the significance of this war and even more clearly the significance of those islands. This is also the trump card she uses to persuade Congress.

If Britain cannot maintain its position as maritime supremacy, then it can only continue to maintain this meaningless war. After all, that is Britain's core interest.

Prince Albert also understood the situation at this time. Although the royal family was not as weak as it seemed, it still needed a reasonable excuse, and it must safeguard British interests.

"I will dear."

Prince Albert knelt down on one knee and kissed the back of Queen Victoria's hand. When the latter stood up again, their eyes met, and everything was unspoken.

Meanwhile, Whitehall.

John Russell sat slumped in his chair, knowing his fate. Although the British external intelligence agencies often ignored some important information at this time, the monitoring of the country, especially its own people, was watertight.

From George Eden's whistleblower to Prince Albert's return, even John Russell knew clearly the conversations between Victoria and his wife.

But what made him determined was another thing. Not long ago, a message from the Overseas Intelligence Service finally arrived in London.

According to this message, a Russian fleet passed through the Bosporus Strait on the eve of the Second Mediterranean Battle.

If this piece of information is correct, then it will not only be Austria and France who are fighting against Britain, but also the Russians and maybe the Ottomans. After all, they have never sent troops.

John Russell did not dare to think about how Britain could exit this wrongly launched war with dignity in the face of the collective conspiracy of the great powers.

France was defeated one after another, Russia entered the scene, the Ottoman Empire continued to wait and see, and domestic riots became more and more violent, including the Irish, Chartists, and the hateful Tories.

John Russell's decision put Britain into an unprecedented dilemma, and all forces at home and abroad were eager to cut him into pieces.

For John Russell personally, he wished he could die, but who could take over such a mess?

Palmerston is a tough guy, but it is impossible for the Queen and his wife to let this guy become Prime Minister.

Then there are the traitors of the Tories. If they had not opposed it, Britain could have mobilized more resources in the war. If it had gone all out from the beginning, it might not have failed.

If they had not fomented domestic rebellion, Britain would not have diverted resources domestically and would not be so weak externally.

While John Russell was still thinking wildly, there was a knock on the door of his office.

"Please come in."

John Russell's tone was calm, and he still maintained the dignity of a prime minister and the cultivation of a British gentleman.

As the door handle turned, the door lock made a clicking sound. The menacing military police and the arrogant villain did not appear in the imagination, and there was only the figure of Prince Albert at the door.

John Russell was stunned for a moment, then immediately stood up and saluted and said.

"Your Highness, why did you come in person without notifying us in advance so that we could greet you?"

After the two briefly exchanged pleasantries, Prince Albert went straight to the point.

"Earl Russell, I think you should take a rest."

John Russell said with some shame.

"Your Highness, I also want to rest, but the British Empire is in crisis, and as the Prime Minister of the Empire, I cannot."

Although Prince Albert felt that the guy in front of him was the culprit of Britain's internal and external troubles, he was Victoria's teacher after all, and the politics between aristocrats generally did not have the concept of life and death.

"Earl Russell, Britain sincerely thanks you for your service over the years. We have prepared a 372-acre (approximately 2262 acres) manor for you in Australia for you to enjoy your life."

Prince Albert handed John Russell an envelope containing a land deed and a letter of resignation.

How could John Russell still not understand what Prince Albert meant at this time? He immediately wrote his name on the resignation letter, then stood up and said with tears.

"Thank you, thank you Her Majesty the Queen, I will submit my resignation to Parliament tomorrow."

"You have worked hard."

Prince Albert still answered politely, but John Russell didn't care. As a sinner, he was very lucky not to be put into a sack and sunk in the Thames, but he still had some heartfelt words to say.

"Your Highness, the three cabinets on the left contain the sufferings our British Empire is facing at this time, as well as some of my thoughts and suggestions. I hope they can be helpful to you."

Everything was quiet, and John Russell's letter of resignation was approved by Queen Victoria and the British Parliament.

The Whig leader chose to leave Britain as soon as possible.