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Volume Three: The Wind Rises in the South Chapter 131 Joseph Chamberlain

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    At London Railway Station, the steam locomotive was breathing heavily as it slowly drove into the platform. As soon as the thick black smoke from the roof chimney entered the air, it mixed with the snow falling from the sky, forming a deathly gray that enveloped the station.  over the sky.  Joseph Chamberlain awkwardly moved his burly body and walked out of the carriage.  He is a fat man six feet tall and weighs more than two hundred pounds. His rosy and plump cheeks, dark beard, broad shoulders, and well-developed muscles give people the look of an energetic manual worker.  Indeed, this successful former businessman and current leader of the radical wing of the Liberal Party is indeed an anomaly in the House of Commons, which values ??style and family status. Even within the Liberal Party, many colleagues look at him with side eyes.  A servant who had been waiting outside the carriage came forward to take Chamberlain's suitcase, stretched out his hand and said, "Mr. Congressman, the carriage is just outside the station. Please come with me!" "Yes!" Chamberlain nodded deeply, saying  After taking a breath, a moist cold air mixed with the smell of coke entered his lungs, which made him frown slightly. Compared to a country villa, London is indeed not a pleasant place!  Under the guidance of the servant, Chamberlain quickly walked out of the station through the special passage and walked towards the carriage waiting for him. A newsboy keenly judged that this burly gentleman was likely to buy a newspaper and caught up two steps ahead.  He shouted loudly: "The Lion of the Sudan has been captured, and the war in Burma is worrying. Sir, buy a newspaper!" "Myanmar? The Lion of the Sudan?" Chamberlain frowned, took out two pennies from his pocket and threw it to  Newsboy: "Give me a copy of the Times and a copy of the Daily Telegraph." "May God bless you, sir!" The newsboy quickly handed over the two newspapers Chamberlain wanted and bowed to him.  Bow, turn around and run towards the passengers coming out from behind.  Chamberlain boarded the carriage and spread out the "Times". He saw a line of bold black words written on the front page - "Kandahar returns? (In 1842, the British invaded Afghanistan and suffered a disastrous defeat near Kandahar. The entire army  Destroyed) - the supreme commander of the British Empire in Burma has been captured!" Chamberlain's heart skipped a beat and he closed the newspaper. After a while, he opened the newspaper again and read it carefully. After reading the "Times", Chamberlain opened the "Daily"  "The Telegraph". Sure enough, the front page of this newspaper was about the capture of Colonel Kitchener, the top commander of the British Army in Burma. Judging from the content of the newspaper, the report of "The Daily Telegraph" was much more detailed and rich. Obviously, "The Telegraph"  The Times should have reprinted the Daily Telegraph's report, and the Daily Telegraph has first-hand information.  "Your Excellency, it is eight o'clock now. Should we go to the apartment first or to the House of Commons?" The question outside the carriage interrupted Chamberlain's thoughts. He opened his eyes and replied: "Go directly to the House of Commons!" Outside the Parliament Hall  In the corridor, parliamentarians chatted in small groups according to their political leanings and personal relationships. At the end of the corridor, there were smoking rooms, restaurants and clubs. For hundreds of years, England's parliamentarians sat in the hall before making the final vote.  In these places, discussions, negotiations, compromises, and finally major decisions are made.  Chamberlain stepped onto the steps of the corridor. His sharp eyes swept through the crowd, looking for someone. He had a premonition that something important would happen in Westminster Hall today. Before that, he had to meet  The leader of his own party, Prime Minister Gladstone, first needs to talk to each other and reach a certain tacit understanding. No matter how different his political views are from those of the other party, he is still a member of the same party.  After two minutes of searching, Chamberlain did not find the Prime Minister in the corridor, which made him a little disappointed. Just when he was about to go to the smoking room or other places to look for it, an attendant walked up to him quickly and whispered.  He said: "Your Excellency, the Prime Minister is here on the 10th. He wants to discuss something with you alone!" Chamberlain perked up and nodded: "Okay!" In his opinion, this might be about what he just saw in Myanmar.  During the parliamentary discussion in the afternoon, the Conservative MPs will definitely seize the opportunity to criticize what happened. As one of the parliamentary leaders of the ruling party, of course, they must make advance preparations with the Prime Minister!  "When Chamberlain stepped into the door of No. 10 Official Residence, it was already ten o'clock in the morning. Chamberlain had nothing to worry about about the upcoming meeting. In his opinion, based on Gladstone's many years of political career,  This setback is nothing, and may be an opportunity. After all, judging from what was described in the newspaper, Kitchener's capture was entirely an accident and not the Prime Minister's fault. The crisis can instead be used to win over centrist MPs and voters.  A good opportunity. So when Chamberlain walked into the Prime Minister's Office, his mood was very high. "Dear Joseph, please sit down!"  "When Chamberlain came in, Gladstone showed rare enthusiasm. He stood up and pointed with his right hand at the leather chair opposite the table. Chamberlain sensitively noticed what happened.Apart from himself and Gladstone, only the party secretary was left in the room. The other cabinet officials such as the permanent secretary and private secretary were not there. This only meant one thing: the next discussion should be about the decision-making within the party.  , rather than international affairs.  "Joseph, I asked you to come to my office today because I hope to get your support within the party on a policy!" Gladstone did not beat around the bush. He knew very well that what he was about to say was absolutely impossible.  To get by with these little tricks, he was willing to make the most concessions to the man across the table in order to be able to reach a compromise.  "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, as long as your policies are for the benefit of Great Britain, I will definitely stand on your side!" "Very good!" Gladstone nodded with satisfaction, and the fat man in front of him, who was usually not pleasing to the eye, became more pleasing to the eye.  It seems that I may not need to pay such a high price in the next negotiation.  Gladstone smiled and said: "Joseph, you should know that my success in forming the cabinet is not because our party has a majority in the House of Commons, but because there are problems within the Conservative Party. But this has also led to the current cabinet.  It¡¯s a weak cabinet. We don¡¯t have a majority in the House of Commons. It¡¯s like a leaky boat that could capsize at any time. So I plan to ask His Majesty the King to dissolve this parliament and hold an early election!¡± ¡°An early election?¡±  He was stunned for a moment, and then asked carefully: "Mr. Prime Minister, do you think this is a suitable time? Are you sure you can win a majority in the general election?" It turns out that the official name of the British government at that time was "Her Majesty's Government" or "The King's Government"  His Majesty's Government" (depending on the reigning monarch), is responsible for the administrative functions of the United Kingdom.  The Prime Minister is the head of government and is appointed by the British monarch, but by convention this person must be the member of the House of Commons who is most likely to win the support of the House of Commons.  After the Prime Minister is appointed, he selects other ministers and administrative heads to form the government.  Approximately 20 of the most senior government ministers and the Prime Minister himself form the cabinet.  The government is accountable to Parliament and answers parliamentary questions.  If any bill proposed by the government is not passed by Parliament, it may face a motion of no confidence in Parliament. Once this vote of no confidence is passed, it will force the Prime Minister to either announce his resignation or dissolve Parliament and hold a new election.  In practice, each political party appoints a "party whip" to ensure that all members of the party vote in accordance with the party's policies.  This ensures that a party with a large proportional majority in the House of Commons can form a stable government.  But a government formed by a party with only a slim majority in the House of Commons, or even a multi-party coalition government, will be more fragile.  If the leader of a government party with a slight advantage feels that he is sure to win a majority in the next election, he can also apply to the king to dissolve the government in advance and hold an early election to gain a dominant position in the House of Commons.  That's why Chamberlain raised this issue with Gladstone, because once the election fails, even the existing weak government will no longer exist, and the Liberal Party will have to become the opposition party again.  "That's why I asked you to come!" replied Gladstone.  "Your Excellency Prime Minister!" Chamberlain perked up after hearing this and shouted loudly: "Do you remember my previous proposal? In order to ensure the victory of the Liberal Party in future elections, we must make some changes. With the artificial intelligence of the Germans and Americans  For the progress of the industry, pure free trade is a dead end. We should establish a unified customs union with all dominions and colonies to ensure the interests of British industry! Only in this way can we win the election in the future!" "Joseph!  Sir, this is not possible. Your suggestion violates the principle of 'free trade', and the interests of the empire depend on it!" "Your Excellency, perhaps twenty years ago, 'free trade' was beneficial to the empire, but now the situation has changed.  , the industries of countries such as Germany, the United States, and France have gradually developed. They have also established high tariff barriers and provided high subsidies to exporting industrialists. Their labor is cheaper than ours, and they have begun to use  With newer technologies, the competitiveness of these countries is constantly increasing. If the empire continues to maintain its old policies without making changes, Manchester and Liverpool will be replaced by Ruhr and Hamburg before long!¡± Grace!  Dun frowned, and finally managed to endure it, and replied in as gentle a tone as possible: "Joseph, let's talk about this issue next time! We have more important issues to discuss today. You know, Funakoshi  "The bigger the situation, the harder it is to turn around." "I understand, Your Excellency Prime Minister!" Chamberlain's face was full of disappointment, and he also knew that his attempt had failed again.  As a successful former businessman, Chamberlain was different from these congressmen. He intuitively felt that the current "free trade" policy had become harmful to British industry after helping Britain ascend to the throne of world hegemony. However, there were people in the Liberal Party  A large number of congressmen represent the interests of the insurance, shipping, and financial industries. They are unwilling to change the "free trade" policy that is beneficial to them.??Made Chamberlain even more anxious and angry.  Gladstone also noticed the other party's unhappiness. He took out two cigars from the drawer, cut off the heads, lit them and handed one to the other party as a little comfort. He smiled and said: "Joseph, I understand you very well."  But only a strong and stable government can implement your policy. "Yes, Your Excellency," Chamberlain nodded. Gladstone's words made him feel better.  To implement your own political views, you must first let your party win the general election and occupy a dominant position in the House of Commons, otherwise everything will be a flower in the water and a moon in the mirror!  " At this time, Gladstone felt that the atmosphere between the two parties had been lively enough for him to tell the truth. He smiled and said, "Joseph, you just asked me whether I was sure of winning the election.  I can answer you now: ¡®Yes!  ¡¯, but there is a prerequisite, you must cooperate with Mr. Barnier!  " "Charles Stewart Parnell?  The Irishman?  "Chamberlain's brows frowned, and his broad forehead almost formed a "ji" shape. This is not a good sign. "Yes, that's him. Mr. Parnell is an old ally of the Liberal Party. With him  With help, we can defeat the Conservative Party in the next election and win a majority in the House of Commons!  "Gladstone replied confidently. "This Judas (here refers to the alliance between the Irish Republican Party and the Conservative Party represented by Parnell not long ago, which defeated the Liberal Party in the election)!  Chamberlain cursed contemptuously: "What conditions did he put forward this time?"  " "A Home Rule Bill for Ireland!  Demand that the Irish be given self-government powers in addition to military, customs and foreign affairs!  " "Then you promised him?  "The muscles on Chamberlain's face did not tremble, but if you look carefully, you can find a gloomy spark bursting out of his eyes. "Yes, I promised him to raise this issue in the House of Commons immediately after winning the election.  A motion!  Gladstone tried his best to persuade the other party: "Please support me, Joseph, this is the only way to solve the Irish problem. We cannot win a battle with our own compatriots on our own territory. Ireland has already involved the empire."  Too much power.  I promise you that if we can win this election I will do my best to help you pass the policy of the Imperial Customs Union.  " Chamberlain stood up silently and walked out of the conference room. When he reached the door, he stopped, turned and shouted to Gladstone: "Mr. Gladstone, I cannot agree to your proposal to unite with the rebels.  To win an election is to make a deal with the devil, to sell your soul to win eternal life.  You thought making concessions to the rebels and giving them some power would calm things down.  You are wrong, they will only push forward and use the concessions you made as new weapons to launch a more violent attack. If your bill is successfully passed, there will be only one final result, and that is Ireland's secession from the United Kingdom!  For this reason, it is impossible for me to continue serving in your cabinet!  "Having said this, Chamberlain bowed to Gladstone and strode out. Gladstone looked at the other person's leaving back and finally lowered his proud head in despair. That afternoon, Joseph Chamberlain issued a message  Statement, resigned from the position of Minister of Foreign Trade in the cabinet, and led the Liberal Party radical MPs who supported him to form the Liberal Party Coalition, allying with the Conservative Party against the current Prime Minister Gladstone, who had lost his majority in the House of Commons.  Don had no choice but to submit his resignation to Her Majesty the Queen, and the Marquess of Salisbury, leader of the Conservative Party with a majority of seats in the House of Commons, returned to power and became the new Prime Minister of the British Empire.
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