Chapter 561: England(2)
Chapter 561: England(2)
If something strange happens in world history, guessing Britain usually hits the mark. Sure enough, this story also begins with the root of all the world's evils.
This is a fairly famous "quote" regarding world history. It instantly demonstrates the sheer influence Britain wielded during the era of the British Empire.
At one point, Britain possessed an influence that far surpassed that of the modern United States. It might seem unbelievable, but it is a fact.
From the Industrial Revolution to English serving as the global lingua franca, capitalism giving birth to communism, and even the suit becoming the standard form of dress.
They laid most of the foundations for modern civilization, and among them, their greatest invention was undoubtedly "the United States."
However, due to the barbaric customs inherent to imperialism, they also spread their fair share of negative influence.
A prime example is the borders of Africa. Unlike other countries, Africa's borders are straight, as if drawn with a ruler.
This has led to civil wars breaking out all over the continent, while Britain simply feigns ignorance and looks the other way.
Furthermore, the reason China strictly punishes drug-related crimes is due to the Opium War triggered by Britain, and the Great Famine of Ireland also suffered immense damage because of them.
While it is an undeniable fact that Britain led the development of modern civilization, it is equally true that they had a hand in everything.
Perhaps because of this, Britain has earned the nickname "The Nation of Infamy"—a country with a loathsome personality.
Yet, an event occurred that "laundered" all those misdeeds: World War II.
[Britain should bow down to that mustachioed art student. If not for him, they wouldn't have even been able to wash their reputation.]
The nation that resisted the devil. Europe's last line of defense. The will that would not yield, and so on.
Even against the terrifying momentum of Nazi Germany, which had occupied France, Britain did not give up and resisted until the end.
Nazi Germany tried to gently coax Britain, which was far ahead in naval power, but Britain's answer was extremely simple.
"Eat shit." Though that includes a bit of exaggeration and summarization, Britain essentially ignored Nazi Germany's overtures until the very end.
If Britain hadn't held out alone in Europe for two years, the United States might never have entered the war, and Germany would have held a much stronger advantage.
[Even if there were risks, stabbing a comrade in the back is clearly wrong.]
[Operation Catapult means Britain's intelligence was lacking. Germany has almost no naval officers except for those in the U-boats.]
[Now France might fully side with Germany.]
But putting all that aside, Operation Catapult can be seen as the operation that truly showcased Britain's infamous character.
As mentioned before, Nazi Germany's navy was in a disastrous state, often referred to as the "bastard child of the Empire."
Even if they had seized the French Navy, they likely would have choked on it; it would have been more efficient to bolster the Air Force's strength rather than try to build up a navy.
Furthermore, according to the armistice agreement, it was stated that the French Navy was not to be used. Of course, there was no way Nazi Germany, which broke treaties like they were snacks, would keep that promise.
Regardless, Britain, unaware of this and acting on "rational" judgment, slaughtered the French Navy. It was truly a case of stabbing a comrade in the back.
Naturally, France was enraged, which later became the reason the Allied Powers suffered under the stubborn resistance of Vichy France.
[From Britain's perspective, it was a rational decision. Of course, stabbing a comrade in the back is a wrong act.]
[Right and wrong aren't necessary in war. Victory is what matters.]
Readers who saw Operation Catapult also criticized it as a rational but immoral act.
Additionally, the frequently mentioned instances of Britain's infamy began to be unearthed one by one.
Starting from handing over Czechoslovakia and Poland to Nazi Germany, all the way to matters regarding their colonies.
People naturally tend to focus on negative aspects rather than positive ones, and Britain was no exception.
[Britain, once the ruler of the world. Yet, at the same time, it exerted influence both large and small.]
[How on earth did Britain become the ruler of the world?]
[In the prologue, the United States was also once a British colony. But through the Revolutionary War, the nation of America was born.]
At the same time, it made people wonder how Britain had become the ruler of the world.
When looking at the world as a whole, the British mainland was nothing more than a tiny, insignificant country.
It didn't even have a great river that could be considered the source of an ancient civilization. All they had to eat were potatoes.
[Since they had nothing, didn't they focus on plundering rather than farming?]
[They developed to avoid being robbed, and developed to rob others, which might have led to this result.]
[Near a large river, labor for farming is essential. Since they could just eat and live, they might not have felt the need for development.]
[The narrow land must have played a part. The larger the territory, the slower the transmission of information.]
As seen in the serious opinions of critics and scholars, they were all correct.
If one only looked at population and territory, the Qing Dynasty would have been number one in the world. However, with a single Opium War, the Qing Dynasty was reduced to a colony.
Furthermore, the American continent had almost no proper civilization until the Europeans arrived.
The idea of it being "god-tier land" only applies once a basic framework is established; without the Europeans, it wouldn't have been much.
Anyway, enough about our Nation of Infamy, and back to the main point.
[Britain, declaring a fight to the death. Göring, deployed to initiate Operation Sea Lion.]
[The Air Force is a force comparable to mages for us. This is a battle where all those forces were committed.]
[It's common sense that defense is superior to offense. However, the German Air Force shown so far is too powerful.]
The Battle of Britain had begun. Setting aside the infamy Britain displayed in Operation Catapult, a battle between a giant and a demon had commenced.
As always, opinions were divided between those who thought Britain would prevail and those who favored Germany.
First, the arguments for Britain's superiority were as follows:
[Britain has seen through the 'Enigma.' In terms of information, they have the upper hand over their opponent.]
[Also, since radar is installed on the mainland, they will be able to deploy their forces in advance.]
The existence of radar and the Enigma—that is, code-breaking.
From the perspective of this world, those two weren't particularly strange.
Radar had been developed due to flying monsters and long-range magic attacks, and codes had existed from the beginning.
One might argue that radar is a bit of a stretch even for a fantasy world, but this is deeply connected to the Ascanal Incident that occurred in the Minerva Empire.
An incident where a disaster called a Dragon struck while they were relying solely on the capital's defenses. If not for the father's struggle and the army's sacrifice, the Empire would have fallen.
Perhaps because of that, the Minerva Empire loathes flying monsters to an extreme degree. They even went as far as to bow their heads and plead with Albenheim for help.
Other nations, seeing the incident in the Minerva Empire, realized they could be screwed as well and invented radar.
[Even if Britain fights to the death, they cannot stop Göring's Air Force.]
[The German Air Force is the best in the world!!]
[The one who rules the sky, not the sea, is the one who wins. Therefore, Germany will be victorious.]
The side favoring Nazi Germany was just as formidable. Their basic premise was that Nazi Germany's air power was overwhelming.
Nazi Germany had a surprisingly deep talent pool. From capable generals to aces who stood out in every branch of the military.
Furthermore, seeing the majesty of the Air Force Göring displayed during the invasion of Poland, it wasn't strange to believe so.
The problem was a mix of Göring's blunders, the exaggerated achievements of the German Air Force, and Britain's desperate struggle.
The fact that a bomb accidentally dropped on London became a butterfly effect, leading to bombs falling on Berlin.
And crucially, the fact that it turned into a battle of "pride" rather than "efficiency."
[Watching this battle, we realized one thing. In war, efficiency is more important than pride.]
[Britain built up its strength while London was being sacrificed, while Germany, conversely, wasted its strength.]
[France surrendered as soon as its capital fell, but Britain fought to the end even when its capital was being destroyed. This is the difference between the two.]
All these factors combined led to Germany's defeat.
If Germany had attacked Britain's military factories instead of London, they might have secured victory.
However, as soon as bombs fell on Berlin, Hitler flew into a rage and ordered the bombing of London.
An even bigger problem was that he made the same mistake in the subsequent German-Soviet War. Stalingrad was a prime example.
[The air war ended in Britain's victory, but the war is not over.]
[The two countries have entered a stalemate. British Prime Minister Churchill sent over 1,000 letters to US President Roosevelt.]
[The US is considering Lend-Lease. Can they realize the phrase 'Arsenal of Democracy'?]
[It's the same form as when the Dwarves provided weapons to the Humans during the Race War.]
After the Battle of Britain ended, the diplomacy between Britain and the United States was shown. At the time, the US showed a lukewarm response despite Hitler's rampage.
And for good reason—World War I had been hell, and the Great Depression was an abyss with no discernible bottom.
The public was unanimous in saying they should avoid war at all costs, so even the four-term monster Roosevelt couldn't do much.
[Around the same time, Italy invaded North Africa.]
[Britain is busy defending its mainland. I'm not sure if Italy, which was blocked by French mountain troops, can do well.]
While the Battle of Britain was taking place, the North African Campaign began in earnest.
The North African Campaign, which started haphazardly due to Mussolini's jealousy and obsession. They weren't even properly prepared, so the result was plain to see.
The highlight was the Italian Air Marshal being killed by friendly fire during aerial reconnaissance. I recall this being recorded as an absurd incident, to the point where assassination theories even spread.
[As expected of Italy. They didn't disappoint us.]
Readers laughed at Italy's ridiculous antics. What's even more amazing is that this wasn't the end.
In this way, unlike Germany, the villainous protagonist, Italy was faithfully fulfilling its role as the "comic relief" of the story.
They were so bad at fighting that people wouldn't believe them no matter what they did. In fact, after repeated blunders upon blunders, they ended up hanging Mussolini upside down.
I enjoyed reading the articles in the newspaper as I turned the pages. On the next page, there was an article about the trial run of the Magical Locomotive.
[The trial run of the Magical Locomotive has taken place! The ceremony was conducted by Geist, and the inventor of the magic engine, Eins, personally operated it...]
[It can transport not only coal but also various other goods. Wherever there are railways, there will be Magical Locomotives.]
[There are plans to share the blueprints for the Magical Locomotive, not just the magic engine. However, they will be shared after the trial run.]
Surprisingly, it seemed Eins intended to share the blueprints for the Magical Locomotive. I focused on the article with wide eyes.
[The Magical Locomotive is an invention inspired by the steam locomotive that appeared in the Xenon Biography. If the magic engine is the origin of our ideas, the Magical Locomotive is a tribute to Xenon.]
[This is only the beginning. Currently, Machina is pouring out various inventions. All of this is thanks to the magic engine.]
It seemed Eins believed all of this was thanks to me. Even though I had done nothing but write a book.
As I wore a bitter smile, I couldn't help but blink at the articles that followed.
[From the salvation of the Demon Clan to the magic engine, Demon Worshippers, the pollution of the World Tree, the Great Depression, the Machina Revolution, factories, and so on. All of these began from the tip of Xenon's fingers.]
[Just as Britain in Blood and Iron did, Xenon has also exerted influence, both large and small, across the entire world.]
The result of the seeds I had planted one by one finally sprouting.
[In the future, scholars studying world history will say in unison: everything began from the tip of Xenon's fingers.]
[When things that do not fit the 'flow' of world history pop up, if you point to Xenon, everything will fall perfectly into place.]
[Every origin began with the tip of Xenon's fingers. What will he show us next?]
I had become a guy like "Britain."
...What?