Chapter 1408 - 5: London Naval Conference

Chapter 1408: Chapter 5: London Naval Conference

Although Serbia’s defeat was mainly caused by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bulgaria’s actions made the Serbians feel even more resentment, naturally because Bulgaria is not as powerful as the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Serbia’s spirit was crushed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but they remained defiant towards Bulgaria.

Yet even so, Serbia can only vent its frustration in private, as the clearly defeated party in this war, Serbia can only dare to rage in silence.

London.

"Prime Minister, should we follow up on the situation in East Africa and France? According to the East African Government, our country already has confirmed cases and they have been detained and quarantined by the East African customs." The British Minister of Health inquired of the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister David said, "It’s unnecessary, it’s just a minor flu, there’s really no need to make a big scene. The public is already disgruntled with the government, now is not the time to add fuel to the fire."

After the war ended, Prime Minister David of the United Kingdom faced significantly less turmoil than French President Clemenceau.

After all, although the United Kingdom suffered considerable losses in the war, the homeland was hardly damaged, and the loss of population was negligible. The population lost in the war can be recovered in two or three years.

Of course, the casualties in colonial armies like India were substantial, but to the British government, the deaths of Indians were of little concern.

Moreover, to a certain extent, the United Kingdom also achieved its objectives, unlike France, which received nothing. If the World Naval Conference led by the British government is carried out smoothly, Prime Minister David’s approval rating has a good chance to grow significantly.

This is also a crucial reason why Prime Minister David is reluctant to vehemently follow the French and East African governments’ epidemic response measures at this stage.

Prime Minister David mentioned, "Now the public needs celebration and gatherings to vent the accumulated grievances from five years of war. If we adopt tough measures now, it will be contrary to the will of the people."

"Moreover, I suspect the East African Government is merely exaggerating. We haven’t received any information about an outbreak of an epidemic on the homeland; are there any reports from your health ministry recently?"

The Minister of Health shook his head and said, "According to feedback from subordinate agencies and medical institutions, we have not received reports of a large-scale outbreak of an epidemic at home."

"Although British medical resources have been somewhat strained recently, our advisory experts believe it’s a normal phenomenon. After all, the war in Europe lasted for five years. During the war and shortly after it ends, an increase in disease cases is expected."

The fact that British medical institutions and experts reached this conclusion actually relates to the geographical location of the United Kingdom, as it is an island nation, which to some extent isolates the UK from the personnel exchanges on the European Continent.

If the initial source of the epidemic was the European Continent, then the influence on the United Kingdom would manifest with a delay.

After hearing the health department’s feedback, Prime Minister David further asserted, "Hence, at this current stage, we should not stand in opposition to the public."

"Controlling the epidemic requires consuming a large amount of administrative resources and is an unpopular move. At least within the three weeks before the World Naval Conference, we should not impose too many constraints on our nationals."

"When the World Naval Conference concludes, even if there really is a problem, we’ll still have time to address related issues. Moreover, the situation may not even occur."

In summary, Prime Minister David does not intend to make any significant moves before the World Naval Conference and certainly will not learn from Clemenceau’s related policies.

Meanwhile, across the channel on the European Continent, in Germany’s capital Berlin, William II was also discussing related issues with his subordinates.

In the royal manor on the outskirts of Berlin.

"What’s your view on the trick the French pulled off?" William II inquired of the cabinet members.

Chancellor Herman said, "Your Majesty, since even Clemenceau treated the virus with such fanfare, perhaps we should also follow up. In case the situation really deteriorates, we will be better prepared to minimize the damage."

Some oppose this saying, "Your Majesty and Prime Minister, I disagree with this viewpoint. Currently, what we should do most is not handle an epidemic without a clear situation, but accelerate the cleanup of internal Labor Party and other elements."

"It can be said that only after the war ended did we discover the alarming extent of Labor Party infiltration into the Empire. If the war hadn’t stopped, perhaps the Empire would have followed in the Russians’ footsteps."

"Civilian Labor Party organizations are simply too numerous to count; they are present in newspapers, factories, and the government. They’ve even infiltrated the army, police force, and other powerful agencies, holding significant influence in society."

This is far from alarmist talk; it’s the genuine development situation of the Labor Party in Germany. After all, Germany was originally a region where the Labor Party was very active, and it can even be considered one of its birthplaces. Before the war, the Labor Party had already become a force not to be ignored within German politics.

During the war, especially in the latter stages, the German Labor Party became even more active because at that time, William II’s government’s focus was entirely on the front line, leaving little power to pay attention to those Labor Party organization members hiding in the shadows.