Chapter 285: Time Points to Midnight (1)
Boom!
A bomb struck the power supply facility.
Buckingham Palace plunged into darkness.
In the sudden black, Hunter looked both nervous and excited. He kept muttering incoherent nonsense under his breath, words that even he himself could not fully understand.
He was not familiar with the layout of Buckingham Palace.
The dozen or so people who had rushed inside quickly split into two groups. In the end, only Hunter and Noka were left wandering through the palace corridors.
Through the window, they saw the chapel that had been struck by the bomb.
As the adrenaline in Hunter's blood gradually faded, panic inevitably rose in his heart.
Retreat.
That word repeated again and again in his mind.
With his passion cooling, regret began crawling out from the depths of his chest.
Only Noka remained focused.
He scanned every room with single-minded purpose, then tried to persuade Hunter in a low voice.
"Calm down, Hunter."
"Think about what we can achieve if we succeed."
"Besides a peaceful Britain, we will be hailed as heroes."
Before he could finish speaking, a large group of maids and attendants walked over from the distance.
Perhaps because of fear, or perhaps because of the impact of the bombing, they ignored the two young men at first.
They assumed that the people holding guns were soldiers who had come to check the situation.
But when they saw Noka walking toward Queen Mary's bedchamber, they finally realized something was wrong and cried out in panic.
"Intruders."
"There are intruders."
But by this time, the guards inside Buckingham Palace were already engaged in a firefight with the others and could not provide immediate support.
Under the threat of guns, the attendants could only watch helplessly as Noka smashed the lock and broke into Queen Mary's bedchamber.
As the wife of the former King and the mother of George VI, Queen Mary had originally been staying in Gloucestershire to avoid the air raids.
However, due to the intensifying calls for surrender, George VI had requested that she come to London to discuss matters regarding a possible tour of Canada.
By coincidence, she happened to be staying overnight at Buckingham Palace.
At this moment, she was seated by the tea table, sipping black tea.
Seeing the two young men break in, Queen Mary instinctively stood up.
The teacup beside her was knocked over, spilling black tea onto the expensive carpet and sending faint wisps of steam into the air.
"Take whatever you want."
Queen Mary quickly regained her composure.
Noka revealed the detonators tied around his waist.
Then he shook his head, placed his submachine gun flat on the table, and said coldly, "Your Majesty, we do not want anything."
"We only want you to make a phone call to your son."
On the other side, inside the Prime Minister's office, George VI and Churchill had erupted into a heated argument.
"Mr. Prime Minister, I called you fifteen times."
George VI's face was livid.
"Fifteen damn times."
"Why did you not consult me on such a major matter as continuing to hold our ground and resist?"
"You arrested over a dozen nobles and politicians in one sweep."
"Do you know what the public and the government think of you now?"
Churchill nodded.
"I know."
His voice was calm.
"But I do not care."
"Surrender is fine."
"Giving up the British Isles is also fine."
"But not now."
"We must at least hold the Germans back for a period of time."
"Not now."
"If we give up now, the Germans will unite all of Europe to support Finland, and Soviet Russia will definitely back down."
"By the time they make up their minds to attack, it will already be too late."
Churchill's voice grew heavier.
"If we continue to resist, Germany will definitely launch an amphibious assault. They will use their navy to forcibly break through the blockade of the Far East Fleet."
"They may win, but it will be a pyrrhic victory."
"They will pay a considerable price."
"And Soviet Russia will also gain the confidence to attack Finland, rather than continuing to ease tensions with Germany."
Churchill took a breath, then continued.
"At that point, if we surrender, Germany and Soviet Russia will already be at odds."
"The situation will be much more favorable for our subsequent counterattack."
George VI shook his head.
"Have you thought about the domestic situation?"
"Have you thought about the fact that all of this is built upon the unity of the people and the politicians?"
"Do you want to know how many protests erupted in London after your speech?"
His voice sharpened.
"Do you know what nickname they have given you?"
"A Soviet Russian spy."
"A red pig."
Churchill waved his hand indifferently.
"The public?"
"How much trouble can they cause?"
"Germany's offensive is currently not fierce enough."
"Once Jörg loses patience and launches a true full-scale air raid, once German bombers destroy their houses, hatred will replace the weak desire to surrender in their minds."
"Then they will hold out for Britain until the very end."
Once these words were spoken, the office fell into a long silence.
After a while, a secretary rushed inside, breathless.
The news he brought slapped Churchill in the face with reality.
"Mr. Prime Minister, Your Majesty, Buckingham Palace has been attacked."
"The attackers are currently in Queen Mary's bedchamber."
George VI stared at him in disbelief.
"Fuck."
"Are you telling the truth?"
"What is going on?"
"Have the Germans landed?"
"No, Your Majesty."
The secretary's expression was extremely ugly.
"According to the current situation, it is a group of active defeatists who took advantage of the relaxed defenses to break into Buckingham Palace."
"They have taken…"
He glanced at the King's expression and found the words difficult to say.
"They have taken Queen Mary hostage."
George VI's face turned pale.
"Did they make any demands?"
The secretary answered almost immediately.
"Yes, sir."
"They demand that Mr. Churchill step down immediately and open peace talks with Germany."
This was an almost unacceptable condition for Churchill.
Before George VI could speak, Churchill issued the order first.
"Prepare for an assault."
"Do not let the news leak."
"Say that German paratroopers took advantage of the chaos to attack Buckingham Palace."
"Do everything possible to ensure Queen Mary's safety."
Hearing this, the secretary did not immediately turn to leave.
Because he had caught sight of George VI's furious gaze.
"An assault?"
George VI's voice trembled with rage.
"Are you mad?"
"Do you want my mother to die at the hands of that mob?"
Churchill was also growing angry. At this point, he no longer bothered to speak politely.
"This is a necessary sacrifice."
"George, use your brain and think."
"We can make a major issue out of this."
"The royal family being threatened is a humiliation that no British person can tolerate."
"The public will be outraged."
"We will sweep away the gloom of surrender."
"We will regain the courage to fight."
"The courage to resist until the end."
George VI no longer cared about the country at that moment.
As a son, allowing his mother to become a sacrificial lamb crossed his bottom line.
"Then why do you not take her place and get shot?"
His voice was cold with fury.
"Organize negotiations immediately."
The secretary stood between the King and the Prime Minister, trapped in an impossible position.
He could not afford to offend either of them.
Yet he had no idea whose order he should obey.
"There are no what-ifs, George."
Churchill's voice became even harsher.
"You are not a child."
"You should learn to weigh right and wrong."
"King George V would not want to see us surrender."
"He would not want to see us surrender so shamefully."
"He would tolerate these sacrifices like a cold monarch, rather than behave like a child throwing a tantrum in front of me."
"Do not forget Britain's political system."
"Constitutional monarchy."
"You are only the King, not the sovereign."
"I am the one steering Britain's ship."
Churchill's angry shout echoed through the office.
But George VI did not back down.
"Fine."
His eyes were bloodshot.
"Churchill, if you dare give that order, I will announce my abdication immediately."
"Let another King support your war."
He stared at Churchill and spoke word by word.
"Organize peace talks."
"I will accompany you to Canada to continue the resistance."
"But if you want to use my mother as a sacrifice, then go be your lone hero."
"I want to see how you will convince those colonial governments to fight against Germany without me."
....
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