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The messy news reports, while stirring up patriotic sentiment among the populace, also affected the British Government.
The first to be impacted was the Minister of Police, as James Meld looked at the crowd outside demanding the government reveal the truth, he was completely dumbfounded.
After coming to his senses, James Meld immediately ordered, "Quickly dispatch someone to explain that the assassination of Walters occurred in the Afghan Region, which falls outside the jurisdiction of the police department.
If they want to know the truth about the assassination, tell them to inquire at the Foreign Office."
Even if the Police Department was incredibly competent, it was only responsible for domestic security issues. An assassination that took place abroad had nothing to do with them, and James Meld had no intention of shouldering this unwarranted disaster.
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The Police Department was unwilling to wade into these murky waters, and neither was the Foreign Office. Sir George, who was out of luck, was blocked as soon as he stepped out the door.
A journalist began to inquire, "Respected Sir George, we need to know the truth. We can’t let a hero’s blood be shed in vain."
There was nothing wrong with that, as Walters had been portrayed as a hero by the media overnight, maintaining Britannia’s interests in the face of threats and temptations presented by the enemy.
The assassination seemed unrelated to threats or temptations, but that was not a problem. The editors in the entertainment news sections had supplemented the story in the shortest amount of time.
If there had been more time, it’s estimated that these people would also have concocted a female lead and added a romantic love story.
The question came from a reporter of the London Daily, a relatively impartial medium for political news, with the only difference being that no absurd plots were added.
Faced with a group of journalists and in order to maintain his good image, Foreign Minister George had no choice but to reluctantly stand up.
"Sir, the truth of the event is still under investigation, and the Foreign Office has not received any relevant news. In fact, we have not yet established diplomatic relations with Afghanistan and do not have an embassy there.
This time, Walters’ visit to Afghanistan was commissioned by the Governor of India. For detailed content, you can go to the Colonial Department.
We will closely monitor the progress of the case and will announce the results once they are available."
Although George was stating facts, since Britannia had not established diplomatic relations with Afghanistan, and Walters was not an employee of the Foreign Office, the Foreign Office could do nothing but pay attention, but this answer did not satisfy the journalists; it was too bureaucratic.
A journalist challenged, "Sir, don’t you think this is just passing the buck?
The Police Department says they can’t manage it because the assassination occurred overseas, and it’s beyond their jurisdiction, so we were referred to the Foreign Office.
We believe that explanation since the Police Department’s authority only extends within the country, as explicitly stated by law.
And now you are using the excuse of not having diplomatic relations and being appointed by the Governor of India to direct us to the Colonial Department for the truth, which also seems reasonable.
But do you know that we had already asked the Colonial Department earlier when we passed by, and an official there said that foreign-related incidents are the responsibility of the Foreign Office.
So, who should be responsible for the assassination in the end? Who should deliver the truth to the people who wish to know?"
The Walters assassination case was too complicated, involving the Foreign Office, the Colonial Department, and the Police Department, all of whom had reasons to shirk responsibility.
Now that the journalists had cornered him, aside from cursing his colleagues internally, Sir George could only take his bad luck on the chin.
After some thought, Sir George seriously responded, "Sir, the question you have raised is very valuable.
However, we must also consider the uniqueness of Walters’ assassination case. Britannia is a country of laws, with clear definitions of the powers of various departments.
We have no prior experience in dealing with similar incidents. Now that we are faced with a problem, it is inevitable that we will be a little flustered.
The incident occurred thousands of miles away in Central Asia, and none of us knows the specific circumstances. In fact, up to now, the government has only received a telegram from India.
Please give us some time to send someone to investigate. If you are worried about people shirking responsibility, I will propose that each department forms a Joint Investigation Team."
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After much effort, Sir George finally shook off the journalists. As for the Joint Investigation Team, it was a joke.
By the time the team was assembled and departed from the United Kingdom to reach Central Asia, it would be at least two months later.
After such a long time, what would there be to investigate? The mastermind behind the scenes would have long cleaned up, leaving the case unsolved.
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With the principle of ’shared pain is lessened pain,’ Sir George did not choose to bear the pressure alone but resolutely decided to share it with everyone.
"The Walters assassination appears to be the work of a Religious Extremist Organization on the surface, but we are all ignorant of whether there is a hidden hand behind the scenes.
There are too many suspects. Theoretically, the Russians have the greatest suspicion, as assassinating Walters could cut off Afghanistan’s potential alliance with us.
However, such extreme measures could lead to the outbreak of war. Currently, the Russians have no reach over the Afghan Region, and provoking a war would not benefit them.
Next is Austria, as the Austrian diplomat to Persia had recently visited Afghanistan, mainly to facilitate an alliance between Russia and Afghanistan.
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The Austrian diplomat had just left when the assassination occurred, which seemed a bit too coincidental. The problem is, orchestrating this assassination doesn’t benefit Austria at all.
Once a war breaks out, Austria simply doesn’t have the capability to stop us from occupying the Afghan Region. The only value it might have is to disrupt the arms race.
From this perspective alone, the French seem more suspect than Austria. After all, the French government’s financial resources are the weakest, and they are under the greatest pressure.
Of course, other countries also have significant motives for dark deeds to provoke confrontation amongst the great powers.
We cannot exclude the possibility that there is no mastermind behind the scenes, and the act was carried out by a local religious extremist organization in Afghanistan. After all, Walters had already faced several assassination attempts before.
We have too little information in our hands to pinpoint the enemy’s identity. The public wants the truth, but the investigation can hardly proceed.
Sentiment in the Afghan Region is strongly anti-British, and if we send someone to investigate, the safety of the members of the investigation team can hardly be guaranteed.
How can we make the Afghan Government investigate and give us an answer in the end?"
Sir George laid out all the possibilities, not to catch the true culprit, but more to have everyone choose a "culprit." 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
Britannia’s pursuit of self-interest dictates that the most advantageous party is the real mastermind.
Colonial Minister Primrose scoffed, "Sir, we really have no choice, do we?"
It’s a multiple-choice question alright, just one where the answer has already been announced.
It’s not as if picking any enemy will earn the public’s approval. Reporters are hounding the government for the truth, and if there isn’t the hand of the opposition party behind it, no one would believe it.
The real heavyweights that can convince others are just Russia, France and Austria, along with the weakling Afghanistan.
The Royal Navy is out of the question, and if the blame is placed on one of the big powers, it’s all about bickering, and there’s no way to give the domestic public the explanation they want.
For Gladstone’s Cabinet, that is merely asking for trouble.
Minister of the Navy, Sir Astley Cooper Key, warned, "This is the enemy’s conspiracy. They want to provoke a war in Central Asia and ruin our plans to drag France and Austria down."
Opposition from the Minister of the Navy is inevitable. Once war breaks out, the government’s investment in the arms race will decrease.
The end result is likely to be a compromise with France and Austria, calling an end to the arms race.
Finance Minister George Childs said, "It’s not frightening if our plan is disrupted; the trouble is that even if we want to stop, France and Austria might not appreciate it.
If a second Afghan war breaks out and France and Austria, not content to sit idly by, encourage Russia to confront us in Central Asia while continuing the arms race...
Our pressure will mount!"
It’s more than just great pressure; it’s a relentless pursuit. Both fronts are crucial, and a problem on either side could destabilize Britannia’s position as the dominant power.
Foreign Minister George stated, "It’s not a matter of if, but when. Whether the French will support Russian expansion in Central Asia is uncertain, but Austria will certainly support it.
If possible, the Foreign Department wishes to pause this arms race before the outbreak of a second Afghan war."
Minister of the Navy Sir Astley Cooper Key immediately opposed, "That’s impossible! We may be able to stop, but France and Austria won’t.
If your Excellency doesn’t want to see the title of the world’s leading naval power change hands after the war, don’t make such jokes."
International competition is never merciful; it’s always "kick them when they’re down," no exception.
To say that the France-Austrian Navy surpassing Britannia is one thing, but even parity would be enough to shake their position as the maritime sovereign.
In the end, there are three countries capable of contending for maritime supremacy, and any two engaged in conflict would benefit the onlooking fisherman.
Once the Royal Navy loses its absolute dominant position, all it would have left is a deterrent effect, and it would be impossible to provoke a mutually destructive war.
In fact, since ten years ago, the deterrence of the Royal Navy has been on the decline. Faced with the catching up of France and Austria’s navies, the British Government has no good solutions.
Seeing the argument escalate, Prime Minister Gladstone gestured to stop it: "Enough, now is not the time to argue. The situation may seem against us, but it’s actually not that bad.
The Afghan Region is our target to capture; this assassination has merely brought forward our timeline for action and doesn’t affect our determined strategy.
As for the naval arms race, unless France and Austria are willing to cease together, we will certainly have to keep pace.
What everyone is worried about is the financial problem, but that’s not without a solution.
Launching a war is to seek justice for Britannia; when to start and how far to go is all up to us.
We can even declare war on Afghanistan to give an account to our domestic public, not deploying troops for the time being until we are ready for war, and then launch an attack."
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