Don’t think that southern Africa can easily get rid of Britain, and India can easily gain independent status.
Economically speaking, it is the same. Southern Africa before independence and India now need economic subsidies from the British Empire to maintain colonial rule.
The difference was in value, India could provide the British Empire with nearly unlimited human resources, Southern Africa could not.
The British Empire, which owns India, has a total population of over 450 million. It is an undisputed superpower and the cornerstone of Britain's maintenance of its colonial dominance.
After losing India, the total population of the United Kingdom is only 47 million, even worse than Germany and Japan. Therefore, the United Kingdom will not give up India easily no matter what.
Unless absolutely necessary.
It is obvious that the UK is not yet desperate. The Southern African Union meeting is being held, and the British are not idle either. The British Embassy in Southern Africa holds banquets every day, and Lord Halifax is busy meeting in Pretoria.
The leaders of various countries participating in the Asia-Pacific Conference are very good at dancing.
Lord Halifax was the British Foreign Secretary before serving as ambassador to South Africa, and the Sultanate of Najd was Lord Halifax's key target.
What made Lord Halifax unhappy was that the British Embassy in South Africa invited King Ali to attend banquets many times. King Ali only attended once. On the contrary, Crown Prince Ali came to the British Embassy in South Africa many times and met with Halifax.
The conversation with Lord Si was very pleasant.
That's okay, although the current king of the Sultanate of Najd is still Old Ali, and Young Ali will take over sooner or later, so it's good to lay the foundation in advance now.
Like the old King Ali, the younger King Ali also behaves in a high-profile manner. Every time he travels, the motorcade consists of at least ten cars and dozens of security personnel. Don't forget that this is in Pretoria, which is known for its safety.
Rather than focusing on safety, Xiao Ali is more interested in showing off his wealth.
"It's okay to be extravagant and corrupt. People without weaknesses are scary. How can we expect a family that has just been rising for twenty years to have a deep foundation of traditional aristocracy?" Lord Halifax was born in a traditional aristocratic family. Naturally,
I don't like upstarts like Xiao Ali.
Not even if Ali is a member of the royal family.
There are not many exiled royal families in the UK. Not to mention those who have been exiled to the UK due to wars in recent years. In the past hundred years or so on the European continent, the number of exiled families caused by changes in royal power is unknown. They are really like phoenixes with no hair, not as good as chickens.
"The interest entanglement between the Ali family and southern Africa is too deep and almost indestructible. Instead of wooing the Ali family, it is better to find a more suitable interest spokesperson in Najd." Lord Halifax's friend Wei Gang, the British Embassy Attaché in South Africa, couldn't wait
.
Like the cunning old Ali, little Ali was also slippery. Lord Halifax tried many times to win over little Ali, but failed to get any commitment from little Ali. Wei Gang's patience was exhausted.
Wei Gang's full name is Hornby Wei Gang. After arriving in southern Africa, in order to better integrate into southern Africa, Wei Gang took his surname as his Chinese name.
Compared with twenty years ago, the role of oil has become more important, but Britain has fewer and fewer oil resources. In recent years, the large oil fields discovered around the world have either been purchased in advance by southern Africa or occupied by the Americans. The British
Energy security is at stake.
Most of the US oil fields are in the Americas, beyond the reach of the UK.
The oil fields owned by southern Africa have become the best choice.
In the oil supply chain in southern Africa, the Sultanate of Najd is the weakest link, so Najd has become the best breakthrough point for the UK.
Lord Halifax thought carefully about Wei Gang's words and slowly shook his head.
"No, unless we are 100% sure, we cannot act rashly. That will put our relationship with Najd and southern Africa into an irreparable situation."
Lord Halifax is still very calm.
The British Empire was well aware of the relationship between Najd and Southern Africa. It was Roque who chose Old Ali, which led to the current Sultanate of Najd, rather than Najd choosing Southern Africa.
The British did not have the courage to go to the tiger mountain, knowing that there were tigers in the mountains. The reason why they chose Neizhi was really out of necessity. If there was a second choice, the British would not be so stubborn.
"So we have to endure the blackmail from those vampires -" Wei Gang gritted his teeth as he thought of little Ali's triumphant face.
Lord Halifax could only sigh.
He didn't want to use force to break the situation, but it was a pity that he couldn't do it. The current United Kingdom is no longer the British Empire of the past.
Even though he gritted his teeth, when night fell and little Ali arrived at the British Embassy in South Africa, Wei Gang could only greet him with a smile.
Mature politicians, even if they are fighting flesh and blood behind the scenes, they still look like a spring breeze on the surface. Wei Gang's smile is very mature, with just the right eight teeth, elegant and charming.
Little Ali is also elegant. He has received strict court etiquette education since childhood. As long as little Ali is willing, he can't find anything wrong with a magnifying glass.
"Welcome to your arrival, Your Highness—"
"Thank you, my friend, God will bless you -"
Little Ali is deliberately being disgusting. The god he talks about is not the same god that Wei Gang serves.
Wei Gang broke through his defense instantly, and the smile on his face turned ugly.
Cultivation is still not enough, you have to practice.
Lord Halifax was well-educated. After all, he had served as Foreign Secretary. He hoped that the Najd Oil Company could guarantee the supply of oil to the United Kingdom and use pounds sterling when trading.
Like Adam Oil, Najd only sold its oil in rands, which hurt the UK.
Once upon a time, the British pound was the world currency, and the U.S. dollar had to stay away from it.
In just a few decades, the status of the rand has already surpassed that of the pound, which is embarrassing.
In fact, you can't blame others. The British did it themselves.
From the gold standard to the gold nugget standard, the United Kingdom has de-anchored the pound sterling and gold. Currently, only the rand in the world can be directly exchanged for gold.
After the outbreak of the World War, southern Africa relied on its strong industrial strength to become the general manager of Allied logistics, and the importance of the rand became increasingly prominent.
Adan and Najd only accept rand, which is one of the catalysts for the rand to replace the pound. The industrial strength of southern Africa is the greatest guarantee of the rand's value.
As for oil, neither the Persian Gulf nor the Gulf of Mexico would work. There is also Russia's Baku oil field. After the war, Romanian oil will resume production, and there can always be substitutes.
Industrial strength cannot be easily replaced. Southern African cars sell well in Europe, and several European countries have also begun to create their own car brands. As a result, they either went bankrupt or were acquired by Southern African car companies, and none of them survived.
This fully proves the power of capital in southern Africa. If you are given the opportunity, you will not be able to use it, and you will indeed be unable to compete.
"The United Kingdom is the most powerful country in the world. Najd Petroleum Company will never ignore the United Kingdom. Our two countries have always maintained close and friendly relations. I believe that our relationship will last forever -" Xiao Ali seemed to be over the moon.
, in fact, it is watertight, which is also deeply rooted in the essence of southern African culture.
"In that case, why can't Najd Oil Company accept British pounds?" Weigand had a new and old hatred, and he was angry with Lord Halifax.
“No, no, no, this is not decided by Najd Oil Company, or even our Najd Sultanate can decide. You know, Najd Sultanate is a democratic country, we support free trade, this is Najd Oil Company’s business
Even the state cannot interfere with the behavior of others - "Little Ali draws on the strengths of others. This is a common saying among Americans, and it is also very suitable for Little Ali to use it to deal with the British.
Wei Gang almost twisted his nose in anger.
Do you, a remnant of the founding of China, have the nerve to say that you are a democratic country?
But to put it this way, the UK seems to be a constitutional monarchy.
But Xiao Ali is right about one thing. As for the Najd Oil Company, despite the name "Najd", the Najd royal family really has no control over it.
The shares of the Najd royal family do not even have voting rights in Najd Oil Company and can only be distributed as dividends.
If possible, Xiao Ali would of course also want to take back the management rights of Najd Oil Company.
But this is the tragedy of a small country with few people.
"I heard that you have discovered new oil fields on the coast of the Persian Gulf. Why don't we jointly set up a company to develop the oil fields?" Lord Halifax was patient. Since he could not change the status quo, he would start a new one.
"Who did you listen to?" Xiao Ali's perspective was strange. Is the British intelligence agency so powerful?
"It was published in The Times. It's not a secret, right?" Wei Gang finally found an opportunity to ridicule. This was leaked by one of your own people.
However, Weigang seems to have forgotten that The Times was born in the United Kingdom and is 100% British. It is only in recent years that it has devoted itself to southern African capital.
This is so much like a microcosm of the British Empire.
"Then which place are you referring to?" Little Ali was furious and would not give up.
That’s right. The Persian Gulf is so big and there are so many oil fields discovered every year. Which one are you referring to?
Wei Gang's eyes and expression were blank.
Which place?
This means many things.
Damn Lieutenant Colonel McMahon, look what you did back then.
Lieutenant Colonel McMahon said that he was very innocent. I just pulled the strings and sold Port Elizabeth to Rock. The Sultanate of Najd had nothing to do with me. It was snatched from the Ottoman Empire in southern Africa.
"Anywhere is fine, we can pay. Follow the model of Najd Oil Company. You don't have to pay even a penny, and we will split the profit 50-50." The conditions offered by Lord Halifax are still very tempting.
of.
Now the Najd royal family can only get about 15% of the income from the Najd Oil Company.
How many billions of rand are there every year at 15%? What if it is 50%?
Even if little Ali was sober, his heartbeat would still skip a beat after hearing Lord Halifax's conditions.
"I hope your Highness can seriously consider that it is unwise to attach national interests to a certain country in any aspect." Lord Halifax also deeply understands the essence of British fanning the flames. It doesn't matter whether it succeeds or not.
, the key is to bury the seeds, and once the conditions are right, they will take root and sprout.
Although this is fanning the flames, it does not spread rumors and slander. Little Ali also knows very well that the current cooperation model between the Sultanate of Najd and Southern Africa is tantamount to putting his own neck on the blade of Southern Africa.
Returning to the Ali family's palace in Pretoria, young Ali couldn't help but look for old Ali.
During the alliance meeting, the leaders of other countries either stayed in their own embassies or stayed in hotels in southern African countries. Only the Ali family stayed in their own palace.
The palace is a huge manor located in the beautiful hot spring valley, and you can soak in hot springs in the bathroom.
Bathing in hot springs is very good for the body. Old Ali was bathing in the hot springs, and there were more than a dozen maids around to serve him. He was enjoying himself very much.
Little Ali was used to it and never squinted.
Old Ali waved his hand, and the irrelevant people disappeared instantly. He glanced at little Ali and closed his eyes.
"To live or to die, that is the question."
Old Ali spoke famous lines from Shakespeare, which was really not as superficial as Lord Halifax thought.
"I understand, I just don't want to become a walking zombie. You said that people must have some ideals in life." Little Ali started with Rock's famous saying, and the next sentence was that if there are no ideals, what is the difference between human beings and salted fish.
"If you think this way, then 99.999% of the people in the world are zombies." Old Ali saw through the world of mortals, so he enjoyed himself in time.
"Why can't I be the lucky one?" Little Ali was unwilling to give in. He understood the truth and couldn't overcome the obstacles in his heart.
"The lucky ones are lucky because they are young." Old Ali smiled with profound meaning: "--You think you are not, but in fact you already are."
this--
If this topic continues, we will discuss the origin of life.
The origin of life is a race.
"I want to set up a new oil company." Xiao Ali was still unwilling to give up and had to give it a try.
"Then, become a victim of the competition between Southern Africa and the United Kingdom?" Old Ali's hand gently slapped the water, ripples appeared in circles, very much like the mood of little Ali.
As for the hot spring, the temperature was quite high. The steam formed droplets on the roof, and a drop of water suddenly dripped onto the back of little Ali's hand.
Little Ali woke up instantly as if someone poured cold water on his head.
Lord Halifax promised a 50-50 split, but did not promise to give the royal family of Najd the due protection, nor did he have the ability.
If Southern Africa is angered, it will be a disaster for the Najd royal family.
By then, there is no need for Southern Africa to take action, Old Ali will strangle Little Ali to death with his own hands.
Lord Halifax did not wait for Little Ali's response, but good news suddenly came from North Africa.
There are so many oil fields in the world, not only in the Persian Gulf, but also in North Africa. It is a super oil field with huge reserves and high-quality oil.
Even better, the oil field is located in what was originally North Africa, now under British control.
Those who are closer to the water, first to the moon, will surely not be snatched away by southern Africans and Americans this time.
