Chapter 363: Chapter 440 Ireland 3
Seeing the German emissary Jonas about to storm out in anger, Prime Minister Éamon de Valera hurriedly grabbed his arm. "Mr. Jonas, Mr. Jonas, please don't be rash. Everything can be discussed, everything can be discussed."
Jonas snorted coldly. "Discuss? What is there to discuss?! The Prime Minister should worry about whether his bomb shelters are safe enough!"
"Mr. Jonas, please calm down, please calm down," de Valera finally managed to persuade Jonas to sit back on the sofa, pouring him a cup of tea personally. "Mr. Jonas, I just want to confirm, after England is defeated, will your Crown Prince truly allow us to establish an independent nation?"
Jonas frowned with dissatisfaction. "Our Crown Prince's word is as good as gold. But does your country expect to reap benefits without effort? There's no such good fortune in the world! Trying to play both sides will lead to a bad end!"
Prime Minister de Valera shook his head awkwardly. "Of course not. We will declare war on England."
Jonas pressed him. "When?!"
Prime Minister de Valera thought for a moment. "Within three days at most."
Jonas raised an eyebrow slightly. "Your country won't declare war without actually fighting, will it?"
"Of course not," Prime Minister de Valera hurriedly shook his head. "We also want to reclaim Northern Ireland and achieve unification as soon as possible. But Mr. Jonas, you know our military equipment is not advanced, to say the least, it's extremely outdated."
Before World War II broke out, Ireland, although fully autonomous and having its own army, had a very weak national foundation and couldn't get support from Britain. As a result, the current Irish army mostly used German equipment captured during World War I, along with some old British equipment. Irish military gear was a mix of various sources. In old photographs, one can often see the Irish army during World War II with outdated German helmets.
Jonas nodded. "That's not a problem. We can provide a full set of weapons and equipment, from pistols and rifles to tanks and planes; of course, not for free. Your country can choose to pay in gold or use mineral resources as collateral."
Ireland is rich in mineral resources, which contributed to its rapid post-war economic development, making it one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. It is the largest producer of lead and zinc in Europe. Zinc accounts for 4.3% of the world's production, lead for 2%, and peat covers about 13% of the national area. Natural gas reserves are estimated at 38.2 billion cubic meters.
Prime Minister de Valera shrugged. "Our gold reserves are nearly zero, so we can only trade with minerals."
"Then I'll draft a contract, and we can officially sign it tomorrow."
In fact, Wilhelm didn't plan to declare war on Ireland, merely to scare them.
As mentioned earlier, there are tens of millions of people of Irish descent in the United States, even Roosevelt is of Irish descent. If Germany declared war on Ireland, those millions of Irish Americans might be incited, and Roosevelt would be laughing in his sleep.
Another reason was Wilhelm's apprehension about the infamous Irish Republican Army (IRA), the pioneers of terrorism.
The IRA was founded in 1919, with its predecessor being the Irish Volunteers. Its purpose was to use armed force to obstruct British rule in Ireland, aiming for Irish independence.
To seek independence and unify Ireland, the IRA frequently resorted to violent acts, such as bombings, causing significant trouble for the British government.
In the 1970s, IRA terrorist activities peaked. The organization split internally, with some members advocating parliamentary strategies for Irish unity, abandoning violence. Others insisted on using force and terrorism to achieve unification.
This split weakened the IRA, so those advocating terrorism resorted to even more ruthless violence to maintain their presence, a final desperate struggle.
They orchestrated a series of terrorist attacks called the "Long War," including bombings, assassinations, and ambushes. These attacks occurred not only in the UK but also spread to other parts of Europe.
In the 1970s, the IRA received significant support from Irish Americans, which funded their arms purchases from Libya. This firepower allowed them to continue large-scale terrorist attacks.
From 1970 to 1997, London experienced bomb attacks almost every year. These attacks peaked in 1992, with 38 bombings in London alone that year.
Some of these bombs were successfully defused by police, and others caused small explosions with no casualties. However, a few caused deep pain for the British public.
On July 2, 1970, the British police found 35 weapons and over 20,000 rounds of ammunition at three locations, including Hammersmith.
Three months later, a severe explosion occurred on the 33rd floor of the General Post Office building.
This huge explosion seemed a prelude to Britain's difficult years ahead, leading to nearly three decades of unrest.
On July 21, 1972, within an hour, 19 bombs exploded in Belfast, killing nine people, including two soldiers and a 14-year-old boy, and injuring 130.
Three years later, on March 8, 1973, the Provisional IRA placed bombs in four cars in London, near the Old Bailey and the Ministry of Agriculture, killing a man in his sixties and injuring over twenty.
On November 21, 1974, bombings in two Birmingham pubs killed 21 people and injured 182.
In October 1974, a bomb attack in a Guildford pub injured 65 people and killed four police officers and one civilian. On October 25, 1979, a bomb thrown into a London pub killed one person and injured 15.
These crazed individuals even attacked British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1984, planting a time bomb in the Brighton hotel, destroying her bathroom. She was hastily evacuated by bodyguards.
These examples are just a small snapshot of the IRA's atrocities. From the 1970s to the 21st century, the people of London and the UK lived in fear of these terrorist attacks.
Wilhelm did not want to unwittingly shift such hatred onto himself.
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