บท 230: Chapter 308 Angry Churchill
"Knock, knock, knock! Knock, knock, knock!"
After a day of exhaustion, the British Ambassador to Madrid, Sir Samuel Hoare, had just laid down on his bed when he heard a series of urgent knocking.
Turning his head towards the old clock in the corner, it was already past 1 a.m. Hoare couldn't help but furrow his brows. It was so late, what could be so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow? "What is it?!"
The voice of his secretary came from outside the door. "Sir, Vice Premier Salazar says there's an urgent matter he needs to discuss with you."
Salazar?! An urgent matter?!
Hoare's bad mood from a moment ago vanished instantly. He quickly got up, swiftly took off the already worn pajamas, changed into a formal suit, and hurriedly entered the study. After the Spanish Civil War, there was a pro-German atmosphere throughout Spain, and only a few high-ranking officials, led by Salazar, had pro-British tendencies. However, Salazar was as greedy as a vampire, unrestrained and demanding exorbitant rewards even for trivial pieces of information.
If it weren't for the sake of the Empire, Hoare wouldn't even give such a greedy person a second glance.
But this was the first time Salazar had come to him in the middle of the night. It must be something significant. Approaching the study door, Hall gestured to his secretary on the side to prepare a "small gift" before pushing the door open.
Vice Premier Salazar, who was enjoying a cigar on the sofa, stood up and greeted, "Visiting so late, I hope I'm not disturbing you, Sir Ambassador?"
"Not at all, Vice Premier. It's my honor to have your presence," Hall replied with insincere courtesy, while his gaze involuntarily shifted towards the cigar box on the desk.
Sure enough, the cigar Salazar was holding in his mouth was one of the high-quality cigars from the box, a gift personally sent by Sir Winston Churchill. Each cigar was worth several tens of pounds, something Hoare himself rarely indulged in. Now, this uncultured fellow dared to take one without the owner's permission?
As if sensing Hoare's thoughts, Salazar deeply inhaled a puff of cigar smoke, slowly exhaling rings of smoke, and praised, "Mr. Ambassador truly has a unique taste. I've never smoked such a rich and robust cigar before."
Can you be any more shameless?
Cursing in his heart, Hoare continued with the insincere pleasantries. "If Vice Premier likes it..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Salazar quickly walked to the desk, took the entire cigar box, and stuffed it into his briefcase. "Hahaha, Mr. Ambassador, you're too kind. I truly can't bear to take it."
Fuck off!!
Hoare couldn't hold back a curse, but unfortunately, the good manners of the British aristocracy only allowed him to swear silently in his heart.
Taking a deep breath and forcing himself to forget the cigar that was now gone, he asked, "What is the urgent matter Vice Premier mentioned?"
Salazar nodded with a serious expression. "Indeed, it is a very urgent matter. This afternoon, a German envoy visited secretly."
Hoare was surprised. "The Germans want your country to join the war?" Even though Spain had been exporting various weapons and minerals to Germany, it officially maintained neutrality. If the Germans pressured Spain to join the war, it wouldn't be good news for Britain. After all, Spain had just experienced a war a few years ago, with a considerable number of experienced veterans and a watered-down German-style equipment; its combat strength was not to be underestimated.
But Salazar shook his head. "No, no, Spain is currently in a development phase and does not wish to get involved in any conflicts. However, as Mr. Ambassador is well aware, the help we've received from Germany is evident. As the saying goes, 'One must repay kindness with kindness,' and since Spain has gained so much from Germany, it's only right to give something back." After saying this, he picked up the cigar again, leisurely puffing away, seemingly oblivious to Hoare's anxious expression.
At this moment, the secretary entered, holding an exquisite little box which he handed to Hoare.
Hoare forced a smile and pushed the box towards Salazar. "Vice Premier, this is a small local specialty I brought from my hometown. I hope you accept it."
Salazar opened the box, glanced inside, and closed it, pushing it back. "Mr. Ambassador, you don't need to be so polite. We are friends, and I don't feel comfortable always accepting such generous gifts."
The expressions on Hoare's and the secretary's faces changed slightly. This guy's appetite was getting bigger and bigger! Knowing it was an urgent situation, Hall specifically had the secretary prepare an extra gift, but this was still not appreciated? Damn it! Damn it!! Damn it!!!
After a fierce internal cursing, Hoare didn't bother arguing with Salazar any longer. He directly signaled the secretary to bring two more gifts. After the secretary made another trip, Salazar, with a smiling face, stuffed the two boxes into his briefcase and revealed the purpose of the German envoy's visit.
This scared Ambassador Hoare quite a bit. He immediately took a plane back to London overnight to report the intelligence to Churchill in person.
Arriving at the Prime Minister's residence in the early morning, Churchill, who had not slept all night due to the situation in Italy, almost fainted upon hearing Hoare's report.
Gibraltar was the "throat" of the Mediterranean for entry and exit to the Atlantic. Once captured by the German army, the Mediterranean would become Germany's internal lake, making the situation even more dire for Britain.
After mustering up some energy, Churchill gritted his teeth and asked, "What does the Spanish want? Are they declaring war on us?" Now that Italy had declared war on Britain, adding Spain to the mix was a nailed-on disaster. Is this second-rate country daring to provoke the mighty British Empire? In the 16th century, after defeating the once unbeatable Spanish Armada, Spain began to decline, and it could be said it wasn't even qualified to be a rival to Britain. How could such a second-tier country dare to challenge the mighty British Empire now?
Fortunately, Ambassador Hoare brought some good news. "Not exactly. The Spanish are only providing a passage for Germany and won't send troops to attack Gibraltar. According to Salazar, there are quite a few people who don't want to see Spain involved in the war. He wants us to provide funds so that he can manage the situation."
Churchill, upon hearing this, let out a sigh of relief and nodded. "Hmph, finally someone sensible. How much does he want?"
Ambassador Hoare extended two fingers. "Two tons of gold."
Churchill furrowed his brow. "Two tons of gold? This guy's appetite is quite large. So, what's your suggestion? Should we give them the money?"
Ambassador Hoare nodded without hesitation. "In my opinion, we should agree. After all, compared to Spain joining the war, two tons of gold is not much. However, he specifically mentioned gold, not pounds."
"Why?"
"Salazar's idea is that in case Germany lands on British soil and England falls, the pound won't have much value. He wants hard currency."
Churchill, sensitive to the word "fall" lately, couldn't help but burst out with a curse. "This scoundrel! How could the British Empire possibly fall! Once the British Empire gets through this period, it will be Germany that disappears completely! This time, we won't show any mercy; the German state will vanish completely!"
Ambassador Hoare waited quietly for Churchill to finish venting before asking, "So, should we reject Salazar?"
Churchill gritted his teeth. "No need. When you go back, bring the gold with you."
Ambassador Hoare brought up another matter. "Also, Salazar suggested that we could raise the price to buy out Spain's tungsten mines, which would reduce the export volume to Germany."
Churchill's eyes lit up. "That's a good idea, but the price must be hefty, right?"
Ambassador Hoare extended one finger. "The Spanish are asking for $5000 per ton of tungsten mine."
Churchill was greatly surprised. "What?! And what is the price they're selling to the Germans?"
"As far as I know, it's $100 per ton. However, Salazar said the Germans have agreed to a moderate increase, but he didn't disclose how much. Salazar also told me they happen to have a stockpile of 30,000 tons of tungsten, ready to sell to Germany. If we can afford it, they are willing to transfer it to us."
Churchill was infuriated. "These cunning foxes! After dealing with Germany, watch how I handle them! Fine, agree to all the conditions they propose. They may be arrogant for a while, but they will surely pay it back double in the future."
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