Chapter 64

As intelligence agents from various countries frantically searched for talent in different fields, Wilhelm, accompanied by his newly appointed diplomatic advisor, Ribbentrop, traveled to England to visit King George V at Buckingham Palace.

Sitting in the welcoming car, Wilhelm couldn't help but marvel at the magnificent and luxurious palace. Although future tourists could visit Buckingham Palace, they could only see the throne room, the music hall, the state dining room, and the like.

Buckingham Palace had a total of 775 rooms, 78 of which were toilets. It had 1,514 doors, 760 windows, and over 40,000 light bulbs. Although it was slightly less than the 1,210 rooms of the Berlin Palace, the original Berlin Palace suffered bombings during World War II, and most of it was destroyed by fire. In 1950, the East German government even ordered the complete destruction of the remaining ruins, leaving nothing behind.

Thus, in the future, Buckingham Palace, the residence of Queen Elizabeth, became the world's most expensive private residence, valued at over one billion pounds.

Wilhelm couldn't help but murmur, hoping that such an ancient castle would not have to endure the ravages of war.

If only England would surrender peacefully, it would be so much better.

With these thoughts in mind, he entered the palace and saw an old and weary-looking elderly man. "Greetings, Your Majesty."

King George V was the son of Edward VII and the grandson of Queen Victoria.

Kaiser Wilhelm II's mother, Empress Frederick (also known as Victoria, Princess Royal), was Queen Victoria's eldest daughter. Therefore, Kaiser Wilhelm II was her grandson, making him George V's first cousin. Thus, George V was Wilhelm's great-uncle.

No wonder they said that World War I was an internal strife among European royals.

As mentioned before, Wilhelm II and George V were related. Additionally, Nicholas II, the Tsar of Russia, was Wilhelm II's cousin-in-law because he married Victoria, Princess Royal's granddaughter, Grand Duchess of Hesse-Darmstadt, who was Wilhelm II's cousin. The royals of Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and so on were all related by blood, with connections that ran deep.

"Wilhelm, I remember holding you when you were little. You've grown up so quickly." Truly, 'the older the tree, the more roots; the older the person, the more talkative.' George V chattered on for nearly half an hour, much of it complaining about Wilhelm II's actions that led to the previous war. It forced George V to abandon the German name, changing both his family name and the name of the royal house.

Wilhelm couldn't help but marvel at how deeply George V resented Wilhelm II.

After all the talk, George V finally asked about the purpose of Wilhelm's visit. "Why have you come this time?"

"I've brought you a little gift." Upon learning of Wilhelm's visit, the royal steward rummaged through the clutter and found a dusty stamp album. Besides rowing and sports, George V also enjoyed collecting stamps, a hobby he had maintained for years. Even after his passing, his daughter and granddaughter continued this hobby.

This stamp album was originally intended as a birthday gift from Wilhelm II to George V before the outbreak of the First World War. Unfortunately, after the war began, England firmly sided with Russia and France, dealing a blow to Germany. This angered Wilhelm II, who threw the gift, which had not yet been sent, into the storage room.

Picking up the stamp collection and flipping through a few pages, George V nodded frequently, looking satisfied. "Well, this is a good thing. You've done well, Wilhelm. Tonight, I will arrange a small welcome banquet for you. Is there anyone you'd like to meet?"

Wilhelm breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "If possible, I'd like to have a conversation with Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald."

George V readily agreed, "Oh, no problem. I'll invite him over tonight. You must be tired from the journey, so rest well for now, and we can talk more later."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Wilhelm bowed and followed the royal steward out of the reception room.

After the steward left, Annie asked, "Your Highness, what do you plan to discuss with them tonight?"

Wilhelm pondered for a moment and instructed, "Just exaggerate the threat of the Red Empire as much as possible. Make it sound like they'll conquer all of Europe tomorrow."

Annie nodded, "Understood, Your Highness."

In the evening, the royal steward arrived on time to escort them to the banquet hall. After exchanging greetings with everyone, Wilhelm approached Prime Minister MacDonald to discuss the threat posed by the Red Empire. "Mr. Prime Minister, you know that the Soviet Red Beast has always had its eyes set on spreading the red flag across Europe. If war breaks out, Germany will be the first to face them. But we have neither spear nor shield, what can we use to defend ourselves? Should we offer our bodies to stop their steel flood? In that case, we might as well surrender directly, and maybe Stalin will allow me to be a puppet president of some Soviet republic."

Prime Minister MacDonald smiled and shook his head gently. "Your Highness Wilhelm, your thinking is too naive. Their ideology is capitalism's mortal enemy. Don't forget how they treated the Romanov family. If they occupy Europe, the House of Hohenzollern will undoubtedly be on their hit list."

Wilhelm shrugged, appearing unconvinced. "Of course, I know that. But Stalin is not Lenin. Moreover, Lenin wiped out the Romanovs because his brother was sentenced to death by Nicholas. Compared to Lenin, I think Stalin is much wiser. He should understand that ruling Germany with German people is better than directly interfering. That way, at least our House of Hohenzollern can temporarily preserve our lives."

After talking for a while, Prime Minister MacDonald stared at him and said word by word, "Your Highness Wilhelm, do you know what we are worried about?"

Wilhelm smirked. "Prime Minister, do you think I'm the kind of person who would repeat the same mistakes? I know very well the lessons from my grandfather's experience. Would I knowingly make the same errors and court failure?"

Prime Minister MacDonald pondered and nodded. "Fair enough."

Wilhelm glanced around and lowered his voice again. "Prime Minister, let me tell you a secret. Our spies have discovered a Soviet tank project. Do you know how heavy their tanks are?"

Prime Minister MacDonald was puzzled, wondering why they were discussing Soviet tanks again. Heavy tanks? How heavy could they be? "Forty tons? Fifty tons?"

Wilhelm turned his head slightly and made a disdainful expression. "Over 150 tons."

"What?!" Prime Minister MacDonald's eyes widened in disbelief. "Over 150 tons?! Are you sure there's no decimal point missing?"

Wilhelm chuckled inwardly. This was the reaction he expected. Anyone would be frightened upon hearing about tanks over 150 tons. "Absolutely. Over 150 tons."