Chapter 434: Supporting Irish Independence

At the Madrid Royal Palace, Patrick Henry Pearse finally met the famous King of Spain, Carlo.

His posture was very respectful; he waited until Carlo signaled for him to sit before carefully taking his seat, and then he stated the purpose of his visit.

"Respected Your Majesty the King of Spain, on behalf of all members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, I offer you our highest respects.

Upon receiving your invitation, we set off from Ireland without a moment's delay, traveling to Spain in the shortest time possible.

After arriving in Madrid, we witnessed a prosperity that is in no way inferior to London, and we clearly recognize that Spain's strength far exceeds that of Britain. We hope to obtain the support of you, respected Your Majesty the King, and the Spanish government to resist the British government, which has colonized Ireland for so long."

In the words of Patrick Henry Pearse, the role of the British in Ireland became that of colonizers, and the goal of their Irish Republican Brotherhood shifted from the original simple Irish independence to Irish colonial liberation.

The purpose of saying this was simple: to place himself and the Irish Republican Brotherhood firmly in opposition to Britain, thereby gaining support from Carlo and the Spanish government.

Carlo, of course, understood the goal of Patrick Henry Pearse. The reason he had intelligence officers from the Royal Security Intelligence Agency invite them to Spain was, in fact, to support them in promoting a war of independence in the Irish region.

As it stands, at least the Irish Republican Brotherhood indeed possesses sufficient determination to ignite a war, and for Carlo, that is already enough.

"I feel deep sympathy for the suffering of all the Irish people. The Great Famine of Ireland has already proven the British government's inaction toward the Irish; such actions completely violate the principles of a civilized nation.

As a truly civilized nation, Spain certainly does not wish to see the continued existence of oppressed peoples like the Irish anywhere in the world.

Therefore, I can support you, and support Ireland's independence from Britain.

But wanting to escape the colonial rule of Britain, the world's number one power, is not so simple. Spain can provide you with large amounts of funds, weapons, ammunition, and other supplies like food, but everything else, including the status of Irish independence, must be fought for by you yourselves.

If a war of independence were to be launched now, tens or even hundreds of thousands of Irish people might sacrifice their lives for it. Are you truly prepared for a complete break with Britain?" Carlo looked at Patrick Pearse with a smile; he still held some favorable feelings toward this politician.

The reason Ireland was able to gain independence from British rule in history was, on one hand, that the Britain of that time had already experienced the First World War and did not want to endure another war; on the other hand, the Irish people's determination for independence had become quite intense, with many Irish people even willing to sacrifice themselves for it.

As an important leader of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, Patrick Henry Pearse is absolutely one of the pioneers worthy of recognition.

He and his Irish Republican Brotherhood jointly led the Easter Rising of 1916. Although this uprising ultimately failed, it acted like a single spark, successfully igniting the determination of all Irish people to achieve national independence and freedom.

It was precisely this determination that forced the British government to concede, because under such overwhelming public opinion, the British government had only two choices.

Either be forced to recognize the independence of the Irish region, or forcibly eliminate all Irish people in the region who supported independence and carry out strict assimilation and brainwashing of the remaining Irish people, in order to prevent a greater crisis from erupting in the region.

The Irish region had a population of several million at the time; choosing the second option was almost impossible, and no British Prime Minister was willing to bear such a huge risk.

This can also be considered a shortcoming of the British political system: the position of each cabinet government is not stable, and the tenure of a Prime Minister is not that long.

Most cabinet Prime Ministers do not have such an enterprising spirit; they only think about transitioning safely during their term of office, allowing themselves to enjoy this supreme power for a little longer.

Under these circumstances, the British government will try every possible way to avoid those greater risks. This is also the reason why the British government could forcibly suppress the Irish but ultimately had to choose to give up.

In fact, this problem exists universally among governments around the world and is one of the main reasons affecting the development of various countries.

Whether it is a Prime Minister or a President, these government rulers have term limits. Some governments cannot even safely complete their terms before being forced to step down due to various matters.

Under these circumstances, most people prioritize whether their own ruling position is stable, which requires a relatively stable environment to support.

Since they want a relatively stable political environment, they must eliminate all risks that could cause turmoil. In this situation, conservative thinking will continuously replace enterprising thinking, ultimately leading governments to lack initiative, thinking only of safely passing their terms, regardless of the risks and crises the Prime Ministers and Presidents who take over power later will have to face.

Upon hearing Carlo's question, the facial expression of Patrick Henry Pearse did not change at all. He, of course, understood how difficult it was to promote Irish independence, and the British government could not possibly allow Ireland to become independent for no reason.

This also meant that there would definitely be a war between Ireland and Britain later. As for whether Patrick Henry Pearse and his Irish Republican Brotherhood had the courage to fight a war with Britain, they did—of course, they did.

If they did not have such courage, the group from the Irish Republican Brotherhood would not have traveled thousands of miles to come to Spain.

Therefore, Patrick Henry Pearse nodded almost without the slightest hesitation and said: "Your Majesty the King, I understand how difficult it is to promote the independence of Ireland.

But as an Irishman, I am willing to pay any price for the independence of Ireland, just so that my motherland can achieve independence and freedom as soon as possible, and no longer have to endure the oppression and exploitation of the British government.

If we can obtain the support of your country, we can easily arm an army and officially launch the Irish War of Independence.

For your country, the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence also has its benefits. As long as the British government is unwilling to see Ireland become independent, they must deploy a portion of their troops to Ireland.

This also means that we can help your country divert a portion of Britain's pressure, helping your country win this war more easily.

Of course, I believe that even without Ireland's help, with Spain's strength, you can easily defeat Britain.

But Ireland's help can allow your country to win this war with fewer casualties, and I believe you, respected Your Majesty the King, are still willing to support us."

Hearing what Patrick Henry Pearse said, Carlo smiled and did not deny his purpose of wanting to use Ireland to force the British military into a two-front war:

"You are right. The reason I am willing to support Ireland is, in fact, because after Ireland launches a war of independence, it can pin down a portion of the British military."