The Rise Of A Billionaire 1943-Chapter 143 - 155: Prime Minister, Our Interests Are Aligned (Fourth Update)
What is the greatest pain in the world?
It’s when the very thing you’ve tried so hard to protect might be sold out overnight, and you don’t even have the power to stop it.
That was exactly how Churchill felt at the moment—heart-wrenching pain. Even though he could scheme and maneuver with Roosevelt and the Iron Father for the sake of the British Empire, there was nothing he could do to stop the Labour Party from destroying the very foundation of the Empire for their own selfish gain.
The strongest fortresses are often breached from within. The British Empire might just be that fortress on the verge of destruction.
How many people can truly understand such agony?
Seeing Churchill remain silent, Pierre emphasized again:
"So, compared to entrusting my fate to London and the Labour Party, I’d rather control the destiny of North Borneo myself. Its future will be just like its past—unchanged, including the treaties with Britain."
Anyway, it was all about bluffing for now. Once North Borneo was truly in hand, wouldn’t everything be up to us?
As for so-called treaties... they were just historical documents, long overdue for the dustbin.
"How can you be so sure Labour will win?"
Staring at the young man before him, Churchill asked.
"Prime Minister, why did you invite Attlee and his people to form a cabinet?"
Looking at the man hailed as the savior of the British Empire—yet who would also personally bury it—Pierre knew exactly what would happen next. Next year, after victory in Europe, Attlee and his Labour Party would withdraw from the coalition government, quickly win the election, defeat Churchill, and form a cabinet that was, frankly, idiotic. Not only would they give up India, but also Burma, Malaya, Singapore, and the Straits Settlements. They even promised to give up other colonies.
Why give them up?
In a word: "For the welfare of the British people." To reduce military expenditures, the Attlee cabinet decommissioned hundreds of thousands of tons of warships—reportedly scrapping more ships overnight than the Germans had sunk in two world wars. Overnight, the mighty Royal Navy became a third-rate fleet.
To reduce colonial spending, they abandoned the colonies, reasoning that—if we’re not welcome, let’s just go home! The money saved could be used for welfare.
Fine then!
Attlee and his associates were outright traitors to Britain. It was they who set the Western world on the path of "white leftism"—pleasing voters at any cost, even sacrificing national security and interests!
What kind of people were they?
How could Churchill not know? But he also knew that the wartime cabinet would collapse as soon as the war ended.
Regaining his composure, Churchill looked at Pierre and said with a hint of sarcasm:
"So, you want to defend the British Empire’s colonies?"
"Prime Minister, that’s your responsibility. I only want to protect my own property. No one will ever sell out my property." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
While responding to Churchill, Pierre added:
"I think, on this point, our interests are aligned!"
Indeed, they were.
In fact, Churchill had his own reasons for getting involved with the North Borneo Company. He knew very well that, legally speaking, North Borneo was not a British colony, but he needed the company to recognize the previous treaties.
After all, that cripple Roosevelt was always trying to undermine Britain’s colonial holdings around the world, and the North Borneo Com—
The existence of the Company itself is a bug. If that cripple wants the British colonies to become independent, then the North Borneo Company would certainly demand independence as well. This would involve the interests of his agents. At that point, what would Roosevelt choose?
Would he demand that Britain withdraw from its colonies while agreeing to let North Borneo maintain its colonial rule? Or perhaps allow the North Borneo Company to directly transform into a sovereign state, with the company’s top executives becoming the heads of the new nation?
If that’s the case, couldn’t Britain simply turn its colonies into dominions, with the governors instantly becoming the heads of those dominions?
Churchill was very curious. Besides his curiosity, he also felt it necessary to plant a seed for the future.
"Pierre, we’re going to win this war soon. Next year, or at the latest, the year after. Perhaps by then, you’ll be able to return to North Borneo..."
He paused, looking seriously at the young man before him, and said in a most earnest tone:
"But before you return to North Borneo, you’ll need to go to the Colonial Office to complete some administrative transitions. After all, yours is a chartered company, and there will be a lot of communication required with the Colonial Office, especially regarding postwar matters."
Just this...?
Is it really worth Churchill himself arranging a personal meeting?
Since he came in person, he must have an ulterior motive.
But what exactly does Churchill want from me?
Even after leaving Churchill’s residence, Pierre still didn’t have an answer. Although he hadn’t found the answer, he was now almost certain of one thing—Britain had already tacitly accepted the facts.
In other words, the biggest obstacle to taking control of the North Borneo Company had completely disappeared.
"It’s time to go home!"
The "home" Pierre spoke of was not the brownstone in New York where he kept his beloved, but North Borneo—no, Borneo!
A person’s ambition always grows. In the past, Pierre’s dreams were limited to the North Borneo Company. But now? His sights were set on the whole of Borneo!
So what if Borneo is currently under Japanese control?
In the past, he didn’t have a single soldier under his command. Now, he has twenty thousand elite troops—no, it should be forty thousand!
The second batch of recruits that Zhu Yihai had gathered back home had just arrived in India. Soon, they would reach North Africa, and after training there, they could be incorporated into the security forces.
Pierre had even found instructors for them—those German paratroopers captured at Bastogne. In fact, if possible, he’d like to find some German mountain infantry officers as instructors too, since both are among the world’s best light infantry.
But for now, he had no choice but to make do with those German special forces who once rescued Mussolini.
Actually, Pierre was never a picky person. His requirements weren’t high—just find some world-class instructors, arm them with weapons like the STG44, and that would do for now.
He’s already making do with whatever scrap metal he can scavenge—what more could he ask for?
But forty thousand men... is that enough to retake Borneo?
As he pondered this, Pierre naturally thought of another issue: how to return to Borneo next. Walking there was obviously impossible; he’d need ships, and not just any ships.
"We’ll need warships. Otherwise, I really can’t feel at ease!"
Without naval escort, who would dare head toward Southeast Asia? It’s still occupied by the Japanese. Without an escort, wouldn’t they just be sitting ducks for enemy bombs?
