Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2715 The Second Norman Conquest (First Update, Please Subscribe)
Grosvenor Place served as the core area of ​​the U.S. Embassy in London from the 18th century onwards, and was also the location of the Allied Command during World War II.

For American diplomats and military personnel stationed in Britain at that time, it was a "golden age" they would always remember. Back then, there were always many stylish British women in this square. All it took was a few packs of Spam and a few packs of Camel cigarettes for the women to throw themselves at you.

They might be John's wife, James's lover, Edward's mistress, or Thomas's daughter. They might even hold noble titles, but so what?

It was just a few packs of cigarettes and a few cans of food.

However, that golden age has passed, and only millions of "wartime babies" remain in the country as a symbol of "American-British friendship."

As for Grosvenor Square, it is no longer as grand as it once was. So, whenever the past is mentioned, the people in Building 24 on the west side of Grosvenor Square feel only regret, a deep and heartfelt regret.

Time will never come again!

Standing by the window, Victor once again gazed out, looking absent-minded. He didn't even notice what Hamk was saying.

"Actually, that's not important at all. What's really important is that this is... London, England."

He reached this conclusion because, in his view, Syria was utterly insignificant; even if Syria joined the Warsaw Pact, it would merely be to gain its protection.

"London?"

Upon hearing this name, Victor, finally snapping out of his daze, said:

"Yes, this place is very important, and I agree."

His father was stationed in England back then, leaving behind many fond memories. Perhaps, somewhere in London, there are still some of his relatives, brothers or sisters. Who knows?
Then Hamk continued:

"Whether Syria is a member of the Warsaw Pact or not, Moscow will not reduce its aid to Syria, nor will it affect Damascus's pro-Moscow stance."

Hamk looked at Cole, who was standing by the window and seemed somewhat lost in thought, and said:
"Everyone is now focused on the Warsaw Pact's southward expansion, but no one realizes that the South Pacific is also expanding, just like London today, where 15% of the population comes from the South Pacific or Southeast Asia."

This was a successful mediation orchestrated by Margaret Thatcher. Although it was seen by the outside world as a symbol of London's influence over Chang'an, we must also recognize that the SEA's influence over London is constantly increasing, just like these SEA members in London.

Then Hamke produced another document, which clearly outlined the changes that had taken place in the London City Council over the past decade.

"Ten years ago, there was only one SEEA-born city councilor, but now 18% of the councilors in the London City Council are SEEA-born."

Moreover, there are SEA (Senate and Afro-American) members holding high-ranking positions in both the Conservative and Labour parties, and even in the House of Commons. This is the reality we face, and it's a very serious problem.

As Hamke expressed his concerns, Cole simply smiled and said:
"Hamke, the British are more worried about London becoming a curry-smelling London. As for the SEA people, would you rather be neighbors with a South Asian who smells like curry, or with SEA people?"

His question surprised Hamke; indeed, no one wanted to be neighbors with those guys.

"Furthermore, SEA is a member of the Commonwealth, and during the imperial era, it had the right to free migration to Britain. Although Britain later enacted immigration laws, there was an immigration treaty between London and Chang'an, allowing British people to freely migrate to SEA, and SEA people to freely travel to Britain, and Britain..."

Pointing out the window, Victor shrugged and said:
"The demand for manpower has never been met. Compared to the South Asians who are full of curry smells and various bad habits, as early as 25 years ago, a large number of SEA people began to come to Britain. At first, they were mostly employees of multinational companies, and later ordinary immigrants appeared. These people work in various fields. You may not know much about SEA..."

Victor turned his gaze away and looked at Hamk, saying:
“I used to study at university there. SEA has the highest birth rate of all developed countries. Families there often have five or more children. Even now, it still maintains a birth rate of 4.3. Last year, its population exceeded 170 million and its GDP exceeded 1.35 trillion US dollars.”

The baby boom generated by over ten million families over a period of more than a decade has resulted in a working-age population that is now larger than that of Britain, France, and West Germany combined.

As he recounted all this, Victor remained calm, simply stating a fact in a subdued tone:
“Over the past decade, more than 5000 million young people with at least a secondary education have entered the market, not only providing a strong impetus to its economic development, but also representing an opportunity for the entire Commonwealth. You know, they speak English just like us…”

When the word "English" was mentioned, Victor's expression became somewhat complicated.

“Unlike the older generation of immigrants, young SEA residents all speak English. In the classroom and in daily life, although English is not the national language, it has a great influence locally. And what has this brought?”

Facing Victor's gaze, Hamk replied:
“Immigrants, because they can speak English, so it is easier for them to immigrate to the UK.”

Now, Hamke seems to understand why there are so many SEA people here—because there are no language costs associated with immigration, just like when British people go to America and Americans go to Britain. Because there are no language costs, there are no inconveniences in life.

"It's not just the UK, but also Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and even South Africa. Because there's no language barrier, people go to London, Vancouver, and Sydney to work and live. In reality, it's not much different from migrating between cities within the country."

Moreover, their government encourages young people to travel abroad and supports them in working in these Commonwealth countries, so…

After a brief silence, Victor looked out the window again and said:
“In the UK today, and of course in Australia, the SEA people are the number one source of immigrants, and the quality of these immigrants far surpasses that of any other country. They neither smoke nor commit crimes, they work and pay taxes, and they are simply the epitome of the best citizens.”

If you were a British father-in-law, would you rather marry your daughter to them or to a South Asian man who smells like curry? Although Hamke didn't have a daughter, he had to admit that what Victor said was true—SEA immigrants were definitely high-quality immigrants.

"so……"

Victor looked at Hamk's report and said:
"What you see is a threat, a threat to American interests in Britain, but what is it really? It's just an inevitable flow within the Commonwealth. You should know that, according to some estimates, their population will exceed 2 million in the next 10 to 15 years, while correspondingly, Britain, Australia, and Canada all have labor shortages in the millions. In other words, in the next ten or twenty years, there will be a steady stream of SEA people coming to these countries, and London will be like that in a few decades..."

After a slight pause, Victor looked out the window again, took a deep drag of his cigarette, and said:
"Perhaps, there are people of SEA descent everywhere. On the streets of London, there are even more people speaking Mandarin than English. After all, for them, Mandarin is the real official language, while English is just the official convention common in the Commonwealth..."

Was Britain at that time still Britain?

Suddenly, Victor stopped talking. At that moment, he seemed to understand some of the British people's concerns. Just as some British politicians worried that if India did not become independent, Britain would one day become a "country filled with the smell of curry," wasn't Britain now heading towards becoming a "SEA-flavored Britain"?

"At that point, they might even put forward a SEA-born prime minister,"

Victor then stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and said:
"This reminds me of British history. England itself was inhabited by Anglo-Saxons. In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, conquered England, thus ending the Anglo-Saxon era and beginning the Norman dynasty..."

He paused briefly, then took out a cigarette from the pack, lit it, took another puff, and said:

"Now that there has been the first Norman conquest, perhaps in the near future there will be a second Norman conquest... only, it won't be by Normans anymore!"

This was no longer the second Norman conquest by the Normans.

What was the Norman Conquest?
It was not just a change of dynasty; it also fundamentally altered British politics, society, culture, and language, permanently reshaping the trajectory of England's development!
Hamke, who was familiar with British history, was well aware of this, but he did not connect the arrival of the SEA people with the Norman conquest.

"This seems a bit different."

"They are different; one is force, and the other is manpower."

Victor said dismissively:

"The ultimate result will be the same; like the Norman Conquest, it will fundamentally change British politics, society, culture, and, of course, language."

After a moment of deep thought, Hamke said:
"If all this happens, will they adjust London's diplomatic priorities?"

Why would he be worried about this?

Because Britain is the most important ally and the most important fulcrum of the United States in Europe, the situation would change if they became the most important ally of the SEA.

That's what he was worried about.

"By then, we may need to adjust our overall European strategy."

"By then..."

Victor glanced at his colleague and then said:

"By then, perhaps you and I will already be sunbathing in Florida!"

While talking about sunbathing, he shrugged and said:
"My friend, the world is not as complicated as we imagine. Just like back then, we considered Britain our hypothetical enemy, but later, in World War I and World War II, we saved Europe twice and became Britain's closest ally. Thirty or fifty years from now, whether Britain will be our ally, only God knows, just like..."

Victor continued:

"Many countries, including the SEA, may be our allies now, but what about the future? Perhaps one day, I mean one day, if the Soviet Union is gone, then who will be our enemy?"

Is it Britain, or SEA…?

"How could the Soviet Union not be here?"

Hamk's words made Victor shake his head and say:

"I'm just making assumptions, and what we can't change is that in the coming decades, SEA people will immigrate to these countries in large numbers, not just London, but also Australia, and even Canada. Maybe in a few decades, that's what it will look like there too, who knows?"
After all, the world is constantly changing.

(End of this chapter)