The episode in North Africa did not affect the European continent. There were only a few newspapers reporting on the rebel army.
Now was the time when the European people were at their most arrogant. They simply did not care about the colonial rebellion that occurred in remote areas.
The Government of France blocked the news of the Egyptian colonial rebellion, which was a disgrace that could not be quelled. Naturally, they would not disclose it to the public.
Ying Ao also could not open the lid because of his own involvement. Other countries wanted to see the French make a fool of themselves, but no one was willing to take the lead.
Not being able to see the French make a fool of themselves in Africa did not prevent people from revealing the scars of the French army in Annam.
Nearly 20,000 French troops did not even win against a group of … It was like a loud slap on the face of Napoleon Iv.
"Trash, all of you are a bunch of trash! The face of the French Army has been disgraced by them. Supporting them … "
"Give me more troops immediately, I want to let …"
…
Under the roar of the emperor, everyone tacitly lowered their arrogant heads.
If the defeat on the battlefield at the beginning was only because the French army was unprepared and caught off guard by the enemy, there was no way to defend themselves now that they continued to lose.
Roy Vernon, the Minister of Finance, persuaded, "Your Majesty, Annam is too far away from us. The cost of a laborious expedition is too high. Continuing to increase the number of troops is not worth the loss."
As a colonial empire, the most important thing was to weigh the pros and cons. Opening up a colony was to make money, and controlling the cost was a necessary factor.
All the materials needed to send troops to Annam had to be transported from the mainland. The cost of fighting was nearly three times that of fighting on the mainland.
The early failure had proved that the enemy was not to be trifled with. Increasing the number of troops might not be able to win. Even if they could win the war, the military expenses needed would be astronomical.
The huge military expenditure was not something that could be recovered in a short period of time through the operation of the colony. The return on investment was too low.
Napoleon Iv said unquestionably, "No! Now all the European countries are watching us as a joke. If we stop at this time, how can we stand in the world … "
There were too many cases of failed colonization. The most recent was the British invasion of Afghanistan. They spent hundreds of millions of pounds on military expenses, but in the end, they returned without success.
However, this did not apply to France. The title of the world's most powerful army was both an honor and a burden.
This was just the beginning, but the European world was already filled with rumors that the French Army did not live up to its name. Ever since the end of the war against France, the French army had been lacking in battle achievements.
If the Government of France were to give up now, the outside world would not care about the reason for their abandonment. They would only say that the French Army was useless and could not even defeat a bunch of …
Once this understanding was broken, the invincible momentum of the French army was gone. Napoleon Iv had studied military affairs before, so he was very clear about the importance of the "soul of the army."
Today was different from the past. The Austrians' weapons, equipment, and training were not inferior to the French army. The only advantage the French army had was the military spirit forged during the Napoleonic era.
The French army's glorious achievements in history made every French soldier think that they were the strongest. They had a psychological advantage against any enemy on the battlefield.
Without the military spirit, the French army would be no different from the ordinary armies in Europe, and France would also lose the power to suppress the European continent.
They could not let go, and they would be at a disadvantage if they continued the war. For a moment, the Government of France was in a difficult situation.
Foreign Minister Terence Burkin suggested, "Your Majesty, according to the news from the Far East, the enemy has already made a request for peace talks.
Why don't we use diplomatic means to solve the Annan problem first, and after suppressing the Egyptian rebels, we will settle the score with them. "
(Note: The Sudan region is relatively poor. France has set up a governor-general in Cairo, which has jurisdiction over French Sudan and Egypt.)
Proposing diplomatic means to solve the problem, Terence Burkin naturally had a goal in mind. It was precisely because he understood the enemy that he took the initiative to accept this seemingly "tricky" task.
Finance Minister Roy Vernon echoed, "The Marquis is right. The urgent task is to focus on solving the Egyptian rebellion.
The rebellion in Egypt this time has the support of Britain and Austria. It is definitely not an ordinary rebellion.
Egypt is our most important colony. Once the rebels escape to the Delta region, we will suffer a great loss. "
It involved the cotton plantations and the Suez Canal, the two lifelines, and Egypt's importance to France was self-evident.
In the face of the cruel reality, Napoleon Iv had to make a choice.
"Well, the Annan problem will be handed over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Urge the governor of Egypt to quickly send troops to suppress the rebels. "
…
While the French were having a headache, the Government of London was also in trouble.
After the end of the Near East War, the Tsarist government received a large amount of revenue, and the financial pressure was greatly reduced.
Unsurprisingly, the Hairy Bear, who had just gotten out of financial difficulties, became restless again and made small moves in Central Asia.
After settling a group of hateful immigrants into Siberia, the Russians found that it was a waste of money.
In order to save precious funds, the unscrupulous Russian bureaucrats directly expelled the immigrants to Central Asia.
If it was just a small matter like this, it would not be Prime Minister Gladstone's turn to worry. The Khaganates in Central Asia could handle it themselves.
The key was that the Russians kept making small moves in the border area. Today, the Russian Army came to steal a few sheep. Tomorrow, the Russians came to steal a few horses …
Especially last month, the Russians also migrated several Cossack tribes over and occupied a large grassland.
The small countries in Central Asia did not have the guts to confront the Russians, so they could only look for their big brother.
Foreign Minister George: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already negotiated with the Russians, and the results are not optimistic.
The Tsarist government not only refused to admit the fact that they crossed the border, but also insisted that they were only active in their own territory and warned us not to interfere in their internal affairs.
Perhaps it will not be long before war breaks out in Central Asia again. With the strength of a few Khaganates in Central Asia, I'm afraid they can't resist the Russians. "
Every dog has its day. The British had always been the hooligans, and now they met their match.
Prime Minister Gladstone slammed the table. "Damn Russian barbarians, how dare they provoke Britannia like this. We must teach them a lesson."
He was really angry. Even if he was lying through his teeth, there had to be a limit.
After being caught with evidence, not only did the Russians not admit it, but they also made false accusations. This made Gladstone feel that the dignity of the British Empire had been challenged.
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Childers reminded, "In fact, we can't do anything. As early as three years ago, when the Tsarist government announced a debt default, we took sanctions against them.
In the end, it didn't work at all. The Royal Navy couldn't enter the Baltic Sea, let alone block the Black Sea.
Most of the shipping business of the Russian Empire is undertaken by the Nordic Federation and Austrian companies. Even if the Royal Navy encountered it, there was nothing they could do. "
Interests were always the best bond. Originally, the Nordic Federation wanted to find bad luck with the Tsarist government to retaliate against the Russians for not fulfilling the agreement.
However, under the mediation of the Government of Vienna, the Nordic Federation received a large amount of shipping business from the Russians as compensation, and relations between the two sides quickly recovered.
No matter how the British warned, they couldn't hinder the companies of both countries from making money. They couldn't fall out with the two countries over such a small matter, right?
After persisting for a few months, seeing that it was ineffective, the Government of London had to lift the blockade order against Russia.
Every time he thought of this, George Childers couldn't help but complain about the previous governments: Their brains are filled with water.
On one hand, they supported the Pu Bo Federation, on the other hand, they lent money to the Russians. In the end, the Pu Bo Federation was defeated and owed a lot of debt. The Russians directly reneged on the debt.
Of course, the economic losses were barely made up. At least the British Pound Sterling had a lead over the Divine Shield for a long time.
Unfortunately, this was a thing of the past. After the Prussian War, Tsar decisively abandoned the British Pound Sterling and held the Divine Shield. The battle for currency hegemony took another turn.
Compared with the economic break-even, the political losses were more deadly. Without the chess piece of the Pu Bo Federation, the Government of the United Kingdom completely lost the ability to restrict Austria.
The biggest aftereffect was the destruction of the Osman Empire. The situation in Europe was completely out of the control of the Government of the United Kingdom.
Gladstone nodded. "I naturally know this, but now we must do something to let the Central Asian Khaganates see our determination."
It wasn't easy to be the boss. He had to stand up when it was time. Otherwise, if the younger brother became bitterly disappointed, it would be hard to fool others in the future.
Foreign Minister George reminded, "Prime Minister, what the Central Asian countries need is substantial support.
Instead of sanctioning the Russians, it is better to arm the Central Asian countries. Even if they are no match for the Russians, they can at least cause greater losses to the Russians.
The Russian Empire is weak now. They can't afford large-scale losses. Otherwise, this wouldn't be a test.
As long as the Central Asian countries show a certain amount of strength, I believe the Tsarist government will make the right choice. "
Although the Central Asian underlings were supported by the Government of the United Kingdom, the talent of John Bull's teammates still exploded. While supporting the Central Asian countries, they didn't forget to limit the growth of their strength.
For example: provoking the relationship between the Central Asian countries, deliberately pitting the countries against each other; training the army at a discount …
In this way, there was no need to worry about the underlings growing. But counting on them to stop the Russians and guard the north gate of India was also a dream.
After a moment of silence, Gladstone said, "It sounds like a good suggestion, but how do we ensure that it is implemented smoothly?"
After a pause, Gladstone continued, "Have you noticed that this conflict in Central Asia is very unusual? There were no signs beforehand, and it broke out too suddenly.
I have an ominous feeling. It seems that someone is deliberately manipulating us behind this, wanting us to go against the Russians. "
Politicians also relied on feelings. Often, personal feelings were also an important factor in influencing strategic decisions.
Minister of Finance George Childes smiled. "I don't think it matters. Whether or not someone is manipulating behind the scenes, we will have to go against the Russians sooner or later in Central Asia.
If we have to find someone behind the scenes, I guess it's the Austrians. Only they have this kind of power. "
Foreign Minister George replied, "I don't think there's a need to guess this question. Look at the current international situation.
We are in trouble at the same time as the French and Russians, and the Austrians are the ones who benefit the most.
If this series of events is just a coincidence, then God is too kind to Austria. "
Speculation was speculation. Not to mention that there was no evidence, even if there was evidence, they still had to do what they had to do.
After a sigh, Gladstone said seriously, "Send someone to investigate. Even if we can't change the outcome, the evidence can worsen the relationship between Russia and Austria.
How far had the Egyptian side progressed?
If there is no hope, we can give up for the time being. Now is not the time to weaken France. "
Once again, the contradictory plan appeared.
On the one hand, they wanted to maintain the balance of the European continent and not weaken the French; on the other hand, they wanted to find an opportunity to intervene in the Suez Canal, so they had to do something in Egypt.
As for destroying cotton plantations, attacking competitors, and creating opportunities for domestic industrial and commercial exports, it could only be regarded as incidental.
George shook his head. "Lieutenant General Jarrett has already given the battle plan to the rebels, and the material assistance has also been given.
Even if we stop now, the French will not be grateful to us, and we will miss the opportunity. "
…
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