Chapter 826

Regardless of the true purpose of the Russians, the impact of the offensive and defensive battle in Andhuy was terrifying.

A bunch of experts and scholars who were not even as good as Franz jumped out one after another to point fingers, as if the flames of war would spread to India tomorrow.

The emergence of the telegraph brought the world closer together, and the negative public opinion in Europe also affected the public opinion in the United Kingdom. All of a sudden, the Government of the United Kingdom was under a lot of pressure.

"What happened at the front line? Why did we lose Andhuy? What's Patrick doing?"

The three consecutive "what" questions were enough to prove that Prime Minister Gladstone was in a very bad mood.

Afghanistan was not small, and Andhuy was not a core strategic location. Losing tens of thousands of square kilometers around Andhuy was not worth mentioning for the entire battlefield.

They had both lost cities and lost land, but losing a large piece of land right at the start of the battle was completely different from losing cities and losing land after a long and fierce battle.

Andhuy was lost as soon as the war started, and public opinion questioned the combat effectiveness of the British army. The opposition also took the opportunity to stir up trouble, causing Prime Minister Gladstone to be in a sorry state.

Minister of War Rosario replied angrily, "It's all because the Russians are too despicable. They launched a sneak attack before the news of the declaration of war reached the front line.

Our troops in the Regions of Afghanistan are busy annihilating the guerrillas, and because Andhuy is not of high strategic value, the deployment of troops there is limited, giving the Russians a chance to take advantage of it.

However, everyone can rest assured that Lieutenant General Patrick has given up on the previous plan to encircle and suppress the guerrillas, and has sent troops to reinforce the front line.

If nothing goes wrong, the front line should have been stabilized now, and we can launch a counterattack once our reinforcements arrive. "

It would have been better if he hadn't explained, but after hearing Patrick's explanation, everyone present felt even more uneasy.

Giving up on encircling and suppressing the guerrillas also meant that the besieged guerrillas could come out of the mountains. How could they rest assured that the Russian army was attacking from the outside, and the guerrillas were plundering from within?

How could they rest assured when the reinforcements arrived and counterattack? Ordinary people might be fooled, but the people present did not have that much confidence in their own troops.

Despite his suspicions, Prime Minister Gladstone still did not pour cold water on them. The war had already broken out, and they had to continue fighting.

"The situation on the battlefield is changing very quickly, and the Ministry of War has to take responsibility. It's been almost a month since the war started. Why haven't the reinforcements set off yet?"

Faced with the prime minister's accusation, Rosario bit the bullet and explained, "Prime Minister, there is a lot of preparation work that needs to be done.

Most of the soldiers had never been out to sea, and the Atlantic Ocean was very stormy. If they did not undergo training, there would be many non-combat casualties.

If possible, it would be best to use the Suez Canal. Not only does it take less time, but the waves are also light. "

It couldn't be helped. Even if they were a nation of the sea, it didn't mean that every British person was not seasick. Most of the soldiers had never left the British Isles.

It would take at least two to three months to travel from the British Isles to India. Without professional training, many people would not be able to hold on.

If the soldiers who had never been trained were forcefully sent onto the ships, the death rate would be very shocking. If the morale of the soldiers was destroyed halfway through the journey, how could they fight?

Foreign Minister George shook his head. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has communicated with France and Austria many times, and the results are not optimistic.

At the beginning of the opening of the Suez Canal, an announcement was made that the canal company would maintain absolute neutrality in times of war, and any military ships of the belligerent countries were prohibited from sailing. "

During normal times, Britannia's warships would not be able to sail through the Suez Canal, and would have to make a detour through the Cape of Good Hope.

For this reason, the British Foreign Office had made a lot of efforts, but to no avail.

On this issue, the governments of the Fao and Russia did not step forward at all, and pushed the problem to the canal company.

The initial capital of the canal company was provided by the governments of the Fao and Russia. In theory, it belonged to all the people of the two countries, and there were many strange regulations at the beginning of the listing.

For example, shares could only be circulated in the Fao and Russia; major changes in the company's operating philosophy had to be approved by the people of the Fao and Russia …

These provisions directly blocked the possibility of the British wanting to intervene in the canal. Even if they had money, they could not invest in the shares.

The principle of "absolute neutrality" was the core operating philosophy of the canal company. In order to let the canal company pass, the people of the Fao and Russia had to first agree.

This was a task that was simply impossible to complete.

The relationship between Britain and Austria was passable, but the government relationship was terrible. The United Kingdom and France were politically allied, but the relationship between the people was a mess.

It could be said that the Suez Canal was Britannia's eternal pain because it was not taken seriously at the beginning of the canal's opening, and then it had been in a passive state.

After a pause, Prime Minister Gladstone asked, "Can you persuade the Government of France to help, even if it costs a certain price?"

Rules were also set by people, and it was not impossible to circumvent them. Troop ships could not sail, but it did not mean that ordinary merchant ships could not sail.

At most, the weapons and equipment would go to the Cape of Good Hope. The soldiers would take off their military uniforms, board the merchant ships, and pretend to be guards to sneak in.

However, this was only for small troops. Tens of thousands of reinforcements would not work at all unless someone inside the canal company cooperated.

Foreign Minister George frowned and replied, "I'm afraid it will be difficult. Even if the Government of France is willing to help, it is difficult to guarantee that it will not be discovered.

Russia and Austria are allies. Once they find out something is wrong, they are likely to detain our soldiers.

The French are unreliable, and once the matter is exposed, the Government of Paris will not support us. "

There was no other way. Britain and France had been playing tricks on each other for hundreds of years. Even if they formed an alliance now, no one could guarantee that the French would not deliberately play tricks on them.

What if they reached an agreement with them, and then sold them out?

It was a characteristic of the times to eat one's dog after another. If the British soldiers were detained in the Suez Canal, the battlefield in Afghanistan would be finished.

In addition to the French restraining Austria, the alliance between the United Kingdom and France was more important to prevent the three countries from coming together.

Although the probability of such a thing happening was very small, the Government of the United Kingdom did not dare to take the risk. After all, in addition to interests, there was also hatred that affected national policy.

Britain and France were enemies. If the Government of France were to get hot-headed and run to join the Russo-Austrian Alliance, Britannia would be finished.

One only had to think about how the French financial community had issued war bonds for the Russians to know how unreliable the relationship between Britain and France was.

After weighing the pros and cons, Minister of War Rosario decisively chose to give up without waiting for the Prime Minister to say anything.

"There can be no accidents in the battlefield in Afghanistan. It's better for the reinforcements to go to the Cape of Good Hope. It's really not reassuring to pin our hopes on the French. "

…

In the new Palace of Versailles in Paris, Napoleon Iv was in a good mood as he watched the two annoying people, Britain and Russia, at each other's throats.

In order to provoke a war between Britain and Russia, the Government of France had also made a lot of efforts. However, it was done more covertly, and many people ignored the role of the Government of France in it.

Including the alliance between Britain and France and the issuance of war bonds for the Russians, these were only part of it.

Without the efforts of the Government of France, the Government of the United Kingdom would not have made up its mind to send troops to Afghanistan so quickly, and the Russians would not have sent troops to Central Asia. Naturally, there would not have been the current war between Britain and Russia.

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Karel Kadlec, said, "Your Majesty, both Britain and Russia are urging us to fulfill our obligations as allies."

The Government of France actually played dirty with the British, and secretly made a secret agreement with the Russians. If this news were to spread, the whole world would probably be shocked.

It was not completely without clues. Previously, the French financial sector issued war bonds for the Russians, which proved that there was a connection between France and Russia.

However, the Government of France did not participate, and the business was undertaken by the French consortium. It was not big news for the capitalists to do some strange things for the sake of profits.

Napoleon Iv sneered. "Tell the British that as long as Austria does not object, we will agree to their freedom of navigation in the Suez Canal.

If necessary, we can also send troops to the Regions of Afghanistan.

Considering that the logistics system is different, we have to be responsible for our own logistics. In order to facilitate supplies, let them provide us with a sea outlet in the Indian Ocean.

Tell the Russians that we will block the Suez Canal and prohibit British warships from using it.

As for the issue of sending troops, let them first convince the Government of Vienna. As long as Austria declares war on the British, we will immediately follow. "

The Government of the United Kingdom would welcome the French army to send troops to Afghanistan. However, it was impossible to provide the French with a sea outlet in the Indian region.

It was easier to invite a god than to send a god away. Once the French forces were in India, it would be difficult to expel them.

At that time, Britannia's competitors in India would not only be the Russian Empire, but also France and Russia, and perhaps Austria.

In the face of interests, nothing was impossible. As long as the Government of the United Kingdom was not stupid, it would not seek death.

The reply to the Russians was also perfunctory. The main reason why the British were not allowed to use the Suez Canal to transport troops was to give the Russians a greater advantage on the battlefield.

The war between Britain and Russia would only continue if the Russian Army occupied the Regions of Afghanistan and threatened the security of India.

Karel Kadlec, the Foreign Affairs Minister, braced himself and said, "Your Majesty, is this not a good reply?"