Wild North America 1846

Chapter 576 International Response
"Since the French are causing the trouble, let them clean up their own affairs. It is not appropriate for London to show a clear inclination on this issue, lest it be misinterpreted by all parties, and it will make people inside and out.

That...supply port Chennai or Singapore can cause trouble for the Easterners.Hmm... Forget it, don't worry about it. "

Prime Minister Lord William Ewart Gladstone had just made a decision, shook his head and reversed it himself, simply because it would not help.

The Tang Empire's expeditionary fleet carried so many cargo ships and troop carriers, including coal carriers, they just used the calm anchorage of the port to replenish fuel, and by the way, replenish some fresh vegetables and fruits and clean water.

If they make things difficult for them, it is impossible to cause the expedition fleet to give up halfway, at most it will increase some difficulties.

It's best not to do this kind of half-tone thing, and do it absolutely if you want to do it.

"What do you think, my dear Sir Cecil?"

The prime minister's question was thrown to Colonial Secretary William Cecil, and William Cecil's answer was very straightforward, saying: "They can be allowed to occupy the Port of Suez, but they cannot get their hands on Cairo and Alexandria. This should be our bottom line."

As expected, he was a veteran colonist, and he pointed out the essence of the problem.

The Suez Canal is the dividing line between Asia and Africa, as well as the most direct water channel between Asia, Africa and Europe, and its important strategic value is becoming increasingly apparent.

To the west of the canal is the low-lying delta of the Nile, and to the east, higher, is the rugged and arid Sinai Peninsula, an almost barren land of arid deserts and Gobis, devoid of any value.

Before the construction of the canal, the only significant settlement adjacent to it was the city of Suez.The other towns along the coast basically developed gradually after the canal was built, with thousands of people and hundreds of people. The population is relatively sparse and desolate.

The rich and populated area of ​​Egypt is located along the Nile River in the south. It has a long farming history of more than 3000 years and many historical sites. It is the essence of Egypt.

The Suez Canal starts from Port Said in the south and ends in Suez City in the north, and the more it goes north, the more desolate it becomes.

Topographically speaking, the terrain of Suez is composed of three shallow and water-filled depressions, namely Lake Manzala and Lake Timsah and Bitter Lake, which form a large and small continuous water area. , the Suez Canal passes through the Isthmus of Suez, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.

The ruler of Egypt, Ismail Pasha, insulted Datang lightly, and he will definitely pay the price for it. So the entrance to the Red Sea of ​​the Suez Canal in the north was occupied by Datang during the war. It is not an unacceptable situation.

After all, Datang is the second shareholder of the Suez Canal, holding 22% of the shares. Occupying this city with a population of more than [-] is enough to vent its anger.

If greed is not enough, trying to get involved in the traditionally rich and densely populated areas on both sides of the Nile River will touch the traditional interests of the British and French powers, which is another matter.

The British and French powers can be regarded as the lions on the Serengeti prairie in Africa. After hunting the wildebeest, they greedily eat the flesh and blood, but they are very wary of the approach of the opponent, and they will have habitual food protection behavior.

Datang's temporary occupation of the city of Suez is equivalent to drawing a piece of land far away in the desolate north of Egypt, temporarily threatening the vital interests of Britain and France.

Moreover, the Egyptian Pasha Ismail was lost, so there was no need to make drastic moves.

leave time
Some methods force Datang to leave Egypt. This is because Egypt is close to the Mediterranean Sea and has important geostrategic value for connecting Asia and Europe.Competitors who are close at hand will make countries such as Britain and France nervous, and they must move away to sleep peacefully.

For now, don't worry.

British Prime Minister Lord William Ewart Gladstone nodded in agreement, thought for a while, and ordered; "Tell the French through a suitable channel that Tang Dynasty is coming. Based on the close relationship across the Atlantic, we will Maintain a neutral non-interventionist position. As for what the French want to do, we remain neutral as well."

By this time, the cunning Brit hadn't forgotten to give the French a hand.

From the standpoint of the French, they were originally the instigators who encouraged Ismail Pasha to detain the Datang merchant ship in order to vent their anger.

Now that Datang is making a strong counterattack, it is impossible for the French to let go of their feelings and reason. Doing so is tantamount to ruining the last trace of incense.

Ismail Pasha was originally the owner of the top bag, but now he has got into trouble with the tyrannical Datang, France, the mastermind behind the scenes, will never do the embarrassing thing of doing nothing and patting his ass as far away from this trouble as possible Son, will you still be able to gain a foothold in the international arena after that?
Thinking of the troubled situation in France today, several people in the prime minister's office laughed at the same time, and they laughed so happily...

Paris
It was two days after President Thiers learned of the news that the Tang Empire's expeditionary fleet had dispatched troops. It wasn't because the French were slow to respond.Rather, the core problem in France at present is to solve the problem of the German occupation forces and huge war compensation, and restore the sovereignty of France as a normal country.

For all other issues, you have to stand back.

The smooth issuance of 20 billion francs of war bonds finally made President Thiers heave a sigh of relief, with a long-lost and rare smile on his face.

50 billion francs is indeed an astronomical figure for France.

According to the purchasing power of today's era, 50 billion francs is equivalent to about 12.5 billion taels of silver, or 12.5 billion Tang yuan, which is equivalent to 2.5 million pounds. This amount of money is enough to overwhelm the French finances.

Fortunately
The humiliation of being occupied by the German Empire aroused patriotic enthusiasm among the French people, and they enthusiastically purchased public bonds issued by the government. Seeing that the huge public debt of 20 billion is expected to be completed ahead of schedule, the joy of President Thiers can be imagined at this moment.

He has already planned to issue another 30 billion francs of public debt next year. After paying the huge war compensation, those hateful Germans will leave the land of France, and there is no reason to continue to illegally occupy it.

After recuperating, France will surely regain its former prosperity.

At this moment

The news of Datang's expedition to Egypt came, which made President Thiers lose his mind for a moment.

Since he has been concentrating on domestic affairs for the past few months, he doesn't understand the ins and outs of this matter, so he asked with a blank expression; "God, what is this for?"

The senior secretary of the presidential palace did not dare to hide anything, so he explained it like this, which immediately aroused the anger of President Thiers. He waved his hands a little madly and asked;

"It's unbelievable, what a bunch of idiots, is there no one to stop this ridiculously clumsy little trick?
Apart from embarrassing the Easterners, does the seizure of Datang's merchant ships have any substantive effect?
It's all right now, it's an excuse to be caught mad.

What is the most urgent thing in France right now?
Let those barbaric Germans leave here, stop the rampant large-scale smuggling, re-gather the confidence of the domestic people, and restore order and complete sovereignty to France. This is the most urgent task.

What the hell is going on in this world...why no one thinks about the country, whether we still have the ability to help our Egyptian friends? "

None of the senior aides could answer the president's questions, so they could only keep silent while looking at each other.

Fortunately, President Thiers didn't need them to answer, but sat down on a chair with a tired expression, waved his hand and said, "Please let Marshal Bejou come to me, and Mr. Fisher, Minister of Foreign Affairs, I'm right here Wait, let's go!"

"Please wait a moment, Mr. President." The senior aides responded with a guilty conscience, and immediately took Xiao Pao out to find someone.

not long

Marshal Bejou and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fischer came hand in hand in a hurry. When they saw President Thiers whose expression had returned to normal, most of his heart was relieved.

"Mr. President, you..."

"Don't say those useless words. You all know about the Tang Dynasty's expedition to Egypt. Now let's talk about your thoughts. Do you want to save poor Ismail?"

"For the opinion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you can first negotiate with Datang to find out the ultimate purpose of their expeditionary fleet and the extent of their preparations, and then take targeted measures..."

"Okay, I understand, thank you, Minister Fisher." President Thiers interrupted him, nodded and replied; "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs can do the proposed things first, and now I want to hear about Berjoux Marshal's opinion, how many of us are there in Egypt?"

Marshal Bejou glanced at the Foreign Minister Fisher who was speechless, organized his wording before replying;

"Mr. President, there are more than 7300 French businessmen and adventurers living in Egypt. We also maintain a military force of 1.35 in this area, mainly located in Port Said on the Mediterranean coast, which is the northern end of the Suez Canal. This It is a military force capable of influencing the situation in the region."

"If France provides military instructors and arms assistance, can the Egyptian Governor Ismail drag this upcoming war into a stalemate?"

"It's hard to say. It has to be judged based on the actual situation of both sides. There are also unexpected factors such as the commander's decision-making and on-the-spot response. Overall, even with our help...the possibility of Egypt dragging the war to a stalemate is not high. More than [-]%. Unless France dispatches the foreign legion to fight with Egypt, the possibility of dragging the war into a stalemate will double."

"No...the French army will not directly participate in the war, it doesn't make any sense." President Thiers shook his head decisively, rejecting this possibility.

As the president of the provisional government who pulled France out of the quagmire, President Thiers' reputation rose steadily with the suppression of the Paris Commune unrest and the smooth issuance of 20 billion francs of public debt.It is expected to reach its peak after the withdrawal of the German Empire and become a celebrity of the era who saved the French nation from peril.

It occupies a place among the famous people of all ages in France who are as bright as stars.

From the perspective of personal political career;

At this moment, President Thiers is unwilling to cause more trouble, and then affect the most important issue of 30 billion francs in public bonds next year. redemption.

Besides, my family's mess has not been sorted out, and the finances owe astronomical national debts. How can I have the energy to take care of Egypt now?

Is it true that wars cost nothing?

in normal times

President Thiers really doesn't mind meddling in Egypt's war against Datang. In the past, France and the whole world took the initiative to provoke colonial wars. A match.

But not now. The timing, the situation in Europe and the financial situation do not allow France to continue to prosper. It is necessary to curb its habitual behavior of stretching out its claws and live a life of self-discipline.

(End of this chapter)