Wild North America 1846

"The Suez Canal must never become a weapon that threatens the empire. For these restless British guys, they must be beaten when they should be beaten, otherwise they will push forward endlessly." Yun Dan said in a firm tone.

The British have left and taken Sir Mike Lillard like a dead dog, who will die a miserable death as a foundling, such is the tragic fate of little people.

Taking advantage of the issue of the passage of the Suez Canal and taking the opportunity to make things difficult for the Tang Empire to show London's dissatisfaction is by no means a decision made by Sir Mike Lillard, but a higher-level figure.

How can He De, the chairman of a small canal company, have such courage?
He was just pushed to the foreground as an executor, and after the blackmail was fruitless, he was left as an abandoned son to let the Tang Empire vent its anger.

It is used to calm the current situation that is difficult to deal with. This is something that both countries know well.

Major General Fan Pengfei, Deputy Commander of the Expeditionary Force, nodded solemnly. Standing beside him were Brigadier General Zheng Huaishan, Commander of the Royal Navy's Red Sea Fleet, Brigadier General Meng Hu, Commander of the 4th Division of the Royal Navy's Marine War, and Colonel Pan Shouguo, who all nodded in agreement. Dao; "The humble ranks understand that they will not give an inch in matters related to the interests of the empire."

"Well, the British are used to bluffing, let's not take this kind of trick." His Highness Tang Li Xin said with his hands behind his back.

He walked a few steps in the room, then stopped, and continued to speak thoughtfully;

"On the issue of barrier-free access to the Suez Canal, communicate with the French and Germans as soon as possible, and bring them to talk with the British.

Hmm... Invite the Dutch and the Spaniards, and hold an international conference to finalize these matters as soon as possible, so as to avoid unnecessary complications.

On the issue of the Suez Canal, my Tang Empire had a head-on encounter with Egypt, the United Kingdom, and France. If this kind of matter is not handled properly, it will never end.

There must be an international rule to constrain it. It is better to do it sooner rather than later. Inform the Imperial Foreign Office to try our best to assist our expeditionary force in organizing this international conference. The sooner the better. "

"I obey you!" Colonel Pan Shouguo replied with a "ba" standing at attention and raising his hands in salute.

The generals looked at the young Prince with admiration in their eyes.

His Highness the Eleventh is the top choice regardless of his intelligence and courage. It is not easy to stand out among the princes and win the respect of the generals with his outstanding ability.

Only His Royal Highness Tang-Li Xin knows in his heart;

The decision to block the Suez Canal was a major decision made by the emperor himself, so what can he say?

Searching the entire Tang Empire, only His Majesty the Holy Emperor has the courage to fight the British to the end.

Now that the halo of glory is concentrated on him, it is because his majesty the father disdains these trivial things, so he acted in the name of the eleventh prince, making His Highness Tang Li Xin instantly famous at home and abroad.

in the European media
His Highness Tang-Li Xin has been called "Prince of War", "Cruel Bloodthirsty" and "Prince of Slaughter" in the European media.

After the Suez Canal incident, he was also known as the "Prince of Cold Blood". He was able to stand side by side with the famous "Blood Prince" of the German Empire, Prince Karl, and was recognized as a very talented new generation of military commanders of the royal families of various countries.

Sometimes these creepy titles aren't a bad thing.

since this time
His Highness Tang-Li Xin often felt bursts of warmth in his heart, which was the blazing care of the holy family.Even if it is thousands of miles away, you can still feel the affection of the father and the emperor.

Since the imperial army's expedition to Egypt, His Highness Tang Li Xin has received a greeting from his father almost every month. Sometimes it is only a few words, but it breaks his defense instantly.

such as;

"My emperor believes that during the expedition, I can sleep well, eat delicious food, and fight thousands of miles away from the empire... Is everything all right?"

"You can do whatever you want, do whatever you want, and I can handle it."

"I have read the previous matter, and from now on, such matters will be settled with one word, and there is no need to go up, I know all about it!"

It was because of the great support of his father that His Royal Highness Tang-Li Xin was able to flex his muscles without any scruples, broke through a situation in the Red Sea area abruptly, and won the title of "Cold-Blooded Prince".

His Highness Tang-Li Xin called everyone to sit down, and then asked, "General Fan, what do you think of the current situation?"

Fan Pengfei replied with a trace of helplessness in his tone;

"Your Highness, only when you are in Egypt, a strategically important place that travels from south to north, can you personally feel how complicated the political situation here is, and you just answered that sentence;

The little demon in the temple is windy, and the water is shallow.

No matter the big or small countries in Europe, they all intervene here, even the Kingdom of Belgium and the Kingdom of Portugal are no exception.

Every now and then, troubles will arise, and it is difficult to calm down.

Garrisoning the city of Suez is equivalent to standing on the cusp of the storm, attracting the attention of the world powers.

This is an extremely challenging task for the Royal Navy. "

"Hehehe...the last sentence points to the core of the problem. It is precisely because of this that the Great Tang Empire needs to be firmly rooted here and show a strong military presence." His Highness Tang-Li Xin took up the conversation, After looking around at the generals and officers, he continued speaking on his own;
"This is an important throat of the Eurasian route, with world-class strategic influence. Now that you have the opportunity to get involved here, you must not let it go.

We are different from the British and French powers. They can easily send military power to Egypt relying on the European mainland, and they have repeatedly competed for this hot spot.

And the nearest port of Houston in the Datang Empire is still 8000 kilometers away.

The new colonial area of ​​Yunzhong Province opened up in the rear will become the most reliable logistics base for the troops stationed in the front, capable of providing strong military, economic and material support.Let us take root firmly in the city of Suez, its importance can be seen.

From the perspective of geographical environment

Surrounding the city of Suez is an empty Gobi desert, completely invulnerable.The attacking army can come from all directions, and can only respond passively.

At the beginning, the Egyptians gathered 3.5 defenders, but they were still quickly defeated by the sharp guns of our expeditionary army. This is the best proof.

After repeated arguments;

Only by relying on the city and the three shallow and water-filled depressions in the periphery, namely, Lake Manzala, Lake Timsach and the Great Bitter Lake, to build a solid fortress area, can the long-term military defense in Suez City be well guaranteed. exist.

In view of this
The headquarters of the expeditionary force will be officially reorganized into the "Red Navy District of the Royal Navy of the Tang Dynasty", which will consist of four direct military units, the Suez City Garrison Command, the Yunzhong Provincial Garrison Command, the Red Sea Fleet and the Sanaa City Special Dispatch Team. Commander of the Military Region.

The Red Navy District will maintain a long-term presence in the Suez Canal area. For this purpose, the "Three Lakes Fortress Line of Defense" is being prepared. The specific plan has been approved by the Royal Navy Staff Headquarters.

Colonel Pan, please give a detailed introduction to the officers present here. "

Colonel Pan Shouguo stood up immediately after his name was called, raised his hand in a standard military salute, then picked up a slender baton from the side, and walked to the side of the large map of Egypt that the attendant officer had just unfolded.

He cleared his throat and said;
"Your Royal Highness, gentlemen;
The "Three Lakes Fortress Project" is an urban fortress system approved by the Royal Navy Headquarters and independently organized and constructed by the Red Navy District.

The plan will be built using Egypt's war reparations, with a construction period of 6 to 7 years, and will be gradually completed in two parts, the north and the south.

Ismail Pasha of Egypt promised to provide 6 Egyptian laborers as part of the war compensation for the construction of the Three Lakes Fortress, which has been approved by His Royal Highness the Prince.

The Three Lakes Fortress has two parts, one south and one north. The north is mainly based on the geographical characteristics of Manzala Lake, Timsah Lake and Dakuhu Lake. A relatively independent fortress, the High Castle, is built and guarded by the water.

In the north, it is planned to build 7 forts and high castles, which will be connected with each other by boats, called the "Big Dipper Fortress Group".

Each fortress garrisons ranging from a company to a battalion, equipped with heavy firepower such as artillery and heavy machine guns, can receive timely reinforcements from the main urban area during wartime, and can also fight independently.

The seven fortresses are not only independent fortresses, but also can form an organic whole, covering the northern peripheral defense line of Suez City, with extremely strong defense capabilities.

The south is an open Gobi Desert. According to the geographical conditions, three highlands are selected to build heavy forts, which can carry out firepower strikes both on the sea and on the land.

With these three highland forts as the core, deep moats, a city wall about 17.6 kilometers long, and 9 strong forts were built on the periphery, thus forming an expanded outer defense line on the south wing.

This is the outer part of the Sanhu fortress system, with a total of two fortress positions, one south and one north. After completion, it will provide a strong peripheral defense capability, which is enough to resist several times of enemy attacks.

on the basis of

The city of Suez will be used as the inner defensive line..."

Colonel Pan Shouguo used his slender baton to draw half a circle around the city of Suez, nodded the map and said;
"From now on, the peripheral buildings of the city will be constructed in accordance with the requirements conducive to defense, including peripheral warehouses, barracks, horse farms and other civilian buildings.

Reinforced concrete is required to be used in all cases, the walls facing the outside are thickened, and more shooting windows and muzzles are set up, which can be used as defensive fortresses in wartime.

The buildings along the outer circle are mainly in the shape of "冂", spliced ​​into a semicircular inner circle of defense lines, with openings facing inward.

And in the city, a spacious semi-circular road should be reserved for the convenience of military reinforcements and maneuvers during wartime, and the smooth delivery of materials. Everything is mainly conducive to combat.

After the entire Sanhu defensive fortress system was completed, there were about 1.6 defensive troops with the 10rd Royal Marine Division as the main force, and more than [-] militiamen fought together.It is enough to resist a large-scale attack of [-] troops, and persist for more than three to four weeks.

Such a long time is enough for Yunzhong Province's reinforcements to arrive at the front line one after another, dragging the war into a stalemate. "

"Clap clap clap..."

This detailed introduction drew warm applause.

The generals present were whispering among themselves, the atmosphere gradually became heated, and everyone's faces showed excitement.

In particular, Brigadier General Meng Hu, the commander of the 4th Division, was even more elated. He praised the defense system of the Sanhu Fortress and raised his hands in favor.

The family knows their own affairs.

The 4th Division of the Royal Marines was responsible for guarding the city of Suez, but this ruined place was unobstructed, and the enemy rushed into the city with a single charge, and there were no decent defense facilities at all.

Either line up and fight in the wild, or defend the building in the city and fight step by step. There is no third option.

It's okay to deal with a weak army like Egypt, but if it's against the armies of great powers such as Britain and France, there is basically no advantage in weapons and equipment.In the face of an absolute superior force, the battle is difficult to fight.

In the recent period, the United Kingdom has continued to increase its troops to the Suez Canal, and has resorted to various small moves to squeeze out the French army in Alexandria, and the friction between the two sides has continued.

look at this scene
It is estimated that the French army will be squeezed out before long, and the rest is the Tang Empire army on the other side of the canal.

For a military officer in charge of defense like Brigadier General Meng Hu, how could he not be worried?

Once the defense system of Sanhu Fortress is put into construction, it will be a reassurance that the enemy will no longer worry about it.

With 6 Egyptian laborers working together, it only takes one or two years for the construction of the fortress to see its prototype and begin to have certain defensive capabilities.

For example, the fortress group on the south wing took the lead in digging a deep trench and filling it with sea water. It has a good defense capability and can prevent the enemy from directly rushing into the city of Suez.

with only one deep trench

Including the garrison, Brigadier General Meng Hu is confident that he can defend twice as many enemies as himself (note; refers to the powerful European forces such as Britain, France and Germany), and of course he is beaming with joy.

His Highness Tang-Li Xin saw the enthusiasm of the generals, and unconsciously wore a faint smile on his face.

As the Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force of the Datang Empire, he could feel the heavy pressure on his shoulders, making it impossible for one to slack off for a moment.

The contention between Britain and France surrounding the Suez Canal has intensified, and the British political circles even called on Downing Street to take relevant countermeasures. action to gain absolute control".

Stanford, the British ambassador to Egypt, even told the British Foreign Office: "In order to make the navigation of the canal serve the UK, a British company should be established to control it."

The British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Volvo, also pointed out to the parliament that "the British government should not oppose the canal itself, but should oppose the control of the canal by France or Tang."

He repeatedly pointed out that the time had come for Britain to control the canal: "As long as Britain is in a dominant position at sea, we are more qualified than others to control the canal."

The British "Morning Post" once published an editorial saying: "The Suez Canal is the Dardanelles and the Strait of Gibraltar created by France in Egypt and controlled by itself. in the UK's interest".

Whether it is France or the Tang Dynasty, the management and control of the canal "is at odds with the interests of the United Kingdom", "it is a serious problem that cannot be tolerated", and "a cabinet meeting should be held in 1872 to discuss this issue."

"Datang's blatant closure of the canal is a serious violation of British interests and cannot be ignored."

British Prime Minister Lord William Ewart Gladstone believed that "the canal is controlled by Britain, and it is in the best interest of Britain to maintain the Eastern Road and the security of India."

He pointed out in the cabinet meeting; "You think about the extent to which the Suez Canal can be used to transfer soldiers and supplies to India during the war."

"Controlling the canal will ensure the unimpeded flow of routes between Britain and India. The British intention in the canal is to strengthen control."

"To ensure that no single power can close the canal to prevent British ships from passing, this incident should not happen again. The influence of Britain in Egypt should be balanced with that of France and Tang Dynasty in Egypt, and further, it should be dominant" .

All signs indicate
Britain will continue to strengthen its presence in the Suez Canal Zone. On the one hand, it will try its best to squeeze out France, and on the other hand, it will covet Datang's military presence in Suez City.

With such a neighbor who misses his yard all day long, it is an inevitable choice to build a courtyard wall for defense.