I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 738 Wishful Thinking
Fuad, who was about to become the King of Egypt, was not a pure Egyptian. He was exiled to Naples, Italy with his father when he was young and could not even speak Arabic.

This is why Britain chose Fuad to be the King of Egypt.

Fuad was married twice. His first wife was his cousin, Princess Shivakir Efendi. They had a son and a daughter, but the son died young.

1919年5月24日，福阿德和比他小26岁的娜兹莉结婚，次年2月11月，他们的儿子法鲁克出生。

Fuad was an idealistic man. He founded Cairo University in 1908 and was the first president of Cairo University.

During the independence negotiations with Britain, Fuad highlighted the Suez Canal and actively fought for Egypt's rights.

Britain ignored Fuad's pleas and continued to maintain the status quo.

Fuad was powerless and had to accept reality.

Egypt's strength alone is indeed no match for the enemy.

On February 2, Fuad officially became the Sultan of Egypt.

On March 3, Fuad changed Sultan to King and officially ascended the throne.

Although Egypt was independent, its military and diplomacy were still under British control. The Canal Zone was still a country within a country in Egypt, and Alexandria was still the base of the British Mediterranean Fleet.

On March 3, Nasser, Egypt's representative to the League of Nations, formally proposed at the League of Nations General Assembly that Britain immediately withdraw its troops from Egypt and hand over the Canal Zone to Egyptian management.

Edward Grey reiterated that according to the contract signed between the Canal Company and the Egyptian government, the Canal Company's management rights should continue until 1957.

Nasser then proposed that the canal company share the profits generated by the canal with the Egyptian government in accordance with the contract.

Edward Grey immediately switched to pretending to be dead and returned to London the next day due to illness.

I quit, you guys can do whatever you want.

Nicholas the Younger supported the Egyptians with actions and proposed sending League of Nations troops to Egypt to take over the management of the Suez Canal.

The proposal was not passed as the UK opposed and France and Italy abstained.

On March 3, the Suez tanker, loaded with 17 tons of oil, ran aground while passing through the canal.

This has made the shareholders of the canal company very anxious. No matter which direction the wind blows, I will remain unmoved.

The tonnage of the "Suez" is too large. Once it sits in the canal, not only can't ships but even fish can't swim through.

The canal's daily tolls alone amount to millions of francs, which not only makes the canal company's shareholders anxious, but also affects the entire European economy.

The Canal Company asked the Mediterranean Shipping Company, to which the "Suez" belonged, to find a way to get the ship away as soon as possible and to compensate the Canal Company 100 million francs per day for the losses caused to the Canal Company during the suspension of navigation.

Now the Mediterranean Shipping Company is not happy with this.

Before entering the Suez Canal, the "Suez" was inspected by the canal company and confirmed that it could pass through before entering the canal.

The "Suez" strictly followed the pilot's navigation during its passage and did not commit any violations, so the grounding was not even the responsibility of the Mediterranean Shipping Company, but the responsibility of the Canal Company.

The Canal Company sent people to investigate and found that it was indeed as the Mediterranean Shipping Company said.

Further investigation revealed that the staff who had inspected the "Suez" at that time had disappeared.

The canal company then insisted that the missing staff members were silenced.

The Mediterranean Company fought back, claiming that the grounding of the Suez was a conspiracy of the Canal Company.

The Canal Company is not afraid that the Mediterranean Company will not pay compensation, it will just seize the ship.

But then, the matter became more complicated than anyone expected.

The Mediterranean Shipping Company was registered in France, its owner was an American, the ship was leased from Russia, the oil was from the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, and the captain and sailors were all Italians.

A small ship actually involved the four permanent members of the League of Nations and the most powerful industrial country in the world.

The canal company was totally confused. I just wanted to rely on the canal to collect tolls safely and securely. Who did I offend?

In order to avoid economic losses, the Dolgorukov Shipping Company, the owner of the Suez, warned the Canal Company and the Mediterranean Company that they could deal with the matter however they wanted, but they must compensate for the losses caused to the Dolgorukov Shipping Company.

It would be easy to deal with if they don't have to pay compensation. There are still 30,000 tons of oil on the Suez, and no one can take it away.

As soon as the Dolgorukov family expressed their stance, Dassis, who had been tortured to the brink of collapse by the horse bandits, suddenly became angry: Whoever dares to touch my oil, I will fight him!
From March 3th to March 17th, a whole week, the Canal Company and the Mediterranean Company had been arguing with each other, but the Suez did not move at all.

On March 3, Nicholas the Younger once again fired at Britain in the League of Nations, saying that if Britain could not solve the problem as soon as possible, Russia could help blow up the ship.

Clemenceau and the Italian representative to the League of Nations also asked Britain to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Adam Walton, the British Deputy Ambassador to the League of Nations, said that our boss is not here, so we will talk about it after he comes back.

The biggest sufferers from the canal blockage are not the shareholders of the canal company, but Russia and the countries surrounding the Mediterranean.

This time, the UK has really aroused public anger.

Adam Walton was also helpless.

The blockage of the canal also had a serious impact on the British economy. Since the Suez ran aground, the British government has also been actively working to get the Suez out of the way.

A British construction company suggested that as long as the oil on board the Suez was removed, the Suez could escape by relying on its own buoyancy.

This plan was opposed by Dolgorukov and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

Dolgorukov placed his hopes of making up for his losses on the oil on the Suez.

If the oil is taken away, who will compensate for the losses of Dolgorukov Shipping Company?
Darcis said: Whoever dares to touch my oil, I will fight him to the death!
You have to try your best.

After the attack, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company's revenue plummeted and it has not resumed production to date. The oil loaded on the "Suez" is Dasis' last hope. If the oil cannot be sold, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company will go bankrupt.

In order to protect the oil on the "Suez", Dacis ignored the oil wells and sent Lieutenant Colonel Henry to lead mercenaries to the "Suez", and did not allow anyone to board the ship.

In order to protect its own interests, the Dolgorukov Shipping Company also sent a team of Cossacks to the Suez.

In order to protect its own interests, the Mediterranean Company hired a team of French Foreign Legion to be stationed next to the Suez.

The Italians were the most cowardly. As soon as the Suez ran aground, the captain and sailors scattered, acting in a free and undisciplined manner.

The three armies were all next to the "Suez", surrounding it so tightly that even the experts invited by the Canal Company could not get close to the "Suez".

On April 4, a full month had passed since the Suez ran aground, and there was still no sign of the problem being resolved.

When the Suez first ran aground, if all parties had made appropriate concessions and pumped out the oil, the Suez might have had a chance of escaping.

Now, as time goes by, the losses caused by the canal blockage to all parties are becoming more and more serious, and the cost of solving the problem is getting higher and higher. The Times described the "Suez" as a hemangioma that blocked the beating of the world's heart.

On April 4, Anglo-Persian Oil Company declared bankruptcy due to operational difficulties. The value of its stock plummeted and no one was interested in it.

The Anglo-Persian Oil Company is now a mess and no one dares to take it over. Once they do, they will not only have to deal with endless horse bandits, but also the huge debts left by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

At the same time as the Anglo-Persian Oil Company went bankrupt, the stock price of the Suez Canal Company also began to fluctuate.

When the Suez ran aground, most people were just watching the fun and did not realize the seriousness of the matter.

It's just stranded. Can't we just find a way to get the ship away?

As time went by, the canal crisis was not only not resolved, but intensified, and the British, Russian, and American governments all intervened.

The first to take action was the British government.

On April 4, the British government issued an ultimatum to the Suez Canal Company, stating that if the Suez Canal Company still could not remove the "Suez", the British government would take tough measures.

The canal company's stock price rose in response.

On the 21st, Constantinople and Washington issued separate statements that resolving the canal crisis should not harm the interests of related companies.

McMahon, who was ordered to deal with the canal crisis, was at a loss.

To resolve the canal crisis, the Suez must be removed.

If you want to get rid of the Suez, you must first pump out the oil on the ship.

If you want to pump oil, you must first obtain the consent of the Dolgorukov family and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

Wait, didn’t the Anglo-Persian Oil Company go bankrupt?

The Anglo-Persian Oil Company went bankrupt, but the company's shareholders were still alive and they were still counting on the oil on the Suez to make up for their losses.

Coincidentally, the shareholders of the Canal Company and the shareholders of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company are the same group of people.

There was no need for McMahon to take action, the shareholders of the Canal Company and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company could fight each other.

These people are all nobles in the British House of Lords.

On the 25th, McMahon proposed a plan to get the "Suez" out first, and then discuss how to compensate for the losses of all parties.

Dolgorukov Shipping Company proposed that Dolgorukov be responsible for pumping the oil out of the ship.

The Canal Company and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company strongly objected. If you take the oil away, who will compensate for our losses?

Mario spread his hands and said, "Your losses were caused by the Mediterranean Company. Every wrong should be dealt with by the perpetrator."

McMahon went to the Mediterranean Company, but it had already closed down.

Witt was not too happy with the American's performance.

George doesn't care.

As part of the pledge, Russia and the United States will subsequently share the profits based on the contributions made by both sides.

Since the Americans have contributed little, they will not be able to interfere in the future jurisdiction of the Suez Canal. At most, they can get dividends like the French.

Of course, it is wishful thinking to take half like the French.

(End of this chapter)