Time flew by, and in a flash it was 1885.

The shelved Near East development plan was launched again, and the world economy came out of the Great Depression and once again charged forward.

Everything was developing for the better, and in line with the principle of "only asking about big things", Franz, the emperor, was also idle.

Perhaps as he got older, Franz's hobbies changed. I don't know when I became obsessed with calligraphy.

The quill is obviously not suitable for calligraphy, so there is a scene of discord, and a Shinra emperor who practices calligraphy with a brush is born.

It's just a personal hobby, and there are many strange hobbies of European aristocrats, and in a large group, Franz's hobby is really nothing.

No minister is full of food and can't think of interfering in the emperor's daily life, and it is not the imperial history of the Ming Dynasty.

Not to mention changing a pen to write, even if it is a different palace to live, no one will come to Bibi.

The emperor's wallet and treasury have always been separated, and in a world where private property is sacrosanct, no matter how much it is tossed, outsiders cannot make irresponsible remarks.

Franz, who let himself go, had no scruples when he practiced calligraphy, and wrote whatever came to mind.

If you have a traveler, you will find that many famous sayings and poems in later generations appear very abruptly on the paper.

Fortunately, too much time has passed, and many of Franz's memories have been blurred, and the content often only one or two sentences are written, otherwise the original author will be confused.

……

Colonial Chancellor Stephen: "Your Majesty, a rebellion has broken out in the French Sudan region, and the rebels have occupied the Wadi Halfa region and are marching towards Egypt. ”

It has been a few days since a rebellion broke out in the French Sudan. It's just that this kind of colonial rebellion will happen every once in a while, and it won't be news until it makes a big fuss.

"Our people weren't involved, were they?"

Franz asked in a skeptical tone. In recent years, there have been too many cases of colonial empires stabbing each other, even if everyone signed a treaty and promised not to do anything.

That's limited to not doing things on the surface, and no one knows about it secretly, as long as you don't get caught, it's not a thing.

Colonial Minister Stephen thought for a moment and replied: "The colonial government did not support the rebels, and it is uncertain whether the civilian forces were involved or not. ”

This is a legacy of colonial expansion. Austria had more than 1,000 colonial powers, large and small, and dozens of them in the French Sudan.

The government's management of these groups is limited to cities and areas that have been localized, and other places where everyone is free to play.

As long as it does not harm national interests, foreign expansion is legal. The premise is that the colony team can take down the territory on their own and hold it.

The African continent has been carved up, and the only way to make a contribution is to turn the gun on other colonial empires.

Everyone has been gearing up for many years, but the central government does not allow it. Without the support of the state, they ran to challenge a colonial empire, and the average person was not so iron-headed.

If you can't go directly, it's not the same to do things in secret. Now, for example, if the French can't put out the rebellion, everyone's chance has come.

Anyway, the African continent is so big, and parts of French Egypt + Sudan have a total area of more than 2 million square kilometers. Cut a small piece from it, and it would be enough to feed a colony team.

Something like this happens all over the world. The major colonial empires are trying to exercise restraint as much as possible, and colonial conflicts are still emerging one after another, most of which are caused by civilian colonial teams.

Franz said indifferently: "Forget it, as long as the colonial government is not involved." If the civilian colonization team wants to go, let them go.

Just a test to see what kind of French people are. The French government has been very busy lately, as long as they don't get caught with the evidence. ”

This "busy" naturally refers to the first foreign war provoked by the French invasion of Annam and the succession of Napoleon IV to the throne, and the performance of the French army did not meet expectations.

Now it's time for the Mahdi uprising, enough for the Parisian government to drink a pot.

If the rebels could not be kept out of Egypt, the losses of the French would be great.

In case the rebels could not think of it, they destroyed the cotton plantations in Egypt, and the cotton textile industry in France was about to suffer a heavy blow.

At this time, the cotton textile industry was the most important industry in France, and one-fifth of the industrial workers in China depended on the upstream and downstream of this industrial chain to live.

If something goes wrong, the entire French industrial system will be affected. Not only France, but also all industrial countries have a large proportion of the textile industry.

In addition to the cotton region, there is also the Suez Canal, which is the lifeblood of France. If the rebels were to hit the river and threaten to blow up the river, the Paris government would have a headache.

Perhaps before the rebels blow up the river, the international intervention forces will come first.

In order to meddle in the Suez Canal, the British did not know how much effort they wasted, but they were unsuccessful, and the opportunity to send it to the door was naturally impossible to miss.

Even the talkative-looking Austrian government doesn't mind monopolizing the Suez Canal.

It was the British who were worried about these problems, and in order to keep the cotton production area and the Suez Canal, the British government also made compromises with the local power faction in Egypt.

Without the support of the Egyptians, the Mahdi rebels held out alone for seven years before being extinguished by the British. Even the British governor in Sudan was killed by the rebels.

The same thing could not have happened on the French side.

The French government adopted direct administration of the colonies, and the local forces, led by the king of Egypt, had long been suppressed.

Even the Egyptian royal family was relocated to live in Paris, and received a boxed lunch during the recent Paris Revolution.

There is no doubt that now the French can only go into battle to suppress the rebellion in person. It is also necessary to show the prestige of the French army, and if there is another incident in Indochina, the foundation of the French Empire will be unstable.

The prestige of the French army is built up by one victory after another, and a single defeat can be an accident, but a series of defeats is not an accident.

Without the strength of the world's first army, how could France compete with Austria in the situation of political diplomacy, industrial economy, resources and territory?

Colonial Chancellor Stephen: "I'm afraid that's not enough. Unless we or the British do everything we can to support the rebels, we won't be able to do it with that rabble. ”

Franz nodded, although the training mode and mobilization mechanism of the French Army are behind the times, they have to admit that they are still the world's first-class army.

The main reason why the Mahdi uprising was able to hold out for so long was that the British had very weak control over the area, and the British army stationed in the Sudan area was less than a regiment.

It was different for the French, French Egypt alone could pull out fifty or sixty thousand troops, including one main division of the French army.

"There is no need, no matter how much you support them, they are no match for the French. Now is not the time to turn the other cheek, perhaps let the British give it a try. ”

……

Paris, receiving two pieces of bad news in quick succession, poured cold water on the ambitious Napoleon IV.

Annan is thousands of miles away, even if he suffers a little loss, it is only a small problem. But Egypt is different, the most important colony in France.

"Have you found out, who is behind it?"

The rebels did not stay in Sudan to claim hegemony, but instead fought all the way to Egypt, and if there was no international power to manipulate it, Napoleon IV would not have been killed.

Home Secretary Addison replied cautiously: "Based on the information we have gathered, it is certain that the weapons in the hands of the rebels are imported from the inland areas, from the British and Austrian colonies.

Whether it was planned by the civilian colonial team or the conspiracy of the two governments, we do not have enough evidence, and we cannot determine for the time being. ”

This is not the answer, it is the standard answer. Britain, France and Austria are the three countries that have the strength to do things in the Sudanese region, and apart from themselves, Britain and Austria are all suspects.

You don't need evidence, you can directly lock on to the target, and you don't need to worry about wronging a good person at all.

It is useless to determine the target, and without sufficient evidence, the British and Austrian will definitely not admit it. It serves no purpose other than wasting time on diplomatic rambling.

After suppressing the anger in his heart, Napoleon IV sighed and said slowly: "Forget it, this account will be recorded first, and then it will be settled with them later."

The governor of Egypt was ordered to immediately send troops to suppress the rebellion, and the rebels must not be allowed to enter the heart of Egypt. ”

……