The episodes in North Africa did not affect the European continent, and there were very few newspapers that reported the news of the rebels.

This was the time when the European people were at their height of arrogance, and they were completely indifferent to colonial rebellions in the backwoods.

The rebellion in the Egyptian colony has not been put down for a long time, and this kind of embarrassing thing is too late for the French government to block the news, so naturally it will not be publicized to the outside world.

Because of its own involvement, it is also difficult for Yingao to lift the lid. Other countries want to see the French laugh, but no one wants to do it.

Not being able to see the jokes of the French in Africa does not prevent everyone from revealing the scars of the French army in Annam.

Nearly 20,000 French troops were in a gang...... Failed to win, like a resounding slap in the face, slap Napoleon IV in the face.

"Waste, it's all a bunch of waste! The face of the French army has been disgraced by them, and they are raised ......"

"Give me more troops immediately, I'm going to let ......"

……

Under the roar of the emperor, everyone tacitly bowed their arrogant heads.

If it is said that the battlefield was lost at the beginning, it was just that the French army was not prepared and was taken by surprise by the enemy; If you continue to lose now, there is no way to defend yourself.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Roy Vernon persuaded him: "Your Majesty, Annan is too far away from us, and the cost of the expedition is too high, and the continued increase in troops is no longer worth the cost." ”

As a colonial empire, the most important thing is to weigh the pros and cons. Colonies were created to make money, and cost control was a necessary factor.

All the supplies sent to Annam had to be transported from the mainland, and the cost of fighting was nearly three times that of the local operation.

The defeat in the early stage has proved that the enemy is not easy to provoke, and another increase in troops may not be able to achieve victory. Even if the war can be won, the military expenditure will be astronomical.

These huge military expenditures, if they want to be recovered through the operation of the colony, are simply not possible to be completed in a short period of time, and the return on investment is too low.

Napoleon IV said unequivocally: "No! Now all the countries of Europe are watching our jokes, and if we stop at this time, how can we still gain a foothold in the world......"

There are too many cases of colonial failures, the most recent of which was the British invasion of Afghanistan, spending hundreds of millions of pounds on military spending, and finally returning in vain.

However, this does not apply to France. The hat of the world's number one army power is both an honor and a burden.

This was just the beginning, and rumors of the French Army not being worthy of the name emerged in the European world. From the end of the war against France, the French army lacked a good record.

Now if the French government gives up, the outside world will not care about the reason for their abandonment, but will only say: the French army is abolished, and even a bunch of ...... I can't beat it.

Once the cognition is broken, the invincible momentum of the French army will be gone. Napoleon IV had studied military affairs and was well aware of the importance of the "military spirit".

Today, unlike in the past, the Austrians on the opposite side are no worse than the French army in terms of weaponry and training, and the only advantage of the French army is the military spirit forged in the Napoleonic era.

The great achievements of the French army in history made every French soldier think that he was the strongest, and he had a psychological advantage against any enemy on the battlefield.

Without the spirit of the army, the French army would be no different from the ordinary armies of Europe, and France would lose its strength to coerce the European continent.

If you can't let it go, it will be very difficult to continue the war, and for a time the French government will fall into the embarrassing predicament of riding a tiger.

Foreign Secretary Terence Bulkin proposed: "Your Majesty, according to information from the Far East, the enemy has already made a request for peace talks with us.

It is better to use diplomatic means to solve the Annan problem first, and wait for the suppression of the Egyptian rebels before going to settle accounts with them. ”

(Note: The economy of Sudan is relatively poor, and France has set up a Viceroyalty in Cairo, which includes French Sudan and Egypt)

Proposing a diplomatic solution to the problem, Terence Bulking is naturally not without purpose. It is precisely because of his understanding of the enemy that he will take the initiative to take on this seemingly "tricky" task.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Roy Vernon, chimed in: "The Marquis is right, the priority is to concentrate on resolving the Egyptian rebellion.

This rebellion in Egypt, with the support of Britain and Austria, was absolutely extraordinary.

Egypt is our most important colony, and once we let the rebels flow into the delta, our losses will be great. ”

When it comes to the cotton plantations and the Suez Canal, Egypt's importance to France cannot be overstated.

Faced with the harsh reality, Napoleon IV also had to make a multiple-choice question.

"Well, the Annan issue will be handed over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs first. Urge the governor of Egypt to send troops to suppress the rebels as soon as possible. ”

……

While the French were having a headache, the London government was also in trouble.

After the end of the war in the Near East, the tsarist government received a large amount of revenue, and the financial pressure was greatly reduced.

Without any surprise, the hairy bear, which had just gotten rid of its financial predicament, became restless again and made small moves in Central Asia.

After settling a group of hateful immigrants into Siberia, the Russians found it a waste of money.

In order to save valuable money, the unscrupulous Russian bureaucrats directly deported the immigrants to Central Asia.

If it was just this little thing, it would not be Prime Minister Gladstone's turn to worry about it, and the khanates of Central Asia would have taken care of it themselves.

The point is that the Russians are constantly making small moves in the border area, today the Russian army comes to snatch a few sheep, and tomorrow the Russians come to snatch a few horses......

In particular, last month, the Russians moved several Cossack tribes over and seized a large area of the steppe.

Several small countries in Central Asia do not have the courage to confront the Russians, so they can only find the boss.

George, the foreign secretary: "The Foreign Office has already negotiated with the Russians, and the results are very not optimistic.

The tsarist government not only refused to recognize the fact of crossing the border, but also insisted that they were operating only on their own territory and warned us not to interfere in their internal affairs.

Perhaps it won't be long before another war breaks out in Central Asia. With the strength of a few khanates in Central Asia, I am afraid that it will not be able to withstand the advance of the Russians. ”

Feng Shui takes turns, and it has always been the British who play hooligans, and now they have met opponents.

Prime Minister Gladstone slapped the table: "Damn Russian barbarians, how dare you provoke Britain like this, we must give them some color." ”

He was really angry, even if he was talking nonsense with his eyes open, there had to be a limit.

When the evidence was caught, the Russians not only did not admit it, but instead beat it up, which made Gladstone feel that the dignity of the British Empire had been challenged.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Childers reminded: "We can't actually do anything, we imposed sanctions on the tsarist government three years ago when it announced that it had defaulted on its debts.

As a result, it did not work at all, the Royal Navy could not enter the Baltic Sea, let alone blockade the Black Sea.

Most of the shipping operations of the Russian Empire were undertaken by the Nordic Confederation and Austrian enterprises, and the Royal Navy could not do anything if it did. ”

Interests are always the best link, and the Nordic Confederation originally wanted to seek the bad luck of the tsarist government in retaliation for the Russians' failure to fulfill their agreements.

However, relations were quickly restored after the Nordic Confederation was compensated by the Russians for a large amount of shipping business through the mediation of the Vienna government.

No matter how much the British warn, they cannot delay the enterprises of the two countries from making money. You can't just turn your face with the two countries for this little thing, right?

After holding out for several months, the London government, seeing that it had no effect, had to revoke the blockade order against Russia.

Every time I think of this, Xiaoji Childes can't help but complain about the previous governments: my brain is full of water.

On the one hand, he supported the Pop Federation, and on the other hand, he lent money to the Russians, and finally defeated the little brother of the Pop Federation, and he owed a lot of debts and could not fulfill the contract, and the Russians directly relied on the debt.

Of course, the economic losses were barely made up, and at least the pound had a long lead over Aegis.

Unfortunately, this was a thing of the past, and after the Russo-Prussian War, the tsar decisively abandoned the pound sterling and held the Aegis, and the battle for monetary hegemony took another turn.

Compared with the economic capital preservation, the political loss is fatal, and without the pawn of the Pop-Po Confederation behind it, the British government has completely lost its ability to restrain Austria.

The biggest sequelae was the destruction of the Ottoman Empire, and the situation in Europe was completely out of the control of the British government.

Gladstone nodded: "Of course I know this, but now we have to do something to show the khanates of Central Asia that we are determined." ”

It's not easy to be the boss, and you have to come out when it's time to come out. Otherwise, the little brother will be cold, and it will be difficult to fool people later.

Foreign Secretary George reminded: "Your Excellency, what the countries of Central Asia need is substantial support.

Instead of sanctioning the Russians, it is better to arm the countries of Central Asia. Even if they are no match for the Russians, they will at least be able to inflict greater losses on the Russians.

The Russian Empire is now weak, they cannot afford massive losses, otherwise it would not be a temptation now.

As long as the Central Asian countries show a certain strength, I believe that the tsarist government will make the right choice. ”

Although several younger brothers in Central Asia have been supported by the British government, the talent attributes of John Bull's teammates have exploded. While supporting the countries of Central Asia, we have not forgotten to limit the growth of their strength.

For example, sowing discord between Central Asian countries and deliberately antagonizing and containing each other; Discounted when training the army......

In this way, the younger brothers don't have to worry about getting bigger. But the expectation that they would stop the Russians and guard the northern gates of India has also come to naught.

After a moment of silence, Gladstone: "Sounds like a good idea, but how do you make sure it's implemented smoothly?" ”

After a pause, Gladstone continued: "Have you noticed that this conflict in Central Asia is very abnormal, there is no sign beforehand, and it broke out too suddenly.

I have an ominous feeling that someone behind this is deliberately manipulating us to put us in front of the Russians. ”

Politicians also talk about feelings, and in many cases, personal feelings are also an important factor in influencing strategic decisions.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Xiaoji Childers smiled: "I don't think it matters, whether or not someone is manipulating behind the scenes, on the issue of Central Asia, we will have to face the Russians sooner or later."

If I had to find someone behind it, I guess the Austrians were the only ones who had the strength. ”

Foreign Secretary George replied: "I don't think you need to guess this question, just look at the current international situation."

We were in trouble at the same time as the French and the Russians, and it was the Austrians who benefited the most.

If this series of events is all a coincidence, then God is too favored by Austria. ”

Speculation is speculation, not to mention that there is no evidence, even if evidence is found, what should be done.

After sighing, Gladstone said solemnly: "Send someone to investigate, even if you change the outcome and get evidence, it can worsen Russian-Austrian relations."

Where is it on the Egyptian side?

If there is no hope, we can give up for the time being, now is not the time to weaken France. ”

Contradictory plans have reappeared.

On the one hand, if you want to maintain the balance of the European continent, you can't weaken the French; On the one hand, if they want to find an opportunity to intervene in the Suez Canal, they must do something in Egypt.

As for the destruction of cotton plantations, the crackdown on competitors, and the creation of opportunities for domestic industrial and commercial exports, they can only be regarded as incidental.

George shook his head: "Lieutenant General Geret has already handed over the battle plan to the rebels, and material aid has also been given.

Even if we stop now, the French will not be grateful to us, but will miss the opportunity. ”

……