The secret meeting between the Turkish envoys and the French military elite lasted until late that night, but, perhaps because specific strategic matters had already been agreed, Marshal Tréville left the conference room after dinner, and the next meeting was headed by the Minister of War, General Saint-Arnault, and no one questioned this, after all, the marshal was so old that there was no need for him to waste any more energy on the next little things. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

However, for the Special Mission, contact with the Tréville family did not end there.

The very next day, the head of the Special Mission, Mr. Omar Sahaz, a close associate of the Sultan, left his residence in the Royal Palace for a visit to the residence of His Excellency Minister Charles de Treville, grandson of Field Marshal Treville and who had recently made a name for himself on the European continent.

Although His Excellency did not currently serve in the diplomatic circles, it was known to all that he was deeply favored by His Majesty the Emperor and therefore had a great say in foreign affairs, and when he left Turkey, Omar-Sakhaz and the Sultan's ministers consulted together and almost unanimously agreed on the need to establish good relations with the young Chancellor.

However, Omar Sakhaz has little confidence in this, because everyone knows that His Excellency is a sinister and poisonous sword, and his mind is almost full of bad water, and it is really not easy to have a good relationship with such a cunning person, but now that he is responsible, he can only work hard for it.

Without much wait, he was immediately received by His Excellency the Chancellor, but at last he saw this famous young man for the first time, and was secretly amazed at his young age.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sakhaz." As soon as he saw him, His Excellency Chancellor Tréville took his hand very politely and graciously led him to his study.

From the smile and words on his face, Omar Sakhaz felt the upbringing and demeanor that he had cultivated for a long time, and he could not see the violent and cold attitude of his grandfather at all, and if he had not known all the terrible legends of this young man, he would have felt like a spring breeze by now. But now, he did not dare to take it lightly in the slightest, for fear of being caught in a trap with steel tongs by this smiling hunter, like the Russians and Austrians, and taught him a hard lesson.

True, many of his deeds have now spread throughout Europe, and people speak of this young man with disdain for the shamelessness and viciousness of his actions, and secretly fearful of his cunning.

With such a jealousy, he mustered all his spirits, polite and a little courteous, and sat down beside the Minister with the same attitude that brought a little personal dealings with him in addition to his official business.

"Your Excellency, yesterday I saw your grandfather in the palace, he is really an admirable old general, awe-inspiring, I have to be intimidated by his demeanor." He first started the conversation by complimenting Marshal Trevier, "We Turks worship warriors, and your grandfather is such a warrior, he is never afraid of his achievements, and even at this age he is willing to do everything to serve his country, which we admire very much." We are also convinced that under the leadership of such a commander-in-chief, your expeditionary force will be able to overcome its strength and defeat the evil enemy! ”

Charles smiled slightly, obviously the other party's compliment really made him very useful.

"Sounds like you and your colleagues have already negotiated with the military?" He asked gently, "I hope that everyone can negotiate as soon as possible, so that things can be done as soon as possible." ”

"Yes, we agree on the vast majority of issues, and we are grateful that France can come to our aid in such a critical moment, so that we can resist those hateful Russians." Omar Sakhaz immediately bowed down and thanked Charles, "Now there is only one request from our country, and that is that the expeditionary force can arrive as soon as possible. ”

"As long as your country can provide sufficient conditions, we are certainly willing to do so as soon as possible." Charles replied immediately. "To tell you the truth, we have been preparing for this war for a long time, and I am one of the main persons in charge of the preparations, and I can tell you without reservation that although it is not possible to send all the troops directly to the Black Sea, only to transport them part by part, we can expand this army with great speed, and maintain the majority of the military ...... of this expeditionary force."

"We are willing to provide all the rest of the military supplies, and this is what we promised your grandfather at the meeting yesterday, and we will definitely not make our allies difficult in this regard." The Special Envoy, of course, could hear the subtext of His Excellency's words, so he replied immediately.

"It would be great if that was the case." "However, there are some problems that cannot be solved with enthusiasm. ”

"What do you mean?" Omar Sahaz immediately became alarmed.

"Undoubtedly, I believe that your country can provide a lot of supplies to help us, and can raise such supplies, but even if there are supplies, it is not so easy to get them to where they are needed, they need enough means of transportation, and they need to be well organized, and this is not something that can be done by conscripting laborers, don't you think?"

Although Omar Sahaz also knew in his heart that the other party was very reasonable, he also knew that he could not casually echo the other party now, and he had to ask about the situation.

"And what do you think we should do?"

"You know my old job, I've been working the railroad for many years, so I'm afraid no one is more proficient in it than me and my men." Under the gaze of the other party, Charles calmly said his request, "There is no doubt that if there is a railway, transportation will be much easier, so, for the sake of the logistics of the expeditionary force, I think your country should provide us with the following conveniences - first, provide several special ports in the strait for the use of the expeditionary force as a base for the placement of logistics supplies, and at the same time we have the right to build military railways to transport supplies if necessary, and your country should provide land and manpower facilities, Engineers and technicians are provided by us, and their costs should be borne by your country......"

Omar Sahaz was silent for a moment.

To be sure, these demands are not very harsh in their words, and they are indeed necessary, after all, maintaining an expeditionary force of more than 100,000 men also requires huge logistical support, which is also difficult for Turkey's national strength to support, and can only be borne by the French according to their own needs.

However, military need is one thing, political need is another. Politically, the Turks cannot respond to the demands of the French, even in times of danger, and must maintain their most basic sovereignty and independence, which is in jeopardy.

So, the first task is to insist on this independence.

And it is necessary to accomplish this task with skill, because this group of French people must not be offended now.

"You have a point, Mr. Treville, and to some extent it is necessary, and I think it is implicit in our commitment to 'do everything we can to cooperate with the Expeditionary Force,' and we have no reason to object to it." After a long silence, Omar Sakhaz finally thought of the words, "However, sir, we also have to make every effort to cooperate with the British expeditionary force, so to some extent, we believe that this is a tripartite issue rather than a two-country issue, and you and the British need to communicate and coordinate together, so that the coalition forces can fight in the most united way." ”

The Turks alone can't scare the French, so Omar Sakhaz simply didn't mention his own concerns, and directly took out the British, hoping to indirectly deter these French people in this way, so that they would not get too carried away.

At the moment, the British have not officially declared war on Russia, but this is only a small matter of time, and now British public opinion is already a war clamour, and the British government is eager to immediately plunge into this holy war against the Russians to defend the interests of the empire.

So Omar Sakhaz's response can be said to be impeccable, anyway, even if the French are not satisfied, they can only sigh at the British, and with the support of the British, Turkey does not have to be too accommodating to the French, so as not to become a pitiful worm dominated by them.

This answer did not surprise Charles, but for him, as long as the other party agreed to the literal terms, he would be satisfied, after all, as long as there was a name, France would be able to do its own thing, and few Turks would dare to stand up against their benefactors.

"Coordination with the British, of course, is crucial, and we are working on it, and I believe that with the close relationship between our two countries, it will be an easy problem to solve." Charles nodded, not at all displeased by the other party's covert resistance, "However, I ask you to make sure that you agree to make a few proposals, which I think must be done to win this war, and I will not allow anyone to put this expedition at risk, especially if my grandfather is its commander." ”

"I understand, sir, that whatever we can do, we will do for you." Omar Sahaz was courteously in debt, and in his opinion it was enough to pull out the British and knock the young minister to His Excellency, and there was no need to stiffen relations with him.

"How long do you plan to stay in Paris?" If I have time, I can take you on a tour of the warehouses we have prepared in the south, where the military supplies are piled up and ready to be shipped and delivered through the port to where they are needed. Charles asked the envoy again, "It just so happens that I will go there in a few days to inspect and send my grandfather on his way......"

"Thank you very much for your enthusiasm, but I'm afraid we don't have much time right now." Special Envoy Omar Sakhaz cautiously said, "According to the rest of the itinerary, we will leave the day after tomorrow and then go to England to receive Her Majesty the Queen, and at the same time discuss the next cooperation with the British government." ”

"Will you tell him about the agreement you made with the French?" Charles asked casually.

"I think we need to tell him." Omar Sakhaz, who knew that this was a temptation, also pretended to answer casually. "After all, the British will soon join our coalition forces, and we must let them know how far the situation has got, and there should be no hiding from all sides."

He made it very clear that the Turks did not intend to make any secret agreements with the French, and still regarded the British as the Turks' greatest supporters, even if the French were now the first to come forward and go to war against the Russians to save them.

In the present situation, the Sultan's emissaries would do whatever it took to curry favor with the French, except for one thing - a change in policy towards the British.

For it was the consensus of almost all of the Sultan and his court, up and down, that they were willing to do everything in their power to curry favor with the British, in exchange for their interest in maintaining their crumbling empire.

The Turks are more willing to be the pawns of the British than France, but this is not surprising, because after all, Britain is the empire on which the sun never sets across the world's four oceans, and France, although it is also a European power, cannot be matched, so it cannot prevent others from wanting to hug thicker thighs.

Now I can only find a way to grab what I can grab.

The British did not want to see the French get involved in Egypt and the most important communication route between them and India, and this was very clear, but on the contrary, because their state religion and the orthodox Christian church had parted ways, they had no affection for the Middle East or the Holy Land of Christ in Jerusalem, in other words, they could never tolerate the control of Egypt by other countries, but they could tolerate the control of Syria or elsewhere.

Louis Bonaparte and his retainers certainly had no interest in directly entering into conflict of interest with the English at this time, as long as they could take advantage of the opportunity to satisfy their own needs and prevaricate the French people, who were skeptical of the war, and of course they ought to try to convince them.

For Charles, there is no such thing as gratuitous kindness in the world, and countries never talk about gratitude and gratitude, but take advantage of interests, so the Turks' approach does not anger him, as long as they do what they need to do well.

"You are right, the British are now our friends and will be allies in the future, and we should not hide anything." Rather than lashing out as Omar Sakhaz feared, Charles accepted his words with great calmness and encouraged him, "I hope that you will be able to reconcile your position with the British openly and honestly, and do your best to cooperate with their actions, which will benefit us immensely." ”

"Thank you very much for your understanding, Your Excellency." Omar Sakhaz saluted the Charles again with great gratitude, and then suddenly lowered his voice, "In addition, Your Excellency, when leaving Istanbul, the Sultan told us that we must take advantage of this opportunity to fight side by side to reach a meaningful understanding with the people of your country, and to make this war an opportunity for the two great peoples to continue friendly exchanges, and from this point of view, I think you are also the best person to help us, and we sincerely look forward to being able to pass through you, In the future, we will be able to live in friendship with the French nation, and the friendship will last forever...... The Sultan is pleased to have the opportunity to show you his generosity, and he can't wait for you to come to our capital as soon as possible to receive you as you would be treated as a distinguished guest. ”

Everyone knew that Tréville was as greedy as his predecessor, the famous Prince Talleyrand, and that he liked money the most, so Omar Sakhaz didn't play with it and started talking about bribes.

Chancellor Tréville, with his high power and growing influence in France, and one of the key participants in the war, would certainly be excellent news for Turkey if he could be friends - and who cares about his personal morality?

The young Sultan Abdul Mejid I was a strong-blooded and energetic Sultan who was full of ideals of national salvation and was bent on saving his country from declining power, and one of his great goals was to use all means to sweep away the bad reputation of the past in European countries and establish a new image of the Ottoman Empire as enterprising and embracing the civilized world.

And he has made a lot of efforts to this end, not only showing goodwill to the ambassadors of European countries many times, diligently trying to build relations, and even when Ireland is suffering from an unprecedented famine, and the English government is not paying attention, he also resisted the pressure and sent several boatloads of grain to Ireland himself.

Through his efforts, the European countries have also changed their perception of Turkey a little, and it is no longer the same hatred as it was in previous centuries, but after all, the image of hundreds of years has accumulated and it is not so easy to become friendly.

"I am very grateful for the kindness of the Sultan." Charles couldn't help but laugh, but still shook his head, "But you also know that I am busy with official business, even if I go to Turkey, I can only focus on business, and I regard maintaining military supplies as the only major priority......"

"Of course, public affairs are the most important, but we are all human beings, not machines, we have private lives outside of official affairs, and it is naturally very important to meet the needs of private life." Omar Sahaz didn't want to be cozy with the minister either, and he said bluntly, "Although we don't have everything, the Sultan is really sincere to you, and if you have something you like, we will prepare it for you." ”

"Really?" After a moment of silence, Charles smiled with something strange, "What I envy most about the Sultan is his huge harem, you think about it, how enviable it is to have so many legal wives...... He would never have to be afraid to stay with other women for fear of his wife, and if I had the ability, I wouldn't have to worry about it......"

Omar Sahaz twitched a few times strangely and laughed awkwardly, not knowing whether the young Chancellor's Excellency meant to mock or to tell the truth.

The Sultan did have an enviable harem, with all races, whether native Asians, Slavs, Jews, or even Western Europeans, and many royal families were drawn from foreigners, even Sultan Abdul-Mejid I, whose mother was a Russian Jew.

However, no matter how the Sultan is, he will not let his harem receive His Excellency? Besides, what does it mean to say such inappropriate words in semi-official diplomatic talks?

Just when his heart was still full of doubts, His Excellency the Minister also came to his senses, and he looked at the envoy, his expression was also a little embarrassed. "Oh, don't take it personally, it's just a sigh of mine...... It doesn't mean anything else, you don't have to worry about it. ”

Hey, it's French, after all.

After carefully looking at each other and confirming that this was indeed just a momentary gaffe, Omar Sahaz also relieved himself, and because of this gaffe, he felt that the distance between the two people was a little closer, and it was no longer the kind of cold mutual temptation.

"Sir, in fact, you don't need to apologize, they are all men, who doesn't have such a hobby......" The corners of Omar Sahaz's mouth twitched slightly, revealing that 'I understand' smile, "If you need this, we will definitely arrange it for you." ”

Then, in an accentuated voice, he added, "Arrange it well." ”

"You don't have to worry too much about this kind of thing...... "Charles' face was still a little embarrassed.

………………………………

In the afternoon, the Turkish Special Envoy, Mr. Omar Sakhaz, finally left the house of His Excellency Minister Tréville, and when he came out, he looked much lighter than when he entered, and it was clear that he had received what he wanted from the Minister.

And just after he left, another guest came to the room.

The guest was much younger, with no expression on his face, no hurried steps, and a gloomy mood in his whole body.

"The Turks are about to go to England, so you should hurry up and get to the bottom of them and find out what they plan to do with the British." As soon as he entered, Charles gave him an order, "While they are still very satisfied with France, we must pry something more out of their mouths." ”

"Don't you trust the Turks and the British?" Kong Ze asked in a low voice.

"Right now, I'm quite trusting, but it's not about trust or distrust, we have to figure out what they're doing in private, and the more we know, the better." Charles shook his head, "This is a very important matter, do it right away." ”

"Okay." Kong Ze nodded immediately. "I'll do it later."

“…… Also, get your friends in Turkey and Odessa ready, it's time to get started. Charles continued, "You are also ready, and when the time comes, I will count on you when I go there myself." ”

Seeing that Kong Ze didn't quite understand, Charles explained, "I don't doubt their credibility and their guarantees, I just can't trust the ability of the Turks, their government is corrupt and incompetent, and they are very slow to act, and when they fulfill their promises, God knows when it will be, and we can't afford to wait!" So instead of waiting for them to do it slowly, let's do it ourselves. ”

"And how are you going to arrange my identity?" Kong Ze immediately asked, "If it's a private identity, it's not easy to deal with them." ”

"Of course there will be an official status." Charles immediately replied, "Aren't you a director of the Shipping Federation?" Now I want to hire you as one of my assistants. Also, the Turks have promised me permission to build a military railway on their territory, so that we will have a large number of engineers and workers to come over, and you will be in charge of this engineering agency, which is enough to scare the Turks, so that no one will embarrass you, and you can use the identity of engineers and workers to cover your friends. As for me...... In their eyes, I am a corrupt and person, and I am afraid that they will not be so wary of me. ”

"Aren't you?" Kong Ze seemed to ask in surprise, and then the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he was laughing.

Xia Er was stunned for a moment, raised his head and looked at Kong Ze, his expression was very strange, as if he didn't expect this subordinate of his to dare to talk to him like this.

Seeing that his employer seemed to be angry, Kong Ze's smile flickered, and his expression immediately returned to his normal indifference, then he straightened up, nodded to Charles, and walked out without looking back.