The conference hall of Buckingham Palace can now smell the strong smell of gunpowder. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 Info, ybdu, with the outbreak of the Russian-Austro-Turkish War, Wu Chunqiu, who originally did not speak much at the London Peace Conference, suddenly became extremely active. Not only did he have frequent contacts with British, French, Russian, Austrian-Prussian and other figures, but he also put forward a plan to preserve Turkey's Asian territory. At the official meeting of the peace conference, he also put forward the two concepts of "Turkey is an Asian country, and Asia is the Asia of Asians", which made Viscount Palmerston extremely harsh. What made the atmosphere of the peace conference even more tense was the news that the "100,000 troops" of the Western Qing Kingdom were stationed in the Turkmen region to which the Kingdom of Iran belonged.

“…… In discussing the Turkish question, we must acknowledge the fact that the Asian territory of the Turkish Empire was not the same as its European part. Whether it is Baghdad, Basra or Damascus, they are the land of Asia and the homeland of the Asian people! The people there shared the same faith as the Turkish Sultan, who respected the Sultan as their leader and recognized the Turkish Empire as their homeland. If the armies of the Europeans appear in Baghdad, in Damascus, on the Asian territories belonging to Turkey. Then this war will no longer be a war between Austria and Russia against the Turkish Empire, but an invasion of Asia by Russia and Austria!

As the Emperor of Asia's number one power and the in-law of the Sultan of Turkey, our Emperor Majesty of the Ming Empire did not lack the determination to lead the peoples of Asia in defending their continents against aggression. And the current entry of 100,000 Western Qing troops into Turkmenistan is the embodiment of this determination! And that's just our first step! If Turkey's Asian territories are violated, more Ming troops will move south from Central Asia! ”

Wu Chunqiu is expressing the will of the Ming Empire in Chinese. An in-house interpreter translates his words into English, French or German.

Viscount Palmerston sat there. There was not much expression on his face, and even with a hint of a victorious smile, he looked at the Ming diplomat in front of him. In his opinion. "Asians in Asia" is nothing more than empty words, what power did the Ming Empire have to achieve this unrealistic goal? It would be nice for them to be able to turn the South Seas east of Malacca into their backyard. With the Singapore fortress and the Eastern Fleet blocking it, the Chinese simply cannot enter the Indian Ocean. As for taking the land route, crossing the cross-country mountains or sending troops on the Tibetan plateau, hehe, the long supply lines and complex and dangerous terrain are enough to withstand a million troops. And the British Empire still has more than 300,000 Anglo-Indian troops in India, and they are not vegetarians!

Of course. The Chinese also have a way into India, which is from the northwest of India, via Persia or Afghanistan. It was the best passage for conquerors to enter India in ancient times. However, this is not the time of the past, and it is not the time when tens of thousands of cavalry skilled in the use of broadswords and bows can conquer an empire. Now the war is too logistically demanding. In the North American War, in a general battle, the consumption of shells, bullets, grenades, explosives, gunpowder, and barbed wire was no longer measured in hundreds of tons or thousands of tons, but in tens of tons. Not to mention the fact that after a battle, a staggering number of rifles, artillery, vehicles, and equipment needed to be replenished, as well as countless wounded to be treated. Such a war is no longer a contest of soldiers' bravery. It's more than industrial strength!

Just look at the extent to which British industry has prospered in the last two or three years because of demand in North America. Supporting a war of this magnitude in North America would require unimaginable industrial strength...... So the Chinese with poor logistics. It is impossible to make a difference in India or West Asia. The 100,000-strong army that entered Turkmenistan was nothing more than a bluff. And the "Asians of Asians" shouted by the Chinese is very conducive to the spread of the "yellow peril" theory in Europe. Even Asians know to unite, shouldn't Europeans unite against the yellow race competing for their living space?

Viscount Palmerston set his sights on the French and Roman Emperor Napoleon III, who was equally calm. Seeing Palmerston's gaze, he even smiled slightly, and then interrupted Wu Chunqiu's speech, "The French and Roman Empires have understood the intentions of the Ming Empire, and we also respect the Asian territories of the Turkish Empire. They Turkic people are originally an Asian people! I think an Asian Turkey would be more in the interests of everyone, including the Turks, than a Turkey that straddles three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. He glanced at the Russian Foreign Minister, "Duke Gorchakov, do you think this is okay?" ”

The Austrian Empire would not have had an opinion, Franz. Joseph had never thought about Turkey's Asian territory, and after taking Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Mendi-Negro, the Austrian Empire had only one goal, and that was Serbia!

Duke Gorchakov said coldly: "Asia Minor is the core territory of the Eastern Roman Empire, and Russia is the successor of the Eastern Roman Empire and has the right to get there!" ”

The Russian Foreign Minister spoke French, and Wu Chunqiu could understand it, so he immediately jumped up and shouted: "If Russia can completely inherit the lands of Eastern Rome, then the Ming Emperor is now also the Great Khan of Mongolia, and the Kazakh steppe is the birthplace of the Mongol Empire, and the Ming Empire has the right to occupy the entire Kazakh steppe!" ”

Napoleon III glanced at Bismarck, and the iron-blooded prime minister of Prussia immediately said in a strange manner: "The Balkan Peninsula and Egypt are also the core territories of the Eastern Roman Empire!" Could it be that the Russian Empire also has rights there? ”

Gorchakov snorted: "The Russian Empire only needs Asia Minor, because the peninsula of Asia Minor is the barrier that ensures Russia's access to the Mediterranean." ”

The word stupid slipped through the mind of Napoleon III, and to such a point that the Russian Empire dared to think of the Mediterranean! And what about giving their Black Sea Fleet access to the Mediterranean? Can it beat the Mediterranean fleets of France and the Roman Empire? If the Mediterranean fleets of France and Rome were so easy to bully, the British would not have let the Russians out of the Black Sea!

"Is it worth the whole of Asia Minor? This land is a big country in Europe. Bismarck continued to speak for Napoleon III, "It would be better to limit yourself to 20 miles of land along the east coast of the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles." The terrain in that area is very difficult for defense, and only a small number of troops are needed to ensure the safety of the strait. ”

"The Ming Empire must withdraw from Turkmenistan, where Iranian land is located, and Iran's security must be guaranteed by both Russia and Great Britain." Duke Gorchakov immediately offered a quid pro quo.

Wu Chunqiu sneered and replied in French: "I have never heard of anyone who can make an army of 100,000 withdraw from a place with an empty word!" If the Russians want to get their hands on Turkmen, then they should send troops! As for the defense of Iran...... You Russia can't reach Iran, so why defend it? I think it is up to the Ming Empire and the British Empire to jointly defend Iran's independence and freedom. I propose the signing of a treaty guaranteeing that neither the Ming nor the British troops will enter Iran proper. ”

The "Iranian proper" he refers to clearly does not include Turkmenistan.

"The Ming army could not enter the Turkish Empire, the Caspian Sea must be demilitarized, and the Ming Empire must not deploy naval and army forces and build fortresses along the Caspian Sea." Viscount Palmerston also knew that it was impossible to drive the squadron out of Turkmenistan, Russia did not have such forces, and it was even more impossible for Britain to send troops to Turkmenistan.

"No problem." Wu Chunqiu did not entangle with Britain and Russia on this issue -- the Caspian Sea Fleet or anything could not be put on the agenda within 20 years.

"Shall we, then, confirm which lands should be included in the Turkish Empire in Asia?" Viscount Palmerston glanced at Gorchakov and, seeing that he had not spoken any more, moved on to the next topic - it was clear that Britain had agreed to keep an "Asian Turkey". In fact, the British themselves did not think about what to do with the Asian territory of the Turkish Empire. For the British, the role of the Arabian Peninsula was only to shield India, so they only wanted to control the Muscat Sultanate, Yemen, occupy Cape Hamaii, hold the passage in and out of the Persian Gulf, and have a trading post in the Persian Gulf. (To be continued.) )