Chapter 434: Follow-Up Influence

The impact of the opening of the Suez Canal was far-reaching, especially for the British, whose strategic sovereignty over the Mediterranean no longer existed.

What worries the London government the most is that India has been exposed to the eyes of France and Austria. After the passage of the Suez Canal, the distance between the two countries to India has been greatly shortened.

Don't say stupid words without ambition, no idea of ​​printing degree, the real reason is that France and Austria are not strong enough to seize India from the British.

The richest piece of colony in the world is on the dining table, who wouldn't mind? The value of this colony exceeds that of the French and Austrian colonies combined.

At least in this day and age, that's how it is. The potential of the African continent has not yet been revealed, and the importance of resources has not been appreciated. Purely in terms of economic benefits, one India surpasses the entire African continent.

It's not that John Russell has persecution paranoia, but reality tells him that he must be vigilant. As long as you take a nap, you may be overturned.

That's how the hegemony Spain was thrown down by them. Now it's their defense, and others are coming to challenge.

How to solve the impact brought by the opening of the Suez Canal has become the most troublesome problem for the London government at the moment.

Admiral Edward warned: "The French and Austrian states have taken control of the Suez Canal, and the doors of the Indian Ocean are open to them.

From now on, Austria's voyage to India will only be half ours, and France's voyage to India will be shortened by 40 percent.

We have been seriously challenged in global strategy. From now on, both the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific will face threats from both France and Austria. "

This is the immediate threat. The Suez Canal is only open to the outside world for civilian ships, and warships and the like are not within the scope of passage.

However, this restriction is only valid for other countries, and the two shareholders of Faao will naturally not be restricted.

No doubt it was set against the British. The Suez Canal is a joint holding company of the French and Austrian governments, and the rules formulated are naturally political priorities.

Kicking out the British means that the competitiveness of the two countries in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific has been greatly enhanced, which is more conducive to the expansion of their spheres of influence in these regions.

The detour from the Cape of Good Hope was too far, and the delay in the voyage had seriously threatened the British maritime hegemony.

Chancellor Agarwal added: "It's not just the military that's been challenged, we're also facing a commercial shock.

After the opening of the Suez Canal, it means that the competitiveness of Austrian products in the Asian region will increase. Our original low transportation cost advantage has now become a disadvantage. "

Considering the cost of transportation, this is actually the result of being forced out. Today, the British proud industrial empire is going downhill.

The technological advantage no longer exists, and many factories are already at a disadvantage in international competition due to outdated equipment and higher labor wages, resulting in increased production costs.

These problems were covered up by the colonies. With the vast colonial market, the British capitalists did not perceive this crisis, or did not pay attention to it.

In the international market outside the colonies, the market share of British goods is declining year by year, and both France and Austria are seizing the British market.

It's just that the market share of this market is not too large, and it has not attracted the attention of the outside world, but the high-level government is still clear.

After thinking for a while, Prime Minister John Russell asked: "These problems are real, how are you going to solve them?"

It is useless to find the problem, the key is to solve the problem. As a world hegemon, the British are faced with various problems of one kind and another every day, and what the government has to do is to solve the problems.

Colonial Secretary Steve suggested: "We are attacking Ethiopia, and if it goes well, we can take control of the Bab al-Mandeb strait and take control of the Red Sea gateway.

However, this is a natural strait with a width of about 26 to 32 kilometers. It is very difficult to block it.

It may also trigger a strong backlash between France and Austria. If they take direct action, they will not be able to hold back unless the Royal Navy is fully suppressed.

The best way is to start with Egypt, or directly occupy Egypt and control the Suez Canal.

Or grab the Sinai Peninsula from the Austrians, but it's difficult. Since the opening of the Suez Canal, the Vienna government has increased its local garrison, and now has about one division. "

The Strait of Mandeb is similar to the Strait of Gibraltar. Even if the British control it, they would not dare to block the waterway, which will cause public anger.

Fao and Austria are not soft persimmons. If they feel threatened, no one can guarantee that they will take the risk and come up directly.

After Prussia challenged the Russians, the British no longer had this confidence. Impulsivity is the devil, the Prussians dared to make a reckless wave of the Russians, and the French and Austrian countries did not dare to recklessly face them?

Anyway, both are Luquan Empires, and the navy will die if they run out. As long as it is a lose-lose with them, it is a strategic victory for France and Austria.

Even if the British shipbuilding industry is stronger, the navy is replenished faster. But this is only for one family. Compared with France and Austria combined, it is a little worse.

Looking at the two strong standards, you will know that the slogan is earth-shattering, and it is still a long way to achieve the goal.

It is not a good idea to seize the Suez Canal, and it is easy to detonate conflicts. The British Empire was not ready to go to war with the two great empires, or even to go to war with either of them.

win,

The cost of the war cannot be recovered; if the battle is lost, the world hegemony will be lost, and the colonial empire will not be able to keep it.

France and Austria are different. Even if they lose the war, they still have enough strength to keep the African colonies.

The size of the British Army is so small, even if they want to grab it, they don't have that kind of strength. The sea blockade is useless to this kind of continent, and the coastline of the African continent is tens of thousands of kilometers, so it cannot be blocked at all.

Foreign Secretary Raislin objected: "Using force is the worst possible way, not only defeats the purpose, but also has the potential to make things worse.

The Suez Canal has been opened, and the two countries, France and Austria, will definitely not agree to block it. That being the case, why don't we settle for the next best thing and join in?

Although the strategic value of the Suez Canal is high, the canal company may not be able to make profits immediately, and the high construction cost has made shareholders lose confidence.

We can buy a portion of the stock and make our voices heard within the Canal Company, and France and Austria cannot prevent legitimate commercial trade. "

Raislin's proposal is in the mind of Prime Minister John Russell. It is not that they are bullying the weak, but the needs of practical interests.

Talking fists to the weak and rules to the strong was the code of conduct for imperialism in the 19th century. Everyone is a foreign power, so naturally we have to follow the rules.

Throughout history, when has the British Empire been impulsive? The British people in the original time and space were impulsive once, and as a result, they not only caused themselves five hardships and seven injuries, but also owed a lot of debts, and also lost the world hegemony.

Before John Russell could speak, Admiral Edward objected: "It's not that simple, France and Austria are not fools, are they willing to let us in?

If we are opposed by the two governments, we will not be able to buy the stock even if we offer two or three times the price.

It is said that there is no decision-making power for privately circulated stocks, all the rights are in the hands of the French and Austrian governments, and the shareholders only have the right to supervise the finances of the canal company. "

It's not that he wants to start a war, but the Navy needs to flex its muscles and prove its importance in order to compete for the budget for the coming year.

No way, this is the most important job of the Admiralty. The specific naval construction, training, and command are the affairs of the military, and he, a civil servant, is basically a layman.

It is also very simple to gain the support of the navy, as long as you get enough budget from the government. For other things, the less he manages, the happier everyone is.

The best way to do it in the interests of the Navy is to send the Royal Navy out to shock the two countries, and then everyone will reach an agreement.

Whatever the role, the Navy has a share of the credit for gaining the upper hand in the next budget scramble.

In essence, there is no difference between first receiving stocks and then negotiating with France and Austria, but the way of expression is different. The former is dominated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the latter is dominated by the Ministry of the Navy.

...

The London government is arguing and the Paris government is discussing. They all revolve around the Suez Canal, but they are handled differently.

Napoleon III was hesitating whether to immediately send troops to occupy Egypt to ensure control of the canal.

After so many years of infiltration, France has become Egypt's largest strength and has cultivated a large number of pro-French leading parties.

In a few more years, he might be able to control Egypt without a fight. Now if troops are sent to occupy Egypt, a war is still inevitable.

War Secretary Edmund Leboeuf proposed: "Your Majesty, with only a hundred thousand troops, we can occupy Egypt within a year.

If only control the Suez Canal, then 50,000 troops can also achieve the goal.

Egypt's strategic location is very important and is the most important part of our African strategy. If it drags on, it will be troublesome for Britain and Austria to act first. "

Egypt can be regarded as the gate of France, winning or occupying Egypt is not a problem, the only thing to think about is whether it is worth it.

This also involves France's strategic choice, whether to give priority to the Mediterranean strategy or the Central European strategy.

Once Egypt starts, the next step of the French government's strategy is the Italian region. All Italian states are among the French's goals, and Sicily is the first to bear the brunt.

To give up attacking Egypt is to pay the attention of the Prussian, Belgian and German federal governments. The territories west of the Rhineland are all in the French's Central European strategy.

This time, the French military is very harmonious and has chosen to prioritize the Mediterranean strategy. Persimmons are looking for soft pinch, and the enemies that the Central European strategy and the Mediterranean strategy have to face are all soft persimmons.

This is not enough to make Napoleon III make up his mind. Once France strikes Egypt, it will inevitably strain the relationship between Britain and France, which makes the "Britonphobia" patients very uneasy.

Foreign Secretary Abraham added: "Your Majesty, we have no choice now. We can not occupy Egypt, but we cannot prevent Britain and Austria from occupying Egypt.

Even if there are allies, Austria will be bound for ten years at most, and we can't limit the British at all.

Once Egypt fell into their hands, our Mediterranean strategy was in vain. France's future road, I am afraid it will be difficult. "

It is a fact that the whole world is about to be divided. Now is the last train to carve up the world. If you don't work hard to grab the last cake, you will have a hard time in the future.

The British didn't seize Egypt, and it wasn't just the London government who didn't want to. Mainly due to two factors: on the one hand, they are worried about triggering a backlash from France and Austria, and on the other hand, they are not sure to bring the Egyptians down.

The Egyptian government has a new army, and it is not weak. This pair of English

For the national pocket version of the land route, it is also a big challenge.

Moreover, they are still PK with Ethiopia, and they do not have enough troops to enter the Egyptian battlefield. If you lose again, you will be embarrassed.

After entering the 19th century, the performance of the British Army was not very good. It has lost several wars in a row, although there are special reasons, but this also makes the British Army's statement discredited.

Not to mention the anti-French war. Losing to Napoleon is a normal operation and does not need explanation.

In 1814, when they attacked the kingdom of Nepal, 30,000 British troops were pushed back by more than 10,000 Gurkhas. In the end, they fought a war of attrition with national strength and barely won the war.

In 1839, the British invaded Afghanistan, tens of thousands of British troops fought hard for three years, and finally ended in failure.

In the next war in the Near East, the British lost; the subsequent invasion of Persia ended in failure and was forced to reach a compromise.

Now the attack on Ethiopia is still in a hard fight, and the final result is still unknown.

After successive failures, the politicians in London have not collapsed. Even if the spiritual world is strong, how can they dare to place high hopes on the Army?

reason? Sorry, you don't need this. If you lose, you lose, and no amount of explanation is worth it. Politicians in London have become accustomed to lack of confidence in the Army.

In contrast, the French are different. After the Russians fall from the altar, they will claim to be the world's first army power, and naturally they are not lacking in confidence.