Chapter 875 The Underrated Napoleon IV

No matter what the real purpose of the Russians was, the impact of the Andhuy offensive and defensive battles was terrifying.

A bunch of experts and scholars who are not as good as Franz, jumped out one after another to point out the country, as if the war would burn to India tomorrow.

The appearance of the telegraph has brought the world closer, and European public opinion is not optimistic, which also affected British public opinion, and the pressure on the British government increased greatly for a time.

"What happened to the front, why did Anderhui fall, and what did Patrick do?"

Three whys in a row are enough to prove that Prime Minister Gladstone is in a very bad mood now.

The area of ​​Afghanistan is not small, and Andhui is not a core strategic location. Just throwing away the tens of thousands of square kilometers around Andhui is not worth mentioning for the entire battlefield.

It is also the loss of the city and the loss of land. Losing a large area of ​​land just after the start of the battle is completely different from losing the city and losing land after a long period of fierce battle.

Andhuy was lost as soon as the fight began. The outside world's public opinion questioned the combat effectiveness of the British army, and the opposition parties also took the opportunity to do things, making Prime Minister Gladstone embarrassed.

The War Minister Rosario replied angrily: "The Russians are too despicable, they launched a sneak attack before the news of the declaration of war reached the front.

Our troops in Afghanistan are busy destroying the guerrillas. Because of the low strategic value of Andhui, the troops deployed there are limited, which gives the Russians an opportunity to take advantage.

But you can rest assured that Lieutenant General Patrick has given up his previous plan to encircle and suppress the guerrillas and sent troops to reinforce the front line.

If nothing else, the front line has stabilized now, and we can launch a counter-offensive only when our reinforcements arrive. "

It's okay not to explain. After listening to Patrick's explanation, everyone present became more and more uneasy.

Abandoning the encirclement and suppression of the guerrillas also means that the besieged guerrillas can come out. How can people be at ease when there are Russian troops attacking outside and guerrillas looting inside?

When the reinforcements arrived, they counterattacked. It's okay to say this to fool ordinary people. Everyone present did not have such strong confidence in their own army.

Doubt is doubt, Prime Minister Gladstone still did not pour cold water. The war has broken out, and it must be fought.

"The situation on the battlefield is changing very fast. The Ministry of War has to take responsibility. It's been almost a month since the war started. Why haven't the reinforcements set out yet?"

Facing the Prime Minister's accusations, Rosario bit the bullet and explained: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, there is a lot of preparation work that needs to be done for the army's labor expedition.

Most of the soldiers have never been to the sea, and the Atlantic Ocean is windy and rough. If there is no training, there will be a lot of non-combat attrition.

If possible, it is better for the troop carrier to go through the Suez Canal, which is not only short but also small. "

There is no way, even if it is a marine nation, it does not mean that every British person is not seasick, and most of the army soldiers have never left the British Isles.

From the British Isles to India, it will take two or three months at the earliest. Without professional training, many people will not be able to hold on.

If untrained army soldiers are forcibly sent to the ship, the mortality rate will be very alarming, and the morale of the army will be demolished on the way. How can we fight?

Foreign Minister George shook his head: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has communicated with France and Austria many times, but the results are not optimistic.

At the beginning of the opening of the Suez Canal, an announcement was issued: the canal company will remain absolutely neutral during the war, and any military ships of the belligerent countries will be prohibited from navigating. "

Not to mention the war period, the British warships in normal times could not sail together through the Suez Canal, and had to detour from the Cape of Good Hope every time.

To this end, the British Foreign Office has made a lot of efforts, but nothing has been achieved.

On this issue, the French and Austrian governments did not come forward at all, and pushed the problem to the Canal Company.

The original funds of the Canal Company were provided by the governments of France and Austria, and theoretically belonged to all the people of the two countries. There were many strange regulations at the beginning of the listing.

For example: stocks can only be circulated in France and Austria; major changes in the company's operating philosophy must be approved by the people of France and Austria...

These terms directly blocked the possibility that the British wanted to intervene in the canal, even if they had money, they would not be able to take a stake.

The "principle of absolute neutrality" is the core operating concept of the Canal Company. If the Canal Company is to be released, the people of France and Austria must first agree.

This is simply an impossible task.

The Anglo-Austrian civil relations are okay, but unfortunately the government relations are bad; Britain and France are politically allied, but the civil relations are a mess.

It can be said that the Suez Canal is an eternal pain for Britain, because it was not taken seriously at the beginning of the opening of the canal, and then it has been in a passive state.

After a pause, Prime Minister Gladstone asked: "Can the French government be persuaded to help, even at a certain price."

The rules are also set by people, and it is not impossible to circumvent them. The fact that troop transport ships cannot be navigable does not mean that ordinary merchant ships cannot be navigable either.

The big deal was that all weapons and equipment went to the Cape of Good Hope. The soldiers took off their military uniforms and boarded the merchant ships, posing as guards and sneaking in.

However, this is only for a small group of troops, and tens of thousands of reinforcements are needed. Unless someone inside the Canal Company cooperates, it will not work at all.

Foreign Secretary George frowned and replied: "I'm afraid it will be difficult, even if the French government is willing to help, it is difficult to guarantee that it will not be discovered.

Russia and Austria are allies, and if they find a problem, they will most likely detain our soldiers.

The French are unreliable. Once the matter is exposed, the Paris political

The government will not support us. "

There is no way, Britain and France have been pitting each other for hundreds of years. Even if the alliance is now formed, there is no guarantee that the French will not deliberately cheat them.

What if the front foot makes an agreement with them and the back foot sells them?

It is a characteristic of the times to eat at home and eat at home. If British soldiers were detained in the Suez Canal, the war in Afghanistan would be over.

In addition to asking the French to contain Austria, the Anglo-French alliance was more important to prevent the three countries of Russia, France and Austria from coming together.

Although the chance of such a thing happening is very small, the British government does not dare to take the risk. After all, in addition to interests, hatred also affects national policy.

Britain and France are feuds, and if the French government gets hotheaded and goes to join the Russian-Austrian alliance, Britain will be doomed.

Just think about how the French financial community issued war bonds for the Russians before, and you know how unreliable the relationship between Britain and France is.

After weighing the pros and cons, without waiting for the Prime Minister to make a statement, the War Minister Rosario resolutely chose to give up.

"There is no room for accidents in Afghanistan, and the reinforcements should still go to the Cape of Good Hope. It is really uneasy to pin our hopes on the French."

...

Napoleon IV was in a very good mood watching the two nasty bastards pinch each other in the new Versailles Palace in Paris.

In order to provoke the Anglo-Russian war, the French government also made a lot of efforts. It's just that it's done more covertly, and many people ignore the role the French government plays in it.

Including the Anglo-French alliance, and issuing war bonds for the Russians, are only part of it.

Without the efforts of the French government, the British government would not have made up its mind to send troops to Afghanistan so quickly, and the Russians would not have sent troops to Central Asia tit-for-tat, and naturally there would not be the current Anglo-Russian war.

Foreign Secretary Karel Kadlets: "Your Majesty, both Britain and Russia are pressing us to meet our allies."

The French government actually played infernal affairs with the British and secretly had a secret agreement with the Russians. If this news spreads, it is estimated that the whole world will be shocked.

It is not completely without clues. The previous issue of war bonds by the French financial community for the Russians proved that there is a connection between France and Russia.

It’s just that the French government didn’t participate, and it was a French consortium that took over the business. It’s not a big news that the capitalists did some weird things for their own interests.

Napoleon IV sneered: "Tell the British, as long as Austria does not object, we will agree to their free passage of the Suez Canal.

If necessary, we can also send troops to Afghanistan.

Considering that the logistics system is different, we have to be responsible for the logistics ourselves. In order to facilitate supplies, let them provide us with an outlet in the Indian Ocean.

Tell the Russians that we will block the Suez Canal and ban the passage of British warships.

As for the issue of sending troops, let them convince the Vienna government first. As soon as Austria declared war on the British, we followed immediately. "

The French army sent troops to Afghanistan, and the British government welcomed it. But it is absolutely impossible to provide the French with an outlet to the sea in India.

It is easy to ask God to send God, but once the French forces are put into India, it is difficult to expel them.

At that time, Britain's competitors in India will not only be the Russian Empire, but France and Russia, and perhaps an additional Austria.

In the face of interests, nothing is impossible. As long as the British government is not flooded with water, it will not die like this.

The answer to the Russians was also perfunctory, not allowing the British to use the Suez Canal to transport troops, mainly to give the Russians a greater advantage on the battlefield.

The Anglo-Russian war will continue only if the Russian army occupies Afghanistan and threatens the security of India.

Foreign Secretary Karel Cadlec bit the bullet and said, "Your Majesty, wouldn't it be a bad answer?"