Chapter 192 A Show of Strength

Austrian Empire, Vienna.

Viscount Stratford (Canning's cousin, also called Canning) sat alone in the carriage, and he had no intention of looking at the scenery outside the window.

Because the burden on his shoulders almost crushed him, he not only had to persuade Austria to stand on the side of Britain and suppress Egypt to prevent Ali from making a comeback, but also to let Austria support the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. At the same time, the land operation also required the cooperation of the Austrians.

The British army could not afford to fail again, otherwise it would not be enough to let all cabinet members resign collectively to apologize for this huge pot.

If Russia's hegemony over the Straits could be eliminated, then this Near East crisis would be a successful mission.

In fact, Viscount Stratford's ambitions were not that big. If Palmerston came, he would definitely pull Russia and France to solve Austria together.

In fact, the situation of the war was far less serious than these politicians imagined.

At this time, the British lobster soldiers can be said to be invincible. Historically, 2,000 lobster soldiers, under the cover of seven warships, drove Ibrahim's 30,000 troops out of Beirut.

Although Ibrahim now led 20,000 troops to besiege Beirut, the British soldiers in Beirut were not afraid at all. Instead, the navy held a banquet, and the lobster soldiers (army) also received support from the locals, so it was not difficult to defend.

Ibrahim sent troops to attack three times, and each time he was defeated. On one occasion, the Anubis Legion even rushed into the city.

However, this army, which was considered to be the servant of the god of death, was driven out by the British with bayonets.

(The Anubis Legion is a slave army that worships the god of death and regards Ali as the incarnation of the god of death Anubis. But the combat effectiveness is just so-so.)

Ibrahim did not dare to continue the siege because he could not capture it for a long time. Because Beirut, as a sea route, was cut off, the supply lines on the road were also constantly harassed.

Once the British cut off the supply line in the Red Sea, the 130,000 Egyptian troops left in Syria would be doomed.

However, it seemed extremely dangerous to politicians in London. The British army had only 2,000 ground forces in Beirut. Although the Royal Navy had more than 7,000 people, they refused to participate in the war and spent every day drinking and partying near the port.

They could join the war, but they had to pay extra.

William Simond's resume can be described as glorious. He was once a crew member of the Victory, and then started as a frigate captain. He experienced countless wars, and some people even proposed that he be the commander of the North Sea Fleet, but he refused.

But William Simond was also a troublesome general. He would only complete the work within his duties, and often asked the government to reward his soldiers or allow him to plunder.

The British government would naturally not be threatened by a general and ordered to remove him from office, and continued to send reinforcements to Beirut.

However, the rising anti-war sentiment in the country, coupled with Helmut's previous defeat, made the British government unable to bear another failure.

Viscount Stratford must persuade the Austrian Empire to join the war as soon as possible, so as to ensure victory in the war against Egypt.

Viscount Stratford finally arrived at the meeting place, but Metternich seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

"Hello, Mr. Metternich. Stratford Canning, British Ambassador. I would like to congratulate your country on the first naval victory in your history."

At this time, the accompanying British official whispered to Viscount Stratford.

"Mr. Ambassador, the Austrian Empire has also won many naval victories before."

"Oh? Really? That's so embarrassing, I always thought that the Austrian Empire had no navy." Viscount Stratford said apologetically, but his expression was a little artificial.

Metternich understood that British diplomats always like to give others a head start. The British, who hold the world's maritime hegemony, always like to point their noses to the sky.

Originally, this level of provocation would not work on someone like Metternich, but Franz had been brainwashing him, saying that the British bully the weak and fear the strong, and your kindness and politeness will be regarded as weakness by the other party. If you want to keep the fruits of Austria's victory, you can't just compromise and give in.

"You know what? Pirates are very annoying. You don't take the initiative to provoke them, but they come to provoke you. For these annoying guys, countries generally adopt hanging."

Viscount Stratford certainly understood what Metternich meant by pirates. But he was the one who provoked it first, and it was understandable that the other party fought back strongly. But he was not going to give up, after all, the opponent was just an old man.

"Do you know? Pirates are actually very respectable, because they are the pioneers of democracy and freedom, and the most fair people in the world. We have never had pirates in the UK, but only a group of sea gentlemen with privateering licenses."

Influenced by modern film and television works, we often have the inherent impression of pirates, full of alcohol, dirty and torn clothes, hoarse voices constantly greeting other people's families, iron or wooden prostheses on their legs, an old musket in their hands, and a noisy parrot on their shoulders.

But in fact, pirate leaders are usually elected democratically, and every pirate participates in the vote, which is truly full participation.

In addition, pirates do not only rob houses, but they also participate in trade, and usually have more decent clothes.

Viscount Stratford felt that he had won the game, so he took out an expensive Cuban cigar and put it in his mouth. The entourage beside him took out a box of the latest luxury matches.

With a "hiss", the match was lit, emitting a faint fragrance. Each match was made of olive branches and the cost could be said to be very expensive.

However, this early match had many problems. The first was that it tasted bad. The gas from the simultaneous burning of antimony sulfide, potassium chlorate, gum and starch could often make people cough.

So much so that there was usually a slogan on the matches at that time: "Please try not to inhale the gas. People with sensitive lungs should not use this product."

And mixing frankincense and myrrh into it would greatly reduce the odor produced during combustion, but the price was a little...

At the same time, this kind of match also had a huge problem, that is, it was very flammable and could be ignited with a slight bump, so Viscount Stratford would definitely hand over such a dangerous thing to others.

Such a box of matches cost 5 pounds, which was equivalent to 4-5 months' salary for a British worker at that time.

Viscount Stratford blew out a long smoke ring, and just as he was about to show off, he heard a "bang", and as the metal box lid was opened, a flame rose.

Prince Metternich used the lighter given to him by Franz to light his cigar. With a crisp metal collision, the flame was extinguished, and then the lighter was carefully put into his pocket.

"Legal pirates are still pirates, and real nobles will not be sea gentlemen."

Viscount Stratford knew that he could not get any benefits from Metternich, so he simply changed the subject.

"Your Excellency, what did you just use?"

"It's called a lighter, a small toy given to me by my student." Metternich knew what the other party meant, and he didn't want to make things too awkward. Compared with such a tense and tit-for-tat dialogue, he preferred to let both parties immerse themselves in the dance and wine.