PS: The third update is here! The fourth watch is at 11 o'clock! Thank you for the generous reward and monthly pass of the book friend Arthur Wang! Thank you for the commuter pass of the night god night!

"Your Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kuwait is a British protectorate, and it is not legitimate that Jaber tunguò came to power in a coup. The protection treaty he signed with China also has no legal effect. As for the Suez Canal, it belongs to the Suez Canal Company. According to the proclamation of the Congress of Constantinople in 1888, the Suez Canal was a neutral zone under the protection of the British Empire. China can't take away the Suez Canal! Ambassador Jurdian retorted.

"In any case, the Kingdom of Kuwait is now ruled by Jaber. The Kingdom of Kuwait has freed itself from British colonial rule and has become a protectorate of China, so our country must protect the security and interests of the Kingdom of Kuwait. Any invasion of the Kingdom of Kuwait is an invasion of China! As for the Suez Canal, if it weren't for the British cavalry stationed in the Suez Canal in 1882, would the canal have been controlled by the British? Now that the squadron has captured the Suez Canal, it is impossible to want us to give up! Wu Tingfang said resolutely. The importance of the Suez Canal is self-evident, whoever masters the Suez Canal will be able to control this traffic artery!

"The British Empire bought a stake in the Suez Canal Company in 1875 and sent troops to the Suez Canal, and it was only right!" Zhu Erdian said. At that time, the Egyptian Khedive, forced by foreign debt, transferred the shares of the Suez Canal Company to Britain. Therefore, the British sent troops into the canal in a bright way. However, China obviously will not admit it.

"Your Excellency, the current Khedive Abbasid II of Egypt said that Britain had used improper means to seize the shares of the canal belonging to Egypt. Now, Egypt is willing to take back the stake in the canal at the original price. Meantime. Egypt will invite our team to station in the canal and protect the canal! Wu Tingfang said with a smile.

"It can't be! The British Empire will not sell its stake in the canal! Zhu Erdian said immediately. Not to mention, it was still purchased at the original price at the time. You must know that with the increase of trade between the East and the West, the annual income of the Canal Company is a huge wealth, and the shares of the Canal Company held by Britain have already risen several times, and the British root will not give up.

"Then there is no way!" Wu Tingfang said helplessly, anyway. Now the Suez Canal is in the hands of the Chinese side. Even if it can't fully occupy the Suez Canal, China will have to intervene in it. If China wants to cede the Suez Canal, this is impossible.

The meeting has come to this point, which has shown that they will not be able to agree on anything. Obviously. Diplomatic efforts have failed. The British ambassador to China, Zhu Erdian, and the French ambassador to China, Pierre, could only bid farewell to Wu Tingfang and then report the results of the negotiations to China. They have tried, and as for how to decide at home, it is not for them to intervene.

"Your Excellency Zhu Erdian. The Chinese are so greedy that they want to protect the interests of our two countries, and it seems that diplomacy will not work! After leaving the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pierre said to Zhu Erdian.

"Now it is the Chinese who have an absolute advantage. Of course they want to get more out of it. As for the means of warfare, this has already proven to be unworkable. The Chinese have occupied the Suez Canal and have already cut off our supplies and the coalition forces. In half a month at most, the coalition forces will collapse due to lack of supplies! Zhu Erdian shook his head and said. Obviously. He is not optimistic about the continuation of the war!

"That's right. The Chinese are showing strong combat power. But, after all, China has only just embarked on the path of industrialization. If we fight an all-out war with China, with the strength of Britain and France, there will be no problem at all in winning the final victory! Pierre was a little reluctant.

Zhu Erdian shook his head, and then said: "China will not agree to fight a full-scale war with China." We're not ready yet. At least in the Navy, we do not have the slightest advantage over China. In addition, our main enemy is not China. Even if we can defeat China, we will lose a lot. At that time, the leadership of the European continent will fall into the hands of other countries! ”

Pierre's face was a little unsightly, and the navy was undoubtedly a pain in the hearts of the French. In the Battle of the Red Sea, two of the four 'Lone Class' battleships of the French Navy were sunk and two were captured. This resulted in the loss of all the cutting-edge battleships of the French Navy. Before the French Navy entered service with the next class of 'Brittany-class' battleships, the French Navy could only rely on the old-fashioned 'Danton-class' to support the scene. However, France is, after all, a continental army country, and the army is the most important.

"Are we going to let the Chinese make harsh demands on us? If the Suez Canal is controlled by the Chinese, then our connection with Asia will be completely cut off! Pierre said. France doesn't care about this, it doesn't have much interest in Asia.

"The Chinese will not succeed!" Zhu Erdian said. The Suez Canal was very important to Britain, and all the resources that Britain received from India and Australia needed to be transported back to China through the Guò Suez Canal. If the Suez Canal were to be controlled by China, the consequences would be unimaginable!

After returning to the embassy, Zhu Erdian personally sent a telegram to China, sending back all the reactions of the Chinese side, as well as his proposals, to China, hoping that the country could make the right decision.

On December 26, just after Christmas, British Prime Minister Arthur Balfour summoned his cabinet ministers to discuss the current troubles. This Christmas is probably the most uncomfortable Christmas for the important ministers of the British Cabinet. Although the coalition forces in Saudi Arabia are still relatively well stocked, it is clear that they will not last long. The commander of the coalition forces, General Horatio Herbert Kitchener, had ordered the daily rations of the coalition soldiers to be reduced, but even then, they could only hold out for about twenty days at most. Admiral Kitchener's telegrams for help appeared daily in the hands of the heads of government of Britain and France, and they were also miserable.

"Your Excellency, our ambassador to China has been in contact with the Chinese. However, the asking price of the Chinese is very high, and they even want to occupy the Suez Canal! This condition is something we cannot agree to. Therefore, diplomatic efforts can be determined to have failed! Lord Lansdowne, the Foreign Secretary, said helplessly.

"For the sake of the interests of the British Empire, the Suez Canal cannot fall into the hands of the Chinese!" Colonial Secretary Edward Gray said.

"So, what do we do now? The coalition forces can't hold out much longer? Prime Minister Arthur Belfour rubbed his brow, which was a little painful, and said a little tiredly. In the British Parliament, the opposition parties have begun to launch a motion of no confidence in him, which makes it difficult for Arthur Belfour to deal with. If it is not handled well, I am afraid he will have to step down!

"We can order the Anglo-French forces to retreat to the Suez Canal. According to the current supply of the coalition forces, the coalition forces in the center and south can retreat to the Red Sea coast. The coalition forces in the northwest can retreat to the Sinai Peninsula. If we can regain control of the Suez Canal within this time, then we still have a chance! Field Marshal Neville Powers Sir Chamberlain said.

"Will we be able to take back control of the canal?" Prime Minister Arthur Balfour was already a little less convinced of the fighting power of the British team.

"The 100,000 reinforcements we sent have arrived in Alexandria. France's 100,000 troops will also arrive today. Attacking the Suez Canal with 200,000 men is not without opportunities. We do not seek to completely defeat the Chinese, as long as we can seize control of the northern part of the canal. It's just that this requires the cooperation of the Navy. The U.S. Navy, in particular, has to go to war! Sir Chamberlain said.

"Can the Navy go to war?" Prime Minister Arthur Belfour looked at Sir John Fisher, Lord of the Admiralty.

"The Navy has already communicated with the American side. The U.S. Navy will fully assist us. It's just that the main force of the Chinese Navy has been staying in Port Said. Their submarine forces, deployed in the nearby seas. If we go to war there, we will take a big risk! Sir Fisher said with some apprehension.

"Even if we take the risk, we don't have a choice. This battle must be won. Otherwise, we will have to accept the harsh conditions of the Chinese! I will contact the President of France, and we must work together in this battle! "Prime Minister Arthur Belfour has made up his mind. If he fails again, then he has only one way to step down. He was very unwilling, so he had to give it a go.

"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister, we will do our best!" Both Sir Chamberlain and Sir Fisher replied.

Alexandria, northern Egypt, December 27. The troops sent by the Anglo-French alliance from home have all gathered here. A total of 200,000 people, 100,000 each in Britain and France. British Field Marshal Frederick Roberts was the commander. At the same time, in the Mediterranean, there is a huge fleet of four 'Dreadnought-class' battleships of the British Navy and six 'Connecticut-class' battleships of the US Navy. British Admiral Sir Edward Seamo was the commander and the U.S. Admiral Benson was the chief of staff.

According to the plan, the Anglo-French forces were to attack Port Said, defeat the squadron stationed here, and control the northern part of the Suez Canal. The navy will fight a decisive battle with the Chinese navy in the Mediterranean sea north of the Suez Canal, defeat the Chinese navy, gain sea supremacy in the Mediterranean Sea and even the Red Sea, reopen the connection with the British and French forces in Saudi Arabia, and avoid the collapse of the coalition forces due to the lack of logistics supplies!