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Britain in 1843 was in the midst of rapid development. In the Opium Wars, Britain defeated the powerful countries of the East, which made tens of millions of British ecstatic. They shouted that they had opened up a market that was bigger than Europe combined. The factory owners began to desperately expand their production, dreaming of selling their goods to China. Countless adventurous people have traveled to China on merchant ships to pan for gold in that fabled country.

It can be said that the victory of the Opium War plunged the whole of Britain into madness. However, it will soon become clear that things are not as rosy as they seem, even if the British have opened up the Chinese market by force. Although China has a population of more than 300 million, it is still a self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy. Plus most of the Chinese are very poor and simply don't have the money to buy British products. The goods that the British shipped to China could not be sold at all. Factories in the UK will only increase their production backlog, which will eventually affect their economy. Of course, because of the sudden attack on the Manchus by Xinhua, many Britons also believed that this was the reason why their goods were unsalable. After all, war can have a very severe impact on the economy and trade.

The new British Cabinet. Taken by the Conservative Robert . Sir Peel is the second time he has come to the bench to form a Cabinet. His predecessor, William. Viscount Lamb. successfully promoted the British war against the Manchus, allowing him to pick up a big bargain. Robert. Sir Peel also thought so, believing that after opening up the Chinese market, Britain would get a new round of rapid growth. At that time, his prestige will also increase rapidly, and his political life will be more and more long. Now, though, it seems. The truth is similar to theirs, but the gap is too far away.

There are already more and more small businessmen on the verge of bankruptcy. These merchants. Desperately demanding that the government solve the problem for them, this made Prime Minister Robert . Sir Peel was miserable. Numerous cabinet meetings have been held, but they have not been able to come up with an effective initiative.

On the afternoon of May 12, 1843, the British Foreign Secretary, George W. Hamilton. Gordon hurried to the Prime Minister's Office. Ask to see Prime Minister Robert. Sir Peel. He was the 4th Earl of Aberdeen. In British high society, it has a high influence.

"Your Excellency, is there something happening in such a hurry to come to the Prime Minister's Palace?" Prime Minister Robert. Sir Peel asked.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, I have received a joint report from Lord Ellenborough, Viceroy of India, and Sir Bonham, Governor of the Straits Settlements. They asked the Cabinet and Parliament to pass a resolution, and then Her Majesty the Queen gave them a war mandate. "George. Hamilton. Earl Gordon said.

"War authorization? What do they want to do? Is there another war against the Qing State? "Robert. Sir Peel asked, surprised. You know, the Opium War has just ended. Although the British passed guò this time the war grabbed huge profits. But if there is another war right away. It's sure to attract a lot of opposition. The current cabinet is scorched enough, Robert. Sir Peel didn't want to get into trouble again.

"Nope. It's not Qingguo. It's Xinhuaguo. Lord Ellelenborough and Sir Bonham both think that we should declare war on Xinhua and defeat them immediately! This is their report, please take a look at it. "George. Hamilton. Earl Gordon said. Then the report was handed to Robert. Sir Peel. He had read the report himself and was very much in agreement with Lord Ellenborough and Sir Bonham.

Robert. Sir Peel took the report and read it carefully. The report is long, and Robert. Sir Peel watched it for more than half an hour to finish it. During this period, George. Hamilton. Count Gordon did not disturb him, but quietly drank a cup of black tea.

"It seems that Xinhua has really become a big trouble for us, and we must not be able to let them gain access to the vast territory and population of the Qing Kingdom. Otherwise, our expansion to the East will be cut off completely. "Robert. Sir Peel closed the report and said with a stern expression.

"Your Excellency, it's not just our eastward expansion that has been cut off. Perhaps even India will be threatened. Although the establishment of the new China has not been established for a long time, this country is extremely aggressive. Once they have gained the population of the Qing Kingdom, how many troops can they arm! When the time comes, India, which is close at hand, will definitely become the target of their expansion. "George. Hamilton. Earl Gordon said. The thought of the Qing State being defeated by the Xinhua State, which gained hundreds of millions of people, made him feel terrified.

Prime Minister Robert. Sir Peel nodded, and as a prominent politician, he could even be called the founder of the British Conservative Party. Of course, he could see the crisis.

"Come, please come to me with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chancellor of the Army, and the Admiralty, there is an urgent matter." Robert. Sir Peel commanded. If the Indian colonies and the Straits Settlements were to be given a mandate for war, the first step would be for the British Cabinet to agree. After that, the resolution can be submitted to Parliament, which will review and approve the guò before the Queen of England officially authorizes the war.

"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister." The secretary of the Prime Minister's Office hurriedly sent someone to inform these important cabinet members.

Soon, the main members of the British cabinet gathered in the small conference room of the Prime Minister's Office. However, the three people who arrived later did not know what was going on. They thought it was for the sake of the bankrupt merchants.

"Gentlemen, here's a report, let's take a brief look at it." Prime Minister Robert. Sir Peel did not say much, but circulated the urgent reports sent by Lord Ellenborough, Governor of India, and Bonham, Governor of the Straits Settlements.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, are we finally going to war against Xinhua?" After reading the report, Secretary of the Admiralty George . Sir Cockburn asked. In fact, as early as the end of the Opium War, many people in the British army and navy advocated that Britain and Britain take advantage of the situation to clean up the new China as well. However, at that time, the large-scale rearmament of the British army and navy had not yet ended, so the plan to start a war against Xinhua was suppressed. At present, the refitting of the British army and navy has been largely completed, and the units in Asia, in particular, have been equipped with new weapons. If you go to war now, it's not impossible.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, I fully endorse the views of Lord Ellenborough, Viceroy of India, and Sir Bonham, Governor of the Straits Settlements. The development of Xinhua has seriously endangered the interests of the British Empire, and we cannot continue to sit idly by and watch the development of Xinhua Kingdom, we must eliminate this country, and eliminate them while they are not very strong! Otherwise, we will pay a much greater price in the future. "Secretary of War George . Sir Nugent was direct about his attitude.

"Your Excellency the Chancellor, what is your opinion?" Robert. Sir Peel asked.

"Your Excellency, I have no objection. Now our commodities urgently need overseas markets, Xinhua is also a high-speed industrial country, they are actively competing with us for the oriental market, defeat them, eliminate Xinhua country, can find more markets for our goods. Therefore, I agreed to go to war against the new Chinese state. Chancellor of the Exchequer Henry. Gulburn also said.

"Very well, in that case, the cabinet has agreed. Next Monday, I will make a formal resolution to the parliament, hoping that the parliament will pass the guò. "Robert. Sir Peel said. The last time a war was waged against the Qing Kingdom, the previous Cabinet struggled to get Parliament to pass a war resolution, and the influence of Queen Victoria and the Duke of Wellington was used for this. However, the British army soon won the victory, which greatly stimulated the members of the British Parliament. Robert. Sir Peel believed that this time the war resolution would be easier to understand.

"Your Excellency the Lord of the Navy, Your Excellency the Minister of War. As expected, the parliament will definitely pass a war resolution. What I want to know, though, will we be able to defeat Xinhuaguo? In particular, the defeat of Xinhua in the South Seas, thousands of miles away. You must know that Xinhua is not a weak country. They can even be considered a military power. "Robert. Sir Peel asked. In fact, that's what he's most concerned about. If he loses the battle, I'm afraid he will be the first to be unlucky.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, please rest assured that the main reason for the strength of the new Chinese country is their weapons and equipment. Now they no longer have an advantage in armament. We have 46 'Apollo-class' warships in the Far East and the Indian Ocean, and this new type of warship is enough to restrain the 'Shark-class' warships of Xinhua. There are also dozens of old warships. In the comparison of naval strength, we have a decisive advantage. "Admiral George. Sir Cockburn said.

"Your Excellency, the same is true for the Army. The Army has more than 20,000 troops in the Straits Settlements, and we have hundreds of thousands more in India. As long as the navy can achieve victory, then the army will be able to land on Xinhua and completely destroy it. "Secretary of War George . Sir Nugant also said. The British Army has also been equipped with new breech guns and breech guns, which has greatly improved the combat power of the British Army. This was given to the Secretary of State for War, George. Sir Nugant had great confidence. The history of Spain and the Netherlands losing at the hands of Xinhua will definitely not be repeated.

"Very well, gentlemen, then let's expect a great victory!" Robert. Sir Peel said with satisfaction. (To be continued......)