"Gentlemen, Houston. Admiral Stewart had already ordered the fleet to retreat. The Mediterranean Fleet was flanked by the main forces of the 5th Fleet of the Chinese Navy and the Mediterranean Fleet of the Spanish Navy. In that case, Admiral Stewart had no choice. If war is triggered, the Mediterranean Fleet will be annihilated! "British Admiralty Chancellor Charles. Sir Adam, speaking to the Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, the Earl of Stanley.

"Well, that means that our blockade of Spain has been breached. The Chinese could pass through the eastern coast of Spain and continuously supply Spain with various war materials. In this way, our allies are in trouble. The Earl of Granville, the Foreign Secretary, frowned. He was about to leave for Vienna to attend the peace conference. However, due to the sudden situation in Spain, he had to delay his trip for a while.

"Yes, Your Excellency. The army sent by France to Spain consisted of only ten infantry divisions and 120,000 men. However, they will be besieged by hundreds of thousands of Spaniards. The army of France itself had to resist pressure from the Kingdom of Prussia, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Kingdom of Belgium. The support that the other allies were able to provide to France was very limited. Therefore, they will most likely suffer a crushing defeat in Spain! Said the Marquis of Anglesey, Minister of War. Obviously, it is unfair for France to leave France alone to resist the land pressure of several countries in the Eurasian Union. But there's really nothing they can do about it.

"Gentlemen, let's all talk about what we should do now!" The Prime Minister, Earl Stanley, also felt a great headache. The British Royal Navy sent a large number of warships to blockade the Spanish coast in order to assist the French operation. Before. They have already intercepted several ships transporting arms from China to Spain. Although this provoked a solemn protest from the Chinese Empire, the British withstood the pressure. This time. The fleet of the Chinese Navy has already appeared, and if it continues to top, it is very likely that war will break out. Britain, likewise, was not ready for war.

"If war breaks out now, do we have a chance of winning?" Earl Glanville asked.

The Prime Minister, Earl Stanley, also looked at the Admiralty Chancellor Charles Stanley. Sir Adam and the Marquess of Anglesey, Secretary of State for War.

"Navy. It's hard to win. In Spain, the 5th Fleet of the Chinese Navy has already dispatched 'Qin-class' battleships. According to the report of the Mediterranean Fleet, the Chinese 'Qin-class' battleships. Far stronger than our 'Nelson-class' battleships, or even the 'ravage-class' battleships that are under intense construction, are no match for the other side. Therefore, the Navy needs more time to equip more advanced warships. Shorten the gap with the Chinese Navy. It would be best if the Chinese Navy could be surpassed in between! "Lord of the Admiralty, Charles. Sir Adam said. Although the British Admiralty has received a large amount of funds for the construction of ships, it will not take a lot of time to turn these funds into warships capable of cruising on the sea. Britain also chose to run out of time, if war broke out now. That's simply not enough time to prepare for these. Thus, the British Admiralty Chancellor Charles. Sir Adam was not in favor of deteriorating the situation to freezing point now!

"It's the same with the Army. If the Navy can't win. Then we will be separated from India. Although we have 200,000 troops in India and 1 million Anglo-Indian troops, the Chinese also have a lot of troops. It's really not that easy to hold India. In addition, once war breaks out, most of Russia's army will be dragged by the Chinese, and even the Ottoman Turkish Empire will be involved. At that time, the number of troops that Russia can send to western Europe will be quite limited. It is almost impossible for us to defeat several countries of the Asia-Europe military alliance in Europe before the Chinese reinforcements appear in Europe. The Marquis of Anglesey, Minister of War, also said.

Suddenly, the faces of Count Stanley and Count Granville and the others darkened. Although, Charles. Sir Adam and the Marquis of Anglesey's words, though very tactful, were very clear. Once neither the British Navy nor the Army could ensure victory. Well, the final outcome is that Britain will lose this war!

Such a result is definitely not what everyone wants to see. Isn't the reason why they are trying to find all kinds of ways to gain an advantage in future wars and win them? Only in this way can the interests of the British Empire be safeguarded. If you lose the war, you'll have nothing. The glory of Britain for hundreds of years will be dissipated as a result.

"In other words, we can't go to war with the Chinese now!" Count Stanley said with a gloomy face.

"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister!" Everyone else nodded.

"In that case, let the fleet withdraw from Spain! lest the guns go off the rails and cause war! Earl Stanley said. It also seems useless to leave the main forces of the British Royal Navy in Spain. On the contrary, it will also increase the risk of the outbreak of war, and it is better to withdraw the fleet, which is more safe.

"Yes, Your Excellency, Prime Minister!" Secretary of the Navy Charles. Sir Adam nodded, and it seemed like the best way to avoid further deterioration of the situation.

"But, Your Excellency, what are our allies going to do?" The Earl of Granville frowned. According to the original agreement, after the failure of the coup d'état in Madrid, France sent troops to invade Spain to support Don. Prince Carlos, while Britain sent out their navy to blockade Spain and buy time for the French army. But now, the British Navy has retreated, which is simply an irresponsible act of abandoning the allies!

"There is no way to do this, let the French inform us of our decision! I believe that Napoleon III was a wise man, and he would not have failed to see the current situation! Earl Stanley said.

"All right, Your Excellency Prime Minister!" Count Granville said helplessly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, since the current situation is not in our favor. The crisis in Spain could not be solved by war. Then, we have no choice but to seize the opportunity of the Vienna Peace Conference. Your Excellency the Earl of Granville, in this peace meeting, you will help us as much as possible to obtain favorable conditions in our favor! Earl Stanley instructed.

"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister. I am going to propose at the peace conference the establishment of two Spanish tiyì. Most of Spain is still ruled by Queen Isabella II, while the northwestern part of Spain is ruled by the Don. Prince Carlos came to rule. After all, if Queen Isabella II's father hadn't changed the succession bill, the throne of Spain would have belonged to Don. Prince Carlos's! Said the Earl of Granville.

This matter is already known throughout Europe. After all, the original Spanish succession caused an uproar throughout Europe.

Earl Stanley nodded: "However, will those countries of the Asia-Europe Military Alliance agree?" This is, after all, at the expense of the interests of the Kingdom of Spain! ”

In this regard, the Earl of Stanley and other members of the British cabinet were a little worried.

"We need this to get the consent of Austria-Hungary. Franz. Joseph I was originally an extremely conservative man, and our mention may be supported by him. In this way, Austria-Hungary will be on our side. If we can draw Austria-Hungary into our alliance by this, it will bring about a fundamental change in the strength of our military alliance with Asia and Europe. When the time comes, we won't be under so much pressure! Said the Earl of Granville. In fact, this is his real intention. As for Don. Prince Carlos, that's just a pawn.

"Very well, Earl of Granville, if your plan succeeds, then our chances of victory are much better!" A smile finally appeared on Earl Stanley's face.

"Your Excellency, I believe that we will succeed!" Count Granville's face showed a determined look.

Although the military strength and industrial strength of Austria-Hungary were not strong, with a population of more than 30 million and the ability to mobilize millions of troops, this was undoubtedly urgently needed by the North Atlantic military alliance. If Austria-Hungary had joined the North Atlantic military alliance, France would have been under much less pressure. At that time, the situation of the war will be fundamentally changed. It is not impossible for the North Atlantic Military Alliance to win the final war outright!

The British navy, having received an order from home, withdrew from Spanish waters. This allowed the blockade of the Kingdom of Spain to be completely broken. Of course, the actions of the British Navy also caused dissatisfaction in France. However, after communication between the two countries, the French did not seem to hold the British accountable. At the same time, the French Army, in northwestern Spain, also turned to the defensive. Their actions were more like waiting for the outcome of the Vienna Peace Conference.

The Spanish Army's ongoing mobilization, combined with the fact that the last time it had suffered heavy losses and had not achieved corresponding gains, halted the Spanish Army's offensive.

With the fermentation of time, the Vienna Peace Conference has attracted everyone's attention. Everyone's attention is focused there. Many Europeans hope that the Vienna Peace Conference will make a breakthrough. In this case, the clouds of war may be able to dissipate.

On May 1, 1851, the Vienna Peace Conference was convened in Vienna under the auspices of Prince Felix, Prime Minister of Austria-Hungary. (To be continued......)

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