Compared to the Spanish Army, which is equipped with the standard weapons of the Chinese Army and trained by Chinese* officers, the Portuguese Army is far inferior in terms of equipment and tactics. As a result, the Portuguese Army was completely suppressed by the Spanish Army in the war and suffered heavy losses. When the defensive line they had deployed on the border was breached, the Portuguese army was on the verge of collapse and could not resist the Spanish army's attack.

In just three days, the Spanish captured Nova Vendaş, only a few dozen kilometers from the Portuguese capital Lisbon. At this moment, the whole of Lisbon was panicked. Countless Portuguese, fleeing Lisbon, sought refuge in England. The entire Portuguese government and opposition are also in turmoil.

King Pedro V of Portugal, the eldest son of Queen Maria II, came in the last year. Last year, Queen Maria II died in childbirth, and he took over as King of Portugal. It's just that the current Pedro V is only seventeen years old and still a child. The power of the state was almost entirely in the hands of his father, Fernando II.

The Spanish Army's advance was directed at Lisbon, which made Pedro V feel like an ant on a hot pan, not knowing what to do.

"Father, what now? The Spaniards are less than 50 kilometres from Lisbon, and in two days at most, they will be in Lisbon. And we are in Lisbon, with less than 100,000 men, will we be able to withstand the Spanish attack? "Pedro V has no master, I don't know what to do anymore.

"Pedro, it's not that bad, we'll still have a chance! Don't worry too much! Fernando II comforted.

"Yes, Your Majesty! The Spaniards wanted to attack Lisbon. You have to cross the Tagus River, which is wide. As long as we blow up the bridge over the river, the Spaniards will not have it so easy to cross the river. As long as we can hold on for a little longer. Reinforcements from the British would arrive in Lisbon. When the time comes, it will not be so easy for the Spaniards to take Lisbon! Said the Marquis de Lolai, Minister of War.

"Yes! Your Majesty, Your Excellency the Foreign Secretary has arrived at London, and he will ask the British for help. The British will not die without help. Prime Minister Count Tommar also said. Although, blowing up the bridge over the Tagus River would be a very serious loss for the Kingdom of Portugal. However, if the bridge is not blown up, it is possible that the country will not be destroyed. The lesser of two evils. Blowing up the bridge over the Tagus River is a last resort.

Pedro V was relieved: "Prime Minister, send a telegram to the Foreign Secretary, asking him to send troops to the rescue of the British!" ”

Count Tommar nodded, but he didn't dare to pack a ticket if British reinforcements could arrive. After all, after the destruction of the Mediterranean Fleet of the British Navy, the entire Strait of Gibraltar has fallen into the control of the Chinese Navy. Even warships of the Chinese Navy often make their way out into the waters off Lisbon. And the main force of the British Navy. It is shrinking towards the English Channel. Once the British could not secure sea supremacy, would they dare to send reinforcements across the sea to Portugal? Now, the only thing the Kingdom of Portugal can rely on is God!

Morning of September 3, 1854. The Portuguese Army blew up several bridges over the Tagus River, which directly prevented the Spanish Army from crossing the wide Tagus River. Whether you choose to force a ferry or a detour, it is not an easy task. The Spanish Army's offensive could not help but be delayed. And this also gives Portugal more time to prepare.

London, the capital of the United Kingdom. From before the Spanish Army launched an attack on Portugal, the Count of Kendes, the foreign minister of the Kingdom of Portugal, arrived here. After receiving a constant urging telegram from home. The Earl of Kenders asked for an audience again and again, and finally met the Earl of Granville, the British Foreign Secretary, on the afternoon of September 3, 1854.

"Your Excellency the Earl of Granville. Now the situation in Portugal is very threatening, the Spaniards have broken through our defenses, and most of our territory has fallen. The Spaniard's forward is already less than fifty kilometers from Lisbon. In order to avoid the capture of the capital, we even had to blow up the bridge over the Tagus River, which had cost a lot of money to build. However, this could only be a short delay in the actions of the Spaniards. If Britain does not send any more troops, we may follow in the footsteps of the Kingdom of the Netherlands! "The Count of Kendes, the foreign minister of the Kingdom of Portugal, pleaded directly that the current Kingdom of Portugal needs help. Otherwise, they will only be destroyed!

The Earl of Granville couldn't help frowning, he was very busy these days, so he didn't have time to pay attention to the war in Portugal, and he didn't seem to expect that in just a few days, the situation in Portugal would deteriorate to such a point.

During this time, the Anglo-French attack on Belgium also did not go well. The 600,000-strong army launched a fierce attack on the border of several hundred kilometers, but they were intercepted by the Belgian and Prussian armies, and the Anglo-French army suffered heavy losses, so far more than 100,000 soldiers killed and seriously wounded. If this continues, the entire Anglo-French army is estimated to collapse due to huge casualties.

The fighting between Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Prussia in southern Germany did not go well, even with the support of smaller states such as the Kingdom of Württemberg and the Kingdom of Bavaria. But Austria-Hungary was not only unable to gain an advantage on the battlefield, but was at a disadvantage. The Prussian Army was constantly breaking through the Austro-Hungarian Army's defenses, forcing Austria-Hungary to send more troops to the front. This directly prevented Austria-Hungary from attacking in other directions, such as in the Balkans.

In the past few days, the Earl of Granville has been urgently contacting the ambassadors of various countries to Great Britain, and discussing with them the joint dispatch of troops by various countries. The current situation is very critical, and it is very unfavorable for the North Atlantic military alliance. If it drags on any longer, the North Atlantic Military Alliance is even more likely to lose the war.

"I'm sorry, Earl of Kenders, but I've been busy these days!" Earl Glanville said.

"Your Excellency, it doesn't matter. As long as Britain can send reinforcements in time to save the Kingdom of Portugal, this is enough! The Earl of Kenders said. As for whether the Tao apologizes or not, it doesn't matter anymore.

The Earl of Granville nodded: "Count Kenders, please rest assured, the British Empire will never watch its allies perish." We will definitely rescue the Kingdom of Portugal. However, I still want to report this matter to His Excellency the Prime Minister! ”

"But......" said the Earl of Kenders, for fear that the Earl of Granville was perfunctory to him. After all, by the time they were done, perhaps the Kingdom of Portugal would have been destroyed.

"Your Excellency, rest assured, we will be able to make a decision in one day at most!" The Earl of Granville seemed to know what the Earl of Kenders was thinking, and said at once.

The Earl of Kenders nodded, and then took his leave. Since the Earl of Granville had said so, what could he say more?

After seeing off the Earl of Kenders, the Earl of Granville hurried to the Prime Minister's Palace. Half an hour later, an emergency meeting of the British Cabinet was held at the Prime Minister's Office. The main topic of the meeting was how Britain could rescue the Kingdom of Portugal and prevent it from being destroyed.

"Gentlemen, there is no doubt that the situation in the Kingdom of Portugal has also reached its most critical moment. The Spaniards were already only a few dozen kilometers from the capital of the Kingdom of Portugal, although the Portuguese also blew up the bridge over the Tagus River. However, this was only for a while. If we don't do anything, then the destruction of the Kingdom of Portugal may be inevitable! British Foreign Secretary Earl Glanville said.

"Your Excellency, I know that the situation in Portugal is tense. But how many more troops can we send out now? The Anglo-French army was bleeding from the head of the Belgian line. The Kingdom of Greece is also asking for help, but our navy does not have the control of the Mediterranean, and we can only watch the Kingdom of Greece be destroyed by the Ottomans. The Americans also wanted us to send reinforcements to the Americas to support their war against the Chinese and the Spaniards. And the army of the British Empire has only so many people in total! The Marquis Anglesey, the British War Secretary, said with some dissatisfaction. Although the British Army continued to remobilize, there were not many units that had completed their training and were able to go to the battlefield. On the Belgian border in northern France, where 200,000 British troops were already bleeding, this was only the beginning of this war.

The British Prime Minister, Earl Stanley, couldn't help frowning when he heard the complaint of the Marquess of Anglesey. Now it seems that this war is very unfavorable to the North Atlantic Military Alliance! There is bad news everywhere, and if this continues, this war will not be lost.

"I know that the army has a lot of difficulties! However, for the sake of the British Empire, these difficulties needed to be overcome. After all, the Kingdom of Holland has already perished, and the Kingdom of Greece cannot hold on and is about to be destroyed. If the Kingdom of Portugal is destroyed again, then three countries of the entire North Atlantic Military Alliance will be destroyed in less than two months after the start of the war, which will be a heavy blow to the entire North Atlantic Military Alliance! Said the Earl of Granville. At the beginning, in order to expand the strength of the North Atlantic military alliance, the British Foreign Office made a great deal of effort to bring the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Greece and the Kingdom of Portugal into the alliance. If Britain does not come to their rescue now, Britain's reputation will be greatly affected. (To be continued......)

PS: The second update arrives, asking for subscriptions, monthly passes and recommended tickets! Thank you for the monthly pass!