According to the order of the Red Fort, the expedition was scheduled to take place on January 22, 1886, on which the advance party of the African Expeditionary Force would set off in accordance with the Chinese tradition......

Until January 20, it has not been decided where to point, and the specific information from London will have to be heard.

It may sound like a bit of a joke, but it is.

The good thing is that neither Mozambique nor the Kingdom of Madagascar have any decent navy or sea defenses, and battles and conflicts take place mainly on land, regardless of where they land.

Meanwhile, January 20

London, Downing Street

In the small conference hall on the right side of the second floor of the office building of the British Colonial Office, the two sides of the face-to-face negotiations were quite fiercely arguing, on one side were Lord Charles, assistant to the Minister of the Colonial Department, and Sir Clare, a senior expert, on the other hand, Tang Shaoyi, a diplomatic representative representing the interests of Queensland, Zheng Canghai, the European prime minister of Huitong Bank, as well as Zhang Qiang, an assistant to the diplomatic representative, and some other people attending the meeting.

“…… Your Excellency Lord Charles, I think I have made the opinion of the Queensland side very clear, based on the fact that the final date of action set by the Earl is the early morning of January 22, and whether or not an agreement is reached, we must conclude the talks at 5:00 p.m. today, I regret your insistence, because our time is really running out, there is only a little more than an hour to reach a final agreement, it seems that this is a doomed and impossible task, I am very pessimistic about it, our army will continue with the previous plan of the Kingdom of Madagascar, unfortunately missed out on the Mozambique region. Tang Shaoyi sighed heavily and ended his speech.

Lord Charles, assistant to the Minister of the Colonies, blushed with emotion, said menacingly; "I don't think I need to remind you that any action without the permission of the Colonial Department will be taken by our side in an attitude of non-recognition, non-responsibility, non-endorsement but optimism, and all tacit understanding will cease to exist, and the Queensland side will be fully responsible for it."

"My lord, how many times a sentence is repeated does not add weight to it, Queensland's action is based on a consensus formed by secret talks in the café, and Sir Claire was present at the time, and any unilateral denial is a matter of great regret, and if so, Queensland cannot promise to provide the necessary trade facilitation in the occupied territories, which is our consistent attitude."

"Mr. Diplomat, I'm afraid you've mistaken priorities, right?"

"Don't be like this, Lord Queensland, Queensland is an autonomous government with legislative power, and has the power to decide the direction of colonization, and I don't think the Prime Minister's Office in Downing Street will have any objection to this, so let's talk openly and honestly like businessmen."

"Wow...... That's the biggest joke I've heard this year. ”

"It's just been 20 days this year, and the days ahead are still long." Tang Shaoyi sneered at each other without letting go, and then his tone softened, and he said with a sincere gaze; "Forgive me for being mean, it's really embarrassing, for God's sake, let's get down to business, Lord Lord, time is really running out, and we ask the British Army to send a company symbolically, if not a battalion, if ......not."

"No, no, it's completely impossible, the British Army is not obliged to send a field force outside the national plan, I have said it many times, this is a tacit understanding between the Colonial Office and the Foreign Office, and there is no connection with the 2C plan of the British mainland to colonize Africa, you can see it as a small gift on the cake, if it succeeds, London will endorse it, and if it fails, it will only be carried by Queensland itself, and London will not recognize it and will not be responsible for it, this is our official attitude."

"We accept this, it's just that we need to send a company of soldiers."

"No, this is not negotiable, the occupying forces will not be able to raise the British banner until they succeed, because we have made great promises at the Berlin Conference, what the hell...... It's all to blame for the damn Liberal Cabinet for making too many concessions, and thankfully, these fat borers have finally left Downing Street, otherwise a relaxing afternoon tea would have become unbearable......"

"Uh...... Forgive me for interrupting you, Queensland only needs a more orthodox name......"

"I'm sorry, this is exactly what London can't give, we can secretly give diplomatic support, suppress discordant voices from Europe, and we can also give some money and equipment, although it's not much, but as long as you succeed in gaining a foothold, we can find a way to carve out a big piece of territory."

"I understand what you said, but the problem is that we were going to eat one big meal, and now the colonial department is letting us eat two big meals, which may choke us, and the original strategy plan has become no longer appropriate, and it may be necessary to send more troops, or even fight a scorching protracted war, the risk is extremely increased, and it is natural for us to ask for a little more support."

"We can't give you the support you want, the British Army's use of force has reached its limit, the Prime Minister's Office will not support the opening of a new battlefield outside of the Second C Plan, and the first attack on Mozambique is the brilliant idea of the new Colonial Minister Sir Robert, he needs a good political achievement, and His Excellency the Earl of Queensland will get the friendship of Sir Robert."

"But the friendship is also too expensive, worth more than a million pounds."

"Okay, okay, let's talk openly about what support you need, please don't mention the British Army, if the War Secretary knows that he will tear me apart, he can't act under the banner of the British government, I think it's good to use the banner of the Earl of Queensland, that's what he did in the East Indies, in fact, he did it beautifully, and anything else can be discussed."

"Then let me think about ......"

Tang Shaoyi frowned in embarrassment, but in fact, she was already happy in her heart.

He knew from the Earl's point of view that he did not pay attention to acting under the banner of Britain, as long as the British Empire stood behind him, no European or American country dared to openly bully Queensland, it would be a great death.

But seeing that the new Conservative government was eager to make a difference, the Queensland side saw an opportunity to take advantage of it and immediately raised the offer significantly.

Originally, the café secret agreement was a small act of the colonial department, which could not be announced, and secretly supported the secret agreement of Queensland's expansion in Africa.

The new Minister of the Colonies, Sir Robert, was overjoyed to learn the details of the café's secret agreement, and with a stroke of his pen, added Mozambique, which he did not care about at all.

An island, where is the Mississippi River Valley, full of rivers and fertile land, more important? More political influence?

Mozambique is almost a replica of the Congo River Basin, except that one is located in eastern Africa and the other is located in western Africa, coincidentally at roughly the same latitude, with the same rivers and a humid and rainy climate.

The fact that the Dutch, Spanish, British, and French tried to occupy the region, only to be expelled by the hard-line Portuguese, reflecting the coveted richness of Mozambique's resources.

The Mozambique region is a good place with gold, ivory, rainfall-rich forests and pastures suitable for agriculture and pasture, and dense alpine forests and abundant resources.

Sir Robert, the Minister of State for the Colonies, is a noble gentleman who is very happy, he knows little about the situation in Africa, and he is even more blind to Australia, and he is holding a rolling pin to blow fire~ I don't know anything.

A new broom sweeps clean.

Sir Robert needed such an extra surprise to write a strong mark on his cabinet career, and these accumulated qualifications are an important weight to win the support of the Conservative Party bigwigs, and they are indispensable political capital.

If it is done properly, it is possible to stand out in the fierce competition within the Conservative Party, and the position on Downing Street is not unexpected, and entering the cabinet is not far from the number one boss, and it feels like it is within reach.

If people don't have some ideals, what is the difference between them and salted fish?

Who would have thought that Queensland would greatly increase the price and ask the British Army to send no less than one battalion to land in Mozambique under the British flag, which is the so-called pulling tiger skin to make a big flag, everyone knows the truth that it is better to enjoy the shade under the big tree.

The rice flag in this era is still very useful, at least the Portuguese do not dare to shoot first, they have scruples everywhere, they are controlled everywhere, and they can greatly reduce the casualties in the dispute.

Although the Portuguese hugged the thighs of the British, they were not welcomed, because of the Portuguese language and the Catholic faith, the British rejected the Portuguese from the heart, and the royal families of the two countries almost did not intermarry, which was far inferior to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is also a Protestant country, although the country speaks Dutch, but also speaks English, so it is also a member of the English-speaking countries, the British and Dutch royal families have a close relationship, and have a co-ruler in history.

Then again

Queensland did not use the rice flag in the previous East Indies War, but used the Red Mountain Dragon Earl Clan Emblem Flag, on the one hand, because the Queensland army actually belonged to the paramilitary National Guard, belonged to an independent Dominion, and was the private army of the Earl of Queensland, and had no right to use the rice flag.

Once the rice flag is raised, it represents the embodiment of the will of the British Empire, which is not a simple single flag, and there are too many contents behind it.

On the other hand

The British royal family wants to beat the Dutch, but is unwilling to completely tear their faces, and the balance is very delicate, so the dispute between the two sides cannot be maintained in the realm of the war of the great nobles, and cannot rise to a higher level.

Back to business

After the diplomatic representative Tang Shaoyi took the lead in raising the requirements, the British really cared about it, and that feeling was like something...... for fear that others would be touched by the glory of the British Empire.

The head is shaken like a gourd string, "NO, NO, Notatall". (No, no, totally impossible)

This trick is to repair the plank road, and the darkness Chen Cang really worked.

By 5 p.m

After arduous negotiations, the representatives of the two sides finally formally signed the memorandum of understanding of the secret meeting, and each of them gained something.

They walked out of the small conference room chatting and laughing, talking to each other cordially like long-lost family members, and the original red-faced quarrel seemed to be a matter of the last century, which may be the norm in diplomatic occasions!

In a word, what a hypocrisy!

"Congratulations to Deputy Tang, I am deeply impressed by your outstanding performance, especially at the last moment, when you decisively used your voting rights in foreign affairs, which is a highly responsible attitude to safeguard the interests of both sides, and I appreciate it."

"I wasn't able to stand up for Queensland interests, it was really frustrating, it felt like the end of the world."

"Do not worry, my friend, I would like to ask His Excellency Minister Robert to write a letter to you in high esteem for your persistence in the negotiations, for in fact diplomatic negotiations are based on their own strengths, and you have done well enough to cause me a great deal of trouble."

"Thank you, Lord Lord, for your kind words." Tang Shaoyi replied quite bitterly, looking in a heavy mood.

The defeat of a stubborn opponent in a very difficult negotiation made Lord Charles, assistant to the Minister of State for the Colonies, feel better, and he expressed his appreciation in an authentic London tone, and his tone contained an undisguised arrogance.

At his insistence, the Queensland diplomatic representative, Tang Shaoyi, retreated on the main issue, which was a real victory for the Colonial Office, and the main credit certainly belonged to Lord Charles.

As for the compensation that Queensland is asking for, it is nothing more than the Eritrean region.

Lord Charles had no idea what Eritrea was and where, and after a five-minute pause in the negotiations and a briefing by a veteran expert, Sir Clare, he learned what the hell was going on in Eritrea.

Eritrea is located in the northernmost part of East Africa and the Horn of Africa, bordering Sudan to the west and the Kingdom of Ethiopia to the south.

The region is connected to Djibouti in the southeast, with an area of about 124,000 square kilometers and a coastline of 1,200 kilometers.

Queensland intended to unite the two places, so that from the Red Sea to the easternmost tip of the Horn of Africa, all belonged to a single colony, and the oases were enlarged a little, and nothing more.

To say that the strategic location of the region is important, Queensland has occupied the Red Sea Mandeb Strait to rush to Great Hanish Island, so what is the use of occupying 1,200 kilometers of red coastline?

Will it be possible to cut off this vital Eurasian trade route twice?

This is also incredible!

Britain and France had heavy troops stationed in the Suez River area, and the arrogant British did not consider this possibility at all, and this possibility was not even 1 in 10,000.

Lord Charles thought for less than 30 seconds before nodding his head in agreement, and as long as Queenslanders were successful in establishing themselves in Eritrea, London would push for the Berlin signatories to recognise that the region was the Earl's African Territory of Queensland and had the relevant rights and interests recognized by the signatories of the conference.

meanwhile

The Colonial Office pledged to implicitly support Queensland's colonial expansion in Africa, and to promote international recognition as long as it could occupy land that did not conflict with the British mainland's 2C plan.

After reaching a memorandum of the secret meeting, Zhang Qiang, an assistant to the diplomatic representative, immediately ran to the telegraph office more than 100 meters away to send the news to the Australian base camp and the officers and men of the expeditionary force waiting in the Horn of Africa.