"This Duke of Wellington is really ...... Cunning old man! ”

Hearing the Duke of Wellington propose to wait for 100,000 British soldiers to gather before hitting the road, the Earl of Liverpool could only sigh in his heart.

Of course, there are still 100,000 British soldiers (army). But that's on the books, not in the barracks. The actual number, I don't know how much discount I have to make? If you really want to send troops, you have to find a way to recruit, conscript, and pull strong soldiers, and you can't get enough people in two or three months.

Even if these 100,000 British soldiers can be scraped together and sent to India, the number of native land forces is really pitiful.

What if something happened on the European continent, such as Nicholas I, who was bent on taking Constantinople, what would happen to the British Empire? It's worrying to think about!

But no matter how worried he is, the Earl of Liverpool can only agree to the conditions of the Duke of Wellington, otherwise the Duke of Wellington will not carry the 10,000-ton black pot of India...... He can't carry it either!

And if India is gone, the British Empire will be finished!

Thinking of this, the Earl of Liverpool nodded and said, "Three months, within three months, the 100,000 expeditionary force will be ready, and the ships transporting them to India will also be ready." ”

He said it as if he was sure, but he really didn't know anything in his heart. How did the military expenses for the expedition of 100,000 troops to India come from? Since last year, there has been an economic crisis in Europe, with banks closing, factories closing, and many unemployed workers making trouble every day. Now I have to spend money to fight in India, and I have to spend money to build warships to deal with the Ming Dynasty's "Thousand Ships Plan", which is really a headache to raise money!

The Earl of Liverpool's temples really hurt a little at the thought of having a headache......

Pressing his temples, the Count pondered and asked, "Duke, do you have any good advice for the war situation in India?" ”

The Duke of Wellington thought for a moment and said, "If you can, you should immediately try to recover Peshawar." As long as the city of Peshawar can be recovered, then the situation in India will turn from a dangerous situation to a safe one. So you should try it anyway! ”

Of course, the attempt to recover Peshawar was made by Sir Amsterdam and Hugh. Major General Gough went to conduct ...... Whether they win or lose depends on their luck.

The Duke of Wellington pondered and said, "At present, the golden soldiers can only transport troops to Peshawar City by airship, and the efficiency will not be too high. I estimate that only two hundred to three hundred more men will be added per day, and the first batch of golden soldiers parachuted into Peshawar will not exceed three hundred. If we can gather 10,000 troops in ten days, there is still hope of recovering Peshawar. If we can't recover Peshawar within ten days, then Peshawar's golden soldiers may reach two or three thousand, and it will be very difficult to recover it by then.

If we are unable to regain Peshawar, then we must hold the Khyber Pass. Otherwise, there would be no way for Major General Kirton's army to get out of Afghanistan after the snow melts next spring! ”

"Withdrawal from Afghanistan?" The Earl of Liverpool frowned and said, "If Major General Kirton's army abandons Afghanistan, will Emperor Daoguang's army take the opportunity to march and drive to the vicinity of Peshawar?" ”

The Duke of Wellington thought for a moment, nodded and said, "If Peshawar City cannot be recovered, then the logistics of Major General Kirton's expeditionary force will not be unblocked. Tens of thousands of troops were stationed in areas with extremely complex situations and terrain in the face of logistical difficulties, and also faced attacks by strong enemies and betrayal by allies - I think Dost. Muhammad. Khan was bound to betray, and the situation was worse than what Emperor Napoleon had encountered in the Rakshasa Kingdom. Napoleon was almost wiped out back then, but Major-General Cotton-General could still win? So if Peshawar can't be recovered, then Major General Kirton's army should withdraw as soon as the snow on the roads melts next spring, don't hesitate! ”

The Earl of Liverpool listened to the Duke of Wellington's words, but was silent for a while, and then looked at George again. Canning, "George, what do you think?" ”

"Prime Minister," said George. Canning said, "I remember that Dajin Guo once asked for 21 million Daming silver yuan indemnity......

"What?" The Earl of Liverpool was stunned for a moment, and immediately shook his head and said, "This can't be done!" George, it's not a question of how many pounds it costs, it's a matter of the face of the empire! ”

The British Empire can rely on such a narrow territory, such a small population, and such a small army to maintain such a large colony, in addition to the little industry at home, relying on the image of the British Empire and the invincible army of heaven.

Britain is invincible, so can it pay money to a backward country like Daikin that "closes off the country"?

The Earl of Liverpool continued: "George, we can defeat the battle in Afghanistan, and no matter how much we lose the East India Company mercenaries...... Anyway, the vast majority of them are Indians. But we must not pay reparations to Daikin, because it means that it is profitable to oppose the Empire! ”

"Prime Minister, of course I understand that," said George. "But we need time to adjust our deployment and organize a counterattack." And we should also try to confuse and divide the enemy! ”

The Earl of Liverpool looked at George. Canning, "George, what do you mean...... Deceiving Emperor Daoguang? ”

"Yes," said George. "Of course we won't really pay Daoguang, but we can negotiate with him in that name." If we do not succeed in retaking Peshawar, then we must stabilize the Daoguang Emperor to ensure that Major General Kirton's army can withdraw from Afghanistan without any problems. ”

The Earl of Liverpool glanced at the Duke of Wellington, who did not speak, but nodded.

The Earl of Liverpool asked, "So in what name do we use to confuse Daoguang?" ”

"We can ......" George. Canning thought about it again and again, and finally came up with an excuse: "Prime Minister, then in the name of mercenary soldiers, anyway, we often hire foreign troops to help fight wars." ”

The Earl of Liverpool asked, "Then who are we going to hire the army of the Kingdom of Jin to fight?" ”

"Hit Turkey! We need the Great Golden Kingdom to send troops to support the independent cause of the Greek people! I think that the powerful airship forces of the Dajin Kingdom can help us defeat the murderous Turkish Empire, and these airships can go to bomb Constantinople and force the Sultan to withdraw his troops from Greece. ”

The Earl of Liverpool scratched his bald head, "This reason...... Well, so be it! ”

George. Cunning added, "We can also ask the Rakshasas to intercede." Grand Duke Mikhail will certainly be more than willing to act as an intermediary between us and Daikin...... Moreover, a Daikin that is too close to the Ming Dynasty and too powerful must not be in the interests of the Rakshasa Kingdom. ”

Hearing this suggestion, both the Earl of Liverpool and the Duke of Wellington were in the open-eyed manner.

Daikin was originally a buffer country between Daming and Rakshasas, but now it has obviously fallen to Daming!

Presumably, Nicholas I must have been very dissatisfied with this, so he would definitely use Turkey as an excuse for the Jin Kingdom to send troops. If Daoguang does not agree, in the style of the Rakshasas, he will definitely react, and maybe he will create trouble in the Kazakh steppe and find trouble for Emperor Daoguang.

The Earl of Liverpool nodded heavily, and said, "Yes, George, I will ask His Majesty the King to arrange for you to meet with Archduke Mikhail, and you will discuss with him the matter of mediating the conflict in Afghanistan and merging the golden soldiers to attack Turkey." ”

"Yes, Prime Minister."

The Earl of Liverpool said to the Duke of Wellington, "Duke, I hope you will accept at once the appointment of the Viceroy of India. Of course, you don't have to go until the expeditionary force is formed and left for India. But I hope that this news can be released to deter the Ming Empire in the east, so that they will not act rashly! ”

"Yes, Prime Minister."