The Duke of Wellington, who was still angry just now, had completely calmed down the expression on his face the moment he hung up the phone, and there was even a relaxed smile on the corner of his mouth.

He was now sitting at the top of a long table in the conference room at 10 Downing Street, flanked by his cabinet ministers. The British Prime Minister looked at these dignified-looking Imperial Ministers and smiled: "Gentlemen, I think we have won the first battle to defend the Indian Empire!" ”

Saying that, he glanced at Earl Nelson, the First Sea Minister, again, "Horatio, our fleet won't become a target for the Chinese after dark, right?" ”

"No, it won't." Earl Nelson said with great certainty, "Vice Admiral Codrington is an experienced admiral who will surely lead the fleet in the withdrawal of the port of Goa after dark. Moreover, avoiding night battles with the Ming navy was also one of the engagement guidelines of the Indian Grand Fleet. ”

Now Da Ming has publicly displayed his radio station, and even sold a batch to the Rakshasa Kingdom. The British, of course, knew about it, and they had a plan to deal with it. First, it is necessary to speed up the mass production of its own radio stations and strive to equip the troops at an early date; The second is to prohibit the navy from fighting night battles with the Ming navy, which has the advantage of night communications.

The main force of the Indian Grand Fleet, which was facing off the coast of Goa against the Ming formation, would retreat to the nearby port of Goa after dark to avoid a night battle.

Therefore, the night battle planned by Zhuge Weidao could not be fought, after all, his opponent was a military god-level figure like Earl Nelson!

"Good!" Duke Wellington said with a smile, "As long as we don't fight at night, then the battle loss ratio of our first official confrontation with the Chinese is 1 to 3 We lost one armored cruiser, and they lost three armored cruisers." Moreover, they abandoned landing in India after the war and seized the Persian Gulf, which was on the periphery of the Turkish Empire. So, we're on the upper hand for the time being! ”

"Seize the Persian Gulf?" Earl Nelson was stunned, "Prime Minister, is this what Zhuge Weijiu said on the phone?" ”

"Yes!" The Duke of Wellington nodded, "That's what he said, he said that the Ming Dynasty's goal was not India, and the Ming also recognized Emperor William's rule in India as legitimate, but the Ming wanted to occupy the Persian Gulf and the Malay Peninsula. ”

"But what's in the Persian Gulf?" Count Nelson was puzzled, "If they want to cut off traffic between India and the Suez Canal, it is too far to base themselves on the Persian Gulf." From the pirate beach in the Persian Gulf to the exit of the Gulf of Aden, there are more than a thousand nautical miles, how inconvenient is it to come and go? And it's dangerous. Wouldn't it be better for them to capture the ports of Djibouti or Aden directly? ”

The Duke of Wellington thought for a moment and said, "This shows that they have no intention of cutting off sea traffic, the Persian Gulf should just be a bargaining chip for trading, and their real target should be the Malay Peninsula. They will seize the Malay Peninsula in exchange for our recognition of their occupation of the Malay Peninsula. ”

He glanced at Foreign Secretary Robert Brown. Pierre.

Robert. Peel nodded and said, "Mr. Prime Minister, according to the Ming Empire's style of acting, they should adopt the tactics of cutting sausages and advancing two and retreating. ”

The Ming Empire's tactics, which Europeans called "cutting sausages" and "advancing two and retreating one", have been played for more than 100 years, so much so that Oxford, Cambridge, the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and the Royal Naval Academy at Dartmouth have special courses to explain the characteristics of the foreign policy of the Ming Empire.

The Duke of Wellington said in an unusually firm tone: "But this time they will not succeed, because we have been preparing for the defense of Temasek Fortress since 100 years ago!" After 100 years of continuous construction, Temasek Fort is the strongest island fortress in the world, with tens of thousands of the most elite Anglo-Indian troops stationed all year round, and more than 300 artillery pieces of various types, including 54 of the latest one-pounder anti-airship guns! The firepower of our 13.5-inch cannon on Temasek Island is enough to cover the entire sea area between Temasek and Batam!

Also, Hugh. The various defensive measures taken by Gough Pasha at Adrianople have also been applied to Temasek Island. If the Ming try to storm Temasek Island, they will suffer even greater losses than the Rakshasa army trapped in Adrianople! ”

Temasek is Singapore, and in this timeline, Temasek opened much earlier, becoming a retreat for the Portuguese in Macau around 1660 when King Zhuge Wuzhong reclaimed Macau. The Dutch, who controlled the Straits of Malacca at the time, saw that the Portuguese had taken root on Temasek Island and united with the Sultanate of Johor to attack. The Portuguese, in turn, turned to the British East India Company for help, which led to a Malacca War. The Malacca War was the result of becoming the master of Temasek Island and Malacca City, and gaining control of the Strait.

The Ming "accepted" the attachment of the King of Johor and claimed sovereignty over the Malay Peninsula but also said that it could "put aside disputes and develop together"!

Although the British side did not recognize the sovereignty of the Ming Dynasty over the Malay Peninsula, it also agreed to the principle of "shelving disputes and joint development" proposed by the Ming Dynasty, allowing Ming merchants to purchase land and set up plantations and mines in the entire area of the Malay Peninsula except Temasek Island and Malacca City. But these merchants had to pay taxes to the Channel Governor's Office, which was based on Temasek Island, and were subject to administration.

Of course, the British also knew that the Ming Empire was eyeing the Strait of Malacca, so from that time on, they began to build Temasek Fortress!

The Duke of Wellington went on to say: "Now, the Ming navy has been frustrated in the Indian Ocean and cannot land in India, so it has to turn into the Persian Gulf. And they are destined to not be able to occupy Temasek Island anytime soon. And without the capture of Temasek Island, the transport lines of the Straits of Malacca will not be unblocked. Therefore, the Ming army and navy that entered the Persian Gulf will become a lone army! As he spoke, his voice suddenly became high-pitched, "Gentlemen, this is our victory, and the victory of the Indian Empire!" We should let the whole world see our victory! And we will also make the most of this victory to create the most favorable European situation for the British Empire! ”

He looked at Robert. Viscount Peel and Palmerston. These two men were the Duke of Wellington's most powerful allies in the Cabinet and Parliament, and they were also extremely intelligent figures, so they must have understood the Duke of Wellington's thoughts.

"Prime Minister," Robert. "It's time for Mahmud II to recognize Greek independence. The Persian Gulf was theoretically the territory of the Ottoman Empire, and once the Ming Empire forcibly occupied the Persian Gulf, it could be regarded as an invasion of the Ottoman Empire. And the proximity of the Persian Gulf to the Holy City gave Mahmud II an excuse to abandon Greece. And as soon as he abandons Greece, then we and France, Austria, and Prussia will have reason to make an armistice with the Ottoman Empire!

The Greeks also had to accept it, because their financial expenses were entirely supported by the syndicates of our country, France and Germany, and they had already died a lot of people! ”

Viscount Palmerston had a gloating smile on his face, "Haha, once Greece withdraws, how will Nicholas I maintain the war?" Even if his Rakshasa army still had the strength to capture Adriatic, he would be isolated across Europe, and like never before! If the Ming stand with the Rakshasas, but are unable to capture Temasek Fortress and actually threaten India anytime soon, then they will become as incompetent and ridiculous as the Rakshasas! ”

After receiving a batch of heavy artillery and ammunition from the Ming Dynasty, receiving a large number of reinforcements from China, adjusting tactics, and strengthening the earthwork work, Nicholas I's army made good progress for most of the month from mid-September to early October 1829, and was now surrounded on three sides by Adrianople, and it seemed that the connection between the fortress and Constantinier was about to be severed.

But Viscount Palmerston is right, a little progress in the military can't change the isolation trend of Nicholas I and the Rakshasa Kingdom in international politics When the prestige of the Rakshasa is gone, all that remains is the annoying insatiable greed for land!

(End of chapter)