London.

The stubborn sunlight over the English Channel once again pierced through the dim and gloomy sky of the foggy capital of London, and penetrated through the glass into the lifeless conference room at 10 Downing Street.

Hugh, who had just been appointed Chief of the Army General Staff. Admiral Gough's voice was stiff and cold, as if a eulogy was being read at a mournful funeral, and looking at the corners of his lips, everyone felt that the sun was slowly setting in the British Empire.

"Viscount Bellsford felt that the performance of the Indian soldiers was very disappointing, lacking a sense of honor and dedication, and that they could not take part in any truly fierce battles unless there were enough white officers and non-commissioned officers to supervise them. He believed that if we were to continue to use Indian soldiers, the proportion of white officers and non-commissioned officers in every Anglo-Indian company should not be less than 10 per cent in any case......"

"That means the United Kingdom must go to war!"

Stop. Before Guff could finish his words, he was interrupted by the words of the Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington. The members of the Coalition Government in the conference room looked at the imperial hero who had led the British army to victory over the Napoleonic Emperor.

Everyone in this conference room knew that Britain would join the war sooner or later, because this was originally the Ming Dynasty and Britain competing for world hegemony, but everyone was afraid of the strength of the Ming Dynasty and subconsciously avoided participating in the war, so they formulated a policy of letting the Indian Empire be cannon fodder in front.

Originally, everyone thought that as long as India was packaged as an empire, it would be possible to tap all its war potential and let India fight to the last man for the British Empire. But now it seems that they overestimated the discipline of the Indians, and no one thought that the Indians did not love the Indian Empire at all, and they looked very reluctant when they were not on the battlefield. But once on the battlefield, they either ran away or surrendered, and the more than 100,000 men of the Malayan Army collapsed after barely fighting a single battle. If it continues to fight at such a pace, India will not be able to hold out for too long.

And once India is finished, Australia will definitely not be able to hold it, and the Middle East will definitely fall into the hands of the Ming Dynasty, and then the Ming Navy will be able to break into the Mediterranean Sea through the Suyinshi Canal...... This is simply the end of the Western world!

"Moreover, the entire Western world can no longer stay out of it!" The Duke of Wellington added, "It is necessary to make it clear to the people of the European continent that if the British Empire is allowed to fail, it is not only the United Kingdom but the entire Western world that loses its wealth and glory." ”

As he spoke, he looked at Robert again. Peel glanced at him: "Robert, His Majesty the King proposed to ask the Rakshasas, the Jin Kingdom, and Austria to mediate together and convene a Vienna Peace Conference with the participation of the Great Powers...... This peace conference should also be a meeting for us to unite all countries against the Ming Empire! The countries must understand that if we cannot unite to contain the Ming Empire, then after the Ming Empire defeats us, it will be their turn. ”

Robert. Peel nodded: "Prime Minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will definitely go all out to convince the nations!" ”

The Duke of Wellington shook his head, "I'm afraid persuasion alone is not enough!" Since Napoleon was defeated by us, these countries have lived too comfortably. Now we need a Napoleon! ”

Actually, these days Robert. Peel has been running to the European continent, trying to pull European countries to sanction Daming. But the countries are just perfunctory to the UK, and no one wants to really offend the Ming Dynasty.

And the British Empire seems to have little to do with the European countries that are in disobedience...... Because the British Empire, which is the best at stirring, now lacks a stick in its hands that can stir up the basin of Europe.

And Napoleon II, it's this stick!

But this stick was not in the hands of the British, so the Duke of Wellington could not use it to beat the disobedient France, Holland, and Austria.

Robert. Peel frowned, "But Prime Minister, Napoleon II has always been under the control of the Austrians. He's been watched very closely, and it's hard for us to get our hands on him. ”

"It's up to man!" The Duke of Wellington thought for a moment, "Maybe we can get Princess Regent and Archduke Alexandria to come forward......"

"What? What do you say, duke? Victoria's teacher, the Viscount of Melbourne, who was also the Home Secretary, was taken aback by the offer and looked at the Duke of Wellington in amazement.

The Duke of Wellington glanced at the Viscount of Melbourne: "Viscount, it is necessary for Her Royal Highness the Princess to attend the Vienna Peace Conference in person, and it is better for the Grand Duke of Alexander to attend on behalf of the Rakshasa Kingdom...... If the two of them together to Joseph. Archduke Karl offered to see Napoleon II, but the other party could not refuse. And Joseph. Princess Sofia, the wife of Archduke Karl, was again a Bonapartist. So as long as those three young men became friends, we had a way to take Napoleon II away from Vienna. As soon as Napoleon II arrives in London, we will have a way to get the kings of the Netherlands and the kings of France to change their positions. ”

"Okay," the Viscount of Melbourne nodded, "Duke, I understand, I will persuade Her Royal Highness the Princess to cooperate." ”

The Duke of Wellington nodded: "Robert, I want you to go to the Netherlands immediately, and I need the Dutch to act as an intermediary for the transfer of the fortress of Tangmarsee...... It is also necessary to try to get the Ming army to release the white officers and soldiers captured in the Battle of the Malay Peninsula, the Battle of Malacca, and the Battle of Terig, even if not all of them. ”

"Yes, Prime Minister."

The Duke of Wellington also told Viscount Palmerston, Lord of the Admiralty, and Vice Admiral Somerset, Quartermaster, that "six Crécy-class armoured cruisers and three Dreadnought-class fast battleships must be commissioned by the end of May...... By the end of August, these 9 cutting-edge warships must join the Australian Grand Fleet! ”

There's also a Dreadnought level on this timeline!

This class of battleships is an enhanced version of the Victory class, with the most significant improvement being the use of four steam turbines that can produce a total of 26,000 horsepower. Therefore, it was designed to be faster than the Victory class, theoretically reaching 21.5 knots (23 knots in later sea trials).

As for the Cressey-class armored cruisers, although they still use reciprocating steam engines, they can also run at quite high speeds because they have a power of 21,000 pieces of horsepower, and the theoretical maximum speed is 21 knots, but in fact, after turning on the strong pressure ventilation, 23 knots and 24 knots are possible.

With these two types of "high-speed ships," the Pacific Pacific-breaking operation will be somewhat certain.

"Yes, Prime Minister!"

"They will definitely be delivered by the end of May!"

Viscount Palmerston, Lord of the Admiralty, and Quartermaster Somerset, also patted their chests.

Wellington thought for a moment and said, "There are two more Blake-class ships that must also be repaired and then join the Australian Grand Fleet." In this way, the Australian Grand Fleet had 3 fast battleships and 8 armored cruisers...... It should be ready for a fight. ”

"Yes, Prime Minister!" Quartermaster Somerset patted his chest again, "Our experts have already arrived at the Hindustan shipyard, and this time they will definitely be able to fix them." ”

Wellington nodded and said, "The handover of the fortress will be completed in April, after which the Chinese fleet should rest for three months...... There may be a new big war in August! In the 12 months from August this year to August next year, our Royal Navy will be in a difficult situation due to the lack of battleships that can fight the enemy, and I hope that everyone will be able to unite through this difficult period, no matter what......"

"Prime Minister," the Duke of Wellington could finish his sentence when Cabinet Secretary Huck knocked on the door and walked in to interrupt him.

"What's the matter?" Looking at the secretary Hulker, the Duke of Wellington was in a mood - but don't make any more baskets, the British Empire can't afford it!

Huck showed a reassuring smile when he saw the Duke of Wellington's expression, and said, "Prime Minister, the news of the Americans is a good thing...... They clashed in Texas with Japanese immigrants supported by Daming and Mexico, and the two sides exchanged fire in Texas City, killing and wounding more than a thousand! ”