Emperor Richard issued a secret decree to arrange for the General Security Bureau to cooperate with the relevant departments to implement a plan to transfer benefits, aiming to strengthen the strength of the main war faction minister Zuo Zongtang, and finally spend it in the right place.

The kerosene franchise, which can easily make money, is better than letting those corrupt officials share the profits, but actually supporting the ministers of the country.

With a gentle push, I hope to change the original historical appearance a little, right?

After making this arrangement, Emperor Richard was in a much better mood.

At this time

Liang Bojun, deputy director of the Royal Secretariat, walked into the hall with a solemn expression and reported with a deep courtesy; "Your Majesty, the minister has his own music."

"What?" Richard asked.

Liang Bojun reports; “

Your Majesty;

According to a report submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, some of the Empire's merchant ships were deliberately harassed in the Suez Canal and were stranded in the port of Suez on the Red Sea side, the longest merchant ship has been more than three months now, and as many as 17 merchant ships and cruise ships have been stranded in Suez City in the northern part of the Red Sea, and the problem has not been resolved for a long time.

It is reported; It was Ismail Pasha of Egypt who, according to the order conveyed by the Ottoman Empire, imposed an additional high transit tax on our merchant ships, as well as various taxes, with the amount of each ship as high as tens of thousands of Tang Yuan, and some more.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs tried to contact Istanbul, but due to the corrupt and overly efficient government of the Ottoman Empire, they blamed each other and kicked the ball.

So far, no authoritative and clear answer has been obtained, and the matter has been delayed.

But if the matter is not resolved one day, the Suez Canal passage will be cut off.

Many of the steamers stranded in the port of Suez have been cut off from the supply of oil, water and vegetables, and they can only rely on mutual assistance to survive, fearing ...... I'm afraid it won't last. ”

"Is there no supply in the port of Suez?" A trace of anger appeared on Richard's face, which was obviously aimed at the Tang Empire.

Under the sudden increase in the emperor's pressure, Liang Bojun bent deeper and replied respectfully; "The representatives assigned to the Suez Canal Commission have been communicating with the Egyptian Ismail Pasha and the Port of Suez, but the other side has clearly prevaricated and has not been able to make significant progress, and now the communication has been ongoing."

"What about the British?"

"The British say they can't help and will try to help communicate, but it's better not to get your hopes up."

"Hmph, that's already obvious." Richard's face was covered with frost, and after only a moment's thought, he commanded;

"Isn't it more than 10,000 Tang Yuan, just give it to them...... How much money can 17 ships have? At best, it's only about 200,000, give them if you want, and first pass the boat through the canal.

Subsequent ships passing through the Suez Canal will be suspended until the situation changes.

Also, summon my Admiral to the palace, the Imperial Royal Navy has been idle for a long time, and it's time to make a move. ”

"Wechen obeys."

Liang Bojun could feel the suppressed thunder and anger of the saint, and after answering softly, he took a few steps back and turned to leave, and immediately went to implement the emperor's will.

Emperor Richard sat on the throne, his fingers gently tapped on the armrest of the rosewood throne, and slowly sorted out the situation in Egypt and even the entire Middle East in his heart.

Egypt was now an independent province of the Ottoman Empire, and its supreme governor was Pasha Ismail, the governor of Egypt in the Ottoman Empire.

Since he became governor of Egypt, he has been actively approaching Europe, developing national industry and commerce, and hiring European military instructors to train the army. Egypt was almost turned into an independent kingdom that could not be penetrated by a needle or water, and only nominally obeyed the call of the Ottoman Empire.

Why should such a local warlord force provoke the Tang Empire?

Could it be that Ismail Pasha has lost his mind?

Who is responsible for this?

British or French?

Could it be that the British tried to monopolize the Suez Canal and resorted to tricks to force the Tang Empire to give up its stake in the canal?

Or is it that the French are stumbling on the empire by using their traditional influence in the Middle East to the detriment of their interests because of the large-scale movement of Puerto Saint-Malo?

His slender fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, and a series of questions formed in Emperor Richard's mind, he didn't need to get any definite evidence, just suspicion was enough.

In the context of the situation in Europe

After many years of negotiations on the Suez Canal, a tripartite agreement between Britain, France and Tang was reached in early 1869, and all parties made compromises.

The initiator and builder of the Suez Canal project, the French, held an absolute controlling stake of 52%, London took a 26% stake in the Suez Canal from the French for 5.2 million pounds, and the Tang Empire also transferred 22% of the shares on the same terms, that is, 4.4 million pounds to sell half of the shares.

In this way, the stake in the Suez Canal becomes 48% owned by the United Kingdom, 26% by France, 22% by the Tang Empire, and the remaining 4% by public shareholders.

After the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War

Taking advantage of the beating of the French, Britain exerted pressure through various channels, and finally obtained 14% of the shares from the French government again, and its equity proportion jumped from 48% to 62%, becoming the absolute controlling shareholder.

The Tang Empire is second with 22%, France is only 3rd with 12%, and the remaining 4% is public shareholders.

The biggest loss here is France, the Suez Canal Century Project, which was finally completed after decades of hard planning, was forcibly seized by Britain and reaped the fruits, but it itself was reduced to an insignificant small role.

Since the opening of the canal, its strategic value has become increasingly apparent, most notably because Britain has been imposing restrictions on the French to prevent them from committing more colonial power in Indochina, while France has no choice but to do so.

The Suez Canal, which was built with countless manpower and painstaking efforts, cannot be taken by warships and troop carriers, so should they continue to follow the old route around half the world?

This grievance is enough to make a French man of insight depressed to death.

Fortunately, France gritted its teeth and stuck to the bottom line, and no matter how much pressure Britain exerted, it retained 12% of the Suez Canal equity, leaving a glimmer of possibility for legal passage rights in the future.

With the British people's consistent selfish and domineering nature, after calculating France, is it not impossible to start calculating the Tang Dynasty again?

But this is only suspicion, there is no evidence to prove it.

Looking back at the French, it's not a good thing either.

The French, who have been operating in the Middle East and the Near East and North Africa for more than 200 years, have a tradition and deep influence, and the fact that they were able to convince Said Pasha to open the Suez Canal is enough to show their ability to influence the Egyptian government.

Because of all kinds of grievances, what's so strange about making a stumbling block for Datang?

Britain and France, the traditional world powers, are all masters who have taken advantage of the situation and have not had enough, and they have suffered a big loss coldly, and it makes sense to do everything possible to find a way back.

Looking back at this Egyptian ruler Ismail Pasha, from his father Ali Pasha ruling Egypt to Sayyid Pasha, and then to Ismail Pasha has been inherited for more than 60 years.

On the one hand, this illustrates the extreme decay of the Ottoman dominance, and on the other hand, it shows the toughness of Ismail Pasha, a standard strongman.

At the beginning, the Tang Empire took advantage of Egypt's extreme financial difficulties to buy a 44% stake in Egypt at a price of 4 million pounds of cabbage.

In today's world where information is extremely closed, there are not many old warlord-like characters who think they are the boss of the sky, the second and the third of the earth, and if someone provokes them again, then it is logical to make irrational moves.

in this world

It is always the majority who can't correctly understand their own strength, and what can they do except beat him to the head?

Knocking out teeth and swallowing blood is not the style of the Tang Empire, these earth overlords who dare to provoke the majesty of the empire must be let know that they are powerful, otherwise there will be some clowns jumping out from time to time, although it doesn't hurt, but it's human!

Come to think of it

Richard couldn't sit still, he stood up and strode to the side hall, standing in front of a hand-drawn world map more than a man tall and studying it carefully.

The closest imperial possession to the Suez Canal is, of course, Paradise Island, which now has strong logistical supply capabilities and can be used as a departure base for expeditionary fleets.

From here to the west through the Straits south of Borneo and then through the Strait of Malacca in the British Straits Settlements into the Indian Ocean, the expeditionary fleet sailed west to the Red Sea after replenishment in Chennai, and along the Red Sea to the northwest more than 2,000 kilometers to Suez City, a total voyage of about 11,000 kilometers.

Along the way, you have to pass through at least four supply ports.

Singapore or Hong Kong, Chennai, Sana'a, Yemen, and Egypt's Suez City, three of which are half-resupply ports under British control.

This half of the supply port is Suez City in Egypt, the entrance port to the northeast of the canal.

If the British are unwilling to supply the fleet, then the situation is clear, it is the British who are behind the trouble, but if you think about it, I am afraid that the British will not be so unskilled.

Kill 1,000 enemies and lose 800 yourself.

The Tang Dynasty and the United Kingdom, as close traditional allies, provided each other with port facilities around the world, which was stipulated in an express treaty and could not be easily violated.

Violating this would greatly harm the UK's global interests.

If the Tang Empire had retaliated and not supplied British ships, then almost all of America would have no place for British merchant ships. This includes North, Central and South America, and it is impossible for British ships to enter the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic, let alone across the seven seas.

This is the strength of the Tang Empire, which has the capital to bargain.

If the supply of the expeditionary fleet goes well, then the suspicion of the British can be greatly reduced, and the shadow of the French will be highlighted.

Of the three suspects, the Egyptian Pasha Ismail was the least suspicious. Because it does not have any direct conflict with the Tang Empire, and it has nothing to do with it, it cannot offend a world power for no reason.

Even if it's just a second-rate power, that's a world power.

Emperor Richard stood in front of the world map, and for the first time had a feeling that the city of Suez was too far away.

The migration route in the central Pacific Ocean is nearly 20,000 kilometers from east to west, and the imperial expeditionary fleet departs from the imperial capital Chang'an, and there are about 5,800 kilometers to Panama in the south, which adds up to more than 30,000 kilometers.

Take a look at the colonial layout of the British Empire on the map, from Gibraltar to the North Atlantic, south along the African coastline to Johannesburg, South Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean, all the way north to the Arabian Sea, through the Arabian Peninsula to the Indian subcontinent, and to the Indochina Peninsula Strait Governor's Palace and Hong Kong in the south of China, all the way to the perfect colonial port layout.

I have to marvel at the hundreds of years of deep accumulation of the empire on which the sun never sets, which is beyond the reach of those who come after it, and almost all the colonies of Eurasia that surround the world.

Just like the French, who are now being troubled everywhere, it is even more difficult to colonize Indochina without the permission of the British, and the delivery of troops and materials is a big problem.

Thus

The Suez Canal, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Bosphorus, the Strait of Malacca, and the Nicaragua Canal under construction will certainly be a strategic location.

(Note; At this time, oil had not yet been discovered in the Persian Gulf, so the Strait of Hormus was unattended. ）

Don't...... The British have their eye on the Nicaragua Canal under construction?

Come to think of it

Richard was shocked and seriously considered this possibility......

There is no shortage of money, no shortage of people, and no shortage of technology, the Nicaragua Canal under construction is going smoothly, and the project nodes are completed earlier than expected, and it is expected that there will be another 5~6 years of construction to be navigable on the whole line.

The establishment of this international waterway in the southern provinces of the empire will save 14,000 kilometers of travel to Australia or East Asia for North American cities on the Atlantic coast.

The Tang Empire has 100% control over the Nicaragua Canal Company, of which 32% is held by the fund under the Imperial Interior, 51% is held by the Imperial Government Development Fund, 12% is held by the Central Plains Province, and the other 5% is held by the people of the Imperial Society, which cannot be touched by outsiders.

This speculation, while absurd, is likely to be close to reality.

But this has touched the bottom line of the Tang Empire, and under no circumstances, the empire will not sell any equity in the Nicaragua Canal Company, which is beyond doubt.

If you can't control the international strategic waterways on your own territory, then don't play at all.

The fact that France, which was so weak that the fruit trees planted by others had been plucked by others, had greatly diminished France's prestige and was no longer seen as a top power on an equal footing with Britain.

The cruel and cold laws of competition in today's world do not allow for the slightest concession in core interests.

Thinking of the British Royal Navy's desire to control the world's oceans, the Nicaragua Canal is an insurmountable hurdle, Richard's expression became more solemn.

The canal has not yet been built, and it is already full of mountains and rains.

"Your Majesty, Marshal Pan Hengchen, the Duke of the First Rank of Prestige, has summoned him to meet His Majesty, and he is already waiting outside the palace, begging His Majesty for royal permission."

"Hmm...... Announce the summons into the temple. ”

"Wechen obeys."

(End of chapter)