??“ The Suez Canal must not be a weapon that threatens the Empire, and for these restless British, they must be beaten when it is time to fight, otherwise they will have to inch in and out endlessly. His Royal Highness Tang Li Xin's expression was no longer as calm as before, and he said in a firm tone.

?? The British have departed, and have taken with them the dead dog Sir Mike Lillard, who will die a miserable death as an outcast, and this is the tragic fate of the little man.

?? Taking advantage of the Suez Canal passage issue to take the opportunity to make things difficult for the Tang Empire in order to show London's displeasure was by no means a decision made by Sir Mike Lillard, but a figure at the top.

?? How could a small chairman of the canal company have such courage?

?? He was just pushed to the foreground as an executor, and after the blackmail was fruitless, he let the Tang Empire vent his anger as an outcast.

?? It is a matter of great knowledge to calm the current unmanageable situation, which both countries are well aware of.

?? Major Admiral Fan Pengfei, deputy commander of the expeditionary force, nodded with a serious expression, and beside him stood Brigadier General Zheng Huaishan, commander of the Royal Navy's Red Sea Fleet, Brigadier General Meng Hu, commander of the 4th Royal Marine Division, and Colonel Pan Shouguo, all of whom nodded in agreement; "The lowly rank understands that there is no compromise in matters concerning the interests of the empire."

??“ Well, the British are used to bluffing, let's not eat this set. His Royal Highness Don Li Xin said with his hands in his hands.

?? He walked a few steps around the room, then stopped, and continued thoughtfully;

??“ On the issue of the accessibility of the Suez Canal, communicate with the French and Germans as soon as possible, and pull them together to talk to the British.

?? Well...... Call the Dutch and the Spaniards along, and convene an international conference as soon as possible to finalize these matters, so as not to cause any trouble.

?? On the issue of the Suez Canal, our Tang Empire has had a hard encounter with Egypt, Britain and France, and this kind of thing is always endless if it is not handled well.

?? There must be an international rule to restrain it, and it is better to do it later than sooner, and inform the Imperial Foreign Office to do its best to assist our expeditionary force in organizing this international conference, and the sooner the better. ”

??“ Obedience! Colonel Pan Shouguo "horn" stood upright, raised his hand and saluted and replied.

?? The generals looked at the young prince with admiration in their eyes.

?? His Royal Highness Eleventh is the best choice in terms of intelligence and courage, and it is not easy to stand out among the princes and win the respect of the generals with his outstanding ability.

?? Only His Highness Don Lee Shin knows in his heart;

?? The decision to block the Suez Canal is a major decision personally deployed by my father, where can I put my beak in it?

?? searched the entire Tang Empire, and only His Majesty the Holy Emperor had the great courage to carry it to the end with the British.

?? Now the aura of glory is gathered in his body, and it is because His Majesty the Father and Emperor disdain these trivial things, so that he acted in the name of the eleventh prince, so that His Royal Highness Tang Li Xin instantly became famous at home and abroad.

?? In the European press

?? His Royal Highness Don Lee Shin was known in the European media as the "Prince of War", "Ruthless and Bloodthirsty", and "Prince of Slaughter".

?? After the Suez Canal incident, he was also called the "cold-blooded prince", and he was able to stand alongside the famous "blood prince" of the German Empire, Prince Karl, and was recognized as a new generation of highly talented military commanders of various royal families.

?? Sometimes, these creepy titles aren't a bad thing.

?? This time since

?? His Highness Don Li Xin's heart often felt a burst of warmth, which was the blazing care of the Holy Family. Even if it is thousands of miles away, you can feel the love of my father licking the calf with a fist.

?? Since the expedition of the Imperial Army to Egypt, almost every other month, His Royal Highness Don Li Xin has been able to receive a greeting from his father, sometimes just a few words, but he can break his defense in an instant.

?? Such as;

??“ I believe that the emperor can sleep and eat well during the expedition, and stay away from the empire to conquer thousands of miles of foreign lands...... Is everything alright? ”

??“ You can do whatever you want, do whatever you want, and I can still hold on. ”

??“ I have read the past, and in the future, such matters will be decided in a word, and there is no need to play, I know everything! ”

?? It was with the strong support of his father that His Royal Highness Tang Li Xin was able to show his strength without scruples, and broke through a situation in the Red Sea region, winning the title of "cold-blooded prince".

?? His Highness Don Li Xin beckoned everyone to sit down, and then asked; "General Fan, what do you think of the current situation?"

?? Fan Pengfei replied with a hint of helplessness in his tone;

??“ Your Highness, only when you are in Egypt, a strategic place that travels from south to north, can you personally feel how complicated the political situation here is, and it simply responds to that sentence;

?? The temple is small and windy, and the water is shallow.

?? Both large and small European countries have intervened here, and even the Kingdom of Belgium and the Kingdom of Portugal are no exception.

?? It's going to be a little troublesome every once in a while, and it's hard to stop.

?? The garrison of Suez City is equivalent to standing on the cusp of the storm and attracting the attention of the world's powers.

?? This is an extremely challenging task for the Royal Navy. ”

??“ Hehehe...... This last sentence goes to the heart of the matter. It is precisely because of this that the Tang Empire needs to be firmly rooted here and show a strong military presence. His Royal Highness Don Li Xin took over the conversation, looked around at the generals, and then continued to speak to himself;

??“ This is the choke point of the Eurasian route and has a world-class strategic influence. Now that there is a chance to step in here, you must not let go.

?? Unlike the British and French powers, we relied on the European mainland to easily project military power to Egypt, and repeatedly fought for this hot land.

?? And the Houston seaport, the closest port in the Tang Empire, is still 8,000 kilometers away, and it is difficult to save the fire from afar!

?? The new colonial area of Yunzhong Province, which has been opened up in the rear, will become the most reliable logistics base for the forward garrison, capable of giving strong military, economic and material support. The importance of putting down roots in Suez City is evident.

?? From the point of view of geography

?? Suez City is surrounded by an empty Gobi Desert, which is completely unsafe. The attacking army can cover from all sides, and can only respond passively.

?? The fact that the Egyptians, who had gathered 35,000 defenders, were still quickly defeated by the sharp guns of our expeditionary force is the best proof of this.

?? After repeated arguments;

?? Only by building a strong fortified area on the basis of the city and its three shallow, water-filled depressions, namely Lake Manzara and Lake Timsach and Lake Daku, can a long-term military presence in Suez City be well guaranteed.

?? In light of this

?? The headquarters of the expeditionary force will be formally reorganized into the "Red Navy District of the Tang Royal Navy", which will consist of four directly subordinate military units: the Suez City Garrison Command, the Yunzhong Provincial Garrison Command, the Red Sea Fleet, and the Sana'a City Special Dispatch Team, with Ben Wang serving as the commander of the military region.

?? The Red Navy District will maintain its long-term presence in the Suez Canal Zone, for which the "Three Lakes Fortress Defense Line" will be built, and the specific plan has been approved by the Royal Navy General Staff Headquarters.

?? Colonel Pan, could you please introduce me to the officers here? ”

?? Colonel Pan Shouguo stood up as soon as his name was called, raised his hand and saluted the standard military salute, then picked up a slender command baton from the side and walked to the side of the large map of Egypt that the attendant officer had just unfolded.

?? He cleared his throat before he spoke;

??“ Your Royal Highness, Honourable Princes, Lords;

??“ The "Three Lakes Fortress Project" is an urban fortress system approved by the Royal Navy Headquarters and independently organized by the Red Naval District, aiming to strengthen and improve the defense system of Suez City, so as to maintain the Empire's long-term forward military presence and defend the interests of the Empire.

?? The plan will be built using Egypt's war reparations, with a construction period of 6~7 years, divided into two parts, north and south, and gradually completed.

?? Egypt's Ismail Pasha has promised to provide 60,000 Egyptian laborers as part of war reparations for the construction of the Three Lakes Fortress, which has been approved by His Royal Highness.

?? The fortress of the three lakes has two parts, one south and one north, and the northern part is mainly based on the geographical characteristics of Manzara Lake, Tim Sah Lake and Dakuhu Lake, and a relatively independent fortress is built to defend it near the water.

?? In the north, it is planned to build 7 fortresses and forts, which are connected to each other by ships, and are called the "Big Dipper Fortress Group".

?? Each fortress garrison ranges from a company to a battalion, equipped with artillery, heavy machine guns and other heavy firepower, and can be reinforced in time by troops in the main city in wartime, and can also fight independently.

?? The seven fortresses are not only independent fortresses, but also can form an organic whole, winging the northern outer defense line of Suez City, with extremely strong defensive capabilities.

?? The southern part is an empty Gobi Desert, and according to geographical conditions, three highlands are selected to build heavy artillery batteries, which can carry out fire strikes on both sea and land.

?? With these three highland forts as the core, a deep moat, about 17.6 kilometers long city wall and 9 fortified forts were built on the periphery, thus forming an unfolded outer defense line on the southern flank.

?? This is the outer part of the Sanhu fortress system, with a total of two fortress positions, one south and one north, which will provide a strong peripheral defense capability when completed, enough to resist several times the enemy's attack.

?? On this basis

?? The city of Suez will be used as the inner defensive line ......"

?? Colonel Pan Shouguo used his slender baton to draw a large half circle around the periphery of Suez City, and the stick nodded to the map and said;

??“ From now on, the outlying buildings of the city will be built in accordance with the requirements conducive to defense, including outlying warehouses, barracks, horse farms and other civilian buildings.

?? It is required to use reinforced concrete materials, thicken the outer wall, and set up more shooting windows and gun muzzles, which can be used as defensive fortresses in wartime.

?? Along the periphery of this circle of buildings, with the "冂" character as the mainstay, spliced into a semicircular inner circle defense line, the opening facing inward.

?? In addition, in the city, it is necessary to reserve a spacious semi-circular ring road location, which is convenient for the reinforcement and mobility of troops in wartime, and for the smooth transportation of materials, and everything is mainly conducive to combat.

?? After the completion of the entire Sanhu defensive fortress system, the defense force with the 3rd Royal Marine Division as the main force was about 16,000 people, together with more than 10,000 militia members. It is enough to resist the onslaught of 100,000 troops, and hold on for more than three ~ four weeks.

?? For such a long time, enough reinforcements from Yunzhong Province arrived at the front line one after another, dragging the war into a stalemate stage. ”

??“ Bang bang bang ......"

?? This detailed introduction attracted a round of applause.

?? The generals present began to talk one after another, and the atmosphere gradually became warm, and everyone showed excitement on their faces.

?? In particular, Brigadier General Meng Hu, commander of the 4th Division, was even more eyebrows, and praised the defense system of this Sanhu fortress and raised his hands in approval.

?? Your own family knows your own business.

?? The 4th Royal Marine Division was responsible for guarding Suez City, but this broken place was unobstructed, and the enemy could enter the city with a single charge, and there were no decent defenses at all.

?? Either you will fight in the field, or you will defend the buildings in the city and fight step by step, there is no third option.

?? It is good to say that against a weak army like Egypt, if it is against the armies of Britain, France and other powerful countries, there is basically no advantage in weapons and equipment. In the face of absolute superiority, the battle will be difficult to fight.

?? Recently, Britain has continued to increase its troops in the Suez Canal, and has made all kinds of small moves to squeeze out the French troops in Alexandria, and the two sides have been constantly clashing.

?? Look at the scene

?? It is estimated that it will not be long before the French army will be squeezed out, and the rest will be the Tang Imperial army on the other side of the canal.

?? For a military commander like Brigadier General Meng Hu, who was in charge of defense, how could he not be worried?

?? Once the defense system of the Three Lakes Fortress is put into construction, it will really be a reassuring pill, and I will no longer be afraid of the enemy's worries.

?? With 60,000 Egyptian laborers working together, it only took a year or two for the fort to take shape, and it began to have a certain defensive capability.

?? For example, the southern flank fortress group was the first to dig a deep trench and pour it into the sea, which itself has a good defensive ability, which can prevent the enemy from rushing directly into Suez City.

?? Only a deep trench

?? Including the garrison, Brigadier General Meng Hu was confident that he could defend against an enemy twice his size, and of course his eyebrows fluttered with joy.

?? His Royal Highness Tang Li Xin saw that the generals were in a warm mood, and a shallow smile appeared on his face unconsciously.

?? As the commander-in-chief of the Tang Empire Expeditionary Force, he can feel the heavy pressure on his shoulders even more, which makes people unable to slack off for a moment.

?? As the dispute between Britain and France over the Suez Canal intensified, British politicians called on Downing Street to take a countermeasure, saying: "It is extremely important that the Queen's Government take another step to take new action on the canal issue in order to gain absolute control."

?? Stanford, the British ambassador to Egypt, told the British Foreign Office: "In order for the canal to be navigable for Britain, a British company should be established to control it."

?? Volvo, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, also pointed out to parliament that "the British government should not oppose the canal itself, but should oppose the control of the canal by France or the Tang state."

?? He repeatedly pointed out that the time had come for Britain to take control of the canal: "As long as Britain is in a superior position at sea, we are in a better position than anyone else to control the canal."

?? Britain's "Morning Post" once published an editorial: "The Suez Canal is the Dardanelles and the Strait of Gibraltar, which France created in Egypt and controlled by itself.

?? Whether it was France or the Tang Dynasty, the control of the canal was "contrary to British interests", "an intolerable and serious problem", and "a cabinet meeting was to be convened in 1872 to discuss the problem".

??“ Datang's brazen closure of the canal is a serious infringement on British interests and cannot be ignored. ”

?? Lord William Eurt Gladstone, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, argued; "The canal is under British control and is in the best interests of Britain in maintaining the eastern roads and the security of India."

?? He noted in a cabinet meeting; "Think about the extent to which the Suez Canal could be used to transit soldiers and supplies to India during the war."

??“ Control of the canal would give a double guarantee of the unimpeded passage of the British route to India, and the British intention in the canal was to strengthen control".

??“ To ensure that no great power could close the canal to prevent the passage of British ships, this incident should not happen again. Britain's influence in Egypt should be balanced with that of France and the Tang Dynasty in Egypt, and furthermore, should be dominant".

?? By all indications

?? Britain will continue to strengthen its presence in the Suez Canal Zone, on the one hand, it will try to squeeze out France, and on the other hand, it will covet the military presence of the Tang Dynasty in Suez City.

?? With such a neighbor who thinks about his yard all day long, building a courtyard wall for defense is an inevitable choice.

Some people died, but not completely......