London

?? The Prime Minister's official residence at 11 Downing Street

??“ Is the message true? Lord William Jurte Gladstone, Prime Minister, asked with a frown.

?? Baron Harry Burketon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, glanced at William Cecil, Minister of the Colonial Department, and Robert Jr., Cabinet Secretary, in the Prime Minister's office, and saw that neither of them meant to explain, so he nodded in response;

??“ Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister, the Orientals are building fortified fortifications at the southern end of the Suez Canal, for which more than 37,000 people have been requisitioned in Egypt, and this number is said to be increasing rapidly. ”

??“ To put it this way...... The scale of the project is quite large? ”

??“ That's right, it's a fortification called the Three Lakes Fortress, which consists of several parts. It is intended to greatly enhance the military presence of Datang in the local area. When successfully completed, it will be a fortified fortress complex no less than Sevastopol, a real hard bone to gnaw. ”

??“ And it's a real big problem. Lord William Jurte Gladstone, the Prime Minister, blurted out as he walked to the window with his hands crossed on his hips, just not to let the others see his anxious and helpless look.

?? Looking out the window, taking a deep breath, he asked; "How is our garrison in Egypt?"

?? The answer was William Cecil, the Minister of the Colonies, who, very gentlemanly, gave an elegant chivalric courtesy, and replied in a sincere tone;

??“ Your Excellency the Prime Minister;

?? I think that all ideas of armed intervention should be excluded, and throughout the 1872 year, we successively threw into the Suez Canal Zone, including the Royal Musket Regiment of the Scottish Highlands, the Royal Manchester Grenadier Regiment, a number of military forces.

?? But all the cavalry and infantry forces combined, the total did not exceed 17,200 men.

?? Combined with the forces of the Royal Navy, we were able to maintain the suppression of the French forces at Alexandria and Port Said, and have a certain advantage in the competition.

?? The premise is:

?? The current decline of the French army in the Franco-Prussian War in Europe has made the French more cooperative in their overseas interests. In exchange for support in Europe for ending the German Empire's military warlordship and large-scale smuggling, this cannot be overlooked.

?? On the other hand, Datang has no similar appeal to the UK.

?? Therefore, it is reflected in the international interest angle, and it is more necessary to rely on strength to speak rather than to exchange interests. The British Army was clearly not capable of keeping the opposing side humble.

?? Objectively speaking

?? The Datang Army is not inferior to us in terms of equipment and training, it does not have an absolute superiority in strength and weapons, and from a prudent point of view, it is not recommended to take the initiative to provoke disputes.

?? In that case, there is a high probability of disappointment.

?? At this stage, I think the main focus of the cabinet should be on the French across the English Channel.

?? The French paid 5 billion francs for the war, and the Germans dragged their feet and refused to end the occupation, and we must tell them explicitly; It's time to leave.

?? The rise of the German Empire is unexpected, this may be the second Tang Dynasty we have cultivated, and being in the center of Europe is bound to be more harmful and requires more energy.

?? Until the question of the occupied territories of France is resolved, there may not be enough power to distract others. ”

?? In the face of the Prime Minister, there is no need to hide it, and the content that is top secret to ordinary grass people is just an ordinary topic of daily discussion in Downing Street.

?? The British Colonial Secretary is very high in the Cabinet, third after the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

?? Prime Minister John raised his eyebrows imperceptibly, and asked with a frown on his face with a look of dissatisfaction; "Is it just a laissez-faire and no necessary measures have been taken?"

??“ Two policy advisory letters have already been issued, but don't expect a response from the Tang cabinet anytime soon. These Orientals have quite a good ability to prevaricate and procrastinate......," Baron Harry Burkton, Minister of Foreign Affairs, sighed lightly, felt a trace of helplessness for the difficult Datang officials in his expression, and spread his hands and said;

??“ We want the Tang Dynasty to explain Egypt's policy, and hope that they will stop large-scale construction, stop building fortresses, strengthen cooperation with the British side in the Canal Zone, and refrain from unilateral and unauthorized actions......

?? I've said everything, but I'm still going my own way.

?? The cold-blooded prince of Egypt has a lot of authority, even the Tang Dynasty cabinet is difficult to stop, and the only one who really works is the Tang Emperor Richard, but this is a dictatorship who is more difficult to speak.

?? There aren't many things we can do, and Datang has a 22% stake in the Suez Canal, and it's hard to exclave them out entirely. ”

??“ Damn it! Any action against Datang will meet with great resistance in parliament. There is a large group of people who speak for them, all of them with vested interests. Prime Minister William left the window and sat down at his desk, knocked heavily on the table with his hand, and said;

??“ In the matter of the Suez Canal, the acquisition of the remaining shares of France is extremely important for the authority of Her Royal Highness, and the Suez Canal should belong to England.

?? On this point, I have reached agreement with Lord Del and the majority of the Cabinet.

?? But the majority of opposition MPs in parliament believe that the current government has exaggerated the importance of equity deals

?? With British strength, military control of the canal and Egypt was feasible. This could be achieved through either neutralization of Egypt or military occupation, which would allow for more complete control of the Canal Zone.

?? The equity purchase is purely superfluous, a fart folly to take off your pants.

?? These parliamentarians underestimated the complexity of the issue, and if Britain resorted to military action in Egypt, France and the Tang would have come together and united against us.

?? Through the closure of the canal, I can feel the strong will of the Datang side to maintain a long-term military presence.

?? The construction of the fortress is only the latest effort to strengthen the presence, and if it cannot be countered, then it can only be cooperation. ”

??“ This is perhaps the only sensible thing to do, seconded. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baron Harry Burkton, immediately agreed.

?? William Cecil, Minister of the Colonies, shrugged his shoulders and said in a tone of "I knew it would be like this"; "Frankly, when the Orientals launched their expeditions, I expected such a day.

?? The denial of them access to the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar irritated the dictatorship.

?? The willfulness of the French without thinking about it happened to give the Tang Dynasty the best excuse to intervene in the Middle East.

?? What we can do now is to draw a red line for the Tang Dynasty, Suez City is the edge of the red line, and any attempt to cross the red line will be seen as a blatant provocation against the British Empire and its European allies.

?? Britain will not allow the Tang Dynasty to maintain a military presence on the Mediterranean coast, nor will it allow them to touch the Mediterranean region, and will use practical actions to prevent them from expanding their influence.

?? Just as we did with Tsarist Russia, we did not hesitate to start a large-scale war if necessary. ”

??“ That's a good point. "Lord William Jurte Gladstone, Prime Minister, was the first to applaud, then turned his head and ordered;" In accordance with the spirit of this red line, I will compile a clearly worded letter of representation sent to the Tang Cabinet, and I will personally sign it. From now on, this will be the official position of Britain to prevent the Orientals from reaching out everywhere. ”

??“ Okay, Honorable Prime Minister, I'm going to draft the letter of representation, and I'll ask you to take a look at it when it's done. Robert Jr., the cabinet secretary, stood up, turned and walked out of the room, and gently closed the door.

?? The imperial capital is Chang'an

?? The world's second-most populous megalopolis is in full swing in a peaceful and open environment, with more and more cars lining the streets, mixed with tram and horse-drawn carriages, creating a very modern scene.

?? The Longshouyuan District, where the upper class aristocrats gathered, seems to be the green lung of the entire metropolis, where the grass and trees are lush and thick trees can be seen everywhere, and the environment is elegant and quiet.

?? In the shade of greenery

?? The occasional cornices and arches of palace-like buildings are exposed, and the roads are lined with black sedans with family crests, or aristocratic carriages dressed in velvet vests, showing a strong atmosphere of high society.

?? Countless aristocratic mansions, surrounded by stars and moons, surrounded by the stars and moons, and the wide Danfengmen Avenue separates the distance between nobles and commoners.

?? Throughout the Dragonshou Plains, you can often see patrolling Royal Praetorian Guard soldiers, patrolling cavalry in groups of two, as well as vigilant, burly and fierce aristocratic private guards, and some patrolling police.

?? Ordinary people enter without permission and are often interrogated.

?? Owning a mansion in the Longshou Yuan District, living next to the upper nobles of the empire, is the ultimate dream of almost all wealthy merchants, but few can realize their dreams.

?? Inside the Daming Palace

?? The refreshed Emperor Richard walked out of the dormitory, and the curtains lifted behind him occasionally revealed a few snow-white graceful figures, and it was a beautiful morning.

?? After breakfast, drive to the imperial study.

?? Richard immediately saw a diplomatic letter from Britain signed by the British Prime Minister himself, emphasizing the British policy position, mainly on the Egyptian issue and policy red lines.

?? Putting down the diplomatic letter, Richard's slender fingers tapped lightly on the imperial case, and after thinking about it for a while, he suddenly smiled......

?? This diplomacy rarely shows the hegemonic style of the British Empire, saying to the Tang Dynasty in an almost commanding tone, "What can you do?" What can't be done......"

?? This exposes the Anglo-Saxons' usual bandit face, although they look like a gentleman in a tuxedo, but inadvertently reveal their true nature, which is still a bandit gene.

?? If you really want to be angry about this, you can't be angry.

?? This side reflects the strength of the Tang Empire, which has begun to make the British deeply jealous.

?? This high-profile diplomatic letter has already shown that the British side is trying to communicate with the Tang Dynasty and coordinate on a series of issues such as colonial development, spheres of influence, and the direction of colonial expansion between the two sides, so as to prevent miscalculations.

?? It's a good start......

?? Fingers tapped lightly on the imperial case, and Emperor Richard reviewed the layout in Egypt and the Red Sea region in his heart, and after making sure that there were no hidden dangers, he nodded affirmatively.

?? Now the direction of the colonial development of the Tang Empire is not Egypt and Northeast Africa, but it is just due to accidental events, which can be slowed down now.

?? After the completion of the Three Lakes Defense Fortress System, in order to alleviate the doubts of the British side, it can take the initiative to strengthen cooperation, enhance military mutual trust, and then introduce British capital to build Yunzhong Province.

?? In the end, it is the new colonies that will benefit from the fallout, so why not?

?? Time is in favor of oneself, and there is no need to make the relationship between the two countries quite tense, which is not in line with the fundamental interests of the Tang Empire's painstaking development, and it is better to maintain a tacit understanding.

?? The so-called policy red line of the British side will leave them with such an illusion.

?? The Empire, which has no intention of encroaching on the Mediterranean periphery in the near and medium term, can maintain a tacit understanding for a long time, and do whatever it takes to do it.

?? Of course, if the opportunity arises, that's another story.

?? in the final analysis

?? What competes between countries is the overall national strength, and when the strength reaches a certain level, you can say "no".

??

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