The betrayal of the Great Eastern Fleet was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Second French Republic, and the fleet was too important for a country.

After losing the Great Eastern Fleet, let alone cooperating with the British Empire to blockade the coast of the Austrian Empire, defeat the royal rebels and recover Algeria, even their own safety could not be guaranteed.

If the Great Eastern Fleet, together with the Austrians, attacked the Mediterranean coast of France in turn, it would undoubtedly be worse for the French economy.

What's worse is that the Great Eastern Fleet did not surrender to the Austrians, but joined the ranks of the remnants of Orleans.

At this time, the French Second Republic, let alone exterminate the rebels and recover Algeria, was unlikely to be counterattacked by the remnants of Orleans.

At this time, Duke Omar (Louis Philippe's fourth son) had an army of 100,000 men and a powerful sea force like the Great Eastern Fleet.

Coupled with the powerful ally of the Austrian Empire, the Gongon dukes in the parliament of the Second French Republic pointed the finger at Dan Gila and the National Newspaper, who were bent on waging war.

In fact, long before the war, the top of the Great Eastern Fleet was strongly opposed to war, and even more so to join forces with the British.

Not only the century-old feud with the British, but also because of the heavy blood debt between the French Navy and the British Navy.

Buckway Reynaud, the former commander of the Great Eastern Fleet, died in the first naval battle with the British in the Mediterranean.

In addition, almost all the officers and men of the Great Eastern Fleet had relatives or friends who died at the hands of the British.

The bones of relatives and friends are still cold, and now they want to join forces with their former enemies, and the officers and men of the Great Eastern Fleet cannot accept it emotionally.

In the end, the Great Eastern Fleet and even the entire French Navy were dissatisfied with the Second French Republic.

There are two main points, the first navy there is a large number of noble hereditary officers, who themselves are not interested in republican system, and even naturally dislike the so-called democracy.

Secondly and most crucially, the Second French Republic had been in a poor financial situation, and arrears of military pay and maintenance costs were almost commonplace.

With the exception of a few hereditary officers, most people in the navy are still waiting for a pay to support their families.

If some military salaries and funds are in arrears in peacetime, it may not cause such a big repercussion, but against the backdrop of the dual effects of the economic crisis and the food crisis, it is almost impossible for the officers and men of the Navy not to be angry.

Not to mention the chaotic internal order in France at this time, rampant corruption, alternating between the old and the new, intertwined contradictions, coupled with the huge pressure brought by the war, finally detonated the discontent of the Great Eastern Fleet.

The officers and men of the Great Eastern Fleet did not feel that this was a betrayal, but abandoned the darkness and turned to the light.

In their eyes, the Second French Republic was the predator, and they were the defenders of order and dynasty.

As for the extermination of the British, that was their duty.

Before the war began, they sent their families and possessions to the port of Toulon.

Then, in the name of expanding military warfare, they wantonly forcibly requisitioned merchant ships and transformed them into transport ships to transport their own personnel and materials.

Even their repeated travel between the Algerian port of Oran and the French port of Toulon did not arouse much suspicion.

Even if it was the last time they drove away two unfinished warships and took away more than 2,000 shipbuilders with bewildered faces, after all, these assets themselves belonged to the Great Eastern Fleet.

When news of the Battle of the Mediterranean reached Paris, the entire port of Toulon was emptied when the government of the Second French Republic realized that something was wrong.

Admiralty Minister Agra wants to take the blame for his resignation, but Dan Gila doesn't want to let the unlucky guy go, even if the former is unaware of the mutiny.

In fact, Agra, the Minister of the Admiralty, was a very talented man, and he had long seen the problems of the Second French Republic, but he could not do anything about it, after all, he could not betray his own class.

As for the mutiny of the Great Eastern fleet, it is naturally impossible for this minister, who has never even been in Paris, to know what is going on.

In the end, Minister Agra was sentenced to 300 years in prison.

The government of the Second French Republic tried its best to suppress the influence of the rebellion of the Great Eastern Fleet, but the people's patience with the French government was reaching its limit.

In addition to suppressing domestic public opinion and national sentiment, Dan Gila also sent his own envoy to Britain with his own handwritten letter to ask for help.

He hoped that Britain would send troops to help France crush the rebels in Algeria

"That's it, Mr. Russell. The ghost of the evil Orleans dynasty is still hanging out, and Monsieur Dan Gila hopes that your country will send another expeditionary force, when we will send the Great Western Fleet to accompany your army."

The words of the French envoy Chubais Randall made the British dignitaries in Whitehall chuckle.

Send another fleet? Or do you act with the French? Do the French want to do it again?

Even if the British Empire has a great cause, they can't afford to toss it like this.

Unless they can send a superfleet that is sure enough to defeat the French and Austrian navies.

But such a fleet, at this time, even the British Empire could only be organized once.

If it fails again this time, let alone compete with Russia for world hegemony, it is unknown whether it can maintain its existing maritime hegemony.

"The continuation of the expeditionary force needs to be approved by Congress, and in addition to this, we need to further confirm the situation of the new Mediterranean fleet."

John Russell only made some excuses, which made the French envoy Chubais Randall very depressed.

"Monsieur Russell, I want you to know that we in France have paid no less than you.

The betrayal of the Great Eastern Fleet meant that more than half of our coastal defense forces had become the minions of the rebels, and our army was fighting Austria and its servants, with casualties already in the tens of thousands.

But even so, Japan has not given up, and for the sake of peace and justice in this world, and for the sake of those innocent people who are free from the flames of war, we should continue to shoulder the responsibility of a great power.

Therefore, I hope that your country will send troops to attack Austria itself as soon as possible, and assist us in France to sweep away the rebels who have colluded with the Austrians."

The French envoy Chubais Randall said so righteously that he was almost moved to tears.

Palmerston exchanged glances with John Russell, and then said.

"Mr. Randall. How did I hear that the four armies of your country are in a stalemate with the Austrians? It can't be such a coincidence, right? ”

Although Chubais Randall's doubts angered him, only Britain could help the Second French Republic in Europe, where there were many monarchies, and only Britain had the strength.

Chubais Randall hurriedly said.

"Our army has opened up the situation on the territory of Belgium."

It was good that he didn't mention Belgium, and the British ministers in Whitehall in Belgium looked a little ugly.

(End of chapter)