After Zhu Erdian left, Yuan Shikai paced back and forth in the room, circling under the Western-style chandelier several times. (.)
Finally, he said to Tang Shaoyi, who had been waiting beside him: "Shaoyi, what do you think?"
"Sir, there must be something fishy about this matter."
Yuan Shikai glared at Tang Shaoyi dissatisfied, thinking that if there was nothing wrong, I wouldn't ask you.
Yuan Shikai's old friend Zhu Erdian just brought a proposal from the British Empire. This proposal suggested forming a Sino-British coalition to attack Baghdad. The British were responsible for transporting and ensuring the supply lines of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, while China provided hard-working soldiers and weapons.
This proposal shocked Yuan Shikai. During this period, Yuan Shikai and other powerful factions in mainland China were all concerned about the upcoming federal election. This newly cultivated land in Russia can temporarily satisfy their needs.
They have lost their appetite, so at this time, their energy is focused on internal fighting and guarding against Lin Youde's sudden entry into the election. Any crisis in the Balkans has nothing to do with them.
Therefore, Yuan Shikai did not expect that the British would suddenly throw out such a proposal, and it was natural for him to feel confused.
Yuan Shikai didn't know that Britain also had its own difficulties at this time. Since the Napoleonic Wars, the establishment of the British Army has been decreasing, especially in recent decades. In order to maintain increasingly huge naval military expenditures, the establishment of the British Army has been restricted.
.Compared with the three traditional land powers of Germany, France and Russia, the establishment of the British Empire Army, which has many colonies, is simply pitiful. In the words of Kaiser Wilhelm II, "I don't know that Britain's weak army can fight in Europe."
do what".
In addition, in recent decades, nationalism has sprouted around the world, and the British have been struggling to cope with it. In the Indian Rebellion, the Boer War and other wars with the colonial indigenous peoples, although the British eventually won the victory, they also felt physically and mentally exhausted.
Therefore, the British colonial policy has changed in the past few decades, and calls for federalization and granting certain autonomy to the colonies have become increasingly louder in the UK.
This proposal for joint troop dispatch was put forward against this background.
Russia has fallen and cannot recover for the time being, so there is no point in supporting the Ottoman Empire. This decadent empire has always relied on the protection of British national policies to survive as a local force to check and balance Russia.
The British have long been interested in Baghdad, the pearl of the Middle East in the hands of the Ottoman Empire. However, the British have always been worried that the Ottoman Empire will fall apart immediately after losing Baghdad's tax revenue, so they have not taken action. Now, open up the British Empire's North African colonies and Persia.
The best time has come for the passage of time.
However, the British were very worried about launching a new colonial war at this time. They were providing a large amount of loans to the Soviet Union, and they were also starting construction of multiple sky battleships at the same time. Military expenses were indeed tight. And more questions were raised: What can we gain by attacking Baghdad?
What are the benefits? The city of Baghdad has long been controlled by British economic colonization, and British goods are popular here. **Military occupation does not make these goods sell better.
Of course, military occupation can still bring many benefits. The question is whether these benefits are worth the use of force by the British Empire.
The ruling and opposition parties in the British Empire debated this issue endlessly, and even Moriarty was unable to unify their opinions - in fact, she was relatively indifferent to this issue.
In the end, the British came up with a compromise plan. If the burden on themselves was too heavy and the return rate was low, they would hire someone to share the burden. British capitalists believed that as long as Lin Youde did not intervene, the mainland's plutocrats would be competition.
But for dignified gentlemen of the British Empire.
Therefore, the proposal of jointly sending troops was placed in front of Yuan Shikai.
Yuan Shikai didn't know about these foreplays. He was only concerned about the domestic struggle. He deliberately wanted to win over the Jiangsu and Zhejiang plutocrats to oust Sun Wen's alliance from power.
Yuan Shikai touched his bald head. While pacing in the room, he muttered: "What kind of place is this Baghdad?"
Although Yuan Shikai had a relatively far-sighted vision among the former Qing officials, he still retained some of the characteristics of the former Qing senior officials. He had never paid attention to this place name.
He came to the globe and turned the Middle East region in front of him. Based on the memory he had left while flipping through the documents, he lightly poked on the map.
"Oops. It's such a far away place, let me send an expeditionary force there..."
Yuan Shikai shook his head and turned to Tang Shaoyi: "Is it very rich there?"
"Well, I don't know very well. But when I was studying at Columbia University, I dabbled in a little bit of Arab history. That place was the ancient capital of several dynasties, and it was a prosperous city with a radius of thousands of miles."
"Huh?" Yuan Shikai perked up, "So, that place is very rich?"
"Uh," Tang Shaoyi hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded, "Yes."
In fact, Tang Shaoyi hated the British at this time. They came to persuade Yuan Shikai to agree to send troops to Baghdad, but they forgot to give Yuan Shikai a detailed description of Baghdad and the surrounding land, and only gave Yuan Shikai a general framework for the joint military operation!
Yuan Shikai didn't know Tang Shaoyi's inner thoughts. He stared at the peninsula on the globe that was sandwiched between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf and was silent for a long time.
At this time, although Yuan Shikai and his faction had gained considerable benefits from economic colonization, their minds still had not broken away from the old concept of occupying and grabbing land, occupying a rich place, and then plundering it. This pair of
Very attractive to him.
Suddenly, Yuan Shikai raised his head and looked at Tang Shaoyi: "Lin Youde is still happy on that island in the Pacific?"
"Yes." Tang Shaoyi nodded, "We reported from within the Navy that the security level around the island has not been lowered, and the local British officials also reported to the colonial authorities that Lin Youde is still on vacation."
"Well." Yuan Shikai raised his hand to touch his bald head, and then turned his attention to the Persian Gulf. "Even if we really occupy this place, how to transport the gold and silver treasures back is still a problem. This sea belongs to Lin Youde.
Even if the territory is protected by British warships, it cannot be guaranteed to be safe. Even the British cannot guard against submarines like his."
"Yes, but the navy's sphere of influence does not yet reach the depths of the Indian Ocean. If we disembark in India and return to China by land via southern Tibet, I think it is still feasible."
"Yeah." Yuan Shikai pondered without expressing his position.
Tang Shaoyi knew that this meant that the commander-in-chief still had to think about it, "it's not urgent yet," so she kept her mouth shut knowingly.
"Russia has been defeated." Enver Pasha, a young officer, said loudly to his colleagues gathered in this dimly lit small hall. "They no longer need us to check and balance Russia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. We, the Ottoman Empire, must
It will become their next target for carving up. The current Sudan is cruel, incompetent and absolutely unable to lead us Turks to resist the ambitions of the great powers.
"Compatriots, look at it, not only the great powers, but also the small principality of Serbia dare to defy the authority of the Ottoman Empire. The crescent flag has become a laughing stock in the eyes of the world!
"Compatriots, we cannot wait any longer. It is time to overthrow the tyrant, restore constitutional government, and reshape Turkey. All these have to be done! Compatriots, our Young Turk Party has been preparing for this for so long, and now is the time!
"
Enver's words won unanimous approval, but some people expressed concern: "Now that the Principality of Serbia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire are making moves, wouldn't launching a coup at this time give outsiders an opportunity to take advantage of it?"
"Without a coup, can the imperial government prevent the Austro-Hungarian Empire from annexing Bosnia and Herzegovina? Can the imperial government prevent the Serbs from continuing to stir up unrest in the border provinces of the empire? With such a decadent government, with nothing but tyranny
Good-for-nothing Sultan Abdulhamid II? Is this possible?”
Enver's passionate rhetorical question silenced the entire small hall. The leaders of various branches of the Turkish Youth Party silently agreed with the words of the 27-year-old leader.
So Enver continued: "Now the empire is mobilizing troops to the Balkans, and most of the Shenji Battalion in the capital is also transferred to the Balkans. It is a good time for us to launch a coup. If we miss this opportunity, we will not know how to wait until the Year of the Monkey and the Moon of the Horse!
"
"However, the Shenji Battalion in the capital still retains considerable strength. How are we going to deal with them?" A Kurdish leader loyal to the Turkish Shabab asked, "Although our tribe has Shenji, we have to fight with the remaining Shenji Battalion in the capital alone.
It is too forced to fight with the force below, and the elders will not agree."
Enver seemed to have been waiting for this question for a long time. He smiled at all the attendees and clapped his hands.
The two girls opened the curtain on the side door of the small hall, entered the venue, and then took off the black gauze hanging on their faces.
"Armenians..." someone in the venue exclaimed quietly.
"The Armenians suffered brutal treatment under Abdulhamid II, and they are willing to work together with us! The Armenian girls in Shenji Camp will become our partners!"
Enver's words aroused a lot of discussion, and many people had obvious worries on their faces. However, the crimes committed by the current Sultan Zheng Fu against the Armenians in the 19th century were well known to everyone, and no one had any reason to question the sincerity of these girls' cooperation.
"Compatriots!" Enver shouted again, "This is a God-given opportunity. Let us destroy the tyrant and restore the glory of the Ottomans! Long live the Turkish Youth Party!"
"Long live!" Despite some hesitation, everyone in the room raised their arms and shouted along with Enver.
Unbeknownst to Enver and the Turkish Youth Party, their meeting place had long been surrounded by the Sudanese Guards.
The high-ranking Shen Ji responsible for leading this operation was standing on a tall tower not far away, overlooking the building where the Al-Shabaab leaders were hiding. An eagle stood on her shoulders, flapping its wings from time to time.
The attire of Turkish goddesses is different from that of ordinary women. They are regarded as messengers of Allah, and their status is much higher than that of ordinary women. They do not need to wear headscarves or veils, and can appear in front of people without any scruples. For the convenience of movement, they can even
Wear men's clothes. They are usually given men's names and can even marry the woman they like.
This goddess standing on the high tower is Mustafa Kimal, Turkey’s youngest goddess with the best bloodline.
"Lord Kemal," Kemal's deputy jumped to the top of the tower, "We are ready, do you want to break in?"
"No," Kemal shook his head and then raised his right hand to the sky, "I just heard the revelation of Allah."
The deputy immediately knelt down, pressing his left chest with his right hand, his eyes lowered, looking pious.
"Allah wants them alive, so we will do nothing tonight. From now on, we will do nothing." (To be continued..)