"Your Excellency, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kuwait is a British protectorate. Jaber came to power through a coup, which is illegal. The protection treaty he signed with China also has no legal effect. As for the Suez Canal, it belongs to the Suez Canal Company.
.According to the proclamation of the Constantinople Congress in 1888, the Suez Canal is a neutral zone under the protection of the British Empire. China cannot take away the Suez Canal!" Ambassador Zhu Erdian retorted.
"No matter what, the Kingdom of Kuwait is now under the rule of Jaber. The Kingdom of Kuwait got rid of British colonial rule and became a protectorate of China. Then, our country must protect the security and interests of the Kingdom of Kuwait. Any invasion of the Kingdom of Kuwait is
Invasion of China! As for the Suez Canal, had it not been for 188
In 2020, the British cavalry stationed in the Suez Canal. Can the canal be controlled by the British? Now, the Chinese army has captured the Suez Canal. It is impossible for us to give up!" Wu Tingfang said firmly. The importance of the Suez Canal is self-evident.
Metaphorically, whoever controls the Suez Canal can control this transportation artery!
"The British Empire purchased the shares of the Suez Canal Company in 1875 and sent troops to the Suez Canal. That was only natural!" Zhu Erdian said. At that time, the Egyptian Khedive, forced by foreign debt, transferred the shares of the Suez Canal Company to the United Kingdom.
Therefore, the British sent troops to the canal in an upright manner. However, China obviously would not admit it.
"Your Excellency, the current Khedive Abbas II of Egypt said that Britain used unfair means to seize Egypt's shares in the canal. Now, Egypt is willing to take back the shares in the canal at the original price. At the same time, Egypt will
Invite our army to station in the canal and protect the canal!" Wu Tingfang said with a smile.
"This is impossible! The British Empire will not sell shares in the canal!" Zhu Erdian said immediately. Not to mention, he bought it at the original price at the time. You know, with the increase in East-West trade, the canal company's annual income
It is a huge wealth. The shares held by the British in the canal company have increased several times, and the British will not give up at all.
"Then there is no other way!" Wu Tingfang said helplessly. Anyway, the Suez Canal is now in the hands of China. Even if it cannot completely occupy the Suez Canal, China will still have a foot in it. If you want China to give up the Suez Canal
, this is simply impossible.
The meeting has reached this point, which has shown that they will not be able to reach an agreement on any issue. Obviously, diplomatic efforts have still failed. The British Ambassador to China Jules Dian and the French Ambassador to China Pierre can only
Say goodbye to Wu Tingfang, and then report the results of the negotiations to the country. They have already tried their best. As for how the country decides, this is not something they can interfere with.
"Your Excellency Zhu Erdian, the Chinese are too greedy. If they want to protect the interests of our two countries, it seems that diplomatic means will not work!" Pierre said to Zhu Erdian after leaving the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Now the Chinese have the absolute advantage, and of course they want to gain more benefits. As for the means of war, this has been proven to be unworkable. The Chinese have occupied the Suez Canal and have cut off the communication between us and the coalition forces.
Supplied. In half a month at most, the coalition forces will collapse due to lack of supplies!" Zhu Erdian shook his head and said. Obviously, he was not optimistic about the continuation of the war!
"Yes, the Chinese have shown strong combat power. However, after all, China has just embarked on the road to industrialization. If we fight a full-scale war with China, with the strength of Britain and France, we will have the final victory
Victory is absolutely no problem!" Pierre was a little unwilling to give up.
Zhu Erdian shook his head and then said: "The country will not agree to a full-scale war with China. We are not ready yet. At least in terms of navy, we have no advantage at all against China. In addition, our most important thing is
The enemy is not China. Even if we can defeat China, we will suffer heavy losses. By then, the leadership of the European continent will fall into the hands of other countries!"
Pierre's face looked a little ugly. The navy was undoubtedly a pain in the hearts of the French. During the Battle of the Red Sea, two of the French Navy's four 'Gourba-class' battleships were sunk and two were captured. This made
All the French Navy's cutting-edge battleships were lost. Before the French Navy puts into service the next-level 'Bretagne-class' battleships, the French Navy can only rely on the old-fashioned 'Dandong-class' to support the scene. However, France is a country with a continental army after all.
That's the most important thing.
"Are we just going to let the Chinese make harsh demands on us? If the Suez Canal is controlled by the Chinese, our connection with Asia will be completely cut off!" Pierre said. France doesn't care about this.
, France no longer has much interest in Asia.
"The Chinese will not succeed!" Zhu Erdian said. The Suez Canal is very important to Britain. The resources that Britain obtains from India and Australia need to be transported back to the country through the Suez Canal. If the Suez Canal is controlled by China, the consequences will be disastrous!
After returning to the embassy, Zhu Erdian personally sent a telegram to the country, including China's reaction and his suggestions, hoping that the country could make the right decision.
On December 26, just after Christmas, British Prime Minister Arthur Balfour convened his cabinet ministers to discuss the current troubles. This Christmas was probably the most uncomfortable Christmas for the British cabinet ministers. Although
, the coalition forces in Saudi Arabia currently have relatively sufficient supplies, but it is obvious that they cannot hold on much longer.
It has been a long time. General Horatio Herbert Kitchener, the commander of the coalition forces, has ordered to reduce the daily food provisions of the coalition soldiers. However, even so, they can only last about twenty days at most. Kitchener
The admiral's telegram for help appeared in the hands of the heads of government of Britain and France every day, causing them great distress.
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, our ambassador to China has contacted the Chinese. However, the Chinese's asking price is very high. They actually want to occupy the Suez Canal! This condition is something we cannot agree to. Therefore, diplomatic efforts can definitely be a failure.
Yes!" Foreign Secretary Lord Lansdowne said helplessly.
"For the benefit of the British Empire, the Suez Canal cannot fall into the hands of the Chinese!" said Colonial Secretary Edward Gray.
"So, what should we do now? The coalition forces can't hold on for much longer?" Prime Minister Arthur Balfour rubbed his sore brow and said tiredly. The British Parliament and the opposition parties have begun to launch dissent against him.
There is a motion of confidence, which makes it difficult for Arthur Balfour to deal with it. If it is not handled well, he may have to step down!
"We can order the British and French coalition forces to retreat to the Suez Canal. According to the coalition's current supplies, the coalition forces in the center and south can retreat to the Red Sea coast. The coalition forces in the northwest can retreat to the Sinai Peninsula. If we can recapture it within this time
If we have control of the Suez Canal, then we still have a chance!" Field Marshal Sir Neville Bowles Chamberlain said.
"Can we regain control of the canal?" Prime Minister Arthur Balfour already had some doubts about the combat effectiveness of the British army.
"The 100,000 reinforcements we sent have arrived in Alexandria. The 100,000 French troops will also arrive today. It is not impossible to attack the Suez Canal with 200,000 troops. We do not seek to completely defeat the Chinese, as long as we can
Just seize control of the northern part of the canal. However, this requires the cooperation of the navy. In particular, the US Navy must participate in the war!" Sir Chamberlain said.
"Can the navy participate in the war?" Prime Minister Arthur Balfour looked at the Lord of the Admiralty, Sir John Fisher.
"The Navy has already communicated with the United States. The U.S. Navy will fully assist us. However, the main force of the Chinese Navy has always stayed in Port Said. Their submarine forces are deployed in nearby waters. If a war breaks out there,
We have to take a big risk!" Sir Fisher said with some worry.
"Even if we take the risk, we have no choice. We must win this battle. Otherwise, we will have to accept the harsh conditions of the Chinese! I will contact the French President. We must work together to win this battle!"
"Prime Minister Arthur Balfour has made up his mind. If he fails again, he will have no choice but to step down. He is very unwilling to do so, so he must give it a try.
"Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister, we will try our best!" Sir Chamberlain and Sir Fisher both replied.
On December 27, all the troops dispatched by the British and French coalition forces from the country had gathered here in Alexandria, northern Egypt. There were a total of 200,000 people, 100,000 from Britain and France each. They were led by British Field Marshal Frederick Roberts.
Commander. At the same time, in the Mediterranean Sea, there is also a huge fleet composed of four 'Dreadnought-class' battleships of the British Navy and six 'Connecticut-class' battleships of the US Navy. The British Admiral Sir Edward Seamus is the commander.
, U.S. Navy Admiral Benson as chief of staff.
According to the plan, the British and French forces will attack Port Said, defeat the Chinese army stationed here, and control the northern part of the Suez Canal. The navy will fight the Chinese navy in the Mediterranean waters north of the Suez Canal, defeat the Chinese navy, and gain control of the Mediterranean and even the Red Sea.
, re-establish contact with the British and French coalition forces in Saudi Arabia, and avoid the collapse of the coalition forces due to lack of logistical supplies! (To be continued. Please search Piao Tian Literature, the novel will be better and updated faster!)