NOVPUBNo matter what the Russians’ true motives were, the impact of the Andehui defense battle was terrifying.
A bunch of experts who were not even as good as Franz kept popping out to instruct the world, as if the war would reach India by tomorrow.
The advent of the telegraph had brought the world closer, and the pessimistic European public opinion similarly affected the UK, putting significant pressure on the British Government at once. n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com
"What has happened on the front lines, why was Andehui lost, what was Patrick doing?"
Three consecutive "whys" were enough to prove that Prime Minister Gladstone was in a very bad mood.
Afghanistan is not small in size, and Andehui is not a core strategic location; just losing the tens of thousands of square kilometers surrounding Andehui was negligible in the grand scheme of the battlefield.
Similarly, losing cities and land just after the war started, as opposed to after prolonged fierce battles, are entirely different things.
Andehui was lost just after the beginning of the fight, leading to external public opinion questioning the British Army’s strength, and the Opposition party took this opportunity to put Prime Minister Gladstone in an even more embarrassing situation.
Army Minister Rosario replied angrily, "It’s all because the Russians are too despicable; they launched a sneak attack without waiting for the declaration of war to reach the front lines.
Our troops in the Afghan Region were busy exterminating partisans, and since Andehui’s strategic value was not high, the forces deployed there were limited, giving the Russians an opportunity to exploit."
"But everyone can rest assured, General Patrick has already abandoned the previous plan to encircle the partisans and has sent troops to reinforce the front lines.
If nothing unexpected has happened, the situation at the front should have stabilized now. It’s just a matter of waiting for our reinforcements to arrive, and then we can launch a counterattack."
The more they heard from Patrick’s explanation, the more uneasy everyone felt.
Giving up the encirclement of partisans also meant that the surrounded partisans could come down from the mountains. With Russian troops fiercely attacking from outside and partisans wreaking havoc inside, how could anyone feel at ease?
Reinforcements arriving and then counterattacking might be used to cheat the common people, but the people present didn’t have such strong confidence in their own army.
Suspicions aside, Prime Minister Gladstone still did not pour cold water on the issue. Since the war had broken out, they must fight on.
"The situation on the battlefield changes very rapidly, the Army Department must take responsibility. The war has been underway for nearly a month; why haven’t the reinforcements set out yet?"
Facing the Prime Minister’s reproach, Rosario replied reluctantly, "Your Excellency Prime Minister, there is a lot of preparation to be done before we can safely send troops on such a long voyage.
Most of the soldiers have never been to sea; the Atlantic has large waves, and without proper training, there would be significant non-combat attrition.
If possible, it would be best to transport the troops via the Suez Canal, which not only shortens the time but also provides calmer waters."
Helplessly, even as a maritime nation, not every Briton can withstand sea-sickness, and most of the land forces have never left the British Isles.
The fastest journey from the British Isles to India takes two to three months, and without professional training, many wouldn’t endure.
If you force untrained land forces onto ships, the death rate would be shockingly high, and morale would be broken before they even reach the battlefield; how could they then fight a war?
Foreign Minister George shook his head, "The UK Foreign Office has communicated multiple times with France and Austria, but the results were not optimistic.
When the Suez Canal was opened, it was announced: ’The Canal Company will maintain absolute neutrality during wartime, prohibiting any military vessels from belligerent countries from navigating the canal.’
Not to mention during wartime, even in peacetime, British military ships cannot navigate through the Suez Canal and have to detour via the Cape of Good Hope.
The UK Foreign Office has made a lot of effort, but to no avail."
On this issue, the governments of France and Austria simply didn’t intervene, leaving the problem to the Canal Company.
The Canal Company’s initial funding came from the governments of France and Austria, theoretically belonging to the citizens of both countries, with many peculiar regulations stated since its inception.
For instance: shares could only circulate within France and Austria; significant changes in the company’s operating philosophy required the consent of the people in France and Austria...
These clauses directly blocked the British from having a hand in the canal; even with money, they couldn’t buy shares.
The "absolute neutrality principle" is the core operating concept of the Canal Company; to get the Canal Company to make way, they first needed the consent of the citizens of France and Austria.
It is a task that’s simply impossible to complete.
Anglo-Austrian relations are okay among citizens, but the government relationships are terrible; England and France are politically allied, yet their public relations are a mess.
One might say that the Suez Canal is Britain’s eternal pain, as it has always been put in a passive position for not taking the canal seriously at the outset.
After a pause, Prime Minister Gladstone asked, "Can we persuade the French government to help, even at a certain cost?"
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Rules are made by humans, and bypassing them is not impossible. Just because troop transports cannot sail through doesn’t mean regular merchant ships can’t either.
At worst, weapons and equipment can go around the Cape of Good Hope, and soldiers can remove their uniforms and board merchant ships as escorts in disguise.
However, this is only feasible for small units. For reinforcements numbering in the tens of thousands, it would be impossible without the cooperation of someone within the Canal Company.
Foreign Minister George frowned and replied, "This is going to be difficult, even if the French government is willing to help, it’s hard to guarantee we won’t be discovered.
Russia and Austria are allies, and if they detect something amiss, they are very likely to detain our soldiers.
The French can’t be relied upon, and should the matter be exposed, the Paris Government will not support us."
There’s no choice, England and France have been undermining each other for centuries. Even though they are now allies, no one can guarantee the French won’t deliberately trap them.
What if they strike a deal with us and then sell us out the next moment?
Eating up both previous and next patrons is just a characteristic of the times. If British soldiers get detained in the Suez Canal, the Afghanistan battlefield is doomed.
The alliance with France was not only to tie down Austria but more importantly to prevent an alliance between Russia, France, and Austria.
Though the chances of this happening are slim, the British Government cannot take the risk, as its policies are influenced not only by interests but also by animosities.
With a history of enmity, if the French government were to act rashly and join the Russian-Austrian Alliance, Britannia would be finished.
Just recalling how the French financial sector issued war bonds for the Russians is evidence enough of the unreliable nature of Anglo-French relations.
After weighing the pros and cons, Army Minister Rosario made a decisive decision to give up before the Prime Minister could express his stance.
"The Afghanistan battlefield cannot afford any mishaps; the reinforcements will have to go around the Cape of Good Hope. It is simply too risky to place our hopes in the French."
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In the New Versailles Palace in Paris, watching the two annoying foes, England and Russia, at each other’s throats, Napoleon IV was in quite a good mood.
The French government had also put in much effort to provoke a war between England and Russia, though much of it was covert and overlooked by many regarding the role of the French government.
The Anglo-French alliance and the issuing of war bonds for Russia were just parts of it.
Without the efforts of the French government, the British Government wouldn’t have decided to send troops to Afghanistan so quickly, the Russians wouldn’t have counter-mobilized in Central Asia, and the current war between England and Russia would not have occurred.
Foreign Minister Karl Chardlets said, "Your Majesty, both Britain and Russia are urging us to fulfill our duties as allies."
The French government playing a double agent with the British and having secret treaties with the Russians—if that news were to leak, it would shock the world.
There were already signs, such as the French finance group issuing war bonds for the Russians, proving a connection between the two countries.
But the French government wasn’t involved; it was the French finance group that handled the business. Capitalists doing outrageous things for profit isn’t big news.
Napoleon IV sneered, "Tell the British, as long as Austria has no objections, we’ll agree to their free navigation through the Suez Canal.
If necessary, we can also send troops to the Afghan Region.
Considering the differences in our logistical systems, we’ll take care of our own logistics. To facilitate our resupply, let them provide us with a port in the Indian Ocean.
Tell the Russians we will block the Suez Canal, preventing the British navy from sailing through.
As for sending troops, let them first persuade the Vienna Government. If Austria declares war on Britain, we will immediately follow suit."
The British Government would welcome French troops in Afghanistan, but providing the French with a port in the Indian region would be absolutely impossible.
It’s easy to invite the divine but hard to send it away; once French influence is allowed in India, driving them out would be difficult.
Then, Britain’s competitors in India wouldn’t just be the Russian Empire but France and Russia, and possibly Austria too.
When it comes to interests, nothing is impossible. Only if the British Government isn’t out of its mind would it not commit such an act of self-destruction.
The reply to Russia was equally evasive, not allowing the British to use the Suez Canal for troop movements; it was mainly to give the Russians a greater advantage on the battlefield.
Only if the Russian Army occupied the Afghan Region and threatened the security of India would the war between England and Russia continue.
Hard-faced, Foreign Minister Karl Chardlets said, "Your Majesty, wouldn’t that reply be somewhat inappropriate?"
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