Chapter 109 Ali’s Ambition
Egypt, Alexandria.
After that fiasco, Muhammad Ali, the Egyptian Pasha, the conqueror of Sudan, learned from the painful experience and decided to reform the navy. On the one hand, he purchased advanced warships from France, and on the other hand, he purchased advanced technology to train workers to build warships by himself. .
The Egyptian Navy now has one second-level battleship, fifteen third-level battleships, and hundreds of light gunboats of various types.
Ali Pasha admired his fleet, but his trump card was still hidden in the dock.
In the dock, nine huge first-level battleships are being built, in addition to ten already-built third-level battleships.
With these warships Egypt would become the second largest naval power in the world, but Ali Pasha's ambitions went far beyond that.
Just a month before, Ali Pasha's envoys had arrived in St. Petersburg.
Ali Pasha's envoy handed over Egypt's credentials. After reading it, Tsar Nicholas I sneered and threw the credentials to the ground.
"That Egyptian, what's your name?"
Anyone who is familiar with Sydney Gullah I knows that this is the time when the Tsar wants to kill someone.
In the letter of credence submitted to Russia, Ali Pasha stated that he was willing to use the Tigris River as the boundary, divide the river and rule with the Tsar, and share the heritage of the Ottoman Empire.
Egypt was willing to ally with Russia to fight against Britain. Egypt would give up the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire and was willing to surrender to the tsar and pay tribute every year.
This is the most ridiculous joke Nicholas I has ever heard. Why does Egypt want to divide the Ottoman Empire with Russia? With their sense of humor?
At this time, the messenger replied.
"Egyptians have no names. Egyptians are all servants of Ali. You can call me Abdul. But I want to remind you that you just dropped our country's credentials on the ground. I can pick it up for you. ?"
The messenger answered in a neither humble nor condescending manner, which surprised Nicholas I. He was a very murderous person. Even those Cossack leaders who would kill their whole families at every turn would have their legs tremble unconsciously when they saw Nicholas I.
Nicholas I did not answer, but looked at Abdulla coldly.
In fact, Abdul was already sweating profusely, but his family was in the hands of Ali Pasha, and he could only succeed but not fail.
"Dear Your Majesty the Tsar, why don't you first take a look at the gift Ali Pasha has prepared for you."
Nicholas I still sat silently on the throne, his left hand clenched into a fist and supporting his chin, like a lion waiting for prey.
Boxes of gold and silver jewelry passed in front of Nicholas I's eyes, and his expression did not change at all.
Until a group of trembling people crawled in front of Nicholas I, and he suddenly stood up with anger in his eyes.
Nicholas I had a very majestic figure. He was 205 centimeters tall and had been exercising for many years.
When he stood up, he felt so oppressive that the Egyptian envoy couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.
He knew why Nicholas I was angry. The Russian Czar had always regarded himself as the savior of the Orthodox Church, and according to the Orthodox tradition, he had the obligation to save all Orthodox believers.
Even in the darkest moments of Eastern Europe, when the Tatars, Crimeans, and Ottomans were rampant, the Tsar would spend money from his own treasury every year to redeem people from the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate. .
Now Nicholas I saw a group of Russian slaves appearing in his palace. He could not accept it emotionally or morally.
However, this was Abdul's gift. He knew that Ali Pasha's gold and silver could not impress the Tsar at all. Only these Russian slaves could arouse the Tsar's anger and choose to reach a secret agreement with Egypt.
"Your Majesty the Tsar, I bought them in the slave market of the Ottoman Empire. I now return your subjects to you, I hope you."
Before Abdul had finished speaking, the Tsar grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up.
In the hands of Nicholas I, who is 2.05 meters tall, Abdullah, who is 1.55 meters tall, is like a child.
"Tell Muhammad Ali that I accept his gift, but if one day I find a Russian slave on Egyptian soil, I guarantee that my troops will crush Cairo. No chickens or dogs will be spared."
Abdul was thrown out like trash by Nicholas I, and he turned to the Russians and said, "Get up, you are free."
The slaves looked at each other and stood up carefully. In fact, they had lived in the Ottoman Empire for several generations. Apart from their appearance, they could not even understand Russian, and they were unlikely to have met the Tsar.
They only know that they were bought by an Egyptian master, and now they have been sold to a more powerful master. The strange thing is that this master looks very similar to them, but it is a bit scary.
Nicholas I did not pay attention to the strange behavior of these slaves, and just waved his hand and asked his crony, Grand Duke Liubai, to take them away.
In fact, Nicholas I didn't care about any secret agreements. Russia had torn up a mountain of secret agreements, and this one was not missing.
It is better to accept the gift first and see what the Egyptians are going to do. If the Egyptians can severely damage the British fleet, it will be great for Russia.
As for what if the Egyptians lose? Then just pretend that nothing happened and accept the gift anyway.
Ali Pasha was overjoyed that Nicholas I could agree to a secret agreement with Egypt, because just now the Thiers government had assured Ali that if a war broke out between Britain and Egypt, France could intervene when necessary.
But Ali's Egyptian government must ensure French interests in Egypt, and Ali Pasha knew what Thiers wanted.
Now Egypt has become the second largest cotton exporter after the United States, and France has also become the world's second largest cotton importer. France's textile industry cannot do without Egypt for a day.
When Egypt was invaded by France, Napoleon's power was still fresh in his memory. But Ali Pasha did not expect the French to send troops directly, but he thought that as long as the French saw the opportunity to defeat the British, the French would not let this opportunity go.
Speaking of Napoleon, Ali Pasha always believed that Egypt was the cemetery of powerful empires. The Roman Empire lost to Cleopatra, the Mongol Empire lost to the Mamluks, Napoleon lost to the rebels, and he, Muhammad Ali, wanted Here, end the overlord of the world's oceans, Britain, and create his own legend.
Ali Pasha, looking at the giant ship being built in the dock, suddenly felt a surge of pride in his chest.
Because no one knew the existence of these warships, he could use this information gap to defeat the arrogant British.
Because the British did not know the existence of these warships, it was impossible to send all the main forces to the battlefield at once.
If the last experience is followed, the British will only send two to three first-level battleships to sit in, supplemented by some third-level battleships to act as escorts.
Then what the Egyptian Navy has to do is to annihilate them all. If possible, it is best to make the British surrender, so that the Egyptian Navy will be even stronger.
After the British suffered a disastrous defeat, they would inevitably get angry and come for revenge. As long as they were not stupid, they would definitely ask the Ottomans for help. Then Ali's real trump card would come into play, because the British would not have expected it anyway. The fleet had long been bought by Ali.
The self-righteous British had no choice but to surrender when they were attacked from two sides.
If the British navy is eliminated, the Egyptian navy can dominate the ocean.
At that time, it will be able to annex the legacy of the Ottoman Empire and draw the Tigris River as the boundary with Russia.
In another ten years, he would be able to build a million-strong army, march north to defeat Russia, and dominate Europe, Asia, and Africa.
There are two opinions about the height of Nicholas I, one is 1.9 meters, the other is 2.05 meters. The previous book was written as 1.9 meters, so this time it is written as 2.05 meters, so More oppressive.