Chapter 140 When the devil knocks on the door
"Bang, bang, bang,"
There was a knock on the palace door, and the visitor strode into the palace of Mahmoud II without waiting for the palace official to inform him.
Seeing the arrival, Mahmoud II and Grand Vizier Fer Chak both showed awkward smiles.
The person who came was none other than the British Ambassador Palmerston. However, this arrogant British man was the Ottoman Empire's biggest support at this time.
"The real Sultan should not put his sword in its sheath, but should use it to punish the villains." Palmerston's words certainly meant something, which was to imply that Mahmoud II should punish Egypt. Use troops to take back the rights that should belong to him.
Although Mahmud II had long hated Ali Pasha of Egypt, he was not yet ready to fight Egypt.
At this time, the Ottoman Army had 350,000 men, almost twice the size of the Egyptian Army.
The Ottoman Empire's navy also had an advantage over the Egyptian Navy in terms of numbers. In terms of capital ships, the Ottomans had 3 first-class battleships, 6 second-class battleships, and 6 third-class battleships.
Egypt has only one second-level battleship and fifteen third-level battleships.
However, Mahmoud II was not sure of victory. He was more worried about the intervention of the French. At this time, France had been fighting fiercely with Egypt, especially the French helping the Egyptians train their troops, which made him resentful. Yu Huai.
Recently, the Englishman Palmerston has frequently hinted to Mahmoud II that troops should be used against Egypt. Mahmoud II is very curious about what the British want to do. He does not want to be used as a weapon without any explanation, and There is a group of crazy Russians behind him.
Fear of the Russians was the biggest reason why Mahmud II did not dare to use troops against Egypt.
"Dear Mr. Palmerston, I don't understand what you mean." Mahmoud II simply pretended to be stupid.
"Dear Sultan, you will soon understand, because the Egyptian Pasha Muhammad Ali has decided to refuse to pay tribute to you. This is a naked provocation, and I think you know what it means, this shameless Thieves are trying to steal your kingdom."
"war?"
Palmerston's words shocked Mahmud II. He thought that Muhammad Ali would choose to hide his power and bide his time like him, instead of choosing an open break, because this would be bad for both the Ottomans and Egypt.
Egypt, Manio Palace.
Ali picked up his gold pipe studded with diamonds and took a long puff. The smoke he exhaled made the French envoy cough.
"I'm sorry, sir. I've choked you. What did Prime Minister Thiers say?" Ali said with concern.
"It doesn't matter. Prime Minister Thiers said that France will always be Egypt's friend, and he is also willing to see you go further." The French envoy said.
Ali was relieved. Everything was under his control. As long as he had the support of the French, he could defeat the British because he had signed an agreement with the Russians. As long as the Russians could abide by the agreement, then The Ottoman Empire will eventually become history, and he, Ali, will become the only Sultan in the world.
Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.
After meeting Friedrich again after being away for several months, Franz felt a little strange and asked.
"How come it's been a year, uncle, and you haven't grown any taller at all?"
Archduke Friedrich is less than 160 centimeters tall, while his eldest brother is 185 centimeters tall. There is a big difference between the two.
"You're not taller than me!" Friedrich shouted angrily.
"I'm only eight years old." Franz blinked, "I've grown eight centimeters this year."
"It's amazing how tall you are! I was taller than you before I was eight years old! Be careful you become the same as me in the future!"
Apparently the height issue was a taboo for Archduke Friedrich, so Franz "comforted" him.
"It is said that Napoleon was not very tall either."
"Don't compare me to the Corsicans! You bastard!"
The angry Archduke Friedrich wanted to pounce on Franz, but was restrained by Thalia and Adjani and stood up.
Thalia was 175 centimeters tall, and Adjani was 168 centimeters tall. Friedrich looked at his feet that were already off the ground, and his heart was filled with despair. Obviously, the height of the two women made Friedrich feel even more inferior. Just like that, Friedrich He was carried back to his seat.
Originally, Thalia was ready to comfort Friedrich, but Adjani winked at her and told her to leave quickly.
Because Adjani could tell that Friedrich was very concerned about his height, and boys at this age were very impulsive.
Moreover, as he is a royal prince, he may not take into account Thalia's identity as a woman.
"Uncle Friedrich, will growing bean sprouts in the water help the water quality?" Franz decided to change the topic. After all, talking about other people's shortcomings is not a virtue.
"Forget it, you dare to say that it was all your bean sprouts that made the whole ship upset." Friedrich said angrily, obviously he was deeply affected by it.
"."
Bean sprouts have some laxative effects, but as long as you don't eat them every day, you should be fine. Are the bean sprouts here in Europe some special variety?
"Uncle Friedrich, what do you usually eat on the ship?"
"Bean sprouts! Didn't you say it can supplement vitamins and purify water?"
"Why didn't I kill you?" Franz thought to himself.
"Uncle Friedrich, you can eat something else instead of staring at those bean sprouts all day. Besides, haven't you successfully modified your steamship yet? If you have a steamship, you can use the steam engine to boil water for drinking. ”
"I encountered some problems, that is, most steam cargo ships are not suitable for transformation into battleships, so I decided to build my own. It is expected to be launched by the end of the year."
"Can"
Franz was about to speak when he was interrupted by Friedrich.
"I know what you want to say. You don't have to worry. The training of the Marine Corps has been basically completed. The performance of this unit will definitely surprise the world. The Austrian Empire Marine Corps will definitely become famous in one battle."
Although I don't want to pour cold water on Friedrich, the performance of the Austrian Empire cannot be too dazzling. Because the Austrian Empire at this time did not have enough strength, in Central Europe, a place of four wars, being too dazzling was a problem.
"Uncle Friedrich, this is not a battle that deserves to be famous."
"Don't worry, I understand what you mean. I also have plan B. I have found someone who can cooperate with us within the Egyptian army." Archduke Friedrich said.
"Who? Those Jews?" Franz blurted out. This was a very bad habit, but he had heard something recently that made him unconsciously reveal his thoughts.
"Jews? No, no, no, I don't want to deal with those people." Archduke Friedrich shook his head.
"That is?"
"The Karamanli family, they are willing to assist us and cooperate inside and outside."
"But cooperating with the Karamanli family may have a bad impact on the reputation of the empire and the family."
The Karamanli family were the notorious Barbary pirates.