Chapter 172 Everyone depends on their ability
The Times reported that "this policy had an astonishing effect" and "significantly changed the British and French public's view of the Ottoman Empire."
Contrary to the flattery of the British, the sophisticated Prince Metternich concluded that Magid's reforms were nothing more than a window-dressing trick.
Because the timing of this imperial edict is so strange, normally national reforms will only be carried out during a stable period.
But now Mahmoud II had just passed away, the front line was defeated, the future of the war with Egypt was unclear, and there were even more tigers and wolves around him. Ottoman, who was at the center of the storm, actually wanted to reform.
There is no doubt that this move is to retreat in order to advance. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire is obviously not in the interest of Britain. Magid knew that he could only ask for help from Britain at this time. Russia would definitely take the opportunity to seek greater benefits by sending troops, which would make the Ottoman Empire even more passive.
But the British seem to be planning to stand still, so he will leave things to chance and let the British take action. And even if Magid wanted to rely on Osman's own strength, it would be almost impossible to reverse the decline.
First of all, the Ottoman Empire has lost more than half of its navy. If there is another maritime conflict with Egypt, it will definitely lose.
Secondly, once the troops on the northern front withdraw south, Russia and the Austrian Empire may participate in the gluttonous feast of carving up the Ottoman Empire. By then, even if Britain takes action, it will not be able to reverse the situation.
Simply put it aside, if Britain really doesn't take action, then it can make unilateral peace with Egypt. After all, the current situation is stronger than others, and there will be no need to worry about having no firewood.
Ottoman is still much larger than Egypt. As long as he is given enough time to reform, he will definitely be able to train an army that can defeat the Egyptians.
But Metternich also smelled a glimmer of opportunity. Perhaps the clever sultan would be willing to make a deal with Austria and exchange worthless Bosnia for peace in the Ottoman Empire.
But in any case, due to the influence of the Imperial Edict, more and more Europeans came to the Ottoman Empire to seek opportunities. They hoped to benefit from this reborn empire.
The imperial edict of the Flower Hall set off a wave of enthusiasm for joining the army among non-Tianfang religious subjects in the Ottoman Empire. Countless pagans and low-status ethnic minorities declared to fight for the Ottoman Empire.
At the same time, a large number of guerrillas appeared in the rear of the Egyptian army, seriously hindering the progress of the Egyptian army.
Ali's eldest son Ibrahim felt a little worried. In his eyes, the guerrillas were more difficult to deal with than the Ottoman army. The Sinai Peninsula is already having difficulty supplying supplies. If the war continues for too long, Egypt's national power may be overwhelmed.
Moreover, the British and Russians were like two sharp swords above his head, making him unable to sleep or eat well.
On the other side, Muhammad Ali has also prepared the stage. He has been preparing for this big show for ten years, and now he is waiting for the British to enter.
The representative of France, Guizot, was a licker of the British. He always believed that France must have a good relationship with the British if it wanted to rise, so he also strongly touted Magid's reforms.
Thiers once again urged Mohammed Ali to reach an agreement with the Ottoman Empire as soon as possible to avoid interference by the powers, but he also reiterated France's attitude that France was not afraid of Britain.
However, the impact of the imperial edict of the Flower Hall was still unable to completely offset the impact of the death of Mahmoud II.
The British have expressed concerns about the prospects of the Ottoman Empire. After all, the current war situation is not conducive to the Ottomans, and it is still unknown how much impact the death of the monarch will have on this ancient empire.
However, this also strengthened the determination of Palmerston and Canning, despite their repeated requests.
A British naval fleet consisting of three 74 battleships and five frigates will pass through the Mediterranean Sea to demonstrate in Beirut, which is controlled by Egypt. It is already on its way.
Another powerful fleet led by the first-class battleship "King" is on its way. In addition to the Sovereign, this fleet also has 11 third-level battleships and more than ten auxiliary ships.
At this time, the Egyptian Navy apparently had two second-level battleships, fifteen third-level battleships, and hundreds of light gunboats of various types.
In addition to the surrender of the Ottoman Navy, there were 3 first-class battleships, 4 second-class battleships, and 4 third-class battleships.
Egypt's maritime capital ships have reached an astonishing 28, and it even has behemoths like the Mahmoud.
The maritime power sent by the British seems to be insufficient, but in fact the shipbuilding technology of the Egyptians and the Ottomans is far inferior to that of the British, and the naval quality is also very different. The Egyptians' first-class ships may not be as good as those of the British. The level of human third-class ship.
Historically speaking, the British have given the Egyptians enough face this time. Last time, the British only used two 74 ships (third-class battleships) to defeat the Turkish-Egyptian coalition.
Ali prepared to let the Egyptian navy warm up by ambushing the British Mediterranean fleet.
Russia wanted to send troops to the Sinai Peninsula, but was rejected by the Ottoman Empire. This was of course the British behind it, otherwise they would not have dared to reject the Czar's proposal because of Magid's courage.
At the same time, Neserlov's Anglophobia recurred, and he tried his best to dissuade the Tsar from being impulsive. The Tsar still trusted him very much, but the British made him unhappy and simply did not send a fleet to join the British advance fleet.
Austria did not join the British fleet out of its own considerations. After all, Austria had not reached an agreement with the British at this time, and it was not willing to be Britain's little brother as it had done historically.
Friedrich even learned from the intelligence of the Karamanli family that the Egyptians had assembled a powerful fleet to attack the British advance fleet.
How could Friedrich miss such a good opportunity to enjoy a meal and watch a show? He immediately ordered all ships of the Austrian Navy to huddle within the Adriatic Gulf and not to attack.
Friedrich did not take action, partly because Austria and Britain had not reached an agreement, and partly because the negotiations between Austria and the Ottomans had not yet concluded.
At the same time, he did not feel that now was the time to attack. At this time, the Egyptians' nerves were tense and their troops were sufficient. Choosing this time to launch a sneak attack is tantamount to hitting an egg against a stone.
The King of France, Louis-Philippe, was not interested in Thiers' proposal. He felt that war should be avoided as much as possible because it would destroy France's good situation at this time.
France has little internal interest in economic colonization. They prefer direct occupation as they did in Algeria. This, coupled with France's great success in Texas, reinforced their belief in this.
In addition, the civil war between Spain and the Central American Federation also greatly affected France's energy.
Even within the Bonapartist faction, there are very few people who support Thiers. Now he can only hope that the Egyptian navy can defeat the British navy.
The five-nation conference did not reach an agreement, and now the great powers are preparing to compete for the interests of the Near East based on their own abilities. Metternich also came to Istanbul, and he was ready to meet this wise man in person.