Chapter 1147 The Old Man and the Sea
Although Muhammad Ali had given up opium and women, he was 79 years old and knew that he didn't have much time left.
From a beggar to a powerful lord, from a hegemon who tried to conquer the world twice to a weak monarch who had to look at the faces of the powers even if he won.
Muhammad Ali felt that he had seen through everything. It was impossible for Egypt to fight against the whole of Europe and the Ottoman Empire with its national strength.
If it wanted to swallow up the Ottoman Empire and the whole of Africa, it had to take advantage of the contradictions of the powers and throw bait to let the powers fight each other, and then Egypt could take advantage of the opportunity to profit.
If he was given another hundred years, the whole world would crawl at his feet, but Muhammad Ali himself had no hope, but fortunately he still had descendants.
At this time, Muhammad Ali was determined to pave the way for future generations.
In fact, his arrival was somewhat beyond Franz's expectations. First of all, the meeting regulations did not require the heads of state to attend, and the ambassadors of various countries were the first level.
Muhammad Ali did not lower his status, but handed over the position of Pasha of Egypt to his son, and then attended the conference as an ambassador, but everyone knew that this lion-like old man was the real ruler of Egypt.
Above the blue sea, the sea breeze was gentle, and Muhammad Ali's ship was full of his confidants, and everyone enjoyed this moment of tranquility.
Suddenly, a rapid knocking sound came, and the lookout shouted.
"A fleet is approaching quickly!"
The crew was indifferent, and Muhammad Ali's confidant explained.
"My Lord, you don't need to worry, this is just an ordinary avoidance."
The captain frowned, this matter was obviously not right. Now the Mediterranean pirates dare not travel in groups, so there is no need to panic when seeing the fleet, just avoid it normally.
"Telescope."
The first mate immediately took it out of the box and handed it to the captain.
During this period, telescopes were still high-end navigation equipment. It was impossible to put them on the waist casually like in some movies. Most of the time, they were placed in special suitcases or wooden boxes, and even had special people responsible for maintenance.
The captain swallowed his saliva when he saw the scene in the distance, and he was speechless for a while.
The people around him turned their eyes to the captain, and the captain put down the telescope and just said.
"What a big ship..."
Everyone was a little disdainful, after all, they had captured the world's largest sailing battleship "Mahmoudiya".
At this time, although the "Egypt" that Muhammad Ali was riding was only 1,200 tons, its configuration was not much worse than those third-level battleships.
However, their expressions soon solidified on their faces. One after another, huge warships slowly came, with huge hulls, black chimneys emitting thick smoke, and steel-cast hulls shining in the sun.
Everyone put down their work, and they could only look up at this moment. The fear of giants hidden in human instinct controlled the bodies of the crew.
It was not until a sharp whistle sounded that people came back to their senses.
"Quick! Emergency evasion! Emergency evasion!"
When the huge steam fleet sailed away, Muhammad Ali realized that he was sitting on the deck. It felt like his heart was being grabbed by some huge beast, and his forehead was covered with fine cold sweat.
"Whose ship is that?"
Muhammad Ali asked hurriedly.
The captain looked at the flag and explained quickly.
"My lord, that's the Austrian ship. They were sailing normally just now, and we blocked their way."
The captain knew Muhammad Ali very well. He was really afraid that the Egyptian helmsman would be so angry that he had to get back at him.
If he really let his 1,200-ton boat reason with the entire fleet, the fleet just now might have at least 5,000-ton steam warships.
But this time Muhammad Ali did not get angry. He just sat back in his seat quietly as if nothing had happened.
When the Egypt entered the Adriatic Sea, the sailors on board realized how ridiculous they were.
The Mahmoudiya was nothing. Steamships accounted for one-third of the passing ships.
There was only one steamship in the whole of Egypt, which was a gift from the British government to Muhammad Ali. The crew on the Egypt no longer had the arrogance they had when they first arrived.
"Are you so frustrated that you can't raise your head?"
The great hero Muhammad Ali finally spoke. The officials around him were silent, especially the young people who had the word "disappointment" written on their faces.
"Don't worry, this is just the beginning."
Muhammad Ali no longer had the arrogance of his youth. The two defeats made him realize the huge gap between himself and the powers.
But he still wanted to let the young people of his country see this gap clearly. Only by facing the gap can they defeat the enemy.
Muhammad Ali did not think that this gap was absolute. When he started his army, he had only 300 people and more than a hundred rifles.
It took only six years to completely conquer Egypt, and even defeated the British army that tried to overthrow him. After Napoleon's death, he thought he had always been the biggest headache for the great powers, and the only protagonist in the Near East for thirty years.
However, the Venice in front of him was far beyond his imagination. In his imagination, Venice should be composed of countless winding waterways and Gothic buildings.
There are closely packed houses on both sides of the river, and gondolas (a kind of small boat with a Venetian style) sail in the waterway.
"This is impossible!"
Mohammed Ali finally cried out. This is completely different from what he imagined. This despair is enough to crush the will of ordinary people.
The port in front of him is frighteningly large. The endless docks and the dense warehouses behind it make people feel uneasy.
Countless masts and chimneys shuttle back and forth in the port. Various ships carry various goods and are taken to all directions by countless workers like worker ants.
Various strange facilities transfer goods that cannot be carried by hand to other areas, or directly load them onto carriages pulled by heavy draft horses.
The roar of the huge machinery is deafening, and the heat waves spewed by the steam engine are even more unbearable, but what is even more terrifying is the oppression of the Austrian Empire.
At this time, Mohammed Ali has no doubt that this city has the industrial capacity to crush the whole of Egypt.
At the center of the dock is a very exaggerated train station, with countless railways extending across the land like blood vessels.
Finally, an accompanying Egyptian official asked.
"How can we defeat such an opponent?"
Everyone looked at each other, and suddenly someone began to vomit. It was unknown whether it was due to acclimatization or excessive mental stress.