Since ancient times, kings have been lonely. This sour tone is not just a joke from literati, but an ironclad fact. Especially for an emperor like Napoleon III who came to power by conspiracy and coup, high places are not only lonely but also terrifying. The arrow of conspiracy.
The United States, Prussia, and Italy all put pressure on him, which Napoleon III could understand. After all, those countries had close relations with Xiao Letian and had interests with each other.
But he never expected that Xiao Letian could actually influence the British foreign policy, and that the Royal Navy would blatantly provide support to Xiao Letian, without any regard for the friendly relations between the two countries over the years.
In the years after Napoleon III came to power, he tried his best to maintain a honeymoon relationship with the United Kingdom. The two countries won the Crimean War and the expedition to the Qing Dynasty. Although there was a slight setback in Mexico, there was no such thing. To the point where it breaks your muscles and bones.
Is it easy to maintain such a situation? It is not easy. Napoleon III was groveling and cautious. He had hidden all the pride of his family.
But just like this, the gap between Britain and France is still difficult to bridge. The French Emperor knows very well that France has won the largest share in the construction and operation of the Suez Canal, which has made Britain particularly jealous. In addition, Britain has always had the intention to monopolize India. , this is a minefield that France needs to be careful about.
"Perhaps Xiao Letian's appearance was just a trigger. The British's change of attitude might have been planned for a long time..." The French Emperor shook his head and drank two glasses of wine before calming down.
He sighed and threw away Bismarck's letter of protest, took away the secret intelligence from Britain, and conveniently threw the consultation letter from the US ambassador into the trash. How dare you, a weak North American country that just finished the civil war, Challenging France is really embarrassing for you.
Just after Napoleon III opened another document, his bloodshot eyes suddenly opened wider than a cow's eyes.
"This, this, this... what is going on, what is happening in this world, why is everyone against me..." The furious emperor overturned everything on the table to the ground, and he was so angry that he almost lost his mind. Stroke.
"Austria has come to plead for Xiao Letian. How come even Austria is begging for mercy? Are you pigs? Xiao Letian beat you all over the ground in Shiqiao Heights. Why do you all say nice things? This is still my life. Earth?"
Napoleon III did not know that Austria had already signed a very generous treaty with Prussia. The Prussians did not punish Austria at all. They gave their brothers enough face, and Xiao Letian had a lot of credit for this.
Compared with the lives lost in the battle at Shiqiao Heights, Xiao Letian's help to Austria was still greater than the damage he caused.
Prussia, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom...including now Austria, the entire Western civilized world is almost all on the opposite side of France. Such pressure is already irresistible to Napoleon III, no matter how angry he is It cannot withstand such great diplomatic pressure.
"Come here... come here." In the emperor's furious roar, the secretary, attendants, and officers on duty all ran in. Their faces turned pale with fear as they looked at the mess in the palace.
"Call the envoys from various countries in Paris and announce to them my latest order... Let Molière and his expeditionary force withdraw from East Asia immediately. France will forgive Xiao Letian's crimes. Everything is for peace..."
"Go, go down and make arrangements right away..." At that moment, Napoleon III seemed to have aged ten years, but when all his men left the Hall of Mirrors, the bellicose emperor's face suddenly became ferocious.
"Xiao Letian, you think you have won, hahaha... I believe in Molière's ability. Ryukyu is probably in a state of blood and fire now."
"Half a world away, by the time my order reaches Molière, I'm afraid the war will be over long ago, and everything about you will eventually be destroyed...Without a base, you are just a mangy dog struggling to death. An assassin's bullet can end your life..."
"Hahaha..." A lunatic's laughter came from the Hall of Mirrors.
When Xiao Letian entered the port of Seychelles from the Sinai Peninsula, there was no complete telegraph network coverage between Europe and the Suez Canal. But when he came here again to prepare to return home, the European telegraph network had already covered Paris. The latest statement quickly reached Egypt.
With His Majesty the Emperor's public statement, the French troops stationed in Egypt would definitely not dare to attack Xiao Letian. All they could do was express their anger with murderous eyes, and use their influence to threaten the entire port of Egypt. No one is allowed to entertain Xiao Letian in the hotel.
At this time, the French had the greatest influence in Egypt. This group of people did not want to see Xiao Letian, and no one in Egypt dared to disobey him. As a result, all the courtesy that Xiao Letian encountered in the Mediterranean ended here.
The new troops who boarded the dock will never forget the cold eyes and hostile words of the French colonial officials.
"Mr. Xiao, I must inform you in advance that the security situation in the Sinai Peninsula is not very good recently, and our French military police are also short of manpower. I am afraid that we will not be able to provide you with any protection. If you encounter any accidents in the port, our French government will No responsibility is taken…”
"In addition, there are a large number of pirates in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean... I hope your luck in Europe has not run out. We look forward to meeting you again in the future..."
After saying these hostile threats, the colonial officer quickly went through the border crossing procedures for Xiao Letian and the others, and then left the port as if they were avoiding the plague.
"Bah...what the hell." Countless New Army brothers cursed angrily.
Xiao Letian also wanted to curse a few words, but before he could open his mouth, the Prussian diplomat and British officer who greeted them came to greet them.
"Prime Minister, you can't stay here. The Sinai Peninsula is too dangerous for you now. According to our internal response from the local tribe, the sand bandits in the desert have suddenly started to move recently, and the frequency of committing crimes is five to six times higher than normal... …”
"Without the connivance of the French inside, these tribal sand pirates would never be so rampant. Prime Minister, you must leave here immediately. You cannot stay for a minute... There is already a British merchant ship waiting in the Red Sea. When we arrive in Arabia Our Indian Ocean Fleet will provide you with protection..."
As soon as the British official finished speaking, the Prussian intelligence officer took over and said, "Mr. Prime Minister, the situation in Ryukyu is not optimistic. The news brought by merchant ships from various countries returning from East Asia is very difficult."
"Businessmen from all over the world are talking about it. Rumors that you were killed in battle are now being circulated throughout East Asia. Such news is even being spread in Japan. In addition, to match the rumors, there are countless newspaper photos of you being stabbed... This kind of Who else would spread the rumor but the French.”
"The expedition fleet led by French special envoy Molière should have arrived at Ryukyu by now based on normal speed. Obviously this is a rumor created by France in advance to undermine your military morale..."
With a buzz, Xiao Letian's blood pressure suddenly shot up, and his ears were buzzing with chirping. Although he had made various pessimistic speculations about the domestic situation before, when accurate information was delivered After arriving, he discovered that the reality was far crueler than his speculation.
"Awesome, this Molière is indeed the captain of the bodyguard trusted by Napoleon III. The knife has stabbed my weak point... Come on, let's leave Port Said immediately, leave Egypt immediately..."
"This is what I call shooting myself in the foot. I didn't expect that my plan to attack the French would be turned around and used by them again."
The British and Prussians had already prepared camel teams. Xiao Letian and his party rode on camels through the city and headed straight for the Red Sea without even having a bite to eat.
The Sinai Peninsula has now become a huge construction site. The desert area of nearly 200 kilometers traveling south from Port Said to the Gulf of Suez is now densely packed with busy workers. Hundreds of thousands of Egyptian migrant workers are like ants under the command of French supervisors. Just as busy.
Not to mention that Xiao Letian felt in danger now, even his brothers and the Egyptian guide he hired were a little scared. The French supposedly increased their troops a few days ago, but why did the number of troops stationed on both sides of the canal decrease along the way? .
"God bless you. I saw the red moon a few days ago. Is the desert going to bleed? God bless you..." The devout Egyptian guides pray when they have time. They grew up in this desert and are so aware of dangers. Ordinary consciousness.
"Damn, these French people definitely have a conspiracy. The most likely reason is to incite desert bandits to attack us. Otherwise, it would be impossible to relax the vigilance force so much... Accelerate, the camel team accelerates, and complete these two hundred kilometers as fast as possible..."
Xiao Letian got so angry that he actually bought all the hundreds of camels in the guide's hands. "I've bought all your camels. The ones that are exhausted are all mine. As long as we get on the boat safely, the rest will be mine." I will give you all the camels that come down for free."
The Egyptian guide looked at the silver coins in more than ten pockets, and his eyes were blinded. "Oh my God, you are so generous... Don't worry, I will try my best."
This was the first time that Xiao Letian knew that a camel could run so fast when it was in a hurry. It was no weaker than a galloping horse. The three-pronged whip slapped the camel, causing the painful camel to run wildly in the desert and rolled up a dragon. .
"Cough, cough, cough... This is too choking... Cough, cough, cough, it's going to kill me..." Xiao Letian was almost choked to death.
Xiao Letian didn't know that the crime he suffered was nothing at all. Deep in the desert to their west, thousands of Arab cavalry were strangulating together crazily. On one side were more than four hundred tough desert bandits. , and the other side is the coalition of five or six surrounding tribes, with a strength of more than 600.
The enemy and us are now furious. War horses and camels charge back and forth in the rolling yellow sand. Sharp scimitars harvest lives. Blood and broken limbs cover the battlefield.
