"This Duke of Wellington is really... so cunning!"
Hearing the Duke of Wellington's proposal to wait for 100,000 British troops to gather before embarking on the journey, the Earl of Liverpool could only sigh in his heart.
Of course, there are still 100,000 British soldiers (army). But that's on the books, not in the barracks. I wonder how much of a discount the actual amount is? If we really want to send out troops, we have to think of ways to recruit, recruit, and recruit men. We won't be able to get the numbers together within two or three months.
Even if these 100,000 British troops could be gathered and sent to India, the number of local army would be really pitiful.
If something happens on the European continent, for example, if Nicholas I decides to take Constantinople, what will the British Empire do? Just thinking about it makes me worried!
But no matter how worried he was, the Earl of Liverpool could only agree to the conditions of the Duke of Wellington, otherwise the Duke of Wellington would not have taken the blame for India's 10,000-ton blame... He couldn't take it either!
And if India disappears, the British Empire will be finished!
Thinking of this, the Earl of Liverpool nodded and said: "Three months. Within three months, the 100,000 expeditionary force will be ready, and the ship to transport them to India will also be ready."
He sounded sure about it, but in his heart he really had no confidence at all. How will the military expenses for this 100,000-strong army expedition to India be financed? There has been an economic crisis in Europe since last year, with banks collapsing, factories closing, and many unemployed workers causing trouble every day. Now we have to spend money to fight in India, and we also have to spend money to build warships to cope with Ming Dynasty's "Thousand Ships Plan". Raising money is really a headache!
The Earl of Liverpool's temples really hurt when he thought about having a headache...
Pressing his temples, the earl asked thoughtfully: "Duke, do you have any good suggestions for the war situation in India?"
The Duke of Wellington thought for a while and said: "If possible, we should try to recover the city of Peshawar immediately. As long as the city of Peshawar can be recovered, the situation in India will turn around. So you should try it no matter what!"
Of course, the attempt to recapture Peshawar had to be made by Sir Amherst and Major General Hugh Gough... whether they won or lost depended on their luck.
The Duke of Wellington thought thoughtfully and said: "Currently, the Golden Army can only transport troops to Peshawar City through airships, which is not very efficient. I estimate that only two hundred to three hundred people can be added every day, and the first batch of airborne troops The maximum number of gold soldiers arriving in Peshawar will not exceed 300. If we can gather 10,000 troops within ten days, there is still hope to recapture Peshawar. If we cannot recapture Peshawar within ten days, then the number of gold soldiers in Peshawar will be There may be as many as two or three thousand people. At that time, it will be very difficult to recover.
If we cannot regain Peshawar, then we must hold the Khyber Pass. Otherwise, Major General Cotton's army will not be able to leave Afghanistan after the snow melts next spring! "
"Withdraw from Afghanistan?" the Earl of Liverpool frowned. "If Major General Cotton's army abandons Afghanistan, will Emperor Daoguang's army take the opportunity to advance to the vicinity of Peshawar?"
The Duke of Wellington thought for a while, nodded and said: "If the city of Peshawar cannot be recaptured, then the logistics of Major General Cotton's expeditionary force will not be smooth. With tens of thousands of troops stationed in the situation and situation with poor logistics, The terrain is extremely complex, and we also have to face the attack of powerful enemies and the betrayal of allies - I think Dost Muhammad Khan will definitely betray. This situation is worse than what Emperor Napoleon encountered in the Rakshasa Kingdom. That year Napoleon was almost wiped out. How could Major General Cotton win? So if Peshawar cannot be recaptured, then Major General Cotton’s army should withdraw immediately after the snow on the roads melts next spring. Don’t hesitate!”
After listening to the Duke of Wellington's words, the Earl of Liverpool was silent for a while, and then looked at George Canning again, "George, what do you think?"
"Prime Minister," George Canning said, "I remember that the Kingdom of Jin once asked for 21 million Ming Dynasty silver dollars in compensation..."
"What?" The Earl of Liverpool was stunned, and immediately shook his head and said, "That's not okay! George, this is not a question of how many pounds it costs, but a matter of the empire's face!"
The British Empire could maintain such a huge colony with such a small territory, such a small population, and such a small army. In addition to the local industry, it also relied on the British Empire's image of being invincible.
The British are invincible, how can they pay money to a backward country like Daikin that "closes itself to the country"?
The Earl of Liverpool continued: "George, we can defeat the war in Afghanistan. No matter how many East India Company mercenaries we lose, it won't matter...the vast majority of them are Indians anyway. But we must not attack Dajin." Pay reparations because it means it is profitable to oppose the Empire!"
"Prime Minister, of course I understand this," George Canning said, "but we need time to adjust our deployment and organize a counterattack. And we should also try to confuse and divide the enemy!"
The Earl of Liverpool looked at George Canning, "George, you mean... to deceive Emperor Daoguang?"
"Yes," George Canning said, "Of course we will not actually pay Daoguang, but we can use this name to negotiate with him. If we cannot successfully regain the city of Peshawar, then we must stabilize Daoguang Emperor to ensure that Major General Cotton’s troops can safely withdraw from Afghanistan.”
The Earl of Liverpool glanced at the Duke of Wellington. The Duke did not speak, but nodded.
The Earl of Liverpool asked: "Then in what name do we confuse Daoguang?"
"We can..." George Canning thought about it again and again, and finally came up with an excuse: "Prime Minister, let's use the name of mercenary soldiers. Anyway, we often hire foreign troops to help fight wars."
The Earl of Liverpool asked: "Then who should we hire the Jin army to fight?"
"Fight Turkey! We need the Great Jin Kingdom to send troops to support the independence cause of the Greek people! I think the powerful airship troops of the Great Jin Kingdom can help us defeat the ferocious Turkish Empire. These airships can bomb Constantinople and force the Sultan to Troops withdraw from Greece."
The Earl of Liverpool scratched his bald head, "This reason... well, let's do it!"
George Canning added: "We can also ask the Rakshasa people to mediate. Grand Duke Mikhail will definitely be very willing to act as a middleman between us and Dajin... and it is too much to be too close to Ming Dynasty." The powerful Daijin must not be in the interests of the Rakshasa Kingdom."
Upon hearing this suggestion, the Earl of Liverpool and the Duke of Wellington both brightened up.
Dajin was originally a buffer state between the Ming Dynasty and Rakshasa, but now it has obviously turned towards the Ming Dynasty!
Nicholas I must have been very dissatisfied with this, so he would have used Turkey as an excuse to ask the Jin Kingdom to send troops. If Daoguang disagrees, in the style of the Rakshasa people, he will definitely react, and maybe he will cause trouble on the Kazakh grassland and cause trouble for Emperor Daoguang.
The Earl of Liverpool nodded heavily and said: "Okay, George, I will ask His Majesty the King to arrange for you to meet with Archduke Mikhail tomorrow. You can discuss with him the issues of mediating the conflict in Afghanistan and hiring gold soldiers to attack Turkey."
"Yes, Prime Minister."
The Earl of Liverpool then said to the Duke of Wellington, "Duke, I hope that you can immediately accept the appointment of the Governor-General of India. Of course, you do not have to take office until the expeditionary force is formed and set off for India. But I hope that this news can be released in order to Shock the Ming Empire in the east and stop them from acting rashly!"
"Okay, Prime Minister."
