Holy Roman Empire

Having left the meeting room, Colonel Hutile and his associates’ expressions darkened. Clearly, they were unimpressed by General Jeret’s grandiloquence.

Their restraint during the meeting was due to their lower rank. While others were Generals, the highest rank in the Austrian Delegation was only a Colonel.

Add to that the Rebel Army’s top brass evidently trusted the British more, directly questioning the opposition in a public setting served no purpose other than offending people.

Back at the camp, Major Botiolayek couldn’t hold back anymore, "What do you think, could that guy have been bribed by the French to deliberately…"

Colonel Hutile interrupted, "Impossible! After all, he is a General of The Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets, he wouldn’t betray his country over some petty cash.

In fact, General Jeret is not entirely without merit, at least more reliable than those guys in the Rebel Army’s high command."

Merits?

Unfortunately, Hutile really couldn’t find any. General Jeret’s military strategies, in theory, had no issues.

He had calculated everything except the execution capabilities of the Rebel Army.

Including the last ambush, theoretically, there was nothing wrong, but due to the Rebel Army’s poor combat effectiveness, the campaign ended in failure.

Since a comparison of quality was out of the question, they could only compare the lesser of two woes. Although General Jeret was a bit rigid and bureaucratic, he was still more reliable than the disorderly higher echelons of the Rebel Army.

Major Botiolayek shook his head, "I’m afraid even his strengths are limited. Jeret’s combat experience is limited to suppressing colonial rebellions, not inciting them."

It can’t be helped, Britain hadn’t been at war for many years too. The most recent major war was against Austria over South Africa, which also ended in defeat.

Having lost, there was naturally no future to speak of, and the officers involved in the combat either retired or changed professions.

Now sending representatives was like choosing the tallest from among the short, and General Jeret emerged due to his experience in suppressing a miners’ rebellion in Australia.

Fa Jinhan laughed, "Actually, that’s not bad, having Jeret command the Rebel Army at least ensures that the Rebel army won’t surrender easily.

According to the recently announced operation plan, isn’t our task to feign an attack on Ugsur? It’s perfect for cutting through to the Egyptian mainland."

"Won’t surrender easily" becoming a reason, this expectation left nothing more to be said.

Hutile nodded, "That’s settled then. First, we’ll contact our people to air-drop some compressed biscuits here, as no one can guarantee we’ll get supplies once we leave the camp."

The first taboo of operating deep in enemy territory is logistics; nearly ten thousand troops getting replenished locally in enemy territory, and whether the requisitioned food can fill their stomachs remains an unknown.

...

At the Rebel Army’s headquarters, General Jeret was poring over a map, worried. Despite his casual talk, he had no confidence inside.

Let alone leading this ragtag group, even if he were commanding the British Army against the French, Jeret wasn’t sure of victory.

The French, with their title of "the world’s foremost Army", had earned it through battlefield prowess, with the armies of European nations serving as stepping stones for the French ascent—an opponent like that pressures anyone psychologically.

Mahidi asked with a grave tone, "General Jeret, can the Eighth Division attack Ugsur? Should we perhaps also send out the Sixth Division?"

After a moment of silence, Jeret cautiously reminded, "Your Excellency, it’s a feint, not an attack.

The French have two regiments guarding Ugsur. To capture this place, not to mention one Eighth Division, even adding the Sixth Division wouldn’t suffice.

We only need to make a certain gesture to draw the French’s attention, buying time for the main forces to regroup." Explore new worlds at empire

Deep inside, Jeret harbored a profound distrust of the Rebel Army’s command capabilities.

If not for political reasons, he wouldn’t mind collaborating with the Austrians.

After all, Hutile and his men, being formally military educated, were more reliable than the abruptly positioned "Rebel Army high command".

Otherwise, Jeret wouldn’t assign such an important task to the Eighth Division.

No matter the opposing positions, when it comes to causing trouble for France, the interests of Russia and Austria are aligned.

...

The flames of war began to burn in Egypt, and troubles reached the London Government. The enemy did not play by the rules, avoiding direct confrontation with them and instead seeking to upset the Persian Government.

The Persian Government was willing to sign the traitorous treaty not just because of military threats and diplomatic extortion but also due to the British Government’s promise to solve diplomatic problems.

In other words, the British had obtained diplomatic control over Persia, overseeing the external affairs of the Persian Empire.

Now it was Britain’s turn to fulfill its promises, yet the British Government was powerless. The reason that a secret treaty was secret was because it could not withstand the light of day.

Russia and Austria feigned ignorance, completely ignoring the existence of the secret treaty, demanding Persia to sign the free trade agreement and putting the London Government in a difficult position.

"Free trade" was a standard of Britain, the greatest beneficiary of the free trade system, and the British Government couldn’t possibly step out to hinder free trade.

Shooting oneself in the foot was a minor issue; if they brought down the free trade system, the losses would be substantial.

Gladstone asked, "Have the Russians not stopped their minor movements in Central Asia?"

Foreign Minister George shook his head, "It’s the same old story, the Russians show no sign of restraint, and just recently Cossack cavalry pillaged a small tribe in the Bukhara Khanate."

Gladstone’s frown deepened, this was not merely ineffectual, it was escalating.

If they couldn’t curb the Russians’ arrogance, the Central Asian countries would have to start reconsidering their alliances once again.

The Tsarist Government was not merely brute force; although lacking in some diplomatic finesse, it too was capable of diplomacy.

No one could guarantee that the Russians would not support a Pro-Russian Faction to power locally, adopting gentler methods for integrating Central Asia.

Especially now, when the Russian Empire was in a weakened state, unfit for initiating wars, diplomatic tactics were even more crucial.

This could be seen in recent years from the internal power structure of the Tsarist Government, where the Foreign Minister’s influence in the government was growing daily, nearly rivaling that of the Finance Minister.

After hesitating for a while, Gladstone made a decision, "Let’s confront the Russians directly and tell the Tsarist Government:

Either stop the minor movements in Central Asia and ensure no expansion in that region, or face a war in Central Asia!

Also, send someone to join the tripartite negotiations between Russia, Austria, and Poland to disrupt them as much as possible."

If the Central Asian issues were not resolved now, it would become even harder once the Russians recovered their strength.

Compared to that, Persia’s interests are a minor issue. It’s essentially a probe; monopolizing Persia’s interests would be too antagonistic.

...

Plans never change as fast as reality; before the British could intervene, the tripartite negotiations among Russia, Austria, and Poland had already concluded.

On April 28, 1885, under diplomatic pressure from Russia and Austria, and some deception at the negotiation table, the Persian officials, in a daze, signed the "Tri-State Free Trade Agreement."

Perhaps it was not that the Persian officials involved in the negotiations were intentionally confused; compared to the Anglo-Persian secretive treaty filled with inequality, the "Tri-State Free Trade Agreement" appeared much more harmonious.

Without so many additional conditions, on the surface, it seemed like a fair trade, not infringing directly upon the sovereignty of the Persian Empire.

The Persian Government wasn’t entirely foolish, it had its share of wise people who could distinguish between major and minor enemies.

Compared to the fools who signed the Anglo-Persian secret treaty, this "confused" Persian official was much smarter.

They were not foolishly led by the nose by Russia and Austria but directly adopted the agreements within the "free trade system" of various countries. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

For the precarious Persian Empire, securing an apparently equal treaty was already a significant diplomatic victory.

...

THIS CHAPTER UPLOAD FIRST AT NOVELBIN.COM