Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 318 Policy Change
January 11st

House of Commons, London, UK

"I know Sir Gladstone. The news reported to London is not that bad. On paper, we have lost more than 3770 people. The actual number of losses is 10 times that or even more..."

"At least military spending doesn't lie. To maintain the military campaign against the Chu State, the current military expenditure exceeds 437 million pounds, and we will have to spend millions more pounds in the future."

"If the war is further expanded, how much more war expenses will be needed?"

"I need a clear answer. The British treasury can't just come up with a large sum of money out of thin air. This needs to be reviewed by the Parliamentary Finance Committee and included in the government budget. So the question is, is it ten million or twenty million pounds?"

"Great Britain's fiscal expenditure is limited, and the war has consumed a large amount of military funds, so there will be less money allocated to the Royal Navy. This will have a serious impact on maintaining the Empire's vital maritime hegemony. Who will bear this responsibility?"

"I don't care how many Indians are killed or injured, but Southeast Asia must quickly restore a stable commercial order. War has severely damaged everyone's interests. This is an indisputable fact. How can we safeguard regional interests?"

"Please give me a time limit, three months, six months, a year, or even longer?"

"The parliament believes that diplomatic representatives should be dispatched to try to resolve the dispute through means other than war. Of course, the necessary use of force is still necessary."

"Dear Foreign Minister, when can we take back Singapore? Eliminate the threat posed by the Chu fleet to Penang and Kuala Lumpur."

"The Royal Navy has no plans to deploy ironclads anytime soon. What the hell! Planning a voyage of over 20,000 miles isn't just a matter of words; it requires millions of pounds of funding and extensive preparation. Finding sufficient supply ports along the way is a major challenge."

"The route around the Cape of Good Hope takes half a year to sail. Instead of going through so much trouble, it is better to wait until the Suez Canal opens after October next year."

"I can clearly tell you that dozens of organizations, including the East India Company, the Shipping Chamber of Commerce, and the Opium Chamber of Commerce, are protesting. Their interests have been severely eroded during the war, and they are expressing strong dissatisfaction with this."

"Objectively speaking, the chaotic Nanyang region is a disaster, and the poor performance of the coalition forces has exacerbated this disaster. This has caused widespread discussion among the citizens of the Empire and put tremendous pressure on the government. How will you resolve this?"

The sharp questions from the front bench members of the House of Commons overwhelmed the Foreign Secretary William Ewart Gladstone, who strongly advocated war. He looked quite embarrassed, with a layer of fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

He kept taking out the lace handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe himself, and seemed clumsy in answering the congressman's questions about the war.

The old fox, Prime Minister Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby, missed the parliamentary questioning due to health reasons, which made the MPs focus their firepower on Foreign Secretary William Ewart Gladstone. They asked him a lot of tricky questions, which made him feel exhausted.

Representing the current cabinet government
British Foreign Secretary William Ewart Gladstone, under pressure from Parliament, promised to take back Singapore within three months, resolve the war within six months, and completely restore peace in the Nanyang region.

Members of parliament have expressed their dissatisfaction, and this is a process of constant bargaining.

Finalization

The British government authorized Sir Carl Phillips, the British ambassador to Chu, to make contact, seeking a political solution to the war and testing the waters for compromise. They also sought to test the bottom line of the Chu royal family.

On the other side of the English Channel

When the news of the British and French expeditionary forces' successive defeats reached Paris, it sparked heated discussions among the citizens. Various remarks mocking the government emerged one after another and were even made into jokes and circulated.

The citizens of Paris were not easy to fool. News about the major setbacks suffered on the battlefield in Southeast Asia continued to leak out, and all the news coming back from the East was bad.

Especially the Battle of the Singapore-Johor Strait, which killed 2.6 people in one battle, which was a major loss unprecedented in more than a decade.

Such a huge loss was last seen in the unprecedentedly brutal Crimean War in 1853, which is impressive.

It's not over yet...

Subsequently, a series of news of defeat came from the East, which further exacerbated the general disappointment among the people and triggered a surge of public backlash, leaving the French government in a state of panic.

The Battle of Bandar Seri Begawan resulted in heavy losses totaling more than 10,000 people.

In the Battle of Kuching, more than 7,000 people were lost again.

The Battle of Batangas Fishing Village suffered another major setback, with a total loss of more than 1.2 people.

In the Battle of Palawan, more than 5,000 people were lost again.

The French Expeditionary Force lost more than 9100 troops in various battles, and most of the additional troops lost were colonial indigenous vassal troops.

Even so
France lost nearly half of its 2 white expeditionary forces.

All kinds of shocking information kept coming out, which repeatedly dealt a heavy blow to the prestige of the French army, and the Paris government fell into an unprecedented crisis of trust.

The surging public opposition grew louder and louder, eventually forcing the current French government to fall. Under heavy pressure, the Duke of Anjou sadly dissolved the cabinet, and the French Emperor Napoleon III appointed the Marquis de Borgendie to reorganize the government.

Only after experiencing this political earthquake did we finally overcome the crisis of trust.

The combination of various events greatly shook France's dominant position in Europe. The Kingdom of Prussia took the opportunity to expand its influence, constantly working to win over the northern German countries and strengthen its position as the leader of the northern German alliance.

Such actions further weaken France's voice in Europe.

Britain saw this but remained silent, weakening France and supporting the rise of Prussia, which was conducive to the "European balance policy" and was in line with Britain's fundamental interests.

January 11st

Sir Carl Phillips, the Chinese ambassador to Chu authorized by the London government, and Jean-Pierre Belmondo, the French government's negotiating representative, came to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs together and arrogantly asked to meet with Viscount Zheng Xin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but they were rejected.

A few days later
After being turned down several times, Sir Carl Phillips and Jean-Pierre Belmondo finally met with Zheng Yulan, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and implicitly expressed their intention to seek a solution to the dispute other than war.

Deputy Minister Zheng Yulan is quite dissatisfied with the attitude of the British and the French. They want to have contact, but they do it in a sneaky way without saying anything openly. Who are they trying to fool?

He directly stated;
We can talk, but it must be officially authorized by your government.

Both sides should negotiate openly and honestly and not accept any shady contacts under the table, which would be a pure waste of everyone's time.

The attitude of the Chu State was very clear

We want to fight to the end, but the battlefield cannot be limited to Singapore and East Malaya, nor can it be limited to the three main islands of Chu.

You can come and I can go.

Even if the Chu army is unable to launch an expedition to the Indian subcontinent, the Australian continent, which is at its fingertips, is no problem. They can launch a military operation that will affect the war on the Australian continent.

As for whether it is possible to implement or when it will be implemented?
This involves important military secrets of the Chu State, which is inconvenient to disclose, but the attitude of the Chu State Ministry of Foreign Affairs is very clear: if you want to fight, we will fight you.

If you want to talk, then talk openly.

Although British Minister Sir Carl Phillips did not achieve his goal, he did not dare to neglect the important news he received from Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Zheng Yulan. He quickly passed it back to the Governor-General of British India via telegram and then all the way back to the mainland.

Upon hearing this shocking news, the London government immediately felt as if it was facing a major enemy.

Prime Minister Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby, could no longer remain calm. At the cabinet meeting held the next day, he raised the shocking topic of "Chu army invading Australia", which caused an uproar.

Many people did not expect that the State of Chu could pose a substantial threat to Australia.

In the cabinet
Many ministers know very little about Australia. They don’t know its exact location, population, military strength, or surrounding countries.

After a special explanation by the military experts invited by the cabinet, these cabinet ministers suddenly realized that Australia is so large, has such a small population, and is so close to the State of Chu?
Australia is more than 3 miles away from the British mainland. In the general impression of Europeans, it is the end of the world. The nearby ocean is full of terrible sea monsters and there are legends of pirates and treasures.

What we know most about is probably the gold mines in Melbourne.

As for the rest, I know basically nothing.

Through the explanation of military experts, these British cabinet ministers learned that the Chu State's Donggang City was less than 280 kilometers away from the York Peninsula, the northernmost part of the Australian continent.

Compare the substitutions

The English Channel is approximately 180 kilometers wide at its widest point, making the former one and a half times the width of the latter. That's not too far, and a boat trip would take about a day. Thus, the British cabinet ministers finally understood that the Chu State's military threat to the Australian continent was real and imminent.

The problem is that
Even with the immense power of the British Empire, which dominated the world, the impact it could make was very limited 3 miles away.

Especially after the fall of Singapore, Britain's nearest colony was more than 7800 kilometers away from Melbourne, Australia, which was the Western Malaya region under the jurisdiction of the Straits Governor's Office.

If they avoid the more dangerous waters near the State of Chu and turn south to take the Java Sea route, the distance will extend to 1.3 kilometers. There are not many reliable supply points along the way, which sounds despairing.

After the military experts left, the cabinet meeting took less than 5 minutes to reach a decision;
Be prepared for both situations. The Anglo-French coalition forces cannot stop their war preparations. This is the tough approach.

At the same time, negotiations must be conducted, and they must be conducted as soon as possible. This is a soft approach.

Use both soft and hard tactics to gain the greatest benefits.

The British have extremely rich diplomatic experience, which is known in Europe as dancing on three eggs. They are known for their superb skills and foresight.

The calculation is very easy. From the UK mainland, transit through Port Said on the southern coast of the Mediterranean, cross the short Suez Peninsula to reach Suez City, then take a ship through the Red Sea, enter the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, pass through the Strait of Malacca and go east, cross the Zamboanga Strait and continue east to the Australian continent. This is the shortest transportation distance.

With such a long route, even if you transport a needle, its value will increase several times after it reaches the destination.

It takes more than three months to transport a fully armed white British soldier to Australia.

The cost of food, clothing, rest, and other logistical expenses along the way, plus the expensive transportation costs, would cost at least 300 pounds.

Long-distance ocean voyages cannot be overly crowded. The riding environment must not be too harsh and there must be a certain amount of space for activities. This is a basic requirement.

In this way

Short-distance transportation can be carried out on an 800-person sailing cargo ship, and long-distance transportation can carry no more than 200 people. It is necessary to ensure that everyone has a bed and a certain amount of space to move around.

Then the transportation costs allocated to each soldier will show a straight-line upward trend.

All in all, 300 soldiers would cost million pounds, and this is just the cost of travel, not including other necessary expenses.

For example, ocean voyage subsidies, medical support, service allowances in remote colonial areas, combat allowances, additional salaries and other expenses all amount to a considerable amount.

Fight, how?
The British Indian Army's poor performance on the battlefield resulted in so many casualties. The funeral expenses, casualty compensation and equipment losses alone were not a small amount of money.

Even if the death of a colonial soldier cost forty pounds, the loss of 200 to British Indian Army soldiers killed or wounded would exceed two million pounds. Everyone would do the math.

If we continue to fight, how much more will the war budget have to pay?
The dignity of the British Empire cannot be trampled upon, but when the cost is too high, sometimes it is possible to negotiate, and it is not shameful to take the initiative to negotiate.

Since the Age of Discovery
Britain has experienced hundreds of wars of foreign expansion, winning many of them but also losing many, such as the American War of Independence and the Civil War, but so what?

Ultimately, that did not affect the prestige of the British Empire in dominating the world.

Cabinet meeting ends
A number of ministers and dignitaries left one after another, and the Prime Minister's residence on Downing Street soon became deserted, with only a few people remaining.

Prime Minister Edward Stanley Earl Derby looked at the frustrated Foreign Secretary, Lord Gladstone, and a smile of understanding appeared on his wrinkled face. He said, "That's life. It doesn't always go as you expect. Would you like a drink?"

"Okay, thank you. I really need a drink of whiskey without ice." William Ewart Gladstone touched his numb cheeks with both hands and said dejectedly.

"Wait a mininute."

Cabinet Secretary Stephen Hurst walked to the wine cabinet at the side, opened the bottle, poured three glasses into beautiful crystal glasses, and gave one to the Foreign Secretary and one to the Prime Minister.

Under the British administrative system

The Cabinet Secretary is the head of tens of thousands of British civil servants. He has the right to attend cabinet meetings, make suggestions, and assist the Prime Minister in making important decisions. He is an absolute heavyweight.

"Thank you, Hurst."

"I hope this drink can make you feel better. Maybe... this isn't such a bad outcome."

"what do you mean?"

"Whether it's war or negotiation, both are viable options. As long as they can restore the regional situation to normal as soon as possible, they are always on our menu."

"I hope so."

Sir William Ewart Gladstone tilted his head back and took a big gulp of Scotch whisky. The spicy liquor went down his throat and spread rapidly like a line of fire, making his body much warmer.

London was gloomy and cold in mid-November, and it had just snowed yesterday. The weather was even colder after the snow, and the bone-chilled wind blew in through the cracks in the window.

Even though the heating in Downing Street was on, it still couldn't block the biting cold.

Sir William Ewart Gladstone exhaled a long breath of alcohol, his face flushed abnormally, and he said, "We must win a victory in order to end this war with dignity. I insist on this."

"This requires the strong assistance of Mr. Phillips. After all, he is the commander-in-chief of the British and French forces in South Asia."

"Please rest assured, Prime Minister. Diplomatic negotiations with the State of Chu will proceed as soon as possible. I hope to gain some results. In my impression, these Orientals are not good at diplomatic negotiations."

"Hmm, that's something that can be exploited." Prime Minister Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby, took a sip of wine, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

He thought again of those damn Tsarist Russians who took advantage of the war between Britain and France against the Qing Dynasty to make huge profits. They were simply bastards!

Britain has always regarded the northern China as an important area of ​​interest. It would not allow the north to be interfered with by Tsarist Russia, and it also prohibited French forces from crossing north of the Yangtze River, and even denied France's attempt to invade the islands.

The reason for doing this
It is because the Kingdom of Great Britain regards the land of China as its own exclusive delicacy, and this piece of pie is big enough that other powers can also share a little.

But it must be presided over by Britain. France can be allowed to make some encroachments in the south, while the north must strictly guard against the invasion of Tsarist Russia. Other powers can only play a supporting role.

This is because Britain could not control the greedy appetite of Tsarist Russia. Once it expanded, the consequences would be terrible.

The current war against Chu has seriously affected Britain's strategic layout in northern China, affected the important import of opium trade, and affected the huge amount of silver.

Therefore, restoring peace in the South Seas as soon as possible is in the fundamental interests of Britain.

As a person involved in the situation, Foreign Secretary William Ewart Gladstone was naturally aware of this. Now the pressure was on him, and he had to make compromises.

After leaving Downing Street, the Prime Minister's official residence, he returned to the Foreign Office in Whitehall, immediately drafted two secret telegrams, and sent them out urgently.

One secret telegram was sent to Vice Admiral Kalvin Phillips, and the other was sent to the Governor-General of British India, Earl George Broadhead, both of whom were important figures influencing the regional situation.

He promised in the secret telegram

Diplomatic negotiations will be used to delay the Chu State, thereby gaining at least three months to resolve the war through military means.

This means that the time originally promised to resolve the war is shortened by half.

So he asked
The most basic prerequisite is to win the Battle of Singapore and take the city back from the Chu State within at least two months.

As to whether the British and French forces would launch a second war of conquest against the Chu mainland, it would depend on the outcome of the Battle of Singapore.

It was not explicitly stated in the secret message, but the inner meaning was revealed.

If everything goes well, the pressure from the cabinet and parliament will be greatly reduced, and the resistance to the second expedition will also be reduced accordingly, with a high probability of success.

If it doesn't go well, it's hard to say.

(End of this chapter)