gnovel Chapter 85 The Great Han Navy's Western Fleet
Chapter 85 The Great Han Navy's Western Fleet
Chapter 85 The Great Han Navy's Western Fleet
The newly established Western Fleet of the Great Han Navy Command organized a total of one hundred large and medium-sized ocean-going ships, which met with the fleet of envoys from the three countries in Bao'an, and then sailed south together.
The Western Fleet, which claimed to carry 10,000 soldiers, was to go to India to destroy all the opium plantations, in accordance with the agreement between the Han Dynasty and Britain.
The fleets of the missions from the United States, France, and Britain totaled more than thirty large and medium-sized ocean-going vessels, which was considered very large for that era.
Unless it is during wartime, when the main fleets of major naval powers are engaged in a decisive battle, there would never be so many ships gathered together.
However, they only account for one-third of the size of the Han Dynasty's Western Fleet.
The commander of the British mission's fleet, observing the Han fleet through binoculars, could barely contain his excitement: "What a gift! They say this fleet carries ten thousand men, and their mission is simply to destroy opium plantations!"
British Foreign Secretary Viscount Palmerston was already prepared, and now, looking at the scene before him, he remained silent with a blank expression. After observing through his binoculars, Staunton couldn't help but express his concerns to Palmerston: "Your Excellency Palmerston, if, and I mean if, the Han fleet is carrying far more than 10,000 soldiers, what might happen?"
"Besides destroying opium plantations, could they have other intentions?"
"Do the British troops stationed in India have the capability to deter and control them to prevent significant losses to India?"
Despite Staunton's "reminder," Palmerston remained expressionless and silent.
Staunton, receiving no response, repeated, "Mr. Palmerston, what is your opinion?"
Palmerston remained silent, giving Staunton a somewhat disgusted look, feeling that the man's words were inappropriate.
You ask me how I see it? How else can I see it? I can only see it with my own eyes!
The fleet commander followed up by asking Palmerston, "Your Excellency Palmerston, based on my personal experience, this Han fleet has more than ten thousand sailors."
"With so many ships, even if the ships were to transport 50,000 troops, it wouldn't be too crowded!"
"If we allow this fleet to sail to India, it will certainly pose a serious threat to India's security. We should do something about it now!"
Palmerston seemed to have finally lost his temper. He turned to the two men in front of him with a stern face and said, "I have completed my mission as a special envoy. What you want to do is your own business."
"You are the fleet commander. If you think the Great Han cannot do this, you think Britain cannot accept it."
"You can give the order yourself to command your fleet to fire on the Han fleet."
"I will draft a proper declaration of war for you!"
The fleet commander opened his mouth: "I..."
The fleet commander realized during the questioning that he obviously could not do what Palmerston had said, and that Britain should not directly fight against the Han.
But why was I so shocked and impulsive before? Why did I have the urge to stop this fleet that I couldn't resist?
Then he and Staunton gradually realized that there seemed to be something wrong with their way of thinking.
I found myself instinctively questioning a fact that I took for granted.
Something seems wrong with this world.
Given the size of the Han Dynasty and the coastline they controlled, they should have been the rightful rulers of the Eastern Ocean.
They can mobilize tens of thousands of people to fight in this sea area at any time, so they should naturally have direct control over the order of this sea area. No other force can directly compete with them.
European countries, especially Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal, are unable to invest much resources here because their homelands are separated from this region by vast stretches of Africa and the Indian Ocean.
This should have been an objective reality.
However, in the past decades or even centuries, the situation has been quite the opposite of what should have been the case.
It was the navy and merchants from European countries such as Britain, the Netherlands, and Spain who came here with small armies and weapons from distant Europe and gradually took control of the basic order of this sea area.
From the Qing Dynasty to the Han Dynasty, there was no actual intervention, to the point that Europeans almost got used to this order and status quo.
It wasn't until the last two years that disruptive changes occurred, causing Europeans, accustomed to the strange status quo, to feel somewhat confused and often display absurd judgments and attitudes.
It seems as if something is wrong with the world, either the current reality is wrong, or the history of the past decades or centuries is wrong.
After Staunton regained consciousness, he thought of some legends: "Perhaps they were just asleep before and didn't notice the changes on the sea."
"But in any case, we cannot simply wait for failure to come; we should continue to strengthen our vigilance."
"It could even support the construction of the Suez Canal to facilitate the rapid projection of forces into India."
"At least one railway should be built to connect the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea —"
Palmerston knew that even if they were powerless to resist the changes in reality, they should not give up and wait for death. So he muttered without much expression, "Building the Suez Canal would be more beneficial to countries like France, Italy, and Austria located in the Mediterranean."
"And it will certainly damage the revenue of the Cape of Good Hope route, which Britain holds an absolute advantage in."
"Therefore, there will be no significant progress on the canal issue in the short term."
"The resistance to building the railway might be less, but Egypt's Ali Pasha might not support it."
Staunton fell silent after hearing this.
In Britain's political system, any major decision requires compromise from all sides, so it is usually very slow.
If external forces are added to the equation, the process will definitely be even slower.
Meanwhile, aboard the flagship of the Franco delegation, Franco Prime Minister Broy and others were observing the Han fleet and discussing among themselves: "The lion of the East has awakened, and the Europeans no longer have the opportunity to swagger around his territory."
"The Han Dynasty's technology and military capabilities are no less than those of Europe, and may even be stronger, but its size is larger than the entire continent of Europe!"
Chemist and Member of Parliament France Lussac said with great delight: "Britain and the Netherlands are going to suffer. They can't possibly give up their interests in India and the East Indies."
"Since the Great Han has already developed an interest in the ocean, it will not allow the British and the Dutch to continue to control the lands of the South Seas."
"The Great Han will inevitably have a war with Britain and the Netherlands in the future, and Britain and the Netherlands will undoubtedly lose."
"The British will at least lose the Straits Settlements, and may even lose part of India. The Netherlands should be swept out of Southeast Asia."
Broy immediately followed up on Lussac's words: "The Netherlands have been driven out, and the British are now at odds with the Han. Now we have an opportunity."
Prince Charles Philip interjected with some doubt: "The Britons and the Netherlands have been driven out, so do we still have a chance to establish a colony here?"
Broy, somewhat speechless, explained to the prince, "Of course we're not here to occupy a colony, but to conduct trade with the Han."
"If Britain were banned from entering China and from trading with China, we could gain a larger share."
After Philip understood the question, he continued, "What if Britain goes to war with the Han, but we continue to trade with the Han?"
"Then when our merchant ships pass through the routes controlled by Britain, they will be attacked by the British navy, right?"
"For example, when rounding the Cape of Good Hope, when passing through the Strait of Malacca—"
Upon hearing this question, Broy realized that the prince was not foolish: "The British navy may certainly attack our merchant ships, but they should also consider the possibility that we will ally with the Han and fight against Britain together."
"The ultimate outcome of this game will most likely be that Britain will allow us to continue trading with the Han Dynasty as a neutral country, and will not actively attack our merchant ships."
"Of course, a safer approach would be to build our own navy and establish colonies on the east and west coasts of Africa, stationing fleets to protect our trade routes."
After listening, Philip nodded quite seriously: "I understand."
Lusac, standing next to him, continued with his own idea: "Actually, there is another way: to follow the old trade routes of Egypt and dig a canal on the Suez Peninsula."
"This way, we can trade directly with the Han Dynasty via the Mediterranean and Red Sea, completely avoiding the Atlantic Ocean where the British are dominant."
"The British, in order to protect India's interests, may no longer be so vehemently opposed to the construction of the canal."
The plan to build the Suez Canal has appeared many times throughout history, and the Francois had related ideas as early as the French Revolution.
In 1830, a British engineer corrected the exploration errors of the Napoleonic era, confirming that there was no significant difference in sea level between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
Meanwhile, Mediterranean countries such as France, Austria, and Italy are very interested in this canal.
During this period, people continued to explore and promote the construction of the project.
However, the Britons in the Atlantic have always opposed the construction of the canal, but the situation may now be changing.
The fleet carrying the British, French, and American missions sailed south with the Han Dynasty's Western fleet, passing through the South China Sea and approaching the Strait of Malacca, where they made a brief stop in Singapore.
Palmerston, acting as Britain's special envoy, accompanied by an interpreter arranged by the admiral of the Great Han Western Fleet, met with Burnham, the governor of the Straits Settlements, and the commander of the British East India Squadron stationed in Singapore.
Palmerston explained the decision of the British Parliament to Burnham and the East India Fleet to arrange for warships to lead the 10,000 troops carried by the Great Han Fleet to India to destroy the opium plantations.
Burnham had already heard the lookout's report and knew that the Han fleet was exceptionally large, with more than ten thousand sailors on board.
As for the number of soldiers carried, it is estimated to be at least 30,000.
But the envoy of the Admiral of the Western Fleet of the Great Han Navy lied through his teeth, and the British Foreign Secretary and the special envoy to the Han also lied through his teeth.
Burnham, as the Governor of the Straits Settlements, could only go blind along with them.
Everyone understood that allowing a Han fleet of this size to sail to India was clearly a risky act that went against British interests.
If these Han armies were to attack India, even if they could not occupy a significant amount of land, they would cause extremely devastating destruction, and the potential loss of wealth would be incalculable.
If given a choice, Palmerston, Burnham, and others would certainly not want to do this, but they were powerless to change the reality.
Then we can only pretend we don't know and take it one day at a time.
The commander of the British East India Squadron, due to his actual military duties, was not blind.
However, he did not expose the tacit understanding among all parties that was merely a smokescreen.
Firstly, in accordance with Palmerston's instructions, two ships were arranged to lead the Great Han Western Fleet to India.
He then immediately ordered heightened vigilance and strict control of the Strait of Malacca waterway.
If the Han fleet launches an attack in India, then we must do our best to contain them in the Indian Ocean.
This prevented them from coordinating with the Han's local forces.
They did not seek to actually defeat the Han Dynasty, but rather to hinder the Han Dynasty's naval and land forces, thereby gaining some bargaining power.
He hoped the Han Chinese would persuade him to surrender, rather than attacking Singapore directly.