Lord Cowley felt innocent.
Clueless about military knowledge, he was bewildered when summoned by the Emperor of France and even more bewildered when he was reprimanded by him.
What was even more frustrating was that even though Jero Bonaparte explained in great detail why Gallipoli could not be the landing site, he himself, like a military non-conductor, could not understand so of the specific military terms Jero Bonaparte ntioned.
However, the only thing Lord Cowley understood was: the Emperor of France opposed Britain using Gallipoli as an outpost.
"Lord Cowley, do you understand?" Jero Bonaparte, with slightly dry lips, asked as he pursed his lips.
"Your Majesty, you an that Gallipoli is not a suitable location for troops stationing! We need to find a more suitable place for the troops to station!" Lord Cowley replied to Jero Bonaparte.
"You could understand it that way," Jero Bonaparte nodded to Lord Cowley.
"Your Majesty, this issue is beyond my capabilities!" Lord Cowley shrugged, responding in a muffled voice, "The specific movent of the troops needs to be consulted with the Cabinet, and then discussed with Pri Minister Palrston before issuing orders to Commander Lagren!"
When Jero Bonaparte heard the complete military mobilization process from Lord Cowley, he couldn’t help but secretly complain.
The Kingdom of Britain’s bureaucratic system really never pares down its troops and simplifies administration until things reach a crisis.
Only by allowing these Britons to suffer a bit on Gallipoli, this barren and mountainous narrow peninsula, will they realize the benefits of the Varna Region.
However, nothing is absolute, and historically Gallipoli faced logistical difficulties not only due to its terrain but also due to troop issues.
In the OTL tiline, Britain and France declared war on the Russian Empire only in March this year, and in April of the sa year, Britain’s 20,000 and France’s 14,000 troops (all elite soldiers from Algeria, completely overpowering Britain’s 20,000 native troops) of the allied forces landed on Gallipoli with blurry eyes and unprepared.
At that ti, let alone supply ships, even the troop transport ships for the Anglo-French Allied Forces were pieced together.
Moreover, the entire troops comprised not only the 34,000 combatants; warhorses, cannons, and accompanying personnel (here specifically criticizing Britain’s accompanying wives system) also took up a large number of transport ships.
If in a bustling town area, the accompanying personnel could engage in material exchange with local residents, thus aiding the entire army, yet on the sparsely populated Gallipoli Peninsula, such exchange is obviously impossible.
The accompanying system, which was supposed to be an aid, beca the nightmare of the Anglo-French Army.
And now, lacking the French Army, Britain’s logistics in Gallipoli might fare much better. At least, it shouldn’t withdraw as disgracefully as in the OTL tiline.
[PS: In fact, Jero Bonaparte still overestimated the level of the Kingdom of Britain. On Day 1 after the Valerovsky telegram was sent, Gallipoli Peninsula also experienced the first round of a severe snowstorm, and the British troops stationed there were suffering from frost due to inadequate logistical supplies.]
However, Jero Bonaparte believed that as long as Palrston was a staunch anti-Russian politician, he would not let the troops cower on the peninsula. Britain’s troops would join forces with the French in Varna for operations, though it might take a little longer.
"Lord Cowley, I can wait!" Jero Bonaparte replied to Lord Cowley, "However, I hope the Kingdom of Britain won’t make wait too long!"
"Your Majesty, rest assured! I will inform London of your thoughts as soon as possible! Please firmly believe, the Kingdom of Britain sincerely wants to stand together with the French Empire to maintain peace in Europe!" Lord Cowley reiterated the old platitudes.
Thus, Lord Cowley left the Tuileries Palace and conveyed the ssage to Britain that afternoon.
Here, it needs to be ntioned, due to adversarial relations between Britain and France before officially establishing a military alliance, there was no telegraph line between France and Britain. This ans if the British Envoy wanted to send a ssage to London, it could only be done by relying on ssengers or carrier pigeons.
Fortunately, the railway from Paris to the Calais Region was already completed. ssengers just needed to take the train to Calais and then a cargo ship to London.
However, due to Paris being affected by snowstorm weather, causing near paralysis of the railway around Paris, one had to go to nearby provinces to catch a train to Calais.
Thus, the Briton ssenger, accustod to delivering ssages by train, had to once again experience the days of horseback riding. The chestnut-brown courier horse trudged through snow that reached up to a person’s thighs, heading north, finally arriving at a small town on the border of the Seine Province and adjacent provinces at around eight o’clock in the evening.
After spending the night resting in the small town, the ssenger continued his journey on horseback the next morning, finally reaching Rouen in Normandy Province by noon. From there, he took a train to Calais Port, and then transferred onto a cargo ship, arriving in London by nine o’clock on the morning of the third day.
Disembarking at the London Port, the ssenger swiftly delivered the letter to the hands of the Permanent Secretary of the British Foreign Ministry. Upon learning it was a letter from the French side, the Permanent Secretary imdiately pushed open the office door of the Earl of Clarendon, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
At this mont, the Earl of Clarendon was gazing gloomily at a piece of paper he was pinching between his thumb and forefinger, visibly crumpled. Judging by the expression on the Earl’s face, the content of that small slip of paper was definitely not good news.
The arrival of the Permanent Secretary prompted the frowning Earl of Clarendon to raise his head. He pondered for a mont before asking, "Is there sothing you need?"
"Your Excellency, this is a letter from the French Embassy!" The Permanent Secretary strode up to the Earl of Clarendon and handed him Lord Cowley’s letter, articulating his response clearly.
"A letter from Ambassador Cowley?" the Earl of Clarendon muttered under his breath.
Then, he set down the piece of paper in his hand, opened the envelope, and read the contents.
After reading through the entire contents of the letter from Clarendon O爵, the Earl of Clarendon displayed a wry smile and murmured to himself, "This should rely be a coincidence!"
Subsequently, the Earl of Clarendon took both Lord Cowley’s letter and that slip of paper; the place he planned to go was 10 Downing Street.
Upon entering 10 Downing Street, the Earl of Clarendon, under the guidance of the Chief Secretary, arrived at the door of Pri Minister Palrston’s office.
"Your Excellency, you cannot enter yet!" The Pri Minister’s Secretary blocked the Earl of Clarendon at the entrance, then explained, "The Pri Minister is currently speaking with Baron Lagren!"
"That’s perfect!" The Earl of Clarendon smiled and told the Pri Minister’s Secretary, "Please go in and inform the Pri Minister that I have received a telegram from the Near East and need to discuss it with both the Pri Minister and Commander Lagren!"
"This..." The Pri Minister’s Secretary hesitantly glanced at the Chief Secretary standing beside the Earl of Clarendon, then entered after gaining the Chief Secretary’s support.
Inside the Pri Minister’s office, the current British Pri Minister, Palrston, was smiling as he conversed with Baron Lagren, the commander of the British Expeditionary Army, who sat opposite him.
"Commander Lagren, now that the British Expeditionary Army has arrived at Gallipoli, it’s ti for you to set out!"
"Your Excellency, I need to delay for two more days!" Baron Lagren replied to Pri Minister Palrston.
"Why?" Palrston inquired, puzzled.
"Because the second batch of troops has not yet boarded the ship! A force of 20,000 troops is just a drop in the bucket in the overall situation of the Near East!" Baron Lagren responded to Pri Minister Palrston.
"You need not worry about that! We still have the French Empire as our ally!" Pri Minister Palrston replied.
"Your Excellency, I do not consider the French Empire as our ally! Jero Bonaparte and his followers are like wolves that can’t be tad; as soon as we let our guard down, they will pounce on us without hesitation! The hatred between Britain and France has lasted for hundreds of years, and I cannot trust them to guard my back! I would much rather place my trust in my soldiers than in them!" Baron Lagren frankly told Pri Minister Palrston.
Understanding the difficulties of asking a general who lived through the Napoleonic Wars to trust their old enemies, especially given that Baron Lagren lost his right hand during the Battle of Waterloo and harbors a grudge against the Second Empire, Palrston felt a twinge of empathy. His gaze instinctively fell on the empty sleeve of Baron Lagren, but all he could do was patiently advise Baron Glen to prioritize the bigger picture.
Hearing Palrston’s earnest persuasion, Baron Lagren, unwilling to remain obstinate, promised Palrston that as soon as the second group of troops boarded the ship, he would promptly head to the Near East to take command of the battle.
At the stalemate between the two, the arrival of the Chief Secretary broke the deadlock.
"Your Excellency, the Foreign Minister is waiting outside the office! He has important matters to discuss with you!" The Chief Secretary paused, glancing at Baron Lagren before adding, "And also with Baron Lagren."
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