Ottoman Empire, Istanbul.

Mejid pushed the waiter away and rushed to the window ecstatically.

However, the scene in the Golden Horn Bay stunned him.

A lone British warship sailed into the Golden Horn. The sails were full of holes, and there were many exaggerated damages on the hull. Even the deck at the bow collapsed, and there were scorched marks everywhere. The glass of the **** was almost It was all shattered.

The wounded and corpses were constantly being carried out of the boat. A man who looked like a general was sitting on a box, his head was leaning weakly against a large wooden barrel beside him, panting with difficulty.

Helmut still underestimated the size of the Egyptian navy. The number of capital ships of the opponent was seven times that of the British army, and there were countless small ships.

Those Egyptians rushed towards the British warship desperately. Helmut thought they wanted to fight close to me, but who knew that the opponent actually used fire attack tactics, splashing fire oil on the hull of the ship. Combustible, once a fire is difficult to extinguish.

The traditional way of extinguishing fire with water has little effect on kerosene, and the more the fire is poured, the more vigorous it will be, and the fire will even spread bigger and bigger with the flow of water.

The light gunships of the Egyptians only had 6-pound guns, but instead of shooting at the hull, they chose to shoot close to the gun door. This almost suicidal attack method caused heavy losses to the British fleet. Two third-tier battleships were killed in this way. They did.

It is already a miracle that the "Birmingham" escaped. Of course, if Helmut, the first time he found himself in an ambush, chose to escape, the result might be much better.

But without an if, Helmut created Britain's worst defeat since the Napoleonic Wars.

Viscount Stratford immediately found Helmut.

"Where's your fleet? General!"

"That's all..." Helmut said, pointing to the dilapidated but still unwilling to be silent "Birmingham".

Mejid returned to his seat in a daze, his eyes seemed to lose focus. Metternich looked very calm, of course he knew what happened, because it was he who sent the British information to Egypt.

"Dear Sultan, if you need it, we can support you and help you solve your troubles," Metternich said.

"Okay, I promise you all the conditions you just said. As long as Austria can let Muhammad Ali retreat, I can give up both Bosnia and Serbia."

Looking at the demented Magid, Metternich showed a very amiable smile, but he had already ridiculed this so-called "smart man" in his heart.

"Just now? Regarding Bosnia, we will help you solve Serbia's problems in return. As for your support..."

Mejid was very frustrated. He didn't expect the British to lose so badly, and he didn't expect the Ottoman Empire to seek support from the Austrian feud.

He also thought that he had tried to humiliate Metternich before, and now the other party would come to make things difficult or humiliate him, but for the sake of the Ottoman Empire and his rule, Metternich could only swallow his anger.

But who knows that the second half of Metternich's sentence is actually.

"Are we allies? We should support each other a lot."

After hearing this, Majid felt mixed feelings in his heart, and he, who was still inexperienced, could not understand the meaning.

Although Metternich's words were high-sounding, he was only selling the other party's favor after he had achieved his goal. He also took advantage of the other party's small thoughts and humiliated the other party by the way.

To be honest, if it was him in the past, he would never have the intention of humiliating the other party. Instead, they will comfort each other with good words, let the other party feel their sincerity, and prepare for future negotiations.

But in Metternich's mind, Austria and Ottoman were sworn enemies. After the empire integrated Italy and Germany, sooner or later it would attack the hegemony of the Near East.

"Prime Minister Metternich, please send troops from your country as soon as possible." Mejid kept his posture very low this time.

"Please rest assured, Sudan, we, Austria, will keep our promises, but please also sign the agreement and entrust Bosnia to our country," Metternich said.

Metternich Huli Hutu signed the agreement, and what Metternich is most worried about now is the Austrian navy.

It would be best if Archduke Friedrich became famous in the first battle, but if he lost like the British, wouldn't it be a failure? It is better to accept it as soon as it is good, anyway, the goal of capturing Belgrade and Bosnia has been achieved.

It is difficult for a politician like Metternich to understand the true meaning of promoting peace. They always think that the agreement means everything, and the fait accompli will drive away all the prying beasts.

But a country without a sword is a different concept from having a sword without it. For a country without a sword, the agreement signed is a piece of waste paper. Take it away, let you return it. What you eat can also make you spit it out.

And in order to live in peace with other countries better, and to drive away those tigers and wolves who peep at the food on your plate, it is also very important to prove that you have a sword.

Franz hopes that the Egyptian navy can end Britain's maritime hegemony, but that is impossible, even if the French navy and the Austrian navy are added, the same result will be the same.

As for why they showed their swords against the Egyptians, of course they violated the rules of the game and attacked the British fleet, which was tantamount to declaring war on the great powers. Even if the British bombarded Beirut first, the Western countries are still in the same spirit, which is of course impossible.

There is only one reason ~ lightnovelpub.net ~ interest! The rise of Egypt is not in the interests of Austria, and will even involve Austria in unnecessary hegemony wars in advance.

In order for Austria to maintain its status and influence in the subsequent five-nation conference, it needs a hearty victory in order to keep the fruits of its victory and continue to enjoy peace.

Muhammad Ali's ambition is too great, but his strength is not enough to support his ambition. Even if Austria doesn't do it, Russia will do it sooner or later. The so-called agreement can't tie Russia's hands and feet.

It is almost impossible to defeat Britain on the sea and Russia on land. If the Egyptians really did it, then Austria should eliminate it now.

Battle of Beirut.

The British Navy lost seven warships, six of which were sunk and one captured. In terms of personnel, about 1,500 people were buried in the sea, and more than 1,000 people were missing. The Egyptian navy killed all the British prisoners in order to vent their anger.

In the city of Beirut, all five forts were destroyed and 35 cannons were lost. Two-thirds of the Port of Beirut was engulfed by the fire, and more than 1,000 ships were lost, including fishing boats, civilian ships, merchant ships, and warships. Personnel losses exceeded 3,000.

The main force of the Egyptian Navy lost two third-tier battleships and 35 large and small ships, mainly light gunboats and sampans, with more than 1,000 casualties.

It’s just that the battle report that Muhammad Ali saw only stated that the Egyptian navy had won a big victory. This result made him very satisfied. Dominate the Mediterranean.

Even if the British main fleet arrives later, he still has a secret fleet as a killer. At that time, Egypt's maritime hegemony will be just around the corner.