Hidden Dragon in Qing Dynasty

The skies of Egypt were clouded with war clouds. Britain, France, the Chinese, as well as the governor of the Ottoman Empire Egypt were all brought in.

The Zhiyuan Warship chose to charge through the pass without hesitation, while the two fleets in the Mediterranean were entangled with each other, the atmosphere was extremely strange.

Britain had transferred five battleships from their home country, along with three battleships from the original Mediterranean Fleet and six frigate. A total of fourteen battleships were flying in the sea south of Crete, and the French Mediterranean Fleet was advancing side by side with them.

The two fleets were only about a thousand meters away from each other on the sea. Their destination was only the Egyptian Port Said, and both of them had come with the same goal in mind, which was the mission from East Asia.

There was no need to talk any further, everyone was well aware of each other's motives. One was to safely go to Europe, and the other was to try to stall for time in Egypt in order to prepare for the anti-Chinese alliance.

It was clearly two opposing fleets, but there was no smell of gunpowder from them. Not only did they salute each other with their flags, they also communicated with each other with their lighting signal at night, and their cannon on the side that was facing each other was also closed.

The flagship of the French Army, the battleship Mariana, was brightly lit. The battleship which was powered by both wind and steam was a new type of battleship that had been in train for eight years. Smoke rose up into the sky, and the white sail spread out in the air and caught the huge wind, causing the entire battleship to run exceptionally quickly.

After all, they were still a fleet of the French mainland. In addition to the Mariana, the other three battleships were powered by both steam and sail, and the rich and powerful French had also painted these four battleships with silver grey paint.

The Captain did not allow Arnold to rest. He stood inside the command cabin and looked at the distant British Fleet as he frowned and muttered to himself, "Just how far are these British people going to intervene? What was the bottom line of the authorization Benjamin gave them? Will they fight against us for the sake of the Chinese? "

The aide-de-camp next to him handed him a cup of bitter coffee. "Take a break, it seems like these British people have received a death order. They won't stop until we reach Port Said."

"I know, of course I know, but I have to determine the bottom line of their intervention... To what extent would he interfere? Will they start a war with us? "

The aide hesitated and said softly, "I feel that if we were to analyze these British people, we might as well analyze Xiao Letian. I wonder if Consul Ferdinand's plan was effective, would the Chinese really cooperate with the investigation in Great Bitter Lake obediently?"

"Oh …" My child, you are overthinking things. Fei Dinanzijue is an experienced and old diplomat, he has never failed at the diplomatic negotiating table! "

"He promised me that if the ambush happened, he would be able to hold the Chinese back for at least three days … Is there anything to doubt? If any country's leader were to be attacked, and there is even the Emperor of the Great Qing above, how can they not stop their steps to carefully think of a countermeasure? "

"At the very least, we'll investigate the dangerous situation in front of us … As for our fleet, we will arrive at Port Said tomorrow morning. There is still plenty of time, don't worry … And the British are the ones to worry about! "

The aide-de-camp understood that Captain despised these Chinese even if he couldn't do anything. In his heart, only the English could threaten him, and Xiao Letian was simply a dish on the chopping block.

But was that really the case? The aide expressed his deep consent to's words and muttered to himself, "If Xiao Letian was so easy to judge, he wouldn't have risen to power so quickly … "Is our navy at a disadvantage in the Atlantic Ocean?"

"What are you talking about?" With a bang, Captain Arnold placed his coffee cup on the table. The map of the coffee bar that spilled out had a large stain on it. "Are you questioning my judgement?" What proof can you come up with to convince me, or what are you trying to express? "

"Tell me, what are you going to do with me? We're already moving at full speed. What else can we do? "Do you want the fleet to fly over?"

The aide blushed and said, "I'm sorry …" I'm not questioning your judgment. I just want to be able to make a few more plans. What if the Chinese come out of the canal in advance? "Even if the plan is useless, it's still good to have more preparations …"

"Enough, enough …" "If you are willing to do it, then do it. If you give up your rest time, then it will no longer be a problem for me …" After letting Arnold look at his pocket watch, he saw that the hour hand had reached three in the morning.

"I'm going to sleep for three hours. Since you're willing to work overtime, then work overtime …" "Remember to call me when the time comes …"

Leaving the miserable aide-de-camp to work overtime, Arnold returned to his cabin to drink a cup of sleeping wine and then fell back snoring like thunder.

In the darkness of the night, the command cabin was still covered in snow-white light. The lonely aide-de-camp drank cup after cup of bitter coffee, carefully analyzing the possibilities, especially the possibilities after the Zhiyuan Warship had rushed out of the canal ahead of time.

He was not the only one who was struggling, the French light cavalry in the desert were also fighting with all they had. The cold wind blew directly onto their bodies, freezing them stiff, but not a single one of them wore a woolen cloak, fearing that there would be even the tiniest bit of resistance.

The warhorses were about to run out, and ten out of the thirty light cavalry soldiers took the initiative to dismount from their warhorses, unable to move forward.

As time passed, many familiar desert villages passed by the cavalry, causing groups of aboriginals to flee in all directions. In the direction of the canal, the cavalry could faintly see the flickering of flames, like the stars in the night sky.

"Damn it, these Chinese are so fast! Speed up, don't be stingy with your horses, even if you're dead from exhaustion, you have to hurry to Port Said in the morning! "Speed up …"

It wasn't just the French who were fighting for time. The United Fleet was also fighting for time. As the fleet got more familiar with the canal, their speed gradually increased. Five knots, six knots, seven knots …

Small towns were left behind, Ismailia, Fedon, Cantara... The towns around the canals were stunned by the sudden arrival of the fleet.

Countless employees of the canal management company walked out of the dorm while rubbing their eyes. When they saw the tall Zhiyuan Warship, they were all shocked …

"This is?" This is the Zhiyuan Warship of the Chinese people... How could he have come here? That's not right … Quickly send out the report, send out the report to Port Said and Port Suez … "

Unfortunately, everything was in vain. When they opened up the telegraph, they discovered that there was not even a tiny bit of a response. All of the telegraph line outside the town had been destroyed.

"This is bad, our plan has failed …" Before they could finish lamenting, they saw a group of Chinese Marines, who were like wolves or tigers, raising their shiny bayonets and pressing them together.

"Shut up …" Everyone, go back to your dorms! No one is allowed to walk around. We are searching for the desert bandits that attacked us! Whoever dares to act rashly will be the same accomplice! "

"No, we're not …" They were just ordinary workers, how could they dare to face the army head on? One by one, they sneaked back into the dorm with their tails between their legs.