George III and Franz II had naturally seen the dispatches from their own envoys. However, it was precisely because they knew the situation in the Ottoman Empire that they were even more troubled.
George III put away his feigned sadness and said solemnly, "What do you want to say?"
Alexander smiled and shook his head, retorting, "What can I say? What do you want me to say? The situation in the Ottoman Empire is clear. Either we support the Ottoman Empire according to the agreements reached by our respective envoys and the Ottoman Empire, or we sell them out. How do you plan to choose?"
George III's face was grim as he said, "When we in England suffered losses, none of you stood up. Later, when Benghazi was in trouble, we did not stand up. Now it is the Ottoman Empire's turn to suffer. If we still do not stand up, what about when it is our turn to suffer?"
Franz II cautiously glanced at George III, then at Alexander, and tentatively asked, "Are you planning to support the Ottoman Empire?"
George III pondered for a moment and then nodded slightly, saying, "Indeed, I do intend to support the Ottoman Empire, and true support at that."
However, Alexander frowned and said, "You? England? You English haven't even resolved the issues with those short, stumpy people yet. What will you use to support the Ottoman Empire?"
George III let out a cold laugh and said, "I know that we English have not yet resolved the issue of Sri Lanka, but I can tell you clearly that we English will support the Ottoman Empire with the strength of the entire nation, whether it be military equipment, food, or sending troops for support, we will spare no effort."
When George III finished speaking, Alexander and Franz II were stunned.
If this were a few years earlier, no one would have dared to underestimate the weight of George III's words. At that time, England possessed a large number of colonies such as India, Hindia, and Sri Lanka, and its maritime power was so strong that it could easily suppress the silly eagle. If it weren't for France's interference, the silly eagle might have been in danger of annihilation.
At that time, if England had gone all out to fight the Great Ming, it was truly unknown who would have won.
But now, England...
As for the colonies on the Hindian continent, there was no need to even think about them; they were either under the silly eagle or under the Qin and Jin dynasties. A large part of the maritime fleet had also been sunk by France. At this point, talking about supporting the Ottoman Empire with the strength of the entire nation seemed somewhat ridiculous.
Franz II tentatively asked, "Are you prepared to directly confront the Ming Empire?"
George III shook his head slightly and sighed, "What can I use to confront the Ming Empire? But whether I am prepared or not, I must confront the Ming Empire now. You should know about the Suez Canal that the Ming Emperor plans to excavate, right?"
After Alexander and Franz II nodded, indicating they knew about the Suez Canal, George III continued, "Once the Suez Canal is successfully excavated according to the Ming Emperor's vision, the Ming fleet can directly reach Europe from Mukhabadush, no longer needing to detour around the Cape of Good Hope. I believe you understand what this means?"
When George III's words fell, Alexander and Franz II fell into silence.
Even now, with the Ming army needing to detour around the Cape of Good Hope, the entire of Europe was already struggling to breathe. Once the Suez Canal was successfully excavated, and the Ming fleet no longer needed to detour around the Cape of Good Hope, wouldn't Europe have even less chance of a comeback?
After careful consideration, Franz II gritted his teeth and stomped his foot, saying solemnly, "We of the Habsburg family will fully support you, England! But I need your promise to guarantee our Habsburg family's interests in the Ottoman Empire."
George III nodded, raised his right hand, made the sign of the cross, and then placed it on his chest to make a solemn oath: "I, George III, swear in the name of the King of England that after the Ottoman problem is resolved, England will fully guarantee the interests of the Habsburg family in the Ottoman Empire. If I violate this oath, may the Lord cast me into hell to suffer!"
After taking the solemn oath, George III turned his gaze to Alexander, "What about you? What do you say?"
Alexander glanced at Franz II, then at George III, and suddenly let out a laugh, saying, "Of course, I will advance and retreat with you, and vigorously support the Ottoman Empire in all aspects, such as military equipment and food."
Upon receiving Alexander's promise, George III and Franz II were overjoyed. Although Emperor Zhu always said that the Tsar's army was all show and no substance, it depended on who they were compared to!
Compared to the Great Ming army, the Tsar's army was indeed all show and no substance, with a real combat power at most comparable to the Eight Banners of the Jian Yi.
However, when compared to the European armies, the Tsar's army was a formidable force.
However, before George III and Franz II could be happy for long, Alexander continued, "Don't get too happy too soon. Your England has the problem of Sri Lanka to resolve, and we Tsars have similar problems. Even Franz II needs to face the aggressive France. The support we can provide to the Ottoman Empire is actually very limited."
George III shook his head slightly and said, "No, the amount of support you Tsars can give to the Ottoman Empire is not the key. The key is whether you support the Ottoman Empire, and whether you dare to let other countries know that you are supporting the Ottoman Empire."
Hearing George III say this, even the usually bold Alexander felt a little guilty.
What did openly supporting the Ottoman Empire mean?
It meant directly falling out with the Great Ming.
It also meant the possibility of retaliation from the Great Ming.
Alexander still remembered the sudden death of Paul I, and even more so, he remembered the appearance of his beloved warhorse losing all its hooves.
The thought of potentially facing retaliation from the Great Ming again sent a shiver down Alexander's spine.
Alexander stared intently at George III and asked, "What is the difference between what you are doing and directly declaring war on the Ming Empire? Do you know what you will face?"
However, George III's face showed no abnormality, as if what he had just said were his true thoughts.
George III said, "I know what I will face, but I still decided to declare war on the Ming Empire. I may face retaliation from the Ming Emperor, including assassination and trade blockades, and even France might attack our England."
George III suddenly changed the subject, "However, if we do not declare war on the Ming Empire, we will have to continue to be oppressed by the Ming Emperor, and our civilians will forever be inferior to those Ming people. They will unscrupulously plunder our wealth, seize our land, until they turn us into the next Ottoman Empire!"
Alexander felt a pang in his heart, thinking of the Tsar's situation back then. When Emperor Zhu first started causing trouble for the small broken pot, the Tsar's strength, though not very strong, was not as weak as it is now. If Paul I had not agreed to Emperor Zhu's terms and accepted Emperor Zhu's blackmail, then Eastern Siberia and Central Siberia would not have been easily ceded to the Great Ming.
With Eastern Siberia and Central Siberia in hand, even if the Tsar's army was weak, they could have slowly engaged the Ming army with their vast territory.
But now...
Alexander couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. Now, it's not much better than when Paul I was in power.
Paul I ceded Eastern Siberia and Central Siberia, and he himself gave up a large portion of the Tsar's interests near the Ottoman Empire, and signed quite a few unequal trade treaties.
Thinking of this, Alexander looked at Franz II and said, "I think you should temporarily put aside your grievances with that art student and after the Ming problem is resolved..."
Before Alexander could finish speaking, Franz II said without hesitation, "That's impossible! It's not a matter of me putting it aside now; it's a matter of whether that art student is willing to stop!"
Alexander's face immediately darkened.
If one were to be precise, this was the first time Alexander had intervened and mediated European affairs since he ascended the throne as Tsar. As a result, he was severely slapped in the face, directly making Alexander's first experience not very good.
Alexander's face darkened and he said, "What if that art student is willing to accept mediation?"
Franz II snorted coldly, "Alexander, please mind your attitude. You are the Tsar of Russia, not the Tsar of our Habsburg family, nor the Emperor of Austria. Why should that art student listen to your orders? Is it just because you signed a non-aggression pact with him?"