The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 687 - 334 Respect for British-Russian Friendship

In the sitting room of the Foreign Office, the bearded Earl Grey was toasting with Palmerston, their conversation was filled with jovial camaraderie.

Although both were present in an official capacity, they preferred to regard this meeting as a casual chat between friends rather than a formal diplomatic discussion.

"So, what do you think about the situation unfolding in Syria? The thirty thousand troops of Muhammad Ali’s Egyptian Army have been unstoppable since their departure from the Sinai Peninsula, and now Palestine has completely fallen into his hands. He clearly remains unsatisfied and has begun to march on Syria,"

The news leaked from the Ottoman court indicates that Sultan Mahmud II plans to intervene in mediating the conflict between Ali and the Governor of Acre, Abdullah, hoping to keep the Egyptians in check. Henry, what’s your take on this?"

Hearing this, Palmerston let out a light chuckle.

"My friend, would you believe Ali’s tall tales? This Pasha of the Ottoman Empire is using that skirmish merely as a pretext for his military campaign. He is a desert ambitious man with grand objectives, and such ambitious men are unlikely to wield arms over mere verbal disputes.

According to the reports from our Egyptian diplomatic commissioner, his real plan is to establish an Arab Empire that stretches from Syria in the east to Libya in the west, from the Mediterranean Sea and the Taurus Mountains in the north to the Arabian Sea and Southern Sudan in the south, encompassing all Arabic-speaking regions across both Asia and Africa."

Upon hearing this, Earl Grey took a sip of his drink and said,

"His appetite is indeed vast, but the civilized world will not allow him to succeed easily, will it? As a friend, I can share with you that the august occupant of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg is deeply concerned about Ali’s swift advances in Palestine.

Moreover, he has considerable doubts whether the Ottomans can defeat Ali head-on, given that our strong and mighty Russian Army has previously engaged with the Egyptian troops in Greece and found them to be the most formidable force within the Ottoman Empire."

Upon these words, Palmerston understood the other party’s intention for the visit.

At the end of the day, Earl Grey had come to sound out Britain’s stance, to see if Britain had any interest in intervening in the mediation.

However, for Palmerston, it was clearly too early to discuss such matters at this time.

Currently, the Foreign Office was concentrating its efforts on resolving the civil war of their ally Portugal, and after General Cordington’s annihilation of Ottoman naval forces at the Battle of Navarino, the Foreign Office had become increasingly cautious about its stance on the Eastern Question.

From the perspective of the Foreign Office, Britain neither wanted to see the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire nor did it want to see the Ottomans eliminate Ali and unite in solidarity. An Ottoman Empire that was weak but not collapsed, large but not strong, was what best served Britain’s interests.

As for Ali, this ambitious man from Egypt, possessing both vision and might, gazing on his growth could not be considered a good thing. Yet, at least for now, within his jurisdiction, he greatly respects the trading rights of British merchants, so Britain was not inclined to easily offend this Arab warlord who ruled over North Africa and Crete.

Moreover, according to the standing European diplomatic principles, if Britain were to intervene in Ottoman affairs, then other European powers such as France and Russia would also have a legitimate reason to get involved.

But Britain was, after all, farther from the Ottoman Empire than France and Russia, so when all the great powers intervened, it was uncertain who would get the upper hand.

The Greek independence was an example from the past; after Britain, France, and Russia helped Greece secede from Ottoman rule, the pro-Russian faction emerged dominant within Greece.

If it wasn’t for the unfortunate assassination of this year’s Greek president, the pro-Russian leader and former Tsarist Foreign Secretary, Mr. Kapodistrias, it would be uncertain if the Royal Navy could still hold its absolute superiority in the Mediterranean.

Therefore, unless circumstances demanded it, the Foreign Office indeed had no sufficient reason or motivation to change the status quo, and Palmerston could not persuade the Cabinet and Parliament to interfere with the conflict in Palestine.

Palmerston said, "Regarding matters of the Ottoman Empire, I favor observing for a while before making judgments. Ali is certainly ambitious, but I do not believe he has the capability to defeat his Ottoman overlord. However, I understand the Tsar’s concerns. Please assure him there is no need for haste, as the situation has not worsened to that extent yet.

Besides, I believe your country’s top priority should be to fully sweep away those Polish insurrectionists disobedient to the throne, just as it is our current top priority to resolve the trials following the Swin uprising. Domestic instabilities are far more dangerous than foreign ones."

Seeing that Palmerston was not budging, Earl Grey did not press further.

He joked, "Henry, I never imagined that after only a year of working in diplomacy, you would become so adept at the language of foreign affairs. Dorothea’s assessment of you was indeed correct; you are a natural diplomat. She’s right, those who can flourish in the game of love usually have little trouble mastering the diplomacy table. Talleyrand was so, Metternich was so, and you, even more so."

Palmerston indeed did not refute Earl Grey’s words.