The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 691 - 335 Restless Air_2

So when Palmerston appointed young Canning as ambassador to Russia, after spending a solid three to four months in St. Petersburg, Canning had yet to even catch a glimpse of Tsar Nicholas I.

Unable to meet the Tsar meant that he, as an ambassador, truly could not fulfill his duties. Therefore, as a last resort, Palmerston had no choice but to relocate Canning, sending him back to the Ottoman capital of Constantinople.

Why not someplace else? Naturally, it was because the Sultan had previously proven his tolerance of others, and Palmerston was worried that other countries besides the Ottoman might not accommodate the bluntness of young Canning.

After all, only Heaven knows how many countries this man has insulted.

If the rulers of other countries were to ignore Canning, as the Tsar had done, would he have to find yet another new position to try out?

Replacing an ambassador within a short period could be explained as a normal reassignment.

Replacing two ambassadors within a short time could be chalked up to an unintentional mistake. freёnovelkiss.com

But if three ambassadors were to be replaced in short order, could that still be explained away as not recognizing talent?

Moreover, from the message delivered by Schneider, this mere second reassignment had already caught the attention of Earl Grey, the Prime Minister.

After all, it was truly a bit outrageous that an ambassador had already spent several months in his post, yet had not even seen a flake of the Tsar’s dandruff.

Earl Grey must be worried that given Canning’s character, he might not perform well in the Ottoman Empire either, so he wanted to advise Palmerston to find a more suitable candidate.

But the Prime Minister’s recommendation is ultimately just a suggestion; as the Foreign Secretary, Palmerston was the person with the final say.

He opened his mouth and said, "Convey to Earl Grey that I thoroughly understand his concerns. However, Mr. Stratford Canning is absolutely the best choice for the ambassador to the Ottoman.

Right now, the Ottoman is vigorously battling Ali’s Egyptian Army, and the domestic situation is quite complex. It is precisely for this reason that we need to send someone who is familiar with the ins and outs of the Ottoman, has had prior experience there, and can establish a network of contacts without much time, to help us gather intelligence.

Though Mr. Canning is frank and outspoken, his personality is quite to the liking of the locals. He has many friends in Constantinople, and is also highly respected by the current Sultan Mahmud II; I truly cannot think of a second ambassador more suited for the role."

Upon hearing this, Schneider couldn’t help feeling abashed and said, "That’s exactly how we explained it to the Prime Minister before, but he still thinks that given Mr. Canning’s explosive temper, he might not only fail to help the Sultan resolve the conflict with Ali, he might actually exacerbate the problem.

Moreover, Earl Grey said that if the military conflict in the Ottoman escalates, then the Cabinet’s plan to reduce the Army would inevitably face tremendous resistance, because we might need to send troops to support the Ottomans at any moment."

Upon hearing this, Palmerston finally understood the crux of the Prime Minister’s concern.

Earl Grey doesn’t care who the Ottoman ambassador is, but he needs the Foreign Office to guarantee that there is no need to send additional troops to the Ottoman so that he can counter the arguments of those generals opposing army reductions.

And the reason Earl Grey is so determined to reduce the army is to achieve his grand plan of parliamentary reform.

For no matter the era or country, the army and the church have always been the natural bastions of conservative power, and Britain is no exception in this regard.

Among all branches of the military, the Army is the most stubbornly conservative, full of generals from the Land Nobility, led by Duke Wellington and his venerable Waterloo veterans.

Essentially, Earl Grey publicly declares army reductions are due to the peacetime homefront not requiring a large standing army and intends to lessen financial burdens and control government spending, but his actual aim is to pressure the Tory Party’s conservative faction to compromise on the issue of parliamentary reform.

Parliamentary reform is the foremost task and ultimate goal of the current Grey Cabinet. All other issues must yield before the reform, which is Grey’s red line; any minister daring to shake this foundation would be ruthlessly eliminated by him.

And among all tactics, the most effective is Cabinet reshuffling.

Can this job be done? If not, I’ll replace the Foreign Secretary!

Earl Grey’s words are few, but the implications force Palmerston to proceed with caution.

Although he has been involved in politics for many years, it was his first time in the Cabinet, and he wasn’t ready to give up the Foreign Secretary’s chair he had scarcely warmed.

After pondering for a long time, he finally decided to make a trip to 10 Downing Street.

"Prepare the carriage right away; I need to explain this matter face-to-face with the Prime Minister. Mr. Canning’s appointment as ambassador to Constantinople will not affect the predetermined plan to reduce the Army."

"Understood, Your Excellency. Also... previously our people noticed that the French ambassador Talleyrand had contact with Mr. Hastings... Today, Scotland Yard has submitted an investigation report to the Home Office."

"Hmm?"

Viscount Palmerston spread his arms while a servant helped him into his coat and asked, "Is there anything unusual in the report?"

"No."

With a smile, Schneider shook his head and said, "Scotland Yard’s investigation report is almost identical to the Lower House Inquiry Committee’s report; they both name Bernie Harrison as the true culprit behind the scene."

Palmerston straightened his coat: "Clever lad, Peel had his reasons for valuing him so. However, since he has already suffered a loss, he should consider exchanging it for something. Being silent serves no purpose other than making others think you’re foolish."