Chapter 260: The True Nature of the Great Powers
Sinai Peninsula
At the colonial outpost camp, Peter Lariva, the representative of the Austrian military, arrived and was warmly welcomed by the colonial team.
“Mr. Peter, when will reinforcements arrive?” Andrea asked worriedly.
Peter smiled slightly and said, “I’m sorry, the French have stepped in to mediate this conflict, so we’ll have to wait for the results of the negotiations in Cairo.
Until then, you’ll have to hold out here on your own. If Egypt attacks, you can retreat directly to the coastal area where the navy will pick you up.
This is, of course, an ideal scenario. Under normal circumstances, the Egyptian government won’t escalate the situation. They don’t have the confidence to go to war with Austria.
“Sir Peter, this is already beyond the scope of our contract. We did not agree to act as bait for an Egyptian attack!” Leo Haval protested.
Acting as bait was undesirable. It was one thing to harass the local tribes with just their ragtag band of 180, but when faced with the Egyptian regular army, they clearly could not stand up to them.
If they were unlucky, the entire force could be wiped out. They had come to get rich, not to die. Of course, Leo Haval was not willing to take any chances.
Peter, calm and composed, said, “Mr. Haval, the original contract was for you to create a pretext, not to occupy this place. The current situation is a result of your unauthorized actions.
Everyone has to take responsibility for their actions, and the trouble you’ve caused is something you’ll have to answer for.
Moreover, we will not let your efforts go unrewarded. If you succeed in getting the Egyptian army to attack, you two will be the biggest contributors to this colonial operation. The authorities at home attach great importance to this mission, and you may even be knighted.
The two individuals asked excitedly, “Will there be fiefs?”
They were able to organize a group of about 180 people for colonization, clearly not afraid to take risks. The only question was the size of the return.
Peter humorously replied, “If the land you want is a stretch of desert, you can try applying for it. There’s a good chance it will be approved back home.”
The two individuals chuckled awkwardly, indicating that they didn’t see much value in the Sinai Peninsula. Of course, since there was a perceived lack of value, the prospect of sharing the profits from the colonization activity seemed unlikely.
Acquiring titles of nobility in Austria is no easy feat, and most are hereditary, making the acquisition of fiefs akin to reaching for the stars. Even discounted colonial fiefs aren’t so easy to obtain.
In theory, for colonies that were independently established by colonial teams, the team had the right to receive a portion of the colony as a fiefdom. Of course, after receiving a fief, the government would not pay out any rewards.
This was the life peerage system that Franz had specially invented for those whose contributions were insufficient for hereditary nobility, but who still wanted fiefs. No problem, that could be solved in the colonies.
With a title, these lands were fiefs. Without a title, they were private property that the government would not reclaim.
The situation in the Sinai Peninsula is similar, but with an endless expanse of desert, even if you converted all your achievements into a fiefdom, you would only end up with a few square kilometers of desert as your fiefdom. An ordinary person probably wouldn’t make such a choice.
Leo Haval and Andrea were sane people. Of course, they chose the bounty without hesitation. Not just them, even if it was Franz’s choice, it would still be the bounty.
Despite the strategic importance and abundant oil resources of the Sinai Peninsula, not every speck of sand had resources underneath it. Beneath most of the sand lies even more sand.
……
Cairo
Under French mediation, negotiations have begun between Austria and Egypt over the Sinai conflict. Unsurprisingly, the initial discussions revolved around who was to blame.
The French diplomat in charge of mediating this conflict, De Lesseps, advised, “Both of you, calm down. The events have already happened, and now we must concentrate on how to deal with the aftermath.
Inevitably, the negotiations started on a rough note. Austria had no embassy in Cairo, only a consulate, and its diplomatic representative was also a businessman.
The Austrian government did not send any professional diplomats to these seemingly unimportant negotiations and appeared to be completely indifferent.
Amateurs did not mean that they would be easy to deal with, and they might be stubborn nitpickers.
The Austrian representative Jonas righteously said: “You are right, we should indeed consider addressing the aftermath now. Because of the greed of the Egyptian government, they robbed our caravans, causing significant casualties and heavy losses for us. Egypt must be held accountable for this.”
Mahmoud objected, “No, Mr. Jonas. The reality of the situation is completely different from what you’re saying. We haven’t even established a government in the Sinai Peninsula. How could we have robbed your caravans?
It was clearly your people who plundered the Arikus Tribe and forcibly occupied Arish. You must stop this aggression immediately and compensate the Egyptian government for the losses.”
Jonas replied sharply, “Nonsense! Who doesn’t know that the nomadic tribes of the Sinai Peninsula are so poor that they have nothing but camels? Only an idiot would go and plunder them.
We have proof that the leader of the Arikus Tribe received an appointment from your government. Here are the appointment documents that we confiscated during the counter-offensive, along with the proof of tax payment submitted by the Arikus Tribe.
Mr. Mahmoud, you can check for yourself if it’s real. The personal integrity of your officials is questionable, and you must take responsibility for it.”
After speaking, he presented the evidence and handed it to Mahmoud. The documents were indeed genuine, a letter of appointment issued by the Egyptian government a year ago.
Why was there such a letter of appointment? Of course, because Austria had bought it from an Egyptian government official. A nominal tax officer in Arish, and was not even really considered an official but rather a temporary worker.
At this moment, it became the basis for argument. It could implicate the Egyptian government in this incident and make it difficult for them to extricate themselves.
After examining it carefully, Mahmoud wasn’t sure if the document had been forged by the Austrians, but regardless of its authenticity, he would not acknowledge it.
Mahmoud asked, “Mr. Jonas, it is well known that the Sinai Peninsula is extremely poor. What were your trade caravans doing there?”
“Those idiots planned to reopen the closed ancient trade routes to restore land transport between your country and the Ottoman Empire.”
Jonas answered through gritted teeth, an expression of deep resentment apparent on his face as if he felt that his peers had brought shame upon him.
In the age of great sea voyages, attempting to reestablish a land trade route seemed nothing short of foolish, and there’s no better word than “idiots” to describe them.
This explanation was barely acceptable since there are all kinds of birds in a big forest. It wasn’t so surprising to find a fool among the capitalists.
Of course, this explanation could only fool ordinary, uninformed people at best. Everyone present knew that the so-called trading caravan was nothing more than a colonial expeditionary force.
Mahmoud scoffed, “Mr. Jonas, your reasons are not valid. Now that all the people of the Arikus Tribe are dead, all your arguments are one-sided.
I don’t think a nomadic tribe would have the guts to raid an armed trade caravan. Normal people wouldn’t do that.”
Jonas replied indifferently, “You’re right, normal people wouldn’t do that. But they did, which just means they are ignorant and have no idea how powerful firearms are.
There are a lot of ignorant people in the world. Many indigenous people think that firearms are witchcraft. It’s not surprising that they do stupid things.”
After hearing Jonas’ twisted reasoning, the French diplomat, De Lesseps, knew they couldn’t go on like this, or else the Egyptian government would be dragged into the situation.
In international negotiations during this era, the great powers could manipulate the situation, so it was best for smaller countries to reason carefully, otherwise they would end up in a disadvantageous position.
De Lesseps said: “Mr. Jonas, in any case, the people involved are already dead, no matter how serious the crimes, they can be written off.
As for the losses of your country, let it be compensated from the inheritance of those who have passed away. The assets of a tribe should be sufficient to cover the compensation.”
Jonas’ expression changed as he immediately refuted: “Are we the kind of people who covet mere pennies? The most important thing now is to seek justice for the dead. This is not something that can be solved with money. Talking about money is an insult to the great New Holy Roman Empire.
If we don’t get a satisfactory explanation, our people won’t leave. We will only discuss compensation once we get a satisfactory response.”
De Lesseps was also powerless against Jonas’ manipulations. The Austrian government clearly had no intention of invading Egypt, so it wouldn’t affect French interests.
Since their own interests were not at stake, the issue of the Sinai Peninsula became a secondary concern. The French government would not intervene in favor of the Egyptian government.
Looking at the reaction of the British, it was evident that they were observing the situation with indifference, quietly watching this farce unfold.
This was a common practice in overseas colonies. When there were no conflicting interests, countries generally avoided direct conflict.
“Mr. Jonas, we will take action and forcibly expel your people if they do not leave Arish,” Mahmoud warned.
Expulsion by force? When Jonas heard Mahmoud’s threat, he scoffed and said, “Then go ahead and do it. After all, any action on your part in the Sinai Peninsula will be seen by us as a declaration of war against the great New Holy Roman Empire.
If your country believes it has the strength to challenge the New Holy Roman Empire, then let’s go to war! Mr. Mahmoud, I must warn you carefully. Once war breaks out, we cannot guarantee the extent of the conflict.”
Threats of force still depend on strength. Originally, this was just a negotiating tactic for Mahmoud, but now it is about to escalate into a full-scale war between the two countries.
Starting a war with the New Holy Roman Empire is obviously not a decision that Mahmoud can make, nor is it likely that the Egyptian government will make such a decision.
Simply put, the area being occupied now is just a small oasis in the desert. It is neither a strategic location nor of much economic value.
De Lesseps argued helplessly: “Calm down, gentlemen. War cannot solve problems, it will only complicate things.”
Jonas scoffed and said, “While war cannot solve problems, war can make some people sober up and stop threatening to use force.
Don’t think that just because we cherish peace, we are weak and easily bullied. If necessary, using war to resolve issues is not out of the question.
The New Holy Roman Empire is willing to live in friendship with countries around the world, and even if extreme measures are taken, we will safeguard the interests of all nations.”
A threat, this is the real threat. Once the Austrian government promises to safeguard the interests of all countries, the Egyptian government will be left to fight alone.
Despite the infiltration efforts of Britain, France, and Austria, Egypt is still an independent country, and each nation has not gained significant equity.
If Austria takes the lead in punishing Egypt and all countries share the interests in the Egyptian region, it is not impossible.
The moral integrity of the great powers is based only on interests. At present, Egypt’s strategic position is not as crucial as it would be after the opening of the Suez Canal.
Even if a war breaks out, it won’t affect the balance of power between nations. In essence, Egypt is just a small country with a population of only three and a half million people, and its interests are not enough to be the cause of a major conflict.
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