Chapter 279 Opening up the battlefield in South Asia
Chapter 280 Opening up the battlefield in South Asia
When Joseph saw the baggage list below and the cost of sending troops, he suddenly felt dizzy.
The departure cost for the first batch of 10,000 horses alone exceeded 500,000 livres. This is only the cost of moving the troops from France to Tunisia. After they go, they will have to continuously supply food, grass and various consumables, which will cost at least 400,000 livres every month.
If a battle breaks out, the cost will be incalculable. One million livres per month may not be enough.
Joseph frowned. If you add the second batch of 10,000 soldiers and the Mulan Army, these troops will consume more than 10 million livres every year just by staying in Tunisia!
He slapped the document hard on the small table. The British method was so disgusting!
He worked hard to win Tunisia, but in the end he had to spend money to maintain stability.
On the contrary, we can rely on steady management and, after cultivating the local Tunisian legions, hand over the defense work to them, but that will be at least three to five years later.
Not to mention, during this period, the French would be less willing to go to Tunisia for reclamation because they were worried about a possible war in Tunisia.
This will greatly slow down the development of Tunisia.
So, is there any way to break the situation? Joseph frowned and thought hard.
Convey benefits to Morocco and ask them to withdraw their troops?
He immediately shook his head. This would only fatten Morocco's appetite, and the British would probably increase their stakes. Will France follow?
Encourage Russia to pressure the Ottomans to abandon Tripoli?
I’m afraid it’s not very realistic either…
Russia is currently engaged in the seventh Russo-Swedish War with Sweden, and the two sides will not have a result until the middle of next year. Prior to this, Russia had just signed an armistice treaty with the Ottomans, and Russia, which had taken advantage of it, was definitely not willing to start a war with the Ottomans again.
Still unable to think of any effective countermeasures, Joseph couldn't help but rub his forehead and let out a long sigh:
"Why do such troublemakers as Britain exist in the world?"
"A shit stirrer?" Eman, who was sitting opposite, was startled for a moment, then smiled knowingly, "Your metaphor is too apt, Your Highness. This is indeed what the British are best at.
"So aspiring kings of France through the ages would have wanted to kick their ass."
Joseph said in his heart, I really want to beat the British guy right now...
Beat up the British? He suddenly thought of something.
yes! I was always thinking about how to defend against Tunisia. I was in a blind spot. I should take the initiative and beat the British!
The great strategist once said: "You fight yours, and I'll fight mine."
We should not duel with them on the battlefield prepared by the British, but should find their weak points and hit them hard.
As long as the British are hurt and have no time to worry about Algiers and Tripoli, isn't it easy to deal with these two small countries?
After finding the way out, Joseph immediately took out the map, spread it on the small table, and then lay on it to search.
North America?
Nothing to work on. The United States is small and poor, and it keeps flirting with the British, so it's impossible to count on it.
Caribbean Sea?
Forget it, as long as it's a naval battle, the British still can't shake it for the time being.
Australia?
Britain has not invested much there, so even if it gives him a clean slate, it won't lose much money.
India?
When he saw this inverted triangular peninsula, Joseph's eyes suddenly lit up.
The biggest jewel in the British crown, right?
I'll smash it for you!
If I remember correctly, the Third Mysore War will break out at the end of this year.
Historically, Tipu Sultan fought alone and was eventually defeated by the British and the Indian princes.
And now, he will have the support of his French friends!
The Kingdom of Mysore in southwest India is the most powerful force on the subcontinent and has always been at odds with the British. In fact, any Indian prince with a bit of blood will be dissatisfied with the British policy of encroaching on India.
Of course, the majority are bloodless Indian princes.
In 1789, the Dutch East India Company was preparing to withdraw from India, so it sold two forts to the Maharaja of Travancore in southern India, but these two forts were in the territory of Mysore.
Tipu, the Sultan of the Kingdom of Mysore, was furious after hearing the news - the prince of Travancore never dealt with him.
After negotiations were fruitless, Tipu Sultan led his army to attack the state of Travancore and soon occupied part of the adjacent territory of the two countries. Interestingly, Travancore still had a good relationship with France at this time, and France also lost many soldiers in this battle.
Seeing that he could not defeat Mysore, the Maharaja of Travancore ran to the British for help.
Cornwallis, the Indian governor of the East India Company, declared that the Indian princely states were under British protection. Mysore declared war on Travancore, which was a declaration of war on the East India Company.
Soon, Cornwallis entangled the Maratha, Matras, Nizam and other princely states in India to jointly encircle and suppress the Kingdom of Mysore.
Tipu Sultan led the Mysore army to fight against the British for two and a half years. During this period, he also won some battles, but in the end he fell in front of the powerful offensive of the British and their minions.
Since then, the entire subcontinent has no longer been able to threaten Britain, and has completely become the British back garden.
Actually speaking, Tipu Sultan still has some chances in this battle.
His father Hedel started training the new army thirty years ago, hired European officers, and developed a European-style army, including cavalry and artillery.
Without the British, other Indian states would be far from his opponents.
However, Tipu Sultan had a very serious problem, that is, he was not tolerant enough towards Hindus, which aroused the hostility of other Hindu princes.
At the same time, Tipu Sultan always wanted to defeat the British in one fell swoop, which made his use of troops too aggressive, but he forgot his greatest advantage-the ability to fight and delay in local operations.
This led to his failure to stabilize the situation after a series of early victories. He was attacked by the British and suffered a disastrous defeat.
If France can provide some support to Mysore and send some officers to help him avoid these mistakes, it will hopefully teach the British a lesson!
Joseph was thinking and writing, and by the time the carriage arrived southeast of Montpellier, he had basically sorted out his thoughts.
He put down his pen, smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. He wondered if the British were still interested in coming to Tunisia to stir up trouble after the "fire" in India.
Immediately, he picked up the report from the General Staff Headquarters and continued to read it.
After the content of adding troops to Tunisia, Berthier reported on the construction of some general staff headquarters.
Generally speaking, this department has begun to operate. Recruitment and training are the first tasks to be carried out, followed by the expansion of the Paris Police Academy and the integration of other military academies.
