The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1383: Chapter 202: The Tsar’s Sugar-Coated Cannonballs

The spacious and grand embassy conference room is located in the central hall of the embassy’s main building.

As you step inside, the first thing that meets your eyes is the tall ceiling adorned with exquisite reliefs. The walls are decorated with several beautiful oil paintings depicting portraits of important British political figures throughout history, including paintings of the kings of the Hanover Dynasty and military leaders like the Duke of Marlborough, Duke of Wellington, and Horatio Nelson, who have made significant contributions to Britain.

As for the interior decor, it adopts a typical Russian style: large and tall bright windows, curtains made of heavy purple velvet, with the cold air and snowflakes outside the windows reflecting into the room, illuminating the blazing fire in the fireplace.

The long conference table made of walnut is smooth like a mirror, reflecting the documents and ink bottles displayed on the table.

On both sides of the table are more than a dozen soft chairs, each wrapped in high-quality leather, adorned with exquisite metal decorations, classical yet practical in design.

The Earl of Dalmo, Ambassador to Russia, is seated at the main position in luxurious attire, overlooking the situation in the conference room from his perspective.

Seated on his left and right are naturally his close associates, seen as his reliable aides by the Earl of Dalmo.

On the left is Sir Arthur Hastings, Cultural Counsellor, frowning as he reads a report, smoking a pipe immersed in thought.

Seated opposite the knight is Colonel Charles Stewart, Military Officer to Russia, wiping the medal on his chest with a handkerchief.

Beneath them, other important figures such as counsellors and first secretaries take their seats. However, due to the travel distance, consuls distributed in major Russian cities like Moscow and Kiev cannot attend the meeting in time.

Upon seeing everyone gathered, the Earl of Dalmo habitually tapped his fingers on the table: ”News from London; I’m sure everyone already knows. The exposure of the secret treaty signed by Russia and the Ottomans has caused quite a stir in the London media. As instructed by the Foreign Secretary, I will head to the Winter Palace this afternoon at three to make a formal protest to the Tsar face-to-face.”

At this point, the Earl of Dalmo paused, took out his pocket watch, and glanced at the time: ”Of course, the French are more proactive on this front; the French charge d’affaires in St. Petersburg is likely already at the Winter Palace.”

Arthur pulled a document from the desk and handed it to the Earl of Dalmo: ”Your Excellency, here is the content of the French protest. They just sent us a copy. Most of it is nonsense; I have highlighted the most important part with a pen.”

The Earl of Dalmo nodded slightly, took the document, glanced at it, and read aloud the highlighted content in front of everyone: ”The French government solemnly declares: if Russia uses this treaty to interfere in the internal affairs of the Ottoman Empire, France reserves the right to take any necessary measures based on the situation...”

Arthur asked, ”Do you think our protest should be worded more strongly than the French or somewhat more tactfully?”

The Earl of Dalmo rubbed his temples: ”There’s no need to be so direct; a softer tone is fine. The French charge d’affaires must have already said most of the unpleasant things for us today; we just need to let the Tsar understand that we, like the French, are dissatisfied.”

Colonel Stewart clearly showed his displeasure at such a weak statement: ”The secret treaty signed by the Ottomans and Russia is outrageous! What do they mean by Russia can request the Ottomans to block the strait connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean at any time? If the Russians want to turn the Black Sea into their own inland sea, they could say so directly without being sneaky. It’s like treating us as fools. If this treaty is implemented, the Russians could sail from the Black Sea port of Sevastopol to the Bosporus Strait and occupy Constantinople within four days, and our navy and that of the French would not be able to stop them. The Ottoman Sultan’s mind is simply not clear; how could they sign such a treaty!”

Sir John Lipton, Diplomatic Counsellor, shook his head: ”You can’t blame the Sultan; we should have intervened in the Ottoman Empire’s civil war earlier. If we had agreed to Sultan Mahmud II’s request for aid when Syria was occupied by Egypt, he wouldn’t have been forced to seek help from the Russians.”

Colonel Stewart shrugged: ”There’s no remedy for regrets. In my opinion, protesting to the Russians is not as good as praying to God. Any fool can see that the Russian government is executing a strategy of southern expansion, threatening and infiltrating the Caucasus on land, and striving to seize the Black Sea’s outlet, the Bosporus Strait, at sea. This strategy has been in place since the time of Catherine II and remains a key part of Russia’s foreign policy. What good is a protest paper alone?”

Having said that, Colonel Stewart stood up and asked the Earl of Dalmo: ”Your Excellency, hasn’t the Foreign Office done anything practical?”

The Earl of Dalmo reassured him: ”Protests are just about expressing attitudes; practical measures can’t be openly disclosed to the Russians. They need to discover them on their own for them to believe them. Rest assured, Charles, Lord Ponsonby, who was just recalled to the homeland, has returned to Constantinople for duty, and Viscount Palmerston has authorized Lord Ponsonby to act at his discretion: if Lord Ponsonby believes Constantinople is threatened by Russia, he can summon the Royal Navy fleets in the Mediterranean and Levant regions for defense without reporting to the Cabinet or the Foreign Office. This news will soon be conveyed by the Russian embassy in Constantinople to reach the Tsar’s desk, and by then, he will naturally understand the seriousness of the situation.”