Chapter 446： There are no generals in Yingyi, but the adjutant is the vanguard

After Palmerston said this sentence in a heavy tone, the three ministers present were stunned for a while, and they couldn't believe what they heard.

After a while, the recovered Duke of Newcastle asked Palmerston: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, could it be that the Russian Empire has declared war on the Kingdom of Britain?"

"No!" Palmerston shook his head and replied to the three ministers present.

Before the three ministers could breathe a sigh of relief, Palmerston continued: "It's worse than declaring war! According to the information from the Near East, the fleet of the Russian Empire regards our fleet as the helper of the French fleet, and then sends them to the French fleet. Our ships attack!"

The three ministers present couldn't believe their ears, the fleet of the Russian Empire launched an attack on the British fleet? Isn't that just lighting a candle in a kennel - looking for **** (dead)!

"How about the casualties of the fleet?" The Duke of Newcastle asked first.

"There were no large-scale casualties, and the surprise attack on the British Fleet was three Russian steamships and a double-deck warship!" Speaking of which, Palmerston's voice couldn't help but carry a trace of arrogance and contempt unique to the Ouza people. : "However, they are facing the latest steam double-decker warship of our British Empire! The Imperial Navy not only withstood the attack of the Russian Empire, but also sank a Russian steamship!"

"In other words, the Russian Empire is already at war with us?" The Duke of Newcastle said with a sense of eagerness to try.

As long as there is a war between the Kingdom of Britain and the Russian Empire, the shackles "bound" on the British Army can be lifted, and the British Army can also gain more resource tilt.

At this moment, the Duke of Newcastle really loved those Russians to death.

If it weren't for them, the Duke of Newcastle would have been wrangling with Gladstone for a long time.

The Duke of Newcastle suppressed his excitement and couldn't help but sneak a glance at Gladstone.

Now Gladstone is standing there with a dull-eyed gaze, with the words "War between the Russian Empire and Britain" constantly echoing in his mind.

"Now, we have to do something!" Although Lord Clarendon's voice was small, it was very clear in this quiet "secret room".

"Yes! We must do something!" The Duke of Newcastle echoed, and then looked at Palmerston.

After a brief absence, Palmerston readjusted to his original state. He first glanced at Gladstone, then at Clarendon and Newcastle. Finally, he gritted his teeth and made up his mind: "Since we have entered a state of war, the 80,000 mentioned earlier can be overturned, Minister Pelham!"

"Yes!" The Duke of Newcastle of Palmerston responded solemnly on the surface, and he had already judged his own frivolity in his heart.

"From now on, Britain will recruit a large number of people who are willing to join the British army! The number is around 14w, which means you need to recruit 10w!" Palmerston issued a strict order to Newcastle, "Remember! What I want is A team that can fight is not a piece of sand!"

"Your Excellency, can the War Department go to the factory to "recruit" workers?" The Duke of Newcastle tentatively asked Palmerston if he could recruit men in the factory.

After all, the discipline and will of obedience of workers these days is far higher than that of rogue proletarians caught on the street.

It's just that arresting workers without authorization can easily lead to unnecessary trouble.

"Yes!" Palmerston did not hesitate too much. He also knew the problems facing the War Department, so he relaxed the conditions appropriately.

How can workers who are part of the empire "do nothing" in the factory, and the battlefield is their final destination.

"I promise to train qualified soldiers in the shortest possible time!" With Palmerston's guarantee, the Duke of Newcastle could let the military police below capture the workers.

"Secretary Gladstone, the issue of appropriation for the army will trouble you!" Palmerston said to Gladstone sincerely.

Huge expenditures in a short period of time will inevitably lead to financial turmoil in the empire. In this case, it is a test of the skills of a qualified finance minister.

"I can only do my best!" Glades responded to Palmerston with a reluctant expression on his face.

Palmerston, who had finished explaining the tasks of Gladstone and Newcastle, looked at Clarendon again, pointed at Lord Clarendon with his halberd, and said, "Secretary Villiers, you will go to Buckingham Palace immediately to tell Queen Victoria and Queen Victoria the news. Prince Albert!"

"Yes!" Clarendon took the lead and left, followed by Gladstone and Newcastle.

Palmerston was the only one left in the room, sitting alone on the sofa and staring at the sky outside the window. After a long time, the Prime Minister's secretary pushed the door open again, "Prime Minister!"

Palmerston, who had recovered his senses, still looked at the secretary with slightly dull eyes, and then pointed to the secretary and ordered, "You call the Russian ambassador Baron Brunoel now!"

"Yes! Prime Minister!" The Prime Minister's secretary straightened his body and replied firmly to Palmerston.

About half an hour later, the Russian ambassador Baron Brunoel appeared in front of Palmerston and looked at Palmerston with a puzzled expression.

Facing the doubtful Brunel, Palmerston still politely announced to him that the Kingdom of Britain was about to draw up a war against Russia!

"What! Your Excellency Prime Minister, you can't do this!" Bronov shouted excitedly.

"I'm sorry! If the Russian Empire had not launched an attack on the Kingdom of Britain without authorization for a few hours, the relationship between our two countries might not have fallen to the point where it is now!" Palmerston sighed feigned melancholy, as if is sad about the coming war.

"It's so ridiculous!!" Brunoel shook his head and said to Palmerston with a sincere expression: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, I don't know where you heard this news, but you must believe that the Russian Empire is very important to the Kingdom of Britain. We have always been very respectful, we will never do such a heinous thing, it must be framed by someone!!”

"Mr. Ambassador, I don't want to find out who is right and who is wrong!" Palmerston said firmly to Minister Brunoel: "Since the fleet of the Russian Empire has attacked Britain, it must bear the corresponding price!"

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, do you have to turn the originally harmonious relationship between the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Britain into an enemy of life and death?" Brunoel humbly maintained the friendship between Russia and Britain.

"After firing at Britain from the Russian Empire, we have become enemies of life and death!" Palmerston responded uncompromisingly to Brunel.

Since Palmerston served as the main battle faction, he has been destined to go all the way to the black on this road.

Once Palmerston's attitude is not enough for the main battle, those who originally supported him will immediately abandon him and turn to those who are more active in the battle.

Since the people of London could not wait for the truth to be found out, Palmerston simply declared war directly.

As long as the war started, it was difficult for the British cabinet to change.

For himself, and for Britain as a whole, the Russian Empire must bear the consequences.

"In this case, I have nothing to say!" Brunoel responded to Palmerston with a cold face: "Then we will see you on the battlefield!"

"See you on the battlefield!" Palmerston also replied.

On November 2, 1853, London, which had been raining and windy for several days, finally ushered in sunshine.

In such weather, Lord Clarendon went to Parliament to read Queen Victoria's declaration of war on the Russian Empire.

The letter not only portrays Britain as the savior from the standpoint of defending the Ottoman Empire, but also criticizes the Russian Imperial Fleet's "undeclared war" against the British fleet.

When Clarendon finished reading, Prime Minister Palmerston took to the stage to give a war speech. The whole war speech received continuous applause, so that Palmerston had to stop several times to wait for the applause to end.

Immediately after the speech, Palmerston announced a vote on whether to declare war on the Russian Empire.

In the end, the House of Commons of the Kingdom of Great Britain overwhelmingly agreed to declare war on the Russian Empire.

Then Palmerston put forward a proposal on whether to increase military spending. The proposal called for a 50% increase in the military budget for the British Army, which means that the House of Commons needs to allocate 4.75 million pounds, which adds up to 14.25 million pounds. expenditure.

The proposal was overwhelmingly approved by the House of Lords, but was resisted by some people in the House of Commons, who believed that increasing the budget was only to make the children of nobles better, and would not improve the army at all quality, and some extremists even shouted the slogan of letting the nobles get out of the army.

However, the House of Commons approved the order after Palmerston used nationalism as a good office.

The next morning, Prime Minister Palmerston informed Queen Victoria of the results of the vote in the House of Commons and accompanied Queen Victoria to St James's Palace.

In St. James's Palace, Queen Victoria, who was in full dress, summoned the Russian ambassador Brunoel in the presence of the great nobles, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and conveyed to Brunoel the document of Britain's declaration of war.

After Baron Brunoel's declaration of war against Great Britain, he left the Kingdom of Great Britain with members of the embassy After completing the steps of declaring war, the Kingdom of Great Britain did not start action immediately, but proceeded to the next round of targeting the commander of the British Expeditionary Force. over candidates.

After several rounds of fierce confrontation, Lord Raglan, 65, was finally appointed Commander of the Expeditionary Force and Sir John Burgoyne, 42, Commander of Engineers.

It can be said to be a veritable "old people's group".

In the command that Raglan is about to prepare, five senior officers are also set up as assistants. Most of them are about the same age as Raglan. The youngest Duke of Cambridge is Queen Victoria's cousin.

While Britain was in a long wrangling, the French Empire, the enemy of life and death on the other side of her, was carrying out industrial production in an orderly manner.

Among them, the Mignet gun, the Napoleon cannon, the rails and the locomotive have become the focus of production. A Mignet gun is quickly packaged and packaged after leaving the factory, and then transported by rail to the port of Toulon, where it will take a transport ship from the port of Toulon. Most of them arrived in Constantinople and were handed over to the army of Abdul Mejid I, while the remaining small part was quietly transported to the Syrian province (Ottoman province Syria + Jordan + Palestine + part of Saudi Arabia).