Chapter 784: Mahdist Uprising |
Time passed swiftly, and before anyone knew it, the year 1885 had arrived.
The shelved Near East Development Plan was revived, the global economy had emerged from the Great Depression, and once again surged forward.
Everything was moving in a positive direction, and with his policy of focusing only on major affairs, Emperor Franz suddenly found himself with more free time.
Perhaps it was his age catching up to him, but his interests had changed. At some point, he had become fascinated with calligraphy.
Of course, a goose feather quill was hardly suitable for calligraphy, leading to an unusual sight, a Holy Roman Emperor practicing calligraphy with a Chinese brush.
But it was just a personal hobby. European aristocrats had far more eccentric pastimes, and in comparison, Franz’s interest was hardly worth mentioning.
No minister was foolish enough to interfere in the emperor’s personal life as this wasn’t the Ming Dynasty, where imperial censors scrutinized every detail.
Forget about switching writing tools, even if the emperor decided to move into an entirely different palace, no one would dare complain.
The imperial treasury and the national treasury had always been separate, and in a world where private property was sacred and inviolable, how he spent his personal wealth was nobody’s business.
If there had been another time traveler in this world, they would have been shocked to find famous quotes and poetry from later generations unexpectedly appearing on his paper.
Fortunately, after so many years, Franz’s memory had faded, so the fragments he wrote down were usually just one or two lines. Otherwise, the original authors of those works would have been utterly bewildered.
…
Minister of the Colonies Stephen reported, “Your Majesty, a rebellion has broken out in French Sudan. The rebels have already occupied Wadi Halfa and are advancing toward Egypt.”
The rebellion in French Sudan had been going on for some time now. But these colonial uprisings were a common occurrence, happening every now and then. Unless they grew into a major crisis, they weren’t considered news.
Franz asked suspiciously, “Our people aren’t involved, are they?”
In these times, colonial empires stabbing each other in the back was nothing new. Even though treaties had been signed, promising not to stir up trouble, that only applied on the surface.
Behind the scenes, anything was possible and as long as no evidence was found, it wasn’t an issue.
Minister of the Colonies Stephen thought for a moment before replying, “The colonial government has not supported the rebels. However, whether private groups are involved is still uncertain.”
This was one of the side effects of colonial expansion. Austria had over a thousand colonial groups under its rule, with dozens operating in French Sudan alone.
The government only maintained control over cities and fully assimilated regions. Beyond that, these groups were free to act independently.
As long as national interests weren’t harmed, territorial expansion was considered legal on the condition that the colonial teams could conquer and hold the land by themselves.
But since Africa had already been fully divided, anyone still looking to make a name for themselves had no choice but to turn their guns on other colonial empires.
For years, many had been eager to fight, but the central government refused to allow it. And without the country’s backing, taking on a colonial empire alone was not a risk most were willing to take.
Going in directly wasn’t an option, but stirring things up behind the scenes was a different matter. Take the current situation as an example. If the French failed to suppress the rebellion, then an opportunity would arise.
After all, Africa was vast, and French-controlled Egypt and Sudan covered an area of over 2,000,000 square kilometers. Carving out a small piece would be more than enough to feed a colonial team.
Similar events were happening all over the world. While major colonial empires tried to exercise restraint, colonial conflicts continued to break out, mostly instigated by private colonial groups.
Franz dismissively said, “Forget it. As long as the colonial government isn’t involved, it doesn’t matter. If private colonial teams want to go, let them go.
It’s a good chance to test the waters and see what the French are made of. The French government has been busy lately, so as long as we don’t get caught, it’ll be fine.”
This “business” referred to France’s invasion of Annam, Napoleon IV’s first foreign war after ascending the throne. The French military’s performance had been disappointing.
Now, with the Mahdist uprising unfolding, the French government was in serious trouble.
If they failed to keep the rebels from advancing into Egypt, France would suffer major losses.
And if the rebels went a step further and destroyed Egypt’s cotton plantations, then France’s cotton textile industry would take a devastating hit.
At this time, the cotton textile industry was France’s most critical sector, with one-fifth of the country’s industrial workers relying on its supply chain for their livelihoods.
If anything happened to it, France’s entire industrial system would be severely affected. And it wasn’t just France. In every industrialized nation, the textile industry accounted for a significant portion of the economy.
Aside from the cotton plantations, there was another lifeline of France at stake which was the Suez Canal. If the rebels reached the canal and threatened to blow it up, the French government would have a headache.
Perhaps before the rebels even had a chance to destroy the canal, international forces would have already intervened.
The British had spent countless efforts trying to gain control over the Suez Canal, but they had never succeeded. If such an opportunity presented itself, they certainly wouldn’t let it slip away.
Even the seemingly agreeable Austrian government wouldn’t mind seizing sole control over the Suez Canal.
In the original timeline, it was the British who had to worry about these problems. To secure both the cotton supply and the Suez Canal, the British government had even compromised with local Egyptian powers.
Without Egyptian support, the Mahdist rebels had still managed to hold out for seven years before finally being crushed by the British. Even the British Governor of Sudan had been killed by the rebels.
However, the same scenario was impossible for France.
The French government had direct control over its colonies. The local Egyptian forces, once led by the Egyptian King, had already been suppressed.
In fact, the Egyptian royal family had been relocated to Paris, and during the recent Paris Revolution, they had been eliminated altogether.
There was no doubt that the French had no choice but to personally suppress the rebellion. And they had to do it while maintaining the prestige of the French army.
If another disaster like the one in Indochina happened, the very foundation of the French Empire would be shaken.
The glory of the French army had been built on a series of victories. A single defeat could be dismissed as an accident. But consecutive defeats… that would no longer be an accident.
Without the strength expected of the world’s top army, and with France lagging behind in political diplomacy, industrial economy, resources, and territory, how could it possibly contend with Austria?
Minister of the Colonies Stephen said, “That probably won’t be enough. Unless we or the British fully support the rebels, that rabble alone won’t amount to much.”
Franz nodded. Although the training model and mobilization mechanism of the French Army were outdated, it was undeniable that they were still among the world’s best armies.
In the original timeline, the Mahdist Uprising was able to last as long as it did mainly because British control over the region was weak, with fewer than a regiment of British troops stationed in Sudan.
But it would be a different story with the French. Just from French-controlled Egypt alone, they could muster fifty to sixty thousand troops, including a main division of the French Army.
“There’s no need. No matter how much we support them, they won’t be a match for the French. Now isn’t the time to turn against them. Perhaps we can let the British give it a try.”
…
France received two consecutive pieces of bad news, pouring cold water on the ambitious Napoleon IV.
Annam was far away, and even if they suffered some losses there, it was only a minor issue. But Egypt was different, it was France’s most important colony.
“Have we figured out who is behind this?”
The rebels did not stay in Sudan to establish their own rule but instead mobilized their main forces to strike directly at Egypt. If there were no international forces pulling the strings behind the scenes, Napoleon IV would never believe it.
The Minister of the Interior, Addison, cautiously replied, “Based on the intelligence we have gathered, we can confirm that the weapons in the rebels’ hands were brought in from inland, specifically from British and Austrian colonies.
However, whether this was orchestrated by private colonial groups or is part of a conspiracy by the two governments, we do not yet have enough evidence to determine.”
This was not the answer but it was a standard answer. The only powers capable of stirring up trouble in Sudan were Britain, France, and Austria. Aside from France itself, Britain and Austria were the obvious suspects.
No evidence was even needed to identify them as the culprits as there was no fear of wrongly accusing anyone.
But identifying the culprits was useless. Without solid proof, Britain and Austria would never admit to their involvement. Beyond wasting time with diplomatic wrangling, there was no practical action that could be taken.
Suppressing his inner frustration, Napoleon IV sighed and said slowly, “Forget it. We’ll keep this debt in mind and settle it with them later.
Order the Governor of Egypt to immediately dispatch troops to suppress the rebellion. The rebels must not be allowed to enter the heart of Egypt.”
***
https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)