Reaction

London. Victories from the Egyptian region kept pouring in, yet Prime Minister Gladstone could not bring himself to rejoice.

The rebel army had not, as expected, fought all the way to the Suez Canal region and threatened the canal's security. They had not even come close to its banks.

There was no helping it; not all of the rebel leadership were fools. At the very least, their leader Mahdi was exceptionally clear-headed. He knew that running toward the canal before driving out the French would be fatal.

Moreover, the French defended it with all their might. They would rather watch city after city in the Egyptian region fall than fail to prioritize the security of the Suez Canal.

This badly wounded the British Government, which had wanted to intervene in the Suez Canal.

With the canal not under threat, the British naturally had no excuse to meddle in its affairs. No matter how formidable Britain was, France and Austria would not dance to their tune.

Now that French reinforcements had arrived in Egypt, even if the rebel army wanted to fight toward the canal, they no longer had the opportunity.

Since the ultimate goal had not been achieved, no matter how much they weakened the French, it would be futile. After all, France was no longer the British Government's primary target for suppression.

Gladstone said, "The Egyptian plan has failed. We have lost our chance to intervene in the Suez Canal, and if we continue, we will be directly confronting France and Austria.

"Given the current situation, we must now consider the aftermath. Continuing to weaken France would merely be helping Austria, which is detrimental to the balance on the European Continent."

Though he did not wish to admit it, facts were facts. Lieutenant General Jerez's reputation had been trumpeted