"Oh? So the Kingdom of Britain has finally decided to declare war on the Russian Empire?"

Just on the morning of the third day after Britain's declaration of war against the Russian Empire, Jerome Bonaparte, who was inspecting a workshop in the Northern Industrial Park and preparing to reprimand some unscrupulous capitalists who were about to arrive, suddenly received an alliance request submitted by the British Government to the French Government, represented by Lord Cowley.

Although the roar within the workshop did not drown out Jerome Bonaparte's voice, it made Lord Cowley, who never liked noisy environments, feel an inexplicable irritation, as if a steam hammer was constantly pounding deep within his soul.

However, in order to fulfill his duties as a diplomatic envoy, Lord Cowley could only suppress his physical discomfort and approached to within less than a meter of Jerome Bonaparte, responding loudly, "Honorable Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Britain declared war on the Russian Empire three days ago!"

"Three days?" Jerome Bonaparte looked at Lord Cowley in surprise, with a slightly sarcastic tone he asked, "So it took you three days to decide whether to formally ally? When did the efficiency of the British Cabinet become so low?"

"This is based on democratic considerations!" Lord Cowley replied awkwardly, internally harboring some resentment towards the British Cabinet.

Since the British Cabinet has already decided to declare war on Russia, couldn't they improve their efficiency a bit?

To be honest, Lord Cowley, accustomed to the efficient administrative directives of the French Empire, also found it unbearable when he received the message from Britain.

Every proposal, even minor issues, had to go through layers of approval from the Cabinet and the two houses. Sometimes, a small cabinet had to be formed first, then taken to the Cabinet Council, and only after the Cabinet meeting's approval could the two houses vote and submit it to Queen Victoria.

This back-and-forth practice is simply applying the selfish nature of humanity to a certain extent. Every cabinet member, government official, and parliamentarian is willing to avoid responsibility, pinning the approval of proposals on the semi-realistic will of the people. Once the proposal is passed, they will take credit for it themselves.

If any mistakes arise in the future, they will quickly push the blame onto public opinion, protecting both the government departments and themselves.

If public opinion truly cannot be quelled, they will also shift all the blame onto privatized companies to embellish their own probity.

In such an environment, it's really too difficult to cultivate a responsible and visionary elite politician.

"What a democracy!" Jerome Bonaparte couldn't help but sigh. He spread his hands and eloquently said, "Democracy, democracy! Isn't it just the idea of ruling for you? You Britons talk about democracy all the time, but how many truly believe in it? Everything you do is in the name of 'democracy', legitimizing your shady dealings. In my view, this sort of democracy is merely a robber's democracy..."

Standing aside, Lord Cowley felt some internal agreement with Jerome Bonaparte's critique of the Kingdom of Britain, but such superficial agreement was destined to be unable to overthrow the arrogance ingrained in the Anglo-Saxon nature.

If Jerome Bonaparte weren't the monarch of a nation, Lord Cowley swore he would have thrown his cherished white glove in his face.

Lord Cowley's frustration only intensified after Jerome Bonaparte's discussion on "democracy", and finally, after nearly two minutes of talk from Jerome Bonaparte, Lord Cowley couldn't help but shout, "Your Majesty, shouldn't we now discuss the matter of forming a joint force?"

Upon hearing Lord Cowley's retort, Jerome Bonaparte halted his endless lecture, pondered a bit, and then replied to Lord Cowley in a theatrical tone only used when performing plays, "A joint force, huh!"

"That's right! On Prime Minister Palmerston's orders, I've come to discuss forming a joint force with you to jointly punish the Russian Empire!" Lord Cowley, disliking Jerome Bonaparte's shop earlier, solemnly said to Jerome Bonaparte.

"That's simple!" Jerome Bonaparte clapped his hands lightly and, slowing his tone, said, "The Kingdom of Britain and the French Empire just need to play to their respective strengths and fulfill their duties."

"Are you suggesting that the Kingdom of Britain handles the navy while France takes charge of the army?" Lord Cowley inquired of Jerome Bonaparte.

"Exactly!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded and further elaborated on Lord Cowley's suggestion, "Our two countries can establish a joint command. The fleet and transport ships of our country in the Mediterranean can be handed over to the navy commander appointed by Britain's joint command for unified direction, and correspondingly, the Kingdom of Britain needs to entrust your army forces to personnel we designate for unified command! This way, our two countries can ensure synchronized coordination!"

Hearing Jerome Bonaparte's words, Lord Cowley nodded in agreement. The navy is Britain's forte, while the army isn't Britain's strong suit.

If the army is given to France for command, perhaps it could produce different results.

"May I boldly ask how many troops the Kingdom of Britain plans to send to the Near East to ensure the security of the Ottoman Empire?" Jerome Bonaparte asked Lord Cowley, a smile playing on his lips.

"Britain plans to send a force of about 100,000 troops to the Near East!" Lord Cowley revealed the number of troops Britain intended to dispatch to Jerome Bonaparte, then added, "However, our advance troops consist of only about 20,000!"

"Who is the commanding officer of this force?" Jerome Bonaparte inquired curiously.

"Lord Raglan!" Lord Cowley responded proudly to Jerome Bonaparte and then explained Lord Raglan's background: "He once served as the Duke of Wellington's aide-de-camp and participated in many battles! He is a commander known for his prowess in war!"

After uttering these words, Lord Cowley suddenly realized that Lord Raglan had participated in the Battle of Waterloo, and standing before him was a member of the family who had been the losers at Waterloo.

Upon this realization, Lord Cowley's expression subtly changed, and he nervously glanced at Jerome Bonaparte.

At this moment, Jerome Bonaparte, upon hearing Lord Raglan's name, couldn't help but feel a sense of mourning for Britain's impending fate.

In the timeline of the Crimean campaign, the shortcomings of the British army were due not only to their poor logistics but also partially related to Lord Raglan.

This old general, rigid and almost doctrinaire from the Napoleonic era, never learned his superior, the Duke of Wellington's, strategy of adaptive tactics (considering Wellington's behavior post-Napoleonic Wars, his adaptability was largely a forced measure, as he was inherently a rigid military leader and politician), instead, he magnified his rigidity.

Especially the practice of wearing heavy military uniforms in the height of summer, rivaling the Ottoman Empire for the title of Crimea's culinary king.

Not to mention the rash and reckless incident of ordering the light cavalry to charge directly at the cannons, which was nothing short of a Quixotic performance.

Of course, this very rigid general was precisely the type of person Jerome Bonaparte hoped to see.

Although Britain and France had temporarily become sleepwalkers, Jerome Bonaparte still wished for Britain to shed more blood.

However, the appearance of Lord Raglan also signaled the failure of Jerome Bonaparte's already dubious Anglo-French Joint Command.

A thoroughly rigid general who had experienced the Napoleonic Wars was naturally not inclined to entrust the army to an "opportunist" (referring here to Marshal Saint Arno, who was notorious on both the London and Paris Stock Exchanges).

The anticipated resistance did not appear as Lord Cowley expected, but instead, Jerome Bonaparte adopted a positively cooperative attitude, saying to Lord Cowley, "That's wonderful! With such a venerable elder, we are sure to achieve great success!"

Subsequently, Jerome Bonaparte feigned a sigh of disappointment, saying, "I wonder if I might have the honor of meeting this general who fought alongside the Duke of Wellington! The previous era is gradually slipping away from us!"

"Certainly, Your Majesty!" Lord Cowley immediately replied to Jerome Bonaparte, "Lord Raglan will board a ship at Calais Port, travel through France, and then head to the Near East from Marseille! Naturally, when he passes through Paris, he will pay a visit to you!"

"Wonderful!" Jerome Bonaparte displayed a false smile, "I can't wait to meet with General Lagren!"

"Your Majesty, your wish will soon be fulfilled!" Lord Cowley assured Jerome Bonaparte.

Subsequently, Jerome Bonaparte and Lord Cowley both left the workshop, reaching an open field 2 kilometers away where the clanging of steam hammers on iron had ceased, set against a backdrop of neatly arranged cottages and fields sprawling into the distance.

Gazing at the pastoral scene before him, Jerome Bonaparte felt a sense of tranquility and pleasure.

In such a setting, the two began discussing the initial cooperation between England and France (further cooperation would have to await the arrival of the delegation), during which Jerome Bonaparte tactfully inquired if the British army would need logistical assistance from France, only to be flatly rejected by Lord Cowley, who was utterly ignorant of Near East logistics.

The discussion between the two lasted almost half an hour and ended as Lord Cowley left the industrial park.

Watching Lord Cowley's departing figure, a schadenfreude smile crept over Jerome Bonaparte's lips before he returned to the Northern Industrial Company's workshop.

The admonition of the capitalists was about to begin again!

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