Prime Minister Palmerston and Baron Largren immediately realized that something unexpected might have happened in the Near East upon hearing that the Minister of Foreign Affairs wanted to meet with them simultaneously.

Simultaneously, a look of panic appeared on the faces of Palmerston and Largren.

Has the Russian Empire already breached Silistra and is advancing toward Constantinople?

An absurd idea surged into Palmerston's mind, but he dismissed it in an instant!

Because once Silistra is breached, the first to face the Russian Imperial Army would not be the Kingdom of Britain, but the French Empire.

The 40,000 French Army troops stationed in the Varna Region (according to Palmerston's intelligence) could not have been defeated so quickly in any case!

"Quick! Let him in!" Palmerston hurriedly instructed the chief secretary.

Now is not the time for wild speculation!

Receiving the nod from Prime Minister Palmerston, the chief secretary immediately turned and opened the door, inviting the Minister of Foreign Affairs inside.

Once the Minister of Foreign Affairs had entered, the chief secretary departed and thoughtfully closed the door.

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister! Your Excellency, Baron!" Lord Clarendon greeted Palmerston and Baron Largren in turn.

"Minister Villiers! You're eager to meet with me and Baron Largren; has something happened in the Near East?" Palmerston asked directly.

Lord Clarendon nodded, walked slowly to the desk, handed the telegram to Palmerston, and said in a deep voice, "Our army is suffering severe non-combat casualties on the Gallipoli Peninsula!"

Receiving the folded telegram, Palmerston unfolded it, and the contents immediately wiped the faint smile off his face.

Sitting across from Palmerston, Baron Largren, upon seeing Palmerston's somber face, felt his lighthearted mindset plunging into the abyss.

Even though Baron Largren did not know the content of the telegraph, the words just spoken by the Earl of Clarion and Palmerston's expression already gave him the answer.

Finishing reading the telegram, Palmerston took a deep breath, handed it over to Baron Largren, and solemnly said, "You should take a look, too!"

Baron Largren took the telegram handed over by Palmerston, and after carefully reading it through, his face immediately turned a livid shade, eventually slamming the telegram onto the table fiercely, cursing, "What the hell is Dundas doing? He can't even handle small logistical matters! And Aire (Chief Commissary of the British Expeditionary Army, Major General), what on earth is he doing? If he's competent, let him do his job; if not, tell him to take off his uniform and get out of the army!"

"Commander Largren, I think our primary task right now is not to correct mistakes but to reduce our non-combat casualties as much as possible! I wouldn't want half of our army to be lost to non-combat casualties before even fighting the Russian Empire!" Palmerston raised his hand to stop Baron Largren's curses and calmly analyzed the current situation.

According to the telegraph, a rare snowstorm hit the Gallipoli Peninsula the night before (when Ambassador Cowley sent the letter from Paris).

Initially, the Duke of Cambridge, who was serving as the interim British commander, only thought it was a temporary snowstorm and did not pay much attention, continuing to stay in Gallipoli as planned.

However, as the storm intensified, within just eight hours, it covered the feet. At this point, the Duke of Cambridge realized that the situation was developing in a direction unfavorable to the British Army, and the biting cold wind relentlessly battered every thin tent.

Thin tents alone were unable to fend off the biting cold; inside, soldiers wrapped in equally thin blankets huddled together, shivering, with soldiers being frostbitten at every moment, even facing death.

What's worse, the Kingdom of Britain had not prepared for winter supplies; after the snow, even basic living supplies couldn't be delivered, and the morale of the British Army was low even before the battle had begun.

When the weather finally cleared a bit, the Duke of Cambridge, recalculating the troop numbers, found that within just one night, nearly 50 British soldiers had frozen to death, and 200 frostbite cases needed treatment.

Unavoidably, the Duke of Cambridge had to split his forces into two groups: one group was sent to Constantinople to report the situation to those stationed there, hoping that Ambassador Canning would report back to London, while the other group took a ship to seek assistance from the Malta Fleet Commander.

Upon receiving the Duke of Cambridge's plea for help, Canning immediately went to the Topkapı Palace to seek assistance from Abdul Majid I.

However, despite Abdul Majid I being the host in the Near East, he was also powerless regarding the current plight of the British.

Because the Ottoman Empire, too, could not deliver supplies to the Gallipoli Peninsula due to the impending mountain-blocking snow, Abdul Majid I tactfully suggested to Canning that he seek help from the French Army.

After all, Rhodes Island is now the transshipment warehouse of France, and the supplies stored within can fully satisfy the needs of the French Army while also supporting the struggling British Army.

The British Army only needs to abandon all its equipment and walk out of the Gallipoli Peninsula unarmed.

Upon hearing the suggestion from Abdul Majid I, Canning left silently.

Afterwards, this telegram appeared in Lord Clarendon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"What can we do? What can we do?" Baron Lagren said gloomily, displeased. "Either Britain continues to hold the fort on the Gallipoli Peninsula, or we seek aid from France! I really don't understand why the Ministry of War came up with such a foolish landing plan, couldn't they take a look at the terrain of Gallipoli, and then..."

"Enough!" Before Baron Lagren could finish, Prime Minister Palmerston sternly said, "Now is not the time to assign blame! Two thousand troops sustained 250 casualties in less than two weeks; this is indeed a failure on our Cabinet's part! Therefore, we must make a decision as soon as possible!"

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister! Actually..." After hesitating for a moment, Lord Clarendon spoke again, "I have a letter here from Ambassador Cowley!"

"Ambassador Cowley?" Palmerston was taken aback for a few seconds, then eagerly asked, "Is there any change on the French side?"

"No! It's not!" Lord Clarendon shook his head and handed Ambassador Cowley's letter to Palmerston.

Palmerston looked at Cowley's letter and then thought of the current situation faced by the British Army, internally blaming the French: "Those damn Frenchmen! They must have known about Gallipoli's situation long ago!"

"What's the matter?" Baron Lagren looked at Palmerston with a puzzled expression.

"Take a look!" Palmerston handed the letter from Ambassador Cowley to Baron Lagren.

After reading the letter, Baron Lagren also couldn't help but curse at the actions of the French Empire: "I said those damn Frenchmen aren't genuinely interested in allying with us! If they had informed us earlier, we wouldn't be in this current predicament!"

For Prime Minister Palmerston and Baron Lagren's venting remarks, Lord Clarendon acted as if he hadn't heard anything and calmly said, "Your Excellency Prime Minister, Commander Lagren, our troops are suffering from the harsh weather, the Cabinet must devise a plan quickly!"

"If Britain abandons its military equipment and seeks aid from France, perhaps it might be a solution... No! It won't work!" Palmerston suddenly realized that there were reporters from The Times within this Expeditionary Army.

If they found out that the dignified British Empire sought aid from France, the prideful Britons might tear the Cabinet apart.

But if left unattended, the British Army stationed at Gallipoli could face the risk of disintegration, leading to a greater wave of destabilization at home.

Palmerston didn't dare to gamble that the weather on the Gallipoli Peninsula would develop in a direction favorable to Britain in the coming days.

That's why, once sitting in the Cabinet Prime Minister position, one must not only have the capability to act but also have an awareness of the bigger picture.

What is the bigger picture?

The bigger picture is to consider the sentiments of Britons while ensuring the smooth extraction of British soldiers.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, I believe you don't have to worry about the impact of having our troops lay down their current weaponry and equipment!" Lord Clarendon suggested to Palmerston, "The whole of Britain is already engulfed in an anti-Russian wave, we only need to exert some pressure on The Times! They naturally won't report news unfavorable to Britain. Meanwhile, the government departments should..."

Clarendon's method was simple, more than ninety years ahead of its time: portray the Gallipoli retreat as a strategic victory and overcoming difficulties by the British Army!

As for the French side, the financially robust Britain only needs to use money to shut the French Empire's mouth.

"Let's do it this way!" Prime Minister Palmerston made up his mind and told Lord Clarendon and Baron Lagren, "Isn't France scouring the world for gold? (While Jerome Bonaparte was stabilizing the market, limiting the outflow of gold and silver, he actively scoured (short-sold) gold to maintain the stable issuance of franc notes)! The Kingdom of Britain can assist them by discounting the British bonds they hold!"

The discovery of Australian gold mines had also made Britain financially robust, holding nearly a third of the world's gold reserves; Britain would not fear the frenzied speculation from France.

"So, who will facilitate this matter?" Palmerston asked Baron Lagren and Lord Clarendon with a smile.

"Let me do it!"

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