Chapter 178 Ottoman Crisis

It was the third day that news of the outbreak of war in the Near East had reached London. Even if they had been mentally prepared, after receiving the news, the senior British government still had a headache.

Even Queen Victoria, who rarely intervenes in politics, could not sit still and held a high-level meeting at Buckingham Palace.

Queen Victoria asked: "The War in the Near East broke out, and the Russians and Austria got mixed up. The Ottomans are in big trouble this time. To protect our interests in the Near East, what is the government going to do?"

The Ottoman Empire has accumulated prestige for a long time. Even if it has declined in this era, the tiger's prestige still has some points. Coupled with the fact that the Ottoman government has just completed institutional reforms, they appear to be a modern empire on the surface.

In Queen Victoria's view, even if the Ottoman Empire is not an opponent of Russia and Austria, they have such a large territory and millions of troops, at most they will cut some meat, and they will not die for a while.

This is also the mainstream view in Europe, how weak the Ottoman Empire is, no one knows at all.

Prime Minister John Russell, who had been prepared for a long time, replied: "Her Majesty, we have joined forces with France to intervene in this war together."

Prince Albert questioned: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, this time the Russian-Turkish war is different from the past, and the Austrians also participated in the war.

Even if we join forces with the French, if we want to make them compromise, I'm afraid we can't do it, right? Otherwise, this war will never start! "

Queen Victoria does not like to participate in politics, and Prince Albert is different. Many major decisions in the UK have his shadow.

John Russell explained: "His Royal Highness, the alliance between the Russians and Austrians is only temporary, because sooner or later the relationship of interests will part ways.

Our current enemy is Russia. Austria can put it aside for now. Their appetite is just that. Even if the Balkans are given to them, they will not be able to eat it.

The government is ready to join forces with the French to support the Ottoman Empire and the Russians to fight, and the Austrian Foreign Ministry can handle it. "

Send troops to intervene in the Near East War? Whether historically or now, the British were not prepared to play in person in the first place.

Historically, the British sent troops to participate in the Crimean War, which was established only when the Ottoman Empire could not stand it and the French were willing to act as the main force.

There are still millions of lions in the Ottoman Empire. Before the battle, who knew that these troops were all goodies?

Many in the British government believed that it was enough to give the Ottomans a loan and sell them some weapons.

Of course, it is possible to send the navy to help, and it is also in the interests of the British to penetrate the tentacles into the Black Sea Strait.

When the army faced the Russians, they did not have self-confidence. The navy suppressed the Russians' Black Sea Fleet, but they were not cowardly.

...

Paris

Compared with the British, Napoleon III was much more active. In his view, the war in the Near East was the best opportunity to divert domestic conflicts.

If he can defeat the Russians and avenge his uncle's Waterloo revenge, he can gain huge political capital.

It doesn't matter if you lose, anyway, the battle was fought in the Ottoman Empire, and you can throw the blame on your allies. As long as the French army can win a few times, they can take it back for propaganda.

Napoleon III asked with concern: "Rouet, what did the British say, are you ready to send troops with us?"

Roue replied: "Your Majesty, the London government is still hesitating, and it is initially judged that they are preparing to support the Ottoman Empire behind the scenes, and are not prepared to send troops to participate in the war in person.

However, if we send troops to support the Ottomans, the British will also support them, and they also want to teach the Russians a lesson on the battlefield. "

This conclusion is quite hasty. The Ottoman Empire has not yet been defeated, and the British can of course not play. If the Ottoman army suffered a major defeat, would the British still be able to live?

In case the Ottoman Empire gets cold, all their early investment will be wasted, and even their interests in the Mediterranean will not be guaranteed.

Napoleon III dared to send troops to intervene in the War in the Near East, but it was also based on the fact that the Ottoman Empire had a certain strength, otherwise they would single out the Russians. In fact, the French were also very cowardly.

For no other reason, there are too many grey animals. Quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes. Back then, Napoleon was killed by the Russians in quantity, and there was also an Austrian Empire, so they could not help but pay attention.

"Humph!"

Napoleon III gave a cold drink and expressed his dissatisfaction. The British made it clear that they were going to be the first bird.

"Tell the British, don't forget that there is another Austria. If we don't send troops to support the Ottoman Empire, I'm afraid it won't be long before we hear the news of their defeat." Napoleon III thought for a while and said

The use of diplomatic means to split the Russian-Austrian alliance is very important to the British, and it is okay to pay some price for this.

But for Napoleon III, it was different. The stage has already been set up, and the audience is waiting to watch the play.

Since Napoleon III came to the throne as Napoleon's successor, it is only right to avenge his uncle. The French people are watching him and cannot tolerate him retreating.

There is no way, the French people of this era are so capricious. Since Napoleon III promised everyone before he took the throne, it must be fulfilled.

This is what Napoleon III did in history. The Crimean War ended the Russian hegemony in Europe and won the support of the people.

"Your Majesty, if the Russians and Austria really join forces, we may not be able to defeat them in the Near East." Roue reminded

The vice emperor is not for nothing. If he loses the battle, he will be the one who takes the blame, and it is necessary to prepare for the prevention of micro and Du Jian.

"Don't worry, they can't really join forces. With the appetite of the Russians, Austria doesn't dare to let them get the Black Sea Strait." Napoleon III affirmed.

A Russian Empire that is too powerful is not in Austria's interests. The Russians annexed the Ottoman Empire, and the pressure on Austria was great.

...

Balkans

On April 11, 1852, the Austrian government and the Russian government signed the "Balkan Treaty" after some consultations.

The treaty stipulated that the Russian army handed over the two principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia to Austria; the Russian army was granted the right of free passage; Austria provided logistical support for the Russian army in the Balkans.

The two sides got what they wanted. Austria got the pre-agreed territory and successfully covered up the westward strategy; the Russians got the opportunity to continue to fight from the Balkan Peninsula, which increased the chance of winning the war.

Looking at the map, you can see that without the material support of Austria, after occupying the two principalities of the Danube, the logistics supply will make the Russian army lose the ability to continue the offensive.

The sudden release of the Russians stunned the Sudanese government, which was preparing to see the Russian-Austrian conflict.

Without hesitation, 250,000 Russian troops were setting off along the lower Danube and heading straight for Bulgaria.

Anyone with a little military knowledge knows that once Bulgaria falls, the capital of the Ottoman Empire is in danger.

In fact, if the Sudanese government had not invited the British and French navies into the Black Sea in time, the Russian attack would have been smoother. It is much easier to transport supplies by sea than by land.

With the strength of the Russians, if they hadn't lost their sea power, they could have chosen to land at multiple points, leaving the Ottoman Empire exhausted.

One wave has not settled, and another has risen.

The Russians also came prepared. Through the connection of the Orthodox Church, the Bulgarians are now ready to welcome the king.

Not only Bulgarians, but other ethnic groups within the Ottoman Empire are also eager to move. It's just that at this time, they still lack effective organization, nationalism has not spread, and the fighting power that erupts is limited.

In short, the current Ottoman Empire is full of storms and storms. After adding an Austrian enemy, they will face even more trouble.