Chapter 180

London

The direction of the war in the Near East stunned the British. The Russians actually gave up the two principalities of the Danube Valley in exchange for Austrian logistical assistance.

This means that the Russians have a very large appetite this time, and only greater interests can make the Russians give up the Principality of Moldavia and Wallachia.

John Russell said with a gloomy face: "Our previous plan failed. Austria and the Russians reached an agreement. If we don't take action now, the Ottoman Empire is definitely not their opponent.

Mr. Palmerston, what can your Foreign Office have to do to break up the alliance of Russia and Austria in the shortest possible time?

Together, the two countries are simply invincible in the Near East. Even if we act together with the French, it will be difficult to win. "

Prime Minister John Russell's words are not without purpose. The only areas bordering Russia and the Ottomans are the Balkans and the Caucasus.

The Caucasus is limited by terrain, and logistics is a big problem if a large corps is to be fought.

With the poor traffic conditions in Russia and the complex terrain of the Caucasus, it is simply impossible to support a battle of more than 200,000 troops.

Of course, if the sea power of the Black Sea is not lost, they can still fight along the coastline, and logistical supplies are not a problem.

Now the route of the Russian troops on land is the Balkans. The two principalities of the Danube River Basin are both major grain-producing countries, and the food problem can basically be solved on the spot, and the logistical pressure of the Russian army is reduced by half.

Even so, the Russians were incapable of hitting all the way to Constantinople. After occupying the two principalities, they basically reached the limit of the offensive, and the strategic materials shipped from the country could not keep up with the consumption rate of the front-line troops.

But adding an Austria is different. The Danube can quickly transport strategic materials, and there is no problem in supporting hundreds of thousands of troops in the Balkans.

Palmerston replied without changing his face: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, it is very simple to break up the alliance between Russia and Austria, we have proposed it long ago.

As long as the Ottoman Empire agreed to cede the two principalities of the two Danubes to Austria, it was enough to feed the Austrians. With Austria separating them from the Russians, things wouldn't be so bad now. "

In order to check and balance the Russians, the British Foreign Office did have this plan, but the ceding of the two principalities of the Danube Valley to Austria is only part of it.

Historically, the British proposed: ceding the Aran Islands and Finland to Sweden; ceding the Baltic Sea coast to Prussia; giving Poland independence; ceding Moldavia and Wallachia and the mouth of the Danube to Austria as a price to Austria. Abandoned Lombardy and Venice to the Kingdom of Sardinia; Crimea and the Caucasus to the Ottoman Empire...  

In theory, once this plan is implemented, the strength of the Russians will be greatly weakened, and the ability to compete with the British for world hegemony will be lost.

However, the plan could not keep up with the rapid changes, and it died prematurely before it started to be implemented. Not only did the Russians disagree with the plan, it was equally unlikely that Austria would agree to it.

Don't look at the size of the two principalities of the Danube Valley, and the land is very fertile, but these areas have not yet been developed, and their economic value is still lower than that of Lombardy and Venice.

Now occupying these areas, Austria has to invest a lot of manpower and material resources to develop, not to mention, it has also become the vanguard of anti-Russian, rushing in the front line of anti-Russian, which is very disadvantageous in strategy.

Instead, it is better to join forces with the Russians. Austria can also get these sites, but it is nothing more than sacrificing the interests of the Ottoman Empire.

Franz has always believed in the truth that "a thousand birds are in the forest, it is better to have a bird in hand", but he will not sacrifice his own interests in order to check and balance the great cause of the Russians.

Butterfly effect is still useful, because the performance of the Austrian army in the Ossa War proved the strength of the powers to the outside world. Palmerston's new strategic plan did not propose to give Lombardy and Venice to the kingdom of Sardinia.

Watching people cook is the strength of the British. Austria is stronger than in history, and its treatment is naturally stronger than in history.

In order to fool Austria into turning against the Russians, they did not hesitate to make huge profits. It is a pity that their plan has not yet convinced the Ottomans, and the war has already broken out.

"But the stupid Ottoman government couldn't see this. They only saw that ceding the two principalities of the Danube Valley would cause them heavy losses, and they couldn't see the benefits of doing so.

I believe that after the Russian-Turkish war, the reality will make the Ottomans more sober and make the right choice. ' John Russell complained

Obviously, the Ottoman Empire has made him tired of the British Prime Minister.

Palmerston sneered and said: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, the Ottoman government is now sober and believes that they will make the right choice.

But this is the future. The most important thing now is to persuade Congress to send troops to the Balkans as soon as possible. If it is too late, the Ottomans may not be able to hold on. "

This is the national policy of the British, to deal with the most threatening enemy first, and they will not change their target until the Russians fall.

In terms of threats, Austria at this time was not as good as France. The poor geographical location had already shown that Austria could not threaten the core interests of the British.

John Russell thought about it and said, "The problem with Congress is not big. In order to protect our interests in the Mediterranean region, we must keep the Russians in cages."

Interest is the eternal theme. The Russian annexation of the Ottoman Empire has seriously damaged the interests of the British. interest groups for

To keep overseas investment, it is natural to support the government's intervention in the war in the Near East.

...

Constantinople

Abdul Majid I regretted that, had he known that the Russians and Austria would compromise so quickly, he would have accepted the British advice.

Politics has no regrets. At this time, the Russian army and the Ottoman army have already started fighting in the Bulgarian area. What is even more tragic is that as the party with more troops, they are actually at a disadvantage on the battlefield.

"How long will it take for our reinforcements to reach the front line?" Abdul Mejid I asked with concern

"Your Majesty, there are too many guerrillas in Bulgaria, and it will take three days for our reinforcements to arrive." The Minister of War replied in a low voice.

In this war, the speed of the Ottoman army was slower than they expected, and the war minister naturally had no confidence in his words.

Abdul Mejid I snorted coldly: "Humph!"

He added: "I don't care what you think of, anyway, you can't lose the Bulgarian region. You all know what it means here!"

Everyone lowered their heads and dared not speak. The national policy of the Ottoman Empire has actually been very enlightened in modern times.

It is a pity that no matter how good the policy is, someone needs to implement it. The decadent Ottoman government undoubtedly lacks the ability to implement it efficiently. In the end, it is natural that people's grievances are boiling.

The after-effects are now coming out. Not to mention that the local operations have not received the support of the people, and they have also been attacked by guerrillas, which has delayed the marching speed of the reinforcements.

Fortunately, the response speed of the Russians was also very slow, otherwise the decisive battle broke out on the front line, and the Ottoman government could only cry.

...

Athens, Greece

The war in the Near East broke out, the Greeks rejoiced, and their chance to achieve their goals came.

However, Otto I had a headache. At the same time, facing the co-optation of the four great powers, he did not know how the team should stand.

Since the outbreak of conflict with the British in 1850, Greek nationalism has been on the rise. From the very beginning, Otto I believed that nationalism was beneficial to his rule, and he supported this idea.

Otto I thought he had grasped the key to gaining popular support and placed himself at the forefront of the patriotic movement.

How to keep the patriotic enthusiasm of the people from cooling down became a problem for Otto I.

After the outbreak of nationalism, regaining lost territory became the common goal of the Greeks, and it was also the "great ideal" of Otto I and Queen Armania.

The demands of the Greeks to reclaim their territory were almost endless. The theoretical basis for this requirement came from the Byzantine Empire, and the Greeks wanted to reproduce the territory of the Byzantine Empire.

When the power and ideal are out of balance, the days of tragedy are not far away. In this era, the territory of the Kingdom of Greece was only over 50,000 square kilometers, with a population of less than one million, which could not support their "ideals" at all.

"Everyone, which side should we stand on now?" Otto I asked with a frown

As a small country, the most rational thing to do is to stand on the side of the winner; while a country with strong nationalism is often not so rational, but chooses the side with the greatest interests.

At this time, Otto I did not know that his rule was about to usher in a new crisis. No matter which side you stand on, it is impossible to satisfy the appetite of the people to regain lost ground.

In Greece, where idealism is prevalent, the people do not care so much, they will only make demands from the government according to their own ideals.

Historically, in the more than 100 years since Otto I, the successive kings of Greece have not lived a comfortable life, because none of them could fulfill the ideals of the Greek people.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer replied with a complicated look: "Your Majesty, the British and French navies have already controlled the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea. For the security of the country, we can only stand with them."

This is the most rational approach. No matter who wins or loses, Greece, surrounded by Britain, France, and Ottomans, has no choice at all.

The Minister of War retorted: "Standing with the Ottoman Empire, what can we gain? Can we expect that we will be able to return our homeland to us by relying on their alms?

Now the Russians have made a promise that as long as we declare war on the Ottoman Empire, they will support us to get Thessaly and Epirus after the war.

The Austrians even promised that they would support us in gaining as much territory as we captured.

Such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, should we give up? "

There is no way, the Russians and Austrias are generous to others, and naturally do not mind making promises to the Greeks. Britain and France are now allies with the Ottoman Empire. How could they choose to sacrifice the interests of the Ottomans to meet the demands of the Greeks?

Even if you want to win over allies, the Kingdom of Greece is not qualified enough?

Britain and France are also arrogant, not some kind of cat or dog, they can all be on an equal footing with them.

The Prime Minister echoed: "Yes, if we give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the people outside will not agree.

It's worth taking a little risk for the revival of the great Greek kingdom! "

It's not that he wants to stand with the Russians, or that he doesn't see the risk of doing so, but that the Greek populace outside has already made a choice for them.

Nationalism is a double-edged sword. It can kill the enemy as well as hurt oneself. Now the government of Otto I has been kidnapped by our public opinion.

Otto I thought for a while and said, "Since the people have made their choice, our government must respect their choice.

However, considering the positions of Britain and France, we cannot directly declare to the Ottoman Empire.

War, what can you do? "

There is no good way, there is a bad idea.

The Minister of War proposed: "Your Majesty, we can form a civilian army to attack the Ottoman Empire, which can not only give the Russians and Austria an explanation, but also take care of the face of Britain and France."

In his opinion, the support of Britain and France for the Ottoman Empire is only to attack the Russians, not to say that the two countries are really supporting the Ottomans.

As long as the Greek kingdom grasps the degree of it, and while attacking the Ottoman Empire, it does not hurt the face of Britain and France, they will not interfere.

A bad idea is better than no idea. There is no better way, and a bad idea can only be used.

Seeing everyone applauding, Otto I finally made a decision: "Then let's speak to the representatives of Austria and Russia, we will support them in this war!"