Chapter 200 Open up a New Front

Constantinople

Abdul Mejid I's face was gloomy and terrifying. This Balkan war may only be a small episode for Britain and France, but it is fatal to the Sudanese government.

For this war, the Ottoman Empire has done everything possible. No doubt, they only have so much strength.

A million troops were mobilized back and forth, regardless of the combat effectiveness, anyway, all the family members of the Ottoman Empire were involved.

As a result, the situation on the battlefield made Abdul Mejid I very disappointed. Originally, the coalition should have a slight advantage, but unfortunately this advantage disappeared after the battle for command between Britain and France.

Eliminate Anglo-French contradictions? Stop dreaming. The two world wars in history were a matter of life and death. Both Britain and France could hold back each other. Now, do you still expect them to cooperate sincerely?

Abdul Mejid I said solemnly: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted the London government and the Paris government to tell them that if they continue to preserve their strength on the battlefield, we will lose this war."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Foreign Minister Frau Ader replied

Don't look at the fierce fighting now. In fact, British and French casualties are not large, and the Ottoman troops are mainly killed on the battlefield.

Since the British used guns to the necks of the Ottomans, forcing them to consume the strength of the Russians on the battlefield, the French naturally didn't mind following suit.

In the Sliven area, the Russians first caught the French and beat them. In order to preserve their strength, the French naturally used the Ottoman army as cannon fodder.

Anyway, the Ottomans are now begging Britain and France for help. Even if they go too far, the Sudanese government can only bear it.

Now that the battle is underway, the reduction of British and French troops is less than 15%, which also includes non-combat reductions, while the reduction of the Ottoman army has exceeded 25%.

Under normal circumstances, with such a large casualty, the Ottoman army should have collapsed long ago, but the supervising team is different.

To a certain extent, it is of positive significance for Britain and France to put guns on their necks and force them to go to the battlefield, at least causing a lot of casualties to the Russians.

The war minister Mudra suggested anxiously: "Your Majesty, let Britain and France increase their troops. According to the current situation, it is impossible for them to cooperate well. The only way to win this war is to rely on absolute strength.

At this point in the battle, we are already at a disadvantage. Even if the British and French troops are willing to work hard, it is only a lose-lose outcome. "

Abdul Majid I sighed and said with a wry smile: "It's not that simple, this battle is not that important to Britain and France, even if it loses, it won't hurt.

Perhaps in the eyes of Britain and France, the cost of war will be lower if the battlefield is placed on the coast, or if it is a battle to defend Constantinople.

Even because of the lengthening of the front line, the logistical pressure on the Russians has greatly increased, the number of troops that can be invested in the front line will inevitably decrease, and the chances of winning the coalition will increase. "

Britain and France could do this, but the Ottoman Empire could not. If the Russians were really put on the coast for a decisive battle, the elite areas of the Ottoman Empire would be reduced to battlefields.

In the end, even if the war was won, the basis for their rule in the Balkans was over. Not to mention regaining lost ground, it is very difficult to keep the actual scope of control now.

The reality is so cruel. Britain and France joined forces with them just to fight against the Russian talents. The life and death of the Ottoman Empire is not in their consideration at all.

He paid such a high price for this war, and there was no profit at all. If he had to catch up with most of the Balkans, it would be strange if Abdul Mejid I had no resentment.

But the contradiction between the Ottoman Empire and the Russians is too deep. Even if the Sudanese government wants to admit their counsel, the Russians still want to beat them, and they can only follow Britain and France to their lives.

...

London

The battle in the Balkans was deadlocked, and the British government had a headache. Don't think that they are rich and powerful, so they can ignore it.

Starting from the interests, ending this war as soon as possible and letting the British Empire devote its energy to colonial expansion is the best choice.

After more than half a year, the army promised by the United Kingdom finally arrived, and the last batch of reinforcements has departed from the British Isles to the Balkans.

This support force was strongly requested by Lieutenant General Montes on the front line. He no longer believed that the Ottomans could destroy the guerrillas, and he was not sure when the French would be able to defeat the Russians.

The face of the British Empire cannot be lost, nor the face of the Army. For the sake of face, the status of the Army in the country, and future military spending, the bureaucrats of the British War Department have rarely been efficient.

In theory, the arrival of the 30,000 British troops on the front line is likely to break the deadlock on the battlefield, but the British government still has no confidence.

Since the Anti-French War, the Russian Empire has been the most powerful country on the European continent and the largest army power in the world.

The London government has no confidence in its own army. They do not think that the army can break the situation at this point. Even the London government has not asked the army to take the initiative to attack.

In the eyes of the British cabinet, the United Kingdom is not an army power in the first place, and as long as it is not embarrassing on the Balkan battlefield, the task of defeating the Russians should be left to the French and the Ottomans.

Prime Minister John Russell asked: "The battle in the Balkans has reached a stalemate. Unless the coalition forces increase their troops again, they will not be able to win in a short period of time. What do you think?"

diplomatic

Minister Palmerston proposed: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, this situation is mainly because the Russians have been preparing for this war for more than two years, and the coalition forces are hastily challenged.

There is also the position of the Austrian government, which is beyond our expectations. The Vienna government actually gave up restrictions on the Russians and provided them with logistical supplies.

We have already sent people to contact the Vienna government, and their attitude is very firm. Without listening to our conditions, it directly expressed neutrality.

We asked them to refuse strategic supplies to the Russians, and they refused us on the pretext of free trade. "

"Free trade" was proposed by the British, and they did not expect to get revenge on themselves so quickly. But they can't object, this is the national policy of the British Empire.

This year, there is no restriction that neutral countries cannot export strategic materials, at least there is no mandatory binding force, and Austria is now doing business with the Russians in an open and fair manner.

Palmerston once wanted to go to the Austrian market to sweep the goods and cut off the supply of Russian goods. After thinking about it, he gave up, and the domestic capitalists are not easy to mess with.

If the London government buys the Austrians, but not theirs, it will be fatal for these people to make a fuss.

As a political ally, Navy Secretary James Graham said: "Mr Palmerston is right, the reason for this situation is that we have made a miscalculation of Russia-Austria relations.

But things have already happened, and reviewing mistakes will not help. The most important thing now is to defeat the Russians, and let the past pass!

The Russians are not without weaknesses. Judging from the information we have, more than 80% of the Russian military's combat materials on the Balkans are provided by the Austrians, and the rest are the materials reserved by the Russians in advance.

The strategic materials in the Caucasus are basically provided by the Russians themselves.

Most of these strategic materials are hoarded along the coast of Ukraine. If we can raid these areas, it will also be a heavy blow to the Russians. "

Of course it was a heavy blow, and the fruits of the Russian preparations two years in advance are all here. It was originally planned to use the Black Sea Fleet to transport logistics supplies for the front-line army.

As a result, the plan could not keep up with the rapid changes. The British and French navies rushed in, and sea traffic was cut off. They could only rely on ox carts and horse carriages to slowly transport them to the front.

If the British raided these supplies, the economic loss alone would make the Tsarist government cry.

With the greed of the Russian bureaucracy, even if the British only fired a few guns, they would dare to destroy these materials in battle.

Palmerston suggested: "Not only can we destroy these supplies, but we can actually open up a second front on the coast of Ukraine.

The Russians have put the main force into the Balkans, and we can take this opportunity to take down the Black Sea Fleet's home.

Without these unsightly flies, our men could land on the coast of the Black Sea at any time, and the Russians would have a headache.

They can leave it in other places, but the Crimea Peninsula must never lose it.

The military strength of the Russians is not unlimited either. After we open up a new front, they will not be able to support each other for long. "

The misjudgment of the Russian-Austrian relationship by the London government was caused by the misjudgment made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Palmerston must find a way to make up for it.

Opening up a new front was the strategy that his think tank came up with. As long as the Russians are defeated, all the previous mistakes are not worth mentioning.

Anyway, with the naval advantage, they can fight whatever they want along the Black Sea coast.

The Russians have to take care of three battlefields at the same time, obviously they are not enough. Not to mention the Caucasus, it is impossible to give up the Balkans, the Russians have paid too much, and there is only one foot left from Constantinople.

However, the Crimea Peninsula cannot be lost. If they are lost here, the British and French navies will block their doorsteps every day. It is impossible for the Russians to develop their navy in the Black Sea.

Without the navy, continuing to conquer Constantinople would have political and religious significance, and even if it was conquered, it would be difficult to hold.

Home Secretary Henry John Temple questioned: "Mr Palmerston, the opening of the second front is theoretically very good, but don't forget that we are also expeditions, the Russians are at a high cost, and ours is even greater.

Just like the current war in the Balkans, the military expenditure of the coalition forces is twice that of the Russians. The Russians purchase materials directly from Austria, and our material transportation costs are also a quarter higher than theirs.

The financial resources of the Ottomans have been exhausted, all the expenses of the army of the Sardinian Kingdom are borne by us, and the financial resources of the French government are not optimistic.

If we open up a new front on the Crimean Peninsula, most of the military spending will fall on us. We don't have this budget financially. How can we convince Congress? "

No one likes to suffer, and now to open up a new front, the British must act as the gold master. This means millions of pounds, or even tens of millions of pounds.

Palmerston explained calmly: "Mr. Henry, you are overthinking. If the war breaks out on the Crimea Peninsula, we will actually take advantage of it even more.

As long as we destroy the supplies that the Russians have hoarded on the Black Sea coast in advance, the Russians can only transport them from the rear if they want to supply them.

This cost may be much higher than purchasing from Austria. With the responsiveness of the Tsarist government, they would not be able to adjust in a short period of time when they suddenly encountered such a situation.

At this time, the more panicked, the easier it is to make mistakes

, the Russians made the wrong decision, and here is our chance.

Even if they didn't make mistakes, the third-line battle exceeded the limit of their national strength. We are facing an enemy that lacks troops, money, and supplies, and it is not a big problem to win this war.

As for the increased military spending, what is a small price to pay compared to defeating the Russians?

After such a big defeat, the social contradictions that were forcibly suppressed by the tsarist government will erupt. Under the internal and external troubles, the possibility of the split of the Russian Empire is very high.

At that time, we can completely slaughter the Russian Empire according to our will and completely eliminate this threat. "

The Russians were the primary enemy of the British in this day and age, and simply defeating the Russians was not enough to convince the British Parliament to agree to a hemorrhage.

If there is a possibility of completely crushing the Russians, it will be different. No member of parliament can resist this temptation.

Seeing that no one continued to object, John Russell said: "If you have no other opinions, then start voting now, and please raise your hand in agreement with Mr. Palmerston's proposal."

After speaking, John Russell raised his hand first. He could not resist the temptation to defeat the Russians. As long as he completed this task, he would be one of the greatest prime ministers in British history.

After glancing at it, John Russell continued: "Passed, next week I will put the bill to Congress on behalf of the Cabinet.

Mr. Palmerston, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately communicated with the French to try to reach a consensus on this issue as soon as possible.

It's better to hurry up before Congress votes, lest there be another moth at the time. "

No matter how good a strategy is, someone must implement it. The number of the British Army is only a little, and all of them are not enough for the Russians to fight, so the French can only resist mines.

Since Napoleon III wanted to use this war to gain political prestige, how could it be possible without paying the price?

John Bull is not taking advantage of it. If the French don't do their best, they can't break out.