Chapter 209
The defeat at the front has intensified the infighting in the London government, coupled with the political scandal some time ago, Prime Minister John Russell was forced to resign.
The Whigs lost the new general election, the Peel and Conservatives formed a coalition, and George Hamilton-Gordon entered the stage of history.
The new government, the new atmosphere, for the George Hamilton-Gordon government, the most important thing at the moment is the war in the Near East.
Retreat is impossible, and this concerns Britain's international standing. Now is the era of Great Britain and Russia. If the London government backs down at this time, it would be acknowledging the Russians, which is equivalent to acknowledging the Russians' world hegemony.
Not to mention the heavy losses in terms of interests, the British people cannot accept the psychological blow alone.
As the leader of the anti-war faction, George Hamilton-Gordon understood the difficulty of John Russell, a war that had to be fought.
No matter how heavy the casualties, they must be fought. If the Russian expansion is not curbed now, the price to be paid by the British Empire in the future will be even greater.
10 Downing Street
"Everyone, now it's our turn to clean up this mess. The situation on the Balkan battlefield is very unfavorable for us. According to the battle report sent by the front line, the coalition forces may be completely defeated at any time.
The question now is whether we should continue to open up the second front, or the third front. asked George Hamilton-Gordon
It can be seen that Prime Minister George Hamilton-Gordon is not at peace in his heart, and the few wrinkles between his brows have betrayed his inner uneasiness.
Admiralty James Graham replied: "Your Excellency, from a strategic point of view, there is nothing wrong with opening a second front in Crimea.
The Russians are strong, but limited by their domestic transportation, which restricts the projection of power. Because of the early preparations, the Russians have the ability to support the Caucasus battlefield and the Balkan battlefield at the same time.
In fact, in the Balkans battlefield, the Russians depended heavily on Austrian logistical supplies, otherwise they would have been immobilized long ago.
If we open new fronts, we will soon exceed the limits of the Russians. Even if the battlefield cannot be completely won, we can consume them to death.
Now that the Russian Black Sea Fleet is over, we can attack at any time. If needed, we could turn the Ukrainian coast and the Crimean peninsula into battlegrounds and keep the Russians on the run. "
The cabinet was replaced, but there was no major change in the top ranks of the government, and the war-related ministers of the army and navy remained in office.
It is not surprising that the Secretary of the Navy supports this plan. If a second front cannot be opened, how can it reflect the importance of the Navy?
Power struggles are everywhere, and it is impossible to be free from the world. Although the Royal Navy had an absolute advantage and suppressed the Army, they had to run out from time to time to gain a sense of presence.
"It's okay to open up a second front, but the situation on the Crimean Peninsula is a bit complicated, and the climate on the island is quite different from that in the country.
It is better to land on the coast of Ukraine first, cut off the connection between the Crimea Peninsula and the mainland from behind, and trap the Russian army on the island. ' suggested War Secretary Stanley
"Mr. Stanley, isn't the main force of this attack the French?" asked Admiralty James Graham
...
The battle for the offensive line has turned into a battle for the dominance of the army and navy.
It turns out that there are more bulls in the British Navy than in the Army, so the outcome of this dominance battle is self-evident.
Paris
Napoleon III couldn't stand it for a long time. If he lost this battle militarily, he could not afford to lose politically; if France lost, he could not afford to lose personally.
After receiving the notification from the British, the French government made a decision as quickly as possible, sending 200,000 troops to start the Crimean War.
After some consultations, on February 12, 1853, Britain and France reached an agreement to send 300,000 troops together to open up a second front on the Crimean Peninsula.
At this time, the war on the Balkans was coming to an end. Under the Russian attack regardless of casualties, the coalition forces were still unable to hold the Sliven area.
Aimable Jean-Jacques Perlisier succeeded in letting the Ottomans take the blame, ostensibly the Russians broke through the Ottomans' defense and then completed the outflanking.
Seeing that the situation was over, on February 14, 1853, Aimable Jean-Jacques Pelissier ordered the French army to break through, and the French army, who had been prepared, easily broke through the Russian encirclement.
They ran smoothly, and the coalition troops suffered. Don't say anything about the Ottoman army, they were directly betrayed, and less than 30,000 of the more than 300,000 troops escaped after the war.
The British were also shot tragically. They were busy reorganizing their troops to restore combat effectiveness. As a result, the bear was killed from behind. Unprepared, they were beaten and fled.
When counting the losses, Major General Oliver was so angry that he was speechless. The failure of this battle really has nothing to do with them, but the losses on the battlefield are terrible.
Needless to say, his expeditionary army commander has been downgraded, and he can barely be regarded as a division commander. After all, he has retained more than 9,000 troops, right?
The rest were naturally scattered, and only God knows how many of these people were killed, how many were captured, and how many were lost.
General Headquarters of the Allied Forces in Constantinople
Oliver roared aggressively: "Pelissier, you bastard better give me a reasonable explanation, otherwise the British Empire will not let it go!"
Of course it is impossible to give up,
The National Expeditionary Force suffered such heavy losses. If there is no explanation, how can it be explained to the country?
"General Oliver, calm down first. The position was suddenly breached by the enemy, and we fell into the enemy's encirclement, and we have no ability to inform you at all." Aimable Jean-Jacques Perlisier explained forcefully.
"Fragrance, use such an excuse to fool the children! Even if the Russians break through the defense line, they can't complete the detour immediately, and you don't have time to send someone to inform you?
If you didn't take us as scapegoats, I'm afraid the French army would not be able to withdraw so completely! ' said Major General Oliver with a sneer.
"I'm afraid we can't blame us. The 50,000 reinforcements promised by your government should have arrived 20 days ago, and there is no shadow yet. If it weren't for the extension of this army, this battle would not have been lost at all.
Now that you have come this far, you are also to blame. It was the erroneous information you provided that directly misled the military deployment of the coalition forces and caused this failure. "Aimable Jean-Jacques Perlisier tit for tat
...
Who wouldn't throw the pot? At the juncture of crisis, it must be a dead Taoist friend who is not a poor Taoist. There is no rear of the coalition troops to block the Russians' pursuit. Can the French army withdraw so completely?
If the notice was given in advance, the British would run away. The part of the Russian army they blocked was flanked by the flank, and the French army might be wiped out.
Even if the French army is on the hook, with the enemy in front and the pursuers behind, it is God's blessing to be able to run out half of the troops.
It is much better now. The French army has only paid more than 20,000 casualties, and they have fished out all the main troops.
With the firepower of the navy, these French troops can hold Constantinople. From the point of view of the interests of the French, Aimable Jean-Jacques Pelissier's decision is not wrong.
It's just that the sequelae are quite serious. Except for the Sardinians who have been paddling, the main force of the coalition forces on the Balkans is only the French.
The Ottoman Empire became the biggest loser, directly losing all the pants. After receiving the news, Abdul Majid I fainted out of anger.
However, the Ottoman government has no place to express its anger. Unlike Oliver, they do not have the support of the British Empire behind them.
Now that the French have the final say in the Balkans, Aimable Jean-Jacques Pelissier will kill people if you are too anxious. Do you still expect the Sudanese government to succeed?
Whether they like it or not, this black pot is all set. As long as the French hold Constantinople, the London government will acquiesce to this result.
Interests are always more important than the truth. Even if it is spitting blood, the Sudanese government has to continue to rely on the French.
The financial revenue of the Ottoman Empire above the seventh floor comes from the Balkans, and most of the industry is concentrated around Constantinople. (Istanbul area)
Without the Balkans, the strength of the Ottoman Empire is not comparable to that of Sweden and Belgium. This consequence cannot be borne by the Sudanese government.
...
Aimable Jean-Jacques Pelissier's approach was successful militarily, but politically it brought endless trouble to the Paris government.
Of course, Napoleon III himself was willing to face this kind of trouble. The lesser of the two, the troubles in international politics affect the interests of France; it is better than losing on the battlefield and shaking the foundation of his own rule.
After taking a bite out of it, Major General Oliver now admires his predecessor's foresight, and he is now firmly opposed to joint action with the French.
The London government was also dissatisfied with the French's approach and exerted political pressure on Napoleon III to give them an explanation.
With the British taking the lead, the Ottoman Empire naturally followed suit. Under pressure from his allies, Napoleon III made concessions.
In the following Balkan battlefield, the French army independently assumed the heavy task of blocking the Russians and guarding Constantinople; the British and Sardinians were responsible for securing Greece and Montenegro; the Ottomans suffered the most losses, and they could paddle as a pacification.
The war expenses, there is no doubt that the British bear the bulk of 50%, and France and Ottoman each share 25%. If there is no money, the British consortium will provide loan business.
The clear division of combat tasks solved the internal contradictions of the coalition forces, and at the same time cast a shadow over the upcoming Crimean War.
...
In just over two months, Prime Minister Felix traveled to more than 20 German states, and now he came to Frankfurt, the seat of the Federal Parliament.
After such a long period of diplomatic efforts, Prime Minister Felix still has something to gain. At least a few free cities have declared their support for the "Holy Roman Empire".
It's no surprise that these free cities are the regions most affected by nationalism, and their governments themselves are most affected by popular opinion.
The remaining states either objected or hesitated. In short, everyone is a smart person, and they are all looking for excuses to delay, and no one is stupid to express their opposition to the reunification of the German region.
The Kingdom of Prussia was not idle either. Their representatives often arrived one step ahead of Felix and communicated with governments of various countries in advance to jointly oppose the reconstruction of "Hinra".
The high-level situation is not clear to the people. Most German people are optimistic about peaceful reunification, and the reason is very simple - there is no direct opposition from the state government.
The people can express their opinions freely, but the state government does not dare to talk nonsense. It can't be said that because "Hinra" is unreliable, only the German region can be truly merged by force of unification, right?
Austria is ready
For a long time, Franz dared not raise the banner of military unity, let alone the governments of these small states.
As a unified object, it is too late to oppose it, how can it be possible to support it? Even in order to protect their own interests, they cannot block the road to rebuild Shinra.
Should reunification be unavoidable, rebuilding Shinra would be in their best interest, so the attitudes of most German state rulers were mixed.
If you want to oppose the reconstruction of Shinra, you can't say it directly. You can only hope that someone will be the first to disrupt Austria's plan.
Up to now, the slogan of "Rebuilding Shinra" has been resounding in every corner of the German region, and Felix will be warmly welcomed by the local people wherever he goes.
If it goes on like this, Felix is likely to be called the "Father of the Nation" by future generations, and the reputation of Prime Minister Butcher will no longer be called.
At this moment, he has become a spokesperson for pacifism, and he may become a Jagged Prime Minister in the future. Franz will not come out to steal the limelight anyway.
It's not easy to fool people, especially a group of old foxes. Felix kept promising various interest groups the benefits of unification, and from time to time he would answer everyone's questions.
To the capitalists to brag about the benefits of a big market, to assure the aristocracy that everyone's interests will not be damaged, to sell the dream of a powerful country to the nationalists...
It's just one word - blow, whether they believe it or not, and whether they can deliver or not, Prime Minister Felix blows it all the way.
To quote a quote: "Every politician is a good salesman."
The effect of blowing dry mouth is actually only reducing everyone's determination to resist.
Most people still chose to be neutral, they can accept the rebuilding of Shinra, and they don't need to talk about it if they want their contribution.
Everyone is a master who does not see the rabbit but not the eagle. Don't expect them to invest until you see the benefits.
Felix was satisfied with this result. Originally, I just wanted them to be neutral, but now I can fool some supporters, which is already earned.
The focus of this PR is on the southern German region, which is the region with the greatest influence in Austria, and there are many communities of interest. It is his real goal to win over these talents.