Chapter 284 International Response

Since the outbreak of the War in the Near East, the Ottoman Empire moved its capital to Ankara. Compared with Constantinople, Ankara is really a remote town.

Located in the inland mountainous area, the traffic is blocked, the population is only tens of thousands, and it is less than half of the Ottoman government's administrative team. The only advantage is that it is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Based on the principle of safety first, the Sudanese government resolutely chose this place. If the traffic is blocked, the railway can be repaired. The British and French are very willing to help.

Despite the modernization reforms, the barbaric nature of the Ottoman Empire remained unchanged. After the defeat of the Near Eastern War, the nobles, whose interests suffered from the reforms of Abdul Mejid I, launched a counterattack.

They attacked Abdul Mejid's reforms and advocated a return to the traditional feudal religious system, on the grounds that the reforms had made the Ottoman Empire vulnerable.

These are just obvious excuses, and the deeper reason is that the Ottoman nobles and bureaucrats in the Balkans lost everything, and now they want to get a piece of the pie on the Asia Minor peninsula.

The dispute of interests cannot be compromised, and it is naturally impossible for the two sides to negotiate. The Vienna system had just been re-established, and after confirming their own safety, the two gangs went to work.

Up to now, the reformists led by Abdul Mejid I have the upper hand. Of course, this advantage is also the result of external forces.

As the saying goes, it is the uncle who owes the money. The Sudanese government owes the British and French a lot of debt. If they fall down, it is unknown whether this debt can be honored.

This is also the reason why the Vienna government is eyeing the Ottomans, and they will be beaten if they fall behind. The current Ottoman Empire is clearly in decline and has become the target of beatings.

Ankara

Foreign Minister Fuad said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the Vienna government has sent an official diplomatic note requesting the purchase of Crete, Rhodes, Cyprus, the Great Solavno Islands... and Libya's sovereignty.

Now that the Austrian navy has moved, they have forced a landing on Crete and expelled our officers from the island. "

As early as half a year ago, the Vienna government put forward a request to the Sudanese government to buy enough territory, but at that time the Vienna government was still very talkative.

The news of the outbreak of the Great Uprising in India has not yet reached Ankara, and the Sudanese government has no idea that the British are overwhelmed.

The information asymmetry has affected the judgment of the Sudanese government. Hearing this news, Abdul-Majid I immediately became angry.

This is simply too much to deceive people. Even if the Ottoman Empire has fallen, there are still three points of nails in the rotten ship. How can the huge Ottoman Empire decline all of a sudden?

"Immediately invite Britain and France to mediate, and at the same time issue a strong protest to the Vienna government, asking them to abide by the rules of the Vienna system!"

There is no way, there are only three points left, can't they all be thrown out at once? As far as the navy of the Ottoman Empire is concerned, it is impossible to win a fight, so it is better to protest in a civilized manner.

Foreign Minister Fu Ade quickly replied: "Yes, Your Majesty."

After the war in the Near East, the Vienna system was quite discordant with the Ottoman Empire, and the position of the foreign minister was unstable.

The main reason for staying in this position is political needs. The Ottoman Empire has few diplomatic talents, and even fewer are qualified to be foreign ministers.

Ade was the leader of the Anglophile faction, and he won the support of John Bull. In addition, everyone knew that at the Vienna Peace Conference, the foreign powers had no room for bargaining at the conference, so he kept his position.

In this case, he had no choice but to be cautious, and if it caused the dissatisfaction of Abdul Majid I, he would be finished.

...

London

The British government received the news of the Indian rebellion earlier than the Vienna government. At this time, the counter-insurgency army began to prepare.

After receiving a call for help from the Sudanese government, Granville frowned and said, "We worked hard to block the news, but I didn't expect it to be exposed so quickly."

Chancellor of the Exchequer John Russell said indifferently: "It's no surprise that once any information is discussed in Parliament, it becomes an open secret.

In a few days it will be published in the London newspapers. It is not difficult for Austrians to receive news. "

This is the national condition of the United Kingdom, and major issues need to be discussed in Parliament. And the mouths of congressmen belong to those who have no dampers.

Being able to keep it a secret for a few days means they have integrity. In fact, when they were discussing, the news had already been published in the London newspapers.

Granville thought for a while and said, "Well, let's end the leak issue, it's determined by the system, not our responsibility.

Now the trouble is: now that the Austrians know the news of the Indian rebellion, I can boldly infer that most of the European countries know the news.

The original plan to quell the rebellion in the shortest possible time, without giving them a chance to take advantage, is obviously impossible. How do you guys feel about the aftermath? "

The importance of India to the British Empire is self-evident. Without India, the hegemony of the British would collapse.

In this era, Australia was still a penal colony for criminals, the colony of New Zealand had just been established, South Africa was just a transit point, and Canada had not yet developed.

Without India, a big market and a source of raw materials, the British industrial advantage would soon be lost, and the country, which was small and lacked in population, could not support their hegemony at all.

It's a well-known fact that people who are jealous of British hegemony

There are so many, even if you don't dare to challenge them directly, it is inevitable to take the opportunity to make some small moves.

Austria is only the first to jump out, killing chickens to warn the monkeys is an option, but the premise is to make sure that the chicken can't fly. It would be self-defeating if the chickens were not killed.

Foreign Secretary Thomas replied: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, India is our soft spot, and now there is a crisis, and at this time our enemies will emerge.

However, countries are also full of contradictions. They are jealous of each other, afraid of being made fishermen by others, and dare not challenge us directly.

The Austrians were mostly using the Ottomans as rafts to test our reactions. Since they are going to test, it is better to play with them.

Use negotiation to delay time first, as long as the Indian rebellion is quelled in the shortest time, they will retreat themselves. "

This is a fact, if the London government can quell the Indian rebellion within a few months, then Franz will have to admit it.

John Russell reminded: "Don't forget the Russians, Mr. Thomas. Other countries will fear our revenge, but the Tsarist government will not.

Now they are still supporting the Persians and we are right, and then supporting the Indian rebellion, which is not surprising at all. Even behind this Indian rebellion, there may be a shadow of the Russians. "

There is no way. The Near Eastern War is different from the Crimean War in history. Although the tsarist government suffered heavy losses, it was still a victor in name.

This preserves the arrogance of the tsarist government, and as victors, it is impossible for them to bow their heads and admit defeat to the British. The Anglo-Russian hegemony struggle continues.

If you don't do things at this time, is the bear still a bear? The British can't scare the Russians now, not even if they want an economic blockade.

After a pause, Thomas explained calmly: "Of course, the Russians are still so annoying. But the Tsarist government is notoriously inefficient, and when they take action to interfere with India, I think the farce is over. ended.

The road to Central Asia is also not easy to take. With the credibility of the tsarist government, neither Afghanistan nor Persia dares to borrow the way for the Russians unless they can call all the way.

I don't think the tsarist government has the financial resources to start such a war. At most, it is to send military instructors to the rebels to provide weapons and equipment.

This also brings us a little trouble. Even if the Indians are armed, their combat effectiveness is not worth mentioning. "

Hearing this explanation, Granville's face changed, and he said with a serious expression: "What if someone provides funds to the Russians?"

Everyone's faces became ugly. The biggest shortcoming of the Russians is finance. Once there is support from the sponsor, the situation will change immediately.

Chancellor of the Exchequer John Russell said: "There are only two French and Austrians who have the strength to provide funds to the Russians. If the Foreign Office can stabilize them, then there is no problem."

When he said this, he had already greeted the capitalists in London in his heart. He didn't lend money in the morning, and he didn't lend money in the evening. He just lent money to the Austrians and caught up.

If it weren't for the huge construction bonds issued by the Vienna government not long ago, and now only the French family has the strength to support the Russians, then relatively speaking, half of the problem has been solved.

How much is the guarantee of politicians worth? There is no breach of contract, it is just that the interests are not large enough. As long as the interests are in place, it will be a pity to change in minutes.

Wiping the sweat on his forehead, Thomas forced himself to calm down. After a pause, he slowly said:

"It's not that serious, neither the French nor the Austrians want to watch the Russians get bigger.

Once the Russians annexed India, Austria would bear the brunt of the pressure, and the Vienna government could not have imagined it.

In this case, the Vienna government is most likely to use this as a condition to exchange interests with us.

The French have just fought a war with the Russians, and it will take time even to ease relations, which cannot be done in an hour and a half.

We can mobilize our influence in the French government and provoke infighting in the French government to prevent this from happening. "

This explanation makes everyone look a little relieved, as long as it is not the worst case, then everything is easy to say. They are the best at exchange of interests or something.