Chapter 585 Near East Treaty

Things did not surprise the British. The time was delayed until the end of 1874. Seeing that Austria did not intend to continue the war, it might be because they were worried that no one would take care of their meals, or they were anxious to go home for Christmas. The tsarist government decided decisively. compromise.

On December 18, 1874, Austria, Russia, and the Ottomans signed the "Near East Treaty" in London.

Contents of the treaty:

1. The Ottoman Empire recognized the defeat of the war and was responsible for the war;

2. Return to the Kingdom of Jerusalem and transfer the sovereignty of the Arabian Peninsula to Austria as compensation; (Note: The two river basins are not included, but Kuwait is included)

3. cede the Caucasus region to the Russian Empire and compensate the Russians for war expenses of 2 million rubles;

4. The opening of the Black Sea Strait is a free strait, and the three countries shall not block the strait at any time and under any circumstances;

5. The Austrian Navy will lift the coastal blockade of the Ottoman Empire from now on;

6. From the date of signing the treaty, the two sides exchange prisoners within one month and withdraw from each other's territory within three months;

...

The treaty was passed to the Vienna Palace, and Franz ratified it decisively. The Ottoman Empire itself is a poor ghost. It is enough to cede land. It is a waste of time to ask for war reparations.

The Russians fought hard for so long, and finally got 2 million rubles in indemnity, which is a huge sum for individuals, but insignificant for the country.

The most interesting thing about this war is not the debut of the airship troops, nor the overwhelming force of the coalition, but the sky-high transfer fee in the Arabian Peninsula.

Although the specific discount amount was not written in the treaty, the 3 billion Aegis compensation proposed by Austria was still reported by the newspaper.

This headline news is most liked by the people who eat melons. From the sky-high compensation of 3 billion to the sovereignty of the Arabian Peninsula, the value gap between them is more than ten times.

It's enough to talk after dinner. No normal person would think that the Arabian Peninsula is worth so much money, and no one thinks that Austria can claim so much money.

Asking prices all over the sky, and repaying the money on the ground. It is a normal means of negotiation, and it is normal for the final result to be far from the original request.

Franz couldn't help but be thankful that he did not ask for the amount of compensation to be written in the treaty, otherwise this topic could be disputed into the next century.

As the victor of the war in the Near East, Austria's greatest gain was not territorial expansion, nor economic benefits, but increased religious influence.

The achievement of recovering Jerusalem is enough to make Franz's name in the history of religion, and even his titles have become longer, for example: "Reclaimer of the Holy Land", "Saint", "Defender of Christ"...

The Holy See is very generous this time, and the honorary title does not require wholesale money. Not only the emperor, but also the officers and soldiers who participated in the Jerusalem recovery war have not fallen behind, and collectively awarded the honorary title of "Holy Land Recovery".

If it were not for the reaction of the Vienna government, it is estimated that the Holy See would also wholesale Paladins. Pius IX has brought a group of archbishops to Jerusalem, waiting for Franz to be crowned, and they are also fighting to revive the Holy See.

They were all forced out. In recent years, the Holy See has been severely suppressed by the French, and even the headquarters of the Holy See of the Vatican has to be controlled by others.

Not to mention privileges, now the pope must obey the French religious management laws. When Napoleon III slaughtered the chickens to warn the monkeys, he also sent the cardinals who violated the law to prison, and did not save face for the Holy See at all.

Now running to Jerusalem to establish a diocese, it is also a last resort. At least Franz gave them more favorable conditions, and they could call the shots within one-third of the Holy See's own land.

The situation in the Middle East is complicated, and it is impossible for no one to take the lead. When the diocese of Jerusalem reopens, there will be those who will bear the blame in the future.

Vienna Palace, Prime Minister Felix reported: "This battle of Jerusalem was mainly a siege, there was no major battle in the city, and the buildings were not damaged much.

The palace has already started maintenance, and it will be completed in two months at most, which will not affect the coronation in April next year.

However, recently, there have been many local religious conflicts. Even though we have repatriated the Ottomans back to China, there are still fish that slip through the net and cause damage.

The government is preparing to implement a crackdown on public security, implement real-name registration in the local area, and strictly investigate the saboteurs who illegally stay in the local area.

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The recovery of Jerusalem does not mean that the matter is over, and Franz, the king, is still at the end of the game. Jurisprudentially, only after he has been crowned in Jerusalem can he be regarded as the real legitimate monarch of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Franz asked, "How are the people of the Holy See doing, and are there any supporters?"

After thinking about it, Prime Minister Felix said: "The performance is quite satisfactory, it seems that he is afraid of being tossed by Napoleon III, and basically operates within the scope of our pre-agreed agreement.

Judging from the current situation, the performance of several cardinals is similar, and whoever supports them is the same. Next comes the restoration work in Jerusalem, and it is time to test their abilities. "

The restoration work in Jerusalem is not just about repairing damaged buildings, but also rebuilding ancient buildings destroyed by the Ottoman Empire.

The Holy See has the most say in this regard, and they have a well-documented record. Restoring the Holy Land is not a matter of one country and one country, and Franz is not prepared to take the blame for this.

The most suitable place in Europe to do this is the Holy See, so the task of raising funds and urban reconstruction has also fallen to the Holy See.

After the Holy Land is rebuilt, the Diocese of Jerusalem also needs a significant religious leader who is responsible for the indoctrination of the local faith.

Work is impossible without the ability.

Franz nodded: "The reconstruction of Jerusalem is completely delegated to the Holy See. If they do a good job, even the management work can be handed over to them together.

We are responsible for tax collection and law and order, and there is no shortage of small cities in Austria. The focus of the government's work is still on land fallow. The land in the Middle East is severely desertified. If it is not managed, it will be completely reduced to a desert in a long time.

It doesn't matter if the Holy Land becomes a desert in the hands of the Ottoman Empire, and if it becomes a desert in our hands, then we are sinners.

The government should organize people to turn local arable land into forests and grasslands as soon as possible, and plant windbreak and sand-fixing plants on the desertified land. Funds are mainly collected from believers, or directly encouraged pilgrims to do it themselves. "

Franz is not very interested in Jerusalem. Even if this ancient city develops, it is just a tourist city, but he can't help but care about the oil resources in the Middle East.

Protecting sacred sites is only in name, but in fact lays the foundation for future oil extraction. The natural environment in the Middle East today is not as bad as later generations. As long as it is protected a little, there will be no special situation where water is more expensive than oil.

Anyway, there is no need to pay much. After the local population was relocated and left, the land was completely fallow, and the desertification problem was mostly solved.

It is still possible to call on pilgrims to participate in meaningful activities such as afforestation, and increase the oasis of 180 square kilometers every year.

Naturally, everyone didn't know what Franz was paying attention to, but this did not affect everyone's execution. Now that Jerusalem is in the hands of Austria, the Vienna government cannot turn the area into a desert, even for the sake of face.

The Colonial Minister Stephen suggested: "Your Majesty, there is also a serious problem of land desertification in the Arabian Peninsula. The Colonial Ministry recommends relocating the local people and leaving the land fallow as well."

Franz nodded with satisfaction, this ability to learn is fast. The desertification of the Arabian Peninsula is more serious, and the governance is more difficult, but this is not the point, the key is that the nomadic tribes on the peninsula are not easy to rule.

Now Austria wants to control the Arabian Peninsula, mainly because of the strategic location of the peninsula, and does not expect to plunder wealth from the peninsula.

The nomadic tribes on the peninsula are very poor, and their main economic support is camel raising. Even if they send people to collect taxes, they may not be able to support tax officials.

Left unchecked, the tribes would threaten Austrian rule over the region, as long as there was some tacit support. In this context, migrating local tribes away is undoubtedly the best way to reduce the cost of domination.

Franz replied: “The Arabian peninsula has long been over-exploited, and in order to protect the natural environment, decades of fallow are really needed.

However, the Arabian Peninsula is not small. There are many small countries on the peninsula. It is not easy to do this. Has the Colonial Ministry made a plan? "

The area of ​​the Arabian Peninsula is not small, even if it is vast and sparsely populated, there are at least two or three million people. It is not comparable to the Jerusalem area, and it is not so simple to move the local people away.

(Note: The densely populated areas of Euphrates and Tigris River Basin are not counted, and this part is not included in the treaty)

Colonial Secretary Stephen explained: "Your Majesty, the Arabian Peninsula is dry and water-deficient, and the population distribution is concentrated along the water sources. We only need to control the water sources.

The colonial ministry planned to leave part of the young labor force to be sent to the African continent for mining and railway repairs, and the rest to be sent back to the Ottoman Empire. "

The lack of water is the biggest shortcoming of the Arabian Peninsula. Once the water source is lost, the nomadic tribes will not be able to swim.