Chapter 768
Seeing the end of the "guano war", the Colombian government, which suffered an unpredictable disaster, did not want to continue fighting.
The British were king at sea, and fell to bronze in an instant on land. Under the command of the British instructors, the Colombian government army was steadily defeated.
Counting the troops killed by "misunderstandings", the Colombian government has killed more than 43,000 people since the war.
Obviously everyone can see that the Panama Independence Organization is just a pawn who has been pushed to the front, and it is impossible for Austria to win the victory if it is not settled behind the scenes.
There is no doubt that this is impossible. Colombia's strength is limited, and continuing to fight to the death has no meaning other than increasing casualties.
On April 7, 1883, the Colombian government issued an appeal to the outside world for peace, and invited the British, French, and Western columns to emphasize the end of the "civil war".
Austria is also one of the mediators, and that is the rules of the game.
On the bright side, Austria did not participate in this war. As the most powerful country on the Caribbean coast, Austria is eligible to become a mediator.
They would also be one of the mediators if the US didn't break apart. Forget it now, separated Americans have not yet entered the club of great powers.
...
Colombia's invitation to mediate, whether to stop the war or not, has become a new topic of controversy for the Vienna government.
Colonial Secretary Stephen: "The situation in Colombia is very favorable for us, the Panamanian Independence Organization has the upper hand on the battlefield.
The rebel army occupied all the coastal cities of Colombia, controlling a quarter of the country's territory, half of the population, and nearly 60% of the economy, less than 100 kilometers from the capital Bogota.
It was only a matter of time before the occupation of Colombia, it would be a shame to give up now. "
Foreign Secretary Weisenberg objected: "It's not that simple, if the Republic of Colombia is taken, we will become the enemy of South America.
That is not the core of our strategy, so there is no need to get caught up in it. Since we have already obtained the Panama region, it is the best choice to close it as soon as we see it. "
Colonial Minister Stephen disagreed: "What's there to be afraid of?
South American countries have limited strength and many contradictions with each other, so it is impossible for them to unite because of the Colombian issue.
At most, they will be temporarily isolated. The South American countries will not really stand up for Colombia, and the division will be over. "
This is a fact. The united South America can still make Austria fear three points. It is God's blessing for the scattered South American Austria not to trouble them.
Even if the rabbit died and the fox was sad, the fox would not dare to touch the tiger's brow. As long as self-interest is not involved, many people will be selectively deaf.
Wesenberg shook his head: "We could have done this without the British.
Sadly, South America is an economic colony for the British, and the London government won't watch us expand there.
The South American countries led by someone are not as easy to deal with as a mess of sand.
Even if we can defend Colombia militarily, we will suffer heavy losses politically and economically.
Greed is the original sin, and we are at a critical juncture in our globalization strategy. Any reckless move may lead to catastrophic consequences. "
The annexation of Colombia was not part of Franz's plans from start to finish.
It can be seen from the vest flag that the "Panamanian Independent Organization" is only aimed at the Panama region.
It's just that the plans haven't changed quickly. I don't know if the nobles below are too good at fighting, or the Colombian government is too wasteful, and they actually played the current situation.
Franz interrupted: "Negotiate first, if the Colombian government is willing to make concessions, end this war as soon as possible.
Right now, it is the Near East that matters. As long as the Panama region is won, it does not matter if the interests of other regions are a little more or less. "
This is determined by interests, the era of colonial expansion has ended, and Austria's strategic focus has returned to the world island.
In Franz's view, Colombia is a chicken rib after removing the Panama region.
Don't talk about the future, countries and people are the same, and they must live in the present.
The premise of chasing the future is to have a future. If you fall on the way, you will have nothing.
For details, you can refer to Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty. "The merit is in the present, and the profit is in the future", but the harvest is the ruin of the country and the family, and the name of the "tyrant" who is famous for the ages.
The lessons of our predecessors must be learned. Very happy, that would be the death of the country.
...
With the opening of the Colombian civil war negotiations, the international situation gradually eased.
The British wanted to ease their relations with other countries, and temporarily gave up their tossing; the French were helpless, and Napoleon IV was still fighting the rebels at home; Russia and Austria were busy beating Ottoman and had no mind to toss.
If the war in the Near East hadn't continued, world peace could have been declared.
...
Baghdad, the ancient city once again ushered in the baptism of war. The sound of artillery fire sounded, and countless artillery shells were fired at the city, without any trace of muddy water.
The Coalition Middle East Theater Command, Admiral Morkes is worrying about how to capture Baghdad at the least cost.
There was no way, since the refusal of the enemy's conditional surrender, the resistance has become fierce.
It is easy to break through the city defense, and the Austrian artillery can easily complete the task. The trouble is the next street battle, which will cause heavy losses if you are not careful.
The most effective way to siege a city is to cut off water and food.
Baghdad is only more than 30 kilometers away from the Euphrates River. The population of the city is not as large as that of later generations, and its needs can basically be met by relying on groundwater.
Originally, a long-term siege was a good choice, but unfortunately, the country was worried that there would be too many nightmares, and had ordered the war to end as soon as possible.
A young officer enthusiastically suggested: "Your Excellency Commander, why don't we poison the city?"
"Poisoning" is obviously not an ordinary poison. The chemical technology is limited these days, and it is still impossible to produce mass-destruction poisons on a large scale.
The poisoning tactic adopted in the siege is actually the release of plague. This toxin is easy to make, and the corpse of the dead is the best material.
But the sequelae are very serious, hurting others and hurting themselves. Because of the war, there have been two small-scale plagues in the Middle East theater.
The Ottomans have been able to persist until now, in fact, it is also due to the plague.
After pondering for a while, Morquez shook his head: "No, the sequelae are too great. If it gets out of control, the consequences will be unimaginable."
The young officer defended: "No, the consequences are within our control.
According to the "Land Fallow Law" promulgated by the government, 20 years of fallow in the Baghdad area is not excessive.
Even if the situation gets out of control, the big deal is after the war..."
Before he could finish speaking, Admiral Morquez interrupted: "Sammons, you are insane.
Remember that soldiers must have a bottom line. Unless it is a last resort, such extreme measures must not be used.
Our personal reputation does not matter, but Austria is a civilized country, and we cannot risk our national reputation. "
After a pause, as if thinking of something, Admiral Morkes ordered: "Order the troops to let go of the siege and let the airship scatter leaflets in the sky.
Tell the defenders, I vouch for my family reputation: let them go, and allow them to carry weapons and personal belongings, but only for three days.
If they leave now, we will not stop them wherever they go. "
Sammons' words reminded Morkes from the side that this is Baghdad, and most of the defenders in the city are Iraqis.
In the Ottoman Empire, they also belong to the oppressed nation. At the juncture of life and death, these people will not be buried with the Ottoman Empire.
The front guard sent people to negotiate, which is enough to explain the problem. It's just that Admiral Morkes ignored this because of the order of the coalition headquarters.
Can't negotiate with these people, doesn't mean can't let them go. Small changes on the battlefield are still possible.