Chapter 239: British-Russian Conflict, German Neutrality

While the Spanish government was discussing its actions against Portugal, the situation in the Balkans, which had been calm for several months, finally fell into chaos again.

In mid-to-late February 1878, the Russian government forced the Ottoman Empire to sign the Treaty of San Stefano, trying to end the war as quickly as possible and avoid interference from Britain and Austria-Hungary.

The content of this treaty was discussed in advance by Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Mihajlovich Gorchakov and Tsar Alexander II. The Ottoman Empire, which was defeated, had no choice at all.

According to the treaty signed by both parties, the Ottoman Empire will be forced to recognize the complete independence of Montenegro, Serbia and Romania, and recognize the autonomy of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue to remain in the Ottoman territory as an autonomous region, but the two countries will be responsible for their own internal affairs, and the Ottoman Empire has no right to interfere.

In addition, the Great Bulgaria was established in southern Romania, and the Ottoman Empire must allow Russian forces to legally operate in the Bulgarian region.

The Ottoman Empire also needs to return the southwestern part of Sarabia to Russia, and cede Kars, Batumi, Ardahan and Bayachit to Russia.

In addition to territorial changes, the Russian government also asked the Ottoman Empire to modify the rules of passage through the Bosphorus Strait and asked the Ottoman Empire to permanently allow warships from all Black Sea coastal countries, including Russia, to pass through the strait.

Originally, according to the Russians' requirements, the content of this contract should be kept strictly confidential in a short period of time to avoid opposition from Britain and Austria-Hungary.

But the Ottoman Empire is not a fool. The top leaders of the empire know that only the British can prevent the Ottoman Empire from being dismembered at this time.

With the efforts of the top leaders of the Ottoman Empire, the relevant content of the "Treaty of San Stefano" was also disclosed to the European media and understood by European countries.

This time, the content of the contract caused strong dissatisfaction from Britain and Austria-Hungary.

The Emperor Franz Joseph I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire really couldn't sit still at this time, and ordered the government to express criticism of the contract in a tough attitude and issued a regional mobilization order.

The Russians obtained a large amount of land in the treaty, and could indirectly control Montenegro, Serbia and Romania by supporting independence.

And what about the Austro-Hungarian Empire? Bosnia and Herzegovina, which the Russians promised to give to the Austro-Hungarian Empire before launching the war, only obtained autonomous status and remained within the territory of the Ottoman Empire.

This also means that if the Austro-Hungarian Empire follows the agreement of this treaty, it can only watch Russia's continuous expansion of power in the Balkans, and it can only withdraw from the hegemony of the Balkans.

At the same time, the British Empire was extremely dissatisfied. Although this treaty did not allow Russia to gain control of Constantinople, Russia gained the right to free passage through the strait.

Without the restriction of the strait, Russia's Black Sea Fleet will unscrupulously go south to the Mediterranean, thereby destroying the British layout of the two outlets in the Mediterranean.

The British ambition is huge. After they gained control of the Suez Canal, they have achieved actual control over the Mediterranean.

Both the east and west outlets are in the hands of the British. If the Mediterranean countries want to go out of the Mediterranean, they have to look at the attitude of the British.

The British enjoyed this attitude. They did not want any country to destroy the existing system, let alone Russia, which had a strong competitive relationship with Britain.

After the Austro-Hungarian Empire announced a partial mobilization, Britain directly sent the Royal Fleet to the Strait of Constantinople and held a diplomatic conference, solemnly declaring that the Treaty of San Stefano signed by Russia and the Ottoman Empire was illegal and a unilateral blackmail of the Ottoman Empire by Russia.

The strong attitude of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Britain made Russia feel pressured for a while, and Tsar Alexander II could only put his hope on his ally, the German Empire.

The Germans were also in a difficult situation at this time. Their two allies were almost at odds over the issue of the Balkan Peninsula. Any choice of Germany would undermine the policy of isolating France formulated by Prime Minister Bismarck.

But if they did not express their views, it would not only chill the two allies, but also affect Germany's international status in Europe.

This conflict between the great powers is the time to show the country's status and international influence. If the Germans were to shrink their heads, I am afraid that this matter would be laughed at by the French for decades.

After careful consideration, German Chancellor Bismarck finally chose to mediate the conflict between several major powers as a neutral intermediary.

This also reflects the ability of the iron-blooded Chancellor Bismarck. No matter which side of the conflict Germany chooses, it will seriously damage its relationship with the other party.

But Germany cannot not stand up, so it is the most appropriate choice to mediate the conflict as much as possible in a neutral capacity.

Germany also has enough strength to be this intermediary. The so-called role of the intermediary must not only have sufficient international status and influence, but also have enough strength to make countries compromise with each other under relatively fair conditions.

If there is not enough strength, there will be a situation where although the mediation is carried out, all countries will turn a deaf ear to it.

After Germany announced that it would mediate the conflict as an absolutely neutral intermediary, Russia actually lost the initiative.

The current situation is that Russia is one against two, and one of the opponents is the most powerful country in the world today, the British Empire.

Under such circumstances, even if Russia had completed its control over the Balkan countries, it was forced to re-enter the negotiation process with Britain and Austria-Hungary.

In late March 1878, at the invitation of the Germans, the British Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia held a meeting in Berlin to resolve the competition and conflict among the Balkan countries.

As the most powerful country today, the diplomatic representatives sent by Britain righteously denounced the contract signed by Russia at the beginning of the meeting and stated that the British Empire would never accept such a contract.

The British representatives demanded a redivision of the situation in the Balkans and ensure that the Bosphorus Strait remained under the control of the Ottoman Empire.

The British also gave reasons for this. Because the Ottoman Empire did not lose Constantinople, the Bosphorus Strait should theoretically belong to the inland sea of ​​the Ottoman Empire.

Since it is the inland sea of ​​the Ottoman Empire, Russia naturally has no right to freely pass through the strait.

Austria-Hungary also put forward its own demands. They demanded the annexation of Bosnia, Herzegovina and Serbia, and changed the Greater Bulgaria proposed by Russia to Little Bulgaria to prevent the rapid expansion of Russian power in the Balkan Peninsula.

After hearing the demands of Britain and Austria-Hungary, Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov, the Russian Foreign Minister who attended the meeting, became very gloomy in an instant.

If the plan proposed by Britain and Austria-Hungary was really implemented, what was the purpose of Russia's war?

After working hard to launch a war, all the benefits were taken by Britain and Austria-Hungary. Did Russia just want to control a small Romania?

Although Russia seemed a little powerless in the face of pressure from the British Empire and Austria-Hungary, as the Foreign Minister, Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov knew that he could not take the initiative to retreat.

If he had any idea of ​​retreating, Britain and Austria-Hungary would definitely make more excessive proposals. For the sake of Russia's interests, he must show a strong enough attitude at this diplomatic conference, at least to let Britain and Austria-Hungary know that Russia is definitely not a fat sheep that they can slaughter.

"You two, we will never accept your proposal. The Treaty of San Stefano is an armistice signed between my country and the Ottoman Empire. All the contents of the treaty are compensation from the Ottoman Empire to my country after the defeat, and there is nothing unreasonable about it." Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov couldn't help but stand up and refute.

If he doesn't say anything, who can guarantee that the foreign ministers of Britain and Austria-Hungary on the other side won't say something more outrageous?

"Reasonable compensation for defeat?" The British diplomatic representative smiled and said disdainfully: "Didn't your country start the war first? Your country started the war without any reason, and asked the Ottoman Empire to bear the compensation for defeat. Isn't this an overlord clause?

The war deprived hundreds of thousands of Ottoman civilians of their lives. This is already the most powerful punishment for the Ottoman Empire.

I think the Ottoman Empire is not at fault in this war. The Treaty of San Stefano needs to be revised, otherwise our country will not recognize its legitimacy."

Because of the strength of the British Empire, the British diplomatic representative was very confident in speaking. Even if he was sitting opposite the Russian Foreign Minister, Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov, who was deeply trusted by Tsar Alexander II, he would not be timid at all.

The diplomatic representative of the Austro-Hungarian Empire also nodded and chimed in: "Not only did your country start a war without any reason, it also completely failed to abide by the agreement between our two countries before the war.

For such a betrayal of promise, our 38 million people and His Majesty Emperor Franz Joseph hate it very much.

Like the United Kingdom, we do not recognize the legitimacy of the Treaty of San Stefano, and require that this treaty be revised together under the witness of all of us to ensure that the interests of all nations and countries involved in this treaty will not be affected.

Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov never expected that his attitude was tough, and the attitudes of the British and Austro-Hungarian representatives were even tougher.

In order to make the Russians give in, the British and Austro-Hungarian representatives also expressed their pro-war attitudes one after another.

The British representative said that if the Russians did not agree to revise the Treaty of San Stefano, Treaty of Terfano, then the next meeting between Britain and Russia will be at the negotiation table for war.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire stated that the troops around Hungary have begun to mobilize. If Russia does not choose to give in in this conflict, the Austro-Hungarian Empire will take the initiative to declare war on Russia.

Faced with the almost naked threat of war between the two countries, Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov hesitated after all.

If facing either Britain or Austria-Hungary alone, Russia would not be afraid of the other's war threat.

But there is no way, the British Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire united, facing any country in the world is not at all weak.

No mistake, one post, one content, one 6, one 9, one book, one bar!

Not to mention Russia, whose industry has just started, even a European upstart like Germany, or France, which once dominated Europe, can not have a peaceful dialogue without waves.

The British Empire's naval power alone is enough to dominate the world, not to mention that the combined army power of Britain and the Austro-Hungarian Empire can also pose a serious threat to Russia.

The British Empire is famous for its navy, but this does not mean that the British army's combat effectiveness is very bad. Although it is not as good as countries like Germany and France that mainly dominate the army, among the major powers, the British army's combat effectiveness is enough to rank in the middle and upper.

Needless to say, the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The main ethnic group, the Austrians, that is, the South Germans, are quite powerful, which can also be seen from the combat effectiveness of the German army.

Although the Austrian population in the Austro-Hungarian Empire does not account for too much, the combat effectiveness of the army, which is a mixture of Austrians, Hungarians and other ethnic minorities, is not too weak.

The biggest problem of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is the problem of language barriers among the armies composed of these ethnic groups. Not everyone is like Emperor Franz Joseph I, who has an unimaginable talent in language.

Of course, no matter how many problems the Austro-Hungarian Empire has, they are one of the five traditional powers in Europe, and their comprehensive strength is still very strong.

Faced with the common threat of war from Britain and Austria-Hungary, the Russian ambassador could only look at German Prime Minister Bismarck, who presided over the meeting.

Bismarck had already planned to remain completely neutral in this meeting so as not to seriously damage relations with Russia and Austria-Hungary.

Seeing Russian Ambassador Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov looking at him, Bismarck could only shake his head implicitly, indicating that he could do nothing about it.

Although he had long guessed that Germany might remain indifferent, when Prime Minister Bismarck shook his head at him, Russian Ambassador Alexander couldn't help but show a disappointed expression.

Without Germany's support, this also means that Russia can only fend for itself in this meeting, or it can only let Britain and Austria-Hungary slaughter it.

As Foreign Minister, Alexander certainly understands Russia's internal attitude and specific decisions. It is impossible for Russia to wage war against Britain and Austria-Hungary again, because Russia has already suffered a large number of casualties in the Russo-Turkish War, and has a large military budget expenditure.

The Russo-Turkish War has been going on for a year. If Russia fights another war with Britain and Austria-Hungary, even if Russia can win the final victory, this deal will not make any money at all.

Russia has a sufficient population, and the loss of troops is not a big worry for the Russian government.

But while the troops are losing, weapons and ammunition are also being consumed crazily. Whether it is produced domestically or imported from Spain, this is a huge military expenditure.

If Russia can win this war in the end, it can still comfort itself with the land it has gained and the Balkan countries it controls.

But if the outcome of this war is still a failure, then Russia will lose all its pants.

It is precisely because of this that Tsar Alexander II had already instructed the diplomatic ambassadors before attending the Berlin Conference, asking them to show a tough attitude in the early stages of the negotiations to see if they can force Britain and Austria-Hungary to back down.

If Britain and Austria-Hungary are willing to force Russia to surrender at the cost of war, then Russia can only fall into the net obediently and raise its hands to announce its surrender.

Alas!

Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov sighed secretly in his heart, and then he seemed to be deflated and lost all his spirit.

He struggled for a few seconds, and then Alexander said helplessly: "Just do as you say, respected envoy. Russia is willing to revise the Treaty of San Stefano, but the premise is that our country's interests must also be respected enough."

Seeing that the Russian ambassador had chosen to give in, the representatives of Britain and Austria-Hungary looked at each other and saw a smile in each other's eyes.

Although they have crushed Russia in comprehensive strength when they joined forces, it does not mean that they want to start a war with Russia.

The most troublesome thing about Russia is its huge population, which represents millions of huge troops. If the giant Russia is really angered and mobilizes millions of troops, won't Britain and Austria-Hungary have to mobilize millions of troops to maintain the advantage on the battlefield?

Even if they can win the war by doing this, Britain and Austria-Hungary will have to bear considerable losses.

Especially the Austro-Hungarian Empire, without any colonies, mobilized troops from its own population.

Among the many ethnic groups in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Austrian army had the most reliable combat effectiveness. If the Austrian army lost a lot of people in the war, even the stability of the Austro-Hungarian Empire would be affected.

The reason why the Austro-Hungarian Empire was dismembered into several countries after World War I was largely because Austria, which suffered heavy losses, could no longer control Hungary.

Only by maintaining the advantage of the main ethnic group over the minority at all times can the country achieve long-term stability.

This also reflects the importance of colonies. Although the colonial army armed by the indigenous people of the colonies is not strong in combat effectiveness, it is a very good cannon fodder.

Even if the loss ratio is 10 to 1, it is not a loss for many colonial countries. Ten colonial natives are definitely not as valuable as one native, but those countries with a large population.

For Spain, even if all the indigenous population is lost, it is not willing to reduce the native population of Spain by 1 million.

Not to mention that the war also lost extremely excellent young and middle-aged laborers, the value of these young and middle-aged laborers cannot be measured by the indigenous population.

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