Chapter 180: Choices

London
The direction of the Near East War stunned the British. The Russians actually gave up the duchy of the Danube River in exchange for Austria's logistical assistance.
This means that the Russians have a very big appetite this time. Only with greater interests can the Russians give up the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia.
John Russell said grimly, "Our previous plan failed, and the Austrians and the Russians reached an agreement. If we don't take the shot now, the Ottoman Empire is definitely not their opponent.
Mr. Palmerston, what is your approach to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to break up the Russian-Austrian alliance in the shortest possible time?
Together, the two countries are invincible in the Near East. Even if we act together with the French, it will be difficult to win. "
The words of Prime Minister John Russell are not targeted. Russia's border with Ottoman is only the Balkans and the Caucasus.
The Caucasus is limited by terrain, and logistical issues are a major issue if large group operations are conducted.
Due to the poor traffic conditions in Russia and the Caucasus with complicated terrain, it cannot support more than 200,000 troops.
Of course, if the sea power of the Black Sea is not lost, they can also hit along the coastline, logistics supply is not a problem.
Now that the Russians have sent troops on the land, the Balkan Peninsula is left. The two principalities of the Danube River are both major grain producing countries. The food problem can basically be solved locally, and the logistical pressure of the Russian army has been reduced by half.
Even so, the Russians were not capable of hitting Constantinople all the way. After the occupation of the two principalities, the offensive limit was basically reached, and the strategic materials shipped from the country could not keep up with the speed of the frontline troops.
However, it is different with the addition of Austria. The Danube can quickly transport strategic supplies and support hundreds of thousands of troops in the Balkan Peninsula without any problems.
Palmerston replied without change: "The Prime Minister, it is easy to break up the alliance between Russia and Austria. We proposed it long ago.
As long as the Ottomans agreed to cede the two duchyes of the Danube Basin to Austria, it would be enough to feed the Austrians. With Austria separating them from the Russians, the situation will not be so bad now. "
In order to balance the Russians, the British Foreign Office did have such a plan, but the cessation of the Duchy of the Danube to Austria was only part of the plan.
In history, the British proposed: Aland Islands and Finland to Sweden; the Baltic Sea coast to Prussia; Poland to independence; Moldavia and Wallachia and the Danube Estuary to Austria, at the cost of Austria Abandon Lombardy and Venice, occupied by the Kingdom of Sardinia; Crimea and Caucasus belong to the Ottoman Empire ...
Theoretically, once this plan is implemented, the strength of the Russians will be greatly weakened, and the ability to compete with the British for world supremacy will be lost.
However, the plan could not keep up with the changes, and it had already died before it was implemented. It is not just the Russians who disagree with the plan, nor can Austria agree with it.
Don't look at the two duchyes of the Danube Basin and the land is very fertile, but these areas have not been developed yet, and are economically lower than Lombardy and Venice.
Occupying these areas now, Austria has to invest a lot of manpower and material resources, and has also become an anti-Russian vanguard, rushing to the front line of anti-Russia, which is very disadvantageous strategically.
Rather than joining forces with the Russians, Austria can also get these sites, at the expense of the interests of the Ottoman Empire.
Franz has always believed in the truth that "thousands of birds are in the forest, and one bird is worse than one hand", but he will not sacrifice his own interests in order to balance the great cause of the Russians.
The butterfly effect is still useful, because the performance of the Austrian army during the Osa war proved the power of the powers to the outside world. Palmerston's new strategic plan did not propose to give Lombardy and Venice to the Kingdom of Sardinia.
It is the strength of the British to see people serving dishes. Austria is stronger than in history, and treatment is naturally stronger than in history.
In order to flicker Austria and the Russians, they did not hesitate to take advantage. Unfortunately, before their plans convinced the Ottomans, war broke out.
"But the stupid Ottoman government did not see this. They only saw that the cessation of the duchy of the Danube Valley would cost them a lot of money, and they simply did not see the benefits of doing so.
I believe that after the Russian-Turkish war, the reality will make the Ottomans more awake and make the right choice. "John Russell chattered.
Obviously, the affairs of the Ottoman Empire have bored him as the British Prime Minister.
Palmerston sneered and said, "The Prime Minister, the Ottoman government is now sober, and I believe they will make the right choice.
However, this is the future. The most important thing now is to convince the parliament to send troops to the Balkans as soon as possible. If it is too late, the Ottomans will probably be unable to support it. "
This is the national policy of the British, giving priority to the most threatening enemies. They will not change their targets until the Russians fall.
When it comes to threats, Austria is not as good as France at this time. Its poor geographical location has shown that Austria cannot threaten the core interests of the British.
John Russell thought about it and said, "There is not much of a problem on the side of Congress. To keep our interests in the Mediterranean, we must keep the Russians in cages."
Interest is an eternal theme. The annexation of the Ottoman Empire by the Russians seriously damaged the interests of the British. In order to preserve overseas investment, interest groups naturally support the government's intervention in the Near East War.
...
Constantinople
Abdul Majed I regretted it. If he had known that the Russians and Austria would compromise so quickly, he would accept the British suggestion.
There is no regret in politics, at this time the Russian and Ottoman forces have already started fighting in Bulgaria. Even more tragic is that, as a party with more troops, they are actually in a disadvantage on the battlefield.
"How long will it take for our reinforcements to reach the front?" Abdul Mejd I asked with concern.
"Your Majesty, there are too many guerrillas in Bulgaria, and our reinforcements will not be able to arrive for another three days." The Minister of War replied, turning down the volume.
In this war, the Ottoman army was slower than they expected, and the war minister naturally spoke with no confidence.
Abdul Mejd I gave a cold drink: "Huh!"
He also said, "I don't care what you think, anyway, Bulgaria can't be lost. What it means here, you all know!"
Everyone was afraid to speak with their heads down. The national policy of the Ottoman Empire was actually very liberal in modern times.
It is a pity that no matter how good the policy needs to be implemented, the decaying Ottoman government undoubtedly lacks efficient implementation capabilities, and naturally, the people are full of grievances.
The aftermath is now out, and the local operations have not received the support of the people, and they have also been attacked by guerrillas, which has slowed the pace of reinforcements.
Fortunately, the reaction of the Russians was also very slow. Otherwise, a decisive battle broke out on the front line, and the Ottoman government could only cry.
...
Athens, Greece
With the outbreak of the Near East War, the Greeks were happy, and their chance to achieve their goals came.
Otto I had a headache and faced the pull of the four great powers at the same time. He didn't know how to stand.
Greek nationalism has been on the rise since the conflict with the British in 1850. From the beginning Otto I supported the idea that nationalism was conducive to his rule.
Otto I thought he had seized the key to gaining popular support and put himself at the forefront of the patriotic movement.
How to keep the patriotic enthusiasm of the people from cooling down has become a problem for Otto I.
After the outbreak of nationalism, regaining lost ground has become the common goal of the Greeks, and it is also the "great ideal" of Otto I and Queen Armania.
The Greeks' claims to take back territory are almost endless. The theoretical basis of this requirement came from the Byzantine Empire, and the Greeks wanted to reproduce the territory of the Byzantine Empire.
When the power and the ideal are out of balance, the days of tragedy are not far off. The territory of the Greek kingdom in this era was only over 50,000 square kilometers, and its population was less than one million. It simply could not support their "ideals".
"You, where should we stand now?" Otto I asked frowningly.
As a small country, the most sensible approach is to stand on the side of the winner; while a country with a flourishing nationalism is often not so sensible, it will choose the side with the greatest interests.
At this time Otto I did not know that his rule was about to usher in a new crisis. No matter which side you stand on, it is impossible to satisfy the appetite of the people to regain their lost ground.
In Greece, where idealism prevails, the people don't care so much. They only ask the government according to their ideals.
In history, for more than one hundred years from the time of Otto I, all the kings of Greece have not lived comfortably, because none of them could fulfill the ideals of the Greek people.
The Finance Minister answered with a complex look: "His Majesty, the British and French navies have taken control of the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. For the sake of national security, we can only stand with them."
This is the most sensible approach. No matter who wins or loses, Greece surrounded by British, French, and Ottomans has no choice at all.
The Minister of War countered: "What can we gain by standing with the Ottoman Empire? Can we count on their alms to return our homeland to us?
Now that the Russians have made a commitment, as long as we declare war on the Ottoman Empire, they will support us in obtaining Thessaly and Ipirus after the war.
The Austrians even promised that they would support us as much territory as we had won.
Such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, have we given up? "
There is no way, the Russians and Austria are generous to others, naturally do not mind promises to the Greeks. Britain and France are now allies with the Ottoman Empire. How could they choose to sacrifice Ottoman's interests to meet the Greeks' demands?
Even if it is to win allies, the Greek kingdom is not qualified?
Britain and France are also arrogant, not just cats or dogs, they can sit on an equal footing with them.
The Prime Minister echoed: "Yes, if we give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the people outside will not agree.
It's worth taking a little risk for the revival of the great Greek kingdom! "
It is not that he wants to stand with the Russians, nor that he does not see the risks of doing so, but that the Greek people outside have already made choices for them.
Nationalism is a double-edged sword. It can kill the enemy and hurt itself. Now the government of Otto I has been abducted by my opinion.
Otto I thought for a while and said, "Since the people have made their choices, then our government must respect their choices.
However, given the British and French positions, we cannot declare war on the Ottoman Empire directly. What is a good way for everyone? "
There is no good way, I have an idea.
The Minister of War proposed: "Your Majesty, we can set up civilian armed forces to launch an attack on the Ottoman Empire, which can not only give the Russians and Austria an account, but also take care of British and French faces.
In his view, British and French support for the Ottoman Empire was only to combat the Russians, not to say that the two countries really supported the Ottomans.
As long as the Greek kingdom grasps the degree, they will not interfere when they attack the Ottoman Empire without harming the face of Britain and France.
My idea is better than no idea. There is no better way. My idea can only be used to make sense.
After seeing everyone applauding, Otto I finally made a decision: "Then talk to the representatives of Austria and Russia, we support them in this war!"
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