Chapter 200: Break new ground

Constantinople
Abdul Mejd I was so terribly grim. This Balkan Conference may be an episode for Britain and France, but deadly for the Sudanese government.
For this war, the Ottoman Empire has done its best. No doubt, they have only a little strength.
Millions of troops were mobilized back and forth. Regardless of the combat effectiveness, all the families of the Ottoman Empire came in.
As a result, the situation on the battlefield disappointed Abdul Mejd I. Originally, the coalition side should have a slight advantage. Unfortunately, this advantage disappeared after the British and French command power struggle.
Eliminate the conflict between Britain and France? Stop dreaming. The two world wars in history are related to life and death. Both Britain and France can pull back on each other. Now they still count on their sincere cooperation?
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted the London and Paris governments and told them that if they continue to preserve their strength on the battlefield, we will lose this war."
"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Minister of Foreign Affairs Hood.
Don't look at the fierce fighting now. In fact, there are not many casualties in Britain and France. The main battle deaths on the battlefield are Ottoman troops.
Since the British used guns to hang on the Ottomans' necks, forcing them to consume Russian power on the battlefield, the French naturally did not mind learning the same.
In Sliven, the Russians caught the French mammoth at first. In order to preserve their strength, the French naturally used the Ottoman army as cannon fodder.
Anyway, it ’s the Ottomans asking for help from Britain and France. Even if they do too much, the Sudanese government can only endure.
Now that the fighting has been carried out, Britain and France have reduced their staffing by less than 15 percent, including non-combat reductions, and the Ottoman army has reduced its staff by more than 25 percent.
Under normal circumstances, with such a large number of casualties, the Ottoman army should have collapsed, but the supervising team is different.
To a certain extent, it is also of positive significance for Britain and France to hold the gun racks around their necks, forcing them to go to the battlefield, at least causing a lot of casualties to the Russians.
The Minister of War, Mudra, suggested: "Her Majesty, let Britain and France increase their troops. According to the current situation, they cannot cooperate well. The only way to win this war is to rely on absolute strength.
Now that the battle has progressed, we are already at a disadvantage. Even if the British and French troops are desperate, it is only the end of both losses. "
Abdul Mejd I sighed and said with a bitter smile: "It's not that simple. This battle is not so important to Britain and France. Even if you lose, it won't hurt you.
Perhaps from the perspective of Britain and France, the cost of war will be lower if the battlefield is placed on the coast or if a battle for the defense of Constantinople is conducted.
Even because of the extension of the front, the logistical pressure of the Russians has greatly increased, and the number of troops that can be invested in the front will inevitably decrease, and the chance of success of the coalition will increase. "
Britain and France can do this, but the Ottoman Empire cannot. If the Russians were put to a decisive battle in the coastal areas, the essence of the Ottoman Empire would be reduced to a battlefield.
In the end, even if they had won the war, their basis of on the Balkans was over. Not to mention regaining the lost ground, it is very difficult to maintain the current actual control range.
The reality is so cruel, Britain and France are only to fight against Russian talents and join forces with them, and the life and death of the Ottoman Empire is beyond their consideration.
It cost so much for this war, with no gain at all, or it would take half of the Balkan peninsula. Abdullah Megid I would be blamed if he did not have resentment.
The contradiction between the Ottoman Empire and the Russians is too deep. Even if the Sudanese government wants to recognize them, the Russians still have to come and fight them. They can only follow the English and French lives.
...
London
The Balkan war stalemate and the British government got a headache. Don't think that they have a lot of money, they can just stay out of their minds.
For the benefit, ending the war as soon as possible and letting the British Empire devote energy to colonial expansion is the best choice.
After more than half a year of hard work, the British promised army has finally arrived. The last batch of reinforcements has set off from the British Isles to the Balkan Peninsula.
This support force was strongly requested by Lieutenant General Montes of the front line. He no longer believed that the Ottomans could destroy the guerrillas, and he was not sure when the French would be able to defeat the Russians.
The British Empire cannot lose face, nor can the Army's face. For the sake of face, the status of the Army in the country, and future military expenditures, the bureaucrats of the British War Department have rarely been efficient.
In theory, the arrival of the 30,000 British troops on the front line is likely to break the deadlock on the battlefield, but the British government still has no confidence.
Since the anti-French war, the Russian Empire is the most powerful country on the European continent and the largest army in the world.
The London government has no confidence in their own army. They do not think that the army can break the situation. Even the London government has not asked the army to initiate an attack.
From the perspective of the British Cabinet, Britain is not an army power at first. As long as it is not shameful in the Balkan battlefield, the task of defeating the Russians is still up to the French and the Ottomans.
Prime Minister John Russell asked: "The situation in the Balkans has reached an impasse. Unless the coalition forces increase their troops again, there will be no victory in a short time. What do you think?"
Foreign Minister Palmerston proposed: "His Prime Minister, this happens, mainly because the Russians have been deliberately preparing for this war for more than two years, and the coalition forces rushed to fight.
There is also the position of the Austrian government, which was beyond our expectations. The Vienna government actually dropped restrictions on Russians and provided them with logistical supplies.
We have sent people to contact the Vienna government, and their attitude is very firm. Even before we listened to our conditions, it directly showed a neutral attitude.
We asked them to refuse to provide the Russians with strategic supplies, and they rejected us on the pretext of free trade. "
"Free trade" was proposed by the British. I didn't expect to get revenge on myself so soon. But they couldn't oppose it. This was the national policy of the British Empire.
This year, there has been no restriction on the export of strategic materials by neutral countries, or at least no mandatory binding force, and Austria is now doing business with the Russians in a just and bright light.
Palmerston once wanted to sweep the goods on the Austrian market and cut off the Russian supply. After thinking about it, he gave up, and domestic capitalists are not easy to mess with.
If the London government buys Austrian goods instead of theirs, these people will be terrible if they get into trouble.
As a political ally, Secretary of the Navy James Graham made a siege: "Mr. Palmerston is right, the reason for this situation is that we have misjudged Russia-Austria relations.
However, things have already happened, and review errors are useless. The most important thing now is to defeat the Russians. Let the past go!
The Russians are not without weaknesses. From the information we have, more than 80% of the Russian military's combat supplies on the Balkans are provided by the Austrians, and the rest are the Russian reserves in advance.
The strategic supplies of the Caucasus were basically provided by the Russians themselves.
Most of these strategic materials are hoarded along the Ukrainian coast. If we can raid these areas, it will also be a heavy blow for the Russians. "
Of course, it was a heavy blow, and the Russians prepared the results two years in advance. The Black Sea Fleet was originally intended to be used as a logistical supply for frontline troops.
As a result, the plan could not keep up with the rapid changes. The British and French navies came in and the maritime traffic was cut off. They could only rely on ox carts and horse carriages to slowly transport them to the front.
If the British raided these supplies, economic losses alone would make the Tsarist government cry.
In view of the greed of the Russian bureaucrats, even if the British only fired a few shots, they dared to damage these supplies by seven or seven.
Palmerston suggested: "Not only can we destroy these supplies, but we can actually open a second battlefield along the coast of Ukraine.
The Russians put their main forces on the Balkans, and we can use this opportunity to end the old nest of the Black Sea Fleet.
Without these obstructing flies, our people can land on the Black Sea coast at any time, and the Russians will have a headache.
They can leave it elsewhere, but the Crimean Peninsula never dare to lose it.
The military strength of the Russians is also not unlimited. After we open up new fronts, they cannot support each other for a long time. "
The London government's misjudgment of Russia-Austria relations was caused by the misjudgment made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Palmerston must find ways to make up for it.
Opening up new fronts is the strategy that his think tank came up with. As long as the Russians are defeated, all the previous mistakes are not worth mentioning.
Anyway, they have the advantage of the navy. They can fight as much as they want to fight along the Black Sea coast.
The Russians had to balance three battlefields at the same time, which was obviously inadequate. Not to mention in the Caucasus, it is impossible to abandon the Balkans. The Russians have already paid too much, and there is only one door left from Constantinople.
Even the Crimean Peninsula cannot be lost. If it is lost here, the British and French navies will block their door every day. It is impossible for the Russians to develop a navy in the Black Sea.
Without the navy, continuing to attack Constantinople will leave political and religious significance. Even if it is overcome, it will be difficult to keep.
The Minister of the Interior, Henry John Temple, questioned: "Mr. Palmerston, opening up the second front is theoretically very good, but don't forget, we are also labor expeditions. The Russians consume more, and we consume more.
Just like the current war in the Balkans, the military expenditure of the coalition was double that of the Russians. The Russians purchased materials directly from Austria, and our material transportation costs were a quarter higher than them.
The Ottomans' financial resources have dried up. All the expenses of the Sardinian army are borne by us, and the financial resources of the French government are not optimistic.
If we open up the new front of the Crimean Peninsula, most of military expenditure will fall on us. If we do n’t have this budget financially, how can we persuade Congress? "
No one likes to suffer. Now if a new front is to be opened, the British must act as the master. This means a cost of millions of pounds and even tens of millions of pounds.
Palmerston explained unhurriedly: "Mr. Henry, you worry more. If war breaks out on the Crimean Peninsula, we will actually take advantage even more.
As long as we destroy the Russian hoarding of materials on the Black Sea coast, the Russians can only be transported from the rear if they want to supply.
This cost can be much higher than purchasing from Austria. Due to the reaction ability of the Tsarist government, they suddenly encountered this situation, and they couldn't adjust it in the short term.
At this time, the more flustered and the easier it is to make mistakes, the Russians make the wrong decision, and our opportunity comes.
Even if they did not make mistakes, the third-line operations also exceeded their national strength to withstand the limits. We are facing an enemy short of troops, money, and supplies, and it is not a big problem to win this war.
As for the increase in military expenditure, compared with the cost of defeating the Russians, what is the price?
After such a big defeat, the social contradictions forced by the Tsarist government will break out. Under the internal and external troubles, the possibility of the Russian Empire splitting is very high.
At that time, it is entirely possible for us to slaughter the Russian Empire and completely eliminate this threat. "
The Russians were the primary enemy of the British in this era. Defeating the Russians would not be enough to cause the British Parliament to agree to a major bleeding.
If it is possible to completely defeat the Russians, then it will be different. No member of parliament can reject this temptation.
Seeing no further opposition, John Russell said, "If there is no other opinion, then start voting now and agree with Mr. Palmerston's proposal. Please raise your hand."
Having said that, John Russell raised his hand first, and he could not resist the temptation to defeat the Russians. As long as he completed this task, he was one of the greatest prime ministers in British history.
After a glance, John Russell continued: "Pass, I will submit a bill to Congress in the name of the Cabinet next week.
Mr. Palmerston, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately communicated with the French to try to reach a consensus on this issue as soon as possible.
It's best to hurry before the Congress vote to avoid the emergence of moths. "
No matter how good the strategy is, someone must implement it. The number of British troops is so small, all sent up are not enough for the Russians to fight, then the French can only be made to resist lightning.
Since Napoleon III wanted to use this war to gain political prestige, how could it be possible without paying a price?
John Niu is not an injustice. If the French do not contribute, they will not break out.
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