Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 175

Chapter 175: Chapter 62, The Crisis of the Ottoman Empire

Translator: 549690339

It was already the third day since the news of the outbreak of the Near Eastern war had reached London. Even with prior mental preparation, the upper echelons of the British government were still troubled upon receiving this news.

Even Queen Victoria, who seldom intervened in politics, was unsettled enough to call a high-level meeting at Buckingham Palace.

Queen Victoria opened the conversation, “With the outbreak of the Near Eastern War, the Russians and the Austrian Empire have gotten involved together, and the Ottomans now face considerable trouble. To preserve our interests in the Near East, what does the government plan to do?”

The Ottoman Empire had long commanded awe, and even in this age of decline, its fearsome reputation retained some effect. Furthermore, the Ottoman Government had just completed systemic reforms, ostensibly modernizing the empire.

In Queen Victoria’s view, even if the Ottoman Empire was no match for Russia and Austria, with such vast lands and a million-strong army to boot, at worst they would only lose a bit of territory — they wouldn’t be brought down so easily.

This was also the mainstream view in Europe; no one truly knew how weak the Ottoman Empire was.

Prime Minister John Russell, well-prepared, responded, “Your Majesty, we have already joined hands with France and are prepared to intervene in this war together.”

Prince Albert questioned, “Prime Minister, this war between Russia and the Ottomans is different from the previous ones, with the Austrians also taking part.

Even with an alliance with the French, are we really capable of making them compromise? Otherwise, this war wouldn’t even have started!”

Queen Victoria disliked meddling in politics, unlike Prince Albert, who had his hand in numerous significant decisions for England.

John Russell explained, “Your Highness, the partnership between Russia and Austria is only temporary, and because their interests don’t align, they will eventually part ways.

Our current enemy is Russia; we can set Austria aside for the time being. They only have so much appetite — even if we were to hand over the Balkan Peninsula to them, they couldn’t swallow it all.

The government plans to conduct a joint operation with the French, supporting the Ottomans to continue the fight against the Russians, and leave Austria’s Foreign Ministry to handle the rest.”

Deploying troops to intervene in the Near Eastern War? Whether historically or presently, the British had no initial plans to enter the fray personally.

In history, when the British joined the Crimean War, it was only after the Ottoman Empire was on the brink and France was willing to be the main force that Britain sent troops to battle.

With the Ottoman Empire’s lion-strong army still intact, before the war had even begun, who could tell if these forces were merely for show?

Many within the British Government believed that it would be enough to provide loans to the Ottomans and sell them some weapons and equipment.

Of course, deploying the navy to lend a hand was an option, delving into the Black Sea Strait was in British interests.

While they lacked confidence in the army facing off against Russians, they were decidedly bold against the Russian Black Sea Fleet with their navy.

Paris

Compared to the British, Napoleon III was much more proactive. He saw the Near Eastern War as an excellent opportunity to divert domestic conflicts.

If he could beat the Russians and avenge his uncle’s defeat at Waterloo, he would gain substantial political capital.

Losing the war was of no consequence; after all, the battle would be fought on Ottoman soil, and blame could easily be shifted onto allies. As long as the French Army secured a few victories to publicize at home, that would suffice.

Napoleon III asked with concern, “Rue, what do the British say? Are they prepared to join us in sending troops?”

Rue answered, “Your Majesty, the London Government is still hesitant. They seem inclined to support the Ottomans from behind the scenes rather than engage their own troops in battle.

However, if we were to send troops to support the Ottomans, the British would be supportive. They also wish to teach the Russians a lesson on the battlefield.”

This premature conclusion was drawn while the Ottoman Empire had yet to be defeated. Should the Ottoman Army suffer a significant loss, would the British remain seated?

If the Ottoman Empire fell, not only would their initial investments be in vain, but even their Mediterranean interests would be jeopardized.

Napoleon III dared to intervene in the Near East war precisely because the Ottoman Empire possessed a certain level of strength; otherwise, leaving them to face off against the Russians alone, the French would indeed be very timid.

There’s no other reason; the sheer number of grey beasts is overwhelming. A quantitative change leads to a qualitative change. Even Napoleon himself was buried under Russian numbers, and there’s also the Austrian Empire to consider, which they cannot afford to ignore.

“Hmph!”

With a cold snort, Napoleon III expressed his dissatisfaction. The British were making it clear they expected France to take the lead.

“Tell the British not to forget about Austria. If they don’t send troops to support the Ottoman Empire, it may not be long before we hear news of their defeat,” Napoleon III thought and said.

Using diplomatic means to split the Russian-Austrian alliance is very important for the British, and it is worthwhile for them to pay some price for this.

But for Napoleon III, it was different. The stage was set, and the audience was waiting down below to watch the play; he couldn’t suddenly announce there would be no performance.

Having ascended to power as Napoleon’s successor, avenging his uncle was only natural, and the French public was watching him; he could not afford to retreat.

There was no choice, the French public of this era was that capricious. Since Napoleon III had made promises before he acceded to the throne, he had to fulfill them.

Historically, this is exactly what Napoleon III did. The Crimean War ended Russian hegemony in Europe and won the support of the people.

“Your Majesty, if the Russians truly join hands with Austria, it might be difficult for us to defeat them in the Near East,” Rue reminded him.

The substitute king did not bear the title in vain; if they were defeated, he would be the one to take the blame. Preparing for the worst was necessary.

“Don’t worry, they can’t possibly join forces sincerely. With Russia’s appetite, Austria wouldn’t dare let them gain control over the Black Sea Strait,” Napoleon III asserted confidently.

An overly powerful Russian Empire did not suit the interests of Austria. If the Russians were to annex the Ottoman Empire, Austria would face increased pressure.

The Balkan Peninsula

On April 11, 1852, after negotiations, the Austrian Government and the Russian Government signed the “Balkan Treaty”.

The treaty stipulated: Russian forces would transfer control of the two principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia to Austria; Russian troops would gain the right of free passage; Austria would provide logistical support to the Russian Army in the Balkan Peninsula.

Both parties took what they needed. Austria acquired the prearranged territories and successfully concealed its westward strategy; the Russians obtained the opportunity to continue their advance from the Balkan Peninsula, increasing their chances of winning the war.

A look at the map would reveal that without Austrian material support, once they occupied the two Danube principalities, their logistical supplies would hamper the Russian Army’s ability to continue its advance.

The sudden relinquishment by the Russians caught the Sultan Government off guard, which had been preparing to witness a Russian-Austrian conflict.

There was no time for hesitation; a quarter of a million Russian troops were already on their way down the Danube River, heading straight for Bulgaria.

Anyone with a bit of military knowledge knows that once Bulgaria falls, the Ottoman Empire Capital is in danger.

In fact, had the Sultan Government not promptly invited the English and French navies into the Black Sea, the Russian advance would have been even smoother. It is much easier to transport supplies by sea than by land.

With the number of troops Russia had, had they not lost sea control, they could have chosen to land at multiple points, forcing the Ottoman Empire to scatter its defenses.

Trouble comes in waves.

The Russians were also well prepared; through the contacts of the Orthodox Church, the Bulgarians were now ready to welcome the Royal Army with open arms and full provisions.

It wasn’t just the Bulgarians; other nationalities within the Ottoman Empire were also becoming restless. It was just that, at this point, they lacked effective organization, and nationalism had not yet spread widely, limiting their combat effectiveness when it came down to fighting.

In any case, the Ottoman Empire was currently in a state of impending crisis, and with Austria as an added enemy, the troubles they faced grew even larger.