Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 246:

Chapter 246: Chapter 133: To Each Their Own Needs
“Someone has died over here!”

“Quick, remove the body and arrange for cremation as soon as possible!”

In the midst of shouting, there was also a sense of numbness and despair. With large numbers of people dying every day, everyone had grown numb to the constant deaths.

Unlike previous casualties among the injured, this time it was an epidemic, one that even medical personnel were not spared from, to the extent that a French brigadier general also entered the crematorium.

Safety protections? Unfortunately, the protective measures of this era were extremely primitive; they couldn’t even accomplish basic disinfection.

In a corner of the quarantine area, the moans of the sick could be heard from time to time. This place had become a land feared by everyone, where medical staff hurriedly distributed medicine each day before quickly leaving.

Check on the condition of patients? That was out of the question. How many doctors did the French Army even have?

Moreover, there was simply no cure for the plague. The medications currently in use provided more psychological comfort to patients than actual therapeutic effect.

The soldiers responsible for distributing provisions were even more reluctant to come here, leaving the food at the entrance, shouting a notice, and then quickly departing.

“Adolf, can you hold on?”

“No problem, thank you Alfonso, I feel much better, I should be able to pull through this time.”

“Rest well, if you pull through, everything will be fine.”

Alfonso said such words many times each day. As one of the earliest to catch the epidemic, Alfonso was lucky to have survived.

By tradition, having survived a wave of the epidemic, God would not call on him again anytime soon; and then, he had no choice but to stay and act as a nurse.

According to the doctors, he still needed to remain in the hospital for continued observation and treatment, to ensure his safety before discharge.

In reality, he was kept there to do the hard labor, such as taking care of patients, distributing food, and dealing with bodies. Jobs that everyone dreaded fell upon his shoulders.

Considering the extra wages, Alfonso readily took on this dreadfully avoided task.

Alfonso was a veteran, one of the first French troops to enter the Balkan Peninsula. Half of those who came with him had already fallen.

For a battle-hardened veteran, death was nothing to fear. The numbers who died on the battlefield every day were countless and sights of blood and gore were all too common.

In his view, helping out here was much easier than fighting on the battlefield. He only needed to look after thirty or so patients each day, and then he was free to do as he pleased.

Having stayed here for some time, Alfonso realized that this place was nowhere near as terrible as the outside world imagined. Having been here for over a month, only five had died while seven had recovered.

At the Istanbul French Military Headquarters, Ambroise brought bad news.

“Commander, the Russian offensive has caused our epidemic prevention efforts to fail. The spread of the plague is now inevitable!”

This message did not come as a surprise to the French commander, Pelissier. With the outbreak of the plague, the Russians certainly would not miss this opportunity.

Apart from the French Army, there were still civilians who remained in Istanbul. The Ottoman Empire was their ally, and Pelissier could not possibly drive all the citizens of Istanbul out of the city.

The more densely populated the area, the more difficult it was to control the epidemic. Coupled with the Russian assault, it was adding insult to injury.

Pelissier calmly asked, “Tell me about the epidemic situation in the city.”

Ambroise said somberly, “The epidemic may have originated from the cholera that appeared in London recently. The Crimea Peninsula also suffered an outbreak of the plague, with symptoms similar to ours.

Strangely enough, the epidemic that broke out in Istanbul is highly communicable, much more so than in other regions. Our preliminary judgement is that it is transmitted by mosquitoes, flies, and such insects.

The mortality rate is average for a plague; most of the able-bodied can withstand it, with mortality not exceeding 15%, while it is much higher among the old and weak.

The most severe cases are among the wounded. Once infected with the plague, they are almost certain to die.”

Pelissier could only inwardly curse the British for their luck. The cholera outbreak in London was not severe and was swiftly brought under control, not spreading widely, whereas they were the ones truly suffering.

London

Foreign Minister Thomas said gravely, “Prime Minister, I have just received news that the French forces in Istanbul have not been able to contain the plague, and it has now begun to spread.

Last night, Napoleon III received the Austrian envoy to France at the Palace of Versailles, where they held a secret talk for more than two hours.

The Foreign Office analysis suggests that this secret discussion might relate to the Near East war. The turn of events in Istanbul has caused the French to lose faith in this war.

It is possible that the Paris Government might unilaterally bring an end to this war with the Russians, and now they are using the Austrians to signal their willingness to negotiate with the Russians.

According to our intelligence, the Austrian Envoy in London has also been very active recently, making frequent contact with the leaders of the Peace Party at home, and the Vienna Government seems intent on mediating this war.”

After a moment’s thought, George Hamilton-Gordon asked, “It’s no surprise that the French want to end this war.

What’s the Foreign Office’s reasoning behind the Austrians’ desire to mediate this conflict? From a profit standpoint, the longer this war drags on, the more beneficial it is for Austria.”

International political interests are always decisive factors; the continuation of the Near East war would not only drain the strength of England, France, and Russia, but Austria could also profit greatly from the war.

From a profit-based perspective, the Vienna Government has no reason to encourage an early end to the war between the three powers.

Thomas replied confidently, “The Austrians do not wish for us to genuinely emerge victorious or defeated. Though the Vienna System has collapsed, the Austrian Government has not given up on the European balance of power strategy.”

Whether the Russians won or we did, Austria’s detached position no longer exists, and a new round of international struggle is sure to break out.

The ongoing Near East War does align with Austria’s interests, but the eventual outcome is beyond control.

In this Near East War, Austria has already reaped too many benefits and now urgently needs to integrate them. Metternich is consistently cautious, so it’s normal for him to cut and run while he’s ahead.”

Prime Minister George nodded, believing that compared to national strategy, minor economic advantages are not worth mentioning. Caught between France and Russia, the Austrian Government had no choice but to implement a European balance of power policy.

“What plans do you have?” Prime Minister Henry asked.

Thomas replied, “Prime Minister, at this point in the Near East War, our plan to contain the Russians has failed.”

Continuing the fight would merely increase casualties and serve no practical purpose.

Our advantage lies at sea; only the imbeciles who came before us would go onto land and fight the Russians to the death.

“In the future, our strategy should still be to stir up conflicts between Russia and France, Russia and Austria, Russia and Prussia, using the strength of European nations to restrain the Russians while we simply blockade them at sea.”

War always provides lessons, and the Near East War has led the London Government to conclude that engaging in land warfare with the Russians is foolish.

Attacking the enemy where they’re strong with our weaknesses is not a mistake we intend to commit a second time.

Vienna

Staring at the map of the Balkan Peninsula, Franz was lost in thought.

It seems we’ve overplayed our hand this time; if the Russians were to swallow these territories, not only would England and France have a headache, but Austria would face troubles too.

Despite Franz repeatedly emphasizing the importance of the Russian-Austrian Alliance during government meetings out of political necessity, he did not shy away from secretly tripping them up.

Just like now, Franz was contemplating how to limit the Russians. Attracting the attention of England and France, the Russians currently occupying Constantinople were adequate for the task.

The Istanbul area is also incredibly wealthy, gathering more than half of the Ottoman Empire’s industry, besides Constantinople itself.

Even though the war inflicted heavy losses, as long as the foundation remains, it won’t take long to recover.

If all of this falls into Russian hands, then after Tsar Alexander II completes the serf reform, the strength of the Russians would be overwhelming.

The maid whispered, “Your Majesty, Mr. Metternich has arrived.”

Franz responded indifferently, “Let him in.”

Metternich cautioned, “Your Majesty, the Ottoman Empire lacks the ability to block Russian expansion. Given the current situation, it won’t be long after the war before the Russians can swallow the Balkan Peninsula.

In such a case, there’s no need for us to forcibly resist the Russians. The more territory they annex, the more they will alarm the nations of Europe, potentially becoming the common enemy of Europe. If the Tsarist Government cannot handle all this, Emperor Napoleon serves as a lesson from history, and we need not worry excessively.”

Franz, pointing to the map of the Balkan Peninsula, said, “Look, this is the current control range of each country. According to the Russian-Austrian treaty, we have already obtained the territories that were due to us.

As for the remaining areas, aside from Bulgaria being under Russian control, the Montenegro Duchy has been driven back to their homeland by the allied forces, with other regions remaining in allied hands.

If things go as expected after the war, these areas will be governed by the Ottoman Empire, but we all understand that if Constantinople falls, the Sultan Government won’t have the strength to control these regions.

The Russians could annex these areas effortlessly. Due to the alliance commitment, we can’t intervene.

If we let the Russians control these territories, our pressure in the Balkan Peninsula will increase. But if we change the master of these lands to someone who can block the Russians, might the outcome be better?”

Astonished, Metternich asked, “Your Majesty, are you suggesting that we hand over these territories to the French?”

Franz explained, “It’s not that I want to give these areas to the French, but Napoleon III needs to take these territories to explain himself to his people.

After two or three years of war, hundreds of thousands dead, and a great deal of military expense, the proud French people won’t stand for gaining nothing. Right now, as long as they hold onto Constantinople, it won’t be easy for the Russians to take it.

The Tsarist Government also wishes to cease hostilities; they just need to occupy Constantinople to give their people a sense of victory.

If both parties could secretly negotiate and reach an agreement, satisfying the needs of France and Russia, wouldn’t that be more in our favor?”

After pondering for a moment, Metternich spoke, “Your Majesty, I cannot answer that question. If we push for it, there’s indeed a high probability that France and Russia could secretly reach such a deal.

But where does our interest lie in this? After this war, the Russians won’t likely provoke another conflict in the Balkan Peninsula for at least a decade.

Bringing the French in to balance the Russians is just an ideal scenario; a greater likelihood is that the relationship between France and Russia could ease, or they might even forge a closer alliance.”

Franz nodded and said, “Indeed, theoretically there are no fundamental conflicts of interest between France and Russia, and as long as they have a common enemy, an alliance between them is highly likely.

Yet in the current international situation, who is qualified to be the common enemy of France and Russia?

The answer is clear to everyone; other than the United Kingdom, there would be no alternative. The London Government will not stand idly by as this unfolds.

If the London Government were to blunder, worst case scenario, we could just join the alliance.”