Chapter 570:
Chapter 557 – Catching Up
Ankara, the news of what had happened within the city of Ava had already spread. Thanks to this good news, Abdul Aziz I, who was in a good mood, graciously spared Major General Özgür, who had abandoned the city and left.
The good news was that the Ottoman Empire had been completely destroyed, even after being massacred. At another time, the Sultanate would have retaliated.
For now, diplomacy is the way to go! It’s not that Abdul Aziz I didn’t want to retaliate, but he really couldn’t win.
“Immediately put the news out, calling on the nation to resist to the death, telling the people that the evil enemy wants to destroy **** us, we have reached a critical moment of life and death.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Britain and France continue to communicate, asking them to intervene in this war. Stake out the tragedy of Ava City to the international media, expose the enemy’s atrocities on the European continent, and mobilize international public opinion to condemn Austria and Russia.”
Hoping for international intervention was forced by harsh reality. In these recent days, Ottoman coastal cities have been largely greeted by the Austrian navy, and many inland cities, including Ankara, have been bombed by blimps.
It’s not that the Sultan’s government didn’t organize a counterattack, and they even shot down a blimp. But that didn’t help the big picture at all.
The Austrian airships were bombing without a target, and even if they had been attacked by rifles, which made them raise their altitude, the city was such a big target, so how far could they deviate?
As long as the bombs are thrown into the city, even if the purpose is achieved, blowing up factories and warehouses of supplies, it is considered to have earned.
Affected by the bombing, Abdul Aziz I moved out of the palace, ran to the outskirts of the manor office, the government also followed the top.
There is no way, dozens of airships appeared in the sky above the royal palace to swim together, so that Abdul Aziz I became a bird of prey.
Ava is just a few hundred kilometers away from Ankara, just within the range of the blimp bombing, there is no way to say that Ankara naturally became the focus of the bombing, and the royal palace of Abdul Aziz I became the focus of the focus of the focus of the focus of the focus of the focus of the focus of the focus of the focus of the focus of the focus of the focus of the focus.
Who asked him to build the palace so big? If it was smaller, maybe the airships in the sky wouldn’t have found it.
The results of the bombing were all by luck, including Ankara, which was the focus of the bombing, and not many people were actually killed, but there was no way to solve the panic caused.
The rich have run away, and what’s left is a bunch of poor people who can’t run away. In recent months, the number of foreign immigrants in the Ottoman Empire has exceeded the total of the past five years, which is enough to illustrate many problems.
Rich people run away, the market purchasing power decline. Many cities in the Ottoman Empire have been depressed, and the economy has been devastated.
From the outbreak of the war, the Sultan’s government’s industrial and commercial tax revenues had completely collapsed, and the government’s financial crisis was becoming increasingly serious. If this continued, the Ottoman Empire would sooner or later be finished.
……
London, the city was abuzz with the news of Ava’s slaughter. Newspapers are working overtime to catch up with the news, no one will give up on this breaking point.
Though Ava was a bit far away and there was no telegraph connection to gather information from the scene. But it didn’t matter, people could brainstorm.
Every good newspaper editor is a little master of making up stories. A little random brainstorming and reasoning is a good article.
“As long as they don’t go too far, they don’t have to be afraid of being caught in the crossfire. Since it was a massacre, it was enough to highlight the brutality of the Russians and the helplessness of the Ottomans.
It was as if everyone was transformed into a messenger of justice, standing on the moral high ground, condemning the Austrian and Russian invasion of the Ottoman Empire.
Of course, there was no shortage of supporters of Russia-Austria. How could the Ottoman Empire not have enemies after pulling so many years of hatred?
Only this kind of voice, at present, can not occupy the mainstream. Only after the public’s sympathy is exhausted will the newspapers reveal the Ottoman Empire’s black history.
It was only with a dramatic report that newspaper sales could be increased. If all of them were released at once, where would one find so much big news.
Inside the Prime Minister’s residence in Downing Street, Prime Minister Gerston was fretting over the current situation. The Irish problem at home was slow to be solved, and the international shit was coming up again.
The Ottoman Empire was bitterly fighting with Austria and Russia in the Near East, and the London government didn’t want to see the Ottoman Empire finished.
The Ava massacre was the best opportunity to intervene. Unfortunately, their best helper, Napoleon III, died not long ago, and the Prussians set their sights on the Kingdom of Poland.
The government in London could not do anything even if it wanted to intervene because it could not find a fighter on the European continent.
In the Russo-Turkish War in the original time and space, the British could intervene strongly, and that was based on the fact that none of the European countries wanted to see the Russian Empire expand, and it was only when Queen Victoria took a strong stance that she did so.
Gerston said seriously, “The Ottoman Empire is on the verge of not being able to hold out. We have just received news that the Austrians have marched out to the Middle East, and it may not be long before they march on Jerusalem.
Right now, the Ottoman Empire doesn’t even have the means to solve the crisis in Asia Minor Peninsula, and is simply unable to support the Middle East.
If we don’t want to see Austria and Russia carve up the Ottoman Empire and extend their tentacles into the Persian region, we must find a way to intervene.”
Foreign Minister Maclean: “Your Excellency the Prime Minister, intervention is inevitable, but the time is not ripe yet.
Napoleon III has just died, Napoleon IV has succeeded to the throne less than a month ago, and the French government is in a mess internally.
The opposition suppressed by Napoleon III have all jumped out at this time, and it is likely that the Paris government will be in a state of infighting for years to come.
The election for the Polish throne was about to be voted on, and if there was no outside interference, it was almost certain that William I would win.
I suspect that the Berlin government may have made a deal with Vienna, and now that France is in a state of infighting, as long as Austria doesn’t intervene with its troops, the Prussians are about to succeed in their ambitions.
At this time, trying to intervene in the Near Eastern War, we can’t find any strong allies on the continent, and we can’t expect our three inches to get Austria and Russia to compromise, can we?”
Did Britain have the weapons to check Austria and Russia? The answer is: yes.
Unfortunately, they are not powerful enough, or they don’t work at all. For example: the loan agreement signed by Britain and Russia, the government in London could cut off the Tsarist government’s money bags at any time.
But these loans, too, had benefits in exchange. The Russians joined the British-dominated monetary system before they offered this loan.
If they did tear up the agreement, the Tsarist government would inevitably withdraw from the sterling-gold system, something the British financial consortium could never agree to.
The monetary reform of the ruble bound to the pound is just getting started, and it will take at least a few more years before it is completed, and they will have to pull the plug on the Tsarist government before the program is completed.
Threatening Austria is more troublesome, may also break out in war, the two who can not get killed in the country to fight, will only be cheap third party.
Unless forced to do so, under normal circumstances the London government is unlikely to make such a decision. British foreign policy, always around the national interests of the turn, detrimental to their own benefit things they will not do.
Finance Minister Laluc Lloyd questioned, “Let Prussia annex Poland, the Vienna government this is crazy?”
Foreign Minister Maclean: “The Vienna government is not crazy, Prussia wants to annex Poland can not be accomplished in a short period of time, and is only now taking the first step.
The Prussian-Polish merger will bear the brunt of the Russian Empire, and even if it is to be guilty, it will be a headache for the Tsarist government.
There must be a war between Prussia and Russia, and this time may be within ten years. Now the war is extraordinary, the two big countries to start fighting caused by the loss, absolutely is an astronomical figure.
Prussia wanted to be big enough to threaten Austria, at least until they had completely crushed the Russian Empire. Until then, the Berlin government would not challenge Vienna.
If the Austrians were able to annex the German Confederation, the power gap between the two sides would widen, and strategically advantage Prussia.
Perhaps Franz the Great is still waiting for the Prussians to fuck up his good ally so Austria can take the Russian legacy in the Balkans in its stride, and I don’t believe they don’t have thoughts about Constantinople.”
Laluke Lloyd nodded, “It’s tragic for the Russians to have such an ally. It’s funny that all of Europe now considers Austria to be the most reliable ally, and it’s amazing that the government of Vienna is still recognized as having the highest credibility.”
No one picked up on this topic, the Vienna government’s credibility was the highest in Europe, that was established through a series of international events.
It’s not something that can be discredited by something that might happen. Talking about things that haven’t happened, who can guarantee that they will happen?
If the government of Vienna were to hit an ally during the term of the Pact, it would certainly be discredited. If it had waited until the end of the Pact, this moral pressure would not have existed.
It’s impossible to have an alliance for one day and everyone will always be good friends. No one playing international politics is that naive.
In recent years, the London government has also been trying to change its international image, but there are just too many cases of them selling out their teammates, and everyone is on the defensive.
Even if the British, French and Austrian alliance, but the French and Austrian private alliance still exists, and has not been declared null and void.
Originally, the London government joined the Franco-Austrian alliance in order to break it up, but then it realized that the alliance could bring greater benefits and immediately changed its approach. At the same time as they were sowing discord between France and Austria, they were defending the Triple Alliance.
Britain, France and Austria were all colonial powers, and all of them were well-fed and became vested interests in the international order, and the British even took the biggest share.
In contrast, the rising new powers were the real threat. After all, resources and markets are limited, the old empire is eating meat in a big bowl, the emerging powers can not even drink soup. If you don’t have some thoughts in your mind, how can you?
If it were not for the fear of emerging powers, Prussia would have merged with Poland a few years ago.
Prussia and Poland had a common enemy, and Prussia’s influence on Poland was so great that Wilhelm I was always a favorable contender for the Polish throne.
Many believed that only if the two countries were co-rulers could they work closely together to fend off the invasion of their common enemy.
A thin camel is bigger than a horse, and the Russian Empire, even if it was in decline, was still a major European power, putting heavy pressure on both Prussia and Poland.
Not to mention the Russian Empire, even the fallen Ottoman Empire, many people still stubbornly believe that they are a powerful country.
After a moment’s effort of silence, Prime Minister Gerston asked cautiously, “So what do you all think about William I becoming the King of Poland, should we stand in the way?”
This issue is also a headache, the Kingdom of Prussia is the little brother of the British, but this little brother is a little too strong to be controlled. Once Prussia annexed Poland, this little brother was gone.
Laluk Lloyd, Minister of Finance: “Prussia’s annexation of Poland will not affect us much, but we cannot let them succeed easily either.
Isn’t there a gossip circulating that the Berlin government is going to make a deal with France and Austria in exchange for their approval?
Whether it is true or not, but what can Prussia make a deal with? If you let them complete the deal, France and Austria are afraid that the two countries will further expand, the European continent have no space for the survival of small countries.
This is very dangerous, let them continue to be so annexation, the latter will be more and more difficult to limit. In terms of local economic output alone, France and Austria have surpassed us.
If they continue to expand, perhaps in the future they won’t even need to unite, either country will have the strength to threaten us.
The strength of the Royal Navy is also something we have piled up with countless pounds. If France and Austria weren’t focused on developing land power, they both have the ability to build a Royal Navy out of it.”
This threat was already felt by Britain. Unlike the original time and space, both France and Austria were now snowballing in strength.
Perhaps the per capita income was still not comparable to Britannia, but by relying on the large number of people, both France and Austria had bucked the trend in terms of total economic output.
Now, Britain’s industrial supremacy is also in jeopardy, after the outbreak of the second industrial revolution, they have lost their advantage in new industries.
With a strong home base, they could still sustain themselves, but a crisis was already brewing. If not for the vast colonies that gave them the bottom line, perhaps many people felt the crisis.
All of this, unfortunately, was covered up. What Lalouk Lloyd saw was also only the increasing financial revenues of France and Austria, which made him feel uneasy.
(End of chapter)