NOVPUBWar serves politics, and naturally, propaganda is indispensable. After the Vienna Government and Russia reached an agreement, Austrian newspapers began to feature more news about the dark history of the Ottoman Empire.
This time, no fabrication was needed; the heinous crimes committed during the Ottoman Empire’s heydays were too numerous to document, and black material abounded just from casual research.
The calls for revenge were growing louder by the day, and the Vienna Government presumably received enough petition letters to fill an entire room.
The power of hatred was somewhat beyond Franz’s imagination; if not for the efficiency of the Vienna Police, it’s likely the Ottoman Embassy would no longer exist.
Now, the Vienna Police had no choice but to patrol the area 24 hours a day to ensure the safety of the Ottoman Embassy. The embassy’s supplies had to be specially delivered by Austrian personnel, as the embassy staff dared not step outside.
If it weren’t for waiting on the Russians, Franz would have already ordered the war to start.
For Austria, this was merely a local war; there was no need for full mobilization, and it would not greatly affect the domestic economy. All government departments continued as usual with the only exception being the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which became busy.
Morally high ground is something you must occupy; otherwise, the enemy will. Diplomatic activities were unavoidable. Fortunately, this time the enemy was the Ottoman Empire, and most European citizens tended to side with Austria, so there was not much pressure in terms of public opinion.
In the Vienna Palace, Foreign Minister Weisenberg, dragging his exhausted body, reported back to Franz, "Your Majesty, this is a telegram from the Roman Curia.
The Curia hopes that we can declare a holy war against the Ottoman Empire in the name of God. Pope Pius IX is ready to issue a call to Christendom to organize another crusade to the East."
In modern terms, this was akin to capitalizing on a trend. In recent years, the Roman Curia had suffered a significant decline, even having the Papal State taken from them by the French, and now the Curia could only shrink back to its headquarters in Vatican City.
If it weren’t for the support from Catholic Churches everywhere, it’s likely the people of the Roman Curia might even face starvation. Napoleon III had not been kind to them, and the Curia’s accumulated wealth was basically confiscated.
A phoenix that has fallen to the ground is not as good as a chicken; the prestige of the Roman Curia has fallen steeply. Besides the remaining headquarters, many dioceses outside no longer obey the Pope’s orders.
Under such circumstances, if they didn’t find a way to rebuild their prestige, it’s probable that before long, the dioceses might find excuses to even cut off the symbolic support.
Having been accustomed to good days, it is not easy to endure hardship again. Just as the Roman Curia heard that Austria was going to take action against the Ottoman Empire, they naturally came forward.
If this had been a couple of hundred years earlier, when the Curia was so cooperative, Franz would have gladly accepted. The Ottoman Empire had not yet declined and was the common enemy of Europe; it was only logical not to let Austria do all the work.
But the situation now was completely different; the Ottoman Empire was already in profound decline, and Austria didn’t need that much help. If too many people participated, how would the spoils of war be divided in the end?
Franz had long set his sights on the Ottoman Empire as a juicy piece of fat to be shared with Russia, as the Russian Empire had declined and could afford to take advantage of the situation but was not capable of digesting a complete takeover of the Ottoman Empire.
Austria itself didn’t have the capacity to absorb the Ottoman Empire either, and Franz was prepared to relocate all the local population.
The excuse, of course, was "environmental protection": to preserve local vegetation and prevent land desertification, all the indigenous people were relocated.
Some were sent to Africa for construction work, while the rest were concentrated on an island in Southeast Asia or sent to America for settlement, with the details to be decided later.
Franz shook his head, "Tell them that this is merely a secular war; there is no need to escalate it to a religious level. We should maintain tolerance towards the followers of other faiths."
"Holy war" is extremely cruel, as religious wars have always been a matter of life and death, leaving no room for mercy. Having struggled to suppress the influence of the Roman Curia, how could we possibly allow them to return to the altar now?
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The smell of gunpowder pervaded the Near East, and the threatened Sultan Government was not idle either. To win this war, the Sultan Government was also making efforts in diplomatic public relations.
Unable to persuade St. Petersburg and Vienna, the Sultan Government had no choice but to turn its aims to London, Paris, and Berlin.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and this saying was utterly true in this context. England, France, and Prussia did not wish for the downfall of the Ottoman Empire; although the Ottomans were somewhat weakened, their very existence constrained Austria and Russia.
However, plans cannot keep pace with changes; in Berlin, the Ottoman delegation hit a snag, as Wilhelm I simply refused to meet them.
Bear in mind that in the last Prusso-Russian War, the two nations had fought side by side as allies; who would have thought they would part ways so soon.
The Sultan Government also hoped that Prussia and Poland would dispatch troops to contain the Russians, thereby sharing some of their burden.
Unfortunately, the Prussians’ appetite was larger than they had anticipated and sought to use this war to annex Poland. No, it should not be termed annexation; more precisely, it was about placing Wilhelm I on the Polish throne.
Annexing Poland was not something that could be accomplished overnight; even if the European countries did not object, the Polish populace would never agree.
A personal union of the two nations, on the other hand, was different, as there was a historical precedent. There had once been a Poland-Lithuania Federation, and now it could well become a Poland-Prussia Federation, which would be much more acceptable to the public.
European nations might oppose a personal union of the two, but certainly not as vehemently as they would oppose a Prussian annexation of Poland; they would not organize interventionist allied forces to forcefully meddle. A private exchange of interests could very likely lead to the ultimate achievement of this goal.
Since the mission in Berlin was unaccomplished, there was no point in going to Warsaw. Without Prussia as the main force, the Polish had no strength to contain the Russians.
In Paris, not only was the Ottoman Empire’s representative active, but the Austrian Envoy to Paris was also busy; both were engaging in public relations.
Militarily speaking, if one wished to rescue the Ottoman Empire, the French could not be left out. If the Paris Government chose to stand by and watch indifferently, even if the Sultan convinced the remaining nations to intervene, it would not be of much use.
Napoleon III once again passed the issue to his son: "Eugénie, what do you think we should choose?"
Crown Prince Eugénie answered with a tense face, "This choice is very difficult, strategically speaking, the existence of the Ottoman Empire is our natural ally.
History had proven that the existence of the Ottoman Empire could significantly restrain a large portion of the Habsburg dynasty’s energy, preventing them from fully dominating Europe.
However, this time, with Russia and Austria joining forces, the cost of our intervention would be too high. Worse still, it might even lead to war.
Given the current situation, we are not suited to engage in war with Austria, at least for the next five years we should avoid war with major powers as much as possible.
Whether or not to save the Ottoman Empire primarily depends on the strength of the Ottomans themselves. If they’re truly done for, then saving them would be futile.
If they withstand the first wave of attack, then we can pull together the countries of Europe to mediate without paying too high a price, and the Vienna Government would also back down."
Napoleon III patted his son’s shoulder, nodding with satisfaction, "Not bad, Eugénie. You have improved rapidly—it won’t be long before you can stand on your own."
After walking a few steps, he added, "Now is indeed not the time to intervene. For Austria to strive for dominance in Europe, they must first remove the thorn in their back.
By choosing to ally with Russia, Franz has reduced one enemy at his back.
Their only significant threat is the Ottoman Empire; once that thorn is removed, the Eastern Mediterranean will be completely under the control of the Austrians, and their influence would extend all the way to the Indian Ocean.
But we shouldn’t worry too much. The existence of the Ottoman Empire is the last basis for the Austro-Russian alliance. Without this common enemy, the ’St. Petersburg – Vienna’ pact will lose its raison d’être.
Perhaps in the near future, the Russians and the Austrians might see each other as mortal enemies, fighting fiercely over European hegemony.
Of course, that presupposes that the Tsarist Government wins the Second Prusso-Russian War. Franz’s strategic abilities are indeed formidable; the Kingdom of Prussia, which was a thorn in the side of the German Federation, has now become the best contender to contain the Russians.
If there comes a day when the Russian Empire really falls, remember to lend a hand. With this thorn in place, neither Prussia nor Austria would dare to fully engage in the struggle for supremacy in Europe.
Let the British worry about this affair! Notify the London Government that we will stand with them on this issue. If they send troops to intervene, we will contribute as many as they do." 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
People see issues more clearly when death approaches. Napoleon III had come to realize that the most suitable ally for France was the Russian Empire, but sadly it was a little too late.
In Nicholas I’s era, the Russian Empire was at its zenith, and the entire European Continent trembled under this behemoth.
In order to revive France and shed the shackles, Napoleon III and various European governments made a similar decision—to suppress the Russian Empire.
With everyone’s combined efforts, the decaying Russian Empire eventually crumbled under the burden. Alexander II’s reforms partly restored the empire’s strength, but it was nowhere near its peak.
By then, it was too late to ally with Russia. Napoleon III could hardly pour money into the bottomless pit of the Tsarist Government without cause—and even if he personally was willing, the French public would not agree.
"The enemy is at the gates of Paris" was no joke; the fighting power of the Parisians was unmatched around the world. Once they discovered governmental betrayal, a revolution would be all too easy.
They hadn’t yet exploited their full potential; in the original timeline, when they did, changing governments was more frequent than changing clothes.
Ordinary people might not change clothes three times a week, but the French could change their government thrice within a week, including weekends off.
To fortify the Ottoman Empire’s resolve, Napoleon III still offered support to the Sultan Government, including material aid beyond weapons and ammunition, along with a substantial blank check.
Meaning, "You must hold on. When we are ready, we will send troops. Our present stance is only to confuse the enemy, to catch them off guard."
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In London, Prime Minister Gelson was quite disgruntled with the attitudes of the British, French, and Prussian. Not only did they act like turtles tucking in their heads, but they also tossed the decision to him, weren’t they setting the Great Britain Empire on fire?
Nominally, they looked to him for leadership, but in reality, who listened to them? Napoleon III’s words sounded good, that Britain would match exactly the troops France deployed.
If you think about it, you know how unreliable that is. The war was primarily land-based, even if it involved amphibious landing, it could go through the Black Sea.
Certainly, the Royal Navy couldn’t be expected to run to the Black Sea to aid the Ottomans, right? If they dared to venture in, they shouldn’t hope to come out again.
The Black Sea Strait is so narrow that blocking the entrance is hardly a challenge. Once trapped inside, annihilation wasn’t far off.
Being unable to secure naval blockades and having to engage in ground combat meant that, with the limited strength of the British Army, their forces wouldn’t suffice even for the first wave.
Of course, a naval blockade of overseas trade could threaten Austria and Russia. If they actually proceeded, the French would be sure to cheer from the sidelines, content to spectate.
Don’t be fooled by the size of the Austrian Navy, which is only half of the Royal Navy—it might appear easily crushed, but the reality is, warfare isn’t a numbers game.
If it came to battle, the Austrian Navy could still resort to a strategy of raiding, based on their scattered colonial possessions.
With a trade embargo, who’s to say that other European countries won’t do business with Austria? Without saying more, at the very least, the French would not forgo the opportunity to profit from war.
Theoretically, if Britain could capture Austria’s overseas colonies, these issues would be resolved. The problem is that these colonies are not easy to conquer; except for the lightly defended Alaska and Austrian South America, other places are heavily guarded.
Given the scale of the British Army, deploying all their forces would be futile. Britain couldn’t possibly mobilize its entire nation, sparing no expense to expand the army and lock horns with Austria just for the Ottoman Empire, could it?
Prime Minister Gelson had no interest in such self-detrimental affairs.
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