NOVPUBThere has never been a shortage of clever people in this world. The Austrian military’s plan was quickly recognized by the Russians, and the two sides reached an agreement on the issue of waging war against the Ottomans.
After a fierce competition, the position of the Allied Commander still fell into the hands of Austria. It was not because Austria made a greater effort, but mainly because the Tsarist Government was impoverished.
"He who takes a person’s money does their bidding; he who eats a person’s food is soft in their presence." Russia’s military materials were to be provided by the Vienna Government, which naturally left the Tsarist Government lacking in confidence during the negotiations.
Although it was a joint operation in name, in reality, each was fighting its own battle. Austria was responsible for dealing with the enemy’s navy and for providing cover for the Russian Army during landings, ensuring that the sea transport routes remained open.
Once on land, the Russians could act freely, their life or death having nothing to do with Austria. When necessary, the two sides would simply coordinate.
For example: after the enemy was mobilized, a sudden shift in the battlefield to attack a new target would require Austria to dispatch ships.
Time quickly passed, and on March 1, 1874, Franz declared war on the Ottoman Empire in the name of "revenge," and the Habsburg dynasty once again went to war with the Ottoman Empire.
On the same day, the Tsarist Government also declared war on the Ottoman Empire on the grounds that "the Ottoman Empire interfered in Russia’s internal affairs and plotted the Bulgarian rebellion."
The Sultan Government had not yet responded, but this was already irrelevant. The full outbreak of the Second Near East War was a foregone conclusion, with no one able to prevent it.
Franz’s war declaration in the name of "revenge" still faced international critique. Compared to the Russians’ pretext for war, this excuse seemed like it was merely making up the numbers.
Fortunately, the enemy was the Ottoman Empire, the public enemy of Europe, and after a few discussions, that was the end of it. Except for a few individuals, most European citizens enjoyed their position as happy, disengaged onlookers.
A minority who sympathized with the Ottoman Empire didn’t even await response from the Vienna Government, meeting with criticism in the newspapers instead. Franz appreciated such enthusiastic citizens, but it was unclear whether they were just plants from the press.
The news always needed sensationalizing; when every voice was the same, how could newspapers sell? Therefore, in general circumstances, when faced with major news, European newspapers liked to take two opposing sides, profiting together.
...
In the Balkan Peninsula, the Russian Army was undergoing assembly. It must be said that the Tsarist Government was very sincere; they promised 150,000 men and delivered exactly that, saving money not just on weapons and equipment, but even on uniforms.
Gazing at the 150,000 unarmed Russian troops before him, General Arest was speechless for a long time. Regardless, as the overall commander of the Allied Forces, these were issues he had to solve.
If the Vienna Government promised to provide six months of operational materials for 150,000 troops, they had to deliver.
After reflecting for a moment, Arest said to the Russian military leader, "General Ivanov, the weapons and equipment have already been delivered, you can now send someone to take possession.
However, the uniforms will need to wait, Austria doesn’t have the Russian-style military uniforms, and they are currently being rushed through production; you will have to wait."
As he spoke these words, Arest was inwardly collapsing. Rushed production was nonsense; they hadn’t anticipated this situation before, who could have known the Tsarist Government would even save on uniforms?
Alright, the uniforms for 150,000 men was no small number. According to Austrian standards, issuing three sets of uniforms to new recruits was standard practice, and with seasonal changes, another three sets were required, plus replacements for training accidents.
By preliminary estimates, issuing uniforms to 150,000 Russian troops would cost several million Divine Shields. It wasn’t that the uniforms were expensive; it was the associated equipment like water bottles, military boots, backpacks, tents...
Don’t doubt it; judging by this posture, the Russians had prepared nothing but the men themselves. To save money, the Tsarist Government had even disregarded its own dignity.
Arest understood the Russian approach; 150,000 troops arriving empty-handed could at least acquire equipment worth six to seven million Divine Shields.
The Russian Empire in its prime might not care, but now, this was almost equivalent to a month’s revenue for the Tsarist Government. When compared to tangible benefits, what was dignity worth?
"The sound of a cannon is worth ten thousand taels of gold." This saying was not at all incorrect; with the advent of the Age of Hot Weapons, the cost of war had also increased substantially.
For this Near East war, the Vienna Government had prepared 1.5 billion Divine Shields in war funds. This amount could only support the war for a maximum of one year.
If the war continued, they would have to contribute additional funds. This was also why the Vienna Government was reluctant to go to war; it was simply too costly.
After hearing Arest’s explanation, the Russian Army leader Ivanov’s face flushed. Going without uniforms was an order from the government, and the goal wasn’t just to save that bit of money, it was more about appearing impoverished.
The Tsarist Government was not confident in raising sufficient war funds, and Alexander II worried that if the war dragged on, the government’s finances would not hold up.
From the start, they were prepared to rely on Austria. Russia and Austria were allies; if halfway through the war the Tsarist Government suddenly ran out of money, what could Austria do?
If they wanted them to continue contributing to the war effort, the Vienna Government would necessarily have to lend money. Otherwise, they could justifiably slack off and hitch a ride to claim victory with Austria in the end.
As one of the executors, General Ivanov’s skin was evidently not thick enough. After hearing Arest’s words, he appeared somewhat embarrassed.
"No problem, Commander, being without uniforms doesn’t affect combat operations, and it’ll be fine if they are issued later on."
Ivanov didn’t think there was a problem, but General Arest did not share this view. If he were to let Russian soldiers go into battle like this, he, as the Allied Commander, feared he’d be the laughingstock for centuries.
"Don’t worry, the uniforms will definitely be distributed before the landing operation. For now, rest and recuperate. Once the navy has finished their performance, then it’ll be your turn to take the stage."
Arest was an admiral, and his appointment as the Allied Commander was mainly because, in this coordinated operation, Austria was primarily responsible for naval actions.
Franz didn’t like remote commanding over thousands of miles away. The Allied Command was in Constantinople, still a thousand miles from the Middle East region. Assigning the Middle East region under the Allied Command would be no different from commanding remotely from Vienna.
Therefore, in this war, the Allied Command was, in fact, merely a coordinating body. Its main task was to ensure the smooth transit of maritime transport routes and to support the Russian Army in its assault on the Asia Minor Peninsula.
Combat? The Russians would command ground battles themselves, and Arest wouldn’t need to be responsible for whatever outcome they achieve.
The only thing under his command would be naval battles—if the few broken ships of the Ottoman Empire even counted as enemies, then the Austrian Navy might still have to fight a naval battle.
...
At Vienna Palace, having received Arest’s telegram, Franz was instantly troubled. The once unrivaled Russian Empire no longer existed; now there was only a calculating Tsarist Government.
This change undoubtedly indicated that the Tsarist Government had become more rational. Sometimes, face can be extremely important, while at other times, it’s worthless.
Without a doubt, for the current Tsarist Government, "money" was the most important thing; face couldn’t be eaten after all.
From the moment of defeat in the Prusso-Russian War, the Tsarist Government’s face was worth little. Being able to change their attitude certainly proved that Alexander II had grown up.
"Let’s do as Arest suggests; there’s no need to let such trivial matters affect our plans."
A batch of military uniforms was indeed a minor issue from the perspective of the Vienna Government, and naturally, no one opposed it.
Army Minister Albrecht: "Your Majesty, according to the plan, we are to initiate our offensive in the Middle East Region after the war on the Asia Minor Peninsula has begun.
Due to the influence of the Bulgarian rebellion, the troops originally prepared by the Russians were sent to suppress the rebellion, leading to insufficient preparations.
These troops have not undergone amphibious combat training, and with their recent acquisition of new equipment, they need more time to adapt. I fear they won’t be able to launch an offensive in the short term."
Franz reconsidered his previous thoughts; the Tsarist Government was as unreliable as ever. The war had already started, and suddenly he was informed that the Russian soldiers hadn’t undergone amphibious combat training.
What had they been doing earlier? After all, this war had been in preparation for half a year; Austria was responsible for equipment and logistics while the Tsarist Government only provided manpower.
If it wasn’t to allow Russian troops to train for an amphibious landing, what was the point of waiting half a year? Could it be that the Russian Empire could not even muster 150,000 active-duty soldiers and needed to recruit new ones?
The reason for beginning the battle on the Asia Minor Peninsula was not without cause. For the Ottoman Empire, the Asia Minor Peninsula was their core territory.
Once the war ignited, the Sultan Government would certainly concentrate their forces to defend Asia Minor. The military strength deployed in the Middle East region would not be reduced, nor was it likely to increase. This was very favorable for Austria, which wanted to seize territory.
"Don’t bother with all that, proceed with the original plan. If the Russians haven’t undergone amphibious combat training, that’s their own problem. As per our agreement, our job is to get them ashore.
Inform other countries through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to evacuate their citizens as soon as possible. In half a month, we will launch a full-scale offensive, and if collateral damage occurs, we can only express regret."
To declare war and immediately commence hostilities was a situation for special circumstances. In this Near East war, Austria would definitely bombard Ottoman coastal cities, making civilian casualties inevitable.
In such a case, it was necessary to give other nations time to evacuate their citizens. Otherwise, causing a large number of foreign casualties would also be troublesome for the Vienna Government.
Franz had no desire to be the target of universal condemnation; public opinion can sometimes kill a person. Attacking the Ottoman Empire was not urgent; after all, they couldn’t escape.
Despite Franz’s casual remarks, if Russian soldiers truly suffered heavy casualties and failed to fulfill their combat objectives, Austria would still have to send troops to help with the aftermath.
It seems right to say allies are there to be exploited. The war had just begun, and Franz already felt like he was being played.
