NOVPUBThe landing battle continued until evening, and the darkness put a pause to this campaign. By then, the Russian Army had successfully landed and established a camp.
The news of victory had already been transmitted back to Constantinople’s Allied Command with the return of the airship troops. The celebration banquet had already begun, but Arest, the overall commander, did not participate in the festivities.
According to the reports sent by the airship troops, the Russian Army had paid a considerable price during the landing, with even one transport ship being struck by an enemy shell, almost sinking in the harbor.
The defenders were still able to strike back effectively even when they were completely suppressed by firepower, and bombs were falling from the sky, which proved that those defending the city were not worthless.
If the defenders were smart enough, they would retreat and set up defenses. After all, the range of naval gunfire was limited; if they fell back a bit more, the shells would not reach them.
In field combat with close combat, the effectiveness of airship bombing was also lost. Once the two sides were entangled in close quarters, nobody dared to drop bombs anymore, as no one could bear the responsibility of accidentally hitting their own troops.
Although he was aware of this, Arest did not bring it up to dampen spirits; after all, it was the Russians who were dying. The Russian commanders were not afraid of casualties, so why should he worry?
He quietly reported his analysis of the situation to the Vienna Government. Arest arranged for the navy and airship troops to continue attacking the coastal cities of the Ottoman Empire, leaving the combat in the Ava Region entirely to the Russians to command.
Around midnight, the Imperial Palace in Ankara was brightly lit. The news of the Allied Forces landing in Ava had reached them, and the Sultan Government was unable to sleep.
Frankly, strategically speaking, this was advantageous for the Ottoman Empire. If they followed the Vienna Government’s plan and executed a scorched-earth policy within a 30-kilometer zone along the coast, driving the population inland, the resulting refugee tide could topple the Sultan Government.
However, this did not reassure the Sultan Government. Russia and Austria were both major powers, and as long as the two governments were willing to increase troop deployments, opening several fronts was not a problem.
Abdul-Aziz Sultan: "The enemy has landed in the Ava Region, which seems to confirm our predictions that the Russians cannot tolerate the Black Sea Strait being closed for long.
What we need to do now is to keep the enemy entangled in Ava until the Russians can no longer hold out and withdraw from the war, so the Black Sea Strait absolutely must not be lost.
In the meantime, we need to first address the threat of enemy airships. Does the military have any plans?"
War Minister Elmore: "Your Majesty, according to the analysis of data from the front lines, neither rifles nor artillery can pose a threat to airships, so the only thing that can counter airships are airships themselves.
The Department of War suggests we urgently purchase a batch of airships from abroad to counter the enemy’s airship troops. Before that, we can only use rifles to disrupt the enemy."
Elmore was well aware of the Ottoman Empire’s industrial strength and wisely opted for importation rather than domestic production.
It’s not that the Ottoman Empire couldn’t produce airships, but rather that there was no guarantee of the quality of the ones produced. What if they performed poorly and couldn’t fly?
Such blunders were not uncommon in the Ottoman Empire. Take their imitation breech-loading rifles, for example; the Ottomans were even less reliable than the Russians, adding frequent jamming and barrel explosions to the "qualities" of being crude and bulky.
The recognition of "better to buy than to make" had long been acknowledged by the military, and Elmore had no confidence in domestic manufacturing at all.
To many, the airship, a weapon that could fly in the sky, was seen as a high-tech product, something beyond the Ottoman Empire’s capability to produce, so it was decided to purchase instead.
To some extent, this decision was completely correct. Given the level of corruption among Ottoman bureaucrats, if they were in charge of producing airships, it would be forgivable if the airships couldn’t fly. But what was truly feared was if they crashed shortly after takeoff, costing lives.
…
In London, the British Government was also discussing the issue of airships. Regardless of their effectiveness, if others had them, Great Britain must also have them, which was a matter of principle.
Minister of the Navy, Robert, ridiculed, "There’s crazy talk about the might of airships everywhere, and even some media irresponsibly speculate that the era of air domination has arrived.
This is complete nonsense. Not to mention the unstable performance of airships, even if they did reach the sky, are we incapable of dealing with them?
Is it difficult to design a specialized anti-aircraft cannon? When the time comes, the expensive airships in the sky will be sitting ducks with nowhere to hide."
What a joke, the era of naval dominance had only just begun a few years ago, and the Royal Navy was far from enjoying its glory to the fullest. How could they possibly permit the "air supremacy" era to emerge?
The notion of sitting ducks might be an exaggeration, but indeed, airships were not invincible. Moreover, the cost of airships was very high, far exceeding army equipment, almost reaching the cost of navy warships.
Army Minister Fox agreed, "That’s right, the power of airships is indeed not as great as people say, but they do hold certain military value.
Especially in land warfare, the threat from overhead has too great an impact on troop morale. The Army Department proposes the establishment of an army airship corps to defend Britain’s airspace."
Minister of the Navy, Robert, immediately objected: "The safety of Britain can be left to the navy. As long as the Royal Navy is around, the enemy won’t be able to come here.
An airship corps under the navy’s banner, used to deter overseas enemies, would have the greatest effect."
…
The dispute between the two seemed somewhat contradictory. They were belittling the role of airships but then wanted to include the airship corps under their command, blatantly full of inconsistencies.
However, Prime Minister Gelson couldn’t be bothered with the details, seeing it as nothing more than a political struggle. The army and navy agreed to downplay the status of the airship corps, but both wanted to incorporate it under their command to increase their say in the struggle for military funding.
Gelson waved his hand dismissively: "Gentlemen, the annual budget cycle isn’t upon us yet, so there’s no need to rush into quarreling. If you are interested in the airship corps, then go back and work on it yourselves!"
This was permissible, as the army and navy managed their respective budgets; they only had to pass parliamentary scrutiny to proceed. Tinkering with the formation of Aerial Fleet Infantry or Aerial Fleet Navy was entirely legal.
The underlying message was clear to all, establishing an airship corps was not a problem, but asking the government for increased military spending was off the table, at least for now.
Prime Minister Gelson was no stranger to military matters; he knew very well that an airship troop couldn’t be established overnight, as it would take time at least to research and manufacture airships.
Austria’s airship troops had already existed for around a decade, but because they hadn’t achieved any notable records in combat, their presence was largely overlooked by everyone.
Even if the Vienna Government didn’t emphasize it much, after developing for so many years, the manufacture of airships had indeed come a long way. For Britannia to catch up, it would take several years, no matter what.
Prime Minister Gelson did not believe that the leap from civilian to military airships could be made in just a few days. Moreover, civil airships were scarce in Britannia.
Without airships, what could be used to create an airship troop? Adding special military funding at this time would be like throwing a meat bun to a dog. Swindling military funds was something that both the army and the navy had done before.
Especially the navy—they were the leaders in this, having partnered with the navies of France and Austria to spark an arms race, it was a common tale across the European Continent how they cheated military funds together.
Since the veil had been pierced, there had been no arms races among England, France, and Austria for many years. When anyone advocated the "two-power standard" again, the first reaction was, "Here come those swindling military funds again."
Once again it was proven that if John Bull didn’t make trouble, international conflicts would be significantly fewer. The British Parliament did not grant additional military funding to the navy, and naturally, the arms race couldn’t continue.
France and Austria were only unwilling to accept the "two-power standard" and had no plans to surpass the Royal Navy; the financial gap was still clear.
Everyone understood the financial equation: France+Austria > Britannia > Austria > France.
With no war looming in the short term, why the rush? After a few months, the armory should have the military airship designed, and then it wouldn’t be too late to discuss the formation of an airship troop.
If it couldn’t be done, they could still buy directly from Austria or engage in a technology exchange. In these times, there was no notion of technological blockades—one could buy any technology with enough money.
Prime Minister Gelson was in no hurry; what troubled him now was the issue of Ireland. Britannia was a colonial powerhouse; what if granting autonomy to the Ireland region led the overseas colonies to follow suit?
On this issue, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party had been in constant dispute for many years, and even now, there was still no resolution.
This was a problem of positioning—it all started when the London Government had defined Ireland as a colony, not as part of the homeland, leading to a series of issues.
The bourgeoisie should bear the lion’s share of the blame for this. After all these years, they had failed to integrate the Irish, mainly because the capitalists wanted cheap labor and refused to treat the Ireland island as part of the homeland.
Take the Great Famine of Ireland from 1845–1852, for instance, where man-made factors exceeded natural disasters. Following the outbreak of the famine, the London Government not only didn’t distribute food as relief,
but they even allowed capitalists and landlords to hike local agricultural product prices. In just seven years, the population in Ireland decreased by a quarter, sowing the seeds of disintegration.
Since then, the Irish would sporadically revolt for independence or autonomy. The hope of national integration was a pipe dream, as both sides couldn’t reach consensus.
Prime Minister Gelson was a man of action, who wanted to solve the Irish problem once and for all, removing this hidden danger from Britannia.
In his view, this issue was much more important than the Near East War. While the Great Britain Empire was powerful, the Irish problem could be suppressed. But once Britannia declined, this hidden danger would threaten the United Kingdom’s safety.
The British Isles were self-contained, established on mutual recognition and unity. But if someone were to lead astray, even Britannia’s homeland security wasn’t guaranteed.
...
In Paris, the French government had too many concerns to pay attention to airships, not even sparing time for the Near East War.
At the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon III was near the end of his life, with senior government officials gathered, waiting for the Emperor to take his last breath—no, to heed the Emperor’s final teachings.
As death approached, Napoleon III naturally wanted to make arrangements for his affairs. Crown Prince Eugénie, now 18, was of a similar age to when Franz ascended to the throne. Napoleon III believed his son could manage state affairs well, and there was no need for a regency.
After arranging for his succession, he dismissed everyone else, leaving only Crown Prince Eugénie. Napoleon III, grasping his son’s hand, exchanged a somber look with his heir.
"Eugénie, I entrust the Empire to you. France is not as stable as it appears; its undercurrents have never ceased.
Remember to stay vigilant. Since the Revolution, Paris has never been stable, with new thoughts among the populace too active, like a powder keg, ready to explode at the smallest spark.
What France needs now is to solidify its foundation. We should avoid warfare with European countries as much as possible before completely digesting the Italian Area. Even if war is inevitable, it must not be us who instigate it.
All European countries are wary of us, and the annexation of the Italian Area is their ultimatum. One step further and we plunge into the abyss.
And be wary of... England... and Austria..."
He never finished his sentence, as Napoleon III took his last breath. In a way, his passing now was perhaps a mercy. Compared to the dismal end in the original timeline, Napoleon III had achieved unprecedented success.
In economics, the Napoleon III Era had seen France rapidly develop its industry and commerce, becoming the second major power to complete industrialization. He had also successfully rid Paris of its infamous "stench," leaving only "Stinky London" in Europe.
In politics, Napoleon III broke the shackles imposed on France since the anti-French wars, accomplishing the great revival of France. He annexed the Italian Area, fulfilling the people’s dream of being a major power.
In diplomacy, he established a tripartite alliance with England, France, and Austria, cementing France’s status as a major global power and breaking free from isolation.
In military matters, it’s best left unsaid, as there were no achievements to boast of. It is fortunate there were none, for otherwise, the survival of the French Empire might still be in question.
The Crown Prince Eugénie, tears no longer contained, held his distress and gently laid down Napoleon III’s hand. He summoned everyone to discuss the aftermath.
The Emperor was dead, a significant event. It was not just about handling his affairs but also about considering the political repercussions.
