NOVPUBThe people who build estates generally favor open terrains and usually wouldn’t plant too many trees around the house, especially not too many in front of the main entrance.
It isn’t just a matter of Feng Shui, there’s also a scientific basis. Too many trees can block sunlight, making it easy for snakes and insects to breed.
But there are always exceptions. Now, on the outskirts of Ankara, many estates are surrounded by trees, with even the rooftops covered in grass.
In this era without pesticides, one could imagine the number of insects that would breed on such estates. Normally, only those who are fervently in love with nature could tolerate it.
In this age where most people struggle to make ends meet, clearly, there aren’t that many nature enthusiasts. Most of these estates are newly built, with some still under construction.
The majority of the trees are native, with only a few transplanted. From the sky, they appear no different from a regular grove.
All this is the result of war. Since Ankara was bombed, these eco-friendly, green estates started to increase.
The Austrian airships make their presence felt over Ankara every now and then, dropping a few aimless bombs into the city at random, leaving their mark.
As for the actual impact of the bombings, that’s another story. But suffice it to say, the wealthy and powerful no longer dare to live in the city, and everyone has become a lover of nature and fond of the great forests.
Among the many estates, there is one that is particularly special. Its surroundings are under strict surveillance—"three steps one post, five steps one sentinel"—as if it were the Imperial Palace.
Indeed, this is Abdul-Aziz Sultan’s temporary palace. Inside this unassuming little estate, there are comprehensive civil defense facilities, complete with multiple exits for quick evacuation.
It’s said that even if a bomb weighing several hundred pounds were to be dropped from the sky, it wouldn’t cause any disturbance. Regrettably, the Austrian airships seem only interested in the cities; they have never bombed the outskirts, so these defenses have yet to be tested in real combat.
Initially, Abdul-Aziz Sultan was worried about enemy attacks and hid in the basement for a week straight.
Later, he found out he was overly concerned; airships are not omnipotent. Nighttime, strong winds, heavy rain, dense fog, and sandstorms are all deadly to airships, and the Austrian airships never travel in harsh weather.
After being bombed repeatedly, the Ottoman Government devised a set of countermeasures and established the world’s earliest and most rudimentary air defense warning system.
Airships fly slowly, much slower than telegraphs, providing the Ottoman Government with the opportunity for warning.
The airships have to pass through many areas to get from their base to Ankara. Cities along the way that spot these airships would immediately report using telegraphs.
Of course, without air defense, such warnings don’t have much substantial significance. There isn’t enough time to alert the public to take cover, but it’s still possible to notify important figures to hide in time.
After half a year of Austrian airship bombings, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties, not a single Ottoman high official even sustained a scratch, proof enough of the advance nature of this warning system.
Abdul-Aziz Sultan’s state was deteriorating, originally believing that the Ottoman Empire would grow stronger after reforms were enacted. However, harsh reality informed him that the Ottoman Empire was nothing but weak.
Militarily speaking, the Ottoman Army’s performance was also mediocre. They made no major mistakes but didn’t have many impressive achievements either.
On localized battlefields, they could hold their own against the Russian Army. The military’s plans for a significant counteroffensive almost succeeded, but unfortunately, a single misstep led to the Russian Army turning defeat into victory.
There was no way around it; having lost air superiority, the Ottoman Army was put on the defensive. The carefully planned strategy unraveled as troop movements were exposed under the watchful eyes of the enemy.
Apart from bombing and striking morale, airships could also be used for reconnaissance of enemy situations. Although the coordination between Austria and Russia was not very close, they would still inform the Russians upon detecting any troop movements within the Ottoman Army.
Regrettably, the Ottoman forces failed to react in time and overlooked the spies in the sky.
Of course, even if precautions were taken, they would hardly be effective. Small-scale troop movements could deceive people, but how could the march of tens of thousands go unnoticed?
Even if they took mountain roads, the unusual flight of birds would give them away. They couldn’t possibly choose only to march during bad weather, when airships couldn’t operate, or at night, could they?
Under such circumstances, it was possible to evade airship reconnaissance. But severe weather wasn’t always available, and on the battlefield, swift action was vital; one couldn’t just wait for the right weather conditions.
The only feasible option was night marches, but unfortunately, over ninety percent of the world’s armies, including the Ottoman Army, lacked the ability to march and fight at night during this era.
With the organizational structure of the Ottoman forces, if they were to naively attempt night marches, the result would be quite touching when they finally counted their numbers. There would be no need to battle the enemy; they would exhaust themselves.
Minister of Internal Affairs Abdullah Aziz Butefrica: "Your Majesty, the British have just relayed a message that Austria intends to increase its forces by five hundred thousand."
The number "five hundred thousand" is significant, considering that currently on the battlefield, the total forces invested by both Austria and Russia together do not amount to five hundred thousand.
Given that Austria and Russia were already prevailing on the battlefield, there was absolutely no need for reinforcements. With Austria now increasing its forces by five hundred thousand, it was clearly not to win the war but to wage a campaign for national annihilation.
Since Austria was preparing to increase its forces, could Russia be far behind in doing the same?
Abdul-Aziz Sultan asked in a panicked and disorganized manner, "Is the message confirmed?"
Without a doubt, the current state of the Ottoman Empire could not withstand such a blow. The situation was dire, not just because of consecutive defeats at the front but also due to internal instability.
Massive numbers of war refugees flooded inland, causing fierce conflicts with the locals over living space. In these struggles, the Sultan Government chose to side with its own people, naturally alienating minority groups.
Presently, there are seven or eight rebel armies within the Ottoman interior, each numbering over a thousand. Among them, the largest Armenian rebel army has a total force exceeding twenty thousand.
The rapid loss of the Black Sea coast by the Ottoman Empire is directly related to the surging rebellions within the country.
Abdullah Aziz Butefrica bowed his head and answered, "We have confirmed it with the French. A week ago, the Vienna Government submitted a proposal to the Imperial Parliament to increase troops by five hundred thousand.
The Imperial Parliament of the New Holy Roman Empire is nothing but a rubber stamp, never having rejected any government proposal. Unless there is a surprise, it should have been approved by now."
Getting intelligence from the British and seeking confirmation with the French? This is no joke, as the Ottoman Government’s intelligence capabilities would never allow for such quick communication of the news back home.
Having confirmed the news, Abdul-Aziz Sultan fainted gracefully. It wasn’t that he lacked resilience; rather, the news was just too shocking.
After a period of chaos, Abdul-Aziz Sultan awoke to find himself in a hospital bed, with decisions unnecessary for him to make anymore.
Following the outbreak of war, the Ottoman Empire faced a blockade by the Austrian Navy, with only Persia left as an outward passage.
Ankara had received the message, and the Foreign Minister in distant London must have received it even earlier.
Separated by a thousand miles, the decision from the Sultan Government couldn’t possibly be timely; Abdul-Aziz Sultan had long granted full authority to the Foreign Minister.
The domestic situation was beyond hope. The Ottoman Empire had a limited population, and in the continuous string of defeats, they had lost a vast amount of their manpower.
Moreover, modern warfare wasn’t just about having people. Where could weapons and equipment suddenly come from in a short time?
The Ottoman Empire was no industrial powerhouse; while munitions factories did exist, their production capacity was quite pitiable.
War waits for no one. At the current pace, by the time they gathered enough weapons and equipment, the enemy would have reached Ankara, and the Sultan Government could only pin their hopes on international intervention.
…
Inside the Downing Street Prime Minister’s Office, a well-composed Prime Minister Gelson couldn’t help but slam his desk.
The Austrians were really too disrespectful. They had just begun to mediate, and the Vienna Government was already trying to obliterate the Ottoman Empire. Where did that leave them?
If the Ottoman Empire were to be annihilated, then the London Peace Conference would become a joke, and the international prestige that the British Government had painstakingly built would plummet to rock bottom.
Marquis of McLean, the Foreign Minister, analyzed, "According to the intelligence we’ve received, the Ottoman Empire is about to be finished.
Up to this point in the war, the Ottoman Empire has lost at least 600,000 troops, over a quarter of the population has become refugees due to the conflict.
The most critical issue is the catastrophic blow suffered by their domestic economy, which has ignited the numerous underlying conflicts, leading to incessant rebellions.
Even if the Austrians don’t send more troops, the Ottoman Empire will collapse if the war continues.
The Habsburg dynasty and the Ottoman Empire are eternal adversaries, a feud that can be traced back to the medieval era. It can be said that destroying the Ottoman Empire has been the lifelong wish of every Habsburg monarch.
Apart from hatred, there are also significant interests involved. Although it’s unclear how Austria and the Russians are planning to divide the spoils, it’s certain that if the Ottoman Empire collapses, the entire Eastern Mediterranean will fall into Austria’s hands.
The issue now is not just the Vienna Government wanting to destroy the Ottoman Empire; we also have to consider the position of the Tsarist Government. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
In terms of enmity, the Russians’ hatred for the Ottoman Empire is not one whit less than that between the Habsburg dynasty and the Ottoman Empire.
The last time was during the Prusso-Russian war; if it weren’t for the Ottoman Empire’s stab in the back, the Tsarist Government wouldn’t have been so embarrassingly defeated.
Alexander II has experienced it personally, feeling the pain firsthand, and his desire to erase the Ottoman Empire is much stronger than Franz’s.
From the current situation, it seems that the Vienna Government and the Russians have already reached an agreement. Barring any surprises, the Tsarist Government will increase its troops as well."
With both hatred and interests aligned, the Ottoman Empire deserves its misfortune. If the Vienna Government and the St. Petersburg Government were to show mercy to the Ottoman Empire, that would be problematic.
Prime Minister Gelson rubbed his forehead and said helplessly, "Regardless, the Ottoman Empire must be saved, or else we’ll be the laughingstock.
The current international situation is very dire; we must adopt flexible diplomatic measures to save the Ottoman Empire and prevent the situation from spiraling out of control."
There was no choice; the French were not reliable. The Paris Government was deeply mired in infighting, and by the time they made a decision, the Ottoman Empire would be history.
The British could not even contemplate military intervention without French involvement.
Though the Royal Navy was undoubtedly powerful, the idea of sending their main fleet deep into the Mediterranean would make the London Government flinch.
This wasn’t simply a matter of how many warships they had, but also the consideration of the force that could be deployed.
If the Royal Navy were concentrated together, entering and leaving the Mediterranean would certainly pose no danger. Combined, the navies of France and Austria in the Mediterranean might not even match them.
In reality, this was impossible. As a colonial empire, the warships would necessarily be scattered across the globe, and the British could mobilize at most only half of their fleet.
The enmity between England and France was deep-seated, and the French Navy was a close second in strength. Just presenting themselves on a platter, who could guarantee that France and Austria wouldn’t join forces to topple them from their position of maritime supremacy?
Bear in mind that the Mediterranean is not like the Atlantic Ocean; if blocked, there would be no way out. Elsewhere, even if suffering a naval defeat, retreat was still an option.
In naval battles, unless surrounded or the disparity in warship performance was drastic, full annihilation was rare, as the vast ocean was not so easily traversed for pursuit.
The Mediterranean was an exception, as the British had only a few somewhat secure ports there.
If relations truly soured, once the Royal Navy ventured deep into the Eastern Mediterranean, the French could sever their retreat.
Should the Suez Canal be closed and the Island of Malta be taken, the Royal Navy would be trapped inside. It wouldn’t be an issue of breaking out, but how to manage logistics and supply.
In this era, warships did not have the powerful endurance of later times. The straight-line distance alone from the Eastern Mediterranean back to Britain was several thousand kilometers, with the actual sailing distance even greater.
Most warships didn’t carry enough coal for the journey and had to refuel to return successfully.
With the France-Austrian Navy potentially intercepting along the way, full steam would be needed to flee, and sail maneuvers relied on wind direction. Moreover, many warships had abandoned sail power and didn’t even have this option.
The France-Austrian Navy didn’t need to engage in a decisive battle; merely attacking supply ships would suffice. Either cutting off coal supplies or depleting ammunition could achieve their goal.
Moreover, the performance of steam engines at that time was such that they could not be run at maximum output regularly; running at full power just once necessitated an inspection.
Without the option of dockyard maintenance along the way, if the navy didn’t escape immediately, it wouldn’t escape at all. A navy lacking logistics had no ability to wage a prolonged battle.
In those days, without radio, it was common for ships to be adrift and out of contact for ten days or a half month. If France and Austria blocked the news, the London Government might not receive word until the battle was over.
Of course, luck played a significant role. If fortune favored them, for instance with heavy fog allowing them to evade interception and if they had sufficient supply ships without hitting any reefs, there was a chance of escape.
As for crushing enemy forces and forcefully breaking through the encirclement, that was wishful thinking. Winning might not be difficult, but what mattered was how many supply ships remained after the victory, whether their own vessel was damaged, and whether the enemy’s main fleet pursued them?
Without sufficient confidence, the British would certainly not gamble on chance; the Ottoman Empire was not worth the risk. Success would not necessarily achieve their goal, but failure could mean a major loss.
We’ve now entered the Ironclad ship era, not as easy to supplement as Sailing Warships. If the Royal Navy faced a major defeat just once, its position as the dominant naval power would be shaken, and the British could not afford to lose.
Being the world’s leading power meant attracting animosity; once a flaw was revealed, it would prompt a scenario akin to a pack of wolves targeting a weakened tiger.
