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Pilgrimage is of great significance to most people, but not to Franz.
As Emperor, he had his privileges, and under the pretext of dealing with state affairs, Franz simply avoided a series of activities. He had made up his mind not to show his face until it was time for the coronation.
The allure of Jerusalem was indeed great; it was not only Franz who brought his family there, but the upper echelons of the Vienna Government had also largely followed suit.
Whether these people were devout believers is debatable, but for politicians, participating in the Jerusalem coronation was very meaningful.
This was the first king that the Christian world had produced in Jerusalem after hundreds of years of loss. Both its political and religious significance were worthy of detailed recording in the history books.
As participants, making their mark in history was inevitable. And with a high historical evaluation, combined with the development of Austria, it was likely that this Cabinet would be mythologized by posterity.
"A good chair is lifted by all," as the saying goes; virtuous ministers are matched with wise monarchs. The two complement each other, and Franz never minded if his subordinates had a good reputation or high prestige.
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In the Jerusalem Palace,
Foreign Minister Wessenberg said, "Your Majesty, news has just arrived; a coup has occurred in Ankara. The reformist leader Davizir has been killed, and Abdul-Aziz Sultan has been deposed.
According to the intelligence we’ve received, it was the Ottoman Young Turks who launched this coup, with a main force of students, and some of the new army also participating.
After the coup, the Conservatives and religious figures also joined in, and now the situation in Ankara has completely spiraled out of control."
Due to the butterfly effect, the Ottoman Young Turks were somewhat different from those in the original timeline, having been established earlier and with different participants.
After the first Near East War, those who could not bear to watch the Ottoman Empire’s decline formed the Patriotic Alliance. Since most of the participants were patriotic youths, it was called by outsiders as the Ottoman Young Turks.
The loss of the Balkan Peninsula had too great an impact, and this organization quickly developed and expanded within the Ottoman Empire as soon as it emerged.
The growth of the Youth Party also caused unease within the Sultan Government, and it was soon met with suppression. Due to internal organizational chaos, the Youth Party quickly found themselves in a predicament.
Just then, Abdul-Aziz Sultan, who had just ascended the throne, initiated reforms, and many of the Sultan Government’s policies to some extent mitigated the internal conflicts.
After the Prusso-Russian War broke out, the Sultan Government gambled successfully and retrieved the Caucasus region from the Russians, which increased the government’s prestige, causing the Ottoman Young Turks to fracture.
Under normal circumstances, this organization would have disappeared from the annals of history as quietly as most revolutionary organizations do.
Just when the Ottoman Young Turks were on the brink of extinction, the second Near East War broke out and saved the organization.
After experiencing another defeat, the Sultan Government lost its public base, and every social stratum lost confidence in the government, falling into a state of confusion.
Recalling the information in his mind, Franz asked with concern, "What is the strength of the Ottoman Young Turks, and is there a possibility of joining forces with the Conservatives?" 𝔫𝔬𝖛𝖕𝔲𝖇.𝖈𝖔𝖒
In this era, the revolutionary stance of bourgeois revolutionary organizations was not very steadfast. Especially in a country like the Ottoman Empire where capitalist economy had not developed, many members of the Youth Party were still from nobility backgrounds.
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To reform oneself is naturally not a process that can be carried out thoroughly. Ever since the uprising was defined as a coup, Franz knew that the path to revolution in the Ottoman Empire was still a long one.
The key question was whether the Ottoman Young Turks could stabilize the situation and preserve the Ottoman Empire, preventing it from completely disintegrating amidst civil strife.
Minister Weisenberg shook his head, "The Ottoman Young Turks have grown rapidly recently, with membership surpassing one hundred thousand people, and they have also gained the support of many young military officers.
However, all these are superficial. There are numerous factions within the Youth Party and a lack of a strong leader, making it difficult to consolidate these forces.
The members of the Ottoman Young Turks, mostly young people exposed to new ideas, held irreconcilable differences in ideology with the Conservatives, especially on religious issues, where compromise was impossible.
Abdul-Aziz Sultan’s attempts at secular reforms were hindered by the Conservatives, and now the Ottoman Young Turks faced the same daunting obstacles.
Unless something unexpected happens, the Ottoman Government will be embroiled in power struggles for a long time to come. Coupled with the burgeoning national independence movements within the country, the possibility of the Ottoman Empire disintegrating is very high."
In that era, most people believed that the backwardness of the Ottoman Empire was primarily due to religion and its system. If the Empire could undergo secular reforms and adopt Western political systems, it could quickly become powerful.
This judgment was not wrong, but in Franz’s view, it was far from sufficient. If only religious and political system reforms could lead to national strength, then becoming a powerful nation would be too simple.
The urgent task for the Ottoman Empire was not to reform but to stabilize. If the government couldn’t stabilize itself, then talking about reform was utterly superfluous.
Dismissing any redundant thoughts, Franz made a decision, "Let the Ottoman Empire handle its own affairs. After all, we are already enemies, and even if we wanted to help them, they wouldn’t appreciate it.
Since England and France have decided to support the Ottoman Empire, they will not stand by and watch it disintegrate. A fragmented Ottoman Empire, far from constraining us, would be ripe pickings for us.
Now that we are in contact with nationalist groups within the Ottoman interior, if the Ottoman Empire does indeed fall apart, it should do so within the framework we set."
To preserve the Ottoman Empire was no longer something Franz harbored illusions about.
Although the existence of the Ottoman Empire was more advantageous for Austria to conceal its strategies, there was no reason for Vienna Government to help stabilize the situation in the Empire.
As for England and France intervening to preserve the Ottoman Empire? Franz was really not optimistic about their chances. What about the Rebel Armies in the Ottoman interior?
The Armenian rebel army, Greek Rebel Army, Jewish Rebel Army...
These armed groups, which were mostly supported by Austria and Russia during the Near East wars, now possess a certain strength.
The second Near East war may have ended, but its aftermath was just beginning.
Post-war economic depression, refugee crises, government fiscal difficulties... these and other factors plagued the Ottoman Government.
England and France are not charities; they cannot invest funds indefinitely. Crippled by government finances, Abdul-Aziz Sultan could not resolve these issues, and neither can the current Ottoman Young Turks.
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