NOVPUBTime hurried by, and on April 28, 1875, amid cheers, Franz was crowned King of Jerusalem, and history turned a new page.
Just after the coronation, Franz received dire news that his Uncle Ferdinand I was critically ill.
God did not favor him, and even in the Holy Land, he could not suppress the illness.
Ferdinand I’s illness was of long standing, and it was a miracle he had lasted this long; to speak of "curing" him was out of the question, not just now but even a hundred years into the future, medicine would be powerless.
After visiting his uncle, who was not in his right mind, Franz let out a sigh. The helplessness of birth, aging, sickness, and death was truly inescapable. In the original timeline, his uncle also passed away this year; the butterfly effect did not manage to change the outcome.
No one can be devoid of emotion, not even the plants and trees. Ferdinand I had no children and had treated Franz like his own since childhood, doting on him excessively even.
Although Ferdinand I would occasionally become confused, it did nothing to diminish their affection. Over the years, Franz had often used his uncle’s name to cheat others, and forging edicts was all too common a practice.
Now that he thought about it, the fact that he had never been caught out so many times probably meant that his uncle had willingly taken the blame for him on several occasions.
...
Emperors are destined to be lonely, and as Franz was lost in his reflections, a piece of news interrupted his melancholy.
"Is the information confirmed?"
It wasn’t that Franz was easily shocked, but the content was so astonishing that it had surpassed his imagination.
Prime Minister Felix answered affirmatively, "It has been confirmed. The Ottoman Empire is indeed directing refugees toward the Persian border; their public explanation is to spread out resettlement.
Furthermore, the Ottoman Empire is massively recruiting soldiers. Among the refugees, those from 16 to 50 years of age are all being conscripted, allegedly to suppress the rebellion.
The London embassy also confirmed that not long ago, the British offered a loan to the Ottoman Empire and specified that it must be used to suppress the rebellion.
The rebel army within the Ottoman Empire is disorganized and fights separately, thus no match for the government forces.
The Ottomans increasing their recruitment efforts suggest that they may wish to wage war against Persia and shift the internal conflicts."
The Ottoman Empire attacking Persia? Franz shook his head, feeling it was far-fetched. Having just been battered, to leap back into action so soon seemed suicidal, didn’t it?
While the Ottoman Empire might slightly outpower Persia, they had too many enemies. Whether it was Austria or Russia, merely tripping them up would lead to their prior efforts going to waste.
And if they didn’t win the war, what then? Rather than risk war, it would be better to have a civil war at home. By the time the population had dwindled enough, domestic issues would resolve themselves.
"This conclusion might not be correct. The pressing issues for the Ottoman Empire now are the refugee crisis and quelling the rebellion. What benefit would an attack on Persia hold for them?
Unless the members of the Youth Party are all fools, they should know that the Ottoman Empire can’t withstand a war right now; even if they defeated Persia, the refugee crisis would still not be resolved."
Distracting from problems through war isn’t an issue, and the Ottomans and Persians have deep-rooted enmity; attacking Persia wouldn’t be pressured.
However, Persia isn’t exactly wealthy, and the task of plundering enough resources from Persia to weather the crisis is nearly impossible to complete.
Foreign Minister Weisenberg said, "Your Majesty, the British might be playing tricks behind this. We have extended our influence into the Middle East Region, and the British will surely act.
From the standpoint of the London Government, ensuring the absolute security of India is paramount, and it would be ideal to have Persia under its control, demarcating spheres of influence with us in Mesopotamia.
However, about a decade ago, the British invasion of Persia ended in failure, and the London Government is likely still apprehensive. They might let the Ottomans draw attention so as to create an opportunity for another invasion of Persia.
The problems of the Ottoman Empire are not minor, involving a matter of financial and grain resources. But, if Britain is willing to invest, they still have the capacity to help them through the crisis."
The financial and grain resources needed by the Ottoman Empire are astronomically high, but this "astronomical" figure is relative.
It may be an astronomical figure to an ordinary nation, but to the British it’s merely a substantial amount of money, which they could scrape together with effort.
A shortfall of five million tons of grain sounds staggering. However, this grain is not needed all at once but over the next year or two to bridge the food gap.
If we only purchase the cheapest potato flour, it would cost just tens of millions of Divine Shields. The Ottomans don’t have the luxury of being picky, they should be content just to have something to eat."
The only problem is the repayment ability of the Ottoman Empire, which is worrying—lending money to such an unstable country carries far too high a risk."
"Refugees," "borders"..."
Franz had a flash of inspiration and immediately understood."
"Send someone to monitor the number of refugees that the Ottomans have scattered along the border for settlement, I suspect the Youth Party intends to let the refugees enter Persia for sustenance."
"The number of refugees in the Ottoman Empire is too high, already surpassing the country’s limit of endurance, saving them all is simply impossible."
"Whoever is in power must make choices, and if nothing unexpected happens, the Ottoman Empire will soon expel its ethnic minorities."
"For safety’s sake, order the border troops to be on high alert and prohibit any illegal immigrants from entering. Especially in the Dardanelles Strait, don’t let anyone smuggle through."
In Franz’s view, this was a dangerous gambit by the Ottomans, a case of courting death to seek life. Should there be the slightest oversight in the plan, the country could explode immediately."
Even if Franz himself were in charge, he would equally opt to gamble. Betting still offers a glimmer of hope, not betting is just waiting to die."
The government lacks the money to aid so many refugees, that’s the harsh reality and isn’t subject to personal will."
This is no time to heed the empty talk of the blusterers, who can blow hot air without producing food. Borrowing foreign debt may sound easy, but capitalists aren’t fools; they won’t throw their money away."
Having refugees go abroad to seek a living is indeed cruel, but at least it offers a chance of life. At least some lucky ones may survive, which is preferable to them all staying behind and awaiting death."
Perhaps the refugee crisis will not only affect Persia, but also reach the Russian Empire and Austria."
However, Franz wasn’t particularly worried, for the regions where Austria borders the Ottoman Empire are either vast seas or boundless deserts with some oases, which are fallow agricultural areas. Having miles of uninhabited land is standard procedure."
...
Ankara, after a series of political struggles, the new Sultan Abdul Hamid II has emerged."
As time went on, the refugee crisis also escalated. Despite Midhat’s righteous refusal of the insidious British proposal, his actions were very honest."
Whether intentionally or not, a large number of refugees moved in groups to border areas. Surely, targeting Persia alone wasn’t enough?"
Persia, too, is an agricultural nation with limited productive capacity, unable to support so many refugees. Midhat, who has principles, still wants more people to survive."
Therefore, the other two neighbors are also destinations for this famine escape, and Midhat even had people infiltrate the refugee groups to lead this exodus."
To avoid international conflicts, this operation is officially a spontaneous migration movement by the population, with no relation to the Ottoman Government."
"Are you ready, Grand Vizier?" Abdul Hamid II asked with concern."
Only when sitting in this position does one comprehend the challenges of the Sultan. Abdul Hamid II doesn’t want to be ousted in disgrace and meet an untimely death."
He now must rely on the Youth Party to solve the domestic refugee crisis. Compared to it, the ongoing civil war seemed less crucial."
The National Rebel Army was first and foremost constrained by the "national" aspect, a condition that limited the force’s potential for growth."
With the limited number of ethnic minorities, the National Rebel Army could only operate in their own areas. Elsewhere, without a base of popular support, recruiting was difficult."
Given this backdrop, the refugee crisis became particularly conspicuous. With severe ethnic tensions in the Ottoman Empire, unity could only be achieved when survival was at stake."
Once the government stopped the relief efforts, rebellion for survival was almost inevitable. A rebellion by millions would spell disaster for the Ottoman Empire."
Midhat nodded, "Preparations are mostly in place. If the plan goes smoothly, it’s expected that over two million people will leave, heading to Persia, Russia, Austria to seek a living. Then, the domestic food crisis will also be resolved."
...
