Holy Roman Empire

Abdul Aziz I suppressed his anger: "To mobilize all people for jihad, men, women and children must fight the enemy, this is..."

……

The Ottoman Empire was desperate, and this news still attracted Franz's attention.Once a religious country breaks out, it is still very crazy.

For the sake of safety, on February 1874, 2, Franz ordered the severance of commercial and trade exchanges between the two countries, the withdrawal of embassies and overseas Chinese in the Ottoman Empire, and the expulsion of the Ottomans within the empire.

The evacuation of overseas Chinese is not mandatory, and those who want to stay will never be forced.The war was about to break out, and the relationship between the two countries was already very tense. At this time, Franz didn't have the time to do ideological work for anyone.

Frankly speaking, the more crazy the Ottoman resistance, the better for Austria.If they collapse at the first touch, then the subsequent scenes will be difficult to perform. They can't let the Austrian army pretend to be waste, right?

It is actually simple to pretend to be trash, and if you organize an Italian army to send it up, any kind of victory is possible.

In this war, Franz had a similar plan. In case the Ottoman Empire was hit too hard, he could try it.

However, this is not necessarily reliable. According to the military, any army sent to the Ottoman Empire can be swept away.

Especially when it comes to religion, it is better to fight with the wind, and the Italians may not be able to fight.After all, the Austrian Italian region was influenced by German culture, and military training since childhood cannot be generalized.

The high-level government officials all knew the purpose of this war. It was not to kill the Ottoman Empire at all, but to play a big show and lay out the European strategy.

Compared with the rivals on the European continent, the fallen Ottoman Empire is not worth mentioning at all, and the best choice is to control the rhythm and fight steadily.

Palace of Vienna, at a military council.

Minister of War Albrecht: "Your Majesty, taking into account our strategic needs, the War Department recommends an offensive from the Middle East.

This war can be carried out in two ways, one from the Arabian Peninsula and the other from Palestine.

A total of four infantry divisions and four artillery regiments were dispatched, and a 8-strong indigenous force was recruited from Africa to advance steadily all the way.

The Ottoman Empire's rule over the Arabian Peninsula was only in name, and it was impossible for the enemy to deploy heavy troops. They only needed one infantry division, one artillery regiment, and [-] native cannon fodder.

The rest of the troops were concentrated in the Palestine area. The religious status of the Jerusalem area is very important. The Ottoman Empire will not let it go easily. It is the main battlefield of this war. "

The plan looks very good. It only needs to dispatch more than 6 regular troops. The cost of war is not high, and there is no need for financial damage.

The [-] cannon fodder troops have been decisively ignored by Franz.Troops of this level cost nothing at all.

The military salary is all based on robbing, and the welfare benefits are full, plus two sets of military uniforms for one person, and the equipment can be retired rifles, or swords and spears.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg questioned: "General Albrecht, do you think the Russians can agree to such a military deployment?"

The answer is very obvious, the tsarist government was not stupid.Austria's military deployment was all about grabbing territory. It didn't fight the main force of the Ottoman Empire at all, and most of the pressure fell on them.

Albrecht explained unhurriedly: "This question is very simple, we have the advantage of sea power and can land at any location.

At the beginning of the war, there was no need to head-to-head. Our navy was responsible for escorting and covering the tentative landings of the Russian army in various ports, completely disrupting the military deployment of the Ottoman Empire.

The traffic on the Asia Minor peninsula is very bad. Once the enemy deploys the army and wants to mobilize, it cannot be completed in a day or two.

We can completely avoid the reality, look for places where the enemy's troops are weakly deployed, and complete the landing plan.

After landing, it is not necessary to advance all the way until the enemy's troops are mobilized.We can also rely on our maritime superiority to change new attack locations again.

Every time we attack a place, we adopt a scorched-earth strategy to destroy all the facilities that can be destroyed, drive the local people into the interior, and cause trouble for the Sudanese government.

In at most one year, the coastal areas of the Ottoman Empire will be smashed by us.These areas happen to be the last essence of the Ottoman Empire. It is initially estimated that they will lose half of their industry, more than [-]% of their economy, and add millions of war refugees.

At that time, the Sudanese government will either compromise or collapse, and there will be no third way to go.To complete this plan, 15 Russian troops are more than enough.

Neither we nor the Russians need to pay too much. I think the Tsarist government has no reason to refuse. "

Franz was taken aback, and had to say that this strategy was ruthless.There was no need for Armageddon, and the Ottoman Empire would be dragged down.

That's right, it was dragged down.How can it be so easy to resettle millions of war refugees?The Ottoman Empire was not a big food producer, so it was barely self-sufficient. How could the Sudanese government have so much food?

You must know that most of their grain production areas are in the coastal plain area, which destroyed the coastal area and also destroyed the agricultural production of the Ottoman Empire.

Of course, theoretically, it is impossible for the Ottoman Empire to be completely blocked, and they can also import food from the Persian region.

Looking at the map of the Middle East, Franz knew that this was an impossible task.There is no railway, and it is transported by ox carts and horse carts. It is estimated that a cart of grain is transported from Persia to Ankara, and it is almost enough to eat halfway.

Even the British and French sponsors cannot afford this terrifying consumption.The Ottoman Empire can last for a year, it depends on God's blessing.

Franz frowned: "In this case, the Ottoman Empire will be seriously damaged, so how will the next play be performed?"

This is the crux of the problem. The Ottoman Empire has been tossed and abolished, so how can Britain and France believe that Austria's rear is unstable and that it will not be able to compete for hegemony in Europe in a short time?

Albrecht's face darkened, and he slowly spit out two words: "Hate!"

"Only the Russians were able to persist in the Ottoman Empire if they were so angry that the Ottomans wanted to eat their flesh and smash their bones.

It doesn't have to be the Sudanese government, it's the same with a new government.The internal contradictions of the Ottoman Empire were serious, and once the situation deteriorated, the possibility of revolution was very high.

A new regime emerged to reform the country's political system, making them superficially stronger.This result should allow Britain and France to make a misjudgment. "

Seeing that everyone was lost in thought, Albrecht added: "War is not a child's play, if we deliberately keep our hands on the Ottoman Empire, everyone will be able to see that there is a problem.

This battle plan is not difficult, and the Russians can also come up with it.At that time, they took the initiative to propose it, and we had no reasonable excuse to refuse. "

Franz nodded, expressing his approval of this statement.Such a simple battle plan, it is estimated that anyone with a little military knowledge can come up with it, it is only a matter of time.

Frantz would not even be ashamed of the fact that he obviously had the advantage of the sea but abandoned it, and had to do it stupidly.

"Communicate with the Russians first to see if the tsarist government has any different opinions. If everyone has the same plan, then let's do this!"

Giving the task of pulling hatred to the Russian army, Franz was 1 rest assured that he didn't need to do anything, just let them play their true colors.

Franz has ignored the sequelae of the blood feud.There are too many debts, and both sides have accumulated hundreds of years of hatred, so there is nothing to be afraid of.

According to the established strategy, even if Osman survived by going on like this, he is destined to be a small country in the future.Under the eyes of Austria, they have no possibility of returning blood at all.

Chapter 116 The Second Near East War

There is no shortage of smart 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 fighting against Turkey.

After a fierce battle, the commander of the coalition forces still fell into the hands of Austria.It was not because Austria contributed a lot, but mainly because the Tsarist government was poor.

"The manpower is short, and the population is soft." The Russian army's combat supplies had to be provided by the Vienna government, and the tsarist government naturally lacked confidence during the negotiations.

It is said that it is a joint operation, but in fact it is still fighting separately.Austria is responsible for solving the enemy's navy and covering the landing of the Russian army to ensure the smooth passage of sea transportation.

On land, the Russians can play freely, and it has nothing to do with Austria.When necessary, both parties cooperate.

For example: After the enemy is mobilized, they suddenly shift the battlefield and attack new targets, which requires Austria to send ships.

Time flies, on March 1874, 3, 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 conspired to plan the Bulgarian rebellion".

The Sudanese government has yet to respond, but that's beside the point.The full-scale outbreak of the Second Near East War is a foregone conclusion, and no one can stop it.

Franz's pretext for declaring war on the grounds of "revenge" was still criticized internationally.Compared with the Russians' pretext for war, this excuse seems to be making up the numbers.

Fortunately, the enemy is the Ottoman Empire, the public enemy of Europe, and everyone's discussions will be over after a few words.Except for a few people, most European people have become happy people eating melons.

The few who complained for the Ottoman Empire, before the Vienna government paid any attention, some people started spraying in the newspapers.Franz admired this kind of enthusiastic crowd very much, but he didn't know if it was a trust of the newspaper.

News always needs hype, and there is only one voice. How can newspapers have sales?So under normal circumstances, when encountering big news, European newspapers like to divide into two waves, and everyone will make a fortune together.

……

In the Balkans, Russian troops are building up.I have to say that the tsarist government is sincere. The agreed 15 people are 15 people. Not to mention weapons and equipment, they even saved military uniforms.

Looking at the 15 unarmed Russian troops in front of him, General Arrest was speechless for a long time.In any case, as the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces this time, he still has to solve these problems.

The Vienna government promised to provide 15 troops with combat supplies for half a year, so it must be fulfilled.

After contemplating for a while, Aleister said to the Russian general: "General Ivanov, the weapons and equipment have arrived, and you can send someone to receive them now.

But the military uniforms have to wait. Austria does not have Russian military uniforms, and they are currently being produced. You still need to wait. "

When he said this, Aleister was heartbroken.What a ghost, they didn't think of this at all beforehand. Who knew that the Tsarist government even saved military uniforms?

Well, 15 people in uniform is not a small number either.According to Austrian standards, three sets are issued to recruits at one time as standard, and three sets must be issued when the season changes, and they can be replaced if they are accidentally damaged during training.

According to preliminary estimates, the distribution of military uniforms to 15 Russian troops will cost hundreds of thousands of Aegis.It's not that military uniforms are expensive, but mainly because there are supporting equipment such as: water bottles, military boots, backpacks, tents...

Don't doubt, just by looking at this posture, you know that the Russians are not prepared for anything except people.In order to save money, the tsarist government no longer cared about face.

Aleister understands what the Russians do. 15 troops come empty-handed, and at least they can get equipment worth 700 million Aegis.

The Russian Empire at its peak probably wouldn't have cared, but now that's almost a month's worth of Tsarist government revenue.Compared with actual benefits, what is face?

"When the cannon fires, ten thousand taels of gold." This sentence is not wrong at all. After entering the era of hot weapons, the cost of war has also increased significantly.

For this Near East War, the Vienna government has prepared 1.5 million Aegis war funds.This war fund will only be supported for one year at most.

If the war continues, money will continue to be added in the end.This is also the reason why the Vienna government is unwilling to fight, it is too expensive.

After hearing Aleister's explanation, Russian commander Ivanlov blushed.Not wearing military uniforms is an order issued by the government. The purpose is not just to save a little money, but more to cry for poverty.

The Tsarist government was not sure of raising enough war funds, and Alexander II worried that the war would continue and the government's finances would not be able to bear it.

From the very beginning, it was ready to rely on Austria.Russia and Austria are allies. In the middle of the war, the Tsarist government suddenly ran out of money. What can Austria do?

For them to continue to contribute to the war, the Vienna government had to borrow money.Otherwise, they will paddle reasonably and follow Austria to win the final victory.

As one of the specific executors, Admiral Ivanov's face is obviously not thick enough.Hearing what Aleister said, I was a little embarrassed.

"No problem, Commander, the absence of military uniforms does not affect operations, and there is no problem in adding them after a period of time."

Ivanov didn't think there was a problem, but Admiral Aleister didn't think so.If Russian soldiers were to go to the battlefield like this, he, the commander-in-chief, would probably be laughed at for hundreds of years.

"Don't worry, the military uniforms will definitely be issued before the landing operation. Now you have to rest and recuperate. You will not be allowed to go on stage until the naval performance is over."

Aleister is the admiral of the navy and can serve as the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, mainly because Austria is mainly responsible for the sea in this cooperative operation.

Franz doesn't like remote commanding thousands of miles away. The headquarters of the coalition forces is in Constantinople, thousands of miles away from the Middle East. the difference.

So in this war, the Allied Command is actually just a coordinating agency.The main task is to ensure the smooth passage of sea transportation and cooperate with the Russian army to attack the Asia Minor peninsula.

fight?The Russians will direct the battle on land by themselves, and Aleister is not responsible for any results.

The only thing under his command is the naval battle. If the broken ships of the Ottoman Empire are considered enemies, the Austrian Navy will fight a naval battle.

……

The Palace of Vienna received a telegram from Aleister, and Franz suddenly became ill.The mighty Russian Empire was gone, and now only a calculating tsarist government remained.

This change undoubtedly shows that the tsarist government has become more rational.Face is sometimes very important, and sometimes it is worthless.

There is no doubt that for the current tsarist government, "money" is the most important thing, and face is something that cannot be eaten.

From the moment the Russian-Prussian War failed, the face of the Tsarist government was worthless.Being able to change his mentality undoubtedly proves that Alexander II has grown up.

"Just do what Aleister wants. There is no need to affect our plan for such a small matter."

A batch of military uniforms is nothing more than a trivial matter from the standpoint of the Vienna government, and naturally no one will object.

Minister of War Albrecht: "Your Majesty, according to the plan, we launched our offensive in the Middle East after the Asia Minor peninsula war broke out.

Affected by the Bulgarian rebellion, the Russians' initially prepared troops were sent to suppress the rebellion, resulting in somewhat under-prepared troops.

The current group of soldiers has not undergone transitional sea combat training at all, and they have just received new equipment, and it will take a while to get used to it. I am afraid they will not be able to launch an attack in the short term. "

Franz retracted his previous thoughts, and the Tsarist government was still unreliable as before.The war started, and he was suddenly told that Russian soldiers had not received combat training in the transitional sea.

Why did you go early?You know, it took more than half a year to prepare for this war. Austria was responsible for the equipment and logistics, and the tsarist government only sent people.

If it wasn't to leave time for the Russian army to conduct cross-sea training, why wait for more than half a year?Could it be that the Russian Empire can't even come up with 15 active-duty troops and needs to recruit new soldiers?

It is not without reason that the battle of the Asia Minor peninsula started first.For the Ottoman Empire, the Asia Minor peninsula was the core territory.

Once the war broke out, the Sudanese government was bound to concentrate its forces to defend the Asia Minor peninsula.Even if the troops deployed in the Middle East do not decrease, it is impossible to increase.This is very beneficial to Austria, which wants to grab territory.

"Don't worry so much, just proceed according to the original plan. The Russians didn't conduct sea-crossing combat training, that's their own business. We just send them ashore according to the prior agreement.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs notified all countries to evacuate their overseas Chinese as soon as possible. After half a month, we will launch a full-scale attack. In case of accidental injury, we can only express regret. "

When war is declared, war begins, and that is a special case.In this Near East War, Austria will definitely bombard the coastal cities of the Ottoman Empire, and civilian casualties are inevitable.

In this case, it is necessary to leave time for countries to evacuate overseas Chinese.Otherwise, it would cause a large number of foreign casualties, and the Vienna government would feel troubled.

Franz didn't want to be criticized by thousands of people, and spitting stars can sometimes kill people.There is no rush to attack the Ottoman Empire, they can't escape anyway.

Don't look at the ease that Franz said. If the Russian soldiers really suffered heavy casualties and failed to complete the established combat missions, Austrian troops will be sent to help deal with the aftermath.

Allies are for cheating, there is nothing wrong with this saying.The war had just begun, and Franz felt he had been cheated.

Chapter 117 The pit is not easy to dig

The Near East war broke out again, and countries that did not want to see Austria's continued expansion also took action. How to hold back efficiently and connotatively is also an art.