No one paid attention to the battle between the British and Montenegro. The difference in strength between the two sides was too great. It was not something that could be made up with passion. The outcome had been decided from the beginning.
Even Franz was not optimistic about Montenegro. Their foundation was too weak and could not afford to be exhausted. Even if they repelled the attack of the Anglo-Saxon coalition, they would still lose.
This was the tragedy of a small country. With such a small population, no matter how strong they were, there would always be deaths in war. Montenegro could not afford to die.
Up until now, the Balkans had lost more than a million people, possibly even more than two or three million people. The losses were especially heavy among the young.
The Osman caught strong men to fight, and the Hairy Bear did not hesitate. Including the current attack and defense of Constantinople, the Russians had caught many strong young men and sent them to the front line as cannon fodder.
No matter how worthless the gray animals were, they were still Tsar's soldiers. They were their own people, so they were more valuable than cannon fodder.
In the attack and defense of Constantinople, thousands of people were lost every day. Even if the Hairy Bear was a big family, he could not support it!
If they used cannon fodder, Menshikov would have no pressure. If they died, then so be it. The Government of Austria was very cooperative.
Before they obtained Austrian citizenship, the Government of Austria had no obligation to protect their safety. The two Danube Valley Principalities had recently been harmed by the Russians.
The guys who initially resisted learning German were now crying too late. There was no other way. If they did not pass the language test, the political and ideological review, they could not obtain citizenship.
The two Danube Valley Principalities were still nominally vassals of the Osman Empire. The Austrians were only temporarily occupying them and had no obligation to protect their safety.
Franz could only express his regret for the atrocities of the Russian army. If they wanted to protest, they could go to St. Peter's Castle. The Russian Army was not under his control. He could not help the current situation.
Capturing able-bodied men wasn't a big deal. Anyone who knew Russia knew that most of the gray beasts didn't have any military pay. Their only income came from robbing on the battlefield.
According to the news from the frontline, at least half of the local people had been robbed by the Russian army. Other than the area where the Austrian army was stationed, the other areas were looted by the Russians.
Because of the westward strategy, Austria withdrew a large number of troops, so they naturally couldn't take care of all the areas. Only the areas that were well Austrian troops were stationed, which provided an opportunity for the Russians.
Franz could guarantee that Austria was not colluding with the Russians on this issue. These atrocities were organized by the Russian Army.
Everyone had a good time working together. The Russians were done with their loot and needed to dispose of it, and the Austrian-controlled safe zone was the best place to do so.
Every time the Russian Army crossed the border, it would be a mess. If they were lucky, they would only be robbed. If they were unlucky, their families would be ruined.
The world was cruel. When the news reached Franz, everything had already happened. What was done could not be undone. It was unknown how many people had died. They could only slowly count after the war.
It wasn't only the Russians and Osman who were harming the The Balkans. The allied forces of Britain, France, and Sardinia weren't any good either. In order to improve the quality of their meals, everyone had to personally prepare food and clothing.
With so many troops taking turns to harm them, the rich people had long run away, including the nobles of the Osman Empire.
They were all smart people. They knew that it was impossible to reason with the soldiers. In times of chaos, human life was the least valuable.
Those who could run had all run away, and the rest were a bunch of poor people. If they weren't at the bottom of the free people or serfs, they had nowhere to run even if they wanted to.
Marshal Radski frowned and said, "Your Majesty, the frontline has sent an urgent message. The Serbian area has been attacked by refugees and has been suppressed by the army.
The atmosphere is very tense now. I'm afraid it won't be long before chaos breaks out again. The new 9th division stationed at the frontline is requesting for domestic support. "
There was no other way. Any war was inevitable. There would be a large number of refugees. Because of the war, they had lost their livelihood. Other than going out to make a living, they had no other choice.
Franz asked with concern, "How many refugees are gathered at the border?"
Marshal Radski thought for a moment and replied, "At least a few hundred thousand, or maybe a million. The situation is too chaotic to make an effective count.
In the beginning, we took in tens of thousands of refugees. Later, because there were too many of them, we were worried that it would affect the local order, so the General Staff Headquarters gave the order to stop them.
This is a dereliction of duty by the General Staff Headquarters. Some time ago, we were busy with the westward strategy and neglected to pay attention to the refugees.
Now that there are more and more refugees at the border, the frontline troops can't hold them anymore. We only noticed it when they sent a message for help. "
Because of the war, the Serbian area, the Bosnia-Herzegovina area, and the two Danube River Duchies were all under military control. In addition, the Government of Austria didn't have sovereignty over these areas, so there was no local government.
Since it was under military control, these problems naturally fell on the General Staff Headquarters. The result was obvious. A group of military officers couldn't be relied on to govern a place. To maintain the stability of a place, it depended on military force.
The Austrian General Staff Headquarters, including Marshal Radski, ignored the refugee problem and didn't report it to Franz at all. It was only when the matter broke out that they paid attention to it.
Frankly speaking, the General Staff Headquarters didn't do anything wrong. If so many refugees were to be released, it would be a tragedy.
The order that Austria had painstakingly established would collapse immediately.
If social order could be maintained by increasing the number of troops, then there was really no way to solve the problem of feeding people.
In this era, to solve the problem of feeding hundreds of thousands or even millions of people, if they didn't prepare in advance, how could Franz gather so many resources in a short period of time?
It wasn't that they didn't have the resources, but they didn't have the time to mobilize so many resources. In order to help the refugees, the Government of Austria had mobilized a large amount of food.
However, this food was barely enough to help the refugees in the Austrian-occupied area. Faced with the increase of foreign refugees, there was really nothing they could do.
Franz asked doubtfully, "That's not right. With so many refugees, they should have attacked our blockade a long time ago. Why did this problem only occur after so many people gathered?"
Marshal Radski replied, "Your Majesty, most of these refugees are old, weak, women, and children. There's a lack of young men, so when they were intercepted by the army, many of them chose to retreat.
Now, there's a group of defeated soldiers among the refugees. Someone is leading them, and that's why they started to attack our blockade. "
Franz nodded. With the end of the Second Bulgarian War, there were a large number of defeated soldiers in the The Balkans. These defeated soldiers wreaked havoc everywhere, creating a large number of refugees.
It was estimated that they couldn't find a place to loot anymore. With no other choice, these people appeared among the refugees.
If there was no leader, no matter how many of them there were, they wouldn't dare to attack the border. After all, there was no human rights in this era. As long as they dared to attack the blockade, the soldiers would open fire.
After understanding the situation, Franz also had a headache. He didn't need to ask to know what kind of tragic scene it was. The image of people eating their children had already appeared in his mind.
However, it was even more impossible to let them in. Without enough food, these people would only create more refugees if they were to create chaos.
This was not the 21st century. As long as the government was willing, they could mobilize a large number of resources at any time. With the current situation of relying on ox-carts for transportation, what way did Franz have to mobilize a large number of resources for them?
When people were extremely hungry, they would do anything. Franz didn't dare to test the good and evil of human nature. Even in the future, this was still a problem that troubled the countries.
It could be said that this was a thankless job, and it could only be rewarded with complaints. Thinking of this, Franz couldn't help but grumble. Since you ignored it, you should ignore it to the end. It would be better to learn from the British bureaucrats and do things according to the rules. If you don't know anything, you won't have a headache.
Now that the matter was out in the open, he couldn't just ignore it, right?
Franz asked, "Prime Minister, how do you think we should deal with this problem?"
This was kicking the ball. In any case, Franz couldn't think of a way to satisfy both sides. So, he could only let the cabinet do it. It would be better if there was a way, but if there wasn't, the cabinet would have to take the blame in the end.
Prime Minister Felix said hesitantly, "Your Majesty, we should first send reinforcements to the front line. No matter what, we can't let more people become refugees. Then, we can mobilize resources from the country to provide relief."
Franz understood what he meant. That was to guard the blockade and get it over with. After the resources were mobilized, they would then provide relief. By then, most of the refugees would have died and there would be enough food to eat.
Marshal Radski thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, the other areas can be blocked, but I'm afraid it will be difficult in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are too many forests there. I'm afraid we won't be able to stop the flow of refugees."
Minister of Finance Carr asked doubtfully, "We're not the only ones facing this problem. Greece, Montenegro, the Osman, and Russia, how did they handle it?"
Metternich replied, "The situation in Greece was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That idiot Otto the First saw the refugees and thought that the opportunity to increase the population had come, so he ordered the government to provide relief.
In the end, because the influx of refugees was too large, it exceeded their limit. In addition, the British army entered and destroyed the local order. The local area is already in chaos. The new Greek government is currently suppressing the refugees.
The situation is still not optimistic. It's estimated that it won't be long before they ask for help from the three governments. I highly suspect that the British saw this situation, which was why they agreed so readily at the Paris Conference. "
Needless to say, everyone knew about the remaining countries. The areas controlled by the Osman Empire were definitely in chaos. The Government of Sudan did not have the ability to help the refugees. The British and French were not philanthropists and would not help for free.
The Montenegro Principality was extremely poor. They were still fighting against the allied forces. As long as the refugees were not idiots, they would not run over. If it was an idiot who ran over, then they would not have a good ending.
At this moment, Franz began to envy the bad reputation of the Russians. Because of the atrocities of the Russian Army, the refugees could not wait to hide from them. How could they go forward?
Thanks to this, even the two Danube Principalities controlled by Austria were not affected by the refugee wave of the The Balkans because of the Russians blocking in front.
They were a classic example of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Their reputation was not bad enough, and their methods were not ruthless enough. However, Austria, which seemed to be relatively rich, became the unlucky one.
Asking Franz to kill the refugees without caring about his reputation? This was impossible! If it was the Tsarist government, it might be possible to give this order.
Franz said ruthlessly, "If Bosnia and Herzegovina can't be defended, then there is no need to defend it. Tell the refugees to go to the seaside. Only when they reach the seaside can we mobilize enough food for rescue. "
This was the truth. It was too difficult to transport inland. Even if they had the Danube River, the river's transport capacity was not unlimited. They had to ensure that the garrison and Russia's supplies were consumed first.
From Serbia to the port, there was still a few hundred kilometers to travel. Along the way, they had to cross over mountains. There were not many people who could make it there alive.
Don't say it was cruel. Having hope was better than having no hope. Bosnia was mostly mountainous, and Austria had just taken control of it. The local assimilation was not going well, so Franz did not feel bad about abandoning Franz.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Marshal Radski replied in a low voice.
He knew that this matter made the Emperor very dissatisfied, but there was no other way. The General Staff had not reacted in advance, so they missed the best time to deal with it.
With so many people gathered together, the local bark and grass had probably been eaten up. It was inevitable that people would attack the blockade line when they were starving. Marshal Radski could not bear to kill the refugees, so he could only let Franz handle it.
Prime Minister Felix frowned and said, "Your Majesty, now that we have rescued these refugees, how to settle them in the future is also a problem. If we let them continue to stay in the The Balkans, I'm afraid it will also be a hidden danger. "
He was opposed to this kind of relief. Apart from spending a lot of money and resources, they would not receive any gratitude in the end.
Those who could survive in this situation were mostly people who had lost their morals. Those who were not ruthless enough would not survive to the end.
Franz thought for a moment and said, "Of course, we will send them all back to the Osman Empire. When these people arrive, we will immediately send them on ships and pack up the people in the Bosnian region.
If the Osman Empire refuses to accept them, we will send them all to the African continent as the first batch of immigrants for us to develop the African continent.
The navy will immediately choose a suitable place to land and occupy a few strongholds in the African continent. Austria's colonial era has begun in advance.
Organize the ships as soon as possible. It will definitely not be easy to transport so many people. Everyone must be mentally prepared. "
If they were just simple refugees, it would not be a problem to settle them in the The Balkans. At most, they would slowly assimilate. Unfortunately, there were a lot of defeated soldiers mixed in, and they would instantly become a disaster.
Since that was the case, they could only change a place to live. The people were forced to leave their homes, and in addition to the scattered resettlement, when they reached the African continent, Franz was not afraid that these people would dare to cause trouble.
They could also solve the hidden danger in the Bosnia-Herzegovina region. The Government of Austria had spent so much effort, money, and manpower, and it would not be in vain.
Using this labor force to develop the African continent was just like recycling waste. Slowly reforming overseas for a few years, time could dilute everything, and then send more priests to educate them.
Let them repent of their sins, slowly return to normal life, and finally integrate into the Austrian system. With this thought, Franz's thoughts were clear.
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