Time flew by, and on April 28, 1875, Franz was crowned as the King of Jerusalem amidst the cheers, turning a new page in history.
Just after the coronation ceremony, Franz received the bad news that his uncle, Ferdinand I, was critically ill.
God did not care for him. Even in the Holy Land, he still could not suppress the disease.
Ferdinand I's illness had been around for a long time. It was a miracle that he could persist until now. If he wanted to "cure" it, not to mention now, even a hundred years later, the medical world would be helpless.
After visiting his unconscious uncle, Franz sighed. Birth, old age, illness, and death were the most helpless. The original uncle also passed away this year, and the butterfly effect could not change the ending.
Humans were not plants and trees. Since Ferdinand I had no children, he had treated Franz as his own son since he was a child. It could even be said that he doted on him.
Although Ferdinand I would be confused from time to time, it did not harm the relationship between the two. In the past, Franz used his uncle's name to fool people, and forging edicts was a common occurrence.
Now that he thought about it carefully, he had not been exposed so many times. Perhaps his uncle had also taken the initiative to take the blame for him many times.
…
The emperor was destined to be lonely. Just as Franz was feeling sentimental, a piece of news interrupted his melancholy.
"Is the news confirmed?"
It was not that Franz was inexperienced, but the content was so surprising that it had exceeded Franz's imagination.
Prime Minister Felix replied affirmatively, "It has been confirmed. The Osman Empire is indeed guiding refugees to the Persian border. The explanation to the outside world is to disperse and resettle.
By the way, the Osman Empire is still recruiting soldiers. Among the refugees, young men between the ages of 16 and 50, are all recruited. It is said that it is to suppress the rebellion.
The London Embassy also confirmed that the British had provided a loan to the Osman Empire not long ago and specified that it must be used to suppress the rebellion.
The rebels of the Osman Empire are a motley crew, and they are scattered and fighting separately. They are no match for the government army at all.
The Osman Empire has increased the recruitment efforts. I am afraid that they want to start a war with Persia and divert domestic contradictions. "
The Osman Empire attacking Persia? Franz shook his head. He felt that it was unreliable. He had just been beaten up, and he immediately jumped out to cause trouble. Was he tired of living?
Although the Osman Empire was stronger than Persia, they had many enemies. Whether it was Austria or Russia, as long as they held them back, all their previous efforts would be in vain.
What would they do if they did not win the war? Rather than taking the risk of starting a war, it was better to have a civil war within the country. When the population was almost depleted, the internal conflicts would be resolved.
"This conclusion may not be correct. Currently, the Osman Empire's top priority is to deal with the refugee crisis and suppress the rebellion. What good would attacking Persia do them?
Unless the Youth Party is a bunch of idiots, they should know that the current Osman Empire can't afford a war. Even if we win Persia, we still can't solve the refugee crisis. "
There was no problem in using war to divert the conflict. The hatred between the Osman Empire and Persia was also as deep as the sea, so there was no pressure in attacking Persia.
The problem was that Persia wasn't a wealthy lord. It was almost impossible to rob enough food from Persia to tide over the crisis.
Foreign Minister Wesenberg: "Your Majesty, the British may be behind this. We have extended our influence to the Middle East, and the British will definitely take action.
From the standpoint of the Government of London, to ensure that India is safe, the best way is to control Persia and divide our sphere of influence in the Mesopotamia.
However, the British invasion of Persia ended in failure more than ten years ago, and the Government of London should still be afraid. They are likely to let the Osman Empire attract their attention and create an opportunity to invade Persia again.
The Osman Empire's problem is not small, but it is not big either. It is nothing more than a problem of money and food. If Britannia is willing to invest, we can still help them tide over the crisis. "
The amount of money needed by the Osman Empire was an astronomical figure, but this "astronomical figure" was relative.
It was an "astronomical figure" for ordinary countries, but for the British, it was a huge sum of money that could be squeezed out.
A food shortage of five million tons sounded like a big deal. However, this food was not a one-time need, but a food shortage for the next one or two years.
If they were to purchase the cheapest potato flour, it would only be a few tens of millions of BDH. The Osman Empire did not have the right to be picky, and it was good enough that they had something to eat.
The only problem was that the Osman Empire's repayment ability was worrying. The risk of lending money to such a precarious country was too high.
"Refugees," "border" …
Franz had a flash of inspiration and instantly understood.
"Send someone to monitor the number of refugees that the Osman Empire has scattered across the border. I suspect that the Al-Shabaab wants the refugees to enter Persia and feed on them.
The Osman Empire has too many refugees, and it has exceeded the country's capacity. It is impossible to provide for all of them.
Anyone in power would have to make a choice. If nothing goes wrong, the Osman Empire will soon expel the minorities in the country.
For the sake of safety, order the guards at the border to be on guard and forbid any illegal immigrants from entering. Especially the Dardanelles Strait, don't let anyone smuggle in. "
From Franz's perspective, the Osman Empire's move was a dangerous one, and it was a desperate move. Once there was a mistake in the plan, the country would immediately explode.
Even if it was Franz, he would still choose to gamble. There was still a chance of survival if he gambled, but if he didn't gamble, he would be waiting for death.
The government had no money and was unable to provide for so many refugees. This was a practical problem, and it would not be changed by one's will.
At a time like this, he couldn't listen to the bragging. It would be useless if he couldn't produce any food no matter how much he boasted. It was easy to borrow money, but capitalists were not stupid, and it was impossible for them to waste their money.
It was cruel to let the refugees go abroad to make a living, but at least there was hope. At least some of the lucky ones could survive, and it was better than all of them staying and waiting to die.
Perhaps when the time came, the refugees would not only attack Persia, but also the Russian Empire and Austria.
But Franz was not worried. The border between Austria and the Osman Empire was either a vast sea, or an endless desert, and a small number of oases, which were also agricultural fallow areas. It was normal for hundreds of miles to be deserted.
…
In Ankara, after a political struggle, the new Sultan Abdul Hamid II was born.
As time went on, the refugee crisis continued to reach a climax. Even though Midhart righteously rejected the Englishman's sinister proposal, his actions were very honest.
Whether intentional or not, a large number of refugees were diverted to the border area in groups. How could it be enough to attack Persia alone?
Persia was also an agricultural country, and its own productivity was limited, so it could not afford to support so many refugees. Midhart, who had a bottom line, still wanted more people to survive.
So the other two neighbors were also the destination of this famine escape. Midhart also specially arranged for people to mix into the refugee group, ready to lead the movement.
In order to avoid international conflict, this action was nominally a voluntary movement of the people to escape from the famine, and had nothing to do with the Osman government.
Abdul Hamid II asked with concern, "Are you ready, Prime Minister?"
Sitting in this position, he knew that the Sultan's life was not easy. Abdul Hamid II did not want to be ousted and then die a violent death.
Now he must rely on the Youth Party to solve the refugee crisis in the country. In contrast, the ongoing civil war was not so important.
The first restriction of the National Revolutionary Army was the word "nation". This innate condition restricted the development of the Revolutionary Army.
The number of ethnic minorities was limited, and the national rebellion was only active in their own ethnic areas. Without the mass base, it was difficult to recruit soldiers in other places.
In this context, the refugee crisis was particularly eye-catching. The ethnic contradictions in the Osman Empire were serious, and if everyone wanted to unite, it was only for survival.
The refugees happened to break this limitation. Once the government stopped providing relief, in order to survive, rebellion was almost an inevitable result. Millions of people rebelled together, and even Allah could not save the Osman Empire.
Midhart nodded, "It's almost ready. If the plan goes smoothly, it is estimated that more than two million people will leave to make a living in Persia, Russia, and Austria. At that time, the domestic food crisis will be solved."
…
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