The Osman Empire's base was mainly concentrated in the Asia Minor peninsula. The Government of Sudan's control over other areas was obviously much weaker.
Especially after the Government of Sudan was cut off by the anti-Turkish Alliance, their control was even weaker.
There were only a few loyal officials. In the face of cruel reality, the weakness of human nature was exposed.
Seeing that the Osman Empire's power was lost, those who did not want to stay and die with the Empire began to look for a way out.
Baghdad was just the beginning. After Austria entered the Mesopotamia, there were many cases of people abandoning the city and fleeing.
People followed blindly. Seeing the nobles fleeing, the ordinary people naturally followed suit. For a time, the Persian border was overcrowded.
…
Baghdad, Middle East Theater Temporary Command Center
General Morkes asked with concern, "Dennis, how many people left?"
Dennis replied, "About 120,000 people left in the Baghdad area. About 500,000 people left in the entire Mesopotamia region."
General Morkes frowned, "Not enough. The number of people who left is still too little. The battle in the Mesopotamia region is basically over. What's left is only sporadic resistance.
The local population is more than 3 million. Even because of the war, there are at least 2.3 million. After deducting the 500,000 who left, there are still 1.7 million left.
It will cost a lot of money to relocate so many people in the future. The best way is to let them leave on their own.
Release the news that we are going to implement the 'Land Fallow Law'. In the next 20 years, the cultivation of food and livestock are prohibited in the Mesopotamia region. "
Truth and falsehood were often the easiest things to believe.
Those who were slightly more informed knew that after Austria occupied the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Arabian Peninsula, they had implemented the Land Fallow Law.
Now, except for a few cities, the rest were overgrown with weeds and bushes. The inland areas were basically uninhabited.
"Yes, Commander!" Major General Dennis replied.
After hesitating for a moment, Dennis still voiced his doubts, "Commander, if we keep the wealth they create, we can immediately collect taxes. Why do we have to relocate the people?"
In the eyes of many, the Land Fallow Law of the Government of Vienna was a waste of money. Other than wasting manpower and money, there was no real value.
Protecting the environment was not popular. No one raised any objections before because it involved Jerusalem. The Sacred Ground was about to be buried by the sandstorm. It would be unreasonable not to protect it.
The Arabian Peninsula could only be regarded as incidental. Anyway, there was nothing there, and Austria did not lack camels.
The Mesopotamian Plain was very fertile, and agriculture and animal husbandry could be developed.
The era of population explosion had not arrived yet. Take Iraq as an example. Before the war, there were only 1.2 to 1.3 million people, and they were relatively rich in water resources.
General Morkes smiled. "Of course, for stability. You don't think these people will just accept our rule, do you?"
Hearing this answer, Dennis was even more confused. If the Osman Empire could suppress these people, it would be a joke for Austria to worry about local stability.
Colonial empires all had their own ways of ruling. Generally speaking, when encountering a problem that could not be solved, there was only one way to solve it – "kill"!
General Morkes continued to explain, "If it were a normal colony, it wouldn't be worth it for us to invest so much, but the Two River Basin is special.
Our men have discovered oil here, and geologists estimate that the oil reserves in the Mesopotamia Basin are likely to exceed the total amount of oil discovered in the world.
Scientists believe that oil is the next most important energy source, and it is likely to replace coal in the future. "
Dennis shook his head in disbelief and blurted out, "That's impossible! The use of oil is limited, how can it replace coal? "
General Morkes waved his hand. "This is not a question I can answer. Anyway, the scientists convinced the government and the nation to believe this judgment. "
Seeing that Dennis was in a state of self-doubt, Admiral Moorkes continued, "Okay, whether or not oil can replace coal, time will tell.
Right now, we only need to know that oil is very important. Our domestic reserves are small, but the reserves in the Mesopotamia Basin are huge.
This involves energy security. In order to ensure the safety of oil exploration, we must completely control this area. "
Morkes also did not believe that oil could replace coal, but as long as there was a "possibility", it was worth paying attention.
In order to make the French realize the "importance of energy", the Government of Vienna did a lot of propaganda. Now, every European knew the importance of energy.
After hesitating for a moment, Dennis slowly said, "Commander, if this is the case, then it's not enough to just release the news.
It's best if there are practical actions, such as increasing the war tax and setting a tax that is more than what most people can afford, or directly sending people to persuade them to leave.
The Persians learned their lesson from the last refugee crisis and set up a cordon at the border. Now, a large number of refugees have gathered there.
If we don't open the passage, even if these people want to leave, they won't be able to. "
There was definitely more than one passage to leave. The problem was that they did not dare to go to Russia, and Austria did not allow them to enter.
General Morkes nodded. "This is indeed a problem. I will report to Vienna and strive for domestic support.
However, the chances of success are very low. Even if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs intervenes, the Persians do not have the guts to accept these two million people.
First, encourage the refugees to break through. If it really doesn't work, let the troops create a misunderstanding and tear an opening. "
Without the support of the anti-Turkish Alliance, the Persians were forced to allow the British supplies into the Osman Peninsula due to both military and diplomatic pressure from the Government of the United Kingdom.
For this reason, the Persian government had repeatedly explained to Vienna and St. Peter Castle, but it was meaningless. Most of the time, the Great Powers did not like to be reasonable.
In General Morkes' view, no matter what the reason was, the Persians stood against the anti-Turkish Alliance and had to pay the price.
…
In the Palace of Vienna, the Austrian army's progress in the Mesopotamia did not make Franz feel relieved. The news that General Morkes reported gave him a headache.
The Middle East war zone had to consider the problem of the two million people, but as the emperor, Franz had to consider the problem of the three million or even four million people.
There was no other way. The Osman government was crazy, but it did not mean that the generals were crazy. It was true that all the people were soldiers, but if they could not win, they still had to surrender.
There were still one or two million people on the Asia Minor peninsula who could be considered as prisoners of war. After all, the Government of Sudan had gone crazy and brought about great losses, so the local people had no food to eat if they were not prisoners of war.
Forced to do so, the Government of Vienna had to support this large group of "prisoners of war." Both sides were stained with each other's blood, and Franz did not think that he had the ability to reform them.
It was necessary to send them away. Franz did not care about spending money. It was just an early investment. The problem was where to send them.
Foreign Minister Wesenberg: "Your Majesty, most of the American countries have expressed their refusal to accept refugees and immigrants. The United States of America has agreed to accept some immigrants, but only young and strong labor force."
There was no other way. The Osman were not welcomed. The American countries never recruited immigrants to the Osman Empire, let alone the old, the weak, the women, and the children.
The United States of America was willing to accept them because of the Franz butterfly effect. The number of Europeans immigrating to the United States decreased greatly, and the capitalists were severely lacking people.
Unfortunately, no matter how much they lacked people, the capitalists only wanted the young and strong labor force that could create wealth. They had no love for the old and weak.
"What is the government's plan?" Franz asked.
Prime Minister Felix: "The government has three plans. First, divide a piece of land from the colony and move these people over.
Second, throw the trouble to the Armenian Kingdom that is about to be established.
Third, use Persia's support for the Osman as an excuse to provoke a war in advance and expel these people into Persia.
These three plans each had their pros and cons. Dividing the land from the colony and settling them down could only be done from America or Southeast Asia, but the cost was relatively high.
Throwing it to the Armenian Kingdom seemed the simplest, but there would be a lot of trouble in the future.
The Russians would definitely be reluctant to give rich land to the Armenians to establish a country. This new kingdom would most likely not be able to support so many people.
The cost of expelling them into Persia is the lowest, but the method is too violent and could easily affect our international reputation. "
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