Chapter 567

At this point in the Balkan War, the balance of victory began to tilt towards Russia. The Greeks, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, could no longer stand it.

The Hairy Bear was not so easy to deal with. If this dragged on, when Russia won the war, they would have nothing to do with it.

Obviously, the Greek government made a strategic misjudgment. They thought that as long as Russia won the war, Britain and France would retreat.

In this era, the Hairy Bear brand was still very useful. It was recognized as the strongest country in Europe and the world's strongest army.

The Greeks were very confident in the Russians. Even if Britain and France joined forces, they were more optimistic about the Russians.

As the authorities, they did not know that they had come to this conclusion because they were blinded by their interests.

Deep in their hearts, they were very eager to expand their territory and restore their former status as a great power. Therefore, they hoped that Russia would win and gain the opportunity to expand their territory.

As for the Hairy Bear's victory, the Greeks had ignored the threat that it might bring. When one's eyes were blinded by benefits, who would consider so much?

On November 12, 1852, Otto I issued a secret order, and the Greek Army announced its retirement. Then, they changed their clothes and appeared on the battlefield as civilian volunteers, launching an attack on Thessaly and Epirus.

Don't get me wrong. They simply wanted to grab territory and had no intention of helping Russia win the war.

At this time, the Greeks had not forgotten the threat of Britain and France. On the surface, they did not acknowledge this military action at all.

Although they said that it had nothing to do with them, in reality, the Greek government did not restrain itself at all during the operation. Carts of strategic materials were constantly transported to the front line, which was enough to prove the problem.

The Greeks chose a good time. The Osman Empire's troops were all on the battlefield, and the rest were some police forces to maintain law and order.

Although the combat effectiveness of the Greek army was not very good, 70,000 troops had no problem dealing with a group of police. The Osman Empire's troops were killed at the beginning.

At this time, if the Greeks ignored everything and attacked the Constantinople, the Osman Empire would not even be able to send an army to stop them.

All of Europe's eyes were on Athens. The key to deciding the outcome of this war was actually in the hands of the Greeks.

There was nothing much to say. Of course, it was to bribe and threaten. The representatives of Britain, France, and Russia gathered in Athens and made their respective offers.

There was no representative from Austria. It was not because Franz was not interested in Greece, but because the Government of Austria did not have to pay.

In other words, it was too expensive to bribe Greece, so expensive that the Austrian government couldn't afford it. Franz didn't want to waste his energy on this, so the Vienna government directly gave up.

Otto I hesitated and did not know what to do. Regardless of whether the Greek government admitted to the military operation or not, everyone believed that they had done it. That layer of window paper had been punctured.

It seemed to be an easy choice, but in fact, it was full of danger. It seemed like an easy choice, but in fact, it was full of danger.

The Ottoman Empire was still an ally of England and France. The war was still ongoing, and the Ottoman Empire still made outstanding contributions to this war.

Even if they wanted to betray their teammates, England and France would not do so at this time. The big powers also needed to have a sense of propriety. The sweet treat that England and France offered was a loan.

The offer from the Russians was more to Otto I's liking. As long as they were willing to send troops to Constantinople, Thessaly, Epirus, Thrace, and Macedonia could be discussed.

The Russians' offer was more to Otto I's liking. As long as they were willing to send troops to Constantinople, Thessaly, Epirus, Thrace, and Macedonia could all be discussed.

Of course, how much they could get depended on whether the Greeks could conquer Constantinople. If they could conquer it, it would prove their strength, and these promises could be fulfilled.

If not, the situation would not be good. As neighbors with the Hairy Bear, if they were not strong enough, they would become their prey.

The latter situation was naturally ignored by Otto the First. Otherwise, they wouldn't have taken advantage of the situation at this time.

Otto I knew very well that public opinion had been mobilized. Most of the people in this military operation were volunteers. The government could no longer control the overall situation.

Without these warriors who brought their own food, the Greek government did not have the money to recruit 70,000 soldiers. Now that the arrow was nocked on the bowstring, Otto the First could not back down.

The Prime Minister rushed over and said in a panic, "Your Majesty, something happened. Something big happened!"

Otto the First asked, "Speak slowly. What happened?"

The Prime Minister frowned and said, "Your Majesty, the news of our negotiation with Britain, France, and Russia has been leaked. The people are in an uproar.

Just now, countless citizens took to the streets and submitted a petition to the government. They asked the government to reject the conditions of the three countries and put forward their own demands. "

After receiving the petition and skimming through it, Otto the First's face instantly turned ugly.

Right now, he couldn't wait to tear the person who leaked the news into pieces. This was too much of a scam.

Now the people were asking the government to negotiate with the three countries according to their wishes. In short, they were asking the government to conquer Constantinople and restore the territory of the Byzantine Empire.

Was this a joke? Otto I also wanted to restore the territory of the Byzantine Empire, but he was not strong enough!

This kind of thing could be done by shouting slogans. If he really did it, wouldn't he be beaten to death?

Otto I said angrily, "Find the map of the Byzantine Empire and mark the territories of each country. Then print 10,000 copies and distribute them to the entire country.

Send people to teach the people basic knowledge. Don't make this kind of joke again. "

This was a joke. With the strength of the Greek Kingdom, even if it was ten times stronger, shouting this slogan would still be a joke.

If they could increase it by 100 times, they would barely qualify to implement it. This was not much easier than unifying the European continent.

The Prime Minister said with a gloomy face, "Your Majesty, according to the analysis of our people, this may be a plot by the Osman. Now the public's opinion has gone crazy. No matter how we explain it, it will be useless.

The people's desire for Constantinople has become obsession. I think many people will think that giving up on Spain, Italy, and Africa is a concession. "

Nationalism was the craziest. Once it went to the extreme, it could not be controlled. Now the Greek government was controlled by the public's opinion. This was Otto I's fault.

In order to gain the support of the people, he chose to stand on the side of the public. With the support of the king, the nationalism quickly went out of control.

Otto I said fiercely, "Then the government should not express its stance. Now the people fighting the Osman are all civilian forces. It has nothing to do with us."

Send troops to sneak attack Constantinople? Forget it. It was fine if they didn't conquer it. What if they conquered it and the people didn't agree to give up?

After offending England and France, they fought with Russia for Constantinople. Did they really think that they were the resurrection of the Byzantine Empire?

With this guiding ideology, Otto I ordered the troops at the frontline to fight steadily and advance along the border.

At the same time, he also recruited more volunteers in the country. He took the opportunity to send the ultra-nationalists to the battlefield as cannon fodder to eliminate threats. This was the instinct of the ruling class.

The patriotic slogans were earth-shattering. If they chickened out at this time, it would be fake patriotism. People who fished for fame were the easiest to be despised.

The Greek government took action and sent these cannon fodder to the frontline as fast as possible. The number of troops at the frontline increased, and the country was also stabilized.

The price was that the combat power of the frontline troops decreased. Their combat power was already low, and now with the addition of a group of people who talked big, their combat power naturally decreased.

Constantinople

Normally, the Government of Sudan didn't care about the Greeks. If it weren't for the intervention of the Great Powers, they could kill the Greek Kingdom with one hand.

But now it was different. The main forces of the Osman Empire were fighting with the Russia. No matter how weak the Greeks were, they still needed the army to resist.

"Greece, this little bug, also jumped out. What do you think?" Abdul Mejid I asked calmly.

Maybe he was angry too much during this period of time, but now Abdul Mejid I was not angry. Those who knew him knew that this was just a facade.

The Sultan was scary when he was angry, but a Sultan who suppressed his anger was even scarier. Only those who had experienced the struggle for the throne knew how Abdul Mejid I killed people while talking.

Mudra replied, "Your Majesty, although the strength of the Greeks is limited, this is a critical time. We can't underestimate them when they jump out to take advantage of the situation. We must treat them with caution."

Abdul Mejid I reprimanded, "Don't talk nonsense. Just tell me what to do!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Mudra replied anxiously.

"According to the intelligence we gathered, the Austrians have already gotten everything they want. They have no intention of continuing to use their troops against us.

At this time, we can send people to negotiate with the Government of Austria. Whether or not the negotiation can be successful, we must first stabilize the Austrians.

After we have secured Austria, we can bring back the troops which are opposed to them, and use them against the Greeks. "

Abdul Mejid I looked at the Foreign Minister, Abdul Mejid I, expectantly, waiting for his answer.

After thinking for a moment, Abdul Mejid I gave his answer. "Your Majesty, to stabilize the Austrians, we must promise them great benefits. They are likely to take the opportunity to force us to cede the two Danube Valley duchies and the Serbian region."

"Cede territory." Abdul Mejid I hesitated. He had to weigh the pros and cons of reaching a compromise with the Austrians.

"If the Austrians are willing to cut off the logistics supply to the Russians, we can cede all these territories to them!" Abdul Mejid I said fiercely.

Ceding territory made his heart bleed, but compared to survival, it was nothing. Being neighbors with the Austrians was better than being neighbors with the Russians.

Abdul Mejid I felt that he would be able to sleep soundly if Austria was there to keep the Russians at bay.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid that's not possible. There must be an alliance between the Russians and the Austrians. I'm afraid they have already divided the The Balkans. They won't break with the Russians for these benefits.

It's said that England and France had secret contact with the Austrians before, but it was all in vain, "Abdul Mejid explained.

He had to say it. If the Sultan's expectations were too high and they couldn't do it in the end, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be the unlucky one. Abdul Mejid didn't think that the Austrians were that easy to bribe. Even if they could be bribed, they wouldn't be able to pay the price.

In terms of benefits, England and France would definitely have no pressure to sell them out. The Government of Sudan had a bottom line and wouldn't make endless concessions.

Abdul Mejid I thought for a moment and said, "Then we will take a step back. As long as the Austrians are willing to stop the war with us, we will cede the Moldavian Principality to them.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will decide the specifics of the negotiations. We have enough troubles already. In short, we can't let the Austrians get involved. "

The Moldavian Principality included the future: Northern Romania, the Republic of Moldova, and parts of Ukraine.

This was the border between the Osman Empire and Russia on the The Balkans. In order to not have to be neighbors with the Russians, Abdul Mejid I didn't mind giving this hot potato away.

After a pause, as if he felt that this condition wasn't secure, Abdul Mejid I added, "The bottom line is the Principality of Wallachia. As for the other regions in the The Balkans, we can only make small concessions."

When he said this, he still felt that it was a little painful.

If he knew that the war would develop into this situation, he should have agreed to the British's proposal and thrown the two Danube Principalities to Austria, provoking the conflict between them and the Russians.

Abdul Mejid I knew that even if the Allied Forces won the war, they wouldn't be able to restore their pre-war sphere of influence.

This world spoke with their fists. Without strength, how could they get so many benefits? At that time, the Great Powers only needed to provoke them a little and the Balkan nations that wanted independence would respond.

The ethnic conflicts in the Osman Empire weren't new. Even though the Government of Sudan had made a lot of efforts, it still had little effect because of the poor execution ability at the grassroots level.

If the wave of independence couldn't be stopped, the decline would be a foregone conclusion.

If other countries declined, they could still pretend to be grandchildren and act cute. Anyway, there were many small countries on the European continent. As long as they followed the right boss, they could still live a comfortable life.

Only the Osman Empire couldn't do it. Not to mention that they had enemies all over Europe, hatred couldn't be eaten. They could always make amends and apologize, and things could always be over.

Unfortunately, they weren't small countries. They were very rich, and their geographical location was very important. Located at the junction of Asia, Europe, and Africa, it could be called the heart of the world.

With a little inventory, one would know that of the ten most important straits in the world in the future, three were controlled or influenced by the Osman Empire: the Black Sea Strait, the Red Sea Strait (Suez Canal), and the Strait of Hormuz (Persian Gulf).

With so many strategic locations, if there wasn't enough strength to protect them, then it would be like sitting at home, and disaster would come from the sky.

In history, after the decline of the Osman Empire, it was like cutting meat, cutting meat, and cutting meat again. These hot potatoes were almost thrown away before it could be considered stable.

Obviously, this wasn't something that the Government of Sudan could accept. Who didn't have the dream of being a big country? Even the decadent Government of Sudan wasn't willing to give up.

The reform that started in the last century was their movement to save themselves. Through these reforms, the Osman Empire successfully returned to the ranks of the big powers.

Unfortunately, it was just a fake big power. When it fought with the Russians, it tore apart the tiger skin and exposed its weak nature.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Uday replied cautiously.

Pressure. Now, he felt a heavy pressure. If this matter was done well, there would be no credit, and no compensation would be good.

If it was done badly, the Osman Empire would be in danger. The Greeks could very well be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Little did Paad know that the Greek government was simply trying to grab territory.