Chapter 740

War served politics, so propaganda was naturally indispensable. After the Government of Vienna and the Russians reached an agreement, there was more news about the dark history of the Osman Empire in Austria's newspapers.

This time, there was no need to fake it. The crimes committed by the Ottoman Empire during its heyday were too numerous to be recorded. Any random search would be filled with dirt.

The call for revenge grew louder and louder. The Government of Vienna received various petitions that could fill a room.

The power of hatred was beyond Franz's imagination. If it wasn't for the police in Vienna, the Osman Embassy would have been destroyed.

Now the Vienna police had to send people to patrol the surrounding area 24 hours a day to ensure the safety of the Osman Embassy. The supplies inside the embassy required Austria to send people to transport them. The embassy staff didn't dare to go out at all.

If it wasn't for the Russians, Franz could have ordered a war.

For Austria, this was only a local war. There was no need for a full mobilization. It wouldn't have much impact on the domestic economy. The government departments were still doing what they were supposed to do. Only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was busy.

If you didn't occupy the moral high ground, the enemy would. Diplomatic activities were indispensable. Fortunately, the enemy this time was the Osman Empire. Most European people were more inclined to Austria. There wasn't much pressure from public opinion.

In the palace of Vienna, Foreign Minister Wesenberg dragged his tired body and reported to Franz, "Your Majesty, this is a telegram from the Vatican.

The Vatican hopes that we can wage a holy war against the Osman Empire in the name of God. Pope Pius IX is ready to call on the Christian world to organize another Crusade. "

In the words of future generations, this was riding on the popularity. In recent years, the Vatican had declined greatly. Even the Papal State was taken away by the French. Now the Vatican could only hide in the Vatican's headquarters.

If it wasn't for the Catholic Churches around the world, the people of the Vatican would probably still be hungry. Napoleon Iii wasn't polite to them. The wealth accumulated by the Vatican was basically confiscated.

A fallen phoenix was inferior to a chicken. Now the reputation of the Vatican had plummeted. Other than the remaining headquarters, many other dioceses didn't care about the Pope's orders.

Under such circumstances, if they didn't find a way to rebuild their prestige, it wouldn't be long before the local dioceses could find an excuse to cut off their symbolic aid.

After living a good life, it wasn't easy to go back to living a hard life. Hearing that Austria was going to attack the Osman Empire, the Vatican naturally came to their doorstep.

If it was one or two hundred years ago, Franz would be happy to accept the Vatican's cooperation. The Osman Empire hadn't declined yet and was still the public enemy of Europe. There was no reason to let the Austria help.

The current situation was completely different. The Ottoman Empire had already declined greatly, and Austria did not need so many helpers at all. If too many people participated, how were they going to split the spoils of war?

Franz had his eyes on the Osman Empire. He took it out and divided it with the Russians. That was because the Russian Empire had declined. They could take advantage of it, but they didn't have the ability to swallow the Osman Empire.

Including Austria, they didn't have the ability to swallow the Osman Empire. Franz was ready to move all the local population.

The excuse was "environmental protection." In order to protect the local vegetation and prevent the land from desertification, all the indigenous people were moved away.

Some of them were sent to Africa for construction. The rest were to be settled on an island in Southeast Asia or sent to the Americas. They would decide how to deal with it when the time came.

Franz shook his head. "Tell them that this is just a secular war. There's no need to escalate it to a religious level. We should be tolerant to the infidels. "

The "Holy War" was very cruel. Religious wars were always life-or-death battles. There was no room for negotiation. It wasn't easy to take down the influence of the Vatican. How could they let them return to the altar?

…

The smell of gunpowder permeated the Near East. The Government of Sudan, aware of the threat, didn't stay idle. In order to win the war, the Government of Sudan was also working hard on diplomacy and public relations.

Unable to convince St. Peter and Vienna, the Government of Sudan could only settle for London, Paris, and Berlin.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. This saying wasn't wrong at all. Britain, France, and Prussia didn't want the Osman Empire to end. Although the Osman Empire was a little weak, their existence itself restrained Austria and Russia.

However, the plan didn't change quickly. The Osman delegation in Berlin ran into a snag. William I didn't meet them at all.

In the last Prussian War, the two countries were allies fighting side by side. They didn't expect to part ways so quickly.

The Government of Sudan also hoped that Prussia and Poland could send troops to restrain Russia and share some of their pressure.

Unfortunately, the appetite of the Prussia people was bigger than they thought. They wanted to use this war to annex Poland. No, it shouldn't be considered annexation. To be precise, they wanted William I to ascend to the Polish throne.

Annexing Poland wasn't something that could be done overnight. Even if the European countries didn't object, the Polish people wouldn't agree.

It was different for two countries to have a common monarch. This kind of thing had precedents. It was originally the Poland-Lithuania Federation, but now it could also become the Poland- Prussia Federation. The people's hearts would be much easier to accept.

European countries might oppose two countries to have a common monarch, but it definitely wouldn't be as intense as Prussia annexing Poland. They wouldn't organize an intervention coalition to forcefully disrupt the situation. After a private exchange of interests, the possibility of achieving the goal was very high.

If the goal wasn't achieved in Berlin, there was no need to go to Warsaw. Without Prussia as the main force, the Poles didn't have the strength to restrain Russia at all.

In Paris, not only was the Osman Empire's representative active, but the Austrian minister in Paris wasn't idle either. Both sides were doing public relations.

From a military point of view, to rescue the Osman Empire, the French couldn't be left out. If the Government of Paris stood by and watched, even if the Sultan persuaded the rest of the countries to intervene, it wouldn't be of much use.

Napoleon Iii threw the question to his son again, "Eugène, what do you think we should choose?"

Crown Prince Eugène replied with a taut face, "This is a very difficult choice. From a strategic point of view, the existence of the Osman Empire is our natural ally.

History has proven that the existence of the Osman Empire can restrain a large part of the House of Habsburg's energy, making it impossible for them to fully compete for hegemony in Europe.

It's just that this time Russia and Austria have joined forces. If we want to intervene, the price we have to pay is too high. It might even cause a war.

Based on the current situation, it's not suitable for us to have a war with Austria. At least for the next five years, we have to avoid a war with a big country as much as possible.

Whether to save the Osman Empire or not, it mainly depended on the strength of the Osman Empire. If they were really crippled, then even if we saved them, it would be useless.

If they withstood the first wave of attack, then we can pull the European countries to mediate. It won't cost us much, and the Government of Vienna will also give up. "

Napoleon Iii patted his son on the shoulder and nodded with satisfaction, "Not bad, Eugène. You're improving very quickly. It seems that it won't be long before you can take charge. "

After taking a few steps forward, he added, "Now is really not the time to intervene. If Austria wants to compete for hegemony in Europe, they must first pull out the nail in their back.

The Russian Empire and the Osman Empire are their obstacles. Franz chose to ally with Russia, which is equivalent to having one less enemy in their back.

Their only major problem is the Osman Empire. After this nail is pulled out, the Eastern Mediterranean will be completely controlled by the Austrians, and their power will extend all the way to the Indian Ocean.

However, there is no need to worry too much. The existence of the Osman Empire is the foundation of the final alliance between Austria and Russia. Without the common enemy of the Osman Empire, the 'St. Peter Castle- Vienna' alliance will have no value to exist.

Perhaps in the near future, the Russians and Austrians will still see each other as mortal enemies and fight for hegemony in Europe.

Of course, the premise is that the Tsarist government can win the second Prussian War. Franz's ability to plan is very good. The Kingdom of Prussia, which originally gave them trouble in the German Confederation, has now become the best fighter to contain the Russians.

If one day the Russian Empire is really going to collapse, remember to help them. With this nail in their back, whether it is Prussia or Austria, they will not dare to fully participate in the battle for hegemony in Europe.

This time, let the British worry about it! Inform the Government of London that we are in agreement with them on this issue. If they want to send troops to intervene, we will send as much as they send. "

When a man is about to die, he sees the problem more clearly. Now Napoleon Iii has realized that the most suitable ally for France is the Russian Empire, but unfortunately, it came too late.

During the era of Nicholas I Of Russia, the Russian Empire was at the height of its power, and the entire European continent trembled under this behemoth.

In order to revive France and get rid of the shackles, Napoleon Iii and the European governments made a similar decision to suppress the Russian Empire.

Under the joint efforts of everyone, the decaying Russian Empire could not bear the burden and slowly collapsed. Alexander II Of Russia's reform restored some of the Russian Empire's strength, but it is definitely not as strong as it was during its peak.

At this time, it was too late to unite with the Russian Empire. For no reason, Napoleon Iii will not take money to fill the bottomless pit of the Tsarist government. Even if he is willing, the people of France will not agree.

"The enemy is in Paris" is not a joke. The fighting power of the people of Paris is the best in the world. Once they find out that the government is a traitor, a revolution will be too easy.

Now they have not fully exerted their full strength. In the original time and space, when they exerted their full strength, they were more diligent in changing governments than changing clothes.

Ordinary people might not necessarily change three sets of clothes in a week, but the French could change three different governments in a week, and this included weekends and holidays.

In order to strengthen the fighting spirit of the Osman Empire, Napoleon Iii still gave support to the Government of Sudan. In addition to the material assistance of weapons and ammunition, he also gave a big empty promise.

The meaning is: you must hold on, we will send troops when we are ready. Now it is just to confuse the enemy and catch them off guard.

…

In London, Prime Minister Gelston was very unhappy with the attitude of Prussia and France. Not only did they become a turtle, but they also threw the decision-making power to them. Isn't this putting the British Empire on the fire?

In name, they are the leaders, but in reality, who listens to them? Napoleon Iii said that France will send as many troops as Britannia sends.

As long as you think about it carefully, you will know how unreliable this is. This war is mainly on land. Even if they fight on land, they can go through the Black Sea.

The Royal Navy can't go to the Black Sea to help the Osman Empire, right? If they dare to go in, don't think about coming out.

The Black Sea is so narrow, it is not difficult to block the door. Once they were trapped inside, they wouldn't be far from being annihilated.

Unable to block the sea, if they want to fight on land, the British Army will not even be enough to send the first wave.

Of course, they can also use the blockade of overseas trade to threaten Austria and Russia. If he did, the French would applaud him, and then sit on the sidelines and enjoy the spectacle.

Although the Austrian Navy is only half of theirs, it seems that the Royal Navy can easily crush them. In fact, war is not a game of numbers.

If a fight really broke out, the Austrian navy could still rely on the scattered colonies to fight a battle.

They are not the public enemy of Europe, what guarantee do you have that European countries will not do business with Austria? Not to mention anything else, at least the French will not give up the opportunity to make money from the war.

In theory, as long as the scattered colonies of Austria are uprooted, these problems will be solved. The problem is that these colonies are not easy to fight. Except for Alaska and Austria South America, which are weak, there are heavy troops everywhere.

With the size of the British Army, even if they send all of them out, it will be useless. Britannia can't go all out for the sake of the Osman Empire, expand the army at all costs, and fight to the death with Austria, right?

Prime Minister Gelston expressed that he is not interested in this kind of thing that hurts oneself and benefits others.