Chapter 773

The landing battle lasted until evening, and night marked the end of the battle. At this time, the Russian Army had successfully landed and established a camp.

The news of victory had already been passed to the Constantinople's Allied Forces Command with the return of the airship troops. The celebratory banquet had already begun. As the commander-in-chief, Arest did not participate in the celebrations.

According to the report from the airship troops, the Russian Army had also paid a heavy price during the landing process. There was even a transport ship that was hit by the enemy's shells and almost sank in the port.

Under the situation where their firepower was completely suppressed and there were still bombs falling from the sky, the defenders still managed to carry out an effective counterattack. This was enough to prove that the defenders weren't useless.

If the defenders were smart enough, they would have retreated and set up a defense. In any case, the range of the navy's cannons was limited. If they retreated a little more, the shells wouldn't be able to hit them.

In a field battle, the effect of the airship's bombardment would also be lost. Once the two sides were in a chaotic battle, no one would dare to throw bombs down. No one could bear the responsibility of accidentally injuring their allies.

Although Arest knew this, he didn't bring it up to dampen the mood. In any case, it was the Russians who had died. The Russian Army's generals weren't afraid of casualties, so why should he worry?

He silently reported the results of his analysis to the Government of Vienna. Arest arranged for the navy and airship troops to continue attacking the coastal cities of the Osman Empire. The battle in the Ava region was all under the command of the Russians.

At midnight, the Ankara Palace was brightly lit. The news of the allied forces landing in Ava had already spread, and the Government of Sudan couldn't sleep.

Frankly speaking, this was strategically advantageous to the Osman Empire. If the Government of Vienna really followed its plan, as long as they carried out the scorched earth plan within 30 kilometers of the coast and expelled the people inland, the flood of refugees would be enough to make the Government of Sudan collapse.

However, this didn't make the Government of Sudan feel relieved. Russia and Austria were both big countries. As long as the two governments were willing to invest more troops, it wouldn't be a problem to open up a few more battlefronts.

Abdul Aziz I: "The enemy has landed in the Ava region. It seems that our judgment is correct. The Russians can't tolerate the closure of the Black Sea Strait for long.

What we need to do now is to delay the enemy in Ava until the Russians can't take it anymore and withdraw from the war. Therefore, the Black Sea Strait must not be lost.

Before that, we have to deal with the enemy's airship threat. What the military has planned? "

Minister of War Ermod: "Your Majesty, according to the analysis of the data from the frontline, neither rifles nor cannons can pose a threat to airships, so the only thing that can deal with airships is airships.

"The Ministry of War recommends purchasing a batch of airships from abroad as soon as possible to deal with the enemy airship troops. Until then, we can only use our rifles to interfere with the enemy.

Ermed was well aware of the industrial strength of the Ottoman Empire, so he wisely chose to import rather than produce it himself.

It was not that the Ottoman Empire could not produce airships, but the quality of the airships they produced was not guaranteed. "War".

"The Osman is worse than the Russians. Take the imitation breech-loading rifle as an example. Taking the imitation breech-loading rifle as an example, the Ottomans were even worse than the Russians. On top of being stupid, big, thick, and tall, they also had the "advantages" of frequently jamming and exploding barrels.

"It's better to buy than to build" has long been recognized by the military. Ermod had no confidence in the domestic manufacturing industry.

People didn't know much about airships. In many people's eyes, weapons that could fly in the sky were high-tech products. It wasn't something the Osman Empire could make, so it was better to buy it!

In a way, it was the right decision. With the corruption of the Osman bureaucrats, they were responsible for producing airships. If they couldn't fly, then it was fine. What they were most afraid of was falling right after it flew. That would be fatal.

…

In London, the Government of the United Kingdom was also discussing the issue of airships. Whatever others had, Britannia had to have. This was a matter of principle.

Navy Minister Robert said sarcastically, "Everyone is talking about the power of airships. Some media are even making groundless accusations, saying that the era of the sky has arrived.

This is complete nonsense. Not to mention that airships aren't stable enough, even if they can fly in the sky, we can't do anything about it.

Was it that difficult to design an anti-air cannon? When the time comes, the airships that were built at such a high price will be a live target in the sky. We won't even be able to find cover. "

What a joke. The era of sea power had only started a few years ago. The Royal Navy hadn't enjoyed enough glory. How could they let the era of "air supremacy" arrive?

It might be an exaggeration to call it a living target, but the airship was not invincible. Moreover, the cost of airships was very high, far exceeding that of land equipment and almost catching up with naval warships.

Minister of War Fox echoed, "That's right. The power of airships isn't as great as the outside world says, but they still have a certain value in the military.

Especially in land battles, this kind of overhead threat has a great impact on the morale of the troops. The Ministry of War has proposed to add an army airship unit to defend Britannia's airspace. "

Navy Minister Robert immediately retorted, "Leave the security of Britannia to us, the navy. As long as the Royal Navy is there, the enemy can't come over.

The airship unit can be placed under the navy's banner to deter overseas enemies. Only then can it be most effective. "

…

The dispute between the two of them sounded a little awkward. At the beginning, they belittled the role of airships, and then they wanted to take the airship unit into their own pocket. It was obviously full of contradictions.

However, Prime Minister Gelston was too lazy to care. It was nothing more than a political struggle. The Army and Navy first worked together to take down the status of the airship unit, and then they wanted to take it under their own command to increase their voice in the fight for military funds.

Gelston waved his hand. "The time for the annual budget is not up yet. Don't be in such a hurry to quarrel. If you are interested in the airship unit, go back and do it yourself! "

This was allowed. The military expenditure of the Army and Navy was at their own discretion, as long as it could be approved by Congress. It was legal to tinker with the land and sea airship fleets.

Everyone understood the implication. It was not a problem to have an airship unit, but it was not possible for the government to increase military expenditure, at least not now.

Prime Minister Gelston was not a military novice. He knew very well that the airship unit could not be established in a day. At least, it would take time to develop and manufacture airships.

The Austrian airship unit had existed for more than ten years, but its presence was relatively low. It did not have any outstanding achievements and was ignored by everyone.

Even if the Government of Vienna did not pay attention to it, after so many years of development, the airship manufacturing had gone a long way. It would take Britannia a few years to catch up.

Prime Minister Gelston did not think that the leap from civilian airships to military airships could be completed in a few days. Moreover, there were very few civilian airships in Britannia.

If there were no airships, how could they form an airship unit? Increasing the special military funding at this time was like throwing a meat bun at a dog. The Army and Navy had done things like cheating military expenditure.

Especially the Navy, they are the best among them. The news of them teaming up with the French and Austrian Navies to provoke an arms race and cheat military funds has spread throughout the European continent.

Ever since the window paper was pierced, there had been no arms race between the three countries, Britain, FAO, and France. If anyone wanted to advocate the "two strong standards", everyone's first reaction would be "cheating military expenditure again."

Once again, it was proven that as long as John Bull did not stir up trouble, there would be fewer international conflicts. If the British Parliament did not increase military expenditure for the Navy, the arms race would naturally not continue.

The two countries of Britain were only unwilling to accept the "two strong standards", but it did not mean that the two countries were ready to catch up with the Royal Navy. The gap in financial resources was still obvious.

France + Austria > Britannia > Austria > France. This financial equation was very clear to everyone.

There was no war in Britannia in a short period of time. Why were they in such a hurry? After a few months, the arsenal should have designed the military airship, and it would not be too late to discuss the formation of the airship force.

If they could not get it, they could buy it directly from Austria, or exchange technology. There was no such thing as a technology blockade these days. As long as money was spent, any technology could be bought.

Prime Minister Gelston was not in a hurry at all. What was troubling him now was the Irish problem. Britannia was a colonial power. If Ireland was given autonomy, what would happen if the overseas colonies followed suit?

On this issue, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party had been arguing for many years, and there was still no result.

This was a problem of positioning. From the beginning, the Government of London defined Ireland as a colony, not a homeland, which led to this series of problems.

The bourgeoisie was largely responsible for this. The main reason why they had not been able to integrate the Irish for so many years was that the capitalists wanted cheap labor and refused to treat the island of Ireland as their homeland.

Including the Great Irish Famine of 1845-1852, the factors of man-made disasters were more than natural disasters. After the famine broke out, the Government of London not only did not mobilize food relief.

Instead, they allowed the capitalists and big landlords to raise the price of local agricultural products. In just seven years, the local population of Ireland plummeted by a quarter, and the seeds of division were sown.

Since then, the Irishmen have been clamouring for independence and self-government. Ethnic integration, stop dreaming. The two sides could not pee in the same gourd at all.

Prime Minister Gelston had a goal. He wanted to completely solve the Irish problem and remove this hidden danger for Britannia.

In his opinion, this problem was much more important than the Near Eastern War. When the British Empire was strong, the Irish problem could be suppressed. Once Britannia declined, this hidden danger would threaten the security of Britain.

The British Isles were independent, and that was based on mutual recognition and unity. If someone led the way, the mainland of Britannia would not be so safe.

…

In Paris, the Government of France no longer cared about the airship problem. They did not even have the time to pay attention to the Near Eastern War.

In the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon Iii had reached the end of his life. The senior government officials gathered together, waiting for the emperor to die. No, it should be to listen to the emperor's teachings.

With death approaching, Napoleon Iii naturally had to make arrangements for his funeral. Crown Prince Eugène was already 18 years old, about the same age as Franz. Napoleon Iii thought that his son could handle the government affairs well, so there was no need for a regent.

After making arrangements for the future and sending away the others, only Crown Prince Eugène was left in the room. Napoleon Iii held his son's hand, and the father and son looked at each other.

"Eugène, the Empire is in your hands. France is not as stable as it seems on the surface. The undercurrents have never stopped.

Remember to be vigilant at all times. Paris has not been stable since the beginning of the Revolution. New ideas among the people are too active. It is like a barrel of gunpowder. A spark may explode.

Now what France needs is to lay a solid foundation. Before completely digesting the Regions of Italy, we must try to avoid war with European countries. Even if we really want to fight, we can't take the initiative to start a war.

The European countries are very vigilant against us. Annexing the Regions of Italy is the last line of the countries. One step forward and it will be the abyss of hell.

And … be careful … England … Austria … "

Before he could finish his words, Napoleon Iii died. It might be a good thing for him to leave at this time. Compared to the gloomy fall of the original time and space, Napoleon Iii was now an unprecedented success.

Economically, France's industry and commerce developed rapidly in the era of Napoleon Iii. It was the second country among the Great Powers to complete industrialization. He also successfully rid Paris of the "stinky" word. From then on, Europe only had "stinky London" left.

Politically, Napoleon Iii broke the shackles imposed on France by other countries after the war against France and completed the great revival of France. The annexation of the Regions of Italy satisfied the people's dream of a great power.

Diplomatically, the establishment of the Anglo-French Fao Tripartite Alliance established France's status as a great power in the world and got rid of the situation of isolation.

Militarily, there was no need to mention it. There were no outstanding achievements. Fortunately, there were no achievements in this area. Otherwise, it was unknown whether the France Empire still existed.

Crown Prince Eugène, who was already sobbing, endured the pain in his heart and gently put down Napoleon Iii's hand. He called everyone in to discuss the aftermath.

The death of the emperor was a big deal. Not only did he have to deal with the aftermath, but he also had to consider the political impact.