Chapter 912

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 always felt that it was not reliable. They had just been beaten and immediately jumped out to cause trouble. Were they tired of living?

Even though the Osman Empire was a bit stronger than Persia, they still had many enemies. Whether it was Austria or Russia, as long as they hindered them, all their efforts would be wasted.

What 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 might not be correct. Currently, the Ottoman Empire's top priority is to deal with the refugee crisis and suppress the rebellion. What good would attacking Persia do them?

Unless they are foes, they should know that the Osman Empire is is. Even if they win, the war, the Osman won, the war, the Persi, the war, they would of the Persians.

There was no problem in using the war to divert the conflict. The hatred between the Ottoman Empire and Persia was also as deep as the sea. 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 Affairs Minister Wesenberg, "Your Majesty, the British might be behind this. We have extended our influence to the Middle East, and the British will definitely take action.

From the Government of London's standpoint, to ensure India is safe, it is best to control Persia and divide the Mesopotamia with us.

However, the British invasion of Persia ended in failure a decade ago. The Government of London should still be worried. They might use the Osman Empire to attract 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 spend, we can help them get through the crisis. "

The Osman Empire needed an astronomical amount of money and food, but this "astronomical amount" was relative.

For ordinary countries, it was an "astronomical figure", but for the British, it was just a huge sum of money, and they could squeeze it out easily.

Five million tons of food sounded like a huge amount. But this food was not a one-time need. It was a food shortage for the next one or two years.

If they purchased the cheapest potato flour, it would only be a few tens of millions of DH. The Osman Empire was not a picky eater. It was good enough to have something to eat.

The only problem was that the Osman Empire's repayment ability was worrying. The risk of lending money to 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 the Osman Empire has settled on the border. I suspect the Al-Shabaab wants the refugees to enter Persia.

There are too many refugees in the Osman Empire. 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 safety's sake, order the guards at the border to be on guard and prohibit any illegal immigrants from entering. Especially the Dardanelles Strait. Don't let people smuggle in. "

From Franz's point of view, the Ottomans had made a risky move. They were putting their lives on the line. If there was a mistake in the plan, the country would immediately explode.

Even if it was Franz, he would still choose to take the gamble. There was a chance of survival if he took the gamble. If he didn't, 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 that 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. They would not 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. It was better than all of them staying and waiting to die.

Perhaps the refugees would not only attack Persia, but also the Russian Empire and Austria.

However, Franz was not worried. The border between Austria and the Osman Empire was either a vast sea or an endless desert. There were a few oases, but those 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.

It was not known whether it was intentional or not, but a large number of refugees were diverted to the border area in groups. How could it be enough to attack Persia?

Persia was also an agricultural country. Its own productivity was limited and could not afford to support so many refugees. Midhart, who had a bottom line, still wanted to let more people survive.

So the other two neighbors were also the destination of this escape. Midhart also specially arranged for people to mix in with the refugees, ready to lead the escape movement.

In order to avoid international conflict, this action was nominally a voluntary movement of the people to escape from the famine. It 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 it was not easy for the Sultan. Abdul Hamid II did not want to be ousted and then die a violent death.

Now he had to rely on the Youth Party to solve the domestic refugee crisis. In contrast, the ongoing civil war was not so important.

The first limitation of the national rebellion was the word "nationality". This congenital condition limited the development of the rebellion.

The number of ethnic minorities was limited, and the national rebellion was only active in their own ethnic areas. If they changed places, there would be no mass base, and it would be difficult to recruit soldiers.

In this context, the refugee crisis was particularly eye-catching. The ethnic contradictions in the Osman Empire were serious. If they wanted everyone to unite, they could only survive.

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 Allah could not save the Osman Empire.

Midhart nodded, "The preparations are almost done. If the plan goes smoothly, it is estimated that more than two million people will leave and go to Persia, Russia, and Austria to make a living. At that time, the domestic food crisis will be solved."

…