Chapter 919

On June 12, 1875, Ferdinand I of Austria died of illness in Jerusalem. According to his last wish, Franz held a state funeral in Jerusalem.

Ferdinand I did not have a strong presence in Austria, and he did not make any notable contributions in his life. Of course, he did not have any notoriety. He left everyone with the image of a "nice guy."

The funeral was very grand, and the guests were already there. They had just attended Franz's coronation and were still touring the historical sites in Jerusalem.

Of course, this was just a polite remark. In fact, Jerusalem was a large construction site. The buildings in the city were being rebuilt according to the wishes of the Vatican. There was nothing to see.

The truth was that Franz had sent someone to inform everyone that the European nobles were one family. Everyone was relatives, close or distant. Since they were already there, they naturally had to give face.

Ferdinand I was not a qualified monarch. In the eyes of the older generation in the House of Habsburg, he was a disgrace. However, in the eyes of the younger generation, he was a qualified elder. The atmosphere at the funeral was very heavy.

Affected by the sad atmosphere, Franz did not feel well after the funeral. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately ordered to return to Vienna.

No matter who tried to persuade him, it was useless. July was coming, and staying in Jerusalem during this season was a disaster.

Whoever wanted to stay here to recuperate, they could stay. Anyway, Franz was not going to accompany them.

In the end, Empress Dowager Sophie, Maximilian I Of Castile's family of three, and a few collateral members stayed. Franz returned with the rest.

This was the result of Franz's efforts. He forced his two younger brothers to go back. These days, it was also an important job for the nobles to socialize. The royal family could not do without people.

In addition, Franz was also worried that history would repeat itself. In the original space-time, one of the two was unlucky enough to drink the water of the Jordan River during the pilgrimage and died of an illness.

The few who stayed now were different. They all had homebodies and could stay at home all the time. They would not run around at all.

…

Ankara. Since the completion of the disaster, the situation in the Osman country had improved a lot, and social order was gradually recovering.

Of course, there were pros and cons. Although social order was stabilized, the Youth government led by Midhart was still condemned by the community.

The critics came up with countless reasons to criticize the government's cruelty, corruption, incompetence, and bloodshed …

Sultan Abdul Hamid II also expressed his position on many public occasions, criticizing the government's serious mistakes in dealing with the refugee issue.

These changes made the Young Osman Party, who lacked experience in political struggles, flustered. For a moment, they did not know how to respond.

Foreign Minister Albiach: "Prime Minister, the Russians used force to expel all the refugees. About 5,000 people died under the butcher knives of the Tsar's army.

This is a diplomatic note from the Tsarist government. The Russians are ordering us to restore order immediately and are threatening to intervene by force. "

Midhart let out a sigh as he took the documents. In the past, when he heard that the Russians had massacred so many Ottomans, he would have flown into a rage. But now, it was just a number to him.

In the past, when he heard that the Russians slaughtered so many Osman citizens, he would be furious. But now, it was just a number to him.

After a long silence, Midhart slowly said, "Since the Russian Empire can't go, then send them all to Persia!"

After a pause, he added, "Is there any trouble in Austria? Has the Government of Vienna accepted the refugees?"

It wasn't that Midhart's heart was made of stone, it was completely forced by reality. There was a lack of food in the country, and people were destined to starve to death.

If the refugees were allowed to stay in the country, many areas that had recovered production would also be destroyed, and more people would starve to death.

In order to protect more people, he had to be ruthless. There was also a prerequisite, which was not to be interfered with by other powers, especially Austria.

Foreign Minister Albiak: "No, the Austrians arrested all the refugees on the grounds of illegal entry. After a trial, they were all sent to prison."

The law does not punish the masses. Perhaps it was feasible in the future when Marxists were rising, but there was no market in this era. The Government of Vienna acted according to the law, and no one could find fault with it.

Midhart wanted to say something but stopped. The result was terrible, but it was not unacceptable. With the precedent of the Russians, Midhart's expectations were lowered from the beginning.

…

At this time, the situation in Persia also changed. Looking at the snowballing expansion of the refugee wave and the expected international intervention, the Persian government realized the danger as the countries were unable to reach a consensus due to the British's interference.

Persia was only an agricultural country with limited productivity and was unable to accommodate so many refugees. Even a simple rescue was beyond their capabilities.

The Persians also hated these locust-like uninvited guests. From the bottom of their hearts, they were unwilling to take out money to help this group of people.

After many warnings to no avail, the Persian government once again showed the sharpness of the "Persian Blade" and the massacre began.

It had nothing to do with right or wrong. Everyone was fighting for survival. The refugees wanted to survive and needed more food, so they had to fight for it. The Persian government needed to protect the lives and property of the people, so they could only get rid of the uninvited guests.

Just as Franz was returning, the cruelest scene played out in Persia. Both sides fought until blood flowed like a river.

There were no surprises. The motley crew was destined to lose to the regular army, even with the Osman government's control.

However, as the victors, the Persians did not have it easy either. Because the Persian army did not keep any prisoners and cut off the refugees' escape route, the battle was particularly fierce.

That was not all. It was just a little more loss. The most troublesome thing was that there were too many refugees. It was easy to defeat them, but it was difficult to annihilate them all.

Even though the Persian army was on high alert, there were still many groups of refugees who fled to the rear, causing chaos in Persia.

Under the power of hatred, these refugees had turned into roving bandits. They burned, killed, and looted along the way, committing all kinds of crimes. Their brutality made even bandits and robbers feel ashamed.

According to incomplete statistics, the total population of Persia decreased by 1.5 million after the war, and the total economic output decreased by a quarter.

…

The tragedy that happened in Persia quickly spread throughout Europe. The impact was far less serious than Franz thought. Most of the European people were just bystanders.

In this era, whether it was the Osman or the Persians, they were all races without human rights. The mainstream society did not take them seriously at all.

Except for a small number of Holy Mother's supporters who were shouting and asking the European countries to help the refugees, most of the people were watching coldly. They did not even have enough to eat, so who would care about others?

In order to have three meals a day, most of the workers had to work hard in the factory for more than ten hours every day. They did not dare to get sick or take a vacation, and the compensation they received was only enough to fill their stomachs.

Asking the government to provide money to help the Osman refugees? What a joke! There was still a large group of people in need of relief in the country. The government could not help all of them, and they dared to give money to the enemy. This was blatant treason!

The Holy Mother's supporters did not cause much trouble before they were drowned out by the overwhelming criticism. The Osman Empire had not been in decline for long. It would be difficult for everyone to forget the hatred in less than a hundred years.

London

As one of the chief directors of this tragedy, Prime Minister Gelston was very satisfied with the development of the situation. Although the casualties were a little high, it was all worth it.

After losing so many people at once, the internal conflicts of the Osman Empire had been greatly eased. This nail that restrained Austria was finally saved.

The refugees wreaked havoc in Persia and created an opportunity for Britannia to invade Persia. It was killing two birds with one stone.

Foreign Minister Macklin: "Prime Minister, this is a diplomatic note from the Osman government. They want us to fulfill our promise and provide them with a counterinsurgency fund.

From the current situation, the biggest crisis of the Osman Empire has been passed, and the risk of providing them with a loan has been greatly reduced.

However, it is not certain that the Persians are now slaughtering the refugees. In order to survive, these people are likely to return to the Osman Empire again.

Perhaps this number will be greatly reduced, but as long as one-third of the people return, the Osman government will immediately be in trouble again.

Furthermore, after this ordeal, the refugees who survived would probably not be able to live in peace. In essence, these people have been led astray and are not suitable to be obedient people. "

Prime Minister Gelston nodded. "This is the inevitable result, but overall, the situation in the Osman Empire has improved.

These refugees who have become mobs, let the Osman government deal with them themselves! Whether they deal with them or discipline them strictly, it has nothing to do with us.

In any case, they also helped to deal a heavy blow to the Persians and are our friends. Britannia never treats its friends badly.

As long as we are sure that the Osman government has stabilized and has the ability to repay its debts, we can provide them with loans.

The Foreign Ministry can communicate with the French to support a nail to restrain Austria, but we can't do it all by ourselves.

If the French are willing to do it, then the training of the Osman Army can be handed over to them. "