Pasha, (Turkish: pa? A) was a senior official in the administrative system of the Osman Empire, usually a governor, a general, or a senior official. Pasha was an honorific equivalent to "Lord" in the United Kingdom.
April 5, 1875, Hobart Pasha, commander of the Turkish Black Sea Fleet, Lieutenant General Mehmed of the Turkish Sixth Army. Ali? Pasha, a well-known constitutionalist politician in the Osman Empire, Ahmet Pasha. Midhat Pasha, the three of them gathered in a meeting room in the Sultan's palace in Istanbul. The current Sultan of the Osman Empire, Abdul Pasha? Aziz asked these ministers who really understood the European situation about the future relationship with China.
Hobart Pasha had a common British face. He said in Turkish with a British accent, "If we can buy China's warships, I believe we can wipe out the Russian fleet in the Black Sea."
Mehmed? Ali? The Pasha had a Germanic appearance. His suggestion was similar to that of the Navy Commander. "Our army doesn't have enough artillery. If we want to fight against Russia, we probably need to buy about a thousand more artillery of various types."
Ahmet? Midhart Pasha was not in a hurry to speak. He had been the governor of several provinces and the prime minister of the Osman Empire. In the Osman Empire, where internal strife was extremely fierce, it was better to listen to the Sultan's opinion before expressing his own opinion. Ahmet? Midhart Pasha himself was prime minister for a few months in 1872 and was quickly ousted. The opposition's great power was one of the fundamental reasons for his ouster, but now the Sultan's own attitude was also an extremely important reason.
When it came to China's naval equipment, Sultan Abdul Pasha of the Osman Empire Aziz couldn't help but reach out and scratch his chin. In recent months, the most popular thing in the world was China's naval equipment. Defeating the Royal Navy was the common ideal of European countries, and now there was finally a successful challenger. Of course, countries hoped to be able to import warships from China.
The Osman Empire had military trade with China before. After the reform, the Osman Empire had a total army of 40,600 people. The 40,600 refurbished rifles imported from China at a reasonable price were highly rated in the army. China was also considerate enough to sell three reassembly factories to the Osman Empire, so that the Osman Empire did not need to import large amounts of bullets, saving a lot of money.
Abdul? Aziz began to discuss the import of weapons from China with the Pasha of the 6th Army and the Navy. Ahmet? Midhart Pasha quietly watched the two army Pasha and the Sultan's rather enthusiastic discussion, and he couldn't help but feel a little funny in his heart. The naval commander, Pasha Hobart, was an Englishman who converted to Islam. Ali? The Pasha was a German convert to Islam. The Osman Empire had no choice but to pay attention to the position of the powerful European countries. But now it was the Europeans who held important positions in the Osman Empire. This was too much.
After the end of the Crimean War, in the 1856 Treaty of Paris, the Osman Empire signed a series of international treaties with Europe, and Europe recognized the Osman Empire as a European country. Soon, the Osman Empire also received the title of "sick man of Europe".
In the face of the European powers, the Osman Empire also began its own political awakening. For example, Ahmet Pasha. Midhart Pasha was one of the leaders of the "New Osman People" movement. He insisted on changing the Osman Empire from a traditional system to a constitutional monarchy, promoting that all people in the Osman Empire had the same political power, and promoting national equality and unity. Even such a reformer felt very uncomfortable seeing the increasing power of foreigners in the Osman Empire.
The Osman Empire's Sultan Abdul? Aziz had already discussed the general content at this time. He turned to Ahmet Pasha. Midhart Pasha said, "Midhart, I appoint you as a special envoy to go to China and discuss with the emperor of China about the import of Chinese military equipment."
Ahmet? Midhart Pasha was stunned. He really didn't expect to be appointed to such a diplomatic mission. Before he had time to think about the meaning of it, Ahmet Pasha said, "The Osman Empire's Sultan Abdul? Aziz continued, "We hope to maintain a good relationship with China. It would be great if China could continue the war with Russia."
After all, the Osman Empire was recognized as a European country by Europe. They also knew some basic conflicts in the world. The fierce conflict between China and Russia in the north of the Pacific Ocean was nothing to Western European countries. It was just a battle on a remote ice field. But it was a big deal to the Osman Empire. The most dangerous enemy of the Osman Empire was Russia. So far, the two sides had broken out in nine wars. In the Crimean War, the British and French forces defeated Russia, forcing Russia to make huge concessions in the Balkans. But Russia would not let it go. If Russia could have a protracted war with China in the far north of the Pacific Ocean, it would be a great thing for the Osman Empire.
Ahmet? Midhart Pasha could also understand this. What he couldn't understand was why the Sultan gave him such an important task. But the Sultan's order could not be disobeyed. Ahmet Pasha lowered his head and seriously accepted the Sultan's order.
April 7th, Moscow.
The Russian court had already learned of the British defeat. With the current antagonistic relationship between Russia and Britain, the British Royal Navy had been defeated, and the Russians were happy to see it. But the relationship between the great powers was never so simple. China, who defeated the British Fleet, was also the enemy of Russia. Since the start of the war, China's activities in the North Pacific Ocean were temporarily suspended.
After the war, the British retreated. In the intelligence obtained by Russia, China did not intend to pursue the victory. Instead, it repeatedly emphasized that China respected the British colonies, which was obviously a show of goodwill to the British. Britain was a great power with a strong navy. China's show of goodwill to the British showed that China respected strength. But China's attitude towards France, which had a weak navy, and the small Netherlands, did not have the slightest goodwill.
The Russians understood this mentality best. They dared to attack Manchu Qing because Manchu Qing was a weak country. And Russia chose to attack when the British were beating Manchu Qing. Now Russia could fully imagine that the Chinese Navy, which had defeated the British armored fleet, would soon go north and continue their operations in the North Pacific Ocean.
While the Russian officials were frowning and deep in thought, Mikhail Nikolayevich, the Emperor's brother, made a suggestion. Grand Duke Nikolanovich made a suggestion. "Let's sell the land to the Chinese."
Tsar Alexander II's body trembled. Not only the Tsar, but the other ministers were also shocked by this suggestion. Mikhail? Grand Duke Nikolayevich said in a heavy tone, "China has actually gained control of that area. In five years at most, they will be able to completely control Alaska and other places. I heard that China's railway has been built to Kulun. In the future, the war between us and China is unlikely to be fought in the North Pacific Ocean. I'm afraid it will be fought in Central Asia. That area … "
The Grand Duke did not finish his sentence. The war in the North Pacific Ocean had become a war of attrition. The Russian Navy was unable to fight against China, and the Sixth Army of Russia could not fight a full-scale war with China in that area. The core area of Russia was thousands of versts away from the North Pacific Ocean. China had the railway to Kulun, and it was only a few hundred versts away from the Sixth Army of Russia. In such a situation, the Russians would not be able to fight with China for the North Pacific Ocean.
The Minister of the Sixth Army, Mikhail, said with a gloomy face, "Even if it is, we can sell that area to the United Kingdom or the United States. We can't sell it to China."
"The British can even give up the Dutch East Indies. How can they get involved in Alaska? They know our purpose very well, so they won't do it. As for the United States, they didn't buy Alaska before, and they won't do it now. " Grand Duke Nikolayevich opened his mouth.
This time, no one in the upper echelons of Russia spoke. The core of China was in the East. The reason why China was willing to shed all pretense of cordiality with the British could be seen from the map. After taking over French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies, China would have the depth of the sea. If foreign fleets wanted to attack China from the sea, they could only wait for China to have a major internal problem. This was only a possibility.
In reality, China was just like Russia's invasion of the East, slowly and unhurriedly devouring the area controlled by Russia. Russia was helpless and could only watch the situation worsen step by step. If this situation continued, it was completely foreseeable that Russia would completely lose the North Pacific.
"In another five years, maybe there will be a new conflict between China and the United Kingdom. Wouldn't we have a chance then? "Minister of the Sixth Army, Mikhail, asked.
"What if the United Kingdom is defeated again? Or what if the China is completely satisfied with the territory in the South and doesn't want to have a conflict with the United Kingdom? " Grand Duke Nikolayevich asked.
Minister of the Sixth Army, Mikhail, couldn't refute this point of view. Since the beginning of the Sino-Russian military conflict, Russia had been shouting in Europe about the brutal invasion of the Chinese for several years. The whole of Europe didn't respond at all. The most important output of the Pacific was beaver fur. After decades of crazy plundering by the Russians, the local beaver fur production plummeted. Russia's Russian-American company in the North Pacific had long been unable to make ends meet. Once the war started, there was no profit. That piece of land became a huge burden for Russia.
"Selling this land to the United Kingdom has no impact on the China. But selling this land to the China will make the United Kingdom very worried. Alaska is next to Canada, and the British will not be at ease with the attitude shown by the Chinese, "said Mikhail, the emperor's younger brother. Grand Duke Nikolayevich continued to explain his thoughts.
In the end, this matter couldn't be discussed. Selling the land would have a huge impact on the image of Russia. But selling the land through the war would be a fatal blow to the image of Russia.
The relationship between Russia and China had long reached a freezing point. Russia just didn't expel the Chinese ambassador. But in the next few days, Russia held a palace ball. Russia invited the Chinese ambassador.
At the ball, the Foreign Minister of Russia and the Ambassador of China discussed the restoration of the Treaty of Nerchinsk. In fact, everyone knew in their hearts that this matter wouldn't be so easy. When the Treaty of Nerchinsk was signed, there was no railway. Now, China had built the railway to Kulun and Qiqihar. Once this negotiation started, the Chinese would definitely ask for an exorbitant price.
The Chinese ambassador indeed asked for an exorbitant price. He asked his secretary to take out a map from his handbag and drew a line on the Lena River. "We'll buy everything east of the Lena River. You can name a price. "
Such a forthright attitude frightened the Foreign Minister of Russia. His first thought was that Grand Duke Nikolayevich had reached a secret agreement with China. He wondered if Grand Duke Nikolayevich had reached a secret agreement with China. Otherwise, why would the Chinese make such a request at this time? This was a collusion between the inside and outside.
The Foreign Minister of Russia brought the Chinese ambassador's proposal to the top of Russia. Unsurprisingly, Grand Duke Nikolayevich's brother Mikhail Grand Duke Nikolayevich was criticized by many people. This was the royal family. The Tsar of Russia Alexander II might not be completely at ease with his brother. Seeing his brother being attacked, the Tsar was actually quite satisfied.
However, since the Tsar didn't plan to take this opportunity to get rid of his brother, he was still worried about Mikhail. When Grand Duke Nikolayevich was in a very difficult situation, he helped him a little. The Tsar said, "Let China pay 10,000 Belkowitz gold for this land."
Belkowitz was a unit of weight in Russia. One Belkowitz = 10 putts = 163.8 kilograms. 10,000 Belkowitz was 1,638 tons of gold.
Not long ago, France had compensated Russia with 500 million francs. 500 million francs was equivalent to 200 million pounds and 100 million pounds of China's silver. Converted to gold, it was 1,473 tons. The rotten land east of the Lena River wasn't worth 1,638 tons of gold. How could it be considered as giving it to Mikhail? Grand Duke Nikolayevich helped out.
The Foreign Minister of Russia also knew what the Tsar meant. He also informed the Chinese ambassador of his reply. Unexpectedly, the Chinese ambassador thought for a while and replied slowly, "This amount is definitely not enough. We can give you 100 tons of gold at most, not a little more. "
The Foreign Minister of Russia's eyes widened. He had never thought that the Chinese ambassador would give such an answer. The Foreign Minister was about to mock the Chinese ambassador. China's RMB was not the gold standard at all, and China had recently announced that it was going to abolish the silver standard. That kind of paper RMB had no value at all. Before he could speak, the Chinese ambassador continued to reply slowly, "We will give you gold, no discount. China and the two sides will finally draw a new border. In the future, we will solve the border problem through diplomacy. "
"Are you really going to give us gold?" The Russian ambassador stuttered.
"Yes, we will give you gold," the Chinese ambassador replied calmly.
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