There is no doubt that the London government finally chose to compromise with the French, which was determined by interests.

The timing of the French selection is too good, and if the London government does not compromise, maybe the Paris government will turn around and make a deal with Austria.

Although the French feared that Austria would become bigger after annexing the Ottoman Empire and that a deal with the Vienna government was very unlikely, the London government did not dare to gamble.

If it really happens, it also means that France and Austria have reached a strategic understanding, which will be a disaster for the British.

At the same time as the compromise, the London government also raised its vigilance against the French. The government of Paris in the infighting can still put them together, if the infighting ends, then what will happen?

……

At the London Peace Conference, in the face of joint pressure from Britain and France, Minister Hummel was also a little tired of coping.

"For the sake of world peace, we can end this war, but the Ottoman Empire must return the land that occupied us and take responsibility for this war."

Austria relented, and many breathed a sigh of relief. If you really go down, things will be difficult. Armed intervention is easier said than troublesome.

It's okay to let the European countries wave their flags, but if they want to fight for the Ottoman Empire, then forget it! Sometimes spitting stars can kill people, and politicians must think twice for the sake of their reputation.

Minister Hummel, who had a gloomy face, also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and this scene was finally coming to an end. In order not to show his flaws, he has to tense his nerves every day, which is not a good time.

Without waiting for the Ottoman representatives to speak, the Marquis of Maclean's decision was the first to make decisions for them: "Thank you, Your Excellency, for your efforts for world peace, history will remember all this."

War is brutal, and at every moment lads fall. For their safety, I propose to sign an armistice first, so that the war stops first. We'll talk about the rest later. ”

From the side of the British, it was enough to keep the Ottoman Empire. As for the question of the return of territory and accountability for the war, these are minor issues.

It is a European practice for the vanquished to bear responsibility for the war. Although the demand for the return of the territory is somewhat nonsense, it is not non-negotiable, who let the Ottomans lose?

In this age of the jungle, weakness is the original sin. Rather than dwell on these issues, it would be better for the Ottoman Empire to end the war sooner.

Minister Humel nodded: "There is no problem, but we will only sign the armistice treaty for half a month." If within half a month, there is no agreement, then this war will continue. ”

From the beginning to the end, he did not ask the Russian representatives for their opinions. It was not the Hummel dictatorship, nor the deterioration of relations between the two countries. The main reason was that there was an agreement between the two countries before the outbreak of the war, and Austria was responsible for resolving diplomatic issues.

For the Russians to get involved, it was also after the armistice was signed, when it came to the distribution of benefits. Until then, the diplomacy of the two countries must be aligned on the Near East.

Marquis McLean said: "Half a month is too short, this war involves too many problems, it is better to stop the war for half a year first!" ”

Minister Humel shook his head, and the half-month deadline was given in order to exert pressure and force the Ottoman Empire to make greater concessions.

"Your Excellency, don't forget that war has a cost, and every day it drags on requires a huge amount of money.

Based on the current 336,000 troops of the coalition army, even if we do not launch an offensive, we will have to spend 586,000 Aegis every day.

This cost needs to be borne by the Ottoman Empire, and if the Ottoman government feels that it can afford to drag it out, we can also talk slowly. ”

There is no doubt that the number of troops is roughly correct, and the expenses are casually stated by Minister Hummel. If it weren't for the attack, it would cost 586,000 Aegis a day, and the quartermaster would have been investigated a long time ago.

Although Austria is not poor, there are no local tyrants to this job. In the absence of an offensive, the main expenses are the cost of living and the salary of the soldiers.

The Viennese government promised to supply the Russian army with supplies, but did not say that it would pay them. The Austrian army in the Middle East did not have to be paid by everyone, and the salaries of the cannon fodder troops were just trophies.

There are only tens of thousands of regular soldiers who really get military salaries, including conscripts who only need to pay a small amount of combat allowance, and when converted into heaven, it is only 20,000 or 30,000 Aegis.

The cost of living is easier to calculate, and the more than 300,000 troops consume more than 200 tons of grain every day at most, plus some vegetables and meat products, 500 tons of supplies are enough, even if the freight is added, it is not much expensive.

Others can watch the excitement, but the Ottoman Foreign Minister Albiaki cannot, if calculated according to this figure, it is enough to make the Ottoman Empire lose its pants.

"Your Excellency, this figure is too exaggerated, even if all the soldiers eat steak every day, it won't cost so much money."

As soon as he finished speaking, Albiacki realized that it was not good and was led astray. The most important thing to do in negotiations is to be led by the nose by the opponent, which will fall into a passive state.

Hummel smiled slightly, and said nonsense: "Isn't this worried that the soldiers will not adapt to the water and soil, all the materials, including drinking water, are transported from the soldiers' hometowns, so the cost is naturally a little higher." ”

Everyone rolled their eyes, and the supplies were all transported from the soldiers' hometowns. Not to mention soldiers, even officers don't have this treatment.

Besides, with the traffic of this era, even if someone really transports it, the vegetables and fruits will rot on the way.

The British Foreign Secretary, the Marquis of Maclean, frowned and pulled the topic back: "Your Excellency, your navy has blockaded the eastern Mediterranean, and now that your trade with the Ottoman Empire has stalled, can you resume trade routes during the armistice?"

The situation in the Ottoman country was very bad, especially the food problem was imminent, and human tragedies continued to be staged every day. ”

"Lifting the blockade" is the core of the problem, and as for the issue of military spending, it will be slowly resolved after the armistice. No matter how the Austrians ask for a price, the Ottoman Empire has no money anyway.

Even if a sky-high compensation treaty is signed, a sentence without money is enough.

The British were not prepared to pay for the Ottoman Empire, and the Austrians were dreaming of reparations from the poor and financially collapsed Sultanate.

In contrast, unblocking is much more important. The Ottoman Empire is full of refugees, and if there is no material to enter, who knows how many days the Sudanese government will be able to hold out?

Humel shook his head: "No, the blockade of the coastline is mainly for everyone's safety, and now we have dropped a large number of torpedoes around the ports of the Ottoman Empire, and there is no way to ensure the safety of the ships."

If the Ottoman Empire is short of food, or other supplies, they can communicate with us, and we can sell a batch of agricultural products to them at a low price. ”

Doesn't the lifting of the blockade give the Ottoman Empire a chance to recover? The Sudanese government's manpower tactics have not been carried forward, and the biggest problem is the lack of weapons and equipment.

In the style of the British, it is almost inevitable that they will open an arms warehouse and sell a batch of old antiques to the Ottoman Empire, making negotiations more difficult.

Minister Hummel's promise to sell supplies at a low price was a joke. Buying supplies from an enemy who is at war is nothing short of ridiculous.

If nothing else, the Sudanese government is now short of arms, will the Vienna government be willing to sell them?

Well, that's a hard one. If the price is high enough, maybe the Vienna government will sell it too. Who let it be the Russians who fought the peninsula of Asia Minor?

The Marquis of Maclean did not dwell on the issue of lifting the blockade, and although he could be sure that the Austrians were not dropping torpedoes everywhere, they would have encountered torpedoes as soon as merchant ships passed.

This has already been tried by unbelieving capitalists, except for a very few who were lucky enough to escape the catastrophe and make a fortune, and the rest went into the sea to feed the fish.

Whether it hit a torpedo or not, no one knows. Anyway, the ship was wrecked and people died, and it didn't matter how it was destroyed.

After some haggling, the armistice was extended to one month. At the same time, Minister Hummel also promised to sell 10,000 tons of grain at a low price to the Ottoman Empire for relief, so as to avoid another humanitarian crisis.

This is a really low price, 10 percent lower than the international price of food. Of course, the price of grain can be reduced, but the price of freight cannot be saved.

During the war, everyone risked their lives to transport food, how could they save freight? If it does not increase dozens of times from the normal level, it is not in line with the rules of business.

……

Humel: "We don't want much, and the goal of this war is only to recover the land of Jerusalem.

This war can be brought to an end as long as your country returns to the Kingdom of Jerusalem and makes reparations for the damage that has been done to us over the years.

Calculated from 1517, the total number of years until now is 357 years, and based on the calculation of 1 million Aegis per year, a total of 357 million Aegis.

In these 357 years, at least 3 million people have died at the hands of your country, and the pension is calculated at 600 shields per person, a total of 180 million shields.

Jerusalem, which was fertile land before your occupation of Jerusalem, has now become a great desert, causing irreparable damage to the geographical environment and requiring ......"

As soon as Hummel said the conditions, everyone was dumbfounded. With such a calculation of compensation, even the Ottoman Empire could not afford to pay for it.

Unsurprisingly, the final figure that appeared was to reach a staggering 3.062 billion Aegis. Perhaps realizing that it was a bit excessive, Hummel took the initiative to touch the fraction and only demanded 3 billion Aegis in compensation.

It is clear to everyone that this is not to ask for compensation, and the Ottoman Empire will not be able to pay for it, but the main purpose is to cede land. Everyone was still stunned by Minister Hummel's astonishing operation.

The Ottoman Foreign Minister Albiacchi immediately retorted: "Your Excellency, the account cannot be counted like this. Jerusalem was not taken from you by us, and there is no so-called liability between us. ”

Less than 300 years after the Jerusalem crown fell to the Habsburgs, the Habsburgs never ruled Jerusalem. Not to mention Austria, where there is no so-called sovereign relationship.

……