France and Russia want to recover, Austria is busy with the development of the Near East, and the three major European countries are very busy, and they have no energy to do things.

The general environment is like this, and the British are not tossing around. The international situation eased suddenly, and the smell of gunpowder gradually faded from the European continent with the passage of time.

Franz is in a good mood, and if nothing else, he will be a generation higher in a few months.

The concept of people will change when they get older, and Franz is no exception, although the expectation of holding a grandson is not as high as that of Queen Helen, but it is not low.

The royal family needs an heir, and although Crown Prince Frederick is not very old, this kind of thing should happen sooner rather than later.

Countless pairs of eyes from the outside world are staring, and the birth of the third generation as soon as possible can also make everyone feel at ease as soon as possible.

Happy times are always short-lived, and when he saw Prime Minister Felix coming in a hurry, Franz knew that trouble was coming again.

"Your Majesty, something has happened in Asia Minor."

Hearing "Asia Minor", Franz's expression tightened.

The development of the Near East is the most important strategy of the Vienna government for the next decade, and the completion of this strategy will bring a fundamental improvement in Austria's strategic security.

Located at the junction of Asia, Europe and Africa, the Asia Minor Peninsula has always been a battleground for soldiers. The Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire controlled this place before they dominated the Mediterranean Sea and looked down on Asia, Europe and Africa.

It's the same here in Austria, as long as you control the Asia Minor peninsula, the oil of the Middle East and the resources of Africa are all in your pocket. Naturally, it became the centerpiece of the Near East development strategy.

In addition to the high value, another important factor is safety, which is very suitable as a large rear.

The Caucasus is not suitable for large corps to fight, and it is impossible for the Russians to fight over the mountains and mountains; Both Armenia and Persia are small beans and cannot be a threat.

Maritime threats exist for the time being, but with the development of technology, they will soon become less of a threat.

Although the aircraft is just getting started, it will be no problem to reach the level of World War I ten years later.

Not to mention how powerful the bombing is, even if a machine gun is installed to strafe from the sky, it can be useful in naval battles.

After all, the Austrian Navy is not weak, and with the cooperation of the heavenly guys, it can still be done to defend the doorstep.

Franz asked with concern: "What happened?" ”

After breathing a sigh of relief, Prime Minister Felix replied: "There is a large-scale plague in the Ankara region, and it is still spreading in all directions, and many people from the Russian army in charge of migration are also infected.

In order to contain the spread of the epidemic, the tsarist government has decided to suspend immigration, which will directly affect our plans for the development of the Near East. ”

It also takes time to move people, all of them add up to four or five million people, and the Russians no longer care about the lives of immigrants, and it is impossible to send them all away in a short time.

Franz asked with concern: "Has the source of the plague been identified?" Was it just discovered, or did it have existed for a long time and the Russians did not pay attention to it? ”

After the Great War, there was a great epidemic, which is the law of nature. During the war in the Near East, Austria also detected a number of epidemics, but all of them were contained.

Most plagues come and go quickly, and as long as the source of the disease is blocked and the spread of the virus is contained, things will soon pass.

Felix shook his head: "The source of transmission is still uncertain. However, the epidemic did appear a long time ago, but the Russians did not pay attention to it.

At first, the Russian military leadership took it for granted that the soldiers' illness was unaccustomed, and it was not until the number of officers who fell ill that the number of officers who fell ill was also increasing, and it attracted attention.

According to the information reported by the Russians, up to now, more than 5,000 officers and soldiers have fallen ill, and it is not possible to determine how many of them have contracted the plague. ”

Hearing this explanation, Franz was speechless. He really has nothing to say about the carelessness of the Russians.

Of course, the top brass of the Russian army may also be wronged. Didn't you just go back to China to participate in the celebration banquet, delayed for more than ten days, and didn't even have time for Christmas, so you rushed over, who knows how the plague would suddenly break out?

"Order the troops in the Near East to do a good job of epidemic prevention, postpone the immigration plan for the time being, and tell the Russians to let them investigate the cause as soon as possible."

As a big empire, the Russians also want to save face. Unless the epidemic is completely out of control, it will definitely not ask for help from the outside world for such a trivial matter.

If it really gets out of control, it's useless to call for help. With the medical technology of these years, no one has the ability to cure the plague.

No, antibiotics, which are more expensive than gold, are still effective against some plague viruses, and the Austrian army has experienced it personally.

……

Ankara, Lieutenant General Oginets, who is in charge of the area, looked at the investigation report with a grim face.

If anyone notices, they will notice that his forehead has begun to sweat.

In the cold winter, suddenly starting to sweat on the forehead, obviously not a small matter.

"Are you sure it's the plague?"

Despite the acceptance of the facts, Lieutenant General Oginets still has one last shred of illusions. There is no way, the "plague" is terrible, enough for anyone in this era to change color.

Kozhemiyaka, the military doctor in charge of the investigation of the accident, replied with a frown: "Your Excellency, lieutenant general, please do not doubt our professionalism. ”

"I'm sorry, but this matter is too big, and I have a little hard time accepting it for a while."

After speaking, Lieutenant General Oginets wiped the sweat from his forehead, and he couldn't take care of his image.

"In view of the current situation, I believe that the Ankara region is no longer suitable for the continued presence of troops," Kozhemyaka said slowly.

Even the entire peninsula of Asia Minor was in serious danger, and in order to curb the spread of plague, it was better to be able to blockade the peninsula. ”

Treat?

Inexistent. Being able to take care of the officers is all super high-level performance. At most, ordinary soldiers will be given a little medicine, and then they will be resigned to their fate.

As for ordinary people, they are completely out of consideration. There was also a cost to relocate these people to Siberia, and if these people were taken directly by the virus, the tsarist government could save money.

Lieutenant General Oginets nodded: "I will report according to your suggestion, and the final result will have to wait for St. Petersburg to decide." ”

It is clear from the tone that Lieutenant General Oginets is not in the least worried about being dismissed. The word "plague" alone was enough to panic the European world.

The Black Death was also a type of plague, and despite the passage of hundreds of years, the fame of the Black Death has not yet faded.

The Vienna government used this as an excuse to relocate the Ottoman population, but the "bubonic plague" really broke out.

……

The news of the "plague" is still in the upper echelons of the Russian army, and ordinary soldiers still have to do what they should do, and there is not so much mental pressure.

Sometimes ignorance is also a blessing, and the Russian soldier Valentin, who was patrolling, was a little sore, and a few mice ran past him, successfully attracting his attention.

He said to his companion, "Vitariya, have you noticed that the rats we have been seeing a lot lately are very large?" ”

Vitariye replied disdainfully: "Isn't this big, it's clearly fat?" If you look at their speed, they are not as fast as the rats in our hometown. ”

Valentin nodded approvingly: "That's true." The Ottomans were so extravagant, even rats were so fat. ”

Vitariye teased: "You're really kidding, now they can't eat, who has food to feed the rats?" ”

Not to be outdone, Valentin said: "Who knows? Anyway, these rats are really fat, if you don't follow up and take a look, maybe you can make a stroke, and you are idle anyway. ”

Looting is an important income for Russian soldiers, and Ankara was naturally looted by the Russian army, but in such a large city, there will always be missing corners.

From time to time, there are lucky people who discover these missing riches and thus make a fortune.

Although Valentin has never personally encountered such a good thing, he has heard a lot.

Vitariye nodded approvingly: "Then follow along, I saw the rat coming in from the left." ”

Needless to say, as qualified Russian soldiers, they naturally kicked in the door.

Respect for private property, that's just thinking too much. All the Ottoman people who moved away would have their wealth looted by Russian soldiers.

The deeper he went, the more Vitariye felt that something was wrong, and although he didn't see the corpse, the pungent smell of rotting corpses was already on his face.

Vitariye complained: "Damn, it's not a fucker, you didn't dispose of the corpse for the sake of laziness!" ”

Valentin nodded approvingly: "Probably so, I will definitely report it when I go back, so that this miscellaneous person will be punished as he deserves." ”

Handling corpses is also a compulsory course in the army, and to be lazy in this is to joke with everyone's safety.

Even the Russians, who have never paid much attention to military discipline, are very strict in this regard - "there is a reward for reporting and hiding the same crime".

In addition to capturing the remnants of the enemy and maintaining order in the city, the patrol also has an important task of dealing with the corpses that have slipped through the net.

Although this thing is disgusting, it is not unacceptable for the sake of the ruble.

After searching to no avail, Vitariye covered his nose with his hand and said, "The smell is coming from here, there are no bodies outside."

The dust on the debris is already thick, and it should be uninhabited for a long time, there may be a basement.

If you look closely, you might find something unexpected. ”

Valentin frowned: "Don't forget it!" It stinks so much that it is estimated that the corpses are all decomposed, and it is very troublesome to dispose of.

Anyway, it's so remote that very few people will come, and they won't be discovered. ”

Vitariye said angrily: "Nonsense, it's all come to this point, how can you give up halfway."

If there is any treasure that is missed, wouldn't it be a lifelong regret. ”

The temptation to get rich was too great, and Valentin was convinced. The two began to knock and knock, looking for the basement entrance.

After working for most of the day, I finally found clues, but after opening the secret room, the two of them were stunned.

Rows of stripped and rotting corpses, a few rats gnawing on corpses, quickly ran away after noticing the arrival.

Valentin vomited directly disgusted, Vitariye was not much better, any dreams of making a fortune disappeared, and he retreated directly.

After leaving at least a mile, the two gradually came to their senses. Vitariye said helplessly: "Report it, apply for fuel to be incinerated on the spot, this thing can't be dealt with at all." ”

Valentin nodded unwillingly, and the whole person was not good.

This is just the beginning, there is far more than one such secret room found in the city, and the number of them still attracted the attention of the Russian officers.

Although in the propaganda, the Ottoman aristocracy was so perverted, it was the result of selecting individual cases and enlarging them through artistic processing.

Even if a few people are sick in the brain, it is impossible for a group of people to be sick in the brain and put a pile of corpses in the basement to feed the rats.

……

reported to Lieutenant General Oginets, relying on a rough and possible analysis, the matter was almost cleared.

It is nothing more than the Ottoman government, unwilling to accept defeat, artificially creating a plague and starting a biochemical attack that is indiscriminate between friend and foe.

After figuring out the ins and outs, Lieutenant General Oginets was still not happy, there was no way to find out too late, the plague had already happened.

As the top head of Ankara, it was not possible to detect the conspiracy of the Ottomans in advance, and Lieutenant General Oginets could not escape the blame.