On April 25, 1852, the British, French, and Ottoman governments held a high-level meeting in Paris to discuss the issue of the war in the Near East, and Napoleon III, who was eager to return France to the center of the world, personally presided over the meeting.

"The Russians are launching an onslaught on the Bulgarian region and the Caucasus, and our troops have repeatedly pushed off their offensive.

However, if we want to defeat the Russians, our strength alone is still insufficient. And the Austrians are also eyeing us, holding back a large number of our troops.

If there is only one enemy, you can deal with it. Now we are facing two strong opponents at the same time, and we are really tired of coping. The Ottoman Foreign Minister said with some tiredness

This language really embarrassed him, not only to persuade Britain and France to send troops to help as soon as possible, but also not to expose the inside story of the weakness of the Ottoman Empire.

This is hard to pretend, and if you are not careful, you will go too far. In case the British and French thought that the Ottoman Empire could withstand it and delayed the dispatch of troops, they could only cry.

On the other hand, if the weakness of the Ottoman Empire was exposed, Britain and France did not think it was worth investing in and changed hands to divide them up with Austria and the Russians.

In addition to diplomatic troubles, the internal struggles of the Ottoman government were also a source of headache for Ade, who was not a good man to deal with.

Not long ago, due to pressure from the Russians, Abdul Mejid I removed him, a pro-British and French foreign minister, and replaced him with a pro-Russian Rifaat.

With the failure of the Constantinople negotiations, the pro-Russian foreign secretary seemed to have lost his value and was immediately removed from office and replaced by a pro-British and French man.

This is what can be done in a country like the Ottomans, if you change European countries, such a random change, and don't treat the foreign minister as the same thing at all, people would have left the house to pick on it.

In fact, he didn't want to do this drudgery, if he did it well, it was the essential work, and if he messed up, the whole family would be unlucky.

However, he had no choice at all, the will of Abdul Mejid I could not be violated, and the status of minister in the Ottoman Empire was not as high as in European countries.

"Don't worry, Mr. Ade. According to the information we have received, the Austrian government has eaten enough, and now they are preparing to settle for safety.

Although it is not clear the specific content of their secret agreement with the Russians, it is preliminarily judged from the current situation that the Russians should have exchanged the two principalities of the Danube Valley for Austrian material support.

It was not long ago that the Austrian government offered the Russians a low-interest loan of Rp 100 million, with almost no strings attached.

The ambitions of the Russians were well known, and presumably the Austrian government did not want them to continue to expand, and at this time the provision of material support was already the limit. British Foreign Secretary Palmerston analyzed

His meaning was obvious, it was to warn Dad that this time everyone's enemies were Russians, and not to try to use their power to solve two enemies at the same time.

The reason is very simple, the Russians are the worst enemies of the British Empire, and of course they must be attacked first.

As for Austria, after defeating the Russians, it would be better to look for their bad luck. John Bull's foreign policy has always been adjusted to the intensity of the enemy's threat.

Facing the Russians and Austrians at the same time seemed to Palmerston to be very irrational.

Anglo-French Ottoman vs Austria + Russia, fighting in the Near East, is clearly a close battle.

In this kind of battle, the usual result is that both sides are defeated, and no one can please them.

There is no doubt that he has infinitely raised the strength of the Ottoman Empire, and I don't know that this main player is already a cripple.

Napoleon III nodded and said, "Mr. Palmerston is right, we must stabilize Austria now, and then consider how to deal with Austria when the Russians are settled." ”

Despite his self-confidence, he was confident not only in the strength of France, but also in the strength of the British.

In his opinion, the strength of Britain and France was far superior to that of Austria and Russia, and with the addition of a quasi-great Ottoman Empire, the war was a sure victory.

Faith is faith, but no one minds making the enemy weaker, and it is very necessary to divide and disintegrate.

Ade laughed and pretended to be relaxed: "Of course, it is naturally best to be able to defeat the enemies one by one.

The Russians are reinforcing the front line in a steady stream of reinforcements, and if we want to win the war at the least cost, we must act now, and if it drags on too long, it will inevitably increase the variables. ”

He didn't care how the British and French planned, as long as the British and French reinforcements were fooled to the battlefield first, his goal this time would be half accomplished.

Victory or defeat on the battlefield is not his concern as a foreign minister. With Britain and France tied to the ship, the Ottoman Empire could at least survive the current difficulties.

Napoleon III said meaningfully: "Rest assured, Monsieur de Ade, that the French army is ready and will depart in a week's time."

France is a responsible country, and we will not watch our allies shed blood on the front lines and do nothing. ”

Listening to the words of Napoleon III, Palmerston did not change his face, as if all this had nothing to do with him.

"We are convincing Congress that there will be results by next month at the latest, and then the British Army will also appear on the Balkan battlefield." ”

Ade's face was a little ugly, and he seemed very dissatisfied with the performance of the British. In fact, he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and this result could already be explained to the country.

The problem of sending troops is solved, and the next loan will be easy to handle. It is nothing more than a question of the level of interest and the number of conditions attached.

In this regard, the Ottomans did not have the confidence to negotiate at all, and he did not dwell on this aspect, as long as the conditions were not too excessive, he agreed to them.

The conditions were too much, and it was a big deal to send them back for Abdul Mejid I to approve, and the Ottoman Empire had no choice anyway.

Without the support of Britain and France, it would be impossible to take the life of the Sudanese government in this war in the Near East.

……

On May 9, 1852, the main Russian army, with the cooperation of Bulgarian partisans, conquered Ruse, an important military fortress of the Ottomans.

The loss of Ruse meant that there was a hole in the Ottoman defense line in Bulgaria, and after nearly a month of offensive and defensive battles in Bulgaria, the Russians finally made a strategic breakthrough.

Unfortunately, due to the chaotic command system of the Russian army, after the capture of Ruse, the surrounding troops were not able to cooperate in the first time and continue to expand the results of the battle. By the time the command of the expeditionary force reacted, it was too late.

After the missed opportunity, the Russians lost the opportunity to inflict heavy losses on the main force of the Ottoman army, and the war was prolonged.

It just so happened that the first reinforcements of the French had arrived in Constantinople at this time, and the 50,000 elite French troops were thrown into the war after a short period of repair.

After getting used to the Ottoman rabble, they suddenly encountered an elite French army, and the command of the Russian expeditionary force made a misjudgment and was taken by surprise.

On May 11, 1852, the advancing 16th Infantry Division collided with the French 6th Infantry Division while pursuing the Ottoman army, and was beaten half-naked by the French.

If reinforcements hadn't arrived in time, they would have been the first divisional force to be wiped out since the start of the war.

Perhaps in order to avenge the war against France, the morale of these elite divisions of the French army was very high, and they showed extraordinary combat effectiveness on the battlefield.

After beating the Russians with a stick, on May 13, 1852, the French army made persistent efforts to engage the Russian army at Razgrad, with less than 50,000 troops and 90,000 Russian troops facing each other, and the two sides fought for a pound and a half.

It is a pity that the outstanding performance of the French army has not been able to change the overall situation. Their numbers were too small, and in the face of more and more Russian troops, the number of French casualties skyrocketed.

After seven days of fierce fighting, the French were finally forced to break out after suffering 15,200 casualties, and the Battle of Razgrad ended in defeat for the French.

However, even if they were defeated, they still played a 1:1.3 exchange ratio with the Russians, and the Russian army, as the victor, paid nearly 20,000 casualties.

Of course, there are advantages in the weapons and equipment of the French army, but it is also inseparable from their strict training and high morale.

As for the Ottoman army, this group of pig teammates could not be counted on. After a defeat, it seemed that the Russians were frightened, the army was disheartened, and the Russian army chased the whole world.

But as long as the allies give a little strength and drag the main force of the Russian army, the French army will not be besieged by the heavy Russian army, and the outcome of the Battle of Razgrad is still unknown.

……

Paris

The news of Ruse's loss came on May 12. The weakness of the Ottoman Empire was exposed, but by this time, there was no room for Britain and France to repent.

The loan was released, this is just a small problem, the big deal is a little shameless, and it is good to tear up the agreement.

The point is that the first French reinforcements have already arrived in the Ottoman Empire and have already gone to the battlefield, and at this time Napoleon III could not retreat anyway.

Knowing that there is a hole in front of him, he must jump, and a political necessity is enough to make Napoleon III insist on fighting.

Palmerston was not happy either, and by this time Prime Minister Russell had already convinced Parliament that the London government had declared war on the Russian Empire two days earlier.

War is not child's play, at this time, as long as the London government does not want to be ousted, it must fight the Russians, which is related to the face and influence of the world hegemon.

The British could not be intimidated on this issue, and their influence in the whole world was at stake. If it loses to the Russians, then the foundations of Britain's colonial empire will be shaken.

If this news can only make Britain and France depressed, then the news behind them will make them thunderous.

Especially Napoleon III, the French army fought with the Russians in front, and the Ottoman army actually retreated all the way. Whose territory is this defending?

Of course, as a good politician, Napoleon III knew how to maximize profits. Immediately took out the achievements of the French army, showed off to the people everywhere, and boasted of his martial arts from the side.

Lost the battle? This is all the responsibility of the Ottomans, and what does it have to do with the brave and warlike French Army? However, with inferior forces, they played an astonishing exchange ratio.

The gap in armament was directly ignored by Napoleon III. Anyway, the people don't care so much, just give them the emphasis that the losses of the Russian army are greater.