Since the outbreak of the Near East War, the Ottoman Empire has moved its capital to Ankara. Compared to Constantinople, Ankara is really a remote town.

Located in the inland mountainous area, the transportation is blocked, the population is only tens of thousands, less than half the Ottoman government's administrative team, the only advantage is that it is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

In the spirit of the principle of security first, the Government of the Sudan has resolutely chosen this place. The traffic is blocked, you can build a railway, and Britain and France are very happy to help.

Despite the modernization reforms, the barbaric nature of the Ottoman Empire remained unchanged. After the defeat in the war in the Near East, the nobles, who had suffered from the reforms of Abd al-Mejid I, launched a counterattack.

They attacked Abdul-Mejid I's reforms and advocated a return to the traditional feudal religious system, arguing that they had made the Ottoman Empire vulnerable.

These are only superficial excuses, and the deeper reason is that the Ottoman nobles and bureaucrats in the Balkans have lost everything and now want to get a piece of the pie in Asia Minor.

The conflict of interests brooks no concessions, and it is naturally impossible for the two sides to negotiate. No sooner had the Vienna system been re-established and its own security had been established, and the two gangs were set to work.

So far, it is the reformers led by Abdul Mejid I who have gained the upper hand, and of course this upper hand is also the result of external forces.

As the so-called uncle owes money, the Sudanese government owes a lot of debt to Britain and France, and if they fall, it is unknown whether this debt can be fulfilled.

This is also the reason why the Vienna government is eyeing the Ottomans, and if they lag behind, they will be beaten. The current Ottoman Empire is clearly in decline and has become a target for beatings.

Ankara

Foreign Minister Fouad said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the Vienna government has sent an official diplomatic note requesting the purchase of Crete, Rhodes, Cyprus, the Greater Soravno Islands...... And the sovereignty of Libya.

Now the navy of the Austrians has acted, they forced a landing on Crete, expelling our officers on the island. ”

As early as half a year ago, the Vienna government made a request to the Sudanese government to buy enough territory, but at that time the Vienna government was still very talkative, and with the intervention of Britain and France, the two sides did not negotiate.

The news of the outbreak of the great Indian uprising had not yet reached Ankara, and the Sudanese government did not know at all that the British were already taking care of themselves.

The information is not equal, and the information is not equal to the judgment of the Sudanese government. Hearing this, Abdul Majid I was immediately furious.

This is simply too deceitful, even if the Ottoman Empire falls, but there are still three points of nails in the rotten ship, how can the huge Ottoman Empire decline all at once?

"Immediately invite Britain and France to intercede, and at the same time issue a protest to the Austrians, demanding that they abide by the rules of the Vienna system!"

There's no way, there's only three points left, can't you throw them all out at once? As far as the Ottoman navy is concerned, it is impossible to win the war, so it is better to protest with civilization.

Foreign Minister Chang Ade hurriedly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty." ”

After the end of the war in the Near East, the Vienna system was quite discordant with the Ottoman Empire, and the position of the foreign minister was unstable.

The main reason for staying in this position was political necessity, and the Ottoman Empire did not have many diplomatic talents, and even fewer qualified to become foreign ministers.

He was the leader of the pro-British faction, and he had the support of John Bull, and it was clear to everyone that at the Vienna Peace Conference, the Great Powers controlled the conference and there was no room for them to bargain, so he was able to retain his position.

In this case, he could not be careless, and if he aroused the displeasure of Abd al-Mejid I, he was doomed.

……

London

The British government received news of the Indian rebellion before the Vienna government, and by this time the counterinsurgency army began to prepare.

Receiving a call for help from the Sudanese government, Granville frowned and said, "We tried to block the news, but we didn't expect it to be exposed so soon." ”

Chancellor of the Exchequer John Russell said indifferently: "There is nothing surprising about it, any news once it enters Parliament it becomes an open secret."

In a few days, it will be published in the newspapers of London. It is not difficult for the Austrians to want to receive the news. ”

This is the national condition of the United Kingdom, and major matters need to be discussed in Parliament. And the mouths of congressmen belong to those without dampers.

Being able to keep it secret for a few days was a matter of discipline, and in fact the news had already been published in the London newspapers by the time they discussed.

Granville thought for a moment and said, "Okay then, that's the end of the leak, it's a matter of national conditions, not our responsibility."

Now the trouble is that now that the Austrians know the news of the rebellion in India, I can boldly infer that most of the European countries know about it.

It was originally planned to put down the rebellion in the shortest possible time, and it was obviously impossible not to leave them with an opportunity to take advantage of. What do you think should be done to deal with the aftermath? ”

The importance of India to the British Empire is self-evident, and without it, the hegemony of the British would have collapsed.

At this time, Australia was still a penal colony, New Zealand had just opened up a colony, South Africa was just a transit point, and Canada had not yet developed.

Without the large market of India and the source of raw materials, the industrial advantage of the British would soon be lost, and their hegemony would not be supported by the narrow land and the lack of people.

This is a well-known fact, and there are so many people who are in the eye for the hegemony of the British that even if they do not dare to directly challenge them, it is inevitable to take the opportunity to make a small move.

Austria was only the first to jump out, and killing chickens and monkeys was an option, but only if the chicken was sure that it couldn't fly. If you don't kill the chickens, you're self-defeating.

Foreign Secretary Thomas replied: "Your Excellency, India is our weakness, and now there is a crisis, and at this time our enemies will emerge.

However, countries are also full of contradictions, they are afraid of each other, afraid of being made fishermen by others, and dare not directly challenge us.

The Austrians were mostly using the Ottomans as rafts to test our reaction. Since they are going to be tempted, it is better to play with them.

Delay time with negotiations first, and as long as the Indian rebellion is put down in the shortest possible time, they will retreat on their own. ”

It is a fact that if the government in London could put down the rebellion in a few months, then Franz would still have to admit it.

John Russell reminded: "Mr. Thomas, do not forget that there are also Russians. Other countries will be afraid of our retaliation, but the tsarist government will not.

Now they are still supporting the Persian government against us, and it is not at all strange to support the Indian rebellion. Even behind this Indian rebellion, there may be the shadow of the Russians. ”

There is no way, the war in the Near East is not the same as the historical Crimean War, although the tsarist government suffered heavy losses, but it was still nominally the victor.

This preserved the arrogance of the tsarist government, and naturally it was impossible to bow to the British and admit defeat. This struggle for British and Russian hegemony is still ongoing.

If you don't do things at this time, will the woolly bear still be a hairy bear? The British can't scare the Russians now, not even if they want an economic blockade.

After a pause, Thomas explained unhurriedly: "Of course, the Russians are still so annoying. But the tsarist government was notoriously inefficient, and by the time they took action to intervene in India, I think the farce was over.

The road to Central Asia is not easy to follow, and with the credibility of the tsarist government, neither Afghanistan nor Persia will dare to give the Russians an excuse unless they can fight all the way.

I don't think the tsarist government had the financial resources to start such a war. At most, it is to send military instructors to the rebels and provide weapons and equipment.

This also brings us a little trouble, even if the Indians are armed, their combat effectiveness is not worth mentioning. ”

Hearing this explanation, Granville's face changed, and he said with a serious expression: "What if someone gives money to the Russians?" ”

Everyone's faces turned ugly, the biggest shortcoming of the Russians was finances, and once they had the support of the financiers, then the situation immediately changed.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Russell, opened his mouth and said: "At the moment there are only two French and Austrian companies that have the strength to finance the Russians, and if the Foreign Office can stabilize them, then there will be no problem." ”

When he said this, he had already greeted the capitalists of London in his heart, not borrowing money sooner or later, and having just lent money to the Austrians, he caught up.

If it weren't for the huge construction bonds issued by the Vienna government not long ago, the French would have been the only ones who had the strength to support the Russians, and the problem would have been solved relatively speaking.

How much is the guarantee of politicians worth for the exclusive use of special funds? There is no breach of contract, it's just that the benefits are not big enough, as long as the interests are in place, it will be a pity to change the hexagram every minute.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Thomas forced himself to calm down, and after a pause for a while, he slowly spoke:

"The situation is not so serious yet, neither the French, nor the Austrians, they do not want to see the Russians go big.

Once the Russians had annexed India, Austria would bear the brunt of the pressure, and the Vienna government could not have imagined that it would be under tremendous pressure.

In this case, the most likely thing is for the Vienna government to exchange interests with us on this condition.

The French have just fought a war with the Russians, and even a détente will take time, which is not something that can be done in a moment.

We can unleash our influence in the French government and provoke infighting in the French government to prevent this from happening. ”

This explanation is a little soothing, as long as it's not the worst-case scenario, then it's all right. They're the best at exchanging benefits or something.