Chapter 179: How to Raise A Pig Teammate
On April 25, 1852, the governments of Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire held a high-level meeting in Paris to discuss the Near East War. The impatient Napoleon III, eager to return France to the world’s center stage, personally hosted the conference.
“The Russians are launching fierce attacks towards Bulgaria and the Caucasus. Our troops have repeatedly pushed back their offensives.
But to defeat the Russians, our strength alone is still insufficient. Plus the Austrians are eyeing us closely, tying down large numbers of our forces.
If we are facing just one enemy, we could still cope. Now confronting two powerful foes at once, we are truly hard-pressed.” Ottoman Foreign Minister Fuad Pasha said somewhat wearily.
This rhetoric really troubled him. He had to both persuade Britain and France to swiftly send troops to assist, yet also not expose the Ottoman Empire’s internal weaknesses.
Walking this tightrope was not easy; it was easy to make mistakes. If Britain and France believed that the Ottoman Empire could hold its own and delayed their intervention, it would be disastrous for them.
On the other hand, if the weakness of the Ottoman Empire were exposed, and Britain and France deemed it not worth the investment, they might join Austria and Russia in partitioning the Ottoman territories, which would be equally disastrous.
Aside from diplomatic troubles, the Ottoman government’s internal power struggles also gave Fuad Pasha endless headaches. Abdulmejid I was not an easy man to get along with.
Not long ago, Abdulmejid I had dismissed this pro-British and French Foreign Minister due to Russian pressure, replacing him with the pro-Russian Rifat Pasha.
With the failure of Constantinople negotiations, the pro-Russian Foreign Minister seemed to have lost value, immediately getting dismissed again, with the pro-British and French Fuad Pasha returning.
This could only happen in a country like the Ottoman Empire. If a European country so casually swapped personnel, disregarding the Foreign Minister position, they would have quit long ago.
In reality, Fuad didn’t want to carry out this difficult task. Doing the job well is one thing, but messing up could spell doom for his whole family.
Yet he had no choice. Abdulmejid I’s will was not to be defied. The position of minister held little sway in the Ottoman Empire compared to European countries.
“Mr. Fuad, there’s no need to worry. According to the intelligence we’ve received, the Austrian government has already secured its interests. They are currently preparing to conclude their efforts.
Although we’re not certain about the specific terms of their agreement with the Russians, based on the current situation, it appears that the Russians may have offered support in the form of the two Danubian principalities in exchange for Austrian material aid.
Not long ago, the Austrian government provided Russia with a low-interest 100 million guilders loan, with virtually no additional conditions.
Everyone knows of Russia’s ambition. The Austrian government surely does not wish for their continued expansion. Providing material support now is already the limit.” British Foreign Secretary Palmerston analyzed.
His message was clear—he was warning Fuad not to attempt to utilize their power to resolve both enemies at the same time. The reason was quite simple: the Russians were the biggest threat to the British Empire, so it was essential to prioritize dealing with them.
As for Austria, they could be dealt with after defeating the Russians. John Russell’s foreign policy had always been adjusted based on the perceived threat level of their enemies.
Simultaneously facing Russia and Austria, in Palmerston’s view, it was highly irrational.
Britain-France-Ottoman vs Austria-Russia fighting in the Near East was clearly evenly matched.
Such fights generally resulted in mutually assured destruction, with neither side better off.
Undoubtedly, he had tremendously overestimated the Ottoman Empire’ strength, not realizing this teammate was already crippled.
Napoleon III nodded and said, “Mr. Palmerston is right. We need to set aside Austria for now and deal with Russia first. Then we can consider how to handle Austria.”
Although brimming with confidence, he wasn’t only confident in the strength of France but also had great faith in the power of the British.
In his view, Britain and France were far ahead of Austria and Russia in strength. Plus the quasi-great power Ottoman Empire, victory in this war was assured.
While confidence was essential, there was no harm in weakening the enemy further and employing strategies to divide and conquer.
Fuad Pasha smiled and casually said: “Of course, it’s best to defeat the enemies one by one. The Russian reinforcements are continuously streaming to the front lines. To win the war with minimal cost, we must take action immediately. Delaying too long would inevitably increase uncertainties.”
He didn’t care much about how England and France planned their actions. His primary goal was to get English and French reinforcements onto the battlefield. If he could achieve that, he’d consider his mission half-complete.
Battlefield victory or defeat was not something for this Foreign Minister to worry about. Tying Britain and France onto the ship allowed the Ottoman Empire to at least weather the present crisis.
Napoleon III meaningfully said: “Mr. Fuad Pasha, please be at ease. The French army is ready. We will dispatch within a week. France is a responsible nation, and we won’t stand by and let our allies bleed on the front lines without taking action.”
Hearing Napoleon III’s words, Palmerston’s expression was unchanging, as if this had nothing to do with him at all.
With a smiling face, he said, “We are currently persuading our Parliament, and we will have results by next month at the latest. By then, the British army will also appear on the Balkan Peninsula battlefield.”
Fuad Pasha’s complexion was somewhat ugly, seemingly very dissatisfied with Britain’s stance. But in truth, he felt relieved inside. This result could already be explained domestically.
With the issue of deploying troops resolved, the matter of loans became easier to handle. It primarily revolved around interest rates and the number of additional conditions.
In this aspect, the Ottomans had no bargaining chips at all. Fuad Pasha did not haggle over it. As long as conditions were not too harsh, he readily agreed.
If conditions were truly too harsh, he could always send it back for Abdulmejid I’s approval. After all, the Ottoman Empire had no choice at this time.
Without British and French support, this Near East War could potentially doom the Sultanate. At this life and death juncture, concepts like principles and integrity no longer existed.
......
On May 9, 1852, with aid from Bulgarian guerrillas, the Russian main force captured the Ottoman’s important military fortress—Ruse.
The fall of Ruse signified a breach in the Ottoman Empire’s Bulgarian defense line. After nearly a month of fighting over Bulgaria, the Russians finally achieved a strategic breakthrough.
Unfortunately, due to the disarray in the Russian command structure, their surrounding units couldn’t coordinate immediately after capturing Ruse, failing to capitalize on their gains. By the time the expeditionary force's command realized, it was too late.
After missing this opportunity, the Russians lost their chance to deal a severe blow to the Ottoman main army, and the war continued.
Coincidentally, at this time, the first wave of French reinforcements had already arrived in Constantinople, and after a brief period of preparation, 50,000 elite French troops were committed to the war.
After being accustomed to fighting the disorganized Ottoman forces, the Russian expeditionary army made a mistake when encountering a well-disciplined French army, leading to an unexpected situation.
On May 11, 1852, during a pursuit of the Ottoman army, the rashly advancing 16th Infantry Division of the Russians coincidentally collided with the French 6th Infantry Division. They were soundly defeated by the French, suffering heavy casualties.
If not for timely reinforcements, they would have been the first division-level unit to suffer annihilation since the war began.
Perhaps to avenge the Napoleonic Wars, these elite French division troops had very high morale, displaying extraordinary combat power on the battlefield.
After landing a heavy blow on the Russians, on May 13, 1852, the French forces, numbering less than 50,000 soldiers, engaged in a head-to-head battle with the 90,000-strong Russian army near Razgrad. In this encounter, both sides were relatively evenly matched.
Unfortunately, the outstanding performance of the French army did not change the overall situation. Their numbers were too few, and in the face of increasing Russian forces, the French suffered a steep rise in casualties.
After seven days of intense fighting, with 15,200 French casualties, they were ultimately forced to break through. The Battle of Razgrad ended with the defeat of the French.
However, they could still take some pride in their defeat. Even in defeat, they maintained an exchange ratio of approximately 1 to 1.3 with the victorious Russian forces, which suffered nearly 20,000 casualties.
This was naturally partly due to French weapons and equipment advantages, but also closely related to their strict training and high morale.
As for the Ottoman army, there was no hope for these pig teammates. After one defeat, it was as if the Russians had scared them witless, their morale collapsed as they fled wildly from the Russians.
If they had a more effective ally to help hold back the main Russian forces, the French might have avoided being heavily surrounded, and the outcome of the Battle of Razgrad would have remained uncertain.
......
Paris
News of Ruse’s fall arrived on May 12th. The weakness of the Ottoman Empire was exposed, but by this time, there was no room for England and France to reconsider.
Loans given out were a small issue. At worst they could shamelessly tear up the agreements.
The key was that the first batch of French reinforcements had already reached the Ottoman Empire and entered battle. At this stage, Napoleon III couldn’t retreat, no matter how treacherous the path ahead. The political necessity demanded that he press on.
Palmerston was also unhappy. At this time, Prime Minister Russell had already persuaded Parliament. The British government had even declared war on the Russian Empire two days ago.
War was no game. At this time, unless the British government wanted to be ousted, they had to grit their teeth and fight the Russians. This concerned the world hegemon’s prestige and influence.
The British could not back down on this issue. It concerned their influence worldwide. If they were to lose to the Russians, it would undermine the foundation of their colonial empire.
If this news only left Britain and France vexed, then subsequent news enraged them even more.
Especially Napoleon III. With the French army bitterly fighting the Russians ahead, the Ottoman army was actually retreating all the way. Whose territory were they defending?
Of course, as an outstanding politician, Napoleon III still knew to maximize interests. He immediately brought out the French army’s battle achievements, boasting everywhere, indirectly flaunting his martial valor.
Lost the battle? That was the Ottoman’s fault, what did it have to do with the heroic and valorous French army? Despite disadvantageous numbers, they had achieved astounding exchange ratios.
The equipment gap was directly ignored by Napoleon III. Anyway, the public did not care for details. As long as he emphasized heavily that Russian losses were greater, it was fine.
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