Chapter 198: Greece Joins the War
As the Balkan war continued, the tide of victory began to shift towards the Russians, and the Greeks who had been watching coldly on the sidelines could no longer restrain themselves.
The Russian Bear was not so easy to deal with. If this dragged on until the Russians won the war, it would be too late for the Greeks to act.
Clearly, the Greek government had made a strategic misjudgment, believing that as long as the Russians won this battle, Britain and France would back down.
In this era, the Russian Bear is still a formidable force, universally recognized as the number one power on the European continent and the number one land power in the world.
The Greeks had great confidence in the Russians. Even if Britain and France joined forces, they were more optimistic about the Russians.
As authorities, they are unaware that their conclusion has been clouded by their interests.
Deep down, they are very eager to expand their territory and restore their former status as a great power. Therefore, they hope for Russian victory, which could provide them an opportunity for territorial expansion.
As for the potential threats that a Russian victory might bring, the Greeks have chosen to ignore them. Blinded by their interests, who would bother considering so much?
On November 12, 1852, Otto I secretly ordered the Greek army to announce their retirement en masse, then changed into civilian clothes and appeared on the battlefield as civilian volunteers, launching an attack on Thessaly and Epirus.
Don’t misunderstand; they simply wanted to seize territory and had no intention of assisting Russia in winning the war.
At this time, the Greeks had not forgotten the threat of Britain and France. On the surface, they completely deny any military involvement in this action.
While their rhetoric said they had no relation to it, their actions speak volumes. The Greek government, in reality, shows no restraint. The continuous transport of strategic supplies to the frontlines is sufficient to illustrate this point.
Choosing an opportune moment, the Greek government took advantage of the Ottoman Empire’s military forces being fully preoccupied on the battlefield, with only police units left to maintain order.
Although the combat capabilities of the Greek army are not outstanding, facing a mere police force with 70,000 soldiers poses no problem. They immediately routed the Ottomans.
If, at this moment, the Greeks proceed without hesitation and advance all the way to Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire would be unable to mobilize any forces to block their path.
All eyes in Europe turned to Athens, as the key to deciding the outcome of this war unexpectedly fell into the hands of the Greeks.
There was not much to say. It was a matter of bribery and coercion. Representatives from Britain, France, and Russia gathered in Athens, each presenting their conditions.
There were no Austrian representatives, not because Franz was uninterested in courting the Greeks, but because the Austrian government had no need to pay for this at all.
It could be said that bribing the Greeks was too costly, beyond what the Austrian government could bear. Franz had no intention of wasting effort on this matter, and the Austrian government directly gave up on making an offer.
Otto I hesitated, not knowing which option to choose. Regardless of whether the Greek government acknowledged this military operation, everyone believed they did it anyway and the facade was shattered.
On one side was the stern warning from Britain and France, on the other was Russia’s enticement. It seemed easy to choose on the surface, but in reality it was full of peril.
The Ottoman Empire was still an ally of Britain and France. The war was still ongoing, and the Ottoman Empire were continuing to make significant contributions to the war effort.
Even if there were thoughts of betraying their ally, Britain and France couldn’t possibly do so at this juncture. Great powers also had their reputations to uphold, and what Britain and France offered was more like a sweetener in the form of loans.
It was common knowledge that the Greek government lacked money, especially with their ventures into naval development when they were already in a bad financial situation.
The offer from the Russians seemed more appealing to Otto I. As long as they were willing to send troops to Constantinople, the regions of Thessaly, Epirus, Thrace and Macedonia were all negotiable.
Of course how much they could get depended on whether the Greeks could capture Constantinople. If they could, then it would prove their strength and all these promises could be fulfilled.
If not, the situation would be ugly. Having the Russian Bear as a neighbor, without sufficient strength, they would become prey instead.
The latter situation was naturally ignored by Otto I. Otherwise, they wouldn’t take advantage of the situation like they are doing now.
Otto I was very clear that public opinion had already been mobilized. Most of the people participating in this military action were volunteers, and the government had already lost control of the overall situation.
Without these soldiers who brought their own supplies, the Greek government would not have the money to recruit 70,000 troops. With the arrow already on the bowstring, they had no choice but to fire it. Otto I could not turn back now.
The Prime Minister hurried over, flustered as he said: “Your Majesty, something big has happened!”
Otto I asked: “Speak slowly, what on earth happened?”
The Prime Minister gloomily said: “Your Majesty, the news of our negotiations with Britain, France and Russia has been leaked, causing quite a stir among the public.
Just now, countless citizens took to the streets and submitted petitions to the government. They demand that the government reject the conditions of the three countries and have also put forward their own demands.”
After receiving the petition and glancing over it briefly, Otto I’s expression instantly turned ugly.
He now wishes he could tear the person who leaked the information into pieces. This was clearly sabotage.
Currently, the people are demanding that the government follow their opinions in the negotiations with the three countries. To put it simply: they demand that the government send troops to occupy Constantinople and restore the territorial boundaries of the Byzantine Empire era.
Was this a joke? Otto I also wanted to restore the territory of the Byzantine Empire, but they didn’t have the capability to do so!
For this kind of thing, just shouting slogans was enough. If they really went to do it, were they certain they would not be beaten to death?
Otto I angrily said: “Bring out a map of the Byzantine Empire, mark out the spheres of influence of each country, print 10,000 copies, and distribute it nationwide.
Send people to popularize basic knowledge to the public. Let’s not have this kind of farce circulate.”
This was originally a joke. Given the strength of the Kingdom of Greece, even if it were increased tenfold, shouting this slogan would still be laughable.
If they could increase it a hundredfold, they would barely qualify to implement it. The difficulty of this is by no means easier than unifying the entire European continent.
The Prime Minister said with a gloomy face: “Your Majesty, according to our analysts, this may be a plot by the Ottomans. The current public opinion has gone mad, and no matter how we explain it, it seems futile.
The public’s yearning for Constantinople has become an obsession. I guess many people would think that giving up territorial claims on Spain, Italy, and Africa would be seen as a compromise already.”
Nationalism was the craziest. Once it went extreme, it would be uncontrollable. Now, the Greek government was hijacked by public opinion, and all of this was Otto I’s fault.
In order to gain public support initially, he chose to stand on the side of public opinion. With the king’s support of nationalism, it soon spiraled out of control.
Otto I angrily said: “Then the government will not express its opinion. Those fighting the Ottomans now are civilian armed forces and have nothing to do with us.”
Send troops to attack Constantinople? Forget about it. It was fine if they didn’t capture it, but what if they did and the public refused to give it up? What would they do then?
After offending Britain and France, they will be competing with the Russians for Constantinople too. Did they really think they were the re-emergence of the Byzantine Empire?
Under this guiding principle, Otto I ordered the frontline troops to fight steadily, advancing along the border.
At the same time, more volunteers were recruited domestically, taking the opportunity to send extreme nationalists to the battlefield as cannon fodder. Eliminating threats was an instinct of the ruling class.
Patriotic slogans echoed, and if they showed weakness at this moment, it would be deemed fake patriotism. Those fishing for fame were the easiest to be despised by others.
The Greek government sprung into action at the fastest speed, sending these cannon fodders to the frontlines. The number of frontline troops increased, and the domestic situation also stabilized.
The cost was that the combat effectiveness of the frontline troops dropped. Their combat effectiveness was already low to begin with, and now that a group of big mouths were added, combat effectiveness naturally dropped another level.
Constantinople
In normal times, the Ottoman government wouldn’t pay much attention to the Greeks. If it weren’t for the intervention of the great powers, they could easily crush the Kingdom of Greece with one hand.
Now, the situation is different. The main forces of the Ottoman Empire are entangled in a deadly struggle with the Russians, and even if the Greeks are relatively weak, they still require military forces to resist them.
“Greece, this little insect, has also come out. What are your thoughts, everyone?” asked Abdulmejid I in a calm tone.
Maybe it was because he had been angry for too long during this period of time, Abdulmejid I was now devoid of anger. Those who knew him understood this was only a facade.
An angry Sultan was terrifying, but a Sultan suppressing his fury was even more terrifying. Only those who experienced the power struggles knew how Abdulmejid I could kill with a smile.
Damat Mehmed Ali Pasha replied: “Your Majesty, although the Greeks’ strength is limited, now is a critical moment. We cannot underestimate them taking advantage of the chaos at this time, we must treat this cautiously.”
Abdulmejid I scolded: “Don’t talk such useless nonsense, just tell us what to do!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Damat Mehmed Ali Pasha anxiously replied.
“According to the intelligence we have collected and analyzed, the Austrians have already obtained everything they wanted and have no intention of continuing to attack us.
At this time, we can send people to negotiate with the Austrian government. Whether we can reach an agreement or not, stabilizing our relations with Austria first is the priority.
After securing Austria’s cooperation, we can withdraw the forces we have stationed against them and redirect these troops to deal with the Greeks.”
Abdulmejid I looked expectantly at Foreign Minister Fuad Pasha, waiting for his answer.
After pondering for a moment, Fuad Pasha gave his reply: “Your Majesty, to stabilize our relations with Austria, we must offer them great benefits. They are very likely to take this opportunity to force us into ceding the Danubian Principalities and Serbia.”
“Cede territory”. Abdulmejid I hesitated. He had to weigh the pros and cons of compromising with the Austrians now.
“If the Austrians are willing to cut off the logistical supplies to Russia, these territories can all be ceded to them!” Abdulmejid I said fiercely.
Ceding territory made his heart bleed, but it was a small price to pay compared to survival. Being neighbors with Austria was still better than being neighbors with Russia.
If Austria stood between them and the Russians, Abdulmejid I felt that he could finally get a good night’s sleep.
“Your Majesty, I’m afraid this is impossible. There must be an alliance between Russia and Austria. They have likely already divided up spheres of influence in the Balkans and would not sever ties with Russia just for these interests.
It is said that Britain and France have also had secret contacts with the Austrians, but it was all fruitless.” Fuad Pasha explained.
It had to be said, just in case the Sultan’s expectations were too high and they failed in the end again, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would bear the brunt of the misfortune. Fuad Pasha did not believe the Austrians could be easily bought off. Even if they could be bought off, they could not afford the price.
In terms of interests, Britain and France would certainly find it simpler to turn against them. The Ottoman government still had a bottom line after all, they could not make unlimited concessions.
Abdulmejid I thought for a moment and said, “Then we’ll take another step back. As long as Austria is willing to cease hostilities with us, we will also cede the Principality of Moldavia to them.
As for specific negotiations, you guys in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can figure it out yourselves. We already have enough troubles, in short we cannot let the Austrians interfere again.”
The Principality of Moldavia included parts of Northern Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine in later times.
This region is at the border between the Ottoman Empire and Russian territory in the Balkans. In order to not have Russia as a neighbor, Abdulmejid I did not mind tossing out this hot potato.
After pausing for a moment, seemingly feeling this condition was not enough, Abdulmejid I added: “The bottom line is Wallachia. For other areas in the Balkans, only small concessions can be made.”
As he said this, he still felt a bit of heartache.
If he had known the war would evolve to this point, he should have agreed to Britain’s proposal earlier and tossed the two Danubian principalities to Austria, arousing conflict between them and Russia.
Abdulmejid I was clear that now that the war had progressed this far, even if the allied forces obtained victory, they had no way to restore the pre-war spheres of influence.
This world was ruled by power. Without power, what right did they have to take so many benefits? When the time came, as long as the Great Powers stirred up a bit, the Balkan nations seeking independence would respond in droves.
The Ottoman Empire’s ethnic contradictions have been ongoing for a long time. Although the Ottoman government had made many efforts, due to problems with execution at the basic level, the effects were still minimal.
If the tide of independence could not be stopped, decline would become inevitable.
If other countries declined, behaving deferentially and harmlessly remains an option. Regardless, there’s no scarcity of small nations across Europe. Currying favor with the powerful could still allow them to develop.
The Ottoman Empire could not do this. Not to mention enemies all over Europe, harboring hatred or resentment does not fill bellies or solve any practical problems. But no matter the apologies made or reparations paid, these issues usually find a way of resolving themselves sooner or later.
Unfortunately, they were not a small country. They have a very robust foundation, and their geographical location was very favorable, situated at the junction of Asia, Europe and Africa, rightly called the heart of the world.
A brief check reveals that among the world’s top ten most important straits in the future, among the world’s ten most important straits, the Ottoman Empire controlled or influenced three: the Black Sea Straits, the Red Sea Straits (Suez Canal), and the Strait of Hormuz (Persian Gulf).
With so many strategic locations, without sufficient strength to safeguard them, it would be like sitting at home waiting for disaster to strike from the sky.
After the Ottoman Empire declined in history, they would cede territory again and again and again until they tossed away most of these hot potatoes and finally stabilized.
Clearly, this was not acceptable to the Ottoman government. Who doesn’t have dreams of being a great power? Even the decadent Ottoman government still aspires to greatness.
Starting from the previous century, their reform and modernization efforts were their attempts at self-preservation. Through these reforms, they had successfully brought the Ottoman Empire back among the ranks of the Great Powers.
Unfortunately, it was only a pseudo great power. And in a war with the Russians, the facade was torn apart, revealing their inherent weakness.
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Fuad Pasha cautiously replied.
Pressure — now he felt the heavy pressure. If they succeed in handling this matter, there won’t be any credit, and any territorial concessions or indemnities won’t win them any goodwill.
If negotiations fell through, the Ottoman Empire would be in danger. The Greeks might just be the last straw that breaks their back, and Fuad Pasha was unaware that the Greek government simply wanted to seize territory.
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