Chapter 772: End of the Near East War |
On July 12, 1883, the Russian army captured the Ottoman capital, Ankara, and took Grand Vizier Midhat Pasha prisoner. With this, the Ottoman Empire was officially declared extinct.
From Austria to Russia, celebrations erupted as both empires rejoiced in their victory. Festivities took place one after another, filling the cities with an atmosphere of triumph.
To commemorate this great victory, even Franz, who was not fond of banquets, personally hosted a grand celebration. At one point, he even considered holding an ancestral memorial ceremony.
After all, traditions were meant to be broken, and in this era, the Papacy had already declined, leaving it without the power to interfere.
However, the mere thought of the House of Habsburg’s burial traditions made Franz abandon the idea.
According to custom, when a member of the House of Habsburg passed away, their remains were divided and buried in three separate locations: the heart was placed in the Augustinian Church, the internal organs were stored in St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and the body itself was laid to rest in the Imperial Crypt beneath the Capuchin Church.
Choosing between these three churches was already a problem in itself. Each held different symbolic meanings, and no matter which one was selected, it would inevitably be interpreted through a political lens.
Unwilling to deal with such trouble, Franz simply gave up on the plan.
Overall, the Near East War had gone smoothly. The only regret was that Abdul Hamid II had disappeared without a trace, making the victory feel slightly less complete.
Not every monarch is capable of going into exile. The Ottoman Sultan was not just a secular ruler but also a religious leader.
Perhaps Franz, as a fellow monarch, was unwilling to completely eradicate him. However, in this situation, where the defeated were being thoroughly crushed, the Church would certainly seize the opportunity to assert its influence.
Due to religious beliefs, even if the British government wanted to stir up trouble, they would not be able to support Abdul Hamid II’s restoration.
Actually, it was not just a matter of support. There was simply no place for him to restore his rule. Once the population transfer was complete, there would be no Ottomans left on Ottoman land, and the places where Ottomans remained were no longer part of the Ottoman Empire.
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Foreign Minister Wessenberg handed a document to Franz and said, “Your Majesty, this is the request from the Russian government regarding the distribution of the spoils of war.
In general, they are still claiming the territories agreed upon before the war. However, the Russians have also proposed an alternative that if we are willing to provide monetary compensation, they are prepared to give up part of their gains.”
Hearing this, Franz’s first reaction was disbelief. The Russian government willingly giving up land? That was unheard of.
It was only after taking the document and reading the relevant clauses that he finally accepted the reality.
Franz was no stranger to major political maneuvers, so he was not about to be caught off guard by such an unexpected offer. After regaining his composure, he asked, “Do we know the reason?”
Minister of Finance Karl replied, “Your Majesty, I believe this issue ultimately comes down to financial constraints.
As per the agreement, the Russians are entitled to a significant portion of the Anatolian Peninsula. However, due to the war, these areas have been reduced to ruins.
In the short term, there will be no returns from these territories. Not only will they need to station troops to maintain stability, but they will also have to invest heavily in post-war reconstruction.
If the Russian government takes control of these regions, their annual expenditures will increase by at least 15 million guilders, and it will take at least ten years before they can breakeven.
Given the state of their finances, they simply cannot afford this burden. Selling the land to us is a matter of necessity rather than choice.
To secure funds for resettling migrants and to alleviate their financial difficulties, the Russian government has also been actively accepting Ottomans from the areas under our control.
As of now, we have already paid the Russians 23.86 million guilders in migration resettlement fees, and all of these people have been relocated to Russian-occupied areas.
If the land transfer goes through, we will inevitably have to relocate all Ottomans from the Anatolian Peninsula.
The Russians will not only receive a substantial payment for the land transfer but will also gain another large sum in resettlement fees. In fact, they might even charge us again for the migrants they have already taken in.
I strongly suspect that the Russian government will propose additional conditions and take full control of the resettlement process.
For them, this would not be difficult at all. Siberia and the Far East have vast expanses of land available for resettlement. While the conditions are somewhat harsh, it is not a major concern.”
Hearing this explanation, Franz couldn’t help but admire the Russian government’s business acumen.
According to the previous agreement, the Russians had already completed one round of resettlement.
Although the people were still in Anatolia, the Austrian government had only stipulated that they be removed from Austria’s sphere of influence. At the time, there was no land transfer agreement in place, so the Russians had technically fulfilled their contractual obligations.
Even though the Austrian government now realized it had been taken advantage of, there was nothing that could be done. International politics is like gambling. Once you sit at the table, you must have the integrity to accept both wins and losses.
Franz smiled slightly and said, “If it’s a financial issue, then negotiate a price with the Russians. Strengthening the power of the Russian government was already part of our plan. This just moves the timeline forward a bit.”
For the Russian government, Anatolia was a financial burden that it could not afford. But for Austria, the situation was different.
Although there would be no short-term economic returns and a massive investment would be required, the strategic value of the territory was immense.
Taking control of this region would not only connect Austria seamlessly with the Middle East but, more importantly, provide a secure rear.
By relocating a few million settlers from the homeland and fully integrating the region, Franz would never again have to worry about being blockaded.
There is a key difference between “strengthening military power” and “strengthening national power.” Franz’s goal was only to enhance the Russian government’s military capabilities, not to improve the overall strength of the Russian Empire.
So when it comes to offering this assistance, skill will be key. Helping the Russian government achieve full industrialization was, of course, out of the question.
Even if Austria were to help, it would be in a way similar to the later Mexican model of industrialization.
In other words, it would appear impressive on the surface, giving the illusion of industrialization, but in reality, Russia would be nothing more than a massive assembly plant, with all core components imported.
The Russians weren’t fools. If they weren’t given the appearance of strength, how could they develop ambitions to challenge the subcontinent?
Foreign Minister Wessenberg reminded, “Your Majesty, our negotiations with the British have also begun. If news of the Anatolian land transaction leaks at this time, it may cause yet another storm.”
The British were a constant nuisance, but there was no real way to deal with them. Perhaps they couldn’t do much to harm Austria directly, but when it came to causing trouble, they were absolute experts.
If they got involved, this land deal would become much harder to complete. Even if an agreement were reached, the Austrian government would end up paying additional costs.
After thinking for a moment, Franz made his decision: “Grant full authority to our ambassador to Russia to negotiate with the Russian government. The process must be swift, and the deal must be concluded before the British have time to react.
In addition to a cash payment, we can also assist the Russians in rebuilding their navy.
Tell them that if the deal is completed within a week, we will provide them with five additional battleships as a gift.
Furthermore, these ships do not have to be delivered immediately. They can notify us whenever they wish to claim them.”
Franz had no intention of bargaining to lower the price. From the moment Austria began relocating the population of the Anatolian Peninsula, the Russian government knew how much the Austrian government valued the region.
The essence of Russia selling these territories was to secure a good price and fill its financial shortfall, so driving the price down was simply not an option.
Offering five battleships as a gift was, in reality, an indirect way of increasing the purchase price. Setting a time limit was also part of the negotiation strategy.
The key difference was that Austria’s first dreadnoughts were about to be launched, meaning these older battleships were on the verge of retirement.
Five outdated battleships, soon to be obsolete, were in no way comparable to eight of the most advanced battleships.
By taking advantage of the information gap and the difference in perceived value, Austria aimed to mislead the Russians into overestimating the worth of these ships, ultimately reducing the cost of acquiring the land.
It was important to remember that the Austrian Navy currently had 36 battleships. Finding buyers for them was an enormous challenge.
Without someone to take them off Austria’s hands, most of these warships would be scrapped and sold for scrap metal once the next naval arms race began.
…
The territorial transaction between Russia and Austria was just one of the many side events following the end of the Near East War. Numerous post-war issues still required the Austrian government’s attention.
On the international stage, things were relatively easy to handle. The Ottomans were despised enough that no one was willing to speak up for them, so there was little to no public pressure.
Across Europe, people were celebrating this great victory. Even if some were displeased, they were only a small minority.
The real challenge lay in post-war reconstruction. With the local population relocated, replacements were needed. Without a sufficient population, any plans for reconstruction would be nothing more than a joke.
Franz’s desk was already piled high with project proposals with plans for migration and resettlement, the Baghdad Railway, the Dardanelles Bridge…
Looking at the overwhelming number of documents, Franz felt his head ache. Spending every day buried in paperwork, he could feel his hairline receding further. If this continued, he was going to go bald at a young age.
There was no choice. Being an emperor was not easy. It was not that Franz was obsessed with power, but there were certain issues he had to personally oversee.
People from different eras viewed problems in completely different ways. What seemed like a brilliant plan now could turn into a major liability in the future.
Take the Dardanelles Bridge, for example. According to the plan of the Ministry of Railways, the bridge would be designed exclusively for rail traffic, with only a single lane for horse-drawn carriages.
That might be sufficient for now, but once automobiles became widespread, the bridge would soon become obsolete and need to be rebuilt.
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https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)