Chapter 939: New Trends in Europe (Part 2)
Finally, during the Anglo-Dutch War a decade ago, the British had crushed the Netherlands—a key member of the League of Armed Neutrality—and forced them into a subordinate role.
Soon after, the British suppressed Prussia as well.
As luck would have it, war then broke out between Sweden and Russia, draining both nations' strength and leaving them with little desire to police the seas.
Thus, the League of Armed Neutrality existed in name only.
It was this very decline that allowed the British to effectively blockade French maritime trade.
"This is indeed an opportunity," Prince Regent Frederick nodded. "The League of Armed Neutrality is part of the Russian Tsarina's diplomatic legacy; she will surely support its revival.
"The Netherlands has only recently escaped British control, and given the immense pressure on their national finances, they are in desperate need of expanding their trade.
"My only concern is the choice the Swedes might make."
Sweden had recently been at war with Russia and might well refuse any form of cooperation with them.
"Furthermore, restarting the League of Armed Neutrality is exactly what France needs right now."
Bernstorff nodded in agreement. "France is currently the country with the fastest-growing trade volume in Europe. Because of their war with Russia, Sweden's financial situation is precarious; they are in urgent need of trade with the French."
After he finished speaking, the men in the room fell into a collective silence for a moment.
Because the British had blockaded the French coast, Denmark, which relied entirely on maritime trade, had suffered devastating losses.
Denmark's primary exports were seafood, grain, oils, and shipping supplies.
Aside from the last item, these were all perishable goods. In the year since they had lost the French market, Denmark's trade volume had plummeted by more than a fifth!
Compared to Sweden, Denmark's financial situation was perhaps even more perilous.
This was one of the primary reasons they were so eager to restart the League of Armed Neutrality.
That night, after careful deliberation among the senior members of the Privy Council, the Danish Prince Regent gave his orders:
"Then it is decided. Count Bernstorff shall head to Saint Petersburg to encourage the Tsarina to step forward and lead the new League of Armed Neutrality.
"As for Versailles, I will go there personally. Duke Schulenburg, please prepare a suitable gift for me as soon as possible."
In reality, the League of Armed Neutrality was the true grand gift he intended to bring to France.
...
The Ottoman Empire.
Constantinople.
Inside Topkapi Palace, a port customs inspector knelt on the floor, recounting his report with a hint of nervousness:
"...After that, the French army launched a surprise attack on Bavaria, marching all the way to the gates of Vienna.
"The French general only withdrew his troops after Bavaria surrendered.
"Then Austria could no longer hold out and announced its surrender. As a result, France gained all of Austria's spheres of influence on the west bank of the Rhine and in Northern Italy.
"Because of this defeat, serious riots broke out within Austria. Their Minister of State, Thugut, was dismissed and has fled the capital..."
Before him, Sultan Salem III and Grand Vizier Meleka exchanged frequent glances. In their eyes, alongside shock, was an irrepressible spark of excitement.
Indeed, due to the appallingly low efficiency of the Ottoman Empire's intelligence system, Constantinople had remained largely ignorant of the specific details of recent events in mainland Europe until now.
It was only today, when a Genoese merchant ship docked at the port to unload cargo, that the captain spoke of the news from Europe to the Ottoman customs inspector, finally giving the Sultan first-hand information.
When the Sultan and his Grand Vizier first heard that France had stood its ground against several major European powers and secured command of the Mediterranean Sea, they merely felt a private sense of relief that they had made the correct decision in choosing France.
Since the Ottoman Empire had previously deepened its trade and shipping cooperation with France, it was foreseeable that they would see a significant increase in trade revenue in the future.
What interested the Ottoman Sultan even more, however, was the news of Austria's defeat and the large-scale riots within its borders.
Once Salem III dismissed the customs inspector, the Grand Vizier immediately bowed to the Sultan and said:
"Your Majesty, this is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity for the Empire. The warriors of the Empire will use blood and scimitars to recover the lost lands of Wallachia for you!"
Wallachia was the northwesternmost territory of the Ottoman Empire, but it had been occupied by Austria for some time.
Now, Austria was at its weakest. Meanwhile, the Ottomans had gained considerable benefits after thrashing the Egyptian Mamluks; their national strength had recently recovered to seventy or eighty percent of what it was before the defeat in the Russo-Turkish War.
It was quite simply the perfect time to retake Wallachia.
Salem III clearly shared the same thought, but he took a deep breath to calm himself and asked:
"How many troops can the Empire mobilize right now?"
Meleka considered for a moment before replying, "Your Majesty, we can send 2,000 men from the Topiris New Army to the north, along with about 30,000 Janissaries and approximately 30,000 local troops from regions like Bulgaria and Thrace."
Salem III shook his head slightly. "No, that is not enough..."
Based on the Ottoman Empire's past performance against Austria, they needed at least three times the enemy's numbers to be certain of victory.
And from that total, he had to discount units like the local Thracian troops, who were merely there to make up the numbers; they couldn't even maintain order in occupied areas, and on the battlefield, their rapid retreats could even undermine the morale of the Janissary Corps.
In other words, the troops truly capable of being deployed for combat against Austria numbered fewer than 40,000.
Of course, Salem III now had the Topiris New Army, which gave him a bit more confidence.
But the numbers of the New Army were, after all, too small.
Salem III sighed again. "Furthermore, the Russians will not sit idly by while we attack Wallachia."
Although Catherine II had promised to cede all of Wallachia to Austria—to persuade the latter to declare war on Poland—the Ottoman territory of Moldavia, which was under Russian control, sat directly adjacent to the eastern border of Wallachia.
The Russians would certainly worry that after the Ottoman army occupied Wallachia, they would take the opportunity to lay hands on Russian territory.
There was another possibility: Russia might take advantage of the Ottomans concentrating their forces in Wallachia to invade the Ottoman region of Tarnovo directly from the north. That area was less than a hundred kilometers from Constantinople.
Meleka immediately spoke up: "Your Majesty, Russia has suffered heavy losses due to the invasion of Poland and is currently at its weakest point as well.
"As long as the Empire stations heavy troops in Tarnovo, the Russians should not choose to start a war.
"As for the army to take Wallachia..."
He paused and looked at the Sultan. "We can seek help from our French friends."
Indeed, after the French-trained Topiris New Army had defeated the Mamluks, the French had become friends of the Sultan.
As for the matter of them being infidels, the Empire had plenty of Christians of its own; it made no real difference.
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