Chapter 940: New Winds in Europe (3)
Furthermore, a traditional friendship existed between the Ottoman Empire and France.
Two centuries ago, King Francis I of France and Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent had formed the Unholy Alliance—the Alliance of the Crescent and the Lily—to jointly counter the threat posed by the House of Habsburg.
Although this alliance had effectively withered away, and aligning with "infidels" was considered somewhat shameful in those days, the treaty had never been formally abolished by either nation.
Grand Vizier Meleka continued, "We can purchase weapons from France in bulk to expand the training of the Topiris New Army. Furthermore, we should strive to have France persuade Russia not to interfere in the Empire's conflict with Austria."
"As I understand it, France and Russia are now linked by marriage. They possess significant influence over the Tsar."
Sultan Selim III's hand, which had been rhythmically thumbing his tasbih prayer beads, suddenly stopped. "And what shall we use to sway the French?"
Meleka hesitated for a moment before answering, "We can pay them in gold coins, Your Majesty. I have heard that France's financial situation is far from ideal, with government debts reaching as high as six billion kuruş."
"Additionally, the French are in desperate need of sugar and cotton. We could grant them exclusive rights to sell our entire output of these two commodities."
Selim III did not seem to share the Grand Vizier's confidence. While the Ottoman Empire was wealthy, the Sultan's personal coffers were stretched thin, and he could not afford to pour too much gold into French hands.
"In short, I need the Topiris New Army to double in size. I want at least ten thousand French-made flintlock muskets and as many cannons as possible."
Although France had helped the Ottomans build a foundry during their last period of cooperation, the quality of the cannons produced by the Ottomans always lagged behind. The original French imports were far superior.
As for the hope that France could convince Russia to stay out of Wallachia and other regions, he didn't hold out much hope at all.
The following day, the Sultan's envoy boarded a steam paddleboat and sped toward Paris.
At the same time, Meleka's orders to mobilize troops were dispatched to the Ottoman military...
In the west of the British Isles, in Ireland.
On the second floor of an inconspicuous residence in southern Wexford, thick curtains blocked out all light. Five or six men of varying ages and dress sat huddled around a flickering candle, whispering in hushed tones.
"The people of Vienna have already set an example for us!" an agitated middle-aged man exclaimed. He had sunken eyes, a high-bridged nose, and a mouth set in a perpetual frown. "Liberty, human rights, equality—listen to those words! How magnificent they are!"
"The Austrians have the right to possess these things, and the Irish should have them as well!"
"Yes, Lord Fitzgerald, liberty and human rights are indeed noble," a kindly-looking old man with thinning hair replied softly. "But you must not forget that the liberal movement in Austria was met with brutal suppression..."
Another man, wearing glasses and exuding a scholarly air, nodded in agreement. "We must embrace the spirit of the Viennese people."
He raised a book in his hand titled The Meaning of Liberty and Human Rights—a hardcover edition, clearly a well-produced reprint. "But at the same time, we must learn from their mistakes," he continued.
"The greatest error they committed was constantly hoping they could persuade a wicked Emperor to grant them a few scraps of freedom."
"But as everyone saw, the only thing the Emperor bestowed upon them was cannon fire!"
Lord Fitzgerald threw up his hands. "Their training camps fought back, but what good did it do?"
"You are exactly right," the man with glasses said. "It was precisely because their training camps were too small and filled only with raw recruits that they failed!"
"What we need are more warriors—trained soldiers—and preferably cannons."
"The British King will never grant us our freedom unless he is certain his army cannot defeat us. We must call upon the people to unite, with liberty and human rights as our goal, and overthrow British rule!"
The kindly old man let out a heavy sigh.
"Yes, Mr. McCracken, we need warriors. But where are we to get cannons? We barely have enough flintlock muskets to go around."
"Lord Fitzgerald is capable of training recruits, and there are many young men willing to be trained. However, we simply do not have the funds to make any of this happen..."
McCracken leaned forward, his hands pressed firmly against the table. "We can seek help from the French!"
"They are enemies of the British government. They would surely love to see Ireland break free from British control."
"I know there are many smugglers along the Netherlands border. They can easily move steam engines to Birmingham; surely transporting a few cannons to Wexford wouldn't be a problem for them."
"Aren't you being a bit too optimistic?" A round-faced, middle-aged man who had remained silent until now peeled back a corner of the curtain to peek outside. After confirming there were no Secret Police on the street, he continued, "Why would their King spend money to support a group of peasants and laborers in overthrowing another King?"
"Don't be fooled by the intensity of their current war. If a 'rabble' like us starts a rebellion, the French might even send troops to help suppress us!"
"What about the Austrians then?" the kindly old man suggested. "I mean their liberals. I've heard of an organization called the Illuminati, backed by bankers and wealthy merchants."
"If our cause succeeds, we could in turn support their actions in Austria."
"It's worth a try," the round-faced man agreed, nodding. "The liberal fighters there are wanted by the Emperor; they might be willing to come to Ireland to test their skills."
"Oh, and there is also America. They must also hope for the emergence of more republics. Their relationship with the British is also terrible—after all, they were enslaved by the British for a century. It's said they even sent volunteers to help the French army fight the British recently."
The others nodded in agreement.
They then began to discuss who should be sent to Austria and the United States, and how to persuade them to join their cause.
Once everything was more or less settled, McCracken said with a hint of stubbornness:
"I still feel we should try our luck with France. Even if it fails, we won't lose much."
The round-faced man looked at his determined expression and finally relented. "Very well, then you shall take a trip to Paris. However, we can't provide you with much in the way of travel funds."
...
Amsterdam.
An officer rushed into the Parliament Building, grabbed an official to ask a few quick questions, and then sprinted up to an office on the second floor. His face was ghostly pale as he gasped out the news:
"Our army has suffered a crushing defeat at Utrecht..."
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