Chapter 359: Russia and Turkey Confrontation

If Europe was still shrouded in the shadow of war and in a state of tension in the first half of 1853.

In the second half of 1853, all parties had actually entered a de facto state of war.

Menshikov, this waste, failed to bring good news to Nicholas I from the Ottoman Empire.

The situation seemed to continue to develop in a direction that was unfavorable to Tsarist Russia.

Nicholas I self-directed and self-acted to propose the condition of the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Danube Principalities in exchange for the privileges of the Russian Empire in the Ottoman Empire.

Nicholas I hoped that the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Mejid would sign this "equal" treaty without any amendments to the treaty, and claimed that this was the last effort made by the Russian Empire to resolve the dispute between the two countries in a peaceful way.

In his letters to Mejid, Nicholas I repeatedly emphasized that in order to peacefully resolve the dispute, the Russian Empire had made the greatest efforts, and even made a decision to let the Russian army withdraw from the lower Danube region in good faith, hoping that Mejid could understand his good intentions and not be ungrateful.

Mejid also knew that this was an ultimatum given to him by Nicholas I.

Before Mejid ascended the throne, the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire had fought many wars.

Mejid had a relatively clear understanding of this country and its rulers. The probability that the Russians would abide by the treaty was about the same as the probability that the believers of God and Allah in the Ottoman Empire could live in peace and be as close as brothers.

Nicholas I's intention to withdraw the Russian army from the United Principality of Moldova and Wallachia was false, but his request for privileges in the Ottoman Empire was true.

Mejid could naturally see such a clumsy trick of retreating to advance.

Based on the previous experience of fighting with Russia, once the Russians did not get what they wanted at the negotiating table, Russia would definitely resort to war and resolve the dispute by force.

Lord Canning, the British Empire's ambassador to Constantinople, also reminded Mejid not to fall into the trap of the Russians and not to imagine that signing a treaty with the Russians would bring peace.

At the same time, Canning also said that once the war breaks out, the Ottoman Empire will not fight alone, and the British Empire, and even the French Empire, will be the strong backing of the Ottoman Empire.

Although Britain has been criticized for selling out its teammates in the past, this time, Britain did not sell out the Ottoman Empire.

Because once the Russians control the Dardanelles, the only passage between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, the privileges of the British Empire in the Mediterranean will be directly threatened by the Russian Navy, which has threatened Britain's core interests in the Mediterranean.

Britain hopes to use the power of the Ottomans to limit the scope of the Russian Navy's activities to the Black Sea.

After weighing the pros and cons, on the one hand, he mobilized all the troops that could be mobilized in the empire and ordered the entire army to prepare for war with the Russians.

On the other hand, Mejid sent troops to the two vassal states of the Ottoman Empire, the United Principalities of Moldova and Wallachia, in the lower reaches of the Danube, where Russia is most likely to attack.

The United Principalities of Moldova and Wallachia are two highly autonomous vassal states in the northwest of the Ottoman Empire, and are also the land borders between the western Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire.

The geographical location of these two principalities is in Romania and Moldova in later generations.

As for the Georgia region at the land border between the eastern Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, Mejid and his generals and ministers believed that with the poor logistics level of the Russian army, they would not go far away and cross mountains and ridges through Georgia to attack the Ottoman Empire.

Once a war breaks out, the direction of the United Principalities of Moldova and Wallachia must be the main attack direction of the Russians.

After making these deployments, Mejid still had some concerns. He wanted to express his concerns to Canning: "If the Austro-Hungarian Empire stands on the side of the Russians, the Ottoman army in the Danube region will be attacked from both sides by the Russian-Austrian coalition forces, and it will be difficult to support itself."

"Dear Sultan, I assure you that the Austro-Hungarian Empire will not stand on the side of the Russians." Canning assured Mejid confidently, "The Austro-Hungarian Empire will remain neutral!"

"The weak navy of the Ottoman Empire cannot resist the Russian navy. I hope your country and France can lend a hand." This is Mejid's second concern.

"As long as you open the Dardanelles to us, the British Empire's fleet will enter the Black Sea and provide maritime security for the Ottoman Empire. We will join forces to limit the Russian fleet to the Black Sea and even the Sea of ​​Azov." Canning still assured Mejid with confidence.

With the British promise, Mejid finally made up his mind to reject Nicholas I's ultimatum, and at the same time open the Dardanelles to allow the British and French armies to freely enter and exit the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

Nicholas I did not realize the seriousness of the matter. After the ultimatum was rejected by the Ottoman Sultan Mejid, Nicholas I was furious.

The Ottomans' refusal made him, the European arbitrator, feel ashamed.

The furious Nicholas I decided to send more troops to the Danube region and continue to put pressure on Mejid to force him to make concessions.

If Mejid did not make concessions, he would join forces with the Austro-Hungarian Empire to attack the United Principalities of Moldova and Wallachia, taking these two vassal states of the Ottoman Empire into his possession and making them territories of the Russian Empire.

At the same time, it can also recognize and support the independence of the Principality of Serbia, bring Serbia into the sphere of influence of the Russian Empire, and then slowly plan the entire Balkan Peninsula.

In this way, Russia will not have to worry about the problem of not having an outlet to the sea. There are many excellent outlets in the Balkan region.

When Nicholas I complacently proposed this crazy plan, Foreign Minister Nessröd, a veteran of three dynasties, thought that Nicholas I was crazy.

There are two prerequisites for Nicholas I to realize this plan.

One is that Franz Joseph, the Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, stands on the side of the Russian Empire.

Nicholas I felt that he had done a favor to Franz Joseph. In 1848, a revolution broke out in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nicholas I sent troops to help Franz Joseph suppress the revolution and save Franz Joseph's throne. Franz Joseph will definitely stand on the side of the Russian Empire and become a reliable ally of the Russian Empire.

But Nessröd, a veteran in the diplomatic field, does not think so. The personal friendship and favors between emperors are not worth mentioning in the face of national interests.

It is true that Russia sent troops to suppress the revolutionary movement in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but after the Russian army entered the country, almost all the villages and cities they passed through were looted by the Russian army.

The people of the Austro-Hungarian Empire had a very bad impression of the Russian Empire, especially the Russian army. In their eyes, the Russians were no different from bandits.

Franz Joseph could not ignore the domestic public opinion. In order to restore the popularity of Nicholas I, he stood on the side of Nicholas I without hesitation.

What's more, the United Principality of Moldova and Wallachia and the Principality of Serbia also bordered the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The Russian Empire wanted to dismember and divide the Ottoman Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire also wanted to.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was definitely not happy with the Russian Empire's involvement in the United Principality of Moldova and Wallachia and the Principality of Serbia.

Therefore, Nessrrode believed that the alliance with the Austro-Hungarian Empire was purely Nicholas I's wishful thinking and was not realistic at all.

The second is that if Nicholas I's plan is to be realized, the Russian army must quickly capture the United Principalities of Moldova and Wallachia, cross the Balkan Mountains, and march to the gates of Constantinople before Britain and France intervene, forcing the Ottoman Sultan Mejid to surrender quickly.

Create a fait accompli and do not give Britain and France the opportunity to intervene.

However, in order to realize such a combat plan, the Russian army needs to fight quickly, defeat the Ottoman army in a very short time and drive straight to Constantinople.

Although Nesirrod has retreated to the second line, he still understands the situation of the Russian army. He knows very well that with the mediocre ability of the current Russian generals and the poor logistics of the Russian army, this plan cannot be realized anyway.

To put it bluntly, after the Patriotic War of 1812, the Russian army did not improve its armaments. The equipment level of Russian soldiers remained in 1812, and the combat thinking of Russian generals also remained in 1812.

"Your Majesty, if we send troops to Moldova, the United Principality of Wallachia and the Balkans, the Austro-Hungarian Empire may not stand on our side. Please think twice." Nessrrod advised.

Nessrrod's inappropriate words made Nicholas I very unhappy. Nicholas I said coldly: "Even without the Austro-Hungarian Empire, our powerful Russian army can defeat the weak Ottoman army!"

Nicholas I unceremoniously ordered Nessrrod to leave, and then discussed with his generals how the Russian army should defeat the Ottoman army if Russia had to solve the Near East problem by force.

Nicholas I was convinced of the weakness of the Ottoman Empire. He believed that as long as the giant Russia moved its fingers lightly, it would be able to knock down the weak sick man of West Asia.

At this time, Nicholas I still did not take Nessrrod's advice seriously. He not only believed that once the war with Ottoman Turkey began, not only would Austria-Hungary, the reliable ally, stand on his side.

Britain will also stand on this side, and even after Britain joins Russia, France will follow Britain and join its camp in order to get some leftovers.

After all, everyone is European, and there is no reason for Europeans to not unite to divide an Asian country together. This is the logic of Nicholas I.

After the Ottoman Sultan Mejid rejected his ultimatum and the Ottoman Empire allowed British and French ships to enter and exit the Dardanelles freely.

Nicholas I announced the severance of diplomatic relations between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire. And on July 3, 1853, he sent troops to Moldavia and Wallachia, the two Danube principalities.

Nicholas I was very satisfied with his operation and thought that what he had to do next was to wait for Mejid's surrender.