33) Ottoman Preparation
Minister of Foreign Affairs Halim Pasha sneered and said, "Rat's eyes! Even if the British are held in check by the Boers, they are still the world's number one power, and wouldn't it be easy to give us trouble?
Not to mention far away, now they support the Balkan countries to challenge our position and support the Armenians to become independent. These are enough for us to suffer!
The Russians certainly do not want Austria-Hungary to expand its power in the Balkans, but if it is for the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea, is it not worth making a deal with Austria-Hungary?
You know that whether the Russians enter the Mediterranean or not, it doesn't matter much to Austria-Hungary! As long as there are enough benefits, who are we to stop the two countries from compromising!"
The Minister of War retorted, "The Russians do dream of entering the Mediterranean, but I don't need to tell you what the Turkish Straits is!
Even if they gain the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea, what can they do? A series of archipelago chains ahead need to be broken through before they can enter the Mediterranean!
And the Russian navy now does not have the strength to compete in the Mediterranean. Once in the Mediterranean, the British, Italians, and even the Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch could be their enemies!
Would the Russians be so unwise as to rush foolishly into the Mediterranean? If that's the case, letting the Russians go through the strait is easy enough. Then we'll organize an allied army and fight a new Crimean War!"
Minister of Foreign Affairs Halim Pasha gave the Minister of War a disdainful look and said: "Don't think of the Russians as idiots. Taking the Turkish Straits is not the same as fighting for domination of the Mediterranean!
The strategic focus of the Russians now is still on the Far East. With the capture of the Bosphorus, or even the Dardanelles, and control of the Marmara Sea, only to master the gateway to the Turkish Straits, the Russians will gain the strategic lead!
The British will not intervene as long as they are not competing with the British for supremacy in the Mediterranean! It's already enough of a headache for the Germans and the French!"
The Minister of War continued his rebuttal, saying, "Then tell me, Mr. Halim Pasha, are the Russians still capable of provoking a full-scale war in Europe now that their strategic focus has shifted eastward?
To fully master the Turkish Straits, Istanbul, and Asia Minor, are hurdles they can't bypass! At least they have to acquire the coastal areas. Otherwise, they are still not safe even if they capture Constantinople!
Unless, if the Russians have to go out of their way to declare war on us! Otherwise, at best, they will support a few fleas from the Balkans and come out to cause us trouble!
A few small countries, even with the support of the Russians, we would be able to crush them! With no way to gain the Bosphorus, would the Russians be willing to compromise with Austria-Hungary?"
Well, Minister of Foreign Affairs Halim Pasha was sprayed speechless! He couldn't say that the Ottoman Empire couldn't even handle a few small countries!
At this moment, the Sultan stepped forward to be a peacemaker and spoke, "Gentlemen, all of you are the pillars of the country, there is no need to argue over a small matter! Prime Minister, what do you think about this issue?"
The Prime Minister, who was called out, looked at the Sultan's face and spoke slowly, "Everyone is right. We must take the situation in the Balkans seriously, and I propose increasing troops in the Balkans to deal with future changes in the situation!
As for the Russians who do not fight may personally come down, or they would not sell a fleet to Bulgaria!
If you add the Greek navy, they now have the advantage, but we don't have to take our precious navy and battle them at sea!
The navy just has to hold the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus, separate them, and wait for the land forces to gain victory, and then it's all over!
Now the three little children in the Balkans, the reason why they dare to make small moves, in addition to the incentives of the British, Austria-Hungary, and the Russians, our domestic outbreak of the Armenian uprising, is the main factor.
Probably they feel that our Ottoman Empire is rotten and is about to be finished, and want to come out to be a vulture, eager to come out to divide the carrion!
Right now, our focus is on solving domestic problems! And then give those three disobedient little kids a lesson in blood!"
It has to be said that the Ottoman Prime Minister was quite accurate! Until the Bulgarian army reached Constantinople, the Russians would not take the navy to fight them.
The Bosphorus is that treacherous. The narrowest point is just over 700 meters. The Ottoman Navy can rely on the defense of the forts on both sides!
If the Russian Navy went in, it would be similar to using a warship against artillery batteries, and probably the commander wouldn't do it if he wasn't brain-dead!
It is also the reason why the Russian Empire collapsed in World War I! The Entente navy was clearly dominant but still unable to break through the Turkish Straits. In order to open up the transport route, Britain and France had to send troops to Anatolia!
As for the idea that the British and French purposely let the Russians collapse, that's total bullshit! Not to mention the foreign debt the Russians owed, just from a military point of view, without the Russian hold on the Eastern Front, the British and French were being pinned down on the Western Front!
In 1917, the Germans were terribly close to breaking through the line several times. If not for the British and French efforts and the German strategic mistakes, the French may kneel!
As for the Americans, money and supplies are okay. Think of the pocket-sized version of the army of only a few tens of thousands of people, and expect them to fight or forget it!
Even if they later entered the war, the material brought much more help than the military, and even the moral support got more than the military. The main force is still Britain and France!
The pride of the Turks is not without reason. At the end of the 19th century, they were at least among the top powers.
Nothing else dares to say, at this time, their military power is still the world's top ten, but can not beat the British and the Russians, but also can not beat Bulgaria, Greece, and Montenegro?
Minister of Foreign Affairs Halim Pasha could only sigh and return dejected! How is the Ottoman Empire now? Sitting here can not know it? It is also to fool the Sultan, but no one dares to uncover this mess. Of course, not paying attention to the opponent is also a reason!
...
After receiving the information that the Ottoman Empire had increased its troops in the Balkans, Ferdinand was shocked, but he still did not see any movement!
It wasn't until 1896 when the Armenians started a rebellion in Constantinople, that the Turks really increased their troops to Europe!
Ferdinand also had to admire the efficiency of the Ottoman Empire. No wonder in history, when the first Balkan Wars were fought, reinforcements were still on their way from Asia!
Think about it is also tipsy! Both sides have made it clear that the Sultan's government is still idle! If it were Ferdinand, he would have taken care of the Armenian issue at once, organized the army, and began to work instantly, using the contradictions between the three countries, one by one!