The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1650 Flexible Secret Agreements

In recent years, the Tsar has been continuously increasing his troops in the Balkans, and various supplies have been flowing into the region.

Russia's justification was to quell the rebellion; if it weren't for the fact that Britain was indeed supporting the rebel forces, he would have even suspected it was a Russian conspiracy.

Nicholas I's ambition for Constantinople was almost common knowledge, and in recent years, Russian envoys had been frequently traveling between Vienna and St. Petersburg.

George Hamilton Gordon was almost certain that Russia would launch an attack on the Ottomans as soon as the armistice expired.

Of course, given the personality of that "European Gendarmerie," it's not impossible that he could openly tear up an agreement once it's reached with the Austrian Empire.

"Damn sick man of West Asia!"

George Hamilton Gordon said bitterly.

His words immediately resonated with Foreign Secretary George Villiers.

“Your Excellency, you are absolutely right! All the disasters were caused by the Ottomans! If they hadn’t been so weak, the Russians wouldn’t have dared to act so recklessly.”

George Hamilton Gordon was even more furious upon hearing this.

"The Ottomans were so incompetent that it was almost beyond redemption, and it is hard to imagine why the country could exist for so long."

We've already given them three loans, and look what they've done! Why is the Iron Wall constructed entirely of wood and stone?

Look at these photos! I'd believe you if you said they were defending against the Crusades!

George Hamilton Gordon pointed to the photos on the table, which showed only rocks, dirt, a few crooked wooden stakes, and not even a decent firing hole.

What's in the photo can hardly be called a fortification; at best, it can only be described as a substandard breastwork.

The soldiers in the photo also had empty, lifeless eyes, as if their eyes were unfocused, and they just stood there blankly.

Add to that their tattered clothes, and George Hamilton Gordon was almost certain these guys would crumble the moment the fighting started; such an army had no chance of winning.

George Villiers sighed.

"It seems our £8000 million has gone down the drain. £8000 million, and all they've done is build up this tiny mound of dirt?"

George Hamilton Gordon was even more furious after hearing this.

"The Ottomans are a bunch of parasites! They are corrupt from top to bottom. There are hardly any fortifications on the front lines, but the number of Turkish baths in the homes of the Pashas is increasing."

Some of the soldiers on the front lines were carrying melee weapons, and those guys' private soldiers were even equipped with the latest Colt revolvers.

Colt had actually built a factory in Istanbul, but as the British have said, most of the weapons it produced ended up in the hands of private guards.

“Your Excellency, please hear me out. Their actions go beyond this. It seems there is a division within the Ottoman Empire, which is why those guys are sparing no effort to strengthen their own factions.”

George Villiers was also helpless, but he had to take this opportunity to speak out, otherwise he, as the foreign minister, would likely have to take the blame in the end.

George Hamilton Gordon closed his eyes in anguish. The performance of his ally, the Ottomans, was utterly disheartening, and he was now questioning the very validity of the balance of power policy on the continent.

However, George Hamilton Gordon dared not speak on this point, as it was the foundation of British foreign policy, and he was not qualified to interfere. At least, as one of the weakest prime ministers in British history, he did not have the courage.

Having averted the blame, George Villiers felt relieved, but still looked at the Prime Minister with a pained expression. The latter thought for a moment and said...

"How about we sign a secret agreement with the Austrians?"

George Villiers had become somewhat numb to it; after all, almost every prime minister did it, as if it were some kind of mysterious tradition. However, no one had ever succeeded; the Austrian Empire was always entangled with the Russians, which was why things were so difficult.

So George Villiers asked the question knowingly.

"Your Excellency, what do you mean?"

"You should first prepare to make contact with the Austrian Empire, bringing your best diplomats. If you can get the Austrians to turn against Russia, that would be ideal."

But if that doesn't work, I think we can limit the destruction of this war to a limited extent.

The first sentence was entirely within George Villiers' expectations, but he didn't quite understand the second sentence.

"Your Excellency, what do you mean? I don't quite understand."

"Earl Clarendon, do you remember the naval battle of 1848?"

(The Earl of Clarendon refers to George Villiers.)
George Villiers didn't quite understand why the other person was bringing this up now, and he just answered instinctively.

"Of course I remember, that was the Royal Navy's most devastating defeat in nearly a century."

George Hamilton Gordon nodded.

"Other than that?"

"I don't understand, Your Excellency."

George Hamilton Gordon said earnestly.

"While the defeat in the war was certainly painful, the mutual plundering between our country and the Austrian Empire during that period was even more terrible."

At that time, due to the actions of our two countries, the entire Mediterranean and even the entire South Atlantic shipping routes were in chaos.

The unbridled looting and retaliatory attacks by both sides caused the situation to spiral out of control, disrupting international trade and resulting in the loss of most of Britain's inherent interests in the Mediterranean.

Furthermore, third-party ships and pirates took the opportunity to join in, ultimately leading to the complete collapse of maritime order.

As a responsible major power, Britain should shoulder this responsibility and not allow such chaos to happen again.

The British Empire's economy cannot withstand another blow.

Although it was somewhat outrageous, George Villiers thought the Austrians would likely accept it.

Although they had lost the previous naval battle, the naval advantage still lay with the British Empire. The Austrians probably didn't want to risk their lives and were likely to accept the proposal.

However, this plan is clearly immature. If it is to be an agreement, it is best to be a public, multi-country agreement to prevent anyone from taking advantage of loopholes and to ensure the effectiveness of the agreement.

"Your Excellency, it would be better to include countries like France and Spain in this agreement, and ideally, it should be made into a public declaration."

This is necessary to provide sufficient binding force.

However, George Hamilton Gordon looked at George Villiers with a strange expression, and he had begun to doubt the Foreign Secretary's professionalism.

After all, this foreign secretary lacks flexibility in his thinking, stance, and morality, so how can he represent Britain?

George Hamilton Gordon's intention was to use this secret agreement to bind the Austrian Empire; if the Ottoman Empire was indeed hopelessly corrupt, then Britain would abide by the agreement.

However, if Britain gains the upper hand, or if it becomes necessary to cross this line, the British government can tear it up without any burden.