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

Chapter 1685: The battle began 3 hours after the declaration of war.

Chapter 1685: The battle began three hours after the declaration of war.

Clearly, Prince Schwarzenberg would never lend money to the Ottoman Empire from his position.

"The Ottomans recruited such a group of thugs into their army. If they can't pay them, aren't they afraid those guys will rebel?"

Prince Schwarzenberg was very curious about this, but Count Latour felt that what other countries had, the Austrian Empire could not be without.

Should we also form a foreign legion?

Franz shook his head.

"Our Austrian Empire does not need foreign legions. As for those so-called thugs, it will be difficult for them to rebel against the country. The Ottomans will most likely use other things to offset the precious metals, and in that case, it will probably be a case of both sides taking a step back."

"Should we get involved?"

Prince Schwarzenberg asked tentatively, since the Austrian Empire also had some mercenary organizations that could take this opportunity to infiltrate the Ottoman army.

"There's no need. Doing so would not bring us any real benefit other than potentially angering the Russians."

Furthermore, I don't think the Ottomans would allow our mercenaries to join their Foreign Legion in an organized manner.

Sending a few spies in to gather intelligence will suffice.

However, perhaps because the Russians were so hated, many people were eager to try their luck when the Ottoman Empire issued a recruitment notice for the Foreign Legion.

Refugees from all corners of the world flocked to the Ottoman Empire. They mainly came from Poland and Hungary, with some refugees from Italy and Ireland, as well as a large number of officers from England and France.

In addition, there were the Balkan rebels whose goals overlapped with those of the Ottomans. The Russians were their common enemy, and both wanted to drive them out of the Balkans.

Almost no one within the German Confederation defected to the Ottomans. Besides the animosity stemming from their long-standing enmity, the Austrian Empire's propaganda also played a significant role, leading almost no one in the German territories to believe that the Ottomans could win.

Furthermore, young people in the German region at this time had better options and more choices, so there was absolutely no need for them to fight to the death with the Ottoman Empire and the Russians.

Murad V's last card was faith, also known as holy war.

In a country like the Ottoman Empire, with its strong religious atmosphere, the power of religion was undoubtedly very powerful, but this power was also very complex and contradictory.

Moreover, modern historians do not like to mention this kind of barbaric and primitive power; they usually approach it from the perspective of national interests and geopolitics.

Unfortunately, the people at that time did not consider national interests or geopolitics at all; religion, culture, and language resonated with them more.

The effects of the jihad were immediate; although the Arab world had long been fragmented, it was the strongest bond within the Ottoman Empire.

Muslim enthusiasm was ignited, and a large number of young Muslim men decided to join the army, while the country also received a considerable amount of donations.

Thanks to the call of Caliph Murad V, mosques from Eastern Thrace to Anatolia and then to Syria quickly became mobilization centers.

The imams became propagandists for the war, not only traditionally portraying the enemy as greedy and vicious infidels, but also keeping up with the times by claiming that the infidels wanted to enslave free Muslims.

However, the so-called holy war is a double-edged sword. First of all, Murad V had to cede some power to the Ulimas, otherwise the Ulimas would not have allowed the Caliph to act recklessly.

Secondly, there was a regression in reforms. The power of the ecclesiastical, which had taken decades to weaken under Mahmud I and Mahmud II, was now returned to Murad V.

Moreover, Murad V's actions were tantamount to denying the concept of Ottoman citizens, and those non-Muslims within the Ottoman Empire were ultimately nothing more than heretics.

This will also trigger a chain reaction, causing non-Muslim ethnic groups within the Ottoman Empire to become even more alienated from the Ottoman government.

1856 4 Month 1 Day.

The newly appointed Russian Foreign Minister, Prince Uvarov, arrived in Istanbul.

Prince Uvarov reiterated Russia's demands:

First, hand over the murderers of Neserlov and apologize to the Russian government.

Second, the Ottoman Empire withdrew from Europe, leaving Eastern Thrace to Russian protection.

Third, transfer jurisdiction over the Dardanelles and Bosphorus Straits.

There was no doubt that the Ottoman Empire had no intention of meeting the demands made by Russia, but Viscount Stratford still managed to find Duke Uvarov.

“Duke, I think we can talk.”

Duke Uvalov replied indifferently, "Viscount Stratford, what's the point of negotiation if the Ottomans aren't prepared to accept our terms?"

Viscount Stratford smiled slyly.

"I believe there is no problem in the world that money cannot solve, especially for Russia at this time, where money should be even more important."

I know that your country's debt has exceeded 500 million rubles. This year alone, the fiscal deficit is 27 million rubles.

Duke Uvarov immediately perked up.

"Does your country intend to repay all of our country's debts?"

This left Viscount Stratford speechless. He hadn't expected the other party to be so shameless, but it was a good sign. As long as the other party was willing to take the bait, there was still room for negotiation.

In order to keep the other party in suspense, Viscount Stratford did not refuse directly, but instead pretended to be hesitant.

"Five hundred million rubles is no small sum."

Typically, the other party will back down, and then both sides will start bargaining, which gives Viscount Stratford room to maneuver.

However, since he had never intended to make a deal in the first place, he seemed somewhat smug at this moment.

"If your country and the Ottoman Empire do not agree, then there is nothing I can do to help. This is Russia's bottom line."

"What kind of bottom line is this?!"

Viscount Stratford cursed inwardly; his aim was to buy time, not to actually shoulder Russia's heavy debt.

"Your country's appetite is a bit too big."

Duke Uvarov responded with a cold laugh.

"Really? I don't think so. Nobody spoke so frankly when the Ottomans invaded our Eastern Roman Empire."

"We Russians are simply trying to take back what is rightfully ours."

Viscount Stratford said with a smile.

“Young man, I advise you to prioritize the interests of the nation. This is a formal diplomatic occasion, not a stage for you to display your personal personality.”

He paused for a moment and then continued.

"I'll ask you one more time, does your country intend to refuse peace talks?"

The Viscount Stratford's words were very strong, and generally, young people would choose to respond cautiously.

"Duke Uvarov asked in return," he countered.

"Why don't you ask the Ottomans if they've agreed to our Russian terms?"

Viscount Stratford scoffed dismissively.

"I doubt any country would agree to your conditions!"

Duke Uvarov continued to ask.

"So that means you're rejecting me?"

Viscount Stratford was a seasoned diplomat, and he simply ignored the idea.

His Ottoman diplomats also intended to do the same, but Duke Uvarov only gave the Ottoman Empire 24 hours to respond.

"24 hours? It would take months to get the message from here to St. Petersburg! Ignore him."