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

Chapter 1789 The Russian War
Now that the Austrian Empire will attack the Ottoman Empire from the direction of Greece, this greatly increases the chances of victory for the Greek army.

The Russian high command generally believed that even with the help of the Austrian Empire, the Greek advance could not possibly be faster than the Russian army.

Russian military leaders generally speculate that it will take the combined Austrian and Greek forces at least six months to break through the Strymon River defense line.

Even the most pessimistic estimates suggest that the Nestorus River is an insurmountable obstacle they could never cross.

But Nicholas I was never entirely sure, after all, Franz had done something amazing in every war before him.

Those military experts thought it was a coincidence, but he didn't think so.

In Nicholas I's mind, Franz, like himself, was a chosen one of God and could not be regarded the same as ordinary people.

Nicholas I once again proposed to personally lead the expedition, but unsurprisingly, it was collectively rejected by the Russian high command.

"Your Majesty, Her Highness the Princess has just suffered a misfortune. What will become of Russia if anything were to happen to you as well?"

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, but as soon as Olga's matter was brought up, Nicholas I was filled with rage. Why couldn't such a large country as Russia protect its own daughter?

However, the thought that even the neighboring Austrian Empire was powerless to protect their empress made him feel much better.

Something just feels off.
"Are you all pigs? Are the ministers and soldiers of my Russian Empire all pigs? Can't you even protect your own monarch?"

No one dared to answer Nicholas I's question, as it was a potentially fatal one.

Whether it's the truth or a lie, one bears unlimited joint liability.

"Your Majesty, however, we cannot rule out this possibility. You shouldn't have knowingly chosen to proceed despite the danger."

"I mustered my courage and said," said Prince Uvarov.

"Pack your things tomorrow, then go on an expedition to Canada with Alexander. Don't come back until you've reached St. John's!"

St. John's, the easternmost city in Canada.

"As ordered!"

Duke Uvarov, quite assertively, bowed and then turned and left the hall.

"Does anyone else have something to say?"

Nicholas I's anger was about to get out of control.

"Your Majesty, you cannot go!"

The same voice echoed throughout the hall; almost everyone spoke. This left Nicholas I somewhat bewildered, as he couldn't possibly send everyone to Alaska.

Nicholas I had won many victories, so he had many loyal ministers who wouldn't watch him jump into a fire pit.

Nicholas I reluctantly sat back on his throne, and after a long while, he finally spoke a sentence while holding his forehead with his hand.

"How is my daughter?"

Duke Liubai swallowed hard and said.

"Princess Olga has awakened, but her condition is very poor."

"what happened!"

"Her Highness suffered multiple fractures, a head injury, internal bleeding, hypothermia, and typhoid fever."

The doctor said it's a miracle Her Highness is still alive. Furthermore, there's a serious disagreement between our court physician and the Austrian imperial physician.

"What's there to argue about? Saving lives is the priority!"

"The Austrians cut open the princess's belly." "How dare they!"

Nicholas I stood up again, this time truly enraged. The thought of his daughter being disemboweled made him want to hang all the quack doctors.

"It was His Majesty Joseph I who agreed. His Majesty Joseph I said that this was the only way to save the princess's life."

Nicholas I knew many rumors about Franz and believed he was special, but the thought of Olga being disemboweled still made his scalp tingle.

"Can she still preserve her fertility?"

Duke Liu Bai paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"do not know."

He really didn't know that, and the doctors hadn't said anything either.

In fact, the main point of their argument these days has been how to treat the patient, but Duke Lyubey couldn't understand it at all. He only knew that one side was against surgery and thought that hydrotherapy and bloodletting could be used instead.

The other party felt that surgery was the only option.

Although the chances of survival are still slim, at least they are not zero.

The success rate of such major surgeries was not high even within the Austrian Empire, but at this time, the best doctors in the Austrian Empire had been gathered.

If they can't do it, then there's even less hope for the others.

Nicholas I was somewhat at a loss, because he seemed to be unable to do anything.

This sense of powerlessness greatly frustrated Nicholas I. Why did this happen when Constantinople was right in front of him?

Nicholas I can now only hope that Prince Menshkov and Marshal Paskevich can bring him some good news, after all, he had previously given them a death order.

Prince Menshkov and Marshal Paskevich were naturally working very hard, and they both understood that time was of the essence.

Entering Constantinople before the Austrian Empire and occupying more land would give a country more leverage in subsequent negotiations; conversely, failing to do so would mean accepting the Austrian Empire's division of the spoils.

Russians don't want to arrive late after starting early; if they don't want to be looked down upon, the best way is to prove their worth.

Paskevich had been planning this for a long time, and he felt that the Ottoman army in front of him was simply no match for him.

The main reason he had to give up those hard-won lands was that logistics couldn't keep up, so he had been accumulating supplies for some time.

Paskevich had stockpiled enough supplies for his army to reach the Bosphorus Strait, although transporting them by land would be troublesome and inevitably wasteful, but it would still be enough for him to capture Ankara.

Prince Menshkov, on the other hand, has amassed even more troops, and he has received accurate information that the British army will soon undergo a large-scale mobilization, at which point only the Ottoman army will remain on the front lines.

Prince Menshkov believed that a generous reward would surely attract brave men, and if there were no brave men, then the reward must not be enough.

Prince Menshkov then rode a tall, chestnut-colored horse, dressed in a magnificent princely uniform, his chest adorned with medals, his expression haughty and anxious.

He didn't look at the soldiers, but turned slightly to the side, grabbed a handful of gold coins from a tiger-skin money bag, and tossed them forward.

"Soldiers! Want more money? Go and conquer the Ottoman positions! Break through the enemy lines! Prove to the world that the Russian Empire is invincible!"

A group of ragged Russian soldiers, armed with old-fashioned muskets, watched the prince's performance with a mixture of greed and numbness.

The long war of attrition and the long service period had long since worn away their enthusiasm. Some people wanted those gold coins only in the hope of having a drink and eating something good after the war.

Of course, that's not all. An old soldier with a gray beard, who had been a serf, smiled and showed his crooked teeth to the young soldier next to him.

"Young Tolstoy, may I ask you to buy me a coffin after the war? Don't let them bury me in the frozen ground."

It's too cold.