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

Chapter 1792 Devastated
Airships were still a novelty at the time, and for weaker nations, they were practically an unsolvable problem.

However, the potential for the future development of airships is too limited. If this window of opportunity is not properly utilized, they will become unusable once other countries upgrade their air defense weapons.

Once airplanes appear, the importance of airships will decrease significantly, especially their military status, which will decline sharply. Airships will only be used for special needs.

In reality, there are no clauses prohibiting the use of weapons with a technological gap. Since they are effective, people will continue to use them.

If the Ottomans could actually shoot down the Austrian airships with bamboo poles and flying stones, then Franz would be convinced.

Franz was well aware of the problems the Russians were facing; after all, those many groups of military observers hadn't been sent for nothing.

The safest approach against the Ottomans' strategy of building their positions on mountaintops was to divide and encircle them, then annihilate them one by one or persuade them to surrender.

However, Franz needs time now. Although he has bribed some British MPs to oppose the withdrawal, their numbers are limited.

Moreover, Franz didn't think the British would really follow the rules. If they found things were not going well, they might very well pass some kind of bill to bypass Parliament.

In fact, the British have been conserving their strength so far, and some people with status and background have also left the Ottoman Empire ahead of schedule.

The Ottoman leadership was well aware of this, but the situation was beyond their control, and they could only watch helplessly as the entire country was consumed by war.

After all, the Ottoman Empire simply couldn't afford to take the blame for assassinating the Empress of Austria.

Moreover, once the door is opened, the Ottomans will once again become the common enemy of Europe. This time, it will not only be a religious enemy, but also an enemy of the powerful royal families of various countries.

In this era of expansion, it's uncertain how many more countries will set their sights on the Ottoman Empire as a lucrative target.

In fact, while Russia was advancing south, the Austrian Empire's army was also moving north to provide support, which is why the Ottoman defenses collapsed so quickly.

At this rate, the two sides will meet in no time. However, there are still some problems, namely that the British have not suffered significant troop losses.

In other words, the war was able to progress so smoothly precisely because the British had been preserving their strength. Therefore, as the encirclement tightened, the fighting would become increasingly difficult.

Moreover, the British fleet was stationed in the Black Sea straits, and Austria didn't have many good options.

The British were not Ottomans, and given the precedent of the Russians' surprise attack on Constantinople, they could not afford to let their guard down.

A direct assault would result in enormous losses, and most importantly, there's a high probability they wouldn't even be able to break through. Exchanging pieces isn't what Franz wants; he wants a complete victory, which is why he's being so cautious.

Nicholas I was a very proud man, even somewhat arrogant.

However, he would not refuse Franz's help. Firstly, the Russian army was indeed bad at strong attacks, and secondly, Nicholas I regarded Franz as one of his own.

Furthermore, in Nicholas I's view, although Olga's assassination was complicated, it was absolutely inseparable from the Ottomans.

Since we share the same goal, there's no need to worry about so much.

The British army was in for a headache. Not to mention the Holy Alliance army pressing in, the Ottomans, as allies, had long been frightened by repeated betrayals.

It's really a headache that the Ottomans think about running away as soon as a war starts. Such allies not only don't serve any purpose, but also demoralize the entire battlefield.

The British army was also in a bad situation. Due to the departure of a large number of officers, the command system was in chaos. In addition, the long-term passive response made it hard to say whether the 18 troops could exert the fighting power of 10 troops.

Some officers even felt there was no point in continuing the fight and that it would be better to surrender as soon as possible to reduce casualties and maintain dignity.

The reason is simple: the British army could not break out on land unless they could break through the whole of Europe.

As for evacuating by sea, there were not enough warships and time, and who knows if the Royal Navy would be attacked by the Austrians once it entered the Mediterranean.

Breaking out is unrealistic, so what about defense? The answer is the same: unrealistic. The combined standing armies of Russia and Austria number over a million. How can they fight a land war?
The Duke of Wellington wasn't fighting alone. The Ottomans? Were they even human?
Even if they could win the land battle, the loss of hundreds of thousands of men would be an astonishing figure. The war had been going on for a year, and the Ottomans had lost vast swathes of land, while their food reserves were dwindling.

At this time, they could still import from countries along the Mediterranean coast, but if the Austrian Empire really got into a fight, who knew if they would intercept merchant ships bound for the Ottoman Empire?

From a purely military perspective, a war that is neither winnable nor defensible is meaningless, so more and more people are choosing to give up.

Of course, there are always people who go against the tide in any era, but the command has become a major problem.

Few British generals had experience commanding more than 10,000 troops, considering that the entire British army had previously numbered less than 100,000.

Previously, it was fine that everyone was scattered in different places, but now, as the battle lines are constantly being compressed, the issue of command has become prominent.

After all, a family has a thousand members and one person in charge, let alone a tightly organized organization like the military.

The situation was even worse for the British Navy, where nearly a third of the captains advocated surrender.

In fact, the navy's experience is more direct than that of the army, because the army sees more numbers. Although they can also see the enemy's troops approaching the city, the scene of their own troops setting off is equally spectacular.

From the perspective of an army soldier, 1 million is actually about the same as 8,000 – you can't see the end of it at a glance.

The navy, however, was different. Many naval officers could disguise themselves as merchants and openly sail alongside merchant ships past the Austrian Imperial Navy fleet in Athens harbor.

Laymen might not see anything, but those who are knowledgeable will find the Austrian Imperial Navy terrifying.

Apart from those massive main warships, even all the auxiliary ships were steam-powered.

This was revolutionary for many British military commanders, as the idea had been proposed by members of the Royal Navy long ago, but it was simply impossible to implement due to the exorbitant cost.

Besides the costs of renovation and purchasing new equipment, the most daunting expense is the cost of establishing a supply network and ensuring constant resupply.

A fleet of this size requires a massive amount of coal. Coal itself is not expensive, but transporting it to the port is quite costly.

The British knew very well that there were no large coal mines near Athens, so there was only one possibility: the coal was transported from a much farther place.

In fact, the Austrian Empire had already built railways for the Kingdom of Greece, nominally at the request of the Greek government to make it easier to suppress rebellions.

However, the British were not very aware of these things; all they knew was that there was a large fleet in the port of Athens and a well-developed supply network.

In contrast, Istanbul's supplies were chaotic and expensive, and the Ottomans were even thinking about how to make money.

London also received a flood of reports, half of which were scathing arguments about the pros and cons and demanded a withdrawal, while the other half were angry rebukes of their colleagues for lacking the spirit of soldiers and cowering in the face of battle.

The fact that the navy suffered more deaths than the army after such a long war is quite an anomaly in the history of warfare.

The attitude towards the war in Britain became increasingly complex, with the whole country beginning to doubt whether the necessity and correctness of the war were really as those officials and members of parliament claimed. However, while the British were still struggling with their own internal struggles, the Holy League had already launched a general offensive against Eastern Thrace.

Indeed, the Russian army did not occupy the entire eastern Rumelia as it marched south; instead, it went straight for Constantinople.

Franz had already negotiated with Nicholas I that this war must be resolved quickly, because dragging it out would only lead to more problems.

After nearly a year of wear and tear, the Ottomans and the British had long lost their edge and became easily frightened at the sound of gunfire.

The war proceeded more easily than Franz had imagined, with the Ottoman and British troops in the north fleeing all the way back to Constantinople.

Their retreat directly exposed the rear of the Allied forces at the Merich River defense line to the Holy Alliance.

Both McClellan and Ahmed Yilmaz knew perfectly well that they had no chance of stopping the Holy Alliance forces from attacking from both sides.

They know better than anyone who runs slowly that they are in the front row.

And so another battle royale began.
The combined British and Ottoman forces retreated so quickly it almost felt unreal.

Gablenz even felt it was a trap, but before he could even have any doubts, Archduke Albrecht took over command.

In fact, it wasn't that Gablenz's command at the front was problematic, and Franz couldn't possibly have known that he was being paranoid.

Replacing Gablenz was largely to appease Nicholas I's pride, as the former was merely a minor nobleman, while the latter was the Tsar.

Nicholas I still hoped that the Austrian Empire could send a commander of similar status to him. Fortunately, the Habsburg family was not lacking in military talent in this generation, otherwise Franz would have had to take the field himself.

The Holy League headquarters outside Constantinople.

"We are now only a step away from Constantinople, but there are more than 500,000 enemy troops gathered in the city. What should we do?"

Nicholas I pointed to the map in front of him, seemingly asking a question, or perhaps talking to himself.

"Your Majesty, there is only one path before us, and that is victory. No matter the cost, we must win this battle."

Once the Ottomans and British are driven out of the Balkans, there should be no more war in the Near East for the next ten years.

Albrecht's rhetoric was carefully crafted within the Austrian Empire, as a ten-year non-aggression pact with the Ottomans was to be signed afterward.

The purpose was twofold: firstly, to limit Russia's excessive expansion; and secondly, to persuade the Russians that Nicholas I should first digest the acquired territories.

Nicholas I also agreed with this point, because the Balkans were in a state of chaos at the time, and he had encountered several attacks on his way there.

Of course, because of prior precautions, Nicholas I could only learn of the attack from his own spies.

Despite the threat to their lives, Russian officials were quite effective; they managed to keep almost all danger out of Nicholas I's sight.

However, the Third Special Division was no pushover; it had already infiltrated systems in various regions, which is why Nicholas I was able to learn of these attacks afterward.

Although Nicholas I did not witness the so-called attack, the mere fact that someone dared to attack the Tsar was enough to shock him.

In fact, in Nicholas I's mind, taking Constantinople was his greatest mission in this generation, and whether the truce lasted for ten or twenty years afterward made no difference to him.

That was something Alexander needed to consider; he only needed to fulfill the Romanov family's centuries-old dream of restoring the old capital to the Third Rome.

As for losses, Nicholas I cared even less. Russia might lack other things, but it had plenty of people.

In his mind, even if it meant the loss of a million lives, it would still be worthwhile, since the Russian Empire was large enough to afford such losses.

Furthermore, Nicholas I and Franz shared a consensus at this time: it was necessary to weaken Britain, as only by weakening Britain would the world be more favorable to the Holy Alliance.

Nicholas I finally made up his mind and said.

"Grand Prince Albrecht, please take full command of this battle. The Russian army will cooperate with you."

I believe you can succeed. Good luck!

The final battle began. The Austrian Empire had been preparing for this day for far too long, and rockets and artillery shells rained down upon them.

The fortifications surrounding Constantinople collapsed almost instantly, followed by the Holy Alliance forces advancing like a tidal wave.

It was truly a sea of ​​people; even from the towers of Constantinople, one could only see rows upon rows of soldiers converging on the city from any angle.

With nowhere left to retreat, the British army finally launched a counterattack, their high-spirited drumming no less impressive than that of the Holy Alliance.

The British and Osman forces knew they were in a dead end; unless they could cross the Channel, their only option was to drive the Holy Confederate forces out.

If not, they will face even more terrifying street battles, and Constantinople will become a meat grinder for nearly a million people.

By then, there will be no more possibility of negotiation between the two sides. War and vendettas will drain each other of their last drop of blood until one side is completely destroyed.

In reality, due to the sheer number of people on the battlefield, the sounds of the attack horns and drums had become blurred, and time began to pass strangely, like thick blood plasma.

One after another, troops rushed to the front lines. What were elite troops and what were ragtag units? At this point, they were nothing more than expendable resources.

The allied forces pouring in through the main gate were quickly scattered by the Holy Alliance's firepower, and the Holy Alliance forces that also attempted to invade through the main gate fell in a sea of ​​blood in an instant.

Limbs, shells, bullets, and mud and flesh quickly formed a vivid yet cruel picture.

However, as the war continued, this picture continued to expand and became even more vibrant.

The soldiers on the battlefield felt as if they were about to melt at any moment. Bullets flew, shells whistled, and men shouted and horses neighed, but they could hardly hear anything.

All I could feel was my own heartbeat and my lungs, which felt like they were on fire.

Even the generals observing the battlefield from afar had an indelible smell of rust in their nostrils.

However, as mentioned earlier, the combined British and Ottoman forces had retreated too many times, their fighting spirit had long since vanished, and without unified command, their counterattacks were ultimately futile.

The allied forces were pinned down inside the city, while the Holy Alliance's army continued to encircle them from all sides; true hell was about to begin.