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

Chapter 1797 International Co-governance?

With the complete defeat of the British army in the Near East, the Holy Alliance and the Anglo-Turkish alliance finally sat down at the negotiating table.

The negotiations were not held in St. Petersburg, Vienna, or London, but in Constantinople.

This was a reflection of Nicholas I's pride, and Franz's slightly wicked sense of humor.

The Anglo-Turkish alliance had no bargaining chips at the negotiating table, so the so-called negotiations were naturally out of the question.

However, due to the efforts of Viscount Stratford and the Ottomans, Russia relinquished the lands it had gained on the eastern front. In reality, it's not entirely accurate to say that, as the Russians never truly established a foothold.

Moreover, this time Russia has acquired enough land that the Ottoman Empire will completely withdraw from Europe and promise never to invade Europe again.

Of course, all the pretense was also necessary, namely, that discrimination against Christians and Europeans was not allowed within the Ottoman Empire, and that the Ottoman Empire was not allowed to engage in any form of slave hunting or slave ownership.

These actions were primarily intended to embarrass the British, as they are known for their penchant for boasting about such things.

These seemingly useless clauses can shut down British and pro-British media, after all, we are also fighting for fairness, justice, love and peace, and a noble mission of civilization.

"Gentlemen! Although the brutal war is over, we need wisdom and foresight to build a peaceful future so that the whole of Europe will not repeat the same mistakes."

Please do not let hatred and victory cloud your judgment!

Although Britain was on the losing side at this time, Lord Palmerston, who had just arrived in Constantinople, still acted as a leader of the times.

"We, the United Kingdom, have always advocated for peace and stability. Any unilateral change or plunder will only lead to new conflicts!"

We do not intend to restrict the development of any particular country; we simply seek long-term peace.

Imagine what would happen if the flag of any single great power flew over the walls of Constantinople.
As the successor to the Eastern Roman Empire, it will affect the interests of all our nations in the Near East!
Therefore, we have a more civilized solution that better aligns with the collective interests of the civilized world!

Lord Palmerston paused for a moment before continuing.

"We can place Istanbul, cough cough Constantinople, under the common administration of all nations and turn it into an international free city."

We can have representatives from various countries form a senior parliament to decide the fate of this place in a democratic way!
Therefore, we will dismantle all artillery positions! We will prohibit all foreign troops from entering, retaining only the most basic police force!
We will ensure freedom of navigation! All countries can pass through the strait duty-free!

We will guarantee free trade! All merchants will be treated fairly, and all goods will be freely imported and exported! This is the only way for all countries to prosper!

We will also achieve religious freedom! All religions will enjoy equal treatment!
We will also achieve true freedom for the nation and its people! The lower house will be elected by the people living in Constantinople! A co-governed parliament will be formed together!

In the new Constantinople, there are neither victors nor vanquished, only defenders of the new order!

This shows that the British have not given up their efforts; they hope to make Constantinople an internationally administered city.

The British objective remained to prevent Russia from becoming too powerful, to preserve the remnants of the Ottoman Empire, and even to maintain control over Constantinople and the Black Sea straits.

Although Lord Palmerston spoke with great passion, the Austrian and Russian ambassadors were unimpressed. "Why a parliamentary system?" they asked.

Russian interim foreign minister General Makarov sneered.

"Why should there be joint administration? And why should the Ottomans be allowed to continue ruling the people of Europe?"

Lord Haberscu, the Austrian Foreign Minister at the time, was in some ways more reactionary than Russia, believing that the British were diluting the power of Austria and Russia.

In fact, the British did establish a parliament for this very purpose. Austria and Russia were strong, but they were only two countries after all.

If democracy were implemented at this time, Austria and Russia would be marginalized. If ordinary people could be brought in, then Constantinople would be at the mercy of Britain.

The British have extensive experience in parliamentary politics; Lord Palmerston was even certain that Russian and Austrian diplomats died without ever knowing how they died.

This was a huge concession for Britain, but it was a pipe dream for Austrian and Russian diplomats.

"Parliamentary system is the fairest, most reasonable, and most democratic political system."

Palmerston said with great pride. Actually, he wanted to say something else that was more widely known.

"Human history is a process of moving from darkness to light, and its end point is the British parliamentary system!"

Whig proverb
(I have a very strong impression of the translation questions I saw in my workbook back then.)
"Nonsense! Why don't you talk about how serious corruption is in Britain? Do you know that our country's corrupt officials are drooling over Britain!"
Every time corrupt officials are hanged in the squares of St. Petersburg, they don't utter words of repentance, but instead keep muttering, "I wish I had been born in England!"

General Makarov truly looked down on the British. Lord Habescu, standing nearby, was also chiming in with his own words.

"What kind of bullshit public are you talking about? Why don't you take a look at your country's list of prime ministers and members of parliament? It's not unusual for a member of parliament to be passed down from father to son, or from brother to brother. It's not uncommon for a member of parliament to be in office for eight generations."

In fact, there have been many brothers, fathers and sons, and members of the same family among British government officials and members of parliament throughout history.

The most famous nepotism in British history is not that of Prime Ministers Pitt the Elder and Pitt the Younger, the Canning brothers, the Russell family, or the Pelham family, but rather the Grey family.

At the time, there was even a folk song that claimed "Britain is Gray's world".

From the postmaster to the customs commissioner, from consuls abroad to department clerks, the Gray family was everywhere.

Moreover, there were Prime Minister Charles Gray, Secretary of State for War and Colonies Henry Gray, Home Secretary George Gray, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Guard Charles Gray, and Under Secretary of the Navy Admiral Frederick Gray.

They not only held high positions of power, but also almost simultaneously monopolized these important official posts.
He was practically a 19th-century version of "Director Qi".
Lord Palmerston did have his own political heir, though he was a stepson, which was relatively less of a problem.

Due to the long-standing large-scale public opinion conflicts between the Austrian Empire and Britain, Lord Haberscu was extremely familiar with Britain's true situation.

If given no time constraint, he could talk for three days and three nights without repeating himself. This was the confidence Franz instilled in the Austrian Empire's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Lord Palmerston's face had turned extremely ugly. His most perfect system and his beliefs were being devalued to nothing.