The sun never sets in America

Chapter 252 European Diplomacy: Secret Treaty between Han and Austria

Istanbul……

"If the world were a country, its capital must be Istanbul..."

Emperor Napoleon! !

Istanbul is a seaside fortress city located on the Asia Minor Peninsula, close to Europe, or the Mediterranean Sea.

After the Ottomans captured Constantinople and the death of Constantine XI, the city was renamed Istanbul.

Although hundreds of years have passed, the glory of the Eastern Roman Empire can be seen from the Christian churches in the city and the mottled and broken city walls.

In addition to Christian buildings, the most prominent thing in this city is the onion-shaped buildings of the True God Religion.

This can be seen from the title of the current Ottoman Sultan Abdul Mecid.

If it turns out that Osman was the whip of God, it would be a nightmare for Christians.

So now Osman is getting further and further away from its former glory.

In fact, since the Great Voyage, Europe has slowly begun to surpass the Ottomans, but it was not too obvious at the time.

After all, at that time, the industrial revolution had not yet begun, and productivity had not yet improved.

After Britain first ignited the spark of the steam engine and then colonized the world, the entire Ottoman Empire was actually getting further and further away from the strength of the mainstream European powers.

Coupled with internal bureaucratic struggles and rigid administrative capabilities, the Ottomans at this moment no longer have the ability to compete for world hegemony.

But Hu Laowei is still there, and the Ottomans' huge territory and large population are still the best deterrents to other countries.

Coupled with the strong inertia of the past few hundred years, even the British cannot guarantee whether the Ottomans will rise again.

After all, this was a large empire spanning Asia, Africa and Latin America, a powerful empire that once overwhelmed all of Europe.

Even if such an empire fell, the British would have to leave a fleet to watch over it.

The position of Osman determines that he is at the link of East-West trade. Why Europe wants to engage in large-scale navigation is not how smart and adventurous Europe is. These are all nonsense.

The main reason is that the Ottomans monopolized East-West trade.

Any goods passing through the Ottomans will be subject to huge taxes. Chinese porcelain, silk, and Indian spices. The former is a luxury product for European nobles, and the latter is an indispensable condiment for Europeans.

Without the spices from India, Europeans would have to return to the barbaric living conditions of the Dark Middle Ages, which was unacceptable to the progressive European civilization.

The Ottoman monopoly on trade harmed the interests of almost all European countries. The first to resist was Spain, which had the best navigation technology at the time. This is why Columbus was supported by the Queen when he went to sea.

Assuming that there was no Ottoman Empire and it was still the Eastern Roman Empire, there might not have been the so-called Great Navigation or the subsequent Industrial Revolution. (The huge amounts of gold and silver in the Americas were the source of power that supported the explosion of industry and commerce in Europe. Even potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and corn, which are resistant to cultivation, are boosters of population growth in Europe and even the world. Just like the so-called The prosperous age of the Qing Dynasty, if you think about it carefully, it was just the prosperous age of sweet potatoes)

So from the perspective of all mankind, the appearance of Osman seems to be an accident, but is it not a providence? ?

In the West Asian chapter of The Theory of Territory, Liu Peng once commented on the Ottomans:

"Ottoman is a country that has produced many wise kings for more than a hundred years. Although it is fortunate to have the Ottoman inheritance law, it has something to do with its geography. The core of Osman is the Asia Minor Peninsula, which is located on the Mediterranean Sea and is the center of European trade. Above it is the Black Sea. The Black Sea Strait controlled by the Ottomans is the only way for Eastern Europe to enter the ocean. If it is in the hands of Russia, Russia can use it to enter the Mediterranean and break the British blockade and geographical dilemma..." (It seems that the Ottomans and Russia are enemies, but in fact the biggest enemy is the British Empire, which controls the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean behind the scenes)

"From now on, the trapped dragon ascends to heaven!!"

"Under the Ottomans, there is North Africa and East Africa. If they send a large army down, they will control most of Africa. If they control the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf, the trade between Europe and the East will return to the control of the Ottomans. If the Ottoman geography is in its heyday, then It is a world empire that is both powerful on land and sea. It has all the land, sea and land forces in its hands, making it invincible..."

"But if the Ottoman Empire completely declines, it will be the target of public criticism. European countries will come to attack. Tsarist Russia will move to the Black Sea and into Asia Minor. Britain will control the Middle East, and France will control North Africa. If the Three Kingdoms come, the Balkans will be in chaos, the Balkans will be lost, and the Ottoman prestige will be lost. We can wait eagerly for the day when the Ottomans will be destroyed!!" (The crisis of later World War I was triggered from the Balkans, and the cause was the expulsion of the Ottoman forces)

In this West Asian volume, Liu Peng has a clear view of the decline of the Ottomans. To sum up, it will be a short period of time. Because it is too large and the European countries check and balance each other, it cannot be defeated.

It is difficult to make progress, because the current Ottoman is no longer the Ottoman of more than a hundred years ago, or even the Napoleonic era.

If we describe a country as a person, a country like the Han Kingdom and the United States would be a young person, thriving and flexible in mind. Although a little reckless, he is better than being young.

Britain is a middle-aged man with rich career experience. He is sophisticated and cunning in dealing with problems. He likes to play with the unspoken rules of the workplace.

France is a literary and artistic writer who alternates between genius and madness. At one moment, the things he writes are indistinguishable from classics, and at the next moment he starts to draw ghostly characters again.

A country like Prussia is like a diligent craftsman, polishing his work over and over again.

Tsarist Russia is like a conflicted and violent hooligan who wants to take advantage of everything, but his digestion ability is not good enough and he always flees.

And a country like the Ottomans is just an old man who was once glorious and still has a lot of goods in his belly, but he just can't get it out and he can't go far.

Ottoman, the country is increasingly declining, this can be seen by many people.

But like a house that is about to fall down, there are always a few repairmen willing to mend it. One of them is currently feeling threatened by Tsarist Russia, and the other is Han, who plans to make profits.

So Yan Jun is here! !

.............................................

"Dear Yan, I heard that you just came from Russia. How are you? Isn't rude Moscow not as beautiful as Istanbul??"

Ottoman Sultan Abdülmeguid asked as he looked at Yan Jun, the prime minister of Han Dynasty, who was sitting opposite him.

"Dear Your Majesty the Sultan, Istanbul is what Napoleon said was the capital of the world. Naturally, it cannot be compared to Moscow."

Yan Jun looked at Sudan and replied with a smile.

"Ha ha……"

"Istanbul is the best city in the world, even ten, no, a hundred Moscows can't compare to it!!"

Yan Jun's words entered Abdul Meguid's heart, and the tone of his reply was full of disdain for Russia and even Moscow.

Yan Jun did not speak on the other side, but slightly lowered his rating of the Sultan in his mind.

But Abdul Meguid didn't care so much. He thought this was a signal of Han's support for the Ottomans, and said expectantly:

"You must have seen the brutality of the Russians. They are expanding in all directions, in the East, the West, and even the Americas. They are a destabilizing factor in this world..."

Sultan Abdulmecid kept telling Yan Jun about the abomination of the Russian Empire and the threat to Han and even the world.

After talking so much nonsense, the translation is that you Han should support us, the Ottomans.

To support us is to stand on the side of justice.

Although Yan Jun took the task given by Liu Peng, he still felt that what benefits could he get from being friendly with an Osman? ?

Apart from trade, he really couldn't think of any benefits. Today's Ottomans are no longer the all-powerful Ottomans. Although there is still a huge trade market, they still have to face competition from British goods, French goods, and even Prussian products. The only ones that can compete are , or rubber, processed food, and some goods that Europe currently has no way to produce.

In addition, textiles and heavy industries, which have the highest trade volume, are not in Han's turn.

Take the currently planned Istanbul Railway. It is thousands of kilometers long and has a total value of more than 200 million Chinese dollars. Even if the later profits are included, it will be more. But it is such a big piece of fat that has been eaten by the British. Belly.

Basically, it has nothing to do with the Han Dynasty. Even the steam locomotives of the Han Dynasty have no connection with the British from a technical point of view. Even because of the advantage of being a latecomer, the design is more reasonable.

But just because the diplomatic influence is not as good as that of the British Empire, they can only watch helplessly as the British take away all the orders, while the ones drooling in the audience are rising stars like Han and the United States.

There are many more similar to railways, including all light and heavy industrial products, so much so that the Minister of Industry and Commerce of Han Dynasty complained: "The whole of West Asia is a dumping ground for British products, and the French cannot get three times our share!!"

(This is also true in later generations. The place where those oil tycoons most want to go is still London, and some places still use imperial units.)

This is the peak of the influence of the British Empire. Regardless of whether newly rising countries like Han and the United States agree with it or not, it is right there, like a mountain, blocking the way forward for both countries. And if you want to pry open this mountain, even just a small gap, you have to make a huge effort. This is why Yan Jun originally planned to return after visiting Tsarist Russia, but in the end because of a telegram from the King of Han Liu Peng, After another ten days of wandering, we arrived in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

Yan Jun pretended to listen and listened to the long and smelly speech of Sultan Abdulmecid. The reason why he used the speech was because it was too long. He talked about the eight Russian-Turkish wars from the history of the Ottomans, so that Yan Jundu doubted whether His Majesty the Sultan was also a history teacher of the Ottoman Empire, otherwise how could he say so.

At the end of the sentence, Abdul Meguid drank some black tea to relieve his thirsty throat, then looked at Yan Jun and asked:

"Yan, will Han Dynasty join forces with Ottoman to fight against evil Russia??"

Abdul Mejid looked at Yan Jun across from him expectantly, hoping to see agreement on his expression.

Yan Jun hesitated for a moment, and then replied: "Dear His Majesty the Sultan, I personally admire your understanding of history and your tolerance as a monarch, but I think that this kind of behavior that is close to an alliance between two countries is still unacceptable. You should think more about it..."

"After all, Russia is not easy to deal with!!"

After hearing this, Sultan Abdulmecid showed an expression of disappointment for a moment. What he expected was that Han would agree to form an alliance with the Ottomans and then attack Tsarist Russia from a flank.

The reason why it is a pincer attack is because of the distribution of Han's power. In addition to the American mainland, Han also controls Japan, a country in the Far East. It is naturally suitable to cause trouble in Siberia and behind Russia. Once Han invades the Far East, it may even enter Siberia. , Russia must disperse part of its strength to deal with it, and this is crucial for the Ottomans, who are currently oppressed by the Russian Empire.

After all, as the Treatise on Homeland written by the King of Han said, the biggest threat to the Ottomans is Russia, bar none. Britain and France only want the interests of the Ottomans, even just some marginal areas, claiming to inherit the Eastern Roman Empire and hoping to regain Constantinople Russia in Dimburg is going to kill the Ottomans! !

"Yan, I think that Han should form an alliance with the Ottoman Empire. If we form an alliance, you can gain access to the Russian Far East, Alaska, and even control the entire Pacific Ocean. This will be beneficial to you!!"

"And the Ottoman Empire will also provide you with trade convenience. I think you also understand the benefits of this to your Han trade..."

"After all, the feeling of being oppressed by the British is not pleasant!!"

Abdul Meguid Sultan’s words have made it very clear.

All he had to do was hold Yan Jun's hand and say, come on, brother, fight Russia with me. I won't treat you badly. When the war is won, we will share the dividends together.

Yan Jun pretended to have a troubled expression, which made Sultan Abdul Meguid a little anxious. No, I am so straightforward. We are just short of forming a brotherly country with Han. What else do you want?

(Da Song: Why are you so familiar? You don’t want more coins??)

Yan Jun was silent for a while, raised his head, looked at Abdul Mejid Sultan and said:

"This kind of matter is of great importance. Although His Majesty the King of Han of our country also intends to form a good relationship with Osman, this is a national matter after all..."

"Furthermore, by forming an alliance with the Ottomans, His Majesty the King of Han still has to convince domestic opponents. If there are not enough benefits, I'm afraid..."

After Yan Jun said these two sentences, he shut his mouth tightly and said nothing.

When Abdul Meguid Sultan heard this, he also hesitated. After all, it would be very troublesome if the price paid was too high.

Just when Abdul Meguid Sultan was hesitating, Yan Jun suddenly said:

"If the Ottomans can give shipbuilding orders to our shipyards, open up the West Asian market, and even reduce tariffs between the two countries, I can agree to the alliance you just mentioned by His Majesty the Sultan..."

Upon hearing this, Sultan Abdul Meguid struggled a bit. After all, the orders for these steamships were originally given to the British. If they were given to the Han Dynasty, I'm afraid! !

At this time, Yan Jun increased the stakes: "Your Majesty the Sultan, if Osman is willing to promise the conditions just mentioned, Han will guarantee the logistics of the Ottoman army during wartime."

"real??"

Upon hearing this, Sultan Abdulmecid, who had suffered from the poor logistics of the Ottoman army, immediately asked.

Although he had never fought in a war, he also understood the importance of logistics to an army.

With the Ottomans' current terrible logistics, it would be difficult to fight against Tsarist Russia without foreign support! !

“Absolutely true!!”

"It can be written into the treaty..."

Yan Jun assured Abdul Mejid Sultan in fluent English.

Abdul Mejid's expression changed, and then he said: "Yan, we need to discuss it, please come back tomorrow, I will treat you with the highest courtesy!!"

Yan Jun bowed slightly, and then left the Ottoman Sultan's private palace on the outskirts of Istanbul.

Sultan Abdul Meguid immediately issued the order of the Supreme Council after Yan Jun left.

.............................................

swoosh...

Yan Jun pen signed his name on this secret agreement between the Kingdom of Han and the Ottoman Empire.

Opposite him, Sultan Abdul Mecid also happily signed this secret treaty that may change the history of the Ottoman Empire.

"Yan, Han has won the friendship of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, we are friends!!"

"Celebrate the alliance between our two countries, cheers!!"

"cheers……"

Yan Jun held a goblet and clinked it with His Majesty the Sultan, feeling a sense of accomplishment in his heart.

According to the provisions of the Han-Austrian Treaty: the Ottoman Turkish Empire reduced tariffs on Han goods, implemented most-favored-nation tariffs on Han, and handed over shipbuilding orders worth 30 million yuan in the next six years to Han shipyards. The specific share is determined by Hanguo Shipyard bids.

It also opened the West Asian and even Arab markets to Han industrial and commercial enterprises, and promised to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the Han people in the Ottoman Empire, as well as the safety of life and property.

It also provided ports along the way for Han merchant ships to dock for repairs.

According to estimates, the trade treaty between the two countries alone can bring at least 150 million Chinese dollars in direct benefits to Han's domestic enterprises and economy, as well as indirect benefits worth several Chinese dollars in the next ten years.

Obtain the overseas market that Han wants most.

In addition, there is also a military cooperation memorandum. According to the content of the memorandum, Han will provide the Ottomans with at least 150,000 army equipment in the next five years, including the most advanced Type II striker-type lightning rifles, and even Type II striker-type lightning rifles. Type of storm artillery, these Ottomans have already purchased, but not too much equipment, and sent officers to guide them. (The British rifles and Lightning Type 1 originally equipped by the Ottomans basically maintained the proportion of two-thirds British goods and one-third Chinese goods. The net quantity should not offend the British)

In addition to the arms treaty, Han will also provide some naval ships to the Ottomans for defense of the Black Sea Straits. (The majority of the navy is still British ships, which is also the Ottoman way of balancing)

In addition, if the Russian Empire launches a war against the Ottomans, Han will attack Russia's America, Far East, and even Siberian territories within three months, and declare war on Russia.

During the war, in order to provide the Ottoman Army with weapons and equipment of no less than 100,000 men to ensure its superiority on the western battlefield, the price of the required equipment was borne by the Ottomans and paid to the Han Kingdom.

Of course, there is also a part about diplomatic cooperation, which involves a lot.

The signing of the Han-Austria Treaty also represented that Han officially entered the core area of ​​the World Island and began to use its own unique way to engage in great power games and earn profits.

The end of the Ottoman trip also represents the official end of Yan Jun's diplomatic journey.

…………

Istanbul Port…

A steam sailing ship named Happiness, flying the Chinese flag, was leaving the port.

On the deck, Bai Erwen, who has been in Ottoman for a long time, is about to start his new and magnificent life.

　Monthly pass, monthly pass, monthly pass urgently needed

　　

　

(End of this chapter)