Holy Roman Empire

Located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, it is also where the Pannonian plain and the Balkans meet.As the contact point between Europe and the Near East, it has always been known as the "Key of the Balkans".

But now Belgrade's garrison commander Aysaras Pasha doesn't think this Balkan key is a good place.

The surrounding areas gave up, leaving him, the unlucky guy, to guard the isolated city.

The idea of ​​giving up Belgrade and running away appeared in his mind more than once, but Azsharas Pasha didn't dare to take action.

Abdul Mejid I gave him a death order, asking him to defend the gateway city of the Balkan Peninsula and lay the foundation for the future counteroffensive of the Ottoman Empire.

Aisaras Pasha sneered at counterattacking Serbia.If the Ottoman Empire had this strength, this war would not have reached this point.

The person who came up with this idea was obviously trying to trick him.As a loser in the political struggle, Aysaras Pasha was prepared. He submitted his resignation letter as early as the beginning of the approach in the Near East, but it was rejected.

There are only two roads before him now, either defend Belgrade or fight to the death.He didn't dare to choose the rest of the way, it was better to kill him alone than the whole family.

Unless the Ottoman Empire won the war, then find someone to do some activities and give a few more gifts to solve the problem.

In Aisaras Pasha's view, this probability is infinitely zero.If you can't win this war, you need a scapegoat, and the loser of his political struggle is just right.

"Send someone to investigate, what is the enemy doing, why hasn't it launched an attack for so long?" Azsharas Pasha ordered

Three days ago, the Austrian army surrounded Belgrade, and apart from routinely firing a few shots every day, there was no more action.

This abnormal behavior naturally aroused Aisaras Pasha's vigilance.No matter how careful he is, the enemy just doesn't come to attack.His series of preparations were of course useless.

Aisalas was anxious, and Lieutenant General Feslav outside the city was even more anxious.It's okay to bring a bunch of reserves to the battlefield, anyway, the enemy is even more rubbish.

But the order from the headquarters asked him to keep the number of casualties below a thousand, which made it difficult for him.The previous Ottoman army withdrew, and there were basically no casualties in directly taking over the place. Now it is impossible to attack Belgrade without paying a price?

Lieutenant General Feslav, who was somewhat politically minded, knew that the government was not keen on this war, and even the order to attack Belgrade only had four words - play by ear.

The big guys above did this, obviously it has something to do with politics.The Russia-Austria alliance is no longer a secret, and everyone has different opinions on the content of the alliance.

Feslav guessed that the country did not want the Russians to conquer Constantinople, and was limited by the covenant and had to support the Russians in fighting. In this case, the Austrian army made soy sauce.

But for these soldiers, it is a tragedy.Without war, there is no military exploits.This kind of shooting without letting go and accepting the credit of the territory can only be regarded as hard work, and it is not enough to be promoted.

Feslav asked: "The topographic map of Belgrade is here, the enemy is not a fool, and the defense is quite tight.

Who has a way to take this city without paying a lot of casualties? "

A young officer eagerly said: "Your Excellency, Commander, I don't have a good solution, but there are two stupid ways, do you want to try?"

Feslav smiled happily and said, "Vasim, as long as you can capture Belgrade while reducing casualties, that's a good idea!"

"Yes, Commander!"

"Belgrade is located at the junction of the Tisza and Danube tributaries. We only need to build a dam in the upstream area to store water and use water attack to conquer the city.

However, Belgrade is located in the Pannonian Plain, and it is difficult to estimate how much damage the flood will cause.

The second way is to drive the people into the city. There are many locals in the defenders of Belgrade.We can drive all the families of soldiers and those who are inclined to the Ottoman Empire to the city of Belgrade.

If the defenders let them enter the city, these people will increase their food consumption; if the defenders refuse them to enter the city, then drive these people to attack the city with sticks and consume the enemy's ammunition.

However, the consequences of doing so are too great, and we must keep our mouths shut after the war. said Wasim

Everyone gasped, the method was a good one, but it was a bit too poisonous.

The impact of flooding the city is too large, and the damage cannot be controlled; driving the people into the city, and sealing up the silence after the war is actually killing people. Only when these parties are dead can the impact be minimized.

After hesitating for a long time, Feslav said slowly: "Ask for help from the country, let the government send water conservancy experts, we want to flood Belgrade.

It’s fine to drive the people away and attack the city, and the country has also mobilized a large amount of relief food. If we wipe out the people, who will the food be used to help? "

Feslav dared to do it when the flooded city was flooded, but he still couldn't be cruel enough to drive the people out and attack the city. The relief food in the country was just an excuse.

Now the young and strong in Serbia have been taken away by the Ottomans, and it is impossible to attack the city with armed cannon fodder.

Using the remaining old, weak, sick and disabled, these people have no value in being armed, and attacking the city with wooden sticks, wouldn't they let them die?As Wasim said, it can only consume the enemy's ammunition.

God knows how many people will have to die before the enemy's ammunition can be exhausted.If it is done, there will be a large number of uninhabited villages and towns in Serbia after the war.

After conquering Belgrade, there will be a mass extermination, and the color of the Danube, which is not killed, will change color. I am afraid it will be difficult to end.

There will definitely be no living people in Belgrade, and none of the captured cannon fodder will survive.Feslav is not a butcher, and he can't do such a thing.

Wasim's proposal seems normal in this era, Americans are massacring Indians, the British are massacring in Australia and New Zealand, and the Qing government in the Far East is engaged in a killing contest with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

The protagonists in this war, Mao Xiong and Ottoman, are also masters of murder without blinking an eye, and killing good men and taking meritorious service is one of the main sources of their military merits.

Their army crosses the border, and some uninhabited villages often appear.With such a large territory, the Ottoman Empire was able to control population growth very well, and the Ottoman army also made outstanding contributions.

In the era when the world was as dark as crows, the Austrian army after being purged was simply a clean stream among them.In the Near East War, he was known as the first in military discipline.

There are advantages and disadvantages. Feslav did not drive the people to attack the city, and the Austrian government shipped a large amount of relief food, and the Serbia region soon stabilized.

Although the number of young people is scarce, the Austrian government still adopts work-for-work, recruiting local old, weak, sick and disabled to repair roads and restore traffic.

Those who perform well in the construction process are eligible to apply for Austrian citizenship.Obtain Austrian citizenship to be eligible to be an official.

At this time, the Ottomans ran away, the original ruling class was finished, the social order was reshuffled, and a large number of officials were still needed locally.

Speculators are naturally scrambling to apply to join Austria, after all, this is the best opportunity to change the class.

Not to mention now, even people who had Austrian nationality before were more respected here, and officials of the Ottoman government were also afraid of causing diplomatic disputes.

People follow blindly, and when they see others joining, they naturally follow suit.

I don't know when it started, there was news that if you become an Austrian citizen, all serfs can get the status of free citizens, and then they went crazy.

From Bosnia and Herzegovina to Serbia, and then to the two principalities in the Danube River Basin, many people are scrambling to become Austrian citizens, and most of them are serfs.

But at this time, the limit threshold has also come out.To become an Austrian citizen, one must first learn the Austrian language.

This does not scare them, anyway, as long as they apply, the Austrian government will send language teachers to teach them, and after learning the daily language, they can become a member of Austria.

The local officials copied the Austrian land redemption policy, and forced the redemption regardless of the opinion of the land owner.

Even if they have opinions, it is useless. Their land ownership is certified by the Ottoman Empire and has nothing to do with Austria.

As for whether the Austrian government's actions are legal or not, no one has considered that much. Anyway, the Austrians have the final say here.

Interest is always the best weapon. Austria did not obtain the sovereignty of these lands. Instead, it first turned the local people into Austrians.

If Austria can rule for two or three years, and the local mainstream population has joined the Austrian nationality, then the following things will be interesting.

One day, the Sudanese government took back these lands through negotiations and sent officials to take them over. Then they suddenly discovered that their own land was filled with foreigners. I don’t know what they would think.

Chapter 74 The Pig Teammates Gathered

London

Prime Minister John Russell was very happy to receive the news that the Kingdom of Sardinia was going to join the war. No one would dislike this winking little brother.

After the outbreak of the Near East War, because they supported the Ottomans, many people were upset and stood on the opposite side of European public opinion.Even in the UK, many people in the media have scolded the government.

Reality has once again proved the importance of a good reputation. The reputation of the Ottoman Empire is so stinky that even the joint efforts of Britain and France cannot help them clear it up.

Public opinion is only a small problem. It is not the first time that the British have stood on the opposite side of international public opinion.John Russell didn't care if these talkers just scolded and couldn't hurt a hair on them.

But recently, not only the Principality of Montenegro has joined the Russians, but even their little brother Greece has also made small moves, as if to tell how unpopular it is for them to join hands with Osman.

In response to the pressure from the opposition party, John Russell urgently needs to produce results to prove the correctness of this action.

John Russell no longer expects a military breakthrough, the chances of this are too small.It is really doubtful that the [-] British troops on the front line can achieve any results in a war with more than one million participants.

If it doesn't work militarily, then it's better to do it diplomatically.This is their strength, isn't it just pulling teammates, the British Empire has rich experience.

Napoleon was so tough back then, he was killed by the anti-French alliance they formed.Although the threat of the Russians is great now, the situation is not as severe as during the Anti-French War.

It's a pity that all European countries have learned the lesson and let them intimidate and lure them, but everyone just stood still, and countries expressed their neutrality one after another.

This caused a headache for Prime Minister John Russell. It is no longer expected that strong allies will support him. There are only a few European powers. Everyone is not a fool, and no one will take the millet for them.

John Russell lowered the standard. As long as there are a few flag-waving people, they can give the domestic people an explanation.

"What conditions does the Sardinian have?" John Russell asked happily

He had already made up his mind, as long as the conditions of the Kingdom of Sardinia were not too excessive, he agreed.To establish world hegemony, recruiting younger brothers is indispensable, and buying bones with thousands of dollars is also very important.

They have many younger brothers, such as Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and other countries.It's a pity that these younger brothers are not on the road. Seeing that there is no benefit to take, they are all timid and do not want to offend the Russians.

The statement of the Kingdom of Sardinia is particularly important. After all, it was the first to defect here. Although its role in the military is almost zero, it is also very important to have one more country to raise its flag politically.

Originally, the Greeks were also qualified to take on this role, but unfortunately the conflict between them and the Ottoman Empire was too great, and there was no possibility of relaxation between the two sides.

"The demands of the Sardinians are not excessive. They require the Allies to purchase a batch of goods from the Kingdom of Sardinia, and at the same time postpone payment of the loan before the end of the war." Palmerston replied lightly.

Undoubtedly, the defeat in the Orsa War still hit their confidence, and they had a clear understanding of their own strength, so they didn't dare to speak loudly at this time.

John Russell continued to ask: "How many troops can the Kingdom of Sardinia send?"

Palmerston said disdainfully: "Two infantry regiments can only be regarded as better than nothing. Prime Minister Cavour said that if we can provide weapons and equipment and bear the war funds, they can send [-] troops."

John Russell said with a smile: "You can agree to them, but we have to get the command.

Our army has not arrived on the battlefield for a long time, which has made our allies very dissatisfied. Now let's use the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia to make up the number. "

He has already guessed about the plan of the Kingdom of Sardinia. It is nothing more than to obtain the support of Britain and France, and then unify the Italian region.

John Russell was a little baffled by the confidence of the Sardinians. He didn't even think that the Italian region could be unified.After the Orsa War, the economy of the Sardinian Kingdom went backwards for 20 years, and it has not recovered yet.

The normal situation is to cultivate and improve the relationship with Austria, so as to change the diplomatic dilemma.

After all, during this period, Austria had a great influence in the Italian states, and formed the Holy Roman Economic Alliance to squeeze them out of the Italian region.

If you want to unify the Italian region, Austria is an unavoidable hurdle.Unable to beat Austria, all their efforts were in vain.

It is true that the London government supports the Kingdom of Sardinia to unify the Italian region, but this kind of support is only verbal, and it will support a loan at most, and it is impossible to go into battle in person.

The French wanted to drive Austria out of the Italian region, but the French also opposed the unification of the Italian region. If there were no accidents, France and Austria would have divided up the Kingdom of Sardinia as early as three years ago.

It doesn't matter if you don't understand, since the Sardinians are willing to be cannon fodder, how can he refuse?

……

Vienna

Franz writes a diary, which is a habit after time travel.There are a lot of messy memories from the previous life, and Franz recorded them all for fear of forgetting.

For the sake of confidentiality, these contents appear in fiction.The background of the world has also been replaced with the magical world, and the messy content is mixed together, and no one can understand it except himself.

"Your Majesty, please see Mr. Metternich!" The maid Jenny's familiar voice sounded

"Please come in!" Franz said lightly.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

……

Metternich said: "Your Majesty, the Sardinian government is testing our attitude. They are preparing to declare war on the Russians."

To be honest, the first time I heard this news, Metternich didn't believe it at all. The Kingdom of Sardinia ran to war with the Russians when they were full. You must know that they are now heavily in debt.

After many confirmations, Metternich accepted the news.

It's not enough to panic. Austria has the most say in the military strength of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Such a scumbag is not worth paying attention to at all.

However, the political significance behind it has to be taken into consideration.In case Britain and France promised some benefits to the Kingdom of Sardinia, which is the reason for their sending troops, then we should pay attention.

After thinking for a while, Franz replied: "Since the Kingdom of Sardinia wants to join the war, let's be an adult! Give the Sardinian government a hint that Austria has no objection to this."

Will the participation of the Kingdom of Sardinia affect the Russian-Turkish war?There must be an influence, but this influence is only political; in the military, they just don't add chaos to the coalition forces.

At this moment, Franz suddenly discovered that the Russians seemed to have a good chance of winning.Don't look at the strength of the coalition forces, but three of these four countries are cheating teammates. Can they be driven by the French alone?

The Ottoman Empire doesn't need to explain how their army's combat effectiveness is, just look at how they are suppressed and beaten by the Russians on the battlefield.

The core of the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia is finished, and the rest are a group of lost soldiers and defeated generals. Don't expect any combat effectiveness from the army they formed.

The combat effectiveness of the British Army is relatively good.It's a pity that their numbers can't increase, their command ability is not good, and they like to lose the chain and cheat teammates at critical moments.

On the other hand, the Russians don't have to think so much. Except for the strength of Austria, the other two allies don't have to count on it at all.

But in the alliance, the role played by Austria is still a nanny.Unless the Russian army on the front line was defeated, there would be no chance for the Austrian army to play at all. This was a logistical decision.

Greece, Montenegro and the Russians are all separated, so there is no need to consider the issue of cooperation, let alone worry about being tricked.

In theory, as long as the Russians can seize the opportunity and defeat the French, they may defeat the enemy one by one.

……

After receiving news of Austria's tacit approval of their actions, the Sardinian government declared war on the Russian Empire on July 1852, 7, and the scope of the war in the Near East expanded again.