The Crescent of the Sultan

Izet-Mohammed continued.

“The third request from the British is that we can deal with the problems in the Arab region with caution.

They said they did not want to see the flames of war spreading in this peaceful and peaceful area, and they hoped that we could handle the problem in a more gentle way. "

When Selim heard this, he knew that the British had already figured it out.

It's just that the British are vague in their words. The British have not made it clear how wide the scope of this "cautious approach" and "more moderate approach" is.

Whether it is the whole island or just Oman is a matter for debate.

However, according to the fourth-level standards of the British (although I don’t know if they exist at this time), the bottom line for the British should be Oman. The Ottoman Empire is not as unbearable as Fira.

But this bottom line is the bottom line in 1790, not the bottom line in 1792. France has not yet exerted its full strength, the emperor has not yet taken action, and the British have not yet realized that they need help from the end.

So these requests from the other party can be said to be semi-probing and semi-serious inquiries. What was Selim's answer?

That's Tai Chi. Let's take this matter. I'm not saying we won't do it, nor that we'll do it now, but we can only start doing it after detailed inspection, detailed analysis, and careful planning.

At the beginning, we must be careful not to violate the guiding ideology - making the powerful Ottoman Empire the first priority.

Therefore, Emperor Sai did not intend to make a clear statement.

In this matter, the British are probably thinking of playing the old trick of offshore balancing again. After all, the recent performance of the Ottoman Empire can easily remind people of the past glory of the empire, which was the fear of holding the entire Europe in the palm of their hands.

While the Emperor was considering how to reply to the British, William Pitt was talking to his good friend William Wilburst.

The latter is also a graduate of Cambridge University and is now a member of Parliament representing Yorkshire.

“So, Wilbost, do you think the Sultan will agree?

Agree to that ridiculous condition I had someone draft. "

Wilburst smiled and said.

"Pete, you're still too worried.

The shortcomings of the Ottoman Empire are not something that happened in the past few decades. It has been declining day by day since the death of Suleiman.

Osman II, Murad IV, Ahmed III, Hamid I.

Many sultans have tried to revive this empire, but they can't even slow down the decline of this ancient empire.

Such a country with diverse ethnic groups, serious religious divisions, and declining central authority is completely unworthy of concern. There are only three issues we need to pay attention to.

For England, the primary problem was the French, which was also the strategic goal that had been adhered to from the Duke of Newcastle to the era of Lord North.

Even though we were divided into Whigs and Tories, the defeat of the French was a feat both parties aspired to.

As you can see in France today, neither Robespierre nor Roland like having a king.

They shouted slogans of freedom and equality and carried out violent actions under the banner of revolution. The Prussian army suffered a defeat in the Rhineland and the Austrian army suffered a disastrous defeat in the Netherlands.

This has made it clear that the French have found it difficult to control their revolution, which is tantamount to a riot.

The system of checks and balances we used in the past seems to be shaky.

This is a French problem, the second problem is German.

The influence of the Habsburg family is well known in Germany. After all, the throne of the Holy Roman Empire has always belonged to the Habsburgs since Maximilian.

The Prussian Hohenzollern was not worthy of being an opponent of the Habsburgs before Frederick. After the Seven Years' War, they became qualified to become our weapon to check and balance the Habsburg family.

But in this war, the Prussian army's performance was a complete mess. I didn't even understand what the king was thinking.

A country whose population only reached over ten million after joining forces with Russia and Austria to carve up Poland, now actually gave up the cornerstone of its country, the army, and allowed the other party to rot. This is not what a country like Prussia should do at all.

Under this circumstance, we must prevent Leopold II of Habsburg from using the Austrian Netherlands to seduce the French army, continue to bleed Prussia, and try to further annex many states in the Holy Roman Empire, especially Bavaria.

Finally, there is the Russian issue. It must be said that Peter I was indeed a monarch with the long-term foresight of a statesman, the courage to take action, and an indomitable and fearless spirit.

This was Russia's good fortune and the Ottoman Empire's misfortune. "

"Wilbost, are you talking about the so-called "will" of Peter I?"

William Pitt asked immediately.

However, before Wilbost could answer, he said again.

“Peter I was indeed a far-sighted monarch, which I cannot do.

His views on Poland and Sweden shaped the Russian Empire today. This was the greatest monarch the Russians had encountered since Ivan IV.

He gave priority to his successors to enter into a trade alliance with us, to exchange timber and other products for our gold, to establish a continual exchange of goods and seamen with us, and thereby to improve their navy and trade.

He saw the importance of Constantinople and India.

His idea is correct. Whoever rules there will be the real master of the world.

He took advantage of the decline of the Ottoman Empire and Persia, and continued to lead Russia to tear flesh and blood from these two empires that were entering their twilight years.

He understood the importance of the old sea routes, he understood the trade of the Levant, and he had a goal, to enter the Persian Gulf. "

William Pitt rose from his chair, walked to the window and said.

"Looking at it this way, the Ottoman Empire is indeed not an object worthy of loyalty. On the contrary, this ancient empire may still need our support.

The threat from the Russians is too great. Although each Russian-Turkish war cannot take away much land from the Ottoman Empire, the accumulation of small amounts is still terrifying. Crimea has now fallen into the hands of Russia. "

Wilburst asked with some confusion.

"If that's the case, Peter, why did you go out of your way to test the Ottoman Empire and drag me into talking for so long with this empire that has half its foot in the grave?"

"Because I have a feeling, Wilbost, that this empire seems to be pulling out his half-buried body and standing up again.

To use an inappropriate metaphor, the Ottoman Empire is like a pawn on a chessboard. It is already difficult to move when it is on the sixth or seventh square, and there is a risk of being eaten at any time.

But this sultan seems to want to bring the Ottoman Empire to the eighth level, but in which direction he wants to improve, I don't know, whether it is the queen, the chariot, or the elephant and horse. "

William Pitt casually picked up a black pawn, placed it directly on the eighth square, and then pointed at the chess piece and said to Wilburst.

"Look, it's like this."

"Here, Peter, you are really worried too much."

Wilburst still didn't want to believe it. Although his friend Peter had always seen things quite accurately, the performance of the Ottoman Empire since 1683 made Wilburst still doubtful of Peter's words.

William Pitt shook his head and said.

“Wilbost, listen to me, this Sultan is different.

The most important point is that he is indeed a Sultan, not a "Sultan".

The difference between the two is like Otto of the Holy Roman Empire and the powerless emperors who followed. "

Wilburst couldn't help but ask.

"Are you being too alarmist?"

"Alarmist?"

William Pitt said with a mysterious smile on his face.

“Wilbert, the reason why you think I am alarmist is because you don’t understand the great changes that have taken place within the Ottoman Empire.

This is the news recorded by our ambassador in Constantinople or his diary. You can read it yourself. We pay too little attention to the Ottoman Empire.

On the one hand, Warren Hastings and the damned East India Company took too much of our energy, plus the Spanish conflict with us in North America.

On the other hand, the revolution in France forced me to focus on suppressing my opposition at home.

And Fox caused trouble for me. The last crisis caused by His Majesty's illness was solved with great difficulty. The regent and Fox were as close as one person. "

Wilburst took the information and said with a smile.

"Don't worry, Pete, you have to understand that compared to you, Fox is just a libertine who only knows how to look for flowers.

Listen to what he said about Lord North, "The failed helmsman brought the country to such danger... Lord Chatham, the King of Prussia, and even Alexander the Great, none of them conquered the territory. That's more territory than the noble Lord has lost - a continent."

This is Fox, who opposes our suppression of the independence of the thirteen North American states, but sympathizes with the French revolution.

I really can't imagine how he could make such a stupid statement in the House of Commons with his head on his head. Even if a salmon came, there wouldn't be as much water in Fox's head. "

They both laughed.

But the smile on William Pitt's face gradually stopped, and the expression on Wilburst's face gradually became serious as the documents were turned over.

"In 1787, under the leadership of the new Sultan, the Ottoman Empire proactively declared war on Russia. This was a smart move. Catherine II was still preparing. Will he win the opportunity? I'm not sure."

"Obviously, the Ottoman Empire is no match for the Russian army. Except for some elite regiments of the Guards that can fight with Russia, the rest of the troops are either unable to fight or are simply not full."

"The performance of the Ottoman Empire was very bad. I was overthinking it. This sultan was no different from the Ottoman II. He simply did whatever he thought of. The principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were lost."

"Perhaps there is a turning point. The Sultan led his army to defeat the Austrian cavalry at the border. The French dwarf he found first defeated Suvorov, and then defeated the main force of the Austrian army. The Prince of Coburg died. A moment of silence for him."

"The Russian army stopped. Potemkin and Rumyantsev stopped in Izmail, where they met with bloody heads.

It's worth noting that this young man named Muhammad Ali held off the Russians. "

"Sweden has declared war on Russia. Catherine II is not feeling well this time. The Ottoman Empire government seems quite calm and seems to have known about it for a long time. As for the newspapers? News of the empire's imminent victory has been everywhere."

"Interesting, the Ottoman Empire's plan seems to be somewhat clear now. They are not that useless. They lure the enemy deep and then stretch the Russian supply line. This is a war of annihilation."

"So the Ottoman Empire really succeeded in encircling the Russian army. Potemkin and Rumyantsev are in far less danger this time."

“Russia failed and Rumyantsev died, which was a real surprise.

The last time Halili Pasha of the Ottoman Empire attacked Rumyantsev with five times the force, he was defeated by Rumyantsev on the banks of the Kargur River. This time Rumyantsev was actually killed by a French dwarf. Defeated with twice as many troops.

This time Catherine II probably looked very ugly. Of the more than 50,000 Russian troops, there were probably only 10,000 who ran back. Gustavus III was still showing off his cruelty in the north.

The Ottoman Empire will definitely take this opportunity to invade the mainland, and the Ukrainian region will probably be destroyed. "

"???Suvorov defeated the Ottoman army. What happened this time? I have to find out about it."

"The Sultan's methods were very powerful. He threw tens of thousands of Guards troops directly to the Russians, and even let the Guards officers take the blame. It will probably be a bloody storm next."

"The Mamluks were the first to be attacked. This time Egypt has completely belonged to the Ottoman Empire. It's a pity. If this was ours, France would probably be even weaker in the Mediterranean."

…………

"I guessed wrong. He was more courageous than I thought. He gambled his crown and destiny on his trip to Greece. What's even more amazing is that he won. The Greeks were finished, and so were the Guards."

…

"Steam engine? This Sultan actually had the idea of ​​introducing a steam engine. What left such an impression on him? Was it his time in England?"

"Tariffs? What exactly is this sultan going to do? He will be a terrible monarch. I have to warn him in time."

…

""Imperial Edict", the sultan has already tried his best to see it, but can he succeed?

It’s hard to say, let’s not mention the domestic situation, Austria and Russia are unavoidable problems. "

Wilburst said as he hurriedly turned through the last few pages.

"Peter, you are right, he is a threat or he could be Peter I of the Ottoman Empire, or even greater.

How are you going to contain him? "

"Containment? This is what gives me a headache. Whether he wants to become a queen or a chariot, I can't predict.

Containing him now will only widen the gap between the Ottoman Empire and Russia, who are as formidable an opponent as the French. "

"Then what should we do?"

"Let's wait and see how the Ottoman Empire reacts to our request before we make a decision."

said William Pitt, looking out the window.

This is two-in-one