At the critical moment, the bureaucrats of the Tsarist government rarely had high efficiency.

Everyone is smart, knowing the severity of the consequences. If he had no vision at all, he would have been eliminated in the internal struggle of the bureaucratic group.

The demand for weapons and ammunition is so high that it is obviously not something that can be taken out at once, and orders must be placed for production. Even if Franz is prepared, it is impossible to stock up on hundreds of giant cannons and tens of thousands of tons of shells to be placed there.

If the Russians stopped buying it, who could he sell these arms to?

The Austrian 6th Army cannot use these big guys who are inconvenient to move. The navy is a poor man and has no money to purchase so many artillery, and the coastal defense does not require so many artillery.

After the decision was made, the Tsarist government immediately sent someone to place an order with Austria, but unfortunately the giant cannon production capacity was insufficient.

Since the Austrian 6th Army purchased up to 6 pounds and 12 pounds of artillery during normal times, these are the most commonly used equipment for active service, and very few 24 pounds of field artillery equipment were used. In this era, most naval cruisers had 24 pounds of cannons, and the main battleships were equipped with 48 pounds of cannons.

Now we are also attacking the fortifications of Constantinople, and the power of these artillery is obviously not enough. The Russians need heavy artillery of over 68 pounds. Obviously, most of these artillery are used as shore artillery, and the actual demand is very small.

(Note: In this era, the caliber error of guns is relatively large, and it is common for the same model to have a few millimeters of error; the same model cannons, produced by different arsenals, may have a caliber error of up to ten millimeters. It is inappropriate to measure the size of cannons with caliber.)

These heavy artillery are not only powerful weapons for siege, but also for British and French warships. Obviously, the Russians want to change the current dilemma of being passively beaten.

With small market demand, there are naturally fewer production lines opened by military enterprises. Many arsenals only have the ability to produce large artillery and will only open production lines after receiving the order, which takes time.

The production capacity is not enough? It doesn’t matter. Is Russia and Austria not an ally? Franz is an enthusiastic person and can also sell active equipment. As long as the Austrian army has it, you can choose whatever you want.

The era of breech guns is about to come, and these guns are about to be eliminated. Now it is time to be replaced in advance.

Old goods? You can not buy them, and new goods will be available in a few months.

Obviously, the Tsarist government could not afford to wait, and the Russian army on the front line could not afford to wait. No matter what kind of old goods were or were used normally, it would be enough. At worst, the Austrians could provide after-sales repair services.

Even the Austrian Navy's order artillery was intercepted by the Russians. Anyway, the navy has no war in a short period of time, so it is better to give priority to satisfying allies for the sake of Russia-Austria friendship!

As it turns out, any plan is ideal. After more than two months, Austria has collected more than 150 giant cannons, and the rest can only make up the numbers with 24-pound cannons and 48-pound cannons.

The artillery was obtained, and it means that the attack was ready. It was easy to transport it from Austria to Bulgaria via the Danube River, but it would be a big trouble to transport it to the front line later.

It is quite troublesome to transport a large group of dozens of tons or hundreds of tons. Originally, these artillery were used as shore artillery, but as long as the power is large enough, it doesn't matter if it is a little heavy or larger. Now it is naturally troublesome to transport it.

The artillery was not in place, and Minshkov slowed down the offensive on the front line. He didn't want the Russian army to die in vain. Gray animals were worthless, but if they died too many, it would be heartbreaking!

...

Athens

The 6th Army Minister said in panic: "Your Majesty, the British crossed the border line and entered our national border on the grounds of pursuing the enemy. This is a document from the front line, please tell me what to do."

Otto I knocked away the documents, what should I do? Do you still need to ask such a simple question? Of course, I will do nothing.

It is even more impossible to block the British and help the British chase the defeated soldiers. No matter how good the Greek government is, it is impossible to be so shameless.

"Let the local governments find ways to hide all the soldiers who have fled back. If not, send them to the rear. You must be careful and the British cannot catch the handle." Otto I ordered

At this point, it would be impossible not to pay the price. From a political point of view, the British actually gave him a chance to escape.

The British Empire is the overlord of the ocean and the top powers. Losing to them is more acceptable to the people than losing to the Ottomans.

This is not because the government is not working hard, but because the enemy is too strong.

If Otto was a little shameless, he could also boast about how powerful they were in the Ottoman Empire when they attacked the Ottoman Empire. He did not expect to be attacked by the British, so he lost. This was completely a crime of non-war.

As for whether it will cause a wave of anti-British people, I don’t care about that much now. Since the last conflict between the UK and Greece, the relationship between the two countries has not been better, and it is probably okay to add another sum.

The Foreign Minister reminded: "Your Majesty, judging from the current situation, the outcome of this Near East War has nothing to do with us.

The British army entered the Greek Peninsula, and now we have lost the right to choose and we must consider the aftermath."

Although they had confidence in the Russians, the British had already arrived. If they didn't find a way and would first become an exile government before the Russians could win.

Thinking of this, Otto I had a headache. My family had just been driven out of the Bavarian Kingdom. If Austria had not paid attention to eating and exchanging the throne of the Lombardy Kingdom, it would have been in exile now.

Now the family's resources have been invested in the Lombardy Kingdom, but they don't have the energy to support him again. After so many years of pure investment, there is no return, and many people in the family are dissatisfied.

Historically, after Otto I abdicated, he asked the Bavarian royal family to send people to take over the throne. As a result, his brothers and nephews were unwilling to take over the mess, so it was George I's turn.

Without external support, the problems he faced were more troublesome than in history. If he was not good, he would be kicked off by the British.

After wandering for a few steps, Otto I spoke, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will send someone to negotiate secretly with the British. The current situation can only stop the loss.

At the same time, I send people to contact the Russians, French, and Austrians. I believe they don’t want to see the British dominant one. Now we need their diplomatic support.”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the Foreign Minister replied

Now is the era of the great powers. Without the support of the great powers, it is difficult for them to get rid of this crisis this time.

...

Facts have proved that Otto I's judgment was accurate. Although the Greek kingdoms were not strong, their economy was not sufficient, their resources were not abundant, and they did not have much benefit, they had a good geographical location.

The Russians could not tolerate the British dominating the place and blocking their way into the Mediterranean; the French did not want to see the British expanding their power in the Near East and affecting their interests.

Not to mention Austria, it was Greece that made the British bigger here, and it also threatened Austria's maritime security.

...

Vienna

After receiving help from the Greek government, Franz decided to interfere with the British's actions in Greece, and how to intervene became a problem.

It is impossible to interfere by force unless he sends the Austrian 6th Army there, and the Navy is not qualified.

Metternich proposed: "Your Majesty, we can join forces with the French this time, and Napoleon III will not be willing to watch the British seize power and their interests.

In the Mediterranean, as long as our two countries reach an agreement, the British cannot ignore it.”

Yes, the French and Austrian navy could not be a rival to the British, but there were many British colonies, and naturally there were many areas where the navy was stationed.

In contrast, the Austrian navy is all located in the Mediterranean, which is the naval force in the Mediterranean after Britain and France. The combined naval force of France and Austria in the Mediterranean has surpassed the British again.

Strength is the right to speak. Even if the British are the overlord of the ocean, they cannot ignore the common will of Austria and France.

The existence of the Greek kingdom in history took advantage of the conflicts between countries. Now Otto I made the same choice.

It can be said that in international politics, we were allies on this issue in the morning, and in another issue in the afternoon, we became enemies on another issue in the afternoon.

Allies with no conflict of interest at all have almost no longer exist in this era. The core factor that determines the relationship between allies mainly depends on the great interests or contradictions between each other.

Franz thought for a while and said, "Let's talk to France first and see what they want. The interests of Greece are not worth mentioning. We don't need to ask for anything, as long as the British don't have to completely control Greece."

No desire or demand is Franz's attitude towards Greece. The reason is very simple. Putting aside strategic factors, all countries that invest in Greece in history have lost money.

If nothing unexpected happens, the Greek Kingdom will soon be unable to pay loans from various countries due to financial difficulties, and then be entrusted by various countries for a period of time to their finances.

This is not once or twice. Whoever collects this guy will have to provide them with a loan so that they can keep it.

In countries like Britain and France where finance dominates, they can still do such business. Capitalists can use various means to raise funds and seek benefits from it. In the end, even if they cannot repay the loans and bonds, they are just unlucky for ordinary people and they have obtained enough benefits in advance.

Austria cannot play like this, and there is not enough idle funds in China to participate in such speculative activities. If the financial group dares to play like this, the Vienna government is the first to refuse to agree.

These funds are much more cost-effective to use for domestic exhibitions than to buy Greeks. Under the concept of displaying their own ideas, Austrian financial capital appears very low-key in the international capital market.

It’s not enough to be low-key. Compared with the British and French consortiums, the financial resources of Austria’s domestic financial groups are still too weak. If they are too active, they may fall into the trap and they will be swallowed up by others in one bite.

Since the end of the westward strategy, the Vienna government has been easing its relations with European countries.

When there is no conflict of interest, the diplomatic relations of our country will naturally recover quickly. Especially for small countries, as long as the Vienna government sends an olive branch, the relationship between them will immediately ease.

If you hold grudges in international diplomacy, then congratulations, the whole world will be your enemy in the near future.

The issue of dominance in the German Federal Empire is actually the result of compromise between Britain and Austria. If the two countries argue endlessly, it is impossible to elect the emperor so quickly.

Now restoring the relationship between France and Austria has become the focus of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' work. It is estimated that the Paris government will make similar decisions. Nothing else, the interests!

Don’t think that Napoleon III always implemented a pro-British policy, but think that Britain and France are allies. In fact, they are just allies when dealing with the Russians.

Most of the time, Britain and France stood opposite each other. The British were the world's number one naval power, and the French were the world's second naval power, and the strength gap between the two sides was not as big as later generations. The French Navy had the strength of the sixth and seventh floors of the Royal Navy.

This number is enough to make the boss suppress the second brother. Coupled with the conflicts in overseas colonies between the two sides, the conflict between Britain and France is not a small matter. However, the ability of the Mao Bear to pull hatred is too strong, which directly covers up the conflict between Britain and France.

Against this background, after taking advantage of the Crimean battlefield in history, Napoleon III immediately negotiated with the Russians without taking into account the feelings of British allies, because the French needed the Russians to restrain John Bull.

The complex international relations have caused Franz a headache. Before going out to open up overseas colonies, Austria and other countries basically did not have much conflict of interest.

If you take this step, the situation will be different immediately. It is a matter of time before you can conflict with colonial countries. How to deal with these relationships is the biggest problem facing the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In terms of the matter, the British also did a good thing. Although they were worried about missing the opportunity to contain the Russians in order to avoid the outbreak of the Great Six European War and were worried about missing out on the opportunity to contain the Russians, the establishment of the German Federal Empire also avoided direct conflict between France and Austria.

No matter how strong the buffer is, if this buffer exists, both the French and Austrian governments do not have to face the military pressure directly.

Franz was afraid of the French, and why was Napoleon III afraid of Austria? On the surface, the strength of the two major powers was evenly matched, and Western Europe and Central and Southern Europe formed a balance.

Balance means stability, and neither Paris nor Vienna will rashly break this balance until there is enough interest.

If the French want to expand their colonies outside, they will inevitably increase their investment in the navy. For local security, it is an inevitable choice to ease relations with Austria.

The Vienna government, which also wants to join this feast, must ease the relationship between the two countries for its own security.
Chapter completed!