Chapter 412: Chapter 406 Ossman Guerillas
The reason Abdulmejid I was willing to "readily" bear the negative political effects of losing the Danube Duchy was because the Ottoman Empire itself simply could not endure the pain of neighboring the Russian Empire any longer.
As a crucial barrier preventing the Russian Empire from extending its reach into the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire has borne pain it could not withstand on its own.
The rebellions within the empire and the influence of foreign powers rendered this decaying empire in constant turmoil; the political upheavals led to economic turmoil, exacerbating already sharp ethnic conflicts. In certain areas of the Balkans (Serbia, Black Mountain, Bosnia and Herzegovina), signs of mutual killings have already appeared.
All of this forced the already struggling Ottoman Empire High Gate to divert part of its attention to ethnic killings, attempting to mitigate conflicts by supporting local Pashas.
Under various factors, the Ottoman Empire has become a bloated and crippled giant. In order to prevent the "wound" from continuously bleeding, Abdulmejid I could only consider choosing to abandon the Danube Duchy. Just at this moment, Fuad Effendi informed him that as long as the Ottoman Empire completely abandoned the Danube Duchy, the Austrian Empire would surely fill the vacancy. This would mean that the Russian Empire’s aggressive steps would have to halt at Bessarabia, allowing the Ottoman Empire to have enough energy to deal with some sharper conflicts.
Moreover, the Austrian Empire itself would not pose as deadly a threat to the Ottoman Empire as the Russian Empire; at the very least, the Austrian Empire is not as greedy as the Russian Empire.
If Abdulmejid I had to choose between the Russian Empire and the Austrian Empire, then Abdulmejid I would unhesitatingly choose the Austrian Empire.
However, even though Abdulmejid I had internally prepared for the loss of the Danube Duchy, emotionally, he still couldn’t help but have certain fantasies about the Danube Duchy’s retention in the Ottoman Empire.
Of course, Abdulmejid I did not disclose the news of the Danube Duchy’s sale to the Danube Duchy’s envoy.
The Danube Duchy was once again placed as a bargaining chip on the gambling table of the imperialist Great Powers, and only the victorious factions could decide the fate of these two regions.
The people of the Danube Duchy were unaware of all these happenings.
"By the way! Is there any movement in the Caucasus?" Having finished discussing the fate of the Danube, Abdulmejid I casually inquired about the situation in the Caucasus.
Due to the Russian Empire’s continuous encroachment on the Caucasus Region in recent years, the Ottoman Empire had to adopt a strategy of strict defense to guard against a sudden attack from the Russian Empire.
Especially after relations between Russia and the Ottoman reached a diplomatic freeze, the High Gate Government designated the Caucasus as one of the key targets of the Russian Imperial Army’s attacks. They planned to deploy some miscellaneous troops stationed in the Constantinople area to the Caucasus for defense.
"There hasn’t been much action from the Russian Empire. Instead, Shamil Imam has frequently sent us messages recently! He hopes our forces in the Caucasus can provide whatever help they can!" Fuad Effendi told Abdulmejid I.
"Oh? That invulnerable fellow! Now he also wants to seek our assistance!" Abdulmejid I asked Fuad Effendi with a smile of interest.
"Facing the vast Russian Empire, relying solely on those inept hill people under him won’t have much effect! They can only serve as a strategy to pin down the Russian Empire. The war with Russia in the Caucasus Region still requires us to lend a hand!" Fuad Effendi replied to Abdulmejid I.
"Since he’s still relatively submissive to us, allow our troops to provide them with some assistance!" Abdulmejid I issued an order to Fuad Effendi.
"Understood!" Fuad Effendi nodded to indicate he understood.
"By the way! Make sure not to provide large-scale assistance!" Then, Abdulmejid I coldly reminded, "Otherwise, those unruly fellows might become even more uncontrollable! We must train them like taming wild horses!"
Fuad Effendi nodded in response to Abdulmejid I.
After temporarily concluding matters in the Caucasus Region, Abdulmejid I inquired Fuad Effendi about the time of the French Empire’s entry into the war.
Fuad Effendi informed Abdulmejid I that the French Empire must wait until the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire officially go to war before they can rightfully join the fight.
Upon hearing Fuad Effendi’s words, Abdulmejid I felt some resentment towards the French Empire; they had pushed the Ottoman Empire into the "fiery pit" and then stood aside, which was not like a "good brother" at all.
However, despite that thought, Abdulmejid I still showed no signs of resentment on his face.
Not only that, but he also intentionally patted Fuad Effendi on the shoulder, telling him to strengthen ties with the French Empire.
Seeing this, Fuad Effendi took the opportunity to request permission from Abdulmejid I to send a team to Paris.
Without hesitation, Abdulmejid I agreed to Fuad Effendi’s request upon hearing it.
In such a situation, any form of communication could influence the future trajectory between the two countries.
Of course, Abdulmejid I also hoped that the French Empire would soon join the war.
After handling all the affairs, Fuad Effendi left the Imperial Palace of the Ottoman Empire and headed to the residence of the new Ottoman Prime Minister, Rechid.
Guided by a North African slave, Fuad Effendi entered Rechid’s reception hall, where he quietly waited for Prime Minister Rechid’s arrival, sitting on the sofa.
It wasn’t long before Prime Minister Rechid appeared in the reception hall, and walking side by side with him was none other than Ambassador Canning.
Seeing Ambassador Canning, Fuad Effendi quickly rose to greet him. Ambassador Canning, upon seeing Fuad Effendi, immediately shook hands with him and praised Fuad Effendi as the most capable diplomat of the Ottoman Empire.
Upon hearing Ambassador Canning’s commendation, Fuad Effendi remained as humble as ever.
After bidding farewell to Ambassador Canning, Rechid and Fuad Effendi sat facing each other.
After a moment, Rechid spoke: "You came to see me; is there something on your mind?"
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, the situation is as follows..."
Fuad Effendi recounted everything that had happened in the palace to Rechid and then observed Rechid in silence.
"Since it’s something His Majesty entrusted you with, I’m in no position to comment further! However, I hope that in everything you do, you prioritize the Ottoman Empire!" Rechid advised Fuad Effendi.
Fuad Effendi immediately assured Rechid that he would indeed prioritize the interests of the Ottoman Empire in his actions.
Subsequently, Fuad Effendi departed from Rechid’s office.
On June 28, under the command of Fuad Effendi, a delegation led by Rifat Pasha began a state visit to the French Empire.
On the other hand, an urgent dispatch was sent out from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Caucasus Region.
On June 30, the urgent dispatch reached the hands of the highest commander of the Turkish Army in the Caucasus Region for the Ottoman Empire.
Carefully reviewing the document from Fuad Effendi, the highest commander in the Caucasus immediately followed Fuad Effendi’s suggestion to provide all possible support to Shamil Imam.
Due to the recent cleansing of the Peaceful Sect Tribe in the Caucasus Region by the Russian Imperial Army, the Ottoman garrison in the Caucasus had completely lost contact with Shamil. They could only try a broad approach to advise Shamil.
Amidst the broad approach by the Ottoman Empire, the dispatched envoy finally located Shamil hidden in the dense forests of the Caucasus Region.
At that moment, Imam Shamil, heavily besieged by the Russian Imperial Army, appeared unprecedentedly embarrassed.
Thinking of the man who had been besieged by the Russian Empire since 1834, and now had to rely on the support of the Ottoman regular army, filled the envoy with an inexplicable sense of irony.
It felt like a student who was usually at the bottom of the class, seeing that top-ranked students scored similarly to him in this examination.
As for Shamil, or more precisely, Shamil’s followers, they looked at the envoy with faces full of resentment.
Many angrily accused the envoy of abandoning them, the self-reliant Muslims, to their fate.
In response to the anger from Shamil’s followers, the envoy directly explained that the Ottoman Empire had not declared war on the Russian Empire. Recklessly coming to their aid would lead to a rupture in the relations between the two countries.
The envoy’s explanation only made those present even angrier, with many clamoring to execute this "traitor" as a traitor to the nation.
"Silence!" At the height of the tension, Shamil said with authority.
The followers, who had been filled with fighting spirit and ready to execute the envoy, instantly calmed down.
Afterward, Shamil approached the envoy and said, "Mr. Envoy, I have been fighting against the Russian Imperial Army here since 1834! In these nearly 20 years, we have fought bravely and vigorously! We have inflicted significant damage on the Russian Empire, making the Russian Empire’s generals believe I am invincible!"
Then Shamil said with a tone of melancholy, "Little do those Russian Imperial troops know, I am far from invincible! The reason I’ve been able to resist the barbaric Russians time and time again is due to the immense love my Peaceful Sect Tribe and I have for the Ottoman Empire and the great Sultan! It is this pure and unparalleled love that supports me through hardships!"