Chapter 282: Chapter 31, Debt Crisis

While pressuring the Ottoman Government, the African colonies also began to take action. There was no need to deploy troops from the homeland; this time, they only aimed to establish a base along the coast of Nigeria, and the colonial forces were sufficient.

Not everyone knew that the Indian uprising would continue. In the eyes of many, the British would easily quash the rebellion once they responded.

Under this guiding principle, the Vienna Government acted swiftly and decisively, taking the opportunity to devour the prey first.

In this era, Africans suffered from a severe fear of whites, and the Austrian army quickly defeated several native tribes and established immigrant settlements.

Colonel Nikos commanded, “Quick, fortify the fortifications, the enemy’s counterattack is imminent.”

A young officer asked in confusion, “Colonel, is such caution really necessary? Isn’t it just a native kingdom? Can’t we just go and eradicate them?”

Colonel Nikos glared at him and said sternly, “Abate, put away that presumptuous arrogance of yours. Any negligence on the battlefield can lead to fatal losses.

If you wish to continue in the military, you must always remain vigilant. That is the most basic quality of a soldier, and if you can’t do that, I can send you back to your country right now.

Do you think dealing with native Africans is easy? Haven’t you heard of human wave tactics? This is the territory of the Tekrul Kingdom; they can muster tens of thousands of soldiers for a counterattack.

Don’t think that they’re all armed with swords and spears. Guns and cannons were sold to them as early as a hundred years ago. Even if their equipment is a bit outdated, it is not something you can afford to underestimate.”

As a scion of the nobility, Abate came to the colonies to make a name for himself, naturally, he could not just go back with his tail between his legs.

Since Austria began its colonization, they had never lost a battle involving more than a thousand combatants, which led many to believe that the native Africans were pushovers.

Now hearing that the enemy was strong, Abate was not intimidated; on the contrary, he was exhilarated.

“Strong” is relative. Compared to the tribal groups, a native kingdom is certainly strong, but when compared with European countries, even Montenegro would outclass them.

Merely wielding modern weaponry does not make for a modern army – it also requires rigorous training to realize its combat potential.

Not to mention, just the recoil from firearms – without training, when someone fires a gun, the bullets wouldn’t even hit the intended target.

Thus, many makeshift armies in recent history have fought noisy battles, only to find upon tallying casualties, that hardly anyone was killed.

A great country like Austria could afford to give each soldier hundreds of bullets for firearms practice, something the aboriginal African kingdoms could not possibly do.

Abate lowered his head and replied, “Yes, Colonel!”

As it turned out, the Tekrul Kingdom was not an efficient kingdom at all, wholly preserving their nature. They took over a month to muster an army, which arrived belatedly.

By then, the initial fortifications of the colonial settlement had been completed. From the command center, Colonel Nikos picked up a telescope, looked at the disorderly enemy forces, and sneered, “Trash, always trash!”

Seeing the enemy setting up camp, Nikos could not help but admire their courage. Daring to pitch camp within the range of naval artillery, he didn’t even know what to say.

Of course, the Tekrul Kingdom’s enemies had always been aboriginal African kingdoms, which had no conception of the might of navy guns; their camping distance was based on past experiences.

Forget the navy; even the army’s heavy artillery could strike at them. Nikos regretted not bringing heavy artillery this time; otherwise, there wouldn’t be any need to involve the navy.

Inter-service rivalry existed in any country, and Austria was no exception. Of course, this conflict mainly revolved around military expenditures and had not reached the level where Japan’s army and navy eagerly sabotaged each other.

Nikos ordered, “Abate, go inform the navy to send a warship for target practice. Tell them a bunch of fools wish to serve as targets.”

“Yes, Colonel!” Abate responded.

Nikos could somewhat understand why a mere group of 180 colonists could defeat a nation. It was entirely due to ignorance; the ignorant know no fear.

He had decided to attract as many enemy soldiers as possible. After all, the more enemies there were, the more glorious his military achievements.

It was a shame that victories over African natives were not highly valued; otherwise, defeating tens of thousands of enemy troops with just one battalion could have made history.

Antalya

Representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Austria, and the Ottoman Empire had all arrived, and now everyone was negotiating the conflict between Austria and the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire Foreign Minister, Mr. Fuad, spoke with solemn gravity, “We strongly protest the Austrians’ occupation of Crete, which violates the Vienna Treaty and infringes upon the sovereignty of our nation.”

The Austrian representative, Johannes, calmly responded, “Mr. Fuad, please calm down. We have not occupied Crete. An accident befell one of our warships that required repairs, and that is all we are making use of—for the time being.

Rest assured, we will pay for it. We won’t simply make use of your territory for nothing.

As for violating the Vienna Treaty, that is not even an issue. The Vienna Treaty exists to maintain the peace and stability in Europe, and as a founding nation, we naturally intend to abide by the treaty.

Currently, we are only in talks about a transaction, not forcing you to cede these lands, so how could this be considered a violation of the treaty? Ultimately, whether the deal goes through or not, that is to be determined after discussions—why be so upset about it now!”

The British representative, Nigel, asked, “Since it’s a matter of negotiation, now that the Ottoman Empire has rejected the offer, shouldn’t your country withdraw from Crete?”

Johannes replied unflustered, “Of course, if the Ottoman Government is unwilling to accept this transaction, we certainly won’t force them.

However, the Ottoman Empire currently has two competing governments. The Sultan’s Government has already lost the people’s trust. Whether they can represent the will of the Ottomans remains an unknown.”

“With a responsible attitude, we believe it’s necessary to make contact with the Holy Land Government to understand their position before we proceed with formal negotiations.”

This was an overt threat. Should the negotiations fail, the Vienna Government would refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the Sultan Government and instead support the Holy Land Government.

This deeply wounded Mr. Fuad. They had just managed to suppress those rebels and were seeing the first light of victory. If the rebels gained Austrian support, who knew how long the civil war would last.

Mr. Fuad rebuked with less assurance, “Count Johannes, this is the internal affair of the Ottoman Empire, and you have no right to interfere!”

Johannes patiently explained, “Mr. Fuad, please rest assured, we have no intention of rashly intervening in your nation’s affairs.

However, your government’s approach is concerning. We came with goodwill to discuss a sale, and you refuse even to talk, completely disregarding the friendship between our two countries—it truly breaks our hearts.”

Mr. Fuad seriously replied, “Count, negotiations are based on the voluntary agreement of both parties. It’s not that we are deliberately refusing to negotiate with your country, but rather that at present, we have no plans to sell land.”

Johannes’s expression shifted to a cold one as he said, “Of course we won’t force a transaction. Now, please have your country immediately repay our 28 million Divine Shields of debt—we only accept payment in gold and Divine Shields.”

Mr. Fuad was completely baffled; when did the Ottoman Empire owe the Austrians so much money?

“Count, I’d like to know when this debt was incurred. As far as I know, the debt we owe your country does not exceed two million Divine Shields.”

Johannes retrieved a document from his briefcase and handed it to Mr. Fuad, then said, “This is a detailed statement of the debt; you may have someone verify it.”

After a glance, Mr. Fuad’s expression turned to one of distress—he finally understood the origin of these debts. There’s another kind of debt in the world: the transfer of debt claims.

The Ottoman Empire, facing financial difficulties, had recently announced governmental bankruptcy by the Sultan’s Government, causing many debts to be defaulted on.

These unpayable debt claims naturally became worthless. When the Vienna Government offered to purchase them, the creditors had no reason to refuse.

Even a pittance was better than a total loss. Creditors, without the ability to collect from the Ottoman Government, chose to cut their losses.

The Vienna Government had the strength and had already taken actual steps.

To repay debts is the natural order of things.

On this matter, neither England nor France could intervene, for they were the largest creditors internationally. If debtors could simply default without consequence, their losses would be significant.

Although the Sultan Government had not defaulted on their debts, they must acknowledge the legitimacy of the Vienna Government’s debt collection.

From this moment on, the conflict between the two parties was no longer a military one but a matter of debt collection.

The British representative, Nigel, suggested, “Count, let’s adjourn for now. This debt needs to be verified. Let’s wait until Mr. Fuad has clarified things.”

After all, his purpose was only to buy time, but to resolve the issue? Sorry, with the Austrians planning for so long, it was unlikely that his eloquence alone would make them give up. Nigel didn’t have that kind of confidence.

After some thought, Johannes said, “Alright, we’ll talk again after a week. Surely, that will be enough time for Mr. Fuad to verify the authenticity of these debts.

However, Mr. Fuad, it would be best if you expedite the verification process. This overdue debt is incurring a considerable amount of interest each day, and the longer you delay, the more detrimental it is to you.”

Mr. Fuad wiped the sweat from his forehead, his voice slightly trembling as he replied, “Count, be assured that we will verify this debt as quickly as possible.”

He didn’t think these debt claims were fraudulent. Since the Austrians had brought them to the negotiating table, there surely wouldn’t be any problems. Johannes would not joke with the international reputation of the Vienna Government.