Chapter 283: Chapter 32, Each Has a Plan

The sudden debt crisis caught the Sultan Government off guard. Now that this debt had been transferred to Austrian hands, defaulting wasn’t going to be so simple.

Honestly, Sultan Government needed money to repay the debt, and clearly, after losing the Balkan Peninsula, the Sultan’s finances were done for.

Over 28 million Divine Shields equate to more than 14 million British Pounds, amounting to 102.48 tons of gold. If you add on the various late fees, this figure would only grow.

Without a doubt, even if it meant selling everything they had, the Sultan Government couldn’t come up with such a huge sum of money right now.

Unless the Vienna Government would accept paper currency, not even England and France could lend them enough gold to fill such a hole.

Abdulmejid I said grimly, “The Austrians are trying to extort us, we absolutely cannot let their scheme succeed!”

Everyone bowed their heads, trying as much as possible to lower their presence, lest they become collateral damage. There was precedent for this concern, such as the beheading of half the ministers from the previous government.

Don’t be fooled by the favorable reviews of Abdulmejid I’s reforms in later generations. Fundamentally, he was still a feudal emperor. The failure of the wars in the Near East and the loss of Constantinople were pinned on the unfortunate souls of the previous cabinet, who were then purged and exterminated.

This was also one of the catalysts for the outbreak of the civil war. With a monarch like this, being anything less than extremely vigilant was not an option. This was the Ottoman Empire’s fine tradition, a barbarity handed down from ancestors.

Abdulmejid I, dissatisfied, reprimanded, “Why is no one speaking? Did you not hear my words? Fuad, you are the Foreign Minister, tell me what the Foreign Ministry plans to do next?”

Having been singled out, Fuad knew he couldn’t escape this, so he braced himself and answered, “Your Majesty, the Austrians have come prepared.

We have just received news that a massive rebellion has broken out in India, and the British are tied up, unable to interfere with their actions in the short term.

It seems the French have reached a tacit agreement with the Vienna Government. The Austrians gave up their ambitions in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia in exchange for French acquiescence to this Austrian move.”

Indeed, the news had just been received, and it was the British who informed him. Gathering intelligence was too farfetched for the Sultan Government.

Abdulmejid I was so angry that he was speechless for a while. He had believed that with the support of England and France, he could take a tough stand and put on a show, but reality cruelly told him that any further pretense would just be foolish.

Realizing he might have caused trouble, Fuad hurriedly tried to remedy the situation, “Your Majesty, do not worry. The native rebellion in India is just a rabble; it won’t take long for the British to quell it.

The London Government won’t sit by and watch the Austrians continuously expand. We just need to delay the time, and once they have suppressed the rebellion…”

Abdulmejid I interrupted him before he could finish, saying, “Stop dreaming. As long as the Vienna Government and the British reach a compromise, we will be betrayed.

The importance of India to the British goes without saying. Why wouldn’t they sacrifice our interests to keep the Austrians from causing trouble?

Open your eyes and look at the world map. Is Russia that far from India? Whether through Persia or Afghanistan, the Russians could support India’s rebels.

Given the relationship between Britain and Russia, what the Tsarist Government would do is something any sane person would know.

If Austria and Russia stand together, the British might suppress this rebellion, but at a terrible cost.

On the issue of India, the British have no allies. If the French don’t trip them up, that would already be friendly enough; can they still hope for the Paris Government’s support?”

This was a problem everyone could see, but as wise individuals, they definitely couldn’t show off such insight in front of the emperor. Such opportunities must be left for Abdulmejid I to display.

After sternly criticizing his subordinates, Abdulmejid I’s mood improved considerably and he began to seriously consider what to do next.

The Vienna Government’s goals had become worthless to the Sultan Government. Whether it was those series of islands or Libya, they couldn’t bring value to the Sultan Government.

Economically governing these regions was basically just breaking even, and in a good year blessed with favorable weather, they might achieve a small gain at best.

Strategically, these islands were still important, but unfortunately, the Sultan Government could no longer afford a navy. Without a powerful navy, the so-called strategic value was just a joke.

Fuad uncertainly asked, “Your Majesty, shall we continue negotiations with the Austrians?”

Abdulmejid I thought for a moment and said, “Of course, we must continue negotiating, delay as long as possible.

If we truly can’t drag it out, then preserve our interests as much as possible. Even if we have to sell them, we must strive to get a good price.

At the very least, it cannot be lower than the price of the Balkan Peninsula. We categorically do not recognize these debts, and the Austrians must pay in cash!”

Fuad answered apprehensively, “Yes, Your Majesty!”

This kind of contradictory decision was obviously not so easy to implement, or even impossible to execute. No matter how well it was done, it could never satisfy the Sultan.

Not wanting to lose land was a matter of face, Abdulmejid I did not want to bear the infamy of a traitor; it was not because he placed great value on those territories.

At the same time, he wanted to sell off some territories in exchange for funds to alleviate the government’s financial crisis and suppress internal rebels.

After all, Austria was but a minor irritant, coveting only the interests of the Ottoman Empire; they could not threaten their lives, it was the rebel army within that truly sought to take their lives.

St. Petersburg

When the Tsarist Government received news of the Indian uprising, their first reaction was that an opportunity had arisen.

There wasn’t an ambitious country in the world that didn’t covet the British monopoly over India, especially the greedy Russians.

Once bitten, twice shy, after experiencing one Near East war, the Tsarist Government had also become cautious, mainly due to lack of funds.

Their finances were not doing well, the newly acquired territories on the Balkan Peninsula had yet to recover from the war, and their hopes had been dashed that wealthy Istanbul would make up for the financial shortfall.

Post-war reconstruction was still ongoing, and it seemed impossible to return to pre-war levels without a decade or two.

Because of the war, the Tsarist Government had accrued a mountain of debt, and Nicholas I still cared about his face; he could not bring himself to default on debts.

That was the price of contending for supremacy. Their international reputation was already not good, and if they defaulted again, the results of their decades of hard work would collapse overnight.

Without credibility, no one would follow their lead. The Tsarist Government hardly had any allies to begin with, and if they went through with this, they’d be hard-pressed to even find nations willing to cheer them on.

Nicholas I asked, “Now that the opportunity has come, what does everyone think we should do?”

Finance Minister Aristander Rhodes said, “Your Majesty, if we want to seize India, we must first take the Afghan Region, or else the enemy could easily cut off our retreat.

The British are not weak, and the native Indians can only delay them for so long. Once we have raised the funds, by the time we conquer the Afghan Region, the British will likely have already suppressed the rebellion.

Instead, we could directly support the Indian uprising, provide the rebel army with weapons and military instructors, and have them exhaust the British strength.

With a population of three hundred million in India, if we can mobilize even one percent, the British will have to retreat from the area in disgrace.”

This was the most cost-effective approach. The Tsarist Government truly did not lack weapons, as they bought a surplus during the Near East war. Now that disarmament and recuperation had commenced, the warehouses were almost full.

Sending all these surplus weapons to India to trouble the British aligned with their interests, and they might even turn a significant profit.

Foreign Minister Carl-Wassell opposed, “Duke Aristander Rhodes, now is the best opportunity to seize India.

We have already won over the Persians; if we can also convince the Afghans to join us, by forming an Allied Forces we can launch an assault on India, and the British will be unable to stop it.

If we miss this opportunity, it won’t be so easy to take India from the British in the future.”

Finance Minister Aristander Rhodes retorted, “Marquis Carl-Wassell, it’s not that simple. Even if your Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the capability to persuade the Afghans to stand with us, how will we finance the war?

To seize India, the British will surely fight desperately, leading to a full-scale war between our two nations, and the expenditure will surpass that of the Near East war.

Having just won the Near East war, our treasury is empty; where are we to find such substantial war funds in such short order?”

Foreign Minister Carl-Wassell was adamant, “That’s the Finance Ministry’s problem. Whether through increased taxation, issuing war bonds, or international loans, there are plenty of ways to raise money.

With India seized, the world supremacy of the Russian Empire would be established. At this critical juncture, I believe that Duke Aristander Rhodes will surely find a solution.”

Aristander Rhodes, his face turning ashen, glared at Carl-Wassell and said icily, “Impossible. Even if we employed all possible methods, it’s impossible to collect such a vast sum of funds in such a short time!”

Nicholas I angrily reprimanded, “Enough, both of you fools, shut up!”

Such an obvious charade, how could it possibly deceive him?

Finance Minister Aristander Rhodes claimed there was no money; the fundraising methods proposed by Foreign Minister Carl-Wassell ultimately meant one thing: the state had no money, and it could not be raised, so if they wanted to wage war, financial issues had to be resolved first.

Just as Nicholas I’s thought of deploying troops had arisen, it was extinguished. An expeditionary campaign to India was not that simple; lack of funds was one aspect, but logistics were another significant problem.