Chapter 1153 Russia’s Ambition
The next day, Andrei Uvarov got a chance to be summoned alone.
This moment had been expected by him, after all, Russia and Austria were the protagonists of this Near East hegemony.
On the surface, this conference was Britain's attempt to coordinate the relationship between the defeated Ottoman Empire and the victorious countries, trying to stabilize the situation in the Near East.
But in fact, it was a re-division of the sphere of influence in the Near East. All countries hoped to expand their sphere of influence and get more spoils from the Ottoman Empire.
So Austria and Russia were both allies and competitors.
Uvarov knew from the beginning that his colleagues were doing useless work. From Austria's standpoint, he would never agree to Russia directly occupying half of the Ottoman Empire, just as Russia would never agree to Greece's attack on Constantinople.
Dobruja, Bulgaria, Northern Thrace, Trabzon, Erzurum, Diyarbakir, as long as half of the six provinces could be taken, it would be an unprecedented victory for Russia.
It would be worth it even if Wallachia was sacrificed for this.
The door of the Hall of Mirrors slowly opened, and the strong light made it almost impossible for people to open their eyes for a moment. A young man sat alone in the magnificent hall. He was sitting high on the throne, wearing luxurious clothes and looking impressive.
However, Duke Uvarov was not overwhelmed by the momentum. He spoke briefly in a normal tone.
"Hello, Your Majesty. It is my honor to be summoned by you."
"Your Excellency, I invited you this time to talk about the peace conference."
Franz went straight to the point, and Duke Uvarov breathed a sigh of relief. The latter did not like the kind of roundabout speaking mode.
"Your Majesty, I think my colleagues have told you many times.
His Majesty the Tsar hopes to obtain the four provinces of Dobruja, Trabzon, Erzurum, and Diyarbakir, and make Bulgaria and Northern Thrace independent.
For this reason, our country is willing to support your country's actions in the Balkans."
Franz hesitated. In fact, the Russian officials said before that they wanted all Ottoman territories including the Ankara area.
If it was really as they said, Russia would eat up half of the Ottoman Empire's territory on the Anatolian Plateau.
Although Duke Uvarov's words were not so exaggerated, the area Russia demanded also reached one-third of the Ottoman Empire's territory on the Anatolian Plateau.
In Europe, it was even more exaggerated, directly at the doorstep of the Ottomans.
Duke Uvarov only turned Bulgaria and Northern Thrace into two protectorates, which was also unacceptable to the Ottomans.
But no matter what, this should make his cousin understand the attitude of the Russians. At this time, Otto I, who was hiding in the dark, was really angry. He never expected that the Russians' appetite was so big that they even wanted to compete with him for Constantinople.
"Excuse me, Duke, you should also know your country's ambitions, and I understand your desire to regain Constantinople, but what you can't get on the battlefield, I'm afraid you can't get it at the negotiation table."
Franz's tone was sincere, and Uvarov knew in his heart that the Russian army was still stuck in Dobruja by the Ottoman army, and it was a foolish dream to want Bulgaria and Northern Thrace.
"Then what about the three eastern provinces? Trabzon, Erzurum and Diyarbakir are all important agricultural areas. If they are controlled by our country, we can not only weaken the resistance of the Ottoman Empire, but also provide you with a steady supply of food, cotton and tobacco.
Our country is willing to sign a long-term trade agreement with your country, giving priority to supplying raw materials to your country and purchasing your goods.
I believe that with your industrial strength, coupled with our cheap raw materials, you will definitely be able to defeat Britain in business and even dominate the world."
Duke Uvarov's words are very tempting. Using Russia as a raw material production base and dumping market, defeating Britain in business wars and dominating the world may not be impossible if Russia and Austria work together.
However, Franz actually wants to put the Russians in the front. He himself does not want to fight the British head-on.
Duke Uvarov's plan is obviously to let Austria fight Britain in front of Russia, and as for opening up the market and fully supporting it, it may not be false.
It's just that the Russians don't care whether the Austrian Empire can defeat the British. The best outcome is naturally a loss for both sides, and Russia can easily grab the fruits of victory.
If Britain wins, the Russian-Austrian alliance will be more stable, and Russia can continue to expand on land. Anyway, Britain will not rush to the land to fight with itself.
If Austria wins, it will most likely be seriously injured. At that time, it depends on Russia's choice whether to join Britain to attack Austria or guide the former to continue to expand westward.
In fact, there are still many traps in Duke Uvarov's words. Franz does not want to put all the treasures on others, especially the credibility of the bear.
"Can your army really gain a foothold in the three provinces of Trabzon, Erzurum and Diyarbakir?"
"Of course there is no problem. Our army just suffered a small setback during the attack on Ankara."
Duke Uvarov was still very calm. Even though the main force of the Russian army attacking Ankara was killed and wounded by the Ottoman army and civilians, he pretended to be indifferent.
In Uvarov's opinion, Austrian intelligence agencies could not reach so far, and military reports far away in Asia should not be transmitted so quickly. Even if they were transmitted to Vienna, the information was incomplete. Franz should be testing himself at this time.
In fact, Austrian intelligence agencies really did not have this ability, but it did not mean that the British did not have it.
Under the British propaganda, a tragic victory became a great victory. They wanted to let everyone in the world know the news that the Ottoman Empire had begun to counterattack immediately.
"40,000 people are really nothing for Russia."
Franz's words made Duke Uvarov's heart tremble. According to the statistics of the Russian army, there were 38,751 people. There was no doubt that the former had received accurate intelligence.
Being annihilated by 40,000 people at a time is definitely a heavy blow to a country, even for a top power like Russia.
The worst thing is that Russia's homeland has been covered by ice. Whether it is soldiers, weapons, or supplies, they cannot be transported to the front line in the first time. This great defeat is particularly glaring at this time.
"Great Russia has an army of 600,000. The Ottoman fortresses on the western front are already in danger, and the enemy on the eastern front is just a desperate struggle."
Franz was not interested in listening to Duke Uvarov's boasting.
"Words are not enough. The British have produced solid evidence."
"If you support our country's claim, then His Majesty the Tsar is also willing to divide the Balkans with your country, and the two countries will be separated by the Rhodope Mountains."
(The Rhodope Mountains are on the southern edge of Bulgaria and northeastern Greece.
In fact, Dobruja, Bulgaria, Northern Thrace, and Eastern Thrace are assigned to Russia, and Greece, Macedonia, Western Thrace, and Serbia are assigned to Austria. The map is in the group)