Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 434 The End of the Balkan War

On January 1878, 1, the Russian army braved the severe cold and crossed the Balkan Mountains and occupied the central city of Sofia.

The Russian Central Army, commanded by General Fyodor Fyodorovich Rajetsky, surrounded and captured 1878 troops of Wessel-Pasha in the Battle of Shenovo on January 1-8, 9, breaking the Ottoman defenses.

In the Caucasus, Russian troops blockaded Erzurum and occupied Batumi.

The Russian army's great victory caused panic in Great Britain and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Seeing that the strategy of blocking the westward advance of Tsarist Russia was facing collapse, the British finally could not sit still and began to take action.

The British government of Benjamin Disraeli sent an unprecedentedly powerful Royal Navy squadron to the Sea of ​​Marmara, showing an attitude of being willing to break with the enemy, which forced Russia to abandon its plan to march on Constantinople.

In the final analysis
The Tsar still remembered the disastrous defeat in the Crimean War and was deeply afraid of the strong intervention of the British and French powers. He did not want to really fight the British.

On January 1, Russia and Austria signed an armistice, and on March 31, 1878, the Treaty of San Stefano was signed. This treaty was an unequal treaty concocted in advance by Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov and the Tsar, leaving the Ottoman Empire with no room for maneuver.

The treaty provides that:
The Ottoman Empire recognized the full independence of Montenegro, Serbia and Romania, and recognized the autonomy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it remained within the territory of the Ottoman Empire.

Establish the Greater Bulgaria and allow Russian forces to exist in Bulgaria and enjoy special benefits.

The southwestern part of Sarajevo was returned to Russia, and Kars, Batumi, Ardahan and Bayazid were incorporated into Russian territory to compensate for the war losses suffered by Tsarist Russia.

The rules for passage through the Bosphorus Strait were modified to allow warships from Tsarist Russia and other Black Sea coastal countries to pass through.

The signing of the Treaty of San Stefano caused strong dissatisfaction among Britain, Austria and other countries. They jointly put pressure on Russia, demanding that Tsarist Russia spit out the fruit it had already swallowed.

Britain would never allow such a division of post-war interests. It was so domineering and so arrogant that Tsarist Russia had to give up most of the fruits of victory, otherwise the consequences would be unpredictable.

Just when the situation was tense, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck stepped forward to mediate, claiming that he would be an honest middleman and willing to mediate between all parties.

Because the balance of power in Europe is extremely unfavorable to Russia, Britain has threatened to join forces with France and other European countries to once again intervene in the war with force, and has adopted a brutal attitude of mobilizing troops.

If we cannot satisfy the British Empire, then we will go to war.

After a painful decision, the Russian Tsar was forced to renegotiate the Treaty of Berlin with the great powers and make major revisions to the Treaty of San Stefano:

Greater Bulgaria became Little Bulgaria, the Bosporus Strait remained closed to Russian warships, Russia's influence in the Balkans was strongly curbed, and its attempt to project naval power into the Mediterranean was once again thwarted.

Tsarist Russia only recovered the territories ceded during the Crimean War. The Treaty of Berlin stipulated that the Ottoman Empire ceded Cyprus to Britain, while Bosnia and Herzegovina was transferred to the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The efforts of Britain and Austria-Hungary were not in vain. They each got the piece of land they wanted. In the end, only the Ottoman Empire was divided and humiliated, while other countries all gained something.

The end of this European war further demonstrated the current situation of the survival of the fittest in the international community, and the law of the jungle was vividly reflected.

Chu Palace, Manila
Princess Shion

King Zheng Guohui of Chu closely followed this short but fierce European war throughout. When he saw the signing of the Treaty of Berlin and the final end of the war, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

The Ottoman Empire, known as the sick man of West Asia, was bullied by everyone.
In particular, the oil-rich Baku was taken away by Tsarist Russia, which caused the Ottoman Empire to lose a major source of funds, and the country's strength became even more decadent, which was a major financial disaster.

In addition to the independence of Bulgaria, the cession of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the independence of Serbia and Montenegro, the European Balkan part of the Ottoman Empire shrank significantly and its strength shrunk to a considerable extent.

As early as the late 60s, the Baku oil field entered the stage of large-scale industrial exploitation. It is the largest oil field in Europe to date, producing more than tens of thousands of pounds worth of oil every day.

Falling into the hands of Tsarist Russia, the Ottoman Empire suffered heavy losses.

But what can be done?

With the Ottoman Empire's current weak strength, it is impossible to protect important places like the Baku oil fields. It is only a matter of time before they are taken away.

Thinking of Chu State's own Seri Begawan oil field, King Zheng Guohui of Chu felt a sense of crisis. He once again took out the troop reorganization plan of the Royal Army General Staff Headquarters and finally approved it, agreeing to increase the Royal Army's strength to more than 9.8 people.

at the same time
The Royal Navy's strength increased to more than 4.4 people, and the subsequent main ironclad ships "Zhenjiang" and "Zhenhe" were launched one after another. One has been put into service and the last one is still under installation.

So far, the Chu Royal Navy Fleet has ten main ironclad ships, forming a powerful ironclad ship formation in the South China Sea region, divided into four fleets.

Among them, the "Zhenwei" and "Zhenyuan" are based in Hawaii, with Pearl Harbor as their home port, and belong to the Pacific Fleet. They are also equipped with 8 armored cruisers ranging from 2300 tons to tons, responsible for the waters of Hawaii and Central America.

The four new ironclad ships named "Jiang, He, Hu and Hai" belong to Manila's South China Sea Fleet, which is also the local defense fleet. It is the strongest fleet among the four fleets, with a total of 16 armored cruisers.

The home port of the four main ironclad ships named "East, South, West and North" is located in Pontianak Province. They are assigned to the Indian Ocean Fleet, have 4 armored cruisers, and often advance to the Indian Ocean waters west of the Strait of Malacca. They are the defenders of the Eurasian shipping routes.

There are plans to station ships at Dinghai Port in the future, but considering the sensitivity of the main ironclad ships, it has not been possible for the time being. Currently, the home port is Pontianak Port.

As for the Atlantic Fleet, it is currently just a fleet with a weak presence. There are no main ironclad ships that can be stationed in Bahia Blanca on the Atlantic coast. There are only 6 armored cruisers stationed in the port to perform daily patrol tasks.

By the second half of this year
The 1880-ton Manila-class ironclad ship will officially begin construction and is expected to be launched in the first half of and enter service in the Royal Navy fleet before the end of the year.

The commissioning of such a main ironclad ship, which is equivalent to the world's advanced level, will undoubtedly become the top main force of the Chu Royal Navy and the navy's flagship warship.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu put down the memorial approving the expansion of the Royal Army, with a complicated expression on his face.

In the late 70s, the Russian bear in the north became increasingly restless, with a strong aggressive and wild nature in its bones, and soon turned its attention to East Asia.

It won't take long

There will be conflicts with Fuso in the Korean Peninsula and the Manchuria-Mongolia region of the three northeastern provinces. This is almost an unchangeable fate, and one of them will fall in the end.

Neither Tsarist Russia nor Fusang is a good thing. King Zheng Guohui of Chu will not pity any of them. He just feels a little sorry for the Chinese people living in the land of white mountains and black waters, who are inevitably influenced by the powers.

But he could do nothing. The British and French kept staring at the Chu people with hesitant eyes.

What they fear most
It is the close connection between the State of Chu and the northern Shenzhou, and no powerful country will give up this big cake, and they are all very nervous and concerned.

Through the Balkan War in Europe, King Zheng Guohui of Chu finally once again experienced the arrogance and brutality of the British. Even a powerful country like Tsarist Russia had to retreat in disgrace.

Tsarist Russia suffered a heavy loss in the Crimean War more than 20 years ago, and it has learned its lesson.

Those countries that were unwilling to submit to Britain's European hegemony, even as powerful as the French Emperor Napoleon, were eventually knocked off their pedestal in repeated anti-French alliance wars.

It was precisely because he saw this clearly that Tsar Nicholas II chose to back down.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu still had some admiration for Tsar Nicholas II's decision. It was a painful and difficult decision. Giving up most of the fruits of victory meant that the blood of hundreds of thousands of Tsarist Russian soldiers was shed in vain.

It was inevitable that it was widely criticized at home and abroad, and the Tsar's reputation was greatly affected.

But this decision was wise and correct, as it avoided a brutal war with Britain. Britain was able to mobilize almost all of Europe's forces to deal with Tsarist Russia, which Tsarist Russia could not withstand.

Every time I think of these
King Zheng Guohui of Chu felt a little sad in his heart. Even someone as powerful as the Tsar could not act completely according to his own wishes.

However, the Chu State continued to make colonial progress in the Congo River and East Africa, and Chinese immigration went smoothly. It was considered that it secretly gained some benefits under the nose of the British.

The government diplomatic documents sent by the British side once requested an explanation and issued a warning regarding the Chu State's colonization in Africa, but there was no follow-up.

This was because the British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli's government was unhappy with the behavior of the Chu State and was deliberately trying to criticize the Chu government.

However, given that the Chu State acted with great discretion and always hovered on the edge of the patience of European powers, the British government could not go too far and just gave a warning and let the matter go.

If it were the previous Liberal government, they would not have cared about these little things at all.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was suppressed by Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli for more than four years. During this period, he not only landed in Ecuador in Central America and incorporated it into his own territorial power.

There were basically no other major moves. The Congo River Boundary Treaty signed with the Portuguese was bought with money, and the attitude was low enough to leave the British with nothing to blame.

The post-war international community was in chaos and the Ottoman Empire was plagued by internal conflicts, which would probably cause the British a headache for a while.

(End of this chapter)