Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 245: Chapter 132, Boiling Oil with Fierce Fire
After confirming the outbreak of the plague in Constantinople, Pelissier did not dare to delay, and immediately reported to the Paris Government.

Palace of Versailles

Napoleon III was in a foul mood; the news of the plague outbreak in the Crimea Peninsula had just come back, and Constantinople had followed suit.

Where the virus came from was of no interest to Napoleon III, what troubled him now was what to do next.

The Crimea Peninsula was manageable, with its vast territory allowing for the isolation of affected areas and the control of the spread of the epidemic.

Constantinople was now just a palm-sized place with high population density, and they still had to engage in street fighting with the Russians, how could the epidemic be controlled?

Army Minister Arno spoke up, “Your Majesty, the outbreak of the plague in Constantinople could make things worse at the front.

Reinforcing troops at this time is like pushing our young men into a pit of fire. The brave French Soldiers can defeat the Russians, but the plague, only God can resolve that.”

Since the outbreak of the battle of Constantinople, the French Army had been reinforcing almost every month, not so much reinforcing as replenishing the front-line troop losses, and incidentally replacing some crippled units.

In this regard, Napoleon III had done quite well by not pushing any unit to death. Even when purging dissidents, he mostly sought excuses to transfer them rather than engaging in a slaughter.

The war had come to this point, and the Paris Government had long wanted to stop, but due to political factors, Napoleon III could not compromise.

Now Arno was subtly reminding Napoleon III to either find an excuse to give up Constantinople or organize more troops to have a decisive battle with the Russians. In any case, they could not continue with the fueling tactics.

Highly politically sensitive, Napoleon III immediately woke up to this and even thought of more, saying eagerly,

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must immediately negotiate with the Ottoman Empire, asking them to give up Constantinople, and we will guarantee their interests in other regions as a return.

Joint pressure with the British is possible. At this time, I believe the London Government will make a wise choice.

Release news of the negotiations, saying we wish to reclaim this holy city for Christendom; reach out to the Catholic Church to help build momentum.

Order Pelissier at the front, I do not care by what means, but he must also ensure the Russians are infected with the plague!”

In this era, when science had not yet deeply penetrated people’s hearts, if no action was taken, and the Russians seized the opportunity to launch a political offensive, the consequences would be uncontrollable.

If the plague only broke out amongst the Allied Forces while the Russians remained unscathed, there would be no need to fight the subsequent war, as political maneuvers alone could doom the governments of England and France.

A single declaration that “God will punish the traitors who assist the infidels” could instantaneously collapse the morale at the front. Whether they were Protestants or Catholics, they were all believers in God.

Constantinople, the holy land of Christendom, endowed the city with a deep religious significance. From a religious sentiment perspective, no one liked to help the Ottoman Empire.

If the domestic public found out that the government had been punished by God for helping infidels, would there even be a need to consider the consequences?

Napoleon III did not dare to test the devoutness of the French people and their faith, as compared to that terrible outcome, the importance of the Ottoman Empire as an ally was unworthy of mention.

“Though death befalls friends, it shall not befall me,” in order to survive the potential political storm, the interests of the Ottoman Empire could only be sacrificed.

 

In fact, Napoleon III’s concerns were entirely unnecessary, as the epidemic was not a curse from God, given it was indiscriminate in its attack, and the Russians were not spared from its clutches either.

Perhaps due to the robust physiques of the Russians, the epidemic did not bring as severe casualties to them as it did to the Allied Forces; an inability to adjust to the local environment was also an important reason.

Along with the epidemic, dysentery had also arrived, but its symptoms looked similar, and the Allied Forces had not yet discovered the difference between the two diseases.

In the Russian Army Command of the Balkan Peninsula, the top echelons of the expeditionary force gathered together, all with pale faces.

Menshikov asked with great concern, “Are we certain it’s the plague?”

A middle-aged military doctor answered solemnly, “Commander sir, the news has been confirmed. Up to now, we have had over five thousand soldiers with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea, which exceeds the scope of a normal flu outbreak.”

“Commander sir, based on what the prisoners we’ve captured have confessed, a large number of the French soldiers within the city have also fallen ill,” a middle-aged military officer added before Menshikov could speak.

Without much hesitation, Menshikov made a decision, “Order the troops to implement preventive measures against the epidemic. The assault must not stop. Our situation is dire, and the French Army inside must be worse off.

Regarding the epidemic, I will seek assistance from St. Petersburg and have many medical personnel sent over from home. This epidemic is also an opportunity. I don’t believe the French can hold out!”

Though Menshikov appeared tense on the surface, deep down he breathed a sigh of relief. Since the epidemic had broken out, the days of well-being for the French were over.

The logic was very simple: the higher the population density, the more conducive it was for the epidemic to spread. Under such circumstances, those inside the city would certainly suffer greater losses than those outside.

At this point in the war, how many had died within the city of Constantinople— a hundred thousand, two hundred thousand? Or perhaps three hundred thousand, four hundred thousand, or even more?

Were these bodies processed on time? Perhaps the French dealt with the vast majority of them, but if even one percent were overlooked, that would still amount to thousands of unattended corpses. Haven’t you seen how the rats within the city have grown fatter?

With the decay of bodies and the proliferation of insects, it was the perfect aid for the transmission of viruses. It’s not even necessary for an external virus; Constantinople itself possessed the potential for an outbreak of the epidemic.

 

Vienna

Upon receiving the news of the outbreak of the epidemic in Constantinople, Franz immediately convened a meeting and instructed the Health Department to oversee the preventive measures.

Although historically this epidemic did not have a wide reach, mainly erupting in the Crimea Peninsula, Austria was only slightly affected.

The current situation was clearly different. Now that the epidemic had broken out in Constantinople, could the Balkan Peninsula still remain unscathed? If disaster struck the Balkans, could Austria remain unaffected?

After deploying the preventive measures, Franz then continued to consider the impact of the epidemic.

“With the outbreak of the plague, the French won’t be able to hold Constantinople. What are your views on how the international situation will develop next?”

Metternich warned, “Your Majesty, given the current situation, the mortality rate of this plague isn’t too high. If the epidemic is controlled, the French still have the capability to hold Constantinople.”

Franz laughed heartily and then asked, “Marshal, how long have the Russians cut off the water supply to Constantinople?”

Marshal Radetzky answered, “Your Majesty, it’s been almost sixteen months. However, Constantinople is connected to ports; they still have sufficient fresh water replenishments, and currently, the city doesn’t lack water.”

Due to geological reasons, Constantinople has no underground water, and despite having water storage facilities within the city, it can’t supply such a large consumption.

Franz shook his head and said, “There are so many people inside the city of Constantinople; their daily water usage isn’t a small figure.

With the Russian cut off the water supply for such a long time, we can boldly surmise that the city’s reserve water sources have been exhausted.

Now, they rely entirely on ships to transport fresh water to meet the demands of several hundred thousand city residents.

With so many people, the daily fresh water consumption is no small figure either; this would require a large number of ships for transport.

How many transport ships are active in Constantinople? After completing the transportation of various materials, how much fresh water can they supply?

The bureaucrats from England and France can at most ensure the basic survival water for these people; living water is probably rationed.

If it were an ordinary period, the insufficiency of fresh water supply could be endured somehow; at worst, people might skip bathing, washing their faces, or washing their hands for a while.

But the situation is different now. Without adequate fresh water supply, how will the French Army conduct epidemic prevention? If basic hygiene conditions cannot be improved, how will the spread of the virus be contained?”

Due to the epidemic prevention meeting, everyone had brushed up on their epidemic prevention knowledge. Some were proposed by officials from the Austrian Health Ministry, and some were supplemented by Franz from memory.

Now everyone understood the importance of hygiene. At this critical moment of plague outbreak, the French Army inside the city, due to the lack of enough fresh water, who else would the virus target but them?

Even if the Russians outside are similarly negligent in hygiene, they are not short of water and can have a bath occasionally, right?

The French Soldiers inside the city, who knows how long they have to wait for such an opportunity, or rather, they may not have the chance at all.

This problem, whether the French noticed it or not, they were powerless to address.

The gap was not a small one; merely meeting survival needs, a small basin of water per day sufficed. But if the hygiene conditions were to be improved, the consumption would multiple several times over.

In the short term, where would they find so many water transport ships?

Tens of thousands of tons of fresh water are consumed every day, and only by transferring all the ships of England and France in the Mediterranean could it be possible to meet their logistical supplies.

Felix pondered and said, “Your Majesty, if the French can’t solve the epidemic problem, we can start preparing to mediate this war.

Once the Russians take Constantinople, this war can no longer be continued.

The Russian financial crisis is already apparent, and if it weren’t for the special political status of Constantinople, they would probably have compromised by now.

Now that the Russians have occupied the Bulgarian region, letting them occupy Constantinople will become even more difficult to control in the future, we’d better contain them a bit.”

Metternich opposed, “Prime Minister, it’s too late now to think about containing the Russians, unless we can tear up the Russian-Austrian treaty. Otherwise, in future negotiations, we must support them.

With our diplomatic support, as long as Constantinople falls into Russian hands, I don’t believe England and France have the power to force the Tsarist Government to give it back.

Don’t forget, at this time, maintaining the Russian-Austrian Alliance is far more important to us than containing the Russians. We cannot possibly oppose the Russians annexing Constantinople.

If we can’t contain them, then why still play the villain?

It would be better to simply give them a push and let the Russians continue to draw the fire of England and France at the forefront, to deepen the contradictions between them.”

“Give them a push,” was a suggestion that greatly intrigued Franz. To control the Black Sea Strait, it was not enough to merely have Constantinople; it required control of both the Balkan Peninsula and the Asia Minor Peninsula.

Did the Russians still have the capacity to fight on? Clearly not, even if the Tsarist Government went all out, they would have to stop at Constantinople.

If England and France were driven to desperation, they could even potentially be pushed back, as the transport restrictions of the Russian Empire constrained their strength deployment.

On the Balkan Peninsula, even with Austria’s support, the Russians could at most bring to bear seven or eight tenths of their national strength; how could they compete with England and France?

Currently, the Russians have the upper hand, only because England and France haven’t reacted yet, sabotaging each other on the battlefield.

Once the pressure from the Russians becomes too great for them and causes the two to set aside their contradictions and cooperate sincerely, another scenario will emerge on the battlefield.

It doesn’t matter if the Russians can’t take it; Franz doesn’t hope the Tsarist Government can truly control the Black Sea Strait.

The Mediterranean is really too small; the four countries of England, France, Spain, and Austria are not enough to divide it, and there is no spare interest for the Russians.

But that doesn’t prevent the Russians from harboring ambitions; after all, they’ve come one step closer to the Mediterranean by capturing Constantinople.

As long as the Russians have ambitions, they cannot reach a compromise with England and France. With England, France, and Russia mutually antagonistic, Austria would then be safe.

In history, this was Bismarck’s design, but Wilhelm II botched the diplomacy, allowing France and Russia to forge an alliance. As the sandwiched party, of course, it ended in tragedy.

“The Russian-Austrian Alliance must not be broken, let England and France do the job of containing the Russians. As an ally, we absolutely must not betray or desert them!”

Franz stated his position clearly. He had no wish to send out the wrong political signal, leading the government elites to mistakenly believe that Austria had already obtained the benefits it wanted and could, therefore, abandon the Russians.

From the perspective of national interest, such a betrayal is very normal. Closer ties to England and France at this point are advantageous for Austria’s overseas colonies and seem to be more in line with the nation’s interests.

But considering strategic security, the situation is different. Compared to the unstable French government and the ambitious Kingdom of Prussia yearning for a comeback, Franz felt that an alliance with Russia was more reliable.