Foreign Secretary Harim Pasha sneered and said, "Rats are blind! Even if the British are pinned down by the Boers, they are also the number one power in the world, and it is not easy to cause us trouble?

Far from it, now they support the Balkan countries to challenge our position and support the independence of the Armenians, which is enough for us!

Of course, the Russians did not want Austria-Hungary to expand its influence in the Balkans, but if it was for the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara, wouldn't it be worth trading with Austria-Hungary?

You must know that whether the Russians can enter the Mediterranean Sea or not, the impact on Austria-Hungary is not great! As long as the interests are sufficient, why should we prevent the compromise between the two countries? ”

The Minister of War retorted: "It is true that the Russians dream of entering the Mediterranean, but what is the situation in the Black Sea straits, I don't need to say!"

Even if you get the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara, what can you do? There is also a series of archipelago chains ahead, which need to be broken through before you can enter the Mediterranean!

And now the Russian navy does not have the strength to dominate the Mediterranean. Once in the Mediterranean, the British, Italians and even the Spaniards, Portuguese, Dutch could be their enemies!

Would the Russians be so unwise and stupid to rush to the Mediterranean? If that's the case, then it's simple, just let go of the strait and let the Russians pass. Then we will organize the coalition forces and fight a new Crimean war! ”

Foreign Secretary Harim Pasha glanced at the Minister of War with disdain and said: "Don't think of the Russians as idiots, taking the Black Sea straits is not the same as fighting for hegemony in the Mediterranean!"

Now the strategic center of gravity of the Russians is still in the Far East. Having seized the Bosphorus, and even the Dardanelles, and mastered the Sea of Marmara, just to master the gateway to the Black Sea, the Russians will gain the strategic initiative!

As long as it is not a struggle with the British for domination of the Mediterranean, the British will not intervene now! The Germans and the French, enough of their headaches! ”

The War Secretary continued to retort, saying, "Then Mr. Harim Pasha, tell me if the Russians are still capable of provoking a full-scale war in Europe after their strategic center of gravity has shifted eastward?"

To fully master the Black Sea straits, Istanbul and the peninsula of Asia Minor are all unavoidable hurdles! At least they had to take the coastal areas, otherwise they wouldn't be safe even if they captured Constantinople!

Unless the Russians are desperate to declare war on us! Otherwise, at most, a few fleas in the Balkans will come out and cause us trouble!

Even with the support of the Russians, we can suppress a few small countries! Are the Russians willing to compromise with Austria-Hungary when there is no way to get the Bosphorus? ”

Well, Foreign Secretary Harim Pasha was sprayed dumbfounded! It can't be said that the Ottoman Empire can't even handle a few small countries!

At this time, the Sultan stood up as a peacemaker and said, "Everyone, you are all pillars of the country, there is no need to quarrel over a trivial matter!" Prime Minister, what do you think about this? ”

The prime minister, who was named, looked at the face of the sultan and said slowly: "Everyone is right, the situation in the Balkans must be taken seriously, and I propose to increase troops in the Balkans to cope with future changes in the situation!"

As for the Russians who do not fight may end up in person, otherwise they would not have sold a fleet to Bulgaria!

If you add the Greek navy, they already have the upper hand, but we don't need to use our precious navy to fight them at sea!

The Navy only needs to hold the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus, separate them, and wait for the army to win, and everything is over!

In addition to the instigation of the British, Austria-Hungary, and the Russians, the main factor is the Armenian uprising that broke out in our country.

Probably they think that our Ottoman Empire is rotten and is about to be finished, and they want to come out to be vultures again, and they are in a hurry to come out and divide the carrion!

Now our focus is on solving domestic problems! And then give those three disobedient children a bloody lesson! ”

I have to say that Prime Minister Osman judged quite accurately! Until the Bulgarian army reached Constantinople, the Russians would not fight them with their navy.

The Bosphorus Strait is so dangerous, the narrowest point is only more than 700 meters, and the Ottoman Navy can rely on the batteries on both sides of the strait to defend!

If the Russian Navy goes in, it will be better than taking a pair of warships and batteries, and it is estimated that the commander will not do it as long as his brain is not in the water!

This is also the reason why the Russian Empire collapsed in World War I! The Allied navies were clearly superior, but they were still unable to open the Black Sea straits. In order to open up the transportation line, Britain and France had to send troops to Little Silia!

As for those who say that it was Britain and France who deliberately caused the Russians to collapse, that is complete nonsense! Not to mention the ass of foreign debt owed by the Russians, from a purely military point of view, without the containment of the Russians on the Eastern Front, Britain and France were pressed and beaten on the Western Front!

In 1917, the Germans almost broke through the defense line several times, if it weren't for the desperate efforts of Britain and France, coupled with the strategic mistakes of the Germans, the French would have knelt down!

As for the Americans, it's okay to pay money and materials, think about the pocket-sized version of the army with only tens of thousands of people, and count on them to fight!

Even if they later participated in the war, the material help was much greater than the military one, and even the spiritual support was greater than the military one, and the main force was still Britain and France!

The pride of the Turks is not without reason, at the end of the 19th century, they were also the number one power?

Don't dare to say anything else, at this time their military strength is still among the top ten in the world, they can't beat the British and Russians, can't they beat Bulgaria, Greece, and Mentenegro?

Foreign Secretary Harim Pasha could only sigh and return disappointed! How is the Ottoman Empire now, can you not know? That is, to fool the Sultan, but no one dared to uncover this mess, of course, he didn't take the opponent to heart, which is also a reason!

……

After receiving the information that came, the Ottoman Empire increased its troops in the Balkans, which frightened Ferdinand, but there was still no movement!

It wasn't until 1896 that the Armenians rebelled in Constantinople that the Turks really sent more troops to Europe!

Ferdinand also had to admire the efficiency of the Ottoman Empire, no wonder the first Balkan war in history was fought, and reinforcements were still on the way from Asia!

It's also drunk to think about! Now that both sides have laid out the carriages and horses, the Sudanese government is still idle! If Ferdinand had been replaced, he would not have solved the Armenian problem immediately, and then organized an army, immediately started working, and took advantage of the contradictions between the three countries to break them one by one!