The Turks present were all experienced and intelligent people, and they could certainly hear that the so-called Caucasian offensive was nothing more than a euphemistic excuse to let the French and Turkish armies move separately, and they only wanted to fight on the battlefield of their choice, and they did not want to intervene in all aspects of the Turkish and Russian fronts. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

Therefore, in the Caucasus, the Turkish army can only face the Russians alone, with the current strength and morale of the Turkish army, it is difficult to resist the sharp Russian troops in any case, it is conceivable that this is a battle with no chance of victory, at most it can only delay time, and if it is not good, there will be a rout.

Fortunately, the Caucasus was far from Istanbul, and even a rout in the Caucasus would not break the empire's bones and save its vitality - provided that the French army could actually fulfill their promise to defeat the Russians on their own and by the British.

"We will shoulder our share of responsibility for the war, and we will do our best to maintain the front so that your army can carry out its own plans with the greatest freedom." After the initial depression, Davich reluctantly composure, unwilling to allow himself to appear a little distracted, "However, we also believe that a coordinated diplomatic stance and military action that echoes each other are necessary to keep the Russians in a position to win the final victory." ”

Although he was very tough in words, from words such as "echoing each other from afar", he had already made a concession in his position, and euphemistically agreed to the request of the French, willing to take full responsibility for dragging down part of the Russian army on the battlefield in the Caucasus, on the condition that the positions of the countries be coordinated among themselves.

And this is what the Turks are most worried about, now all countries are gathered to help them fight against the Russians, but they are fully aware that all this is definitely not because Britain and France and other countries have any special favor for the Turks, they just want to prevent the Russians from wantonly expanding their influence, and this brings a very terrible situation - the war goals of Britain and France are definitely different from those of the Turks, for Britain and France, they are fighting for honor and influence, For the Turks, they were fighting for the survival of the empire, and what they feared most was that Britain and France would suddenly decide not to fight at some point in time, and then make peace with the Russians alone, and at that time it would be a complete disaster for the Turks who were fighting alone.

Therefore, the Turks were willing to make concessions to Britain and France on all issues, but they only needed an Anglo-French support, and they would never abandon their assurances halfway.

The Turks' intentions, and the French present, were well aware of this, and in this environment, since the Sultan and his retainers were so sensible, they were also willing to give them some tranquilizers, so that they could continue to have their cooperation.

"Coordination in political positions is of course necessary." The French Minister to Turkey, Baron de Collini, spoke at once, and this diplomatic question was naturally up to him, "We intend to conclude a secret agreement with your country together with the British, stipulating that our allies will never negotiate peace with the Russians privately, and that this war can only be ended if the territorial and sovereign integrity of Turkey is guaranteed." ”

"That's great!" Sultan Abdul-Majid I, who had been silent on his throne, smiled happily at this time, he finally got what he wanted most, and it took a great deal of effort to regain his composure and not lose his temper.

Then the Sultan looked at his Grand Vichal and ordered, "The relevant treaty must be signed as soon as possible, this is the most urgent matter of the Empire at the moment." ”

"Yes." The Prime Minister of the Sultan accordingly.

"We have good news to tell your Majesty......" Baron de Carligny smiled with the graceful smile of a diplomat, "not only the British, but now the whole of Europe is now favoured in our favour, and is very indignant at the insatiable greed and boundless ambition of the Russians—and some of our friends are already more than willing to pay lip service to us, such as the Kingdom of Sardinia, who are eager to take part in this war and assist us in the fight against the hateful Russians...... In addition, the Austrians are also eager to try, although they do not want to send troops directly against the Russians for the time being, but they are also willing to put pressure on the Russians at the diplomatic level, so if we try hard enough, Your Majesty, it will be very easy to build an anti-Russian alliance. ”

Since His Majesty Napoleon III came to power, the Kingdom of Sardinia has always been very close to France, bent on using the power of France to seek to expand its power in Italy, currying favor with France in every possible way, and became one of France's vassals, at the disposal of the French Empire, but when France and Russia were at war and obviously headed for war, the Kingdom of Sardinia made a mistake and refused to make a clear statement, fearing that it would also be involved in this war with an uncertain future.

It was not until the English, too, made clear their support for the French operation, and declared that they would also take part in such an expedition, that the Kingdom of Sardinia was no longer in trouble, and they found it to be a surefire bargain that could win the favor of the English and French at a very small cost, and that they were thousands of miles away from the Russians, and that the Russians could not do anything to them.

They immediately changed their hesitation and actively asked to join the military campaign, and France, of course, was happy to have one more country in their camp, so they also took a positive attitude towards it.

The Austrians, who were already very dissatisfied with the actions of the Russians, were more emboldened after receiving the support of Britain and France, and felt that they could be tough on the Russians, but in the present situation, Austria was already doomed to make enemies with the Russians, and they were even more determined to continue to quarrel with the Russians.

As a result, the original actions of Britain and France against the Russians gradually became an anti-Russian chorus for most of Europe, and it was quite a repetition of the posture of the anti-French alliance of the past.

This news naturally made the Sultan overjoyed, for a long time, the Ottoman Empire was regarded as an evil pagan country by European countries, despised and hated, and has always been the object of violent beating by European countries. This is compounded by the complexity of diplomacy and politics.

And such an opportunity is naturally not to be missed for the Sultan, who has always wanted to wash away his country's barbaric brand in the eyes of Europeans, and this will be an excellent opportunity for him.

He signaled his ministers to begin negotiations with the European countries as soon as possible, to conclude treaties, and at the same time to be willing to assume their own responsibilities for this, for the present England and France were tantamount to saviors for him.

"Your Majesty, you are quite right when you say that we should be in harmony both politically and militarily." After the ambassador finished speaking, Marshal Tréville continued to take over, "And from what we have so far, the British will immediately gather troops and transport them here to coordinate the battle between our two countries, so we suggest that the three countries set up a joint command as soon as possible to coordinate each other's military movements, after all, the most important thing for the army to fight is to coordinate ......."

"I couldn't agree more with you, Your Excellency Marshal." Before the Sultan could reply, Grand Vichyl immediately spoke, "So I think that when the British army arrives, the generals of our three nations need to come together and discuss a suitable command structure together, and only then can we work together and fight the battlefield war in the most concerted way." ”

Grand Vichyl Mehmed Ali Pasha had already seen that these French generals did not pay any attention to the Turks, and the only thing they were slightly afraid of was the British, but they could not help it, after all, they were now in a position of demand, and the Ottoman army had indeed been defeated in the face of European powers in the last century, so they could only endure this contempt.

And he could see that the French wanted to seize a favorable position before the official arrival of the British, so that they could be in a superior position to command the war. So, in keeping with his always pro-British position, he did not want the Sultan to be influenced too much by the French at this time - to the point of taking a different position from the British, and in essence Turkey was more dependent on the British to save itself.

This polite and unhesitating reply made the French look at each other, and they could see from the attitude of the Sultan's courtiers that the Turks were determined not to do anything to displease the British.

"In that case, I think you're right, we'll coordinate when the British arrive." Marshal Trevier's attitude was still polite, but he was a little more cold than before. "Before that, however, we must prepare our camp so that we can provide enough shelter for the French troops who will arrive next, and we also need to set up a telegraph line between Turkey and France so that we can communicate with the mainland as soon as possible."

"As Your Majesty promised before, we will do everything we can to make it easier for your army, and you can do whatever you feel necessary." Big Vicky replied immediately.

Of course, they could see that the French were not very happy with their refusal, so now in order to appease the French, they could only agree to all the conditions they had proposed, and there was no doubt that the French would be in power, but this was the price that had to be paid to save the Empire.

"Thank you, sir." Marshal Treville's face finally improved a little.

Thus, after the initial negotiations, the French and the Sultan's ministers completed their negotiations, and although they were both somewhat unhappy, they finally reached a compromise acceptable to both sides.

After the audience, the Sultan graciously invited the French generals to a grand banquet at the court, and the French generals did not shirk it, and they accompanied the Sultan and his ministers to toast the friendship between the two countries and the victory of the war.

"The British will be grateful to these Turks for not letting us skin them alive." At the height of the feast, the Duke of Elchingen leaned into the marshal's ear and said, "As a token of gratitude, the British will have skinned these men alive." ”

"Expected." The old marquis replied calmly.