Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 579: Jaw-Dropping Numbers

Without a doubt, the British government ultimately chose to compromise with the French dictated by their interests.

The French had picked the perfect timing. If the British government didn’t compromise, the French government might have turned around and made a deal with Austria.

The French were also concerned about Austria growing too powerful after annexing the Ottoman Empire, so the chances of them striking a deal with the Austrian government were very small. Yet, the British government didn’t dare to take that gamble.

If it did happen, it would mean that France and Austria had reached a strategic understanding, which would be a disaster for the British.

While compromising, the British government also became more wary of the French. If the French government, even amidst internal strife, could pull such a move, what would they be capable of once the internal conflicts were resolved?

...

At the London Conference, facing joint pressure from Britain and France, Hümmel, the Austrian ambassador, was starting to feel weary.

“For the sake of world peace, we are willing to end this war, but the Ottoman Empire must return the territories it has occupied and take responsibility for the war.”

Austria had made concessions, and many people breathed a sigh of relief. If they had held their ground, things would have become difficult. Military intervention is easy to talk about, but hard to execute.

It’s one thing for European countries to cheer from the sidelines, but quite another to expect them to fight for the Ottoman Empire. Sometimes, words can be as deadly as bullets, and politicians must think carefully about their reputations.

Ambassador Hümmel, with a grim expression, also quietly relaxed. The drama was finally coming to an end. He had been keeping his nerves on edge every day, not wanting to slip up, and it hadn’t been easy.

Before the Ottoman representative could speak, Marquis Maclean stepped in on their behalf, “Thank you, Your Excellency, for your efforts toward world peace. History will remember all of this. War is brutal, and young men are falling every moment. For their safety, I propose we first sign an armistice agreement to stop the fighting. We can discuss the remaining issues later.”

From the British perspective, saving the Ottoman Empire was enough. As for returning territories and assigning war responsibility, those were minor issues.

It’s customary in Europe for the defeated to bear the responsibility for war. While the demand for returning land might seem a bit far-fetched, it’s not non-negotiable. Especially since the Ottoman Empire lost.

In this era of survival of the fittest, weakness is the ultimate sin. Rather than getting stuck on these issues, it would be better for the Ottoman Empire to end the war as soon as possible.

Ambassador Hümmel nodded and said, “No problem, but we will only sign the armistice for half a month. If no agreement is reached within that time, the war will resume.”

Throughout the discussions, he did not seek the opinion of the Russian representative. This wasn’t due to Hümmel being overbearing or any deterioration in relations between the two nations. The main reason was that, before the war broke out, Austria and Russia had an agreement that Austria would handle the diplomatic issues.

The Russians would get involved only after the armistice was signed, during the negotiations on the division of benefits. Before that, both nations needed to maintain a united front on diplomatic matters related to the Near East issue.

Marquis Maclean pushed back, “Half a month is too short. This war involves too many issues. How about a six-month truce instead?”

Hümmel shook his head. The short, two-week deadline was intended to apply pressure on the Ottoman Empire, forcing them to make more concessions.

“Your Excellency, don’t forget that war has its costs. Every day of delay requires massive amounts of money.

Based on the current coalition force of 336,000 troops, even without launching any attacks, we are still spending 586,000 guilders daily.

The Ottoman Empire will need to cover this expense. If their government feels they can afford the delay, we can take our time negotiating.”

Undoubtedly, the troop numbers were roughly correct, but the figure of 586,000 guilders a day was something Hümmel made up on the spot. If that much was really being spent daily without any offensives, the quartermasters would have been under investigation by now.

While Austria was wealthy, it wasn’t lavish to that extent. In the absence of attacks, the main costs were the soldiers’ living expenses and wages.

The Austrian government promised to provide supplies to the Russian army, but it never said it would pay their wages. In Austria’s Middle Eastern forces, not everyone received wages. Many of the cannon fodder units were compensated only with spoils of war.

Only a few thousand regular troops actually received pay, and among them were conscripts who only required a small combat allowance. The total daily cost was no more than 20,000–30,000 guilders.

Living expenses were easier to calculate. A 300,000-strong army consumed at most 200 tons of grain daily, plus some vegetables and meat. Five hundred tons of supplies were sufficient, and even with transportation costs added, it wouldn’t be excessively expensive.

While others might be watching from the sidelines, Ottoman Foreign Minister Albiachi couldn’t afford to do the same. Based on these inflated figures, the Ottoman Empire would be left bankrupt.

“Your Excellency, these numbers are exaggerated. Even if all the soldiers ate steak every day, it wouldn't cost that much,” Albiachi retorted.

As soon as he said it, Albiachi realized his mistake—he had been led astray. The worst thing in negotiations is to follow the opponent’s lead, which puts one at a disadvantage.

Hümmel smiled faintly and made up a story, “Well, we were worried the soldiers might have trouble adjusting to the local conditions, so all supplies, including drinking water, are being shipped from their homelands, which naturally raises the cost a little.”

Everyone rolled their eyes. Shipping supplies from the soldiers’ homelands? Not even the officers received such treatment.

Moreover, with the transportation technology of this era, even if someone did attempt such shipments, the vegetables and fruits would spoil halfway.

British Foreign Minister Marquis Maclean frowned and brought the conversation back on track, saying, “Your Excellency, your navy has blockaded the Eastern Mediterranean, and now all trade with the Ottoman Empire has stalled. Could we reopen trade routes during the ceasefire?

The situation inside the Ottoman Empire is dire, especially with the food crisis looming. Tragedies are happening every day, and the humanitarian toll is increasing.”

The real issue at hand was “lifting the blockade.” As for military expenses, that could be haggled over slowly after the ceasefire. Austria could demand as much as they wanted, but the Ottoman Empire had no money anyway.

Even if an enormous war indemnity was signed, it could be brushed off with one simple statement: “We don’t have the money.”

The British had no intention of footing the bill for the Ottoman Empire, and Austria dreaming of extracting reparations from the bankrupt Ottoman government was just wishful thinking.

In comparison, lifting the blockade was far more important. With Ottoman refugees everywhere and no supplies entering, who knew how long the Ottoman government could hold out?

Hümmel shook his head, saying, “No, the coastal blockade is primarily for everyone’s safety. We’ve deployed a large number of sea mines around Ottoman ports, so we cannot guarantee the safety of any ships.

If the Ottoman Empire is short on grain or other supplies, they can communicate with us, and we can sell them a batch of agricultural products at a low price for emergency relief.”

Lifting the blockade would only give the Ottoman Empire a chance to recover. The Ottoman government had not fully exploited its human-wave tactics, mainly because they lacked sufficient weapons and equipment.

Knowing how the British operated, it was almost inevitable that they would open their arms warehouses and sell a batch of old military gear to the Ottoman Empire, complicating negotiations further.

Ambassador Hümmel’s offer to sell supplies at a low price was a joke. Buying supplies from an enemy they were actively at war with was utterly absurd.

And it wasn’t just about supplies, what the Ottoman government really lacked was weapons. Would the Austrian government sell them?

Well, that was uncertain. If the price was high enough, the Austrian government might actually sell. After all, it was the Russians who were fighting the hard battles in the Anatolian Peninsula.

Maclean didn’t press the issue of lifting the blockade any further. Although he was certain the Austrians hadn’t scattered mines everywhere, any merchant ship that tried to pass through would definitely hit one.

Some daring capitalists had already tried, and apart from a lucky few who made it through and got rich, the rest had ended up feeding the fish under the sea.

Whether they actually hit mines or not, no one really knew. The fact remained that ships were wrecked and lives were lost, and how they were destroyed didn’t really matter.

After some bargaining, the ceasefire was extended to one month. Hümmel also promised to sell 10,000 tons of grain to the Ottoman Empire at a low price to prevent another humanitarian crisis.

This was indeed at a low price, 10% below the international market rate. Of course, while grain prices could be lowered, shipping costs were not to be spared.

During wartime, with transporters risking their lives, how could shipping costs be reduced? If they weren’t inflated by several times the normal rate, that wouldn’t align with the rules of commerce.

...

Hümmel said, “Our demands are not high. The goal of this war is simply to reclaim our territory which is the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

As long as your nation returns the Kingdom of Jerusalem and compensates us for the losses we’ve suffered over the years, we can end this war.

Starting from 1517, up to the present, it has been 357 years. Calculated at 1 million guilders per year, that totals 357 million guilders.

During these 357 years, at least 3 million of our people have died at the hands of your nation. Compensation for each person, calculated at 600 guilders, totals 1.8 billion guilders.

Before your nation occupied Jerusalem, it was a fertile land. Now it has turned into a desert, causing irreversible damage to the environment, which requires…”

As Hümmel listed the conditions, everyone was stunned. With compensation calculated this way, even selling off the entire Ottoman Empire wouldn’t be enough.

As expected, the final amount reached a staggering 3.062 billion guilders. Perhaps realizing it was excessive, Hümmel generously rounded down the amount, demanding only 3 billion guilders in compensation.

Everyone understood that this wasn’t about actually getting compensation. The Ottoman Empire simply couldn’t pay that sum. The main objective was territorial concessions. Still, Hümmel’s audacious approach left everyone speechless.

The Ottoman Empire’s Foreign Minister, Albiachi, immediately objected, “Your Excellency, you can’t calculate the reparations this way. Jerusalem was not taken from your nation, so there is no basis for such a compensation claim between us.”

The crown of Jerusalem had been in the hands of the Habsburgs for less than three hundred years, and throughout that time, the Habsburg monarchy had never truly ruled Jerusalem. As for Austria, there was no historical sovereignty relationship between the two parties.