Dominate the Country

After Napoleon's failed expedition to Egypt, the smoke of war in the Arabian world should have returned to calm.

The Ottoman Empire in this time and space has the Chinese behind it. It is not worried about the threat of its northern rival Russia, nor is it worried about the attack of the Austrians who are busy with their own affairs. Even the French who have gone crazy have calmed down. Will John Bull continue to be enemies with the Ottoman Empire in order to take over the banner of Paris?

Even in the history of the original time and space, the Ottoman Empire during this period also entered a rare period of peace. And the current situation of the Ottoman Empire is far better than that of the same period in history.

It's just that the Ottoman Empire, which should have retreated behind the scenes on the international stage, has always stood at the center of the stage because of the Suez Canal. Even in Europe, where the atmosphere is tense, many eyes are also staring at Egypt and the Ottoman Empire.

So they know that the Ottoman Empire is not having a good time now. This has reduced the threat of the Ottoman Empire to a certain extent.

Now the new policy reforms of the Ottoman Empire have intensified, and naturally, the conflict between Selim III and the elders has become more and more intense. Although the Ottoman Sultan now has a strong army in his hands, which is enough to ensure the safety of Selim III himself, and even in Istanbul, the heart of the Ottoman Empire, he can easily overwhelm the conservative and corrupt Janissary Corps. But this does not mean that Selim III can easily win the "battle" with the elders of the sect.

Alandar Mustafa Pasha, the leader of the Ottoman reform movement, was forced to leave for the Danube River Basin after less than three years in Istanbul. This Ottoman hero in the Sixth Russo-Turkish War had always hoped to wage war against the fundamentalist group Wahhabi in Mecca, but his proposal was strongly opposed by the Guards [Janissary Corps] and the sect, so that he himself could not even stay in Istanbul.

At the same time, the Wahhabi sect, which emphasized good deeds and obedience to the government, captured Karbala in Iraq and demolished the tomb of Hussein before the war between the Ottoman Empire and the French ended. After Alamdar Mustafa Pasha was demoted to the Danube River Basin, he successively conquered Mecca and Medina, destroyed the Prophet's Tomb, forced the Sharif of Mecca to surrender, seized the entire Hijaz from the Ottoman Empire, and then annexed Hasa.

But because these places were not the core interest areas of the Ottoman Empire, Selim III could not declare them as rebels until now.

Selim III even sent private representatives to contact Chen Han, hoping that Chen Han could use their military forces in the Tianfang region to attack the Wahhabis. Isn't this ridiculous?

In such a situation, the Ottoman Empire should actually do the most to "hide its strength and bide its time", to hide itself, work hard to develop itself, and work hard to overcome the obstacles in the new policy reforms. That is, to cultivate internal strength well, and wait until the Ren and Du meridians are connected, and then go out to make a name for yourself.

Unfortunately, a Suez Canal made it visible and there was no escape.

More importantly, the Ottoman reformers saw huge and unimaginable benefits from the chaotic situation in Europe.

They hope to become middlemen, buy a large amount of military supplies from China, and then sell them to the Europeans at a higher price.

The Military Intelligence Bureau of the Ottoman Empire quietly sent a large number of secret personnel with their own missions to sneak into European countries. On the surface, they also expanded the production scale of textile factories and arsenals, and other upstream and downstream factories also expanded on a large scale, because a huge market is now emerging in Europe.

Everyone can see that with the outbreak of the war in Europe, various military supplies will become extremely popular, and the Ottomans have a good opportunity to make a fortune.

In the days to come, the Ottoman Empire does not need to participate in the war in person. They can make a fortune by selling weapons, ammunition and military supplies to the participating countries. Even whether to use the European war to compete for their traditional colonial market depends on whether the production capacity of China behind the Ottomans can eat it.

Although the Ottoman government and the French government quickly restored normal bilateral relations, which attracted strong dissatisfaction from many European powers including Britain, the Ottoman high-level officials were under great pressure in the short term. But Selim III was not worried about this. The French revolutionary government had been standing in Paris for more than ten years. Even if Napoleon was planning to become emperor, it was completely different from the previous Bourbon royal family.

Selim III was very impressed by Napoleon's military talent. He even thought that France would not be defeated.

Although the anti-French alliance had advantages in all aspects, Napoleon's extraordinary military talent made up for it. At the same time, Napoleon had to face up to France's shortcomings. They were strictly blockaded by the British, and there were big gaps in domestic food, cloth, arms, etc. Even the British were the same. The emergence of new rifles and hexagonal cannons made the future of the war more vague.

The wheel of time turned quickly, and 1804 soon came to an end amid the intense preparations for war in European countries. At the end of September in the lunar calendar, Napoleon was crowned emperor. He took the crown from Pope Pius VII and put it on his and his wife Josephine's heads, implying "the throne he fought for", and from then on he became the "Emperor of the French".

The Ottoman capital of Istanbul once again welcomed ambassadors from Britain, Austria and other countries who had left in anger a few months ago.

The British tore up the Treaty of Amiens before the ink was dry and went to war with the French again. Now London is brewing a huge anti-French wave. They have contacted Austria, and the Russian Empire, which has stayed out of Europe since the war of 1799, is now actively moving closer to London.

After the assassination of Paul I, Russian-French relations broke down again. Some officials, led by Foreign Minister A.B. Kurakin and Admiral Mordvinov, took a pro-French stance. Kurakin and his supporters advocated a "free hand" policy, that is, to keep Russia out of European conflicts as much as possible. They believed that Russia should avoid alliances with any country, including Britain, France, Prussia or Austria, and Russia's goal was to expand commercial relations with all countries.

Another view, as always, was that the only correct policy was to ally with Britain against Napoleon's France. This faction was led by S.R. Vorontsov, who served as ambassador to London for many years.

Another faction, represented by the widowed Empress Dowager Maria Feodorovna, advocated an alliance with Prussia.

From 1801 to the first half of 1804, Alexander I and his friends had been committed to the implementation of the "free hand" policy. But soon their enthusiasm gradually turned to Britain, and the result was that Russia was about to join the Third Anti-French Alliance, and St. Petersburg and London were getting closer and closer. Alexander I always took it as his responsibility to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and completely inherited the spirit of his grandmother Catherine the Great, and spared no effort to use every opportunity to expand the territory. This time his main goal was to establish the dominance of Russia and Britain in Europe.

With Russia and Austria, even if Prussia might remain neutral because of the temptation of Hanover, the power of this anti-French alliance would be extremely strong.

Especially with the participation of the Russians, after the "flash in the pan" in 1799, five years later, the Slavs once again ascended to the center of Europe. As the first European country to implement weapons renewal and the most populous country in the entire European region, the latter was still very influential.

But if Russia wants to boldly attack the French, then it must appease the Ottomans. The Chinese are focusing their energy on Central Asia, and Russia does not need to worry too much. The Ottoman Empire has become a huge stumbling block.

So the British and Austrians returned to Istanbul helplessly, just as they felt helpless when they left.

The two powers of Britain and Austria were very dissatisfied with the Ottoman Empire's attitude towards France, its harsh measures against Greece, and its interests such as the Suez Canal. But because they could do nothing about the Ottoman Empire for the time being, they left Istanbul in a very helpless mood. But now they have to come to Istanbul again due to their interests, and what makes them headache is that they still have nothing to threaten the Ottomans at this moment.

They left before because the relationship between the Ottoman Empire and France was repaired too quickly, and now their return is still focused on the relationship between the Ottoman Empire and France. The difference is that they still had the confidence to express their anger last time, but now they really have to seek Ottoman's "help".

The return of the British and Austrian envoys shows that the situation on the European battlefield did not surprise Selim III.

Napoleon was crowned the King of France, and he also planned to be crowned the King of Italy by the Pope in Italy and annex Genoa, so that his stepson Eugene de Beauharnais could become the Viceroy of Italy and govern Italy.

Although this has not become a reality yet, there are always signs of such a big event. This made Francis II of Austria unbearable, and the interests of the Holy Roman Empire in Italy were greatly threatened.

Vienna and London have extremely close relations. As a traditional European power, the attitude of Francis II is also the basis of the Third Anti-French Alliance. Britain has so few people that it is impossible to pull the Red Shrimp Soldiers to the mainland and confront the French head-on. London must find a thug on land for itself who can fight. Austria is the most suitable one! And if Russia is also pulled in, it would be perfect.

But what does this have to do with the Ottomans?

Selim III looked at the British and Austrian envoys who rushed to Istanbul and waved his hand indifferently. He was not interested in wading into the muddy waters of Europe. What he was interested in was being a middleman and making money.

Now, people with a little vision can see that even if the anti-French alliance can win over the whole of Europe, it will not be possible to crush Napoleon overnight. Napoleon, who has established a firm foothold, can no longer be defeated in the short term.

In the more than a year after the signing of the Treaty of Amiens, although Napoleon soon fell out with Britain again, France enjoyed a rare period of peace since the revolution on the European continent. It was also during this more than a year that, under the leadership of Napoleon, France's steel and cement industries have grown significantly, with the former's output at least doubling that of 1800, catching up with the Bourbon dynasty.

This allowed the French arsenal to produce new guns and cannons at full capacity, and also had enough steel bars and cement to build permanent fortifications one after another in France.

Napoleon was very confident, but he would not be so confident that he would be blinded. No matter how capable a general is at fighting, it is impossible for him to win every battle. Moreover, having studied in China for three years, he also knows what it means to "avoid defeat first and then win."

This idea of ​​"The Art of War" is really shocking.

First, be invincible, and then pursue victory. Is there any possibility of failure in such a war? Or is there any possibility of failure in such a country?

This sentence is very applicable to France and Napoleon.

What he needs most now is not only victory, but also "invincible".

And it is absolutely necessary to strengthen France's national defense and put a solid layer of armor on France. Just like Europe 200 years ago, every country was crazy to build bastions on its own borders.

But this will undoubtedly make France more lacking in materials, whether it is cement or steel. Especially under the huge structure of the French army, with its relatively slow weapon replacement speed, they are undoubtedly the best trading partner of the Ottoman Empire.

They are in the same Mediterranean with the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman merchant ships can dock directly on the coast of Italy. As long as the trade route is opened, it is simply a river of gold.

The same applies to the anti-French alliance. Although the British have gradually withdrawn from the Eastern Mediterranean, they still firmly control the Strait of Gibraltar and have a good sea surface combat power. This business will not be inferior to France.

When the British and Austrian envoys came to Istanbul, Selim III smiled and listened to the report of Grand Vizier Recep Pasha on the status of Ottoman factories in the autumn in the Sultan's Palace.

"... In general, our textile factories have increased the most. The war has caused too much damage to society. Whether it is the British or the French, their cotton cloth production has decreased a lot because of the war. Especially France." Before the introduction of China, the Ottoman Empire was largely a large market that opened its doors to France.

France's textile industry suffered a heavy blow due to the war and lost the Ottoman market. The Chinese and the British filled this gap to a certain extent, especially China. Because of its close alliance with the Ottoman Empire and its previous operations in the upper class of the Ottoman Empire, it occupied most of the market share.

So, now is the time for the Ottomans to counterattack the French market. The Ottoman Empire could easily import enough cotton cloth from China and sell it to France. Anyway, the price of Chinese cotton cloth that came across the ocean has increased a lot, but it is not more expensive than similar cloth in Europe. It is still competitive.

"Especially the large amount of military cotton yarn and alcohol needed for the war, the price has doubled compared to before the war."

Alcohol is food, medical alcohol without food? This "invention" from China has already proved its effectiveness in practice and has a great effect on inhibiting wound inflammation.

"If our transactions with Britain and France can be completed smoothly. It is expected that the profit income for the whole year will exceed 100,000 pounds." This is only textiles, military cotton yarn and alcohol, and the bigger part is arms. "The benefits of arms are greater. We have received a large number of orders from Britain, France, Austria, Prussia and other countries." If these orders were manufactured by the Ottoman Empire's own arsenal, they would not be completed in five years, but they have China behind them, and the Chinese are very friendly to let the Ottoman Empire intervene. "The total order for new muskets is 52,000, 850 hexagonal cannons of various models, 150,000 shells, and 20,000 barrels of gunpowder. 700 tons of copper, 2,000 tons of lead, and 2,000 tons of tin. Our total profit is about 300,000 pounds."

It is obvious that the Chinese will make more money. But the profit of 400,000 pounds was given up by China for nothing. This is the real friend of the Ottomans.

Selim III looked at the map of the Arabian Peninsula, and he felt that he could give the Chinese a bigger pie in the sky.

Yes, pie in the sky.

The Ottomans had been in contact with China for decades, and some words were also passed from the East to the Ottomans. The word pie in the sky is one of them.

There are Wahhabis on the Arabian Peninsula, and they can carve out half of the Arabian Peninsula as long as the Chinese can severely suppress those hateful guys. That damn Saudi family!