The French-Russian alliance needed to recuperate, Austria was busy with the Great Developnt of the Near East, and the three major powers of Europe were all preoccupied, lacking the energy to stir up trouble.
Given such circumstances, the British also refrained from any rash actions. The international situation suddenly eased, and the lingering sll of gunpowder gradually faded from the European Continent over ti.
Franz was in a good mood, and if nothing untoward happened, he would rise up a generation in just a few more months.
As people age, their perspectives change, and Franz was no exception. Although he didn’t anticipate holding his grandson with as much eagerness as Queen Helen, it was still a significant hope.
The Royal family needed an heir, and even though Crown Prince Frederick was not very old, such matters were better addressed sooner rather than later.
With countless eyes watching from the outside world, the earlier the birth of the third generation, the sooner everyone could relax.
Happy tis are always fleeting, and upon seeing Pri Minister Felix hurry over, Franz knew trouble had co knocking once again.
"Your Majesty, a trouble has arisen in the Asia Minor Peninsula."
Upon hearing the words "Asia Minor Peninsula," Franz’s expression tensed up.
The Great Developnt of the Near East was Vienna Governnt’s most important strategic plan for the next ten years, and its completion would fundantally improve Austria’s strategic security.
Located at the junction of Asia, Europe, and Africa, the Asia Minor Peninsula had always been a highly contested area. The Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire both dominated the diterranean and looked ambitiously upon the three continents after gaining control of this region.
It was the sa for Austria; with control over the Asia Minor Peninsula, the oil of the Middle East and the resources of Africa would be easily accessible. Naturally, this area also beca the core of the Great Developnt strategy of the Near East.
Besides its high value, another critical factor was safety, making it very suitable as a major rear base.
The Caucasus region was unsuitable for large-scale military operations, and it was unlikely that the Russians could co over the mountains and valleys to attack; Arnia and Persia were both small entities and posed no threat.
There was a temporary threat from the sea, but with the advancent of technology, it would soon cease to be a concern.
Although aviation had just started, reaching the level of World War I in ten years was not a problem.
Even without considering the power of bombing, just mounting a machine gun to strafe from the skies could play a role in naval warfare.
After all, the Austrian Navy was not weak, and with support from the aircraft above, defending the holand was still achievable.
Franz asked with concern, "What happened?"
After taking a breath, Pri Minister Felix replied, "A large-scale epidemic has broken out in the Ankara region, and it is spreading in all directions. Many of the Russian Army personnel responsible for moving the migrants have also been infected.
To contain the spread of the epidemic, the Tsarist Governnt has decided to halt the migration temporarily, which will directly impact our Near East developnt plan."
Moving the populace also required ti, and in total there were four to five million people. Even if the Russians disregarded the lives of the migrants, it was impossible to relocate everyone in a short ti.
Franz, concerned, asked, "Has the source of the contagion been identified? Was it just discovered, or has it existed for a while and the Russians did not pay it enough attention?"
Big wars often led to great epidemics, which was a natural law. During the Near East War, Austria also encountered several outbreaks, but they were all contained.
Most of these plagues were "quick to co, quick to go"; as long as the source was contained and virus spread was checked, the issue would soon pass.
Felix shook his head, "The source of contagion cannot yet be determined. However, the epidemic indeed appeared quite so ti ago, and the Russians did not take it seriously.
Initially, the Russian Army high command took for granted that the soldiers were falling ill due to the unfamiliar land and climate. It wasn’t until the number of officers falling sick continued to rise that they began to take notice.
According to the information reported by the Russians, up until now, more than five thousand military personnel have collapsed, and the exact number infected with the plague remains unclear."
Hearing this explanation, Franz was speechless. He had nothing to say about the Russian’s carelessness.
Of course, perhaps the Russian military high command could be forgiven. They were only delayed by a few days attending a victory banquet back ho, without even having the chance to celebrate Christmas before rushing over, when the epidemic suddenly broke out.
"Order the troops in the Near East region to implent epidemic prevention asures, postpone the immigration plans, and tell the Russians to investigate the cause as soon as possible."
As a great empire, the Russians also had their pride. Unless the epidemic was completely out of control, they certainly would not ask for outside help over such a minor incident.
If it really was out of control, seeking help would be useless anyway. With the dical technologies of that era, no one had the ability to cure the plague.
No, that’s not quite right. Antibiotics, more precious than gold, were effective against so plague viruses, and the Austrian army had personally experienced their effects.
...
In Ankara, Major General Okinets, responsible for the region, looked at the investigation report with a grim face.
If anyone were paying attention, they would notice that his forehead had begun to sweat.
In the bitter cold of winter, breaking out in a sweat on one’s forehead was certainly no small matter.
"Are we certain it’s the Black Death?"
Although he had accepted the reality, Major General Okinets still held onto the last bit of fantasy. It was unavoidable; the Black Death was terrifying enough to turn anyone in that era pale upon hearing about it.
The military doctor Kozemiac, responsible for the investigation, frowned and replied, "Major General, please do not doubt our professionalism."
"I apologize, it’s just that this matter is too serious, and I am finding it difficult to accept all at once."
Having said that, Major General Okinets wiped the sweat from his forehead, no longer concerned about his own image.
Kozemiac spoke slowly, "Given the current situation, I believe that the Ankara region is no longer suitable for our troops to continue stationing.
Even the whole of the Asia Minor Peninsula is in serious danger. To contain the spread of the plague, the best course of action would be to blockade the peninsula."
Treatnt?
That’s out of the question. If they managed to take good care of the officers, that would be them performing above expectations. The ordinary soldiers could at most get so dicine and then leave the rest to fate.
```
As for the commoners, they were entirely out of consideration. Relocating these people to Siberia would still entail costs, and if these people were taken away by the virus directly, the Tsarist Governnt could even save a sum.
Major General Okinets nodded, "I will report your suggestion as advised, but we still have to wait for St. Petersburg to make the final decision."
From his tone, one could hear that Major General Okinets was not the least bit worried about a rejection. rely the words "plague" were enough to send the European world into a panic.
The Black Death was also a kind of plague, and although centuries had passed, the infamy of the Black Death had not faded away.
It was Vienna Governnt that used this as an excuse to relocate the Ottoman people, but to their surprise, a real "plague" outbreak occurred.
...
The news of the "plague" was still confined to the upper echelons of the Russian Army; ordinary soldiers went about their usual duties without such imnse psychological pressure.
Sotis ignorance is bliss. The patrolling Russian soldier Valejing was bored enough to feel aggrieved when a few rats scurried past, successfully catching his attention.
He said to his companion, "Vitaleigh, have you noticed that the rats we’ve been seeing lately are exceptionally large?"
Vitaleigh replied disdainfully, "That’s not large, clearly they’re fat, okay? Look at their speed, they aren’t even as fast as the rats back ho."
Valejing nodded in agreent, "That’s true. The Ottomans are really extravagant; even the rats are fattened up."
Vitaleigh teased, "You must be joking. They can hardly find enough food to eat now, who has grain to feed to rats?"
Valejing, unwilling to be outdone, said, "Who knows? Anyway, these rats are indeed fat. Why don’t we follow them and see, we might co upon a fortune since we’re idle anyway."
Looting was an important source of inco for Russian soldiers, and of course, Ankara had been plundered by them. However, in such a large city, there were always corners that got overlooked.
Now and then, so lucky person would discover these overlooked riches and make a fortune.
Although Valejing had never personally encountered such good fortune, he had heard plenty of stories.
Vitaleigh nodded in agreent, "Then let’s follow them. I saw the rats went in from the left."
Without hesitation, as qualified Russian soldiers, they naturally kicked down doors to enter.
Respecting private property? That was wishful thinking. Any and all wealth belonging to Ottomans who had relocated was completely looted by Russian soldiers.
The deeper they ventured, the more uneasy Vitaleigh felt. Although he saw no corpses, the pungent sll of rotting flesh was already assaulting their nostrils.
Vitaleigh complained, "Damn, isn’t this soone who ran off, too lazy to deal with the corpses?"
Valejing nodded in agreent, "Most likely that’s the case. I’ll definitely report this when we get back so that bum gets the punishnt he deserves."
Disposing of corpses was also a compulsory lesson for the army; to be negligent in this regard was to joke with everyone’s life safety.
Even the Russians, who were traditionally lax with military discipline, were very strict in this area— "reports were rewarded, hiding was punished equally."
Patrol duties included not only arresting the remnants of the enemy and maintaining order within the city but also dealing with the bodies that had slipped through the cracks.
Even though it was a disgusting task, looking at the face of rubles made it not unacceptable.
After searching fruitlessly and covering his nose with his hand, Vitaleigh said, "The sll is coming from here; there are no bodies outside.
The dust on the junk is very thick; this place must have been uninhabited for a long ti. There might be a basent.
Search carefully; there might be an unexpected windfall."
Valejing frowned, "Or let’s just drop it! It’s too nauseating, and the corpses must have decayed making them very troubleso to handle.
Since this place is so remote, few people will co; it won’t be discovered by others."
Vitaleigh retorted impatiently, "Nonsense, since we’ve co this far, how can we give up halfway? Stay tuned for updates on empire
If there is so treasure that we miss, wouldn’t we regret it for the rest of our lives?"
The lure of making quick money was too great; Valejing was persuaded. The two started knocking and beating about, looking for the entrance to the basent.
After much effort, they finally found a clue but were shocked upon opening the secret room.
Rows upon rows of naked, decomposing corpses, with several rats that had been gnawing on them. Sensing their presence, the rats quickly scurried away.
Valejing imdiately vomited in disgust, and Vitaleigh didn’t fare much better. Whatever dreams of riches they had vanished into thin air as they retreated hastily.
Only after leaving the site by at least a mile did the two gradually regain their composure. Vitaleigh said helplessly, "Let’s report this and apply for fuel to burn the corpses on site. These are simply untreatable."
Valejing absentmindedly nodded; he was completely distressed.
This was just the beginning. The discovery of such secret rooms throughout the city could not be ignored by the Russian military officers.
Although in the propaganda, Ottoman nobility was portrayed as such perverts, those were selected individual cases that were artistically exaggerated.
Even if a few individuals were sick in the head to put a bunch of corpses in the cellar to feed rats, it was not possible for a group of people to be similarly deranged.
...
After the report reached Major General Okinets and with so likely assumptions, the situation was rather clear.
At the end of the day, the Ottoman Governnt, unwilling to accept defeat, deliberately created a plague, unleashing a biochemical attack that made no distinction between friend and foe.
Having clarified the ins and outs, Major General Okinets still couldn’t feel happy, as it was too late; the plague had already occurred.
As the person most responsible for Ankara, the failure to anticipate the Ottoman’s conspiracy is a negligence that Major General Okinets could hardly excuse himself from.
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