The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1141 Stop Loss
Andrei Uvarov was definitely a top figure, but his wishful thinking was wrong.

The Russian army was not as strong as he imagined.
Especially in the Anatolian Plateau, the Russian army, which had been advancing triumphantly, fell into a quagmire. The front was unable to be conquered for a long time, the rear was short of supplies, and uprisings continued in the occupied areas.

On the eastern route, after discovering that the Austrian army was just bluffing, Omar Pasha, an Austrian deserter, decisively concentrated his forces to deal with the rebellious Bulgarians. After suppressing the rebellion, he went directly north to support Dobruja, and the Russian army suffered a defeat again.

On the Black Sea, as Austria and Britain reached a peace agreement, the British Navy began to secretly support the Ottoman Navy, which directly reversed the naval power between the two sides.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet missed the best opportunity to completely annihilate the Ottoman Navy, and the plan to directly attack Constantinople had to be abandoned.

In contrast, the Ottoman Empire's top leaders finally gave up their prejudices when they were surrounded by enemies, the Sultan passed away, and they were faced with internal and external troubles. The 28-year-old Queen Mother Shefkefza went against all odds and appointed the Austrian deserter Orma Pasha.

Olma Pasha, whose real name was Mikhail Ratas, was originally a Serbian military nobleman from Austria who worked as a clerk in the Austrian Imperial Army.

However, because his father offended the Hungarian nobles and was exposed for corruption, Mikhail Ratas's family fell into poverty. In order not to follow in his father's footsteps, he chose to steal all 180 florins in the army safe and fled to Bosnia.

Afterwards, Mikhail Ratas changed his name to Olma, converted to another religion, was circumcised, and began his legendary life.

Although Orma Pasha did not receive orthodox European military education, he was exposed to the military knowledge that far exceeded that of ordinary Ottoman officers.

It was precisely because of this that Orma Pasha was particularly appreciated by his superiors, and through multiple cross-class marriages, he truly became a part of the Ottoman military.

However, given Orma Pasha's status and qualifications, he was unable to independently command such a large army. Moreover, because of his proximity to the Austrian Empire, he had to guard against his second defection.

It turned out that it was a wise move for Queen Mother Shefkefuza to appoint Orma Pasha, who concluded based on his own judgment and special intelligence sources that the Austrians were just bluffing, and in subsequent operations, he caused heavy losses to the Russians.

At the same time, Orma Pasha successfully instigated the rebellion of the Macedonians, who were regarded as Greeks by the West at that time, as well as some tribes that opposed Greek expansion.

Otto I had offended many people along the way while holding the banner of reviving ancient Greece. Now, taking advantage of the opportunity when Otto I fell ill and returned to Athens to recuperate, the Macedonians immediately launched a rebellion and turned the Greek-occupied area into a sea of ​​fire.

Egypt's strength had not yet recovered, and Muhammad Ali was an old fox. He did not want to fight the Ottomans and waste his own strength, so the two sides began to sit in silence across the Jordan River.

The worst suffered was the Serbian army led by Milos. There was a traitor in his army, which turned the originally large army into an isolated force and was strangled by the Ottoman army and local tribes.

All this was not beyond Franz's expectations. Russia's bad path was fatal to both its enemies and itself. Those small countries were unable to compete with the quasi-great power of the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire possessed sufficient strategic depth and population. Although it might suffer a disastrous defeat in the early stages, it was not as weak as it seemed and was not something the Russians could swallow in one bite.

Franz did not want the Ottoman Empire to lose its strategic buffer value too early. What he wanted now was to secure the gains.

The lands seized from the Ottoman Empire must begin infrastructure construction and complete transformation as soon as possible, otherwise these lands will still not be considered as territories of the Austrian Empire.

The news of the successive defeats in the war made Andrei Uvarov somewhat unbelievable. He had seen with his own eyes how vulnerable the Ottoman army was, and he was more aware of the Ottoman Empire's armaments and financial situation at that time.

Andrei Uvarov couldn't figure out how the great Russian army failed. He first cursed God for not helping its believers, and then began to curse the incompetent generals and officials, as well as the soldiers who were afraid of death.

After drinking two bottles of vodka, Andrei Uvarov took a swim in the November glacier.

At this time he finally calmed down and put on his robe in the cold Russian wind.

"I want to see His Majesty the Tsar. We cannot allow this war to continue."

Andrei Uvarov's servants immediately got busy, and the clerk drafted a visiting card, which was delivered to the Winter Palace by the butler himself.

The other servants went to prepare the carriage and ceremonial objects, as well as suitable and not soaking wet clothes.

In the Winter Palace, Nicholas I's face was colder than the howling cold wind. The palace people around him tried their best to shrink their necks and lower their heads. No one wanted to offend. Nicholas I was also very annoyed. He never expected that after more than a month, the situation would get worse and worse.

Because St. Petersburg was too far away from the front line, the information Nicholas I knew was all what his subordinates wanted him to know.

In fact, Russia's offensive had already shown signs of fatigue, but by the time this intelligence had been filtered through layers of screening and reached Nicholas I's desk, it had already changed beyond recognition.

Even though Constantinople was still out of reach, the Tsar and his cronies felt they could take it before the Greeks.

According to Nicholas I's analysis, there is only one possibility, that is, the British are playing tricks, and there must be a traitor around him.
Following this wrong line of thinking, Nicholas I saw everyone as a traitor, which is why he was filled with murderous intent.

"Princess Uvarov wants to see you."

A trusted attendant came over and spoke cautiously.

"Andre? Why is he back? Shouldn't he be discussing the peace conference with the Austrians?"

The attendant beside him whispered.

"His Excellency the Duke returned yesterday."

"Okay, let him in."

Nicholas I raised his hand, and immediately a servant came with a tray and carefully took the blood-stained whip.

Andrei Uvarov came to the courtyard where the Tsar was with ease.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid the situation has developed beyond our control. We should immediately cease fire and start peace talks."

"Has the venue for the conference been chosen?"

"We are talking now."

Before the young duke could finish his words, Nicholas I's displeased voice rang out again.

"I asked you if you have chosen a place for the meeting?"

"not yet."

"Then what are you doing back?"

Nicholas I was obviously very angry. If it were any other Russian minister, he would probably be so scared that his tongue would become tied and his knees would become weak.

But Andrei Uvarov was not afraid at all.

"We underestimated the British. Their quick support gave the Ottomans the confidence to resist. Now it's not just the Ottomans who are fighting us, but also the British behind them."

Andrei Uvarov's words coincided with Nicholas I's guess, and the displeasure on his face eased slightly.

"We also underestimated the Austrians, and it is very likely that they have contributed to our current predicament."

Nicholas I's eyes suddenly opened.

"What did you say?"