Holy Roman Empire Chapter 752 - Human Nature

        

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        As the undisputed protagonist of this war, Abdul Hamid II felt an immense pressure. The situation was utterly unfavorable.         Looking back through history, there had never been a more humiliating Sultan in the Ottoman Empire.         His ancestors had once reigned supreme, their conquests unstoppable.         The Habsburgs had been beaten into questioning their very existence, and the Russians trembled before Ottoman steel. All of Europe had once shuddered beneath the shadow of Ottoman cavalry.         But as the saying goes, “Three hundred years in the east, three hundred years in the west”—fortunes rise and fall. Now, the tides had turned, playing out a real-life version of “Do not mock the old in poverty.”         From conqueror to the conquered, every time Abdul Hamid II thought about this dramatic reversal, he couldn’t help but complain about his ancestors deep in his heart.         They had made enemies everywhere, and that might have been fine if only they had eliminated them completely! Had they never heard the saying, “If you do not uproot the weeds, they will grow again with the spring breeze”? This was the ultimate example of leaving a disaster for future generations.         Suppressing his frustration, Abdul Hamid II asked, “Grand Vizier, how are the preparations?”         Midhat Pasha replied slowly, “The government has already mobilized 1.2 million young and able-bodied men, and within the next three months, that number is expected to rise to 2 million.         Given the enemy’s overwhelming strength, we are prepared to abandon the coastal regions. The military will lure them deeper inland and fight them.”         “Lure the enemy inland”—Abdul Hamid II didn’t believe that for a second. If they could win, who in their right mind would willingly abandon the empire’s most valuable coastal territories?         In reality, after the last Near East War, the Ottoman Empire had made efforts to strengthen its coastal defenses.         However, time was too short, and the coastline was too vast, there was simply no way to cover everything.         As the newspapers mockingly put it: “The Ottoman Empire's coastline stretches for thousands of miles, yet only the beaches truly belong to them.”         A nation with a coastline but no naval defense—that was the most accurate portrayal of the Ottoman Empire.         Abdul Hamid II shook his head, saying, “This is far from enough. During the Russo-Turkish War, the Russian government mobilized a total of 8 million troops, with peak active forces reaching an astonishing 5 million.         This time, we are not only facing the Russian Empire but also the far more powerful Austrian Empire.         Even 2 million soldiers won’t be enough. Even if we mobilize another 2 million, it still won’t be enough.         Issue the order for total war! Mobilize the entire population! Men, women, young, and old—everyone must take up arms against the enemy. Only by doing this do we stand even the slightest chance of survival.”         Midhat Pasha wanted to correct the Sultan’s statement. The 5 million Russian troops in the Russo-Turkish War had not all been frontline combat forces. At least half were laborers responsible for transporting supplies.         However, because these laborers also had to defend the supplies, they were armed and counted as part of the army.         Although the Russo-Turkish War had been intense, the actual frontline combat troops had never truly exceeded 2 million.         This was a limitation of the times. Military operations were inevitably constrained by logistics, making it impossible to blindly expand troop numbers.         Considering the strained relationship between them, Midhat Pasha decisively chose to abandon any attempt to correct the Sultan’s misconceptions.         One was the symbol of conservatism, the other the spokesperson for reform; one embodied royal and religious authority, the other represented secular governance and ministerial power. They were fundamentally not on the same path.         In a way, the sudden outbreak of the Near East War had actually saved Midhat Pasha. Without it, he would never have been reinstated as Grand Vizier.         “Your Majesty, we have already reached the limits of our mobilization. The able-bodied men have joined the army, while women and children have taken over production and logistics.         In the entire Ottoman Empire, anyone capable of working has already been put to work. There is not a single idle person.”         Midhat deliberately avoided mentioning the elderly and infirm. He genuinely feared that the Sultan would send even them to the battlefield, which would mean that defeat would truly spell the total annihilation of their people.         A glance at the Ottoman succession history was enough to understand what true brutality looked like with every single sultan’s ascension having been drenched in blood. A ruthless sultan was a title well earned.         Abdul Hamid II was no exception. He had overthrown his own brother and father, seizing the throne through a coup.         A ruler who grew up in such an environment lacked many things, but ruthlessness was not one of them.         In a way, they were all mentally unhinged. When you rise to power by stepping over the corpses of your own family, it’s impossible not to have a twisted mind.         Abdul Hamid II glared fiercely at Midhat Pasha, but seemingly realizing that this was not the time for conflict, he forcibly suppressed his dissatisfaction.         He issued a stern warning: “My Grand Vizier, you had best ensure that things are exactly as you claim, that there is not a single idle person in the entire Ottoman Empire.”         …         Midhat Pasha did not represent the Ottoman populace. As a multi-ethnic empire plagued by deep internal divisions, the Ottoman Empire was never truly at peace.         Not everyone feared the Anti-Ottoman Coalition. On the contrary, some within the empire even welcomed the arrival of the coalition forces.         Where there is oppression, there will always be resistance.         Deep in the interior of Anatolia, in a small, unremarkable town, an unexpected visitor arrived under the cover of night.         “My old friend, the Ottoman blade is about to descend upon your neck. Are you still asleep?”         A middle-aged man dressed in simple clothing shook his head and replied, “Holman, after all these years, you are still as alarmist as ever.         You started this Near East War, and now the Ottoman government is too preoccupied with its own survival to maintain internal stability. Where would they find the time to stir up new conflicts now?”         Holman smirked and said, “Draco, spare me the act. Your face has already betrayed your true thoughts.         You’re afraid. Your last failure has shattered the passionate, fearless Draco of the past. Now, all that remains is a cowardly, self-serving aristocrat.”         Draco nodded and said, “You’re right, I am afraid. The reckless, naive Draco of my youth is long dead. Now, I see reality for what it is.         If you think you can use me as a pawn again, forget it. I will not sacrifice the lives of my people just to pave your way to power.         And to think I once considered you a friend. Last time, you promised Armenian independence, did you ever fulfill that promise?”         …         As Draco vented his frustrations in a relentless tirade, Holman showed no impatience, calmly listening until Draco was hoarse from speaking.         “Alright, old friend. I can see you’re upset. Why don’t you take a sip of water to soothe your throat before continuing in airing out your grievances?”         Looking at Holman handing him a glass of water, Draco slapped it away, too furious to speak.         Seeing that the moment was right, Holman continued, “My friend, was the last failure really all our fault?         We suggested that you move to the Caucasus region and establish a nation in the South Caucasus at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. But some people couldn’t bear to leave the prosperity of the Anatolian Peninsula and insisted on staying.         Staying was one thing, but before the war even ended, you had already collapsed. How else were we supposed to fulfill our promise?         Austria owes you nothing. National independence has always been something one must fight for. If your own government is incompetent, should we be the ones to take responsibility?”         Seeing Draco looking dejected, Holman gave him a heavy pat on the shoulder and continued, “My friend, you don’t have much time left. If you don’t pull yourself together, there will be no hope.         Unless you’ve been living in isolation, you should know that France has plunged into civil war. No one in Europe can save the Ottoman Empire now.         Once the Ottomans fall, this land will belong to us and the Russians. If you haven’t contributed anything to this war, why should we support your independence?         No, perhaps you won’t even last that long. In peacetime, the Ottomans had rich coastal plains and didn’t care about your barren lands.         But this time is different. Once war breaks out, their coastal regions will become battlefields, and a flood of refugees will pour into the interior.         If they don’t take your land, how is the Ottoman government supposed to feed so many people? Even if they don’t seize your land outright, at the very least, your taxes will increase, won’t they?         They’re mobilizing a two-million-strong army. On average, one in four people will have to enlist, and all able-bodied men will be sent to the front lines.         If nothing unexpected happens, the conscription officers will be here before long. Once you enter the Ottoman army, you should know all too well what fate awaits you.”         Threats, intimidation, and persuasion. Draco knew very well that he had no choice.         Whether or not Holman’s promises would be fulfilled, he had to pick a side now. Every ethnic group in the Ottoman Empire had to take a stance.         In times like these, there was no such thing as human rights. Choosing the wrong side meant death. Not just for one or two people, but tens or even hundreds of thousands.         The Russo-Turkish War had already proven that Europe was not as civilized as it claimed to be. Millions had starved to death, and the international community had done little more than issue a few empty protests.         By comparison, Austria was at least more restrained among the great powers. While expulsions and deportations were common, at least they had never resorted to outright massacres.         Draco asked bitterly, “I’m not the only one you’ve approached, am I? If I refuse, does that mean I won’t live to see tomorrow’s sunrise?”         Holman shook his head. “You’re overthinking it, my friend. I’m just an intelligence officer, not an executioner, killing people isn’t my job.         Besides, knowing you, even if you refuse, you wouldn’t go running off to snitch.”         Draco could only half believe his words. It was true that killing wasn’t Holman’s job but silencing people was another matter.         As far as he knew, many Armenians had connections with Austria, even in this unremarkable little town.         In ordinary times, he might still be the highly respected Mr. Draco. But now, if he so much as said “no,” these people would likely see him as a threat and eliminate him.         Draco let out a sigh. “It looks like I have no choice! If you truly consider me a friend, then help me send the children in town away!         They are innocent. This war has nothing to do with them. I know you have the means to do it. If you get them out safely, I’ll do whatever you ask.”         Holman gave a bitter smile as he replied, “That’s not so easy. If this were before the war started, we could have evacuated not just a few hundred, but even tens of thousands.         But things are different now. Austria’s influence won’t work here anymore. To move so many children, we’d have to rely on British and French channels.         Yet in this war, we’re on opposing sides. The Anglo-French-Austrian alliance is now just a formality, and getting their help will be extremely difficult.         If it were just your child, I could manage…”         Draco waved his hand, cutting him off. “Enough, my friend. Spare me the excuses. I know you can do it.         If you only save my child, what will the others think? If you want to spark an independence movement deep within Ottoman territory, my loyalty alone won’t be enough.         Don’t worry, old friend. I won’t make things difficult for you. We’ll hand over all our money if that’s what it takes, just make sure these children grow up safely.”         That’s right. It could definitely be done. In the end, it was just a matter of money. Money might not make the impossible happen, but it could always make things move.         There were plenty of European capitalists operating in the Ottoman Empire, and as long as they were paid, they wouldn’t mind transporting a “special cargo” just this once.         Draco hadn’t approached these capitalists. Not because he lacked funds, but because he couldn’t trust them to keep their word.         Greed was the nature of capitalists, and there was no guarantee that after taking the money, they wouldn’t turn around and sell the children to the Ottomans instead.         But with Austria involved, things were different. Capitalists might not fear individuals, but they couldn’t ignore the Austrian government.         Seeing Holman still hesitating, Draco continued to persuade him, “My friend, once this war is over, you’ll surely be a man of status—a noble estate will be no issue for you.         I know you come from an aristocratic family, but they’ve long since declined, and they can’t provide you with the resources you need for the future.         If you raise these children, they could become your loyal followers.”         Holman nodded. With such generous terms, he couldn’t find a reason to refuse. Even if it meant calling in a lot of favors, it would be worth it.         “Rest assured, my friend. From this moment on, your son is my son. I will take him in as my godchild and raise him as my own.”

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