The core territory of the Ottoman Empire was mainly concentrated on the Anatolian Peninsula. The Ottoman government had significantly weaker control over other regions. This control became almost nonexistent after the Anti-Ottoman Coalition severed the Sultan’s connections with local authorities. Loyalists were a minority, and in the face of harsh realities, human weaknesses were fully exposed. Seeing that the Ottoman government was doomed, those unwilling to perish with the empire began seeking an escape route. Baghdad was only the beginning. After Austria advanced into Mesopotamia, cities were abandoned one after another as people fled. People tend to follow the crowd. When the elites and officials fled, ordinary citizens naturally rushed to do the same. The Persian border quickly became overwhelmed with refugees. … Baghdad, Temporary Headquarters of the Middle Eastern Theater General Morkes asked with concern, “Dennis, how many people have left?” The middle-aged officer Dennis replied, “In the Baghdad region, about 120,000 people have fled. Across the entire Mesopotamian area, roughly 500,000 have left.” General Morkes furrowed his brow. “Not enough. Too few people have left. The battles in Mesopotamia are essentially over, and only scattered resistance remains. The local population is around three million. Even accounting for the effects of war, there should still be at least 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 people. Subtracting the 500,000 who have already left, that leaves 1.7 to 1.8 million. If we want to relocate this many people in the future, it will require an enormous amount of funding. The best solution is to make them leave voluntarily. Spread the word that we are implementing the Land Fallowing Act and that for the next 20 years, farming and livestock grazing will be completely prohibited in Mesopotamia.” Rumors that mix truth and falsehood are often the most believable. Anyone with a bit of insight would know that after Austria occupied the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Arabian Peninsula, it enforced the Land Fallowing Act there as well. Now, aside from a few cities, those regions are overgrown with wild grass and shrubs, and the interior has become vast stretches of uninhabited land. “Yes, Commander!” Major General Dennis responded. After a brief hesitation, Dennis voiced his concern. “Commander, if we let them stay and generate wealth, we could start collecting taxes immediately. Why must we force them to leave?” To many, the Austrian government’s Land Fallowing Act seemed like pointless trouble, causing unnecessary hardship without any tangible benefits. Environmental protection is not a popular concept yet. No one objected earlier because it involved Jerusalem. The Holy Land was nearly buried by sandstorms. If it wasn’t protected, that would have been unacceptable. The Arabian Peninsula was merely incidental. That land had nothing of value anyway, and Austria was hardly in need of camels. Letting it go fallow was not a problem. Mesopotamia, however, was different. The Mesopotamian plain was highly fertile, suitable for both agriculture and livestock farming. The era of rapid population growth had not yet arrived. Take Iraq as an example. Before the war, it had a population of only 1.2 to 1.3 million, meaning water resources were relatively abundant. General Morkes smiled slightly. “It’s for stability. Do you really think these people will willingly accept our rule?” Hearing this, Dennis was even more confused. The Ottoman Empire had managed to keep these people under control, yet Austria was concerned about maintaining stability? That sounded like a joke. Every colonial empire had its own methods of rule. Generally, when a problem could not be solved, there was always one reliable solution—kill! General Morkes continued his explanation. “If this were just an ordinary colony, it would not be worth such an immense effort. But Mesopotamia is special. Our people have discovered oil here. Geologists estimate that the oil reserves in Mesopotamia could exceed the total amount of oil currently known worldwide. Scientists believe that oil will become the most important energy source in the future and could eventually replace coal.” Dennis shook his head in disbelief and blurted out, “That’s impossible! The uses of oil are limited. How could it possibly replace coal?” General Morkes waved his hand dismissively. “That’s not a question I can answer. But the scientists convinced the government, and now the country believes in this conclusion.” Seeing Dennis caught in self-doubt, General Morkes continued, “Alright, whether oil can replace coal is something time will prove. For now, we only need to understand that oil is extremely important. Our domestic reserves are scarce, while Mesopotamia has abundant deposits. Since this concerns energy security, we must ensure absolute control over this region to guarantee the safe extraction of oil.” Morkes himself wasn’t entirely convinced that oil would surpass coal as the dominant energy source. But as long as there was a possibility, it was worth paying attention to. To make the French realize the importance of energy, the Austrian government had invested heavily in propaganda. By now, every European knew how crucial energy resources were. After hesitating for a moment, Dennis slowly spoke, “Commander, if that’s the case, simply spreading the message won’t be enough. We need concrete actions, perhaps imposing a war tax with a rate beyond what most people can afford, or sending officials to directly persuade them to leave. The Persians, having learned their lesson from the last refugee crisis, have already set up security lines along their borders. A massive number of refugees are now gathering there. If the passage isn’t opened, even those who want to leave won’t be able to.” The escape routes were not limited to just one. The problem was that they didn’t dare go to Russia, and Austria wouldn’t let them in. General Morkes nodded. “That is indeed an issue. I will send a report to Vienna and try to secure support from the government. However, the chances of success are very low. Even if the Foreign Ministry intervenes, the Persians won’t have the courage to take in one or two million refugees. First, we should encourage the refugees to break through the border. If that fails, our troops can create a ‘misunderstanding’ and force open a passage.” Without backing from the Anti-Ottoman Coalition, the Persians had only allowed British supplies into Ottoman territory under immense military and diplomatic pressure from the British government. The Persian government had repeatedly tried to explain this to Austria and Russia, but it was useless—great powers rarely cared for justifications. From General Morkes’s perspective, regardless of the reasons, Persia had positioned itself against the Anti-Ottoman Coalition and would have to pay the price. … In the Vienna Palace, Austria’s successful military advances in Mesopotamia brought Franz no relief. Instead, General Morkes’s report only gave him a massive headache. The Middle Eastern command was dealing with the issue of one or two million refugees. As emperor, Franz had to think on an even larger scale—three million, maybe even four million people. There was no way around it. The Ottoman government might have been reckless, but that didn’t mean all its generals were. A nation of armed citizens sounded intimidating, but when the war became unwinnable, surrender was inevitable. There were still one or two million people in Anatolia, who could barely be considered prisoners of war. After all, the Ottoman government had gone on a mad gamble, causing such immense losses that the local population had no choice but to surrender, otherwise, they would have no food to eat. Left with no alternative, the Austrian government had to take responsibility for this massive group of “prisoners.” Both sides had already shed too much blood. Franz didn’t believe he had the ability to reform them. Deporting them was necessary, and he didn’t mind spending money as it could be considered an early investment. The real question was where to send them. Foreign Minister Wessenberg reported, “Your Majesty, most American countries have refused to accept refugee immigrants. The United States has agreed to take in some, but only able-bodied laborers.” There was no way around it. Ottomans had never been welcome as immigrants, and American countries had never recruited settlers from the Ottoman Empire let alone the elderly, women, and children. The United States’ willingness to accept some was due to the butterfly effect caused by Franz. The number of Europeans migrating to America had significantly decreased, and capitalists were desperate for workers. However, no matter how severe the labor shortage, capitalists only wanted able-bodied workers who could generate wealth. They had no interest in taking in the elderly or the weak. “What plans does the government have?” Franz asked. Chancellor Felix responded, “The government has three options: First, designate a piece of land from our colonies and relocate these people there. Second, shift the problem onto the soon-to-be-established Kingdom of Armenia. Third, use Persia’s support for the Ottomans as a pretext to provoke a war in advance and forcefully expel these people into Persia. Each option has its pros and cons. Settling them in colonial lands would require finding a solution in the Americas or Southeast Asia, which would be costly. Handing them over to the Kingdom of Armenia seems like the simplest choice, but it would create many problems in the long run. Russia would never give up its wealthiest lands to establish an Armenian state, and this new kingdom might not be able to support so many people. Expelling them into Persia would be the cheapest option, but it is also the most violent and could damage our international reputation.”
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https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)
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