Nicholas I stormed out and slammed the conference room doors shut behind him. He was nearly mad with rage now—the terms that Englishman had discussed with him in private were nothing like this.
George Villiers had claimed he was willing to cede Little Bulgaria to Russia. That was why Nicholas I had accepted the peace talks and hurried back to Saint Petersburg to preside over this grand gathering.
Yet that secret meeting had yielded only a verbal agreement, chiefly because Nicholas I had believed the Holy Alliance already held victory in the palm of its hand.
It should indeed have been a sure victory. But once the peace talks were announced, every member of the Holy Alliance except Russia had begun packing their bags. Within the Kingdom of Greece, the struggle for power and profit had even erupted into multiple armed clashes.
After the Austrian Empire transferred the land to the Russians, it had likewise sheathed its swords and stabled its horses. Quite a few men had simply retired on the spot and headed to the Danubian Principalities to support their development.
Only the Russians were still sending troops to seize territory. Yet the demands of defense had scattered their forces thin. The land Russia had gained this time was wedged between Austria, the Ottoman Empire, and Greece, placing immense pressure on its national defense.
Yet every nation of the Holy Alliance, including the Russians themselves, believed the war was over, so none hurried to reinforce the Balkans.
The Ottomans, on the other hand, had no choice but to draw vast quantities of manpower and material from Anatolia to construct defensive works under the immense pressure on their defenses. To guard against every eventuality, they also retained a powerful mobile force.
The British were also helping direct the construction of