Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
Ottoman Sultan Majid once again confirmed with his Grand Vizier the news that Britain and France would launch a joint attack on Austria.
"The British have issued a statement saying they will temporarily suspend their peace treaty with the Austrians for the sake of peace in Europe and the world.
The invincible fleet of the British Empire will return to the Mediterranean and join forces with the French to besiege Austria.
The British Government has said it is willing to support us in reclaiming Belgrade and West Bosnia, and would be delighted to see us complete the mission our ancestors left unfinished."
The British were offering an extremely high price. Not only Belgrade and West Bosnia, but everything all the way to Vienna was theirs for the taking, provided the Ottomans could swallow it.
But Majid was no fool. He knew perfectly well that he and his Ottoman Empire couldn't swallow such a huge prize.
So he joined forces with Serbia's Obrenovic Family and the Hungarians, with each of the three sides getting what it wanted.
The Ottoman Empire would retake Belgrade, Serbia would reclaim West Bosnia, and the Hungarians would receive the rest of the Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen.
The Obrenovic Family was more than willing to cooperate. They even provided a military map of Belgrade's defenses that they had compiled.
The Obrenovic Family had operated in Belgrade for many years, and Belgrade itself was a traditional Serbian settlement, so their intelligence was quite reliable.
By comparison, however, the Hungarians were much more reserved. The Hungarian Government had given Majid no clear answer.
That wasn't because Lajos Kossuth considered the Ottoman Empire a dispensable ally. On the contrary, Hungary urgently needed allies at that moment.
The great victory at