Constantinople
Abdulmejid I's face was frighteningly grim. To Britain and France, this great Balkan campaign might have been no more than a brief interlude, but to the Sultan's government, it was fatal.
For this war, the Ottoman Empire had already exhausted every ounce of its strength. There was no doubting it—they had only this much power.
They had mobilized a million troops before and after. Never mind their combat effectiveness; in any case, the Ottoman Empire had thrown its entire family fortune into the war.
Yet the situation on the battlefield left Abdulmejid I deeply disappointed. The Allied side should originally have held a slight advantage, but after Britain and France fought over command authority, that advantage vanished without a trace.
Resolve the contradictions between Britain and France? Don't dream. In history, even when two world wars concerned their very survival, Britain and France could still drag each other down. And now one expected them to cooperate with one heart and one mind?
In a deep voice, Abdulmejid I said, "Have the Foreign Ministry contact the London Government and Paris. Tell them that if they keep conserving their strength on the battlefield, we will lose this war."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Foreign Minister Fuad replied.
Though the war was currently being fought fiercely, Britain and France had actually suffered few casualties. Most of those dying on the battlefield were Ottoman soldiers.
Since the British had already put guns to the Ottomans' throats, forcing them to bleed Russian strength away on the battlefield, the French naturally had no objection to following suit.
In the Sliven region, the Russians had initially seized on the French and beaten them savagely. To preserve their own strength, the French naturally used the Ottoman Army as cannon fodder.
After all, it was now the Ottomans begging Britain