The fighting between the United Kingdom and the Principality of Montenegro drew no attention. The gap in strength between the two sides was far too great; it could not be bridged by mere hot blood. The outcome had been decided from the very beginning.
Even Franz did not think highly of the Principality of Montenegro. Their foundations were too weak; they simply could not withstand attrition. Even if they repelled the British-Sardinian allied offensive, they would still be the losers.
That was the sorrow of small countries. Their populations were so limited. No matter how strong their combat power was, people would always die in war, and the Principality of Montenegro could not afford those losses.
By this point in the Near East War, the Balkan Peninsula had already lost more than a million people, perhaps even over two or three million. The losses among able-bodied young men in particular were especially severe.
The Ottomans seized able-bodied men for war, and the Russian Bear was no more polite. Even in the ongoing Siege of Constantinople, the Russians had seized many able-bodied men and sent them to the front as cannon fodder.
No matter how worthless the gray beasts of burden were, they were still the Tsar's soldiers—his own people. However one looked at it, they were worth more than this cannon fodder.
In the Siege of Constantinople, more than a thousand men were lost every day. Even with the Russian Bear's vast resources, it could not keep that up!
If cannon fodder was used, Menshikov would feel no pressure at all. If they died, they died; the Austrian Government was being extremely cooperative.
Before they obtained Austrian citizenship, the Austrian Government had no obligation to protect their safety. The Danubian Principalities had been ravaged terribly by the Russians lately.
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