With a single order from Franz, the Austrian forces at the front sprang into action. Whether the Ottoman Empire agreed or not, the repatriation effort began.
In this age, Ottomans had no human rights to speak of. There was no need for so many explanations—direct forced deportation would do. No one found anything wrong with it; even the accompanying journalists pretended not to see.
As for whether they would write nonsense after returning, no one could say. For the sake of newspaper sales, every kind of bizarre news would appear anyway. Journalists' integrity was only a little better than that of later generations.
As long as the majority of mainstream media did not speak up for the Ottomans, that was enough. Tabloids had always begun with a pen and a sheet of paper, with all the content made up from scratch.
Preparing in advance to guide public opinion was not difficult; all it took was money. Trying to control public opinion, however, was nothing but a dream.
In this era, no great power escaped criticism. The more often a country appeared on newspaper front pages, the more it reflected its strength from another angle. No one was even willing to report on small countries.
After their protests bore no fruit, the Sultan Government still chose to quietly accept reality. Do not be fooled by the European countries supporting them now—open the history books, and everyone was still enemies.
Preserving the Ottoman Empire was a strategic necessity; it did not mean anyone regarded them as friends. Even France, which had traditionally been friendly with the Ottoman Empire, could not possibly step forward for them.
Inside the Prime Minister's residence on Downing Street, Gladstone asked with a frown, "Are those greedy Russians still insisting?"
The London Government was also thoroughly disgusted by