Holy Roman Empire

Constantinople, inside the Allied Command headquarters, a spoils-sharing meeting was taking place at this moment. Since the Anti-Turkish Alliance was composed of four nations, naturally the spoils had to be divided among all four.

The Vienna Government was very particular about keeping up appearances in this regard. After all, Greece and Montenegro were also victors, and they were entitled to their share of the war booty.

As the de facto leader of the Anti-Turkish Alliance, Austrian Foreign Minister Weisenberg took the initiative and said, "With our joint efforts, we have finally won this Near East war.

Now that the war is over, it is time to distribute the spoils. In principle, we should allocate the spoils based on the contributions made by each country during the war.

If anyone has any special requests, they can be put forward first. We will consider them as a priority."

"Consider as a priority" did not mean "satisfy as a priority," which set the tone for the spoils-sharing meeting. What Weisenberg meant was quite clear: don’t even think about making excessive demands; it’s impossible for them to be approved.

The Russian Governor of Constantinople, Futoriak, said with a smile, "The Black Sea Strait is the gateway for the Russian Empire, and we hope to acquire the Ottoman territories along the coast of the Marmara Sea."

Selling territories is one thing, but war spoils still had to be fought for. As long as negotiations in St. Petersburg were not concluded for even a day, the territory trade between Russia and Austria in the Asia Minor Peninsula could not be finalized.

However, compared to the tense representatives from Greece and Montenegro, Futoriak was much more at ease.

As a senior official of the Russian Empire, Futoriak knew very well how determined the Tsarist Government was to unload this burden.

The negotiations were still at an impasse, but that was just to maximize benefits. The deal was almost inevitable, or else he wouldn’t be the governor here as the representative for the talks.

Greek Foreign Minister Nislafov followed closely behind, "We hope to acquire the Izmir region to settle the Greek people within Ottoman borders."

The Vienna Government’s immigration plan was also selective, not targeting those with a backing as part of the first batch of migration. Only after it was confirmed that no one would intervene did they pack them off.

Although Greece was a bit weaker, it was still a member of the Anti-Turkish Alliance. The surviving Greek people inside the Ottoman borders were, for the time being, not within the migration scope.

Even though Nislafov tried to be as restrained as possible, Weisenberg was still shocked by the Greek’s audacious demands.

The Izmir region was not some backwater; it became the most prosperous port and the largest city in the Ottoman Empire after losing Constantinople.

Located on the western coast of the Ottomans, it could be said to be the most prime area of the Asia Minor Peninsula, even the capital Ankara before the war was not as flourishing as this.

Having been involved in foreign affairs for a long time, Weisenberg, who had seen much of the world, displayed his displeasure only fleetingly. Still smiling, he turned his attention to the representative from Montenegro.

The Montenegrin Foreign Minister, Nicholas Cage, said expressionlessly, "We have no demands for territories, we just hope to receive economic compensation."

No territorial demands, really?

The answer is: No!

The issue was that Montenegro was too weak to manage an exclave. What they wanted were neighboring territories, but those areas were part of Austria proper, and who would dare to make such a proposal?

Eyeballing the homeland of the great powers? That’s a joke one shouldn’t make lightly—even showing a hint of such a desire could bring about the calamity of national extinction.

Weisenberg nodded in satisfaction, "I understand everyone’s requests. Except for Baron Nicholas Cage’s request, which can be answered definitively, the rest need further discussion.

In this war, everyone has captured quite a bit of property, and in principle, they belong to those who seized them.

Since the Montenegro Duchy has given up its territorial claims, let’s take a portion from the spoils of the Austrian military to compensate your country, and in addition, gift your country an active-duty first-class battleship."

Nicholas Cage was pleased with this outcome. All the strategic materials for this war were provided by Austria, and Montenegro’s liability was only casualties from two battalions, with only about a hundred and eighty actually killed in combat.

A first-class battleship was not cheap. Montenegro did not have one, and Nicholas Cage did not know the exact cost, but the Austrian external sale price was as high as 1.15 million Divine Shields.

It was the age of the sea, and everyone dreamt of having a navy. To secure an outlet to the sea, Montenegro had been fighting with the Ottoman Empire for over a hundred years.

Regrettably, government revenue was limited, and the allocation to the navy was scarce, with a few sailing warships just for show.

Having achieved this gain, Nicholas Cage was sufficiently satisfied to return to his country. As for the other spoils of war for compensation, he no longer held any expectations.

Anything that could be liquidated was already dealt with, and what was left were the kinds of goods that were difficult to sell and virtually worthless.

After a moment of thought, Nicholas Cage responded, "No problem, we are very satisfied with this compensation."

Verbal wrestling was out of the question. Diplomatic negotiations can sometimes be troublesome, but other times quite straightforward.

A need for constant bargaining arises when the strength of both sides is close and there’s the capacity to haggle, and yet the terms of negotiation differ greatly.

The conditions offered by Austria now had already exceeded the expectations of Montenegro, so there was naturally no need for further bargaining.

Your next chapter awaits on empire

As the negotiations were moving on to the next stage, the voice of a guard outside the door rang out, "Governor, an urgent telegram from St. Petersburg."

"Bring it in!" said Governor Futoriak.

After receiving the telegram, Futoriak didn’t hesitate to read it openly.

"Gentlemen, I think this negotiation can come to an end now," he said.

Having said that, Futoriak directly handed the telegram to Weisenberg, the title of which was strikingly "Treaty on the Disposal of Ottoman Territory between Russia and Austria."

Both Russia and Austria had signed the treaty, and the Tsarist Government had sold off all the benefits of the post-war period; any further negotiation would be pointless.

As for the Greeks, Futoriak simply ignored them.

Since the interests belonging to the Russian Empire had been secured, if the Greek people wanted a share from the Asia Minor Peninsula, then they should ask the Austrians. This was no longer his concern.

After quickly perusing the document, Weisenberg slowly said, "Indeed, there’s no need for further discussion. Since the treaty has been signed, we shall abide by its content."

Weisenberg didn’t believe that the Russians would play any sort of false telegram games—after all, the treaty didn’t need to be resigned, and deceiving him would serve no purpose but to create trouble.

The treaty’s content was as follows:

1. The Russian Empire renounced all territorial claims on the Ottoman Empire and supported Austria’s annexation of the Ottoman Empire. In return, the Vienna Government was to compensate the Tsarist Government with 68 million Divine Shield in cash;

2. The Russian Empire promised to settle the people within the Ottoman Empire’s territories, for which the Vienna Government was to pay 125 million Divine Shield in resettlement fees; (ensuring the resettlement took place more than a thousand kilometers away from Austria)

3. The Vienna Government committed that the Austrian Navy would not establish a port in the Black Sea, and any naval vessel over 2000 tons entering the Black Sea must first seek Russian approval;

4. Russia and Austria would jointly strike...

... Nôv(el)B\\jnn

After the treaty was passed around, Nislafov became embarrassed. He had been thinking of exploiting any disputes that arose between Russia and Austria to benefit from Greek support at an opportune moment.

Reality told Nislafov that he had been far too optimistic. The other parties had settled matters behind closed doors without consulting them.

Disregarding war expenses, just to pay the Russians, the Austrians had to shell out 193 million Divine Shield. If war costs were included, the Vienna Government would have to spend at least 400 million Divine Shield.

Having paid such a high cost, why would Austria allow Greece a share of the Asia Minor Peninsula?

Perhaps realizing this, Weisenberg added: "Sir Nislafov, considering your country’s performance in this war, I suggest we offer compensation to your country following the standard of Montenegro.

As for the Izmir region, to avoid unnecessary conflict in the future, I think it would be best if you gave up on it."

Hearing this "suggestion," Nislafov’s forehead broke out in a cold sweat. This was hardly a negotiation but rather the notification of a decision.

The atmosphere suddenly grew awkward, and Nislafov was at a loss for how to respond.

Refuse Weisenberg’s "suggestion"?

He might as well forget about it. Even if Izmir were offered to Greece on a platter, Nislafov wouldn’t dare accept it now. Otherwise, he would be held accountable for any ensuing conflict.

But if he agreed, Nislafov felt reluctant. Without any negotiation, how could he justify it upon his return?

Seeing the negotiations heading for an impasse, Governor Futoriak, the host, stepped in to smooth things over: "Gentlemen, let’s put the issue of Izmir aside for now.

The Ottoman Empire has perished, and it is now necessary for us to issue a proclamation to the outside world, warning those who have been meddling behind the scenes."

On this matter, the Anti-Ottoman Alliance of the four countries was unanimous in their disdain for the Britons sneaking around in the background.

Austrian Foreign Minister Weisenberg echoed, "Your Excellency’s suggestion is very constructive. We indeed should warn those villains acting from the shadows, lest they fail to grasp the situation and continue their distasteful deeds."

With the leading nations in agreement, Nislafov and Nicholas Cage naturally had no objections.

The threat to the British, issued from afar, was thrilling even to imagine. It was something that nations in Europe wanted, yet didn’t dare to do.

If it weren’t for the banner of the Anti-Turkish Alliance and Russia and Austria bearing the brunt, they would never dare to partake in such an overt act.

A sternly worded proclamation was quickly born, with representatives of Russia, Austria, Montenegro, and Greece signing beneath it, explicitly titled "Anti-Ottoman Alliance Four-Country Convention."

1. Effective immediately, the wicked Ottoman Empire is hereby eradicated;

2. To ensure world peace and stability, the Anti-Ottoman Alliance will continue to strike against the remnants of the Ottoman Empire globally;

3. Any act of harboring or sheltering Ottoman remnants will be seen as a challenge to the Anti-Ottoman Alliance. Once discovered, the Alliance will employ extraordinary measures, including military means;

...