The Rise of the Empire

Before the war, the fundamental reason why we maintained friendly relations with Turkey was because of Turkey's geographical location. We needed Turkey to block all Russian aid channels in Europe. But in the future, as we have expanded our territory to Transcaucasus, this need will no longer exist. Turkey's role has declined, so there is only one reason to continue to maintain this alliance, and that is that Turkey can provide considerable help to the empire. "The crown prince said.

"However, neither the Turkish Sultan nor the Pashas meet this condition. You should know very well what kind of person the Sultan is. He is a mixture of a corrupt king and a religious leader. He is short-sighted and does not listen to people's persuasion. Expecting him to accomplish this goal is tantamount to asking for a fish in a tree."

"Pashas from the Young Turks are also not a good choice. Although relatively speaking, they are stronger than the Sultan, but in the final analysis, they are still a mixture of old aristocrats and ultra-nationalists. They fantasize about passing some Although they want to strengthen a country even though they make small changes in the system, they still suppress the civilian class. They can even be described as hostile to other ethnic groups and religious believers in the country. During the war, the purges of the Turkish cavalry in the Mesopotamia showed this. We have solved this problem, and you and I both know that if a country does not awaken from the bottom up, it will be absolutely difficult for it to become a powerful country."

"But Kemal is different. In fact, compared to his colleagues, Kemal is closer to Europeans, and many of his ideas are similar to ours. He is committed to the well-being and awakening of the people, and he has thunderbolt means. , but at the same time he is also tolerant, his ability is stronger than others, and he has a very good prestige."

"Of course, this is only one important reason why we chose him. Another important reason is his firm determination to secularize the government! He decided to completely separate religion from the government and establish a secular government instead of a government that mixes politics and religion. No one else has! He has changed almost all the issues that can be changed. Maybe except for the special status of the army, he has done the best. So, if I think that for this most suitable ally, we should pay Pay some price and wait appropriately!" said the Crown Prince.

"We can give Kemal some time, but that doesn't mean we can't make some arrangements in Turkey." Count Schelling said.

"This waiting is also necessary, because we need to let Turkey's old forces and nationalist forces be lost in this turmoil! There are many bad things that if you want to uproot them, then the only way is war, and in everything After all the bad things are wiped out, it will be more convenient to build a new country!"

"In this civil strife, whether it is the government or religious leaders, whether it is the aristocracy or the bourgeoisie, they will suffer heavy losses. There is no doubt about it. And the nationalists among the people will also suffer heavy losses. The so-called nationalists The foundation is nothing more than two points. The first point is the so-called national self-esteem and inheritance, as well as the instigation of the upper class or careerists. The other point is that the people at the bottom believe that if the country is governed by people of their own nation, they will live a better life. Better! And the latter point is very important!”

"so,

We want to deal with extreme nationalism from these two directions. The war will naturally clean up some careerists and upper-class people. The disasters caused by the war will also calm down the fanatical people at the bottom. When they find that nationalism not only cannot bring revival, but will only bring disaster and death, then this foundation will be shaken. And if the rulers who come to power are too cunning If you are smarter, you can quickly quell nationalism. Therefore, waiting is actually to give the Turkish people a clearer understanding! "The crown prince said.

“When the subjects of the Ottoman Empire have experienced the most turbulent and darkest period, their psychological expectations will be very low, and their favorability towards Germany, which helped them restore order, will be very high, and they will hate the United States for participating in this turmoil. ! After that, pro-Germany and Austria and opposition to the United States will become one of the iron laws in Turkey's political arena in the future. No matter who comes to power in the future, they must stand with us. We have shown strength and mercy at the same time, while the Americans have nothing but hatred. Nothing was gained!" said the Crown Prince.

"Is this your overall plan? Is this the entire reason why you decided to delay?" Earl Schelling asked.

"Of course not. In fact, although the Turkish Empire is an important support point for our layout in the Middle East, it is not the only one! The Americans are like this this time, and so are we." the crown prince said.

"Turkey is not the only goal of the Americans? What about their other goal?" Count Schelling asked. For the first time, he felt that everything he knew was not true!

"Yes, they have another goal. Many things in the world are interrelated. The Americans have made too many preparations to subvert Turkey and have prepared for the post-war layout in the Middle East. They are dealing with Turkey's At the same time, it is also wooing Persia, and is also discussing with Persia a plan to launch an attack on Turkey in the event of civil strife in Turkey." Ruprecht said.

"Well, based on Persia's military and economic strength, they have no ability to expand. Even if the Americans provide a large amount of weapons and funds, they do not have a sufficient number of troops. Persia was previously the sphere of influence of Russia and the British. These two This country is very concerned about Persia's military strength. The war only ended three years ago, does Persia really have this ability?" Count Schelling said in surprise.

"Persia may indeed not have enough trained troops, but there is a country that is most in need of battle-hardened warriors. This country is very willing to exchange a large number of cheap soldiers for machinery, technology, funds, and even food. And this country is only separated from Persia by a huge inland lake," Ruprecht said with a smile.

"A huge inland lake?" Count Schelling frowned slightly: "Are you talking about the Caspian Sea? Do you mean that the Russians may also be involved in this matter? Why are they? Because of American assistance? Do the Americans plan to Rely on Russian power to help Persia expand? And then use American funds and Russian troops to completely tie this country to the American chariot?" When he thought of this, Count Schelling couldn't help but shudder!

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