In the cold wind of late autumn, the Austrian Ambassador to Turkey, Friedrich von Genz, was taking a walk in the small garden of the embassy after breakfast as usual in order to clear his mind.
This period of time was a bleak and turbulent time for him.
Just as Prime Minister Metternich expected, the Russian Empire really launched its march.
From a religious sense, he should be happy, because this will be another time when Christians punish cruel and barbaric pagans. However, as a diplomat of the Austrian Empire, he had to feel the same as the Prime Minister about the turmoil in the balance of power in Europe.
Worried.
Of course, these worries are not enough to scare him yet. After all, he is a witness who has experienced the most terrible and bloody events in the past. The small scenes in the Balkans now are not worth mentioning compared to those years ago.
He was sent to Istanbul just to solve these annoying problems.
As a confidant and friend of Prime Minister Metternich, he already enjoyed a certain reputation in the European diplomatic community. After arriving in Istanbul on the orders of the Prime Minister, he naturally received courtesy from the top officials of the Ottoman Empire.
At the moment, the anxious Sultan and his ministers are helpless to deal with the current corrupt situation. The flames of the Greek War of Independence have not been extinguished for several consecutive years but have been resurrected. Not to mention, the Russian Empire also took the opportunity to get involved and launch a campaign towards the heart of the empire.
Marched on.
At this time, the Ottoman Empire was in a new low period. Its internal affairs were corrupt, its military was weak, and its finances were on the verge of drying up. Just suppressing the Greek rebels had already exhausted their financial and material resources. How could they have the ability to resist the original Ottoman Empire?
Unbeatable Russia?
It is obvious that if the Ottoman Empire alone relied on itself, they would not be able to withstand the Tsar's army anyway.
In panic, Sultan Mahmud II replaced his incompetent Grand Vizier Muhammad Selim Pasha and appointed his favorite Izet Muhammad Pasha to take over. However, the newly appointed Vizier
What can Zir change? He can only watch helplessly as the Russian army marches towards Istanbul, unable to do anything.
Since it was hopeless to rely on himself alone, Izet-Muhammad Pasha could only turn his attention to the European powers. He desperately lobbied the ambassadors of the European powers, pointing out that if the Ottoman Empire collapsed completely, it would mean that Istanbul would fall into
If it falls into the hands of the Russians, it will mean that other countries will follow in their footsteps and fall victim to the greedy Russians.
It has to be said that the Grand Vizier grasped the key point and straightened out the essence of the problem. Under Russia's pressing pressure, Turkey's survival is no longer just a problem for itself, but is related to the interests of all European powers.
, no one wants to see the fleet of the Russian Empire can enter and exit the Mediterranean at will, and no one wants its bloody mouth to swallow another piece of European land.
Precisely because he did not want to see this situation happen, Ambassador Friedrich von Genz could only find ways to prevent it.
His main attention was not on Sultan Mahmud II and his Grand Vizier. In his eyes, Turkey, which was like a candle in the wind, was not worth wasting much energy on him.
However, no matter what, Turkey is still an ancient empire that has ruled Constantinople and Asia Minor for hundreds of years. No matter how dilapidated the current situation is, it still has some heritage and is worth using, so he suppressed the contempt in his heart.
In the bottom of my heart, I used a polite attitude on the surface to cheer up the Sultan and his ministers and encourage them to support the crisis.
This experienced diplomat helped Metternich successfully organize the Vienna Conference more than ten years ago and helped the Prime Minister define the pattern of the current European order. He has already understood all the subtleties of diplomatic conflicts between the great powers.
, now it is naturally easy to use diplomatic skills to persuade or cajole the sultan and his ministers.
According to Prime Minister Metternich's will, he made two suggestions to the Sudanese monarch and his ministers. First, the Sudan should give up the protracted and fruitless Greek counter-insurgency war and make every effort to shrink its military strength in order to try its best to fight against the Russian Empire's military front and gain buffer time.
; Second, Sudan should use the only time left now to ask the envoys of the European powers to inform the governments of various countries as soon as possible, inform them of their interests, and express their willingness to accept arbitration by the powers.
It has to be said that his ability to play diplomatic tricks is really strong. After being coaxed by him, the Sultan and his ministers actually fully accepted the ambassador's suggestions after careful consideration.
For the sultan and his ministers, the foundation of the empire was in Istanbul. If it fell into the hands of the Russians, it would be the death of the empire. It was worth paying a price to keep it.
Although the rebellion in Greece is infuriating, at this moment when the empire's survival is at stake, giving up the counter-insurgency war that has not progressed is a bitter pill that has to be swallowed, although it is uncomfortable.
Seeing that so many results had been achieved before officially participating in the arbitration, the ambassador was quite happy in his heart, but on the surface he still pretended to be frowning, thinking about squeezing more chips from the panicked Turks.
At the moment, although the situation is in ruins, there are also opportunities. As long as we seize that glimmer of opportunity, Austria may be able to benefit from it.
And this depends on the country's intermediary skills.
He is now looking forward to the news from Greece, because it is very important to him.
And just when his walk was about to end, he finally received the good news he wanted. The secretary he sent out, Mr. Alfred von Mayrhofen, had quietly returned,
He immediately returned to his office, and then ordered his attaché to call von Mayrhofen to him.
Upon entering, von Mayrhofen immediately bowed to his superior.
"Mr. Ambassador, I have completed your mission and now I am back to report to you."
Even at this impatient moment, Ambassador von Genz still retained his habitual reserve. He did not answer immediately, but looked at his subordinates up and down.
"You seem to be in good condition," he said as a digression, "Is everything going well?"
"Yes, everything went well!" Von Mayrhofen immediately replied in an excited tone, "Mr. Ambassador, I met Duke Leichstadt and Her Royal Highness Princess Theresa. They were very enthusiastic towards me, and
Expressing willingness to cooperate with the will of His Excellency the Prime Minister..."
As he spoke, he took out a handwritten letter jointly signed by Agron and Teresa from his arms, "This is the letter they wrote to you. It contains all the promises we want!"
After finishing speaking, he bent down and handed the letter to the ambassador.
Ambassador von Genz received the letter, then calmly opened it and took out the letter paper inside.
The content of the letter was not long, so he read it after briefly scanning it.
Yes, everything they wanted has been obtained. No matter the sultan, the ministers, or the young couple, they all chose to act at the pace they expected.
Very good...so good!
Although he was very happy, there was only a calm smile on his lips.
Then, he put down the letter, raised his head, and looked at his subordinates with encouraging eyes.
"Von Mayrhofen, you have accomplished the mission I gave you extremely well. With this achievement, you will undoubtedly receive a medal from your motherland."
"This is just what I should do." Von Mayrhofen replied humbly, also concealing his ecstasy.
"In addition to meeting Duke Lechstadt this time, you also met the leaders of the Greeks. What do you think of them?" Ambassador von Genz asked again.
"They are generally very grateful to Duke Lechstadt, and believe that Greek independence cannot be separated from the support of European powers..." Von Mayrhofen replied in a low voice, "So they are eagerly looking forward to the European powers putting pressure on the Turks,
Let Turkey give in, withdraw from their territory and allow them independence."
"Then what do they think of the Russians?" the ambassador asked the key question.
Von Mayrhofen hesitated, then told the truth.
"As far as religious sentiments are concerned, they tend to favor the Russians. After all, both sides are Orthodox Christians. However, this religious sentiment is not higher than the national sentiment. Many people believe that Western Europe is more trustworthy and can get more cultural and scientific achievements from it.
.In general, with the advance of the Russians, the pro-Russian sentiment of the Greeks will inevitably increase, but as long as we and other powers express their positions in a timely manner, not many people will be willing to serve the Tsar."
Ambassador von Genz nodded slightly, as if thinking about something.
Obviously, the march of the Russian Empire will inevitably be objectively beneficial to Greek independence, and will inevitably arouse an emotional pro-Russian wave among Greeks; therefore, in order to suppress this wave, Austria and the United Kingdom should express their support for Greek independence as soon as possible.
At the same time, let your allies eliminate these forces that support the Russians internally.
"Okay, then you can write a report on everything you saw and heard during this trip. Give one copy to me and copy the other copy to Vienna."
"Okay." Von Mayrhofen immediately nodded and accepted the order.
Logically speaking, he should have resigned and gone back to rest at this time, but he did not leave immediately.
"Why, is there anything else that needs to be reported?" So the ambassador asked again.
"The Duke of Lechstadt sent an envoy disguised as my servant and came with me." Von Mayrhofen carefully informed his superiors, "On the one hand, he is trying to coordinate our positions with you;
On the other hand, he needs to perform an important secret mission and also needs your help."
"What does he want from me?" Ambassador von Genz frowned slightly, and then asked doubtfully.
Therefore, von Mayrhofen immediately put Aigron's plan of "finding and buying Haidee, then bringing her to him, making her the Grand Duchess of Ioannina, and using her puppet banner to march into Ioannina".
He told the ambassador exactly what he said.
"And this skill...?" Ambassador von Genz was amazed when he heard this, and then he couldn't help but sigh, "Duke Lechstadt... is indeed a student of Metternich."
This plan seems ordinary, but being able to come up with such a plan has proven the young man's intelligence gathering ability and decision-making ability. At least now, he doesn't know that there is an orphan pasha staying as a slave in the Sultan's court.
Being so smart and perceptive, it’s no wonder he has become a great person at such a young age.
When the Duke was still at Schönbrunn Palace, he had already met the young man several times. At that time, although he thought the Duke was smart, he still didn't quite understand why Metternich valued him so much, and what happened in the past year
Every incident provided evidence to him.
If he stays in Austria, and then marries Princess Theresa in accordance with the wishes of the Emperor and Prime Minister Metternich, and is accepted by the royal family, maybe he will succeed Prime Minister Metternich and take charge of the overall situation in the next twenty years...
It's a pity that fate is still so mysterious and unpredictable after all... The ambassador secretly sighed in his heart.
Everyone has his own ambitions, and it is useless to talk too much.
The ambassador soon found that his subordinates were looking at him curiously, so he returned his expression to his usual indifference and seriousness.
"Although this request is a bit outrageous, it is not beyond our tolerance. Considering that Duke Lechstadt has given up seeking the throne of Greece because of us, I think we can agree to his request. After all, the Turks are destined to
Throw away Greece, it’s not a big deal to lose one Ioannina.”
"I think so too." Von Mayrhofen quickly agreed.
"What's the name of that messenger?" the ambassador asked again.
"I don't know his real name, but he has the noble title Count of Monte Cristo..." Von Mayrhofen replied.
The ambassador frowned slightly.
In his decades of diplomatic career, he had never heard of this title.
It seems that it is not a hereditary nobility, but probably just one granted by the Duke in his own grass-roots group.
But it didn't matter to the ambassador. Napoleon had created so many princes and dukes back then, and he and Metternich were still chatting and laughing with them humbly. For the old-fashioned and arrogant court, they treated a nobleman without blood as a hereditary nobleman.
, which is unbecoming, but for a diplomat, this is not difficult at all.
"Okay, let him come to see me." The ambassador ordered.
Von Mayrhofen immediately withdrew knowingly.
Soon, the door reopened, and then a tall, strong young man about thirty years old walked in.
He was wearing the clothes of a servant, but even this could not conceal his majestic appearance; his face was serious, with a thin beard, his steps were powerful, he looked energetic, and he seemed to be ready to explode into rebellion at any time.
The ambassador could feel that the guy opposite had a murderous aura. He must have killed many people with his own hands.
Rather than saying he is a noble, he is more like a criminal thief.
But in today's era, isn't it the era when gangsters become nobles?
After entering the door, Edmond Dantès walked up to the ambassador, then bowed and saluted him. "Ambassador von Genz, I'm glad to see you."
The ambassador also stood up, looked at the other party with a gentle and friendly smile, and then took the initiative to extend his right hand.
It is this right hand that has drafted several treaties that determined the fate of European countries, and it has a chilling weight.
The Count of Monte Cristo took it without fear, but with courtesy.
Due to a mysterious fate, this prisoner who was tumbling in the mud of the dungeon not long ago suddenly ascended to the hall of elegance and shook hands with this giant in the European diplomatic community.
Isn't all this a miracle caused by that young man!