CHAPTER 374: CHAPTER 369: ALLIES? NO! LAPDOGS!

Since departing from Paris on December 20th to succeed Vallette as the French ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Valerovsky has been serving as ambassador for over three months.

During these three months, Valerovsky personally witnessed the entire process of the submarine telegraph line extending from Marseille to Constantinople.

Once the marine telegraph line reached Constantinople, the embassy, ready in advance, quickly equipped itself with professional transmission equipment to communicate with the headquarters in Paris.

Originally, it would take two days for messages to reach the embassy in Paris, but now it takes less than twenty minutes, greatly alleviating the communication delays caused by inconvenient transportation.

If the cost of submarine telegraph lines weren’t so expensive, and the material technology of the telegraph line itself weren’t so immature, Valerovsky would have liked to plant a telegraph in every major city of the Ottoman Empire so that reporting tasks would be less troublesome.

Even with just a single telegraph set up in Constantinople, it allowed Jerome Bonaparte to receive actions from the Russian Empire faster than Tsar Nicholas I.

The speed of a four-horse carriage and steamship cannot compare with that of a telegraph.

As for the Varna region, since the ship for the submarine telegraph line couldn’t enter the strait entrance, the telegraph line in the Varna region could only be set up after the war.

Of course, Valerovsky’s primary task was not to monitor the progress of telegrams in Constantinople but to follow Jerome Bonaparte’s instructions to gather a group of officials in the Ottoman Empire High Gate inclined towards the French Empire.

Under Valerovsky’s influence, pro-French faction High Gate officials led by Fuad Effendi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, began to lean towards Valerovsky.

This pro-French Empire Minister of Foreign Affairs was the one who, in December 1852, agreed to the French Empire having adjudicatory powers in the Ottoman Empire.

At that time, not only Fuad Edifen but even Prime Minister Muhammad Ali was inclined towards the French Empire.

Caliber represents justice, and under the threat of a second-class battleship with ninety-two cannons and four armored steam gunships, the threat of the Russian Empire’s Black Sea Fleet was simply negligible.

Without the French Empire showing its muscle and strength, the Ottoman Empire could not have leaned towards it.

Relations between countries are the most realistic kind in the world; loyalty and friendship only exist in the individual, never in a country.

When Russian Ambassador Menshikov boarded the Russian Empire Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol and reviewed the fleet, the officials of the Ottoman Empire’s High Gate immediately sensed danger. Led by Fuad Effendi, the pro-French faction officials went to the French Embassy to discuss strategies with Ambassador Valerovsky upon hearing the news.

Fuad Edifen, looking anxious, knocked on the door of the French Embassy. Shortly, the door of the embassy opened a crack, and the military officer living within eyed Fuad Edifen outside, asking subconsciously, "Who are you looking for?"

"I’m here to see Ambassador Valerovsky!" Fuad Effendi responded fluently in French to the acting military officer, adding, "I am Fuad Edifen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Ottoman Empire!"

Since the start of the Tanzimat Reforms in the Ottoman Empire, a wave of learning "foreign languages" began in the High Gate, and a Minister of Foreign Affairs like Fuad Edifen naturally mastered countless foreign languages.

"Minister of Foreign Affairs?" The military officer realized that the man in front of him, who looked like he sold kebabs, was indeed the Ottoman Empire’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and he hastily opened the door to invite Fuad Edifen inside.

Entering the embassy, an anxious Fuad Edifen asked the military officer, "Where is your ambassador? I have important matters to discuss with him!"

The military officer extended his hand to invite Fuad Edifen, "Don’t worry, please sit! I’ll go upstairs and call the ambassador!"

"Thank you!" Fuad Edifen quickly expressed gratitude to the military officer and then sat on the sofa waiting for Ambassador Valerovsky’s arrival.

At this point, perhaps only Valerovsky and the French Empire behind him could help him, and he believed that the French Empire would help him out of respect for his dedicated assistance.

Once Menshikov arrived in Constantinople, the only fate awaiting him as Minister of Foreign Affairs would be a dead end.

It was he who persuaded Prime Minister Muhammad Ali to cede adjudicatory rights to the Holy Land to the French Empire.

Meanwhile, Valerovsky was also busy on the second floor, standing in front of the telegraph, dictating to the telegraph operator beside him: "According to reports, the Russian Empire has dispatched 140,000 troops and the Black Sea Navy. Menshikov and Prince Paskievich are conducting land and naval military exercises with the Duchy of Wallachia on the 7th in the Black Sea. From the current situation, a major war seems inevitable. Are there any new instructions from Paris?"

The telegraph operator adeptly converted Valerovsky’s dictation into Morse code and sent it out, the room filled with the sound of "didididah".

Soon after sending all the text in Morse code, the telegraph operator notified Valerovsky of the completion.

"How long will it take?" Valerovsky eagerly asked the telegraph operator.

The telegraph operator hesitated for a moment before responding, "It depends on whether the submarine telegraph line is damaged, and if Paris can accurately receive the message. If all is well, a reply can be received within at most half a day!"

"That’s good, that’s good!" Valerovsky nodded with a smile to the telegraph operator, encouraging, "Thank you, thank you!"

At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Valvesky immediately asked, "Who is it?"

"Your Excellency Ambassador, Foreign Minister Fuad Edifen wishes to meet with you! Judging by his appearance, he likely has some situation to report to you!" The acting military officer outside the door spoke to Valvesky inside.

"I understand!" Valvesky shouted towards the outside of the room, then turned and instructed the telegrapher, "Keep an eye on it here for me, and report to me immediately if there is any situation!"

"Yes!" The telegrapher immediately responded to Valvesky.

Valvesky tidied his disheveled clothing a bit, opened the door of the telegraph room, and walked slowly downstairs.

On the first floor, he saw the restless Fuad Edifen.

Seeing Valvesky at last, Fuad Edifen’s face showed a smile. He hurriedly stood up and respectfully said to Valvesky, "Your Excellency Valvesky, finally seeing you!"

"Mr. Fuad, we are friends! No need to be so formal!" Valvesky pretended to be at ease as he spoke to Fuad Edifen.

The two sat together on the sofa, with two glasses filled with whiskey brought over for them as well.

Valvesky took down the glasses from the tray, handing the northwest one to Fuad Edifen.

At this moment, Fuad Edifen had no mood for drinking; he only wanted to draw France into the confrontation with the Russian Empire.

"Have a drink!" Valvesky leisurely raised his glass to Fuad Edifen.

Fuad Edifen took the half-full glass of whiskey from Valvesky and drank it in one gulp. The rich fruit aroma and alcohol fragrance lingered between his lips and teeth, calming his restless heart significantly.

Valvesky watched as Fuad Edifen gulped down the drink, with a barely noticeable smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, as he took a sip and felt the smoothness lingering on his own tongue.

"Your Excellency Ambassador, Prince Menshikov is about to arrive in Constantinople! What should we do?" Fuad Edifen asked Valvesky.

"Just follow the normal process of your government, do you really need me to teach you that?" Valvesky said to Fuad Edifen.

"But, they will certainly dismiss me!" Fuad Edifen said with a trembling voice, holding his head in his hands. "Prince Menshikov will not spare me either!"

"Humph! The Russian Empire?" Valvesky’s face showed a contemptuous smile.

It was this smile that gave Fuad Edifen a glimmer of hope, like grasping at a lifeline, he desperately asked Valvesky, "France will surely intervene in the war to help the Ottoman Empire, right!"

"The French Empire will intervene in the war, but not now!" Valvesky gave a response without any time commitment.

"When will France initiate the war?" Fuad Edifen eagerly asked Valvesky.

"At the earliest, we need to wait until the end of June, when the French army has formed a basic scale before we can take action!" Valvesky recalled when he left Paris, Jerome Bonaparte had asked him to delay as long as possible the Russian Empire’s time to start the war.

"Three months?" Fuad Edifen was momentarily stunned, then shook his head and said, "I fear the High Gate can’t wait three months!"

"Tell them! I don’t care what methods they use, even if they just stall, drag it out until July for me!" Valvesky coolly responded to Fuad Edifen with his index finger pointed at him, "If your Prime Minister is willing to yield to the Russian Empire and act as its dogs, then the French Empire will also reconsider whether the Ottoman Empire still needs to exist! Some of our friends in Paris are very eager to serve France!!"

Fuad Edifen’s face immediately changed drastically. Of course, he understood that the "friends" Valvesky referred to were likely the "rebels" in the Balkans and the Middle East.

If France were to abandon the Ottoman Empire and support these rebels, the Ottoman Empire, even if it could dodge the direct attacks of the Russian Empire, would not escape France’s intrigues.

France’s covert maneuvers were far more insidious than the straightforward attacks of Russia.

"Can the French Empire really defeat the Russian Empire? From what I know, back then you..." Unwilling to face France’s intrigues, Fuad Edifen once again questioned Valvesky.

"Of course! The Russian Empire’s army is a decaying war machine and they have no extra funds to meticulously maintain this machine. Decades ago, they barely invaded Paris by relying on British money and the combined forces of Prussian and Austrian vassals. The current Russia doesn’t have the good fortune it had back then!"

As a victim of the Napoleonic Wars, Valvesky was full of disdain for the successes of the Russian Empire at that time, and he certainly did not believe that his cousin back in Paris would fight a war he was not confident of winning.

"Hmm! I understand, I will relay this message to the Prime Minister!"