CHAPTER 383: CHAPTER 377: THE CAUTIOUS MEDITERRANEAN FLEET

March 30, 1853, British Embassy to the Ottoman Empire.

"Lord Ross, now the Ottoman Empire needs the support of the Kingdom of Britain behind you! If you are unwilling to support us, then which country in Europe can stand for the Ottoman Empire!"

On this day, as on previous days, former Ottoman Empire Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Effendi came to the British Embassy to the Ottoman Empire to discuss countermeasures with the British Deputy Colonel Ross. During the discussions, Fuad Effendi emotionally conveyed the current situation of the Ottoman Cabinet to Deputy Colonel Ross.

"Prime Minister Muhammad Ali has planned to lean towards the Russian Empire, and all cabinets members close to Britain and France will be removed by Prime Minister Ali, to be replaced by ministers close to the Russian Empire..."

Sitting on one side of the sofa, Deputy Military Officer Colonel Ross listened silently to Fuad Effendi’s descriptions, pondering repeatedly over the current situation of the Ottoman Empire.

Since December 18, 1852, when British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire Canning left for Britain for reporting, everything regarding Britain in the Ottoman Empire had been delegated to Deputy Military Officer Colonel Ross to handle fully.

In the blink of an eye, three months have passed, and Colonel Ross had served as a full deputy for three months.

During the time as a full deputy, Colonel Ross diligently sent updates on the Ottoman Empire to faraway London by telegram, subtly inquiring about the candidate for the new British ambassador.

Yet, the central British leadership, far away, had consistently failed to respond reasonably to the messages he sent, nor had they dispatched a new British ambassador.

This placed Colonel Ross in a certain degree of passivity. Although he, as a full deputy, had the rights to coordinate with the plenipotentiary envoy in handling diplomatic matters and to make decisions in the envoy’s absence, he always lacked the most important power of a plenipotentiary envoy, which was the authority to dispatch the Mediterranean Fleet for support.

This authority was specially granted during Canning’s tenure as ambassador by the Cabinet to prevent message delays from damaging British interests in the Ottoman Empire.

Administratively, Britain’s Fleet Commander in the Mediterranean must unconditionally obey Canning’s orders.

After Canning left the Ottoman Empire to return to Britain, the ambassador position was vacant, and the authority to dispatch the Mediterranean Fleet was naturally reclaimed by the British Cabinet.

Colonel Ross, as a colonel, neither administratively nor in terms of rank, had the power to command the Rear Admiral Commander of the Mediterranean Fleet.

No matter how much Colonel Ross internally wished for Britain to intervene quickly, he had no authority to order the fleet to guard the Dardanelles Strait.

Unable to forcibly command the Mediterranean Fleet for support, Colonel Ross could only choose to ponder carefully before deciding whether to personally go to the Mediterranean Fleet Command in Malta to present the stakes to Sir James Dundas, and then act with Sir James Dundas’s support.

"Is your Prime Minister truly willing to submit to Menshikov? To the Russian Empire?" Colonel Ross asked the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Effendi, once again emphasizing, "Forgive my bluntness! If your government submits to the Russian Empire, you are likely to lose the most important thing as a nation—sovereignty!"

"Mr. Ross, the Ottoman Empire no longer has any chance of defeating the Russian Empire! Instead of facing the humiliation of defeat, it’s better to agree to the Russian Empire’s conditions in advance! Let the empire suffer a little less humiliation and retain a shred of vitality!" Fuad Edifen spread his hands helplessly.

"Are you not worried that the Russian Empire will take Constantinople for itself with its demands?" Colonel Ross frowned slightly, urgently asking.

For Colonel Ross, the issue of Ottoman Empire’s sovereignty was no longer just its own problem but an issue for the whole of Europe.

If Constantinople were occupied by Russia, the door to the Mediterranean would open for the Russian Empire, and the 1841 London Strait Convention would become a mere scrap of paper. The small Mediterranean already hosts Europe’s first and second naval powers and cannot accommodate a third. After Russia’s entry into the Mediterranean, the entire sea’s balance would be at risk.

The Ottoman Empire is like a shackle for Britain to restrict the Russian Empire’s fleet from entering the Mediterranean, which is why Colonel Ross appeared more anxious than Fuad.

"The Ottoman Empire is no longer capable of resisting the Russian Empire’s invasion alone!" Fuad still maintained an unconcerned stance while speaking to Colonel Ross, "The current Balkans is full of voices against the Ottoman Empire, like a powder keg. If even a single spark ignites it, an explosion will occur, blowing the Ottoman Empire sitting atop the barrel to pieces!"

"Are you planning to withdraw from the Balkans? No! No, you can’t! You absolutely cannot do that!" Colonel Ross, even more unable to sit still, commanded Fuad.

Once the Ottoman Empire gave up on the Balkans and Constantinople completely, it would inevitably leave a power vacuum in the region.

Then, Tsar Nicholas I would only need to leisurely lead his forces to fill the vacuum left by the Ottoman Empire, allowing the Russian Empire to extend its bear’s paw in all directions into the Mediterranean. Greece would also utterly sway towards the Russian Empire.

Britain’s hegemony in the Mediterranean is also facing a shake-up, as after all, the distance between Constantinople and Cairo is closer than Malta.

"Lord Ross, what I’m saying are things that could happen under the most extreme conditions! I believe Menshikov would not be too harsh on the Ottoman Empire!" Fuad replied lightly, "I know pinning hope on the enemy’s mercy is not a rational thing, but right now the Ottoman Empire has no way to avoid humiliation."

"And France?" Colonel Ross asked Fuad word by word, "You shouldn’t be seeking help from just Britain alone!"

"You are right! We did indeed ask France for help!" Fuad nodded and admitted, "The French envoy told me their fleet needs a long time to prepare! The Ottoman Empire might make some irrational choices during this period!"

Sneaky Frenchman!

Colonel Ross cursed in his heart, understanding that the French were testing their attitude towards the Ottoman Empire.

However, Colonel Ross did not know that the information he obtained from Fuad varied from the real information, and similarly, the information received by Russia also differed vastly from real messages.

With the premise of misinformation, the conclusions drawn are bound to be far from the real conclusions.

Just like Menshikov believes the French Empire is willing to go to war for the Ottoman Empire, while Colonel Ross concluded that France would align with Britain or make a choice after Britain.

Yet the real situation is: once France is fully prepared, they will immediately attack the Russian Empire. By then, the Kingdom of Britain will inevitably be dragged into the war.

Certainly, if Ross and Menshikov could shift their focus from the Near East and toward the internal affairs of the French Empire, they might easily speculate on the French Empire’s intentions for war.

Alternatively, if Colonel Ross and Prince Menshikov could exchange intelligence with each other, they might be able to come to a very different accurate conclusion.

But right now, no one is paying attention to the movements of the French Empire.

How could Britain and Russia, two countries in a quasi-adversarial state, possibly have a heart-to-heart exchange!

The two countries, under the circumstances of mutual hostility, will only think the other is intentionally leading them into a trap, willing only to believe the information they "understand."

This is also the confidence Fuad has in using tactics to deceive Britain.

Fuad’s tactical fraud clearly succeeded, as Colonel Ross immediately assured the Ottoman Empire that he would do his utmost to persuade the Mediterranean Fleet to provide whatever help they could to the Ottoman Empire, maintaining the relations constructed during Ambassador Canning’s tenure between Britain and the Ottoman Empire.

"I hope Lord Ross won’t let us wait too long, or else I truly don’t know how long the Prime Minister can withstand the pressure!" Fuad said to Colonel Ross.

On March 31, Colonel Ross, the British plenipotentiary to the Ottoman Empire, boarded a steamship leaving Constantinople and arrived at the Mediterranean Fleet Command in Malta by evening.

In Malta, Colonel Ross met with Admiral James Dundas, responsible for commanding the Mediterranean Fleet.

Upon meeting, Colonel Ross straightforwardly said to Admiral James: "Admiral, I hope your fleet can dispatch a squadron to the Urd Sea Region near Izmir!"

"Very sorry! Until we receive orders either from the Cabinet or Ambassador Canning, the Mediterranean Fleet cannot act on their own!" Sir James Dundas was not as understanding as Colonel Ross had hoped; rather, he was somewhat rigid.

"Admiral, the Ottoman Empire needs our help! The Russian Imperial Navy is gathering in the Black Sea, and their army is doing final preparations in the Wallachia Duchy! If we do not act soon, Britain’s interests in the Ottoman Empire will be completely lost! The purpose of the Mediterranean Fleet’s existence, isn’t it to protect Britain’s interests in the Mediterranean?" Colonel Ross tried to make Admiral James Dundas understand the importance of safeguarding the Ottoman Empire.

"Regrettably! Colonel Ross, although what you say makes sense, I cannot execute it! Only upon receiving accurate orders from Ambassador Canning and the Cabinet can the Mediterranean Fleet take action!"

Admiral James Dundas still refused Colonel Ross’s suggestion.