The sudden outpouring of the main force of the Black Sea Fleet must not be hidden from the eyes of those who are interested, not to mention that since the tension between Russia and Turkey, spies from various countries have been eyeing the surrounding Black Sea. Needless to say, there are at least dozens of spies and spies in Sevastopol.
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News of the sudden dispatch of the main force of the Black Sea Fleet spread as quickly as possible. Three days later, the main force of the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet, which had just entered the Port of Athens for a visit and rest, received domestic orders requiring them to immediately go to sea and head to Istanbul again.
Although the order only asked them to go to Istanbul to cheer up Turkey, the Royal Navy knew very well that their real mission was to monitor the Black Sea Fleet and prevent the Black Sea Fleet from taking the opportunity to sneak attack the Turkish Navy.
A little later, Menshikov also learned about the movements of the Black Sea Fleet in Istanbul. Although he was a little surprised that the Black Sea Fleet suddenly launched operations, but in view of the order issued by Nicholas I, he thought that the Black Sea Fleet had received domestic instructions.
The order matched his ultimatum, so it was not particularly strange.
"Have the Turks not responded yet?"
Menshikov was actually restless. He had been living in Istanbul for more than half a year. Although the climate here was warm and a hundred times more comfortable than the ice and snow of St. Petersburg, he really didn't like this city and wished he could return to St. Petersburg as soon as possible.
After all, no matter how nice Istanbul is, there is no Nicholas I here, and his prosperity and wealth all depend on Nicholas I's favor. The longer he leaves, the more uncertain he becomes.
"There is no news yet, Turkey still says they are considering it and need time!"
Menshikov snorted coldly and said displeasedly: "How long do you need to consider such a simple matter? It has been three days. I think they are not considering it, but stalling for time. I am afraid they are still waiting for the British and French people to come.
Save them!"
As he spoke, Menshikov walked back and forth impatiently for several times, and then ordered again: "You go there again and tell the Turks that our patience is limited, and they had better respond as soon as possible, otherwise any unforeseen consequences will happen."
It’s on them!”
Menshikov's guess was correct. The Turks were really looking at Britain and France for help. After receiving the ultimatum, they immediately informed the British and French ministers, hoping that Britain and France would come over immediately to help bring justice.
However, it is obvious that Britain and France did not respond so quickly. In the past two or three days, Britain and France have not made a decision, so they can only continue to delay.
Of course, the Turks also prepared for the worst. The Sultan decided that if Menshikov was ready to escape, he would make a final concession and allow Bulgaria to obtain a high degree of autonomy in exchange for Russia's recognition that Turkey would continue to enjoy Bulgaria's sovereignty.
Such a concession was not a small one, and the Sultan had no choice but to bow his head. Of course, this was also the last resort. If Menshikov had no intention of leaving, then they would not take the initiative to make concessions.
However, the Sultan did not know that his request was clearly stated in the official document sent by Nicholas I to Menshikov, that is, Bulgaria must be completely independent and must accept the protection of Russia. The Sultan's final concession plan was simply
It was not within the scope of Nicholas I's consideration, and Menshikov had no right to agree, so the result was actually doomed - the outbreak of war was inevitable!
Two more days passed. Finally, the impatient Menshikov lost his last bit of patience. He ordered the minister to Turkey to send a last note to Turkey, telling them that if they did not give a reply within 24 hours, Russia would
Directly declare war on Turkey!
As a result, the Sultan had no choice but to resort to the last resort and make the final concession.
If Menshikov had the decision-making power, he would have accepted such a concession. Unfortunately, he did not have the decision-making power. He could only implement Nicholas I's will. What's more, the Sultan's last-minute concessions made him feel that Turkey
It's a soft persimmon. If you pinch it harder, you can squeeze out more oil and water.
So without thinking, Menshikov categorically rejected Sudan's concessions and directly declared that if Sudan did not agree to all Russia's demands within 24 hours, the two countries would be in a state of war!
Such extreme pressure naturally frightened the Sudan, but Russia's aggressiveness also angered Turkey. This time they responded much faster and immediately rejected Menshikov's blackmail.
Menshikov was also a little dumbfounded at this time, because if he released it, he could not take it back, and Nicholas I's order was there, so he had no choice at all. He had no choice but to leave Istanbul with the minister to Turkey.
, announced before boarding the ship: The Russian Empire officially declared war on Turkey!
The boots finally hit the ground and the war finally broke out. It was a relief for both Menshikov and Turkey. They no longer had to rack their brains and make arrogant bargains. Let's see the real results directly on the battlefield!
It's just that Menshikov almost fed the fish when he left Istanbul by boat. He never thought that Nassimov's fleet had already carried out minelaying operations in Istanbul a few hours ago, so when the passenger ship he took sailed out to sea
After that, I quickly witnessed the whole process of a Turkish merchant ship being blown to pieces in front of my eyes!
To be honest, the old eunuch was frightened because the fragments flying from the Turkish merchant ship almost killed him. More importantly, no one knew why the Turkish merchant ship exploded. Because the merchant ship floated after being blown to pieces.
Full of large pieces of wheat grains, it was obvious that the ship was carrying grain.
Naturally, food will not explode, so all Russians, including Menshikov, really could not understand what happened. It was not until Menshikov arrived in Sevastopol and Cornillo three days later that
It was only after my husband talked about this that he learned that his navy had mined Istanbul.
Menshikov was a little scared when he thought that he was walking through a large minefield. The look in Kornilov's eyes was obviously wrong, as he wanted to kill him immediately.
As for Kornilov, he is a little regretful. It would be best if he could blow up the old bastard Menshikov, which would be equivalent to eliminating harm for the navy. Unfortunately, it seems that the density of mines is still not uniform enough. It is necessary to supervise
Nassimov continued to lay mines intensively, otherwise Menshikov could come through unharmed, maybe the British and French fleets could too?
It's just that the British and French fleets were paralyzed at this time, because they did try to break into the Black Sea, but the Turkish merchant ships were bombed one after another, which made them realize that the situation was very bad. If they broke in forcefully, they would end badly.