Chapter 1297 The Choice of Rome (First update, please subscribe)

As the dawn light awakened Constantinople from darkness, mass was once again heard in the Hagia Sophia.

Under the guidance of the Orthodox priests, the believers were praying, and everything looked so sacred and holy.

Looking up and around, the paintings of Christ on the walls that were once covered have been restored over the years and are now revealed to the world again. What do you feel when you are in front of them?

History is ruthless!

Once upon a time, this was the Prime Minister of the Roman Empire, and this church was also an Orthodox church. However, after the invasion of the Ottomans, in the following hundreds of years, everything related to Orthodoxy was wiped out, and even those Romans became Turks. They were either forced to change their beliefs or killed.

Then what? More than a decade ago, the Russians occupied this place, and it was once again ruled by the Roman Empire. Many people living here, like their ancestors, were forced to change their faith and become Orthodox Christians in order to survive.

The ruthlessness and cruelty of history are fully witnessed in this church and this city.

After leaving the church, while passing through the market, looking at the pork being sold by the butcher, Duweed pondered for a while and then talked to himself.

"The world is so cruel! Only the fittest survive..."

As a diplomat, Duweed was talking to himself with a slight smile on his lips, staring at the palace in the distance and talking to himself.

"But, are you really the fittest ones who survive?"

Is Russia the fittest one that survives?

This was not a problem, at least for the natives who were forced to convert, for whom there was no choice at all - either accept the conversion or flee to Persia.

However, it was precisely because of the large number of "refugees" fleeing to Persia that the relationship between Rome and Persia became increasingly tense - Constantinople accused Persia of sheltering "rebels" fleeing from Rome every day.

Of course, this diplomatic entanglement was not intended to make Persia send people back. In fact, compared to people, the Roman Empire cared more about something else.

Of course it’s Persian oil!

A few years ago, a British company discovered oil in Persia. At that time, no one thought it was a big deal, but in just the past few years, Persia has become the world's fourth largest oil exporter after Mexico, French Mesopotamia and Russia.

Every year, nearly 10 million tons of oil are continuously transported through the Persian Gulf and the Suez Canal to the British and European markets.

The Roman Empire had long coveted this piece of fat, but they never had the chance.

"...We can see that Britain is not as strong as we thought. According to the letters we received from the volunteers who went to South Africa, the British army's combat effectiveness can even be said to be vulnerable. They are even using the tactics of the Crimean War - their troops lined up and launched attacks under the music of Scottish bagpipes..."

When mentioning the backwardness of the British Army, Vannovsky, the Roman Empire's Minister of War, had a tone full of sarcasm. As the Minister of War, he was indeed qualified to look down on his European counterparts, because in the "Russo-Turkish War", the Russian army had been fully honed and they had mastered modern weapons and tactics, while in comparison, countries like Britain were still stuck in the old era.

"Yes, they even still wear red uniforms to this day. They look like a target."

"Yes, the bright red uniforms allow the Boers to hit them from a mile away. God can testify that those Boers are all born good shooters..."

Listening to the generals' stories, Alexander II, the "Caesar" who vigorously promoted imperial reforms and pushed forward the constitutional monarchy of the Roman Empire step by step, was standing quietly in front of the map. He looked at Persia on the map, then turned his gaze to India and the vast South Asian subcontinent.

Russia's desire for warm regions has never been satisfied. Although under his leadership, the Russian Empire could finally wash military boots in the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea and enjoy the warmth of winter under the bright sunshine, Russia's desire for land and wealth has never been satisfied.

"The Boers may cause great casualties to the British, but generals, we should see that Britain is still extremely powerful. Its fleet and vast colonies are symbols of its great strength. If we offend such an opponent because of Persian oil, it would undoubtedly be extremely unwise. It can even be said that..."

After a pause, Alexander II said.

“It’s a disaster!”

A disaster. As the "Caesar" of the empire, Alexander II was undoubtedly very sober. In the past few years, although Germany had been pursuing a friendly policy and although the oil in Mesopotamia was indeed enviable, he still calmly realized that the piece of fat was good but not delicious.

Not to mention that trying to eat that piece of fat meat would most likely break the Roman Empire's teeth, and might even lead to intervention from the Ming Dynasty. After all, as everyone knows, the Ming Dynasty is a staunch ally of France.

So faced with this reality, Alexander II did not show Russia's greed on the issue of Mesopotamia.

In fact, this is also the instinct of the beasts in the jungle. Most of the time, beasts will never actively challenge beasts that are stronger than themselves. The so-called "law of the jungle" is essentially the survival of the fittest. The strong will only bully the weak. This is the basic law of the jungle. Unless absolutely necessary, beasts will never challenge beasts that are equal to or even stronger than themselves.

The instinct of wild beasts is to bully the weak, so compared to France, the weaker Persia is obviously a more appropriate opponent. Moreover, Persia currently produces nearly 10 million tons of oil every year. With such huge economic benefits, how could Russia not be jealous?

Of course, if you want to invade Persia, you have to take into account Britain’s attitude. Britain... Russia’s feelings towards Britain are complicated. On the one hand, they remember the hatred they once had, and on the other side, what is it?

Britain is so powerful that it is enough to make any country fear it.

But now the weakness shown by Britain in South Africa has once again made the Russians, who were originally a little wary, more ambitious...

(End of this chapter)