Holy Roman Empire

Rat extermination is a traditional technique that dates back thousands of years to the dawn of human civilization, with the earliest rat poisons traceable to the pre-Qin period.

In "The Classic of Mountains and Seas, The Classic of the Western Mountains," it is recorded that on Mount Gao Tu, "there is a white rock called Ju, which can poison rats. There is also a grass that looks like Yaobai with leaves like mallow but with a red back, named Wu Tiao, which can also poison rats."

Originally utilizing plant or mineral toxins, by the 19th century, rat poisons had become diverse and numerous, with as many as a hundred different kinds.

The dreaded name "Black Death" was so significant that, upon receiving the notice from the Vienna Government, European countries expressed their support, albeit somewhat confusedly.

A chaotic array of rat poisons were shipped by the boatload to the Asia Minor Peninsula. The various bizarre methods employed led to an internal collapse of spirit within the Austrian army tasked with extermination.

The eyes of the European world converged, as countries sent medical experts to observe the situation firsthand.

Of course, such a hot news topic would never lack for reporters. After witnessing the Russian Army's appalling conditions, all doubts were dispelled.

No matter the antics of the Anti-Turkish Alliance, they couldn't possibly feign a ruse with the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers; the infamy of the "Black Death" solidified.

The Black Death ravaged Europe in stages and by region for hundreds of years, persisting until the 18th century.
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It was most severe from 1347 to 1353, starting in Sicily and then spreading to Italy, Austria, France, England, Central Europe, Northern Europe...

Then came the Italian plague from 1629 to 1631, the Great Plague of London from 1665 to 1666, the Vienna plague of 1679, the Great Plague of Marseille from 1720 to 1722, and the Moscow plague of 1771.

Although considered to be the Black Death, there remained distinctions. Whether it was mutations of the plague virus or a new virus, it is still an unsolved mystery to this day.

The plague in the Near East had just begun to exert its force when it exploded with astonishing lethality; it was quite normal to include it in this category.

...

Ever since the plague spread through the military, Marshal Ivanov, the supreme commander, had been in low spirits. Others could find excuses to slip away and return to their country, but not him.

Being the head of the military is no easy position; one must possess not only outstanding achievements but also a character that inspires confidence and trust in the masses.

The conservative Marshal Ivanov was undoubtedly a qualified soldier. Upon receiving news of the outbreak, he hurried over from St. Petersburg without delay and took on the responsibility of the supreme commander.

Ivanov asked with concern, "Have the Austrians delivered the medicinal supplies they promised?"

He had gone to great lengths for these supplies. While in St. Petersburg, he had a fierce argument with higher government officials, mainly to prevent the Tsarist Government from getting involved.

Plucking feathers from a passing goose is an old habit of the Tsarist Government.

During the reign of Alexander II, his iron-fisted methods could still intimidate the bureaucrats; when Alexander III took over and softened the governance, the bureaucrats grew bolder.

Already there was a shortage of medicinal supplies, and if those domestic chaps peeled off a layer, even less would reach their hands.

Such supplies were in high demand on the market; it's one thing to be skimmed off, but if someone bold enough swapped them out entirely, lives could be at stake.

When it came to the integrity of domestic bureaucrats, Marshal Ivanov had never held any confidence.

Lieutenant General Erzucher replied, "We've only received 5,318 doses. The rest, at the earliest, won't arrive until next week."

Upon hearing this response, Marshal Ivanov's mood grew even heavier.

Over fifty thousand Russian soldiers had fallen ill, and the medicine amounted to only a tenth of what was needed. Whom to treat and whom to forgo presented a vexing dilemma.

"Send a telegram to the government back home, instructing them to find a way to purchase more. The lack of medicinal supplies could spell disaster!"

What Ivanov regretted the most now was attending the victory feast upon his return to the country, thus wasting precious response time.

Theoretically, the war had ended, and as a victorious army, the Russian forces could retreat at any time. Unfortunately, reality forbade this.

Setting aside the transaction reached between Russia and Austria, the sheer number of infected soldiers posed a major concern—if they were to return now, wouldn't they be endangering their homeland?

Moreover, staying on the Asia Minor Peninsula still afforded the chance to seek assistance from allies, an option that would vanish upon a return home.

Even with the aid of medicinal supplies, they would be pilfered by the domestic elite, leaving none for these genuinely needy soldiers.

Lieutenant General Erzucher cautioned, "Marshal, that may prove difficult. These medicines are all lab-produced and have always been in short supply.

Even if the government is willing to spend money to purchase them, we could only buy a small part at high prices on the black market, still unable to meet the demand."

...

Ankara lay completely deserted from the moment the Russian Army withdrew from the city.

As the birthplace of the epidemic, this place became the focus of rat extermination efforts. The Austrian Airship Troop had already dropped dozens of tons of rodenticides from the sky.

The former Allied Command of the Anti-Turkish Alliance had now turned into the Epidemic Control Command. Albrecht, who had once commanded the destruction of the Ottoman Empire, had become the chief in charge of rat extermination.

This was an inevitable result, as soldiers were all on the peninsula. If senior military officers were to flee, the morale of the troops would scatter.

Albrecht said, "The current efficiency of rat extermination is too low. Now that it's winter, the rats have stored enough food and don't come out often.

To maximize the elimination of rats before the end of winter, we must adopt more aggressive measures.

No one knows how many rat breeding cellars the Ottomans had prepared, and the current situation does not permit sending soldiers into the cities to search. I propose we directly resort to incendiary urban cleansing."

Opposition was naturally impossible. Now these places were all Austrian territory, and for epidemic control, Albrecht was going to burn his own cities, which naturally met with no objections.

If someone uninformed came across this, they might be deeply moved, thinking that Austria was making a great sacrifice.

After all, the cities being burned were their own industries. Even if they were damaged in the war, their basic structures were still intact; a little repairing and they were as good as new.

Albrecht was well aware that the Vienna Government's development plan for the Near East did not include restoring the old cities.

The plan was to either choose new areas for building cities or to engage in large-scale reconstruction; in the end, the cities' appearance would change entirely, so adding a bit of fire didn't make much of a difference.

Marshal Ivanov of the Russian Army said, "Your Excellency's proposal is excellent. The Russian Empire is willing to provide two hundred thousand tons of petroleum."

The British representative Sherl Abeli said, "Britannia is willing to provide three hundred thousand tons of petroleum to eliminate the hidden dangers."

...

This was not a matter for one nation alone; for their own safety, European countries were uncommonly unified and did not sabotage one another. Regardless of their capacity, everyone contributed more or less.

The fuel provided by the countries was substantial, but those were theoretical figures. When it could actually be delivered depended on the bureaucrats' integrity.

As the host, Austria had to take responsibility. Fortunately, electricity had already been popularized in most of the cities within the country; otherwise, the public wouldn't even be able to buy kerosene.

Since the Epidemic Control Command decided on incendiary cleansing of the disease sources, Austria had begun experiencing a shortage of oil.

There was no way around it; Austria indeed possessed a lot of petroleum, but it was all buried underground and could not be excavated at a moment's notice.

Reliance on just the production from the few oil fields in Romania was nowhere near enough to meet Austria's demands.

Starting from five years ago and continuing to the present, Austria had been the world's number one petroleum importing nation.

Prime Minister Felix said, "The government has done all it could. The fuel that could be collected domestically has been sent to the Near East region.

We have wiped out the international spot market as well, causing a significant rise in international fuel prices.

But this is still far from enough. The fuel promised by the European countries is substantial, unfortunately, their efficiency is too low.

By the time their material arrives, it will probably be close to summer. The epidemic in the Near East region cannot afford this delay."

After hesitating for a moment, Franz slowly said, "Then we will use our strategic reserves and first eliminate Ankara, this source of the problem."

If it were another time, Franz would never give up the national strategic oil reserves so easily.

To this day, petroleum had become an important energy source for Austria. The internal combustion engine industry that emerged during the second industrial revolution was completely driven by oil.

Without sufficient petroleum supplies, the industrial advantages that Austria had established during the second revolution would be directly halved.

But now it was different. With the easing of international tensions, it is unlikely that war would break out in the European Continent anytime soon.

Especially after absorbing the Ottoman Empire, Austria's strategic security had been guaranteed, and the government could confidently and boldly develop Middle Eastern oil.

It was only a matter of weathering the most difficult period. Once the oil in the Middle East region was exploited, there would be no more worries about insufficient supplies.

...

Ankara became the first city to be cleansed by fire. Thick smoke billowed, and endless sins turned to ashes in the flames.

This was just the beginning. Any city near regions with major outbreaks became a target for purification.

Throughout 1884, the primary tasks of the Epidemic Control Command were setting fires and dispensing rat poison. By the end of the epidemic, a total of twenty-three cities had undergone purification by fire.

...