Greece to roman road

On July 6, the Greek Ambassador to Constantinople, Lendhart, received a note from Athens and returned to Athens to report on his duties.

After hearing the news, Constantine, who was eager to learn about the situation in the Ottoman Empire, immediately summoned Prime Minister Alexandros, Foreign Minister Venizelos, and Ambassador Lundhardt to the Palace of Syntagma Square without waiting for corrections after a tiring journey. discussion.

After the greetings, Lundhardt naturally understood the reason why the crown prince hurriedly summoned him to report the intelligence of the Ottomans to everyone.

“Although after the revolutionary army entered Constantinople, there were still armed forces loyal to Sultan Hamid II who rebelled and revolted again to support Hamid II and oppose the revolution. However, the Ottoman people were still dissatisfied with Hamid II. We are tired of it, the vast majority of the people support the revolution and want change.”

"The Ottoman revolutionary organization in Macedonia, the Union and Progress Association, organized the revolutionary army in the Macedonian region. They have entered Constantinople and suppressed the armed forces that opposed the revolution under the banner of Hamid II. The political power of the empire cannot be underestimated.”

"Although the Germans have not expressed their attitude. Like other major countries, they are in a wait-and-see state regarding the civil strife in the Ottoman Empire. However, various signs indicate that they have a positive attitude towards the Ottoman revolution," Lundhart reported to the crowd.

"The Ottoman Empire's most powerful new army is mainly commanded by officers trained and trained by the Germans. These people all support the Association for Unity and Progress. Without the actions of the Germans, this is unjustifiable."

"The German Embassy is currently the most popular center of power in Constantinople and has a huge influence in the Ottomans. Senior Ottoman officials frequently come in and out of the German Embassy."

Not surprisingly, the Germans supported the Ottoman Empire.

Among the major powers in Europe, if there is any country that is really happy to see the Ottoman Empire revive and reverse its decline, I am afraid it is only Germany.

Although Britain and France sided with the Ottoman Empire in the struggle between the Ottomans and Russia, this was mainly based on their own interests. They did not want to see Russia expand to the Mediterranean, because this would greatly weaken Britain and France in the Far East (India and Southeast Asia), as well as Mediterranean interests.

They wanted the Ottoman Empire to become a firewall, firmly blocking Russia's reach into the Mediterranean.

On the issue of Russia's entry into the Mediterranean, as a Mediterranean coastal country, Italy's position is similar to that of Britain and France.

As for Austria-Hungary and Russia, as opponents who have repeatedly fought wars with the Ottoman Empire in history, the weaker the Ottoman Empire, the greater their gains.

Only Germany is different.

Germany and the Ottomans do not border on each other, and the Ottoman power has increased greatly, which is beneficial to Germany.

A powerful Ottoman could divert Russia's attention and relieve Germany's pressure in the East.

And Austria-Hungary, Germany's ally, will naturally become more docile with the support of Germany in order to compete with Russia, Russia, or Slavic countries in the Balkans.

"Mr. Lundhart, according to your observation, can the Ottoman Empire be reborn through this revolution?" Prime Minister Alexandros asked.

"I heard that since the Ottoman uprising, all the ethnic groups in the Ottoman Empire that originally wanted to gain autonomy are now waiting and watching. It is said that the Association for Progress and Unity supports the establishment of a parliament, promotes ethnic equality, and eases ethnic conflicts."

Among the various ethnic groups in the Ottoman Empire, the Armenians and Arabs were the most active supporters of autonomy.

Alexandros's idea of ​​taking advantage of the civil strife in the Ottoman Empire and imitating the expansion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was not supported by the Crown Prince and Venizelos, so such a good opportunity had to be abandoned.

Although the Ottoman Empire has been losing troops and territory since the 19th century, so far, its territory is still the largest country along the Mediterranean coast. Libya, the Arabian Peninsula, and Asia Minor still have a total territory of two to three million square kilometers.

The total population is approximately 20 million.

If the Ottomans really relied on this revolution to rejuvenate themselves and develop the potential of this land, Greece would be very passive and tremble in front of the Ottoman Empire. The gap in various major indicators was too big.

As the Prime Minister of Greece, Alexandros is naturally very worried about this.

"It's hard to say. There are many contradictions within the Ottoman Empire, not just feudal autocracy, religious conflicts, ethnic conflicts, separatist forces, political corruption, stagnant economic development, and widespread poverty." Lundhart pondered for a moment. Said later.

"These contradictions are entangled and complicated, and the main members of the Progressive Unification Association are very young, most of them are young officers in their twenties and thirties. They have no experience in politics and lack of outstanding politicians, even if their intentions are good. , If you want to change the status quo of the Ottoman Empire, I’m afraid...”

After saying this, Lundhart shook his head, obviously not optimistic about them.

Hearing these words, Alexandros felt a little calmer.

Afterwards, there was a moment of silence in the conference room, as everyone was pondering the information given by Lundhart.

Constantine stood up and opened the window of the conference room, and the dull air suddenly dissipated.

"Although Greece cannot take military action, it should indeed change its current policy," Venizelos suddenly said.

"Greece should prepare itself for possible changes in the situation in Europe as it did before the war of 1896."

The three of them were startled when they heard this and stared at Venizelos.

"After nearly thirty years of peace in Europe, conflicts between major powers have become more and more prominent."

Since the Franco-Prussian War (1871), there has been no large-scale war between the major powers in Europe.

"Now the alliance between Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary has taken shape, France and Russia are getting closer, and two opposing military groups have taken shape," Venizelos said solemnly.

"After the Second Boer War, Britain's confidence was frustrated and it was no longer as arrogant as before. In other words, it became more confident and abandoned its glorious and isolated foreign policy."

During the Second Boer War, in order to deal with the Boers with a population of just over 300,000, the British sent 450,000 troops to South Africa at its peak, which lasted nearly three years and cost 200 million pounds.

The poor performance of the British Army was ridiculed by European countries and deeply touched the British interior.

After the Boer War, Britain and Japan formed an alliance. This unexpected decision stunned countries around the world.

"In recent years, the conflicts between Britain and France have gradually eased, and the two sides have reached a compromise on the colonies."

"In this way, the situation of two military blocs in Europe has become very clear."

Alexandros frowned, feeling unbelievable about Venizelos's statement, and said: "It's too vague. Is there any definite evidence?"