Greece to roman road

In 1908, Austria took advantage of the Ottoman civil strife (the Turkish Shabab Revolution) and, with the support of Germany, announced the annexation of the Bohemian region, whose main population was Slavs.

At that time, Serbia was in a state of excitement, and Russia also expressed strong dissatisfaction with Austria's unilateral annexation.

Unfortunately, at that time, Russia had just experienced the Russo-Japanese War, and the domestic situation was in chaos. Germany stood behind Austria and did not hesitate to issue war threats to Russia and help its ally Austria annex Bihei.

Relations between Serbia and Austria have been sour ever since, and it's no wonder that Austria reacted strongly when it learned of the secret alliance between the two main Slavic states in the Balkans, Bulgaria and Serbia.

Constantine thought for a moment. Obviously, the tense relationship between Austria and Serbia was beneficial to Greece.

Lord Tristan cleared his throat and said: "The British Empire's foreign policy on the Balkans has not changed. We are still inclined to maintain the balance of the situation in the Balkans and are opposed to countries in the region using violent means to change the status quo of territorial ownership."

"Your Majesty the King, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the current situation in Europe is already very delicate. The Germans are ambitiously seeking to become the European hegemon. Once a military conflict breaks out in the Balkans, it is likely to trigger a chain reaction."

At this point, probably to express his attitude clearly, Tristan said sternly: "Once the tragic war that sweeps across Europe breaks out, the countries in the Balkans, where the war originated, will definitely suffer heavy losses. Everyone, this is not alarmist. "

Lord Tristan spoke sternly and expressed Britain's position, and everyone was silent for a moment.

It is easy to understand that the UK wants to maintain the status quo. As the world's hegemon, the existing international order itself was established under the leadership of the UK. Under this system, the UK is the biggest beneficiary. From this perspective, The UK has good reasons to support maintaining the status quo.

This is not a new idea.

Constantine was noncommittal about the position expressed by Tristan, and instead asked: "And what is the opinion of the British government on the war between Italy and the Ottomans?"

It keeps saying that it supports maintaining the status quo, but on the other hand, Britain encourages Italy to attack the Ottoman Empire's territories in North Africa. This contradictory policy is really hard to agree with.

When Constantine asked about the Italian-Austrian war, Lord Tristan's tone softened slightly: "According to the opinions conveyed in the country, in order to prevent the war from expanding in scale and causing further tension in the relations between European countries, this war will be a local war. , the main battlefield will be limited to Libya."

In order to enhance his persuasion, Tristan further said: "Both the UK and France will urge Italy to do this."

Seeing that he couldn't ask for any new information from Tristan, Constantine stood up, shook hands with Tristan and Henry and said: "That's it for today's meeting, gentlemen. , thank you both for your visit today.”

Not long after the butler led the two guests out of the garden, Venizelos hurriedly arrived and reported to them: "His Majesty the King, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, regarding the diplomatic letter sent by Greece to Serbia and Bulgaria, inviting the prime ministers of the two countries to come to Athens for a meeting. , after our ambassadors in Belgrade and Sofia conveyed the news, their attitude was ambiguous, neither rejecting nor accepting.”

In order to reach an alliance with the two countries as soon as possible, Venizelos decided to take a positive attitude after discussing with Constantine, clearly stated Greece's attitude, and invited the prime ministers of the two countries to come to Athens.

"Today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received visits from the ambassadors of the two countries in Athens at the same time. I just received the ambassadors of the two countries at the Prime Minister's residence. Instead, they expressed their intention to invite Greece to visit Sofia."

Constantine frowned, feeling a little amused that the three countries were so entangled in the choice of the meeting place.

"Your Majesty the King, Your Highness the Crown Prince, this seems a bit funny. The three countries are procrastinating over the meeting place, which seems a bit stupid." Venizelos saw Constantine's expression and explained.

"Actually, the choice of location is very meaningful."

"If Greece agrees to the prime ministers of the three countries discussing alliance matters in Sofia, it means that Greece has surrendered, recognized Bulgaria's strength, and joined the alliance system led by Bulgaria. Then, during the negotiations, it is bound to be on the issue of division of interests. Tilt toward Bulgaria,” Venizelos explained seriously.

"On the contrary, if the meeting location is chosen in Athens, it means that the two countries agree that Greece is the strongest among the three countries. This alliance is concluded with Greece as the theme, while Bulgaria and Serbia are in a subordinate position."

After Venizelos explained this, Constantine nodded and said he understood. He originally thought that the choice of the meeting place was an insignificant matter, but he did not expect that it would have such an important relationship.

The game between the three countries has begun now.

"Serbia needs Bulgaria's support on the Slavic issue in the Balkans. It is currently facing strong pressure from Austria, so it stands on the side of Bulgaria," Venizelos said with a solemn expression.

"Then what should we do now? It's like this stalemate?" Constantine didn't quite understand this kind of diplomatic affairs.

Venizelos shrugged and said: "The first issue between the three countries has already begun. Now it depends on which of the two sides surrenders first."

"By the way, what did Lord Tristan say? Do the British have any new views on the situation in the Balkans?"

Constantine shook his head: "No, it's still some commonplace issues. I still want to keep the situation in the Balkans stable."

Constantine repeated to Venizelos the views expressed by Lord Tristan on behalf of the British government.

"What do you think of the British point of view? Can it be achieved?" King George asked Venizelos.

"It's impossible, Your Majesty. First of all, if the battlefield between Italy and the Ottoman Empire is mainly limited to North Africa, this battlefield will continue for a long time. The two sides have already reached a stalemate. Due to the superiority of the Italian navy in the coastal areas of Libya, , currently all occupied by the Italian Army.”

"This is not the case in the interior of Libya. The nomadic tribes in the interior of Libya are not easy to deal with. They are flexible and have a huge advantage in cavalry. There are unobstructed deserts and Gobis. The Italian Army has no good solution at all."

"In order to end the war quickly, Italy will inevitably seek breakthroughs in other directions to force the Ottoman government to surrender. For example, it will use the advantages of the Italian navy to bombard the Aegean coast of Asia Minor, exert pressure, and even block shipping in the Dardanelles Strait."

Therefore, the so-called confinement of the war to North Africa is simply a lie.

"In addition, Bulgaria and Serbia have close relations with Russia. The UK has limited influence on these two countries, and there is no good way to prevent the two countries from going crazy."

Constantine nodded. Now Russia's economy should recover after Stolypin's reforms. After the tentacles that originally wanted to expand in East Asia were cut off by the Japanese, their attention turned to the Balkans again, and they were eager to play in the Balkans. Influence.