Greece to roman road

Constantine nodded, knowing in his heart that Greece actually had the advantage when it came to the fight between Greece and Serbia for North Macedonia.

In the previous infiltration of Macedonia by the three countries, North Macedonia was controlled by forces supported by Greece.

Greek guerrillas had already integrated rural forces in North Macedonia in advance.

"What's the opinion of the General Staff? You came to inspect this time with a plan for the Macedonian Army, right?" Constantine asked.

Emmanuel's face straightened, he held a document in his hand, and said seriously to the officers: "Order of the General Staff"

The officers sitting around the table, including Constantine, stood up in unison with a "swish" sound.

"The Macedonian Army will immediately launch an attack on Salonika. After capturing Salonika, the Macedonian Army will be mobilized to go north to support the Albanian Army." Emmanuel read out the order of the General Staff to everyone with a solemn face.

The so-called march north to support the Albanian Army is actually the Serbian army.

Once the Albanian Army led by Manugianaski captures Skopje, the frustrated Serbian army is bound to take action.

There will inevitably be acrimony between the two sides surrounding the issue of North Macedonia's ownership.

Facing Albania's more than 200,000 troops, the Albanian Army with only 130,000 soldiers may be unable to cope and face tremendous military pressure.

"But Your Excellency, Chief of General Staff, the fortress built by the Ottomans in Salonika is very strong. If our Macedonian Army attacks by force, the casualties will be very high," Major General Tsipras, commander of the Second Division, said with an embarrassed look.

"The General Staff has raised a batch of heavy artillery just to capture these fortresses," Emmanuel said calmly.

"The military column that came with me carried 45 280mm caliber mortars."

When they heard that they would soon be equipped with such a weapon for attacking fortresses, the expressions of the officers in the tent changed from resistance to joy.

The 280mm caliber heavy artillery was built by the Greek Steel Machinery Factory after the Italian 280mm howitzer.

In fact, after learning that the Germans were helping the Ottomans to build a fortress outside Salonika, the top Greek army officials who were determined to win Salonika began to look for ways to crack the fortress.

As a result, in recent years (1905), the Russo-Japanese War that broke out before the two major powers Japan and Russia came into the sight of the General Staff.

The 280mm naval gun that shined in the Russo-Japanese War came into the eyes of the General Staff.

In this war, during the battle for Lushun Fortress, after the failure of the first general attack, the Japanese army brought the 280mm mortar to the front line. This gun played a decisive role in the Japanese army's capture of Hill 203 and the destruction of Russian warships in the harbor. role.

However, this kind of artillery has an obvious shortcoming. Its huge body makes movement a big problem.

Therefore, in order to use such bulky artillery in the future offensive and defensive battle of Salonika, Greece extended the railway line to the border in advance.

"If there is such a cannon, then there is no need to be afraid of the strong fortifications built by the Germans with the help of the Ottomans."

"Yes, the damn Germans are determined to side with the evil Ottomans."

Constantine also felt relieved and secretly sighed. Fortunately, the Greek railway line was laid to the border. Otherwise, such a big guy, even if it was made by a military factory, would not be able to move to the front line.

"By the way, where are the heavy cannons that I want the arsenal to help renovate? Have they been shipped too?" Constantine asked quickly.

Emmanuel was startled, then thought of something, and said: "They have also arrived, a total of 8 cannons."

The cannons Constantine was talking about came from the navy, or more precisely, they came from the two Invincible-class battle cruisers equipped by the navy.

The navy has strict requirements for naval guns.

When naval guns are operating at sea, due to the special working environment, they need to fire on the move. This design model must take into account factors such as the waves shaking the hull, the speed of one's own ships, the speed of local ships, etc., to determine the probability of hitting the target. It's very difficult.

This naturally led to the Navy's requirements for naval guns to be refined.

Once the number of firings of the 305mm artillery equipment of the Invincible-class battle cruiser reaches about a hundred rounds, the rifling in the barrel is seriously worn, which has a great impact on the accuracy, and the Navy will replace the barrel.

Unlike the Navy, the Army is not so demanding on the shooting accuracy of artillery. Moreover, the Army's accuracy requirements for large-caliber heavy artillery such as the 305 mm caliber are not high, and fire coverage is sufficient.

After all, it is impossible for a human body to wear thick and strong armor like a warship. Such large-caliber shells and shock waves can destroy the enemy.

Therefore, these expensive wastes replaced by the Navy have entered the Army's field of vision.

Of course, a 305mm naval gun in the Navy is valuable. Even if it can no longer be used on warships, it is not without value.

In the words of the navy, these low-precision gun barrels can be used on the forts built by the navy, and they are also considered part of the Greek coastal defense.

In order to obtain these cannons, Constantine often argued with Contoriotis.

These retired artillery pieces from the navy were sent to the arsenal by Constantine for expansion and re-rifling, with the caliber reaching 315 mm.

Of course, the price is that the barrel wall of the artillery has become thinner, the bore pressure it can withstand has dropped, and it is impossible to install as much propellant as before, otherwise there is a risk of the bore exploding.

Range has also shrunk.

Even so, this is rare equipment for the Army.

Compared with those 280mm mortars, these 305mm heavy guns are mainly superior in their long range and high accuracy.

After receiving a positive answer, Constantine became more confident in solving the Ottoman fortress.

Looking at the happy Constantine, Emmanuel thought of his mission and continued: "Your Highness, actually I have one more important thing to do when I come here, and I need to ask for your permission."

Constantine was confused and motioned to Emmanuel to continue.

"According to the war plan of the General Staff, we will gain most of Macedonia's territory in this war. Once successful, it is very likely to conflict with Serbia and Bulgaria."

"What the General Staff means is whether it can recruit Congolese soldiers to come to Europe in advance. The number of soldiers from Serbia and Bulgaria puts a lot of pressure on the General Staff," Emmanuel said in a sincere tone.

The number of soldiers in Serbia alone is equal to that of Greece.

Not to mention Bulgaria.

Although the two countries are still allies, once the Ottoman Empire is resolved, the two sides are likely to start a new war over the spoils of war.

Constantine asked: "In this case, can the government's finances sustain it?"