Greece to roman road

Constantine, who returned to Greece, entered the familiar city of Athens.

In order not to cause a commotion, Constantine and his party all changed into civilian clothes.

Driving the horses in the direction of Tatoy Palace.

People in twos and threes gathered on the street, discussing eagerly.

"Have you heard, Tipis, there's going to be a war soon?"

"Fighting with whom?"

"Who else could it be? With the Turks, of course, these damn Turks"

"Really? We need to teach those turbans (Turkish turbans)"

When the young man named Tipis heard the word war, his face turned red and his eyes lit up.

As a young man who has never seen war, his impression of war is limited to exciting and fascinating war stories.

"Why not? I just heard the congressman say, can he still lie to me?"

Constantine, who passed by the two men, heard every word of the conversation.

It seems that the citizens of Athens have become distraught.

Thinking of this, Constantine speeded up.

Tatoy Palace Conference Room.

King George I, Prime Minister Trikoupis, Conservative Party leader Delianis, Chief of General Staff Emmanuel, and the military and political leaders of the Kingdom of Greece gathered together to discuss the situation in the Balkans.

"Your Excellency, Chief of General Staff, if Greece is going to participate in a war now, will our army be able to go to war at any time?" Delianis asked.

Emmanuel thought about the actual situation of the army, combined with the intelligence of Greece's opponent, the Ottoman Turkish army, and replied; "If the war is controlled within two months, the supply of supplies and ammunition for the army can be guaranteed."

At first glance, it seems that the army can only maintain its war capability for two months, which seems short-lived.

In fact, two months of war capability is quite good. For example, in the Franco-Prussian War, the frontal battlefield only lasted about two months.

At the end of the 19th century, the war thinking of all countries was to decide the outcome quickly and determine the outcome quickly.

This is because a long-term war will consume a huge amount of materials. After all, the army fights on the front line and does not produce. People eat horses and chew them. The rapid consumption of weapons and ammunition will have a heavy blow to the economy. Therefore, all countries are trying their best to avoid protracted wars.

European countries have small land areas and poor natural resources, so their long-term war potential is naturally limited.

For example, during World War I, various countries thought that the war would be over in a few months at most, but they did not expect that it would be an extremely cruel and long-term war of attrition.

As for long-term wars such as the Hundred Years War between England and France (1337-1453), this is actually a collective name for a series of wars, with stops and starts in between. Strictly speaking, it is not a war at all.

Based on the social productivity at that time and the population status of the two countries, if it were to be a long-term, high-intensity war for a hundred years, the people of the two countries would all be killed on the battlefield if they did not starve to death.

"The prerequisite is to obtain political approval from all major countries," Emmanuel said solemnly.

After hearing this, there was silence in the conference room.

No one has confidence in such a request, and all countries are determined to maintain the situation in the Balkans.

"Driannis, how are your contacts with the British Ambassador?" King George I asked, breaking the silence in the room.

"The attitude of the British is not clear yet. It should be that the British people still don't know the whole story, so they haven't given a clear answer for a long time."

Delianis replied reluctantly.

"Then why did you incite the people to go to war in the National Assembly?" Trikupis asked angrily with a livid face.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Greece. We must not hesitate. If we want to gain something in this crisis, we must be decisive," Delianis replied calmly.

"But without the consent of the big powers, so what if we achieve results on the battlefield? We can't get it at all!" Emmanuel said angrily.

One of the characteristics of the great powers is that they control the international discourse. Territorial changes, especially those in Europe, must have the consent of all countries.

Without the approval of all countries, even if it is obtained on the battlefield, it will be spit out at the negotiation table.

Even a big country like Russia would not be immune if it was not determined to go to war, as evidenced by the abolition of the Treaty of St. Snovoat at the Berlin Conference in 1881.

Russia is not exempt from this, let alone third-rate small European countries like Greece.

At this moment, the Capetian steward came to George I and whispered; "Duke Constantine has returned from the Thessaly military camp."

"Let him come here to the meeting," George ordered.

······

Constantine walked into the conference room and saw all the powerful people in Greece present.

"Constantine, how is the situation of the Thessalian Army?" George I asked eagerly.

The clouds of war are lingering and the situation is mysterious. At this time, only the army can be relied on.

Constantine, who had returned from the military camp, was naturally the best person to ask.

"The morale of the army is good, but the number of cannons is lacking, and the soldiers' live-fire training has also been affected," Constantine said without concealment.

Everyone turned to Emmanuel, which was inconsistent with what he said.

"The military's military expenditures have never been sufficient, and the training of soldiers will of course be affected. Prime Minister Trikupis knows this best, right?" Emmanuel naturally did not want to be accused inexplicably.

During his tenure, Trikupis has always pursued a policy of supporting industry and commerce, and he has to build public facilities such as roads and docks. At the same time, he has to pay off foreign debts and spend money everywhere. Financial pressure has always been great.

"Your Majesty the King, everyone, firstly, the current situation is unclear, and secondly, Greece's finances are in a weak state, so it is best to sit on the sidelines and not rush to express your position."

Trikoupis also felt aggrieved. Since Greece's independence in 1823, Greece's finances have owed a lot of debt. They have never been comfortable and have always been tight.

"I agree with the Prime Minister's proposal. As far as I know, Bulgaria's actions this time did not have the consent of Russia." Constantine knew very well that Greece had better not get involved in the storm of Bulgaria's reunification.

The situation in the Balkans is a mess. The best option is to maintain the status quo. No country will go to war for the Balkans at this time.

"In this case, Bulgaria will definitely have a conflict with the Turks. After all, East Rumelia Province is the territory of the Turks. If Bulgaria does not have the backing of the Russians, the Turks will not be able to react," Trijanis said excitedly.

"In this case, it is an opportunity for Greece. It is best to contact the Bulgarians and attack Ottoman Turkey together."

Everyone looked at each other, and it was obvious that Trikupis and Delianis had a disagreement.

This is nothing new. The two are political rivals. Trikoupis is the leader of the Liberal Party and Delianis has always wanted the position of prime minister.

After saying that, Delianis left the meeting room angrily and headed towards the National Assembly.

"Your Majesty, is Delianis really inciting war with such enthusiasm for the sake of her country and nation and out of righteousness, or is she just inciting the people as a cover for the position of prime minister?"

Constantine asked after everyone dispersed.

"Who knows? But it's more likely to be both," King George replied.