Greece to roman road

After seeing clearly that the relationship between the Russians and Bulgaria was broken, the British Gladstone government issued a diplomatic note to the authorities in Constantinople and Athens: any military action against Bulgaria would be regarded as an act of hostility towards Britain.

William White, the acting British ambassador to the Ottomans, was originally scheduled to be transferred to the British minister to the Qing Dynasty, so he stayed in Constantinople due to the incident.

There is no doubt that Britain's statement is like a bucket of cold water being poured down on the head of the Greek war faction that has just taken power.

After hearing the news, Constantine hurried to the prime minister's palace.

After Trikoupis resigned that day, Delianis, who was supported by the majority of members in the parliament, officially entered the Prime Minister's Office and became the new Prime Minister of Greece.

He hurriedly walked into the Prime Minister's Office and saw Derianis pointing at a map with Chief of General Staff Emmanuel.

"Mr. Prime Minister, you should have received the British diplomatic note. What are your plans?" Constantine asked eagerly.

"Your Majesty the Duke, the current situation in the Balkans no longer allows Greece to hesitate. The Serbian army has 60,000 people and is well-trained. The Bulgarian army only has about 50,000 people. They still have to guard against the Ottoman Turkish army." Delianis said confidently said.

His analysis does make sense. The province of East Rumelia is geographically important and serves as an important barrier to Constantinople. Once Bulgaria takes control of East Rumelia, Bulgaria will pose too great a threat to the capital of Ottoman Turkey. Once there is a military conflict between the two countries, , the Bulgarian army will quickly move south and occupy a superior position.

There is a road connecting Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and Constantinople. This was the main road built when the Roman Empire was strong. It was mainly used to mobilize the army and facilitate merchants' travel.

Ironically, when the Eastern Roman Empire declined, the Bulgarian army, led by the Tsar, marched south along the same road several times, reaching the gates of Constantinople.

Now, if the province of Eastern Rumelia were lost, the situation between Bulgaria and the Ottoman Turks would be similar to that between Bulgaria and a weakened Rome, threatening the capital of the empire through this road.

Therefore, there is no way that Ottoman Türkiye could just sit back and watch the loss of Eastern Rumelia without doing anything.

"You know, among the three Christian countries in the Balkans, we in Greece are the weakest."

"If we don't take any action at this time, after Serbia wins, she will become the new Balkan overlord," Derianis explained.

In fact, all countries were more optimistic about Serbia at this time. One of the important reasons was that Bulgaria did not have any officers above the captain level at this time, because these senior officers were previously held by Russians.

Because of the breakdown in relations between the two countries, Russia directly withdrew all Russian officers from the Bulgarian army.

Secondly, the attitude of all countries is to support Serbia.

"Greece must act," Deryannis said.

"First of all, Serbia does have an advantage, but in a war, it is not the party with the advantage that will definitely win the final victory."

There are many factors that affect victory in land wars, such as the morale of soldiers, the quality of weapons and equipment, the number of troops, the ability of commanders, terrain, the strength of national support, etc.

Therefore, there is great uncertainty in land war.

"Secondly, we cannot ignore the British statement," Constantine said seriously.

"Moreover, we are not bordering Bulgaria, and are separated by the Macedonian region. Once we cross the border, it will easily trigger the actions of the Ottoman Turks. At that time, it is likely to intensify the conflict and evolve into a big melee among the Balkan countries. This is a major issue for various countries. The outcome that great powers try their best to avoid.”

Although the current Turkish army is not strong, the Turkish Sultan is retraining the army with the help of the German consultant, Captain von der Goltz, because time is still short and it will take time to form combat effectiveness.

It is difficult to say whether the German high-level officials sent Captain Goltz to Turkey because they had a premonition of the future world war situation. However, judging from the historical development of the original time and space, this was a clever move that indirectly brought Ottoman Turkey to Turkey. Pulled aboard the pirate ship of the Allied Powers.

"So, Mr. Prime Minister, Greece should not be involved in this war," Constantine stated.

Hearing Constantine's clear stance against participating in the war, the Prime Minister and Chief of General Staff frowned and remained silent.

This is obviously the king's attitude.

The office was quiet for a long time.

"Your Highness, we will take actions that are in the interests of Greece depending on the development of the situation," Derianis said vaguely.

This ambiguous answer is undoubtedly perfunctory.

Constantine walked out of the Prime Minister's Palace with a heavy heart, tired of the Greek system of majority voting for the first time.

There is no doubt that by fanatically advocating war and using it to become Prime Minister, Deryannis intends to rely on the will of the Greek people, which is a dark road.

For Delianis at this time, peace means being ousted from power.

On weekdays, Trikoupis has always had the upper hand in the Greek National Assembly. His policies of developing industry and commerce, increasing tariffs, and building infrastructure are obviously more popular.

Disappointed, he returned to Tatoy Palace and explained the meeting to King George.

"Father, as the supreme commander of the Greek army, can you stop the army's adventure?" Constantine asked in a last-ditch effort.

The king is the commander-in-chief of the Greek army, which is a sacred right given to the king by the constitution.

"That's impossible. If I really do this, can you imagine how the people will view the royal family? You don't want to see the people gathering in front of the palace gate, shouting traitors, betrayers, right? In the eyes of the majority of the people, A king can only follow the will of his will, unless he does not care about his own honor."

King George I said with a wry smile.

"Your Majesty, the British Ambassador wishes to see you." Steward Capet came in, interrupting the conversation between the two.

It seems that Derianis' plan to carry out a military adventure has been leaked.

After all, with the British's ability to collect intelligence, it was impossible to conceal the large-scale military gathering.

"Your Majesty the King, the attitude of the British Empire is very clear. It does not want Greece to participate in the war between Serbia and Bulgaria."

Ambassador William Walter walked straight towards George I, looking arrogant.

"About your country's military mobilization, Your Majesty the King, do you have anything to say?"

Constantine frowned. The ambassador's arrogant attitude was annoying, and he violently interfered in Greece's internal affairs.

"Your Excellency Ambassador, the Greek people have made their own choice." In any case, as a king, he could not openly oppose his country's public opinion in front of foreign ministers.

"Your Majesty the King, you'd better stop the actions of your country's army that extremely endanger European peace. Once Greece participates in the war, it is likely to trigger a melee between countries."

"Otherwise, the British Empire will have every reason to be free to take effective measures, as appropriate, to stop the madness of the Greek war fanatics."

After that, he turned around and left the reception room.

King George I was stunned when he heard these words.

I didn't expect that the British would react so strongly.