Greece to roman road

The general course of the war between the two sides is as follows:

On November 17, the two sides launched a decisive battle in Slivnica, west of Sofia; on November 20, the Serbian army was defeated and fled westward;

On November 22, the Baojun army began to counterattack across the board;

On November 24, except for the Timok River Corps, which continued to besiege Vidin, the rest of the main forces gathered at the Pirot Fortress, which protected the border; (Pilot belongs to Serbia)

On November 25, Serbia requested a ceasefire; Bulgarian Archduke Battenberg stated that unless Serbia recognized that East Rumelia belonged to Bulgaria, the Bulgarian army would fight all the way to Belgrade;

On the same day, the Battle of Pirot began, with 50,000 Serbian troops participating and 20,000 defenders;

On November 27, the Serbian army collapsed and all fled to Niš; the Bulgarian army pursued them one after another;

King Milan I of Serbia announced national mobilization;

"So far, the large-scale ground war is over," said Chief of Staff Emmanuel.

"It is said that the Austro-Hungarian ambassador to Belgrade personally went to the headquarters of the Bulgarian army and threatened that if the Bulgarian army did not stop military operations, the Austro-Hungarian army would enter Serbia to fight."

"Now the two sides seem to be in the negotiation stage. Will Bulgaria still get Serbian territory?" King George asked.

After the current Bulgaria merged with the East Rumelia Province, the comprehensive strength is almost twice that of Greece.

The most obvious reference target is that Bulgaria's army has 100,000 troops, while Greece has only 50,000.

Bulgaria currently occupies a large area of ​​territory in the west and south of Serbia. If Bulgaria annexes part of the territory and expands its territory, I am afraid that Greece, which has just got rid of Ottoman Turkey, will soon be subject to the powerful Bulgaria, a powerful country in northern Greece.

In geopolitics, the strength of neighboring countries is the weakness of one's own country.

"This situation is impossible. The Austro-Hungarian Empire will definitely dispel Bulgaria's ambitions. It is impossible for them to create a regional power in the Balkans, and it will also be a Slavic country," Prime Minister Trikupis said firmly.

Trikupis's remarks were recognized by everyone. It is well known that Austria-Hungary itself had ambitions for the Balkans.

"Constantine, what do you think?" George I wanted to know whether his successor had a keen political sense.

"I agree with Prime Minister Trikupis's opinion. It is precisely because in the process of competing with Russia in the Balkans that Austria-Hungary was in a weak position and felt great pressure that it formed an alliance with Germany."

"Therefore, the Austro-Hungarian Empire will never allow a powerful country in the Balkans to emerge under its nose."

"For Russia, Bulgaria has already gone on its own and wants to get rid of Russian control and infiltration. If Bulgaria continues to expand its territory and enhance its strength, it will not take Russia seriously in the future."

"Therefore, it is foreseeable that the two major powers that have the most say in the Balkans, Austria-Hungary and Tsarist Russia, will side with the Serbs and oppose Bulgaria's continued expansion."

Constantine was still very confident in his analysis of the political situation.

For politicians, this is a skill that must be good at, otherwise they will not eat this bowl of rice.

Obviously, as a result of the final discussion, the situation in the Balkans is still under the control of the major powers.

From this war, we can also see the tragedy of small countries: if they win the war, they may not get any benefits, but if they lose, they will suffer heavy losses.

Just like Bulgaria, even if they occupied a large area of ​​Serbian territory, they had no idea of ​​staying due to the opposition of the big powers.

"In fact, for Greece, no matter who wins or loses in this war, there is an obvious benefit for Greece."

Constantine's words attracted everyone's attention, and several people present turned to look at him, waiting for him to make further explanations.

"The Serbian army has high morale and thinks it is a powerful army. But this disastrous defeat at the hands of Bulgaria shattered the army's faith."

"Before this war, the armies of Bulgaria and Serbia had united and fought together many times under the instigation of Pan-Slavism to resist the rule of the Ottoman Turks. The armies of both sides had a profound friendship."

"But now, the Serbian army has been defeated by Bulgaria. No matter what their previous relationship was, now they have a bloody feud." Constantine talked eloquently under the gaze of everyone.

The citizens of Serbia and Bulgaria are both Slavs and believe in the Orthodox Church. They can communicate directly and without barriers. Before that, they regarded each other as brotherly countries.

"In any case, Greece has benefited from their rebellion. At least it does not have to worry about the two Slavic countries being in the same boat, which invisibly reduces a lot of pressure on Greece."

In war, rape and robbery are necessary evil programs. Even officers will not deliberately prevent soldiers from committing atrocities. On the contrary, they will think that such venting can maintain morale.

The Bulgarian army will not be polite to the Serbs just because they are Slavs.

Regarding Constantine's analysis, everyone present nodded in agreement.

After everyone dispersed, only George I and Constantine were left in the huge conference room.

"Constantine, you know, the barbaric behavior of the British has brought Anglo-Greek relations to a low point," George I said worriedly.

"For a country like Greece, which is not strong and is in a place of right and wrong, it must find a backer for itself."

"So what the British did made me determined to marry the Germans."

"Germany is the most powerful country in continental Europe now, and Greece must have a good relationship with Germany."

George I said this, looking at Constantine's reaction.

"By the way, what's going on with the Congo colony? I haven't heard you talk about the Congo for a long time." George I suddenly changed the subject and talked about colonial things.

"The Congolese government led by Banning is going all out to build the railway from Matadi to Kinshasa. As long as this railway can be built, the treasures of Congo will open the door to us," Constantine sat upright. In the high-backed chair, he replied respectfully.

This railway needs to open a passage in the tropical jungle of Congo. The places it passes are all desolate and inhabited primeval forests, with a harsh climate and complex geology. Therefore, it is very difficult to build a railway in Congo, which is far away from civilized society. , causing Banning to complain endlessly.

To date, only half of the railway's length has been built.

"What are your plans for the Congo? Constantine, I want to hear your plans for the Congo" George I asked seriously.

Although the Congolese Commission has taken over the management of the Congo River basin for some time.

But George I never intervened.

He had doubts about whether his young son Constantine could successfully run such a large colony.

You know, the area of ​​the Congo River Basin is dozens of times that of mainland Greece, and its population is nearly 20 million.

"Congo is a source of raw materials. Of course, it is also a commodity market. However, it is unlikely that Greek goods will appear in Congo in the near future. The indigenous people do not drink wine," Constantine replied.

"It will also be the source of indigenous soldiers in the future."