Greece to Roman Road

Chapter 136 Signing of Agreement

After Colonel Dedson's report was sent to Berlin, the German envoy's attitude towards the London talks finally changed.

No longer standing completely on the side of the Ottoman Empire, but mediating between the two countries.

Obviously, despite the benefits of Greece, the Germans were still unwilling to completely offend the Ottoman Empire and give up the strategic and commercial benefits that this huge empire might bring.

The Germans gave their mediation plan. Albania was ceded to Greece, and Thessaloniki, an important commercial port on the Aegean Sea and a transportation hub on the Balkan Peninsula, was still returned to the Ottoman Empire.

The Greek army could obtain the Macedonian territory on one side of the Thermaic Gulf, with a river flowing into the Thermaic Gulf as the new border between the two sides.

As for Crete, the British gave a suggestion that all countries form an international management committee to jointly participate in the management of Crete.

The British Mediterranean Fleet is the strongest maritime force in the Mediterranean region. Although this was a British suggestion, no one dared to oppose it.

As for Epirus, it was handed over to Greece.

This plan is considered a step back for both sides.

When the news reached Athens, the people, the parliament, and even the army were all very dissatisfied with the abandonment of the important city of Thessaloniki.

Although most of the residents of this city are Jews, Greeks have become a minority.

As for Albania, most of the residents are from the MSL region, and the Greek people do not care about it at all.

During the Eastern Roman Empire, the status of the city of Thessaloniki was much more important than Athens.

When Greece became independent, Athens was already a small city with only tens of thousands of people, and it had long lost the glory of Athens in the ancient Greek period.

The army's complaints are easy to understand. For Thessaloniki, the army paid heavy casualties. During the siege of Thessaloniki, the first division defending here suffered more than 5,000 casualties.

During the defense of the city, many residents in the city assisted the army. Now Greece intends to sign an agreement to give up the city. Once it returns to Greece, the Greeks and Jews in the city who have cooperated with Greece will face Ottoman retaliation.

Although this initial proposal has many problems, Trikoupis still believes that Greece can no longer delay and insists on signing the treaty.

Since the outbreak of the war, Greece has been mobilizing for two or three months. If it continues to delay, it will have a serious impact on the Greek economy.

At present, the Greek army has more than 100,000 troops, distributed in a vast area including Albania, Macedonia and Crete. If the agreement is not signed, the daily consumption of the army will be an astronomical figure.

After considering it, the Ottoman Sultan, Hamid II, agreed to this plan.

In any case, the Germans still helped the Ottoman Empire to regain the important city of Thessaloniki.

Under the rule of the Ottomans, Epirus and Albania were both poor mountainous areas with rugged and difficult mountain roads and backward economies. Although they were not small in area, they were not as important as the important city of Thessaloniki.

Among them, Epirus is still a sparsely populated place even in the 21st century, let alone this era.

Albania only has some coastal plains along the Adriatic Sea, and most of the place is still a barren land with rolling hills and limited value.

Finally, under the witness of various countries, Prime Minister Trikoupis, on behalf of the Greek government, and the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, formally signed an agreement in London.

The treaty stipulates:

1. The Ottoman Empire will hand over Albania, Epirus, and Macedonia along the Thermaic Gulf, with a total area of ​​about 40,000 square kilometers and a population of about 500,000, to Greece for management.

2. Crete will be governed by the International Administrative Committee, and Greece can occupy three of the nine Crete Commissioners.

3. Both parties will not ask for compensation from each other, but the Ottoman Empire will pay a ransom of 10 million drachmas for nearly 80,000 Ottoman prisoners (including 50,000 prisoners in border battles and 50,000 in Epirus).

4. The Ottoman Empire agrees to treat Greek goods equally and not to adopt a trade discrimination policy.

After reading the specific terms of the treaty, Constantine breathed a sigh of relief, and the war was finally over.

The treaty can be said to have given the Ottoman Empire enough face. There are no insulting words such as "cession", "defeat" and "compensation" throughout the text. Even the 80,000 Ottoman prisoners were only priced at 10 million drachmas.

It can be seen that the major powers in Europe are still unwilling to see the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and cause turmoil in the European situation.

In contrast, Greece has also benefited a lot.

Although the territory of 40,000 square kilometers does not seem large at first glance.

However, after obtaining these territories, Greece's land area has almost doubled to about 90,000 square kilometers, and the population has reached 2.5 million.

There are a total of about 300,000 MSLs in Greece's original and newly acquired territories.

Moreover, the economic shrinkage in Greece will also be improved and put on the right track after the Ottomans promise to relax trade restrictions.

After Prime Minister Trikoupis returned to Athens on March 12, 1896 with the text of the treaty and submitted it to the Greek Parliament and the King for deliberation, it officially came into effect.

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Athens Ministry of Defense Building

The top brass of the Greek military are compiling and collating various data on the military during the war.

"During the war, in terms of ammunition, the 20 million French bullets and 1.5 million shells stored in the northern part of the army before the war consumed 15 million French bullets and 1.1 million shells respectively," said Armament Minister Yannis.

"In terms of mobilizing soldiers, there are 100,000 soldiers in Greece and 40,000 in the Congo region, of which about 30,000 Greek soldiers were killed or wounded, and 10,000 Congolese soldiers."

"How much did this war cost?" Constantine asked curiously.

Adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose, Yannis said: "About 900 million drachmas"

"This does not include the subsequent pensions for the dead and injured soldiers"

Hearing this number, everyone present was dumbfounded. This war lasted no more than three months, but it cost the Greek government almost more than a year's fiscal revenue.

"The General Staff is commanding the Greek army to withdraw from the city of Thessaloniki to Greece"

"The temporary conscripted soldiers in the army can be dismissed," King George arranged.

"According to the plan, after the Greek army returns to normal, the number of troops will reach 60,000, and compared with the previous expansion of a standing division"

"Two of the divisions will be deployed in Albania."

On March 5, at the port of Piraeus, Constantine and Brut personally bid farewell to the Congolese army, which played a major role this time.

If the Greek army had not been suddenly strengthened, 40,000 Congolese troops appeared, disrupting the front-line deployment of the Ottoman Empire army and giving the Greek army an opportunity, the outcome of this war would still be full of variables.

In the battle, the bravery of the Congolese soldiers was also recognized by the officers of the Greek army.

Although this was under the command of Greek officers.

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