Chapter 202 Adjusted Army

After Venizelos, a senior diplomat, analyzed the situation in Europe in detail, Constantine, whose doubts were gone, breathed a sigh of relief: "There are too many twists and turns in diplomacy."

"So, what should Greece do now?" Constantine, who was relaxed, picked up the cup on the table, sipped the tea, and consulted the two.

"From the current development of the situation, the contradictions between the two major European groups are gradually escalating, and the space for easing is getting smaller and smaller. At present, the contradictions between Britain, France, Russia and Germany and Austria are intensifying. Whether it is the Moroccan crisis in 1906 or the Moroccan turmoil this time, even if it can be resolved through peaceful negotiations in the end, as long as the fundamental contradictions between the two groups cannot be eliminated, a full-scale war between the two groups is imminent," Venizelos said.

At present, Britain and Germany are becoming more and more powerful in Europe, and Greece is bound to be involved in the fight between the two countries.

In the dispute between Britain and Germany, the attitude of the entire Greek society is also contradictory.

On the one hand, Greece has been the sphere of influence of Britain and France since its independence in 1821. Politically and economically, Britain and France have great influence in Greece.

On the other hand, with the rapid development of Germany in recent years, the marriage between the Greek and German royal families has made the relationship between the two sides extremely close.

During this period, Crown Princess Sophie was always worried because of the tension and deterioration of Anglo-German relations caused by the Moroccan issue.

Crown Princess Sophie's mother is the British Princess Victoria, the eldest daughter of the famous Queen Victoria.

Because Crown Princess Victoria and her husband (Crown Prince Frederick, William II's father) had a bad relationship with other members of the German royal family, Sophie spent a considerable part of her childhood in Britain.

Emotionally, Sophie could not accept the fact that the two Western European countries where she had the most affection and left the best childhood memories were on the brink of war at this moment.

"What is the fundamental contradiction?" Emmainul asked with some confusion.

As a professional soldier, Emmainur was not good at politics. When he heard Venizelos talking about the fundamental contradiction between the two groups, he asked with interest.

"The fundamental contradiction between the two groups is the change in national strength," Venizelos said.

"To be more specific, it is the imbalance in the development of politics, economy and military between Germany and Britain and France."

"Unless the German helmsman can pull the brakes on the roaring train of Germany and bow down to the British, the contradiction between the two countries cannot be eased."

Constantine and Emmainur looked at each other and knew in their hearts that this would never happen.

The contradiction between Britain and Germany cannot be simply attributed to the German emperor's ambition to rule Europe and to compete for the land under the sun.

Constantine stood up and said, "Don't think too much. For Greece, the important thing is how to expand Greece's interests in the upcoming crisis."

After that, he turned and walked into the noisy conference room.

The senior officers of the Greek navy and army in the conference room saw Constantine take the stage, and the originally heated discussion gradually subsided.

For these senior officers, although there has been no clear instruction from the top so far, as elites in the Greek army, many of them have vaguely noticed the profound changes in the Balkan situation since the war between Italy and the Ottoman Empire in North Africa.

"Due to the war between Italy and the Ottoman Empire, the political landscape in Europe has changed. Under this influence, the Balkan situation may have unexpected events," Constantine said solemnly, looking at the many officers in the audience.

"The alert level of the Greek army has been raised to the highest level - the state of war, ready for military action at any time. The logistics personnel of the army will immediately check the armament warehouses at all levels to check for leaks and fill in the gaps."

"After this meeting, you will immediately return to the garrisons of your troops. From now on, officers and soldiers who are on leave and visiting relatives will be recalled immediately, and the originally scheduled military leave and family visit plans will be frozen." Constantine swept his sharp and stern eyes over everyone.

Afterwards, many officers in the conference room, after saluting Constantine, left the conference room quickly and skillfully and went to their respective garrisons.

After more than ten years of peace, the Greek army is about to set foot on the battlefield again.

Looking at everyone's backs, Constantine glanced at Venizelos, Emmainur and others who were watching. Everyone was feeling a complex mixture of uneasiness and eagerness.

After watching the officers leave, the previously bustling conference room became empty. Constantine nodded to Emmainur.

Emmainur, who received the instructions, immediately walked to the door and closed the door of the conference room.

In the conference room, only the main high-level Greek military and political officials were left; Crown Prince Constantine, Prime Minister Venizelos, Army Chief of Staff Emmanuil, Armament Minister Yannis, and Navy Commander Kontoriotis.

"The information you will hear next will be the top secret of the Greek state. Don't reveal it to anyone," Constantine said to several people in a deep voice.

Emmanuil personally hung a map of Greek military deployment on the wall and explained to the group: "In response to changes in the Balkan situation, the General Staff followed the orders of His Majesty the King and adjusted the deployment of the Greek Army."

"At present, Greece has a total of fifteen infantry divisions, including eight main divisions and seven elite divisions, with a total of 20,000 people, which is no longer enough to cope with the situation in the Balkans. Therefore, I suggest that the army immediately prepares for troop mobilization secretly and is ready to respond at any time general mobilization"

Constantine sighed inwardly after listening to Emma Inur's report.

According to the estimates of the General Staff, Bulgaria can recruit 350,000-400,000 troops at its limit during the war. Even the weaker Serbia can reach 200,000-250,000 troops.

As for Greece, according to estimates by the General Staff, the Greek Army's strength after general mobilization is about 250,000-300,000.

As for why, among the three Balkan countries, Greece has the strongest comprehensive strength, but its army mobilization potential is not as good as Bulgaria's. The reason is also very simple, that is, Greece's special geographical conditions require Greece to spend a lot of money and invest in expensive military equipment. The navy is under construction.

After acquiring Albania, Greece's coastline stretches from the Adriatic Sea, where Albania is located, to near Thessaloniki in the northern Aegean Sea, which is about 5,000 kilometers long. On such a long coastline, many large cities in Greece, such as It is the economic and political center of Athens, Durrës, Vlore and other seaport cities.

Under such circumstances, Greece's defense forces do not have a navy with adequate strength, and the Greek military and political leaders may be awakened from their dreams.

However, Bulgaria and Serbia do not have such a drag. They do not need to invest their already very tight military expenditures into the navy, a gold-eating beast.

"At the same time, the specific garrison locations will also be changed. After the adjustment, the Greek Army will be divided into two main legions. One is the Albanian Legion, which contains seven divisions. After mobilization, it will be about 110,000 people and will be stationed in Albania. “Near Tirana”

"Another legion, the Macedonian legion, is stationed on the Greek-Ottoman border near Salonika. It has a strength of about eight divisions. After mobilization, the number of troops is about 130,000."