Chapter 210 Balkan Storm

Constantine also feels heavy pressure from the growing strength of the Slavs in the Balkan Peninsula.

After nearly ten years of setbacks in the Russo-Japanese War, Russia, which has gradually recovered its strength, has turned its attention to the Balkan Peninsula again and waved the banner of Pan-Slavism again.

Obviously, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Montenegro, the three Balkan Slavic countries, were able to form an alliance this time, which was obviously supported by the Russians.

The Slavs are widely distributed throughout Eastern Europe and are numerous. The Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Poland (the Kingdom of Poland exists in name, but the title of King of Poland is concurrently held by the Russian Tsar) are both countries dominated by Slavs.

A large area of ​​territory under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire also has a large Slavic population.

For example, the Czech Republic, Eastern Ukraine (near Lviv) under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as well as Slovenia and Croatia, and the Bosnia-Herzegovina region annexed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1908 during the civil strife in the Ottoman Empire are also areas dominated by Slavs.

If we add the Slavic population of Montenegro, Serbia, and Bulgaria in the Balkan Peninsula, the total Slavic population in Eastern Europe is nearly 200 million!

The late 19th century and early 20th century were the era of nationalism, and a large number of nationalist fighters hoped that their nation would gain independence.

It is conceivable that the Austro-Hungarian Empire naturally hated the Russian Empire's advocacy of Pan-Slavism.

It happened that under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the status of the Slavs was not high.

As a strange dual empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as the name suggests, was dominated by Germans (the main ethnic group of the Kingdom of Austria) and Magyars (the main ethnic group of Hungary).

It was precisely out of fear of the integration of Slavic forces that the Austro-Hungarian Empire reacted so strongly to the union of Serbia and Bulgaria, and directly mobilized part of the troops on the Serbian border.

As the ruler of Greece, Constantine now heard that Montenegro had also joined the alliance, which also touched Constantine's sensitive nerves.

"Before, the Russian bear had been hiding in the corner, licking its wounds. Nearly ten years have passed, and Stolypin's reform policies have been effective. Naturally, Russian forces intend to make a comeback," Venizelos said worriedly.

"The situation in Europe is now tense. Germany, which used to be Britain's staunch ally, has now replaced Russia and become the British's primary target of attack. Instead, it is Britain's traditional enemy, and Russia has become Britain's potential ally."

"The Russians will naturally not miss this rare opportunity to exert influence in Eastern Europe." Constantine was unwilling to accept that Bulgaria and Serbia failed to make concessions to Greece.

If Britain's attention had not been firmly attracted by the Germans, the British would never have watched the emergence of a Slavic national alliance supported by the Russians in the Balkans.

Under normal circumstances, as long as Russia showed signs of integrating the Slavic forces in Eastern Europe, countries would definitely unite to hit the Russians, just like the Berlin Conference in 1878.

Now Greece has only barely reached an alliance agreement with Bulgaria and Serbia to jointly deal with the Ottoman Empire. With the concerted efforts of the three countries, dealing with the Ottoman Empire is no longer a problem.

The key to the problem is, what should we do after dividing the European part of the Ottoman Empire?

Although the Ottoman Empire is still lingering, it has become increasingly weak. Like other countries, it has exposed fierce internal contradictions and conflicts in its transformation into a capitalist country.

The national conditions of the Ottoman Empire are very complicated. It is not only a multi-ethnic country, but also a multi-religious country.

The entanglement of ethnic and religious contradictions has led to difficulties in reforming the Ottoman Empire.

According to the current situation, even the revolution and reform organized by the idealistic young Ottoman officers have not played a significant role in changing the declining national strength of the Ottoman Empire.

Under the suppression of the three countries, the territory of the Ottoman Empire is bound to shrink to Asia Minor.

So, who should fill the gap left by the Balkan Peninsula?

To put it more directly, among the three Balkan countries, who will replace the Ottoman Empire's previous hegemony in the Balkans?

The reason why the two countries, Bulgaria and Serbia, have an extremely strong attitude and firmly disagree with Greece, the strongest of the three countries, occupying most of Macedonia, is that they do not want to see Greece become the hegemon of the Balkans.

Constantine also felt a thorn in his throat when the Slavic countries in the Balkan Peninsula united together.

Constantine was still confident when Bulgaria and Serbia were compared with Greece alone, but when the two countries united together, Greece felt huge pressure.

Not only the hard power of the two countries, but also the power of the Slavs in Eastern Europe, stood behind the two countries.

The war against the Ottoman Empire has not yet begun, and Constantine has already smelled the smoke of the three countries competing for dominance in the Balkans.

And for the future of the country and the fate of the nation, Greece cannot give up this good opportunity for development.

Since 1881, Constantine has tried every possible means to overcome numerous difficulties to make Greece the first to industrialize and gain some advantages, and there is no room for retreat.

The road to industrialization is not a smooth road. Once you set foot on it, you are destined to experience the test of blood and fire.

Resources are always limited, but there are many people who want to share the cake.

The international society, just like human society, follows the 80/20 rule, with 20% occupying 80% of the wealth, and the remaining 80% sharing 20% ​​of the wealth.

He held the cigarette between his fingers and took a long drag. The fireworks were bright and the smoke was pouring out. Constantine said in a deep voice: "The Balkans are about to undergo a round of reshuffle. Greece needs to prepare in advance. Your government Departments should be prepared for shocks.”

After thinking for a moment, Venizelos nodded: "In this case, I will summon all the heads of government departments to hold a state meeting."

Constantine raised his hand and looked at the watch on his wrist, and said: "It's better to be urgent than later. Let's hold the meeting this afternoon."

After that, he hurriedly turned around and left the Prime Minister's Palace, heading to the Palace of Constitution Square.

When Constantine arrived at the Royal Palace in Syntagma Square, he happened to meet King George in casual clothes in the garden, lying on a wicker chair and taking a nap.

So he informed him of the convening of the State Council.

King George heard his son's voice, looked at Constantine, and sighed: "I will not participate in today's meeting. You can host it on my behalf."

Constantine looked surprised. You must know that the previous important meetings, regardless of their substance, were nominally presided over by the king.

Seemingly noticing Constantine's confusion, King George explained: "My energy has declined greatly, and although I don't want to admit it, I am indeed getting old."

Only then did Constantine notice that the old king, who was born in 1845, was 68 years old this year, nearly 70 years old.