Chapter 213 Hidden Concerns

"Recently, not only the Ottoman Empire, but also Serbia and Bulgaria have suddenly placed a large number of textile orders, including a large amount of gauze. Oh, yes, Philip Pharmaceuticals has also received a lot of orders for medicines," said Mioaris.

Everyone looked at each other. Obviously, the Balkan countries were making preparations for the war.

Although everyone had expected this, the orders from various countries only verified this idea.

"In the energy industry, the oil production near Ferry City reached 420,000 tons, an increase of 11% over last year, of which 130,000 tons were exported to Italy. According to the staff of the Greek Petroleum Company, the oil production there has reached a limit. Although oil production may continue to grow in the future, the growth rate will not be too large."

"Last year, Greece's lignite production reached a record 5.25 million tons, mainly used for thermal power generation." Speaking of lignite production, Mioaris could not hide the excitement on his face.

The AC system is now fully mature and has entered a period of rapid development. It requires a large amount of lignite as a raw material for power generation every year.

Due to the unprecedentedly strong market demand, lignite mines are sought after by Greeks, and the lignite production in Greece has exploded.

According to the management of Tesla Power Company, Constantine revealed that the current electricity demand in Greece is strong, and the lignite production controlled by the power company itself is completely insufficient to meet the demand. It needs to purchase more than 30 million drachmas of lignite from the outside world every year.

"There is also bauxite. Last year, Greece's bauxite production reached 120,000 tons."

As Minister of Industry, Mioaris is still very satisfied with the development of the energy industry.

"The speed of industrial development is not bad from the data, especially the achievements of the development of light industry, such as textiles, food processing, medical and health industries, which have made rapid progress in recent years."

"But there are also hidden worries. In terms of heavy industry, three years ago, Greece's steel production reached 390,000 tons. In three years, it increased by 30,000 tons to 420,000 tons. This growth can be ignored." Mioaris commented on the industrial development of Greece in recent years.

After everyone had almost digested Mioaris's report, Constantine asked, "So, what about education?"

"In terms of higher education, several comprehensive universities have been built. The University of Athens, the Naval Technical School, the University of Tirana, etc. have received key government funding support. The number of college students currently on campus has reached 50,000," replied Minister of Education Aris.

"With the help of the Greek Education Foundation, basic compulsory education has covered all school-age children in Greece."

"Currently, the number of Greeks who have received compulsory education has reached 1.2 million."

The rapid progress of Greek education has injected strong power into the Greek economy.

Because these schools provide Greek factories with professional and skilled engineers, skilled workers, and brilliant managers.

Constantine asked meaningfully, "Is the promotion of Greek education in Albania going smoothly?"

There are hundreds of thousands of Albanians living in Albania. Although the Greek government has done a lot of work in recent years, Constantine is still a little worried because of the huge cultural differences between the two sides.

After a moment of silence, Aris said: "The locals raised money to build several Albanian schools, but not many people enrolled."

"When Greek-run factories recruited employees, they clearly stated that they had clear requirements for the Greek level of employees."

"Moreover, the working language of local government departments and institutions is also Greek. Your Highness, Albanian will not be popular."

In recent years, the Greek government departments have deliberately sponsored a large number of agricultural cooperatives in Albania to go to Albania to open up wasteland.

"Prime Minister, what is the current population distribution in Albania?" Constantine turned to Prime Minister Venizelos.

The Albanian region is geographically critical and adjacent to Montenegro. Due to its coastal location, it is coveted by Serbia. There are also a large number of Albanians living there. Constantine is naturally worried about the situation there.

Previously, some policies of the Greek government caused a huge disturbance in the Albanian region.

The Greek government enforced monogamy in the region, which is completely different from the polygamy that has been implemented in the region for many years.

The local court has ruled that concubinage is illegal.

This fundamental cultural difference is bound to cause trouble.

This move also aims to reduce the fertility rate of the Albanian population.

After all, the MSL has a strong desire to have children, and with the polygamy system, the fertility rate is even higher.

In addition, after Greece acquired Albania, the local economic situation improved greatly, unlike the Ottoman Empire's bone-sucking oppression.

This may add fuel to the already high fertility rate of Albanians.

"Currently, the number of Albanians in Greece is about 350,000, and the number of Greeks in the local area is about 210,000," Venizelos replied.

Constantine nodded and said, "Don't relax, continue to encourage Greeks to immigrate to the local area."

Then he continued to say to Aris, "Don't relax your work in the local education department."

Then Constantine looked at the worried Chief of Staff Emmanuel: "Does your General Staff have any questions?"

"Your Highness, Prime Minister," Emmanuel said.

"According to our current occupation goal, if the alliance goes to war with the Ottoman Empire, we will occupy Macedonia, including Skopje and Thessaloniki, which will inevitably lead to conflicts with the Serbian and Bulgarian armies."

Emanuil said in embarrassment: "I am not too worried about the war with the Ottoman Empire, but as far as I know, Skopje and Thessaloniki are strategic targets of Serbia and Bulgaria respectively. With Greece's strength, if the two countries jointly attack Greece, I am afraid..."

"I am afraid that Greece will fight with the armies of the two countries at the same time?" Constantine asked back.

"Yes, the General Staff has no corresponding plan. I am worried that the army will be caught off guard at that time. Moreover, please forgive me, Your Highness, the Greek army will not have a high chance of winning if it faces attacks from Bulgaria and Greece at the same time." Emmanuel frankly expressed his concerns.

Constantine looked at Prime Minister Venizelos opposite him, wanting him to answer this question.

"If Greece really occupies a large area of ​​Macedonia in the future war, the possibility of Bulgaria and Greece attacking Greece at the same time is indeed very high," Venizelos said in a deep voice.