Chapter 239 A Coveted Opportunity

Having said this, Ferdinand was silent for a moment, with a trace of helplessness in his tone: "Prime Minister Pasic, I know Lucas's arrogance makes people angry, but we can't refuse the Austria-Hungary Empire's suggestion, can we? "

"After this war, on the Balkan Peninsula, the previous sharp contradictions between the three countries and the Ottoman Empire have disappeared, and the contradiction between the three countries of Bosaixi has become the main contradiction."

Prime Minister Pašić remained silent.

In the current Balkan Peninsula, Greece and Bulgaria have similar strengths. The Bulgarian army has the advantage and the Greek navy is powerful.

After the three countries worked together to compress the power of the Ottoman Empire into Asia, the increasingly growing Greece and Prussia, which performed well in the 1912 War and attracted the attention of the world in the Balkans, put the competition for Balkan hegemony on the agenda.

Whether it is Greece, Serbia, or Bulgaria, nationalist sentiments are so high at this time, and the top leaders of each country not only do not stop it, but secretly add fuel to the flames, because the top leaders of the three countries all see a coveted opportunity.

The big powers that were originally influential in the Balkans, with the exception of Russia, whose performance was not obvious, the Ottoman Empire suffered repeated defeats, and its national power was declining day by day. Needless to say, even the Austro-Hungarian Empire was in deep trouble, and its status as a great power was shaky. It was known as " Ragdoll Imperialism”.

If the political void and power vacuum left by the decline of the two countries can be filled, and the legacy they left behind can be divided up, even if it is only part of it, a new great power will surely emerge in the Balkans.

Whether it is Greece or Leia, Serbia's top leaders are either keenly aware of this situation, or simply aware of the smell of interests. This is the reason why the nationalism among the three peoples continues to rise.

If Bulgaria can obtain the Ottoman Empire's original territory in the Balkan Peninsula and the entire Macedonia, it will not only restore the territory of Bulgaria's strong period in history, but also complete the transformation from an ordinary country to a great power.

Bulgaria, which completely occupies Macedonia, will have a territory of more than 200,000 square kilometers and a population of 7 to 8 million. With such capital, it can be considered a big country in Europe.

Not even one great power can match Italy!

The instigation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire only strengthened Ferdinand's determination.

Even if Austria-Hungary did this, it was obviously intended to provoke the Balkan countries, but so what, it was in Bulgaria's interests.

Moreover, the Austro-Hungarian ambassador Lukas hinted vaguely that there was also German instruction behind this matter.

He also stated that even if Bulgaria was defeated, the Allies would ensure Bulgaria's territorial integrity.

Now, in order to help Bulgaria dominate the Balkans, some people are providing not only loans, but also arms assistance and political guarantees, which are also in line with Bulgaria's national interests.

What other reasons does Bulgaria have for declining?

If we could go to the Allies and dominate the Balkans, why not do it?

Anyway, Bulgaria now has a rift with Russia.

Looking at King Ferdinand's resolute expression, Pasic knew that war with Greece was inevitable, so he could only say: "Your Majesty, when the materials and loans promised by Austria-Hungary are in place, we will start preparing for war."

In the back garden, King Ferdinand was pacing back and forth alone, his brows furrowed with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Wars between capitalist countries generally have the nature of hegemony.

Everyone fights for the position of overlord, so naturally there are enough benefits to be gained.

Just like the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, Japan's biggest gain was not immediate benefits such as war reparations (although it was not obtained), but gaining the status of East Asia's hegemon!

After this war, countries around the world recognized Japan as one of the great powers.

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Athens, Ministry of Defense building

Constantine participated in a military situation seminar organized by the General Staff. The main purpose of this meeting was to summarize the experience and lessons learned by the Greek army in this war.

"If the war experience is not summarized, it is not only a crime against the country, but also a blasphemy against the soldiers. Today I invite you to the Ministry of National Defense Building. We are all witnesses of this war. I hope that everyone can speak freely and summarize their experiences and lessons. , in order to grasp the forefront of world military trends." Chief of General Staff Emmanuel first delivered an opening speech.

Seeing that everyone was thinking, they were silent for a while. Constantine was the first to speak: "As the commander of the Macedonian Army, I could clearly feel that when we attacked the fortress defense area in front of Salonika, Therefore, the battle is more beneficial to the defending side."

Constantine wanted to let the Greek army quickly understand the characteristics of the current war, so he prompted it directly.

Upon hearing this, Manugianaski's eyes lit up and he said in surprise: "Yes, our Albanian Army has also discovered this problem. If an officer commands the troops to attack the enemy's complete defenses, it will be quite difficult, and it will definitely cost a lot. Huge casualties, even in positions that have been prepared for a long time by artillery fire."

Colonel Wladyslaw, as the representative of the middle-ranking officers of the Macedonian Legion, also participated in this meeting.

During the Second Battle of Salonika, as a mid-level officer of the 4th Division that pretended to attack the heavily defended fortress of the Ottoman Empire, Wladyslaw had close contact with the offensive and defensive battles of the trenches. He had personal experience with what Constantine said. Feel.

Even officers whose hearts have long been tempered by military careers are still tortured by the fact that they have to make soldiers perform fatal actions in order to meet tactical needs.

He opened his mouth and tried to express his personal feelings, but seeing that none of the senior officers in the room had spoken yet, he had to give up the idea in dismay.

Constantine noticed the movements of the young officer sitting in a remote corner, and his eyes noticed the rank of major on his shoulders. He was delighted. The cruelty and bloodiness of trench warfare were naturally not as deeply felt by senior officers as by middle and low-level officers.

"Colonel, didn't we say that we should speak freely at this meeting? If you find any problems, speak up boldly, don't have any scruples," Constantine said to the young officer.

Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Władysław was not afraid of the situation and said loudly: "I am Władysław, the colonel commander of the 4th Division of the Macedonian Corps."

"I think the discovery of Crown Prince Constantine just now is very inspiring. In the offensive operations in the Salonika Fortress area, if you attack the enemy's defense line when the enemy is prepared, the casualties will be very large."

"As a mid-level officer, I personally feel that the defenders are obviously in a more advantageous position in the battle."

"First of all, the trenches. When the attackers are preparing for artillery fire, the defenders can hide in the trenches and use the trenches to protect themselves from artillery shells."

"When the enemy has trenches as cover, the effectiveness of artillery decreases, unless the large-caliber artillery has a significant killing effect, the efficiency of small and medium-caliber artillery is very low."