Chapter 271: Bulgaria's Defeat

The Balkan War, which had been going on for more than a month, continued. Constantine, based on the military intelligence reports from the front, had keenly noticed that after the Romanian army crossed the Danube and attacked the defenseless Sofia, the Bulgarian army on the Macedonian front fell into a state of panic, and the dispatch and deployment of the army were obviously in a state of panic.

The Romanian army arrived at the town of Pleven, which had left a glorious memory for the Romanians, without any resistance.

The Greek army bit the retreating Bulgarian army and continued to advance towards Macedonia controlled by Bulgaria. By July 12, the Greek army had arrived at the city of Kavala, the base of the Ivanov Corps.

On July 8, the Ottoman army led by Enver, the Minister of War of the Ottoman Empire, took advantage of the opportunity of the Bulgarian army's retreat to recapture most of the territory of Eastern Thrace, and the Ottoman army also ensured control over Edirne and Eastern Thrace.

This move made the Ottoman Empire feel excited about this victory.

As for Serbia, due to the pressure from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it was forced to abandon the military action of sending troops to Bulgaria.

In view of the fact that Bulgaria was already defeated, the Greek military and political leaders held a secret meeting to discuss the territorial goals of Greece in this war in order to indicate them for the Greek army.

Athens Ministry of Defense Building

"The Greek army made the greatest contribution to the defeat of Bulgaria in this war, with tens of thousands of casualties, so Greece deserves the spoils corresponding to its contribution," said the Minister of Arms Yannis excitedly.

"The General Staff should immediately order General Manugianaschi to occupy Eastern Macedonia near Kavala, as well as Western Thrace and Pirin Macedonia"

"In order to completely weaken Bulgaria and resolve Bulgaria's threat to northern Greece, Eastern Rumelia should be seized"

"There are many Greeks living in Eastern Rumelia. After Bulgaria occupied there, many Greeks were expelled, and their property and land were robbed and looted by Bulgarians"

After Yannis said this, everyone in the conference room had a happy smile on their faces and was in high spirits.

Constantine was not as optimistic as Yannis, and asked Prime Minister Venizelos: "Mr. Prime Minister, what do you think Greece should get from Bulgaria?"

"Your Highness, how much spoils Greece can get from Bulgaria needs to be decided by the great powers. For the balance of the Balkans, I am afraid that the great powers will not agree to cede Eastern Rumelia, which Yannis mentioned, to Greece," Venizelos said leisurely.

"Eastern Rumelia accounts for almost half of Bulgaria's total territory. If Bulgaria loses Eastern Rumelia and only has the territory on the south bank of the Danube, it will become a completely insignificant small country," Venizelos walked to the situation map of the Balkans and explained to everyone.

"Secondly, Eastern Rumelia also involves the Berlin-Constantinople Railway, which passes through Eastern Rumelia. This is undoubtedly something that the German and Austrian sides do not want to see. This means that if Greece gets Eastern Rumelia, then whether this railway can be opened or not will also be decided by Greece."

"Obviously, the German and Austrian sides do not want to see this scenario."

"If Greece can get Eastern Rumelia, it will completely establish its hegemony in the Balkans, and the military balance in the Balkans will be completely broken. In time, with a territory of more than 200,000 square kilometers and a population of tens of millions, Greece in Southeast Europe may become a new European power. Joining the club of great powers will greatly change the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, which is also something that the great powers cannot tolerate."

The current European powers are the beneficiaries of the old pattern. In terms of maintaining the existing European pattern, they hold a common position because it is to maintain their common interests.

They do not want anyone to challenge their status, or for new entrants to the great powers camp.

The so-called squeezing bus mind, when outside the bus, the heart is anxious to squeeze into the bus, and once squeezed into the bus, people's ideas will change immediately.

The more people squeeze into the bus, the more crowded the limited space will be, so naturally people on the bus don't want more people to squeeze in.

The existing powers in Europe are the people who are already on the bus. They naturally don't want new entrants to share the limited cake with them.

"Greece's expansion in the Balkans has been smooth sailing in recent years. That's because Greece's overall national strength has always been weak and is not taken seriously by other countries. But Greece's strength has reached a critical point. Once it breaks through, there will be a qualitative leap."

"Naturally, countries will find ways to suppress Greece. It is impossible to let Greece expand at will."

Venizelos' words unintentionally poured a basin of cold water on the heads of many Greek soldiers.

"If Bulgaria continues to hold Eastern Rumelia, the Bulgarian Army will soon recover its strength and become a new threat to northern Greece. Then our victory now is only temporary, and the threat of Bulgaria will still be a long-term threat to northern Greece," said Chief of General Staff Emmanuel unwillingly.

"This is probably the situation that all the powers want to see," Constantine interrupted.

"But we can also take measures to reduce Bulgaria's development potential and speed as much as possible. Other territories are fine, but the important port of Kavala and Western Thrace must be taken from Bulgaria."

"Without the port of the Aegean Sea, Bulgaria will find it very difficult to develop its economy according to its geographical location. They will still face the difficulties of the past, and ocean trade depends on the Bosphorus Strait."

Just as Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not want Serbia to get access to the Adriatic Sea, Greece did not want Bulgaria to get access to the Aegean Sea.

A country that is so poor, no matter how good the quality of its soldiers is, how can its army's combat effectiveness be?

Constantine's opinion was in line with everyone's opinion-since this war is unlikely to dismember Bulgaria, then try to contain Bulgaria, take away all of Bulgaria's Aegean Sea territories, and reduce Bulgaria's threat.

After consensus was reached, the General Staff conveyed the opinion of the Greek military and political leaders to the command of the Macedonian Corps on the front line-to fight for East Macedonia and Western Thrace with all their strength.

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When the Second Division tore through the Bulgarian defense line, a train from Athens was speeding on the railway line to Thessaloniki in the southwest.

"Report! Commander, the General Staff called!"

"Read!"

"Bulgaria is already showing signs of defeat. I hope the Macedonian Corps will speed up its progress, annihilate the Bulgarian army's manpower as much as possible, and occupy Bulgaria's territory along the Aegean Sea."

"The Second Division broke through the Bulgarian defense line at 9:30! Arrived at the city of Kavala, cutting off the retreat of the Ivanov Corps." The young signalman excitedly read out. The Second Division's smooth attack made him proud of the strength of the Greek Army.

However, this exciting news surprised Manugianowski: "So fast?!"

This is indeed good news for himself and the troops he commanded.

The Second Division is attacking in the direction of the Bulgarian Army's retreat.

His mission is to penetrate the Bulgarian Army's defense line before the Bulgarians ask for a ceasefire, occupy Kavala, build fortifications, prevent the Bulgarian army from retreating quickly, and buy time for all troops to divide and encircle the Bulgarian army.

This was not a very difficult task. Kavala was just a small port city with less than 10,000 residents. After the Bulgarian army occupied it, it became a distribution center for Bulgarian army supplies.

The early reconnaissance of the reconnaissance aircraft showed that there were not many Bulgarian troops in Kavala, only about one infantry regiment. The Bulgarians obviously believed that Kavala, which was behind the army's defense line, was very safe.

Therefore, Colonel Hoffman, director of the Operations Department of the Macedonian Army Staff, made a very bold suggestion that after the Second Division broke through the Bulgarian army's defense line, the Fourth Division should be directly commanded to bypass Kavala City from the side and cut off the enemy's retreat in order to force the Bulgarian Ivanov Army to surrender.

However, the marching plan was risky. If it succeeded, it could indeed achieve greater results and possibly encircle the Bulgarian Ivanov Army.

However, this would put the Second Division in danger, and the Second Division would face the pressure of the entire local army.

However, if we just chase the fleeing Ivanov Corps, it will not be very effective. The Greek army must play a blocking role to create opportunities for the main force of the Macedonian Corps to encircle and annihilate the Ivanov Corps.

Manujianaski could only pray for the Second Division in his heart, hoping that they could successfully block the Ivanov Corps.

Somewhere in the Second Division of the Macedonian Corps.

The Bulgarians would not give Captain Ehard's infantry time to build fortifications. The Greeks did not even have time to dig a foxhole before the Bulgarians arrived.

"The Bulgarians are coming!"

"Damn! At least 2 companies!"

If it was in a complete trench fortification, the Greeks would not care about these Bulgarians who only knew how to hold Mosin-Nagant and rush up in dense formations.

However, now there is no cover, and the Greeks can only lie on the ground directly. Facing the Bulgarians' human waves, they felt the pressure brought to them by the numerical disadvantage for the first time.

"Fire! Don't let the Bulgarians get close!" Captain Ehard shouted loudly, then raised his rifle and pulled the trigger at the Bulgarian soldier in front.

The bolt automatically ejected the metal shell emitting gunpowder smoke from the ejection port, and the chest of the running Bulgarian soldier burst into bright red blood. The legs that had been striding hard suddenly lost the strength to support the body, and the knees softened and fell to the ground. The force of the forward rush brought the body that had lost its strength to slide on the grass for a distance before falling to the ground.

This gunshot was like a signal, and in an instant, the Greek front line was full of gunfire.

The crossfire formed by more than a dozen Maxim machine guns blocked the Bulgarians' charge. The machine gunner slightly turned the gun body, and the long whip formed by the bullets swept across the battlefield, and the charging Russian soldiers fell to the ground in rows.

The open space 200 meters in front of the bushes defended by the Greeks became a death zone. The Bulgarian uniforms turned the originally green grass into withered yellow early.

However, the fierce firepower of the Greeks did not make the Bulgarians retreat. The sound resounding through the battlefield did not disappear because of the terrible casualties. More Bulgarian soldiers shouted slogans and stepped on the corpses to continue charging!

The Bulgarian officers also knew that if they could not break through the Greek defense line in time, the entire Ivanov Corps might be surrounded and annihilated by the Greeks without the pursuit of the Greek army.

"Damn it, two more companies are coming!"

"Oh, God! There's more fucking to come!"

"We've stung a fucking hornet's nest!"

"Suppressive fire! Suppressive fire!"

"Shit! Bulgarian Maxim!"

The appearance of the Maxim heavy machine gun made the situation for the Greeks immediately become dangerous. Bullets kept flying over the foreheads of the Greek soldiers. The branches of the bushes were broken and the bullets shot into the soil in front of them. The sound made the Greeks wish they could press their bodies into the ground, and the flying stray bullets began to cause casualties among the Greeks.

"We need fire support! We need". He supported his upper body with his hands and raised his head to look at the densely packed Bulgarians rushing in front of him. Before he could finish shouting, a stray bullet hit his head, and his lifeless body was struck. On the ground, the guy next to the corpse suddenly lowered his head in reflex.

"Pay attention to concealment! Pay attention to concealment! If you don't want to be shot, lower your heads!"

"Kill that son of a bitch!"

"It's useless! Our bullets can't penetrate their shields!"

"Keep shooting! Keep shooting! Hold down that son of a bitch's machine gun!" Captain Erhard, who was running back and forth from behind his own position, shouted loudly, and then there was a tooth-wrenching sound of metal scraping. From his head, Erhard suddenly fell down on his back, and the helmet on his head fell to the ground and rolled half a meter away.

······

At this time, Sofia, Bulgaria, fell into unprecedented panic.

Among all enemies, Romania is advancing the fastest, only a few dozen kilometers away from Sofia.

The most worrying thing is the Macedonian army. Ivanov informed the rear that Ivanov's army's retreat is in danger of being cut off.

As the main Bulgarian force with 200,000 people, the Ivanov Army is the elite of the Bulgarian Army. Once it is lost, it will severely damage the Bulgarian Army.

"The Austro-Hungarian Empire deceived me. They deceived Bulgaria. It was agreed that once the war situation was unfavorable, the Austro-Hungarian Empire would actually go down personally and completely solve Serbia," Ferdinand I roared.

"They wrote me a bad check"

Ferdinand walked back and forth anxiously and said in panic.

Ferdinand did not realize that Bulgaria did not realize that the place where Austria-Hungary made diplomatic decisions was in Vienna, but the place where military decisions were made was in Berlin.

Kaiser Wilhelm II was already fed up with Austria-Hungary's practice of making big news in the Balkans all day long, only to seek German endorsement when the matter was about to happen.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina crisis had only passed five years ago. At that time, Austria-Hungary had a private exchange with Russia behind Germany's back. At the last moment, it turned to Germany's support and annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, which worsened the relationship between Germany and Turkey and Germany and Russia.

This time Germany refused to support Austria-Hungary, and Austria-Hungary would naturally not take chestnuts from the fire for Bulgaria.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire expressed its intention to join the war, so Bulgaria dared to go to war. However, Bulgaria was tricked by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Bulgaria is not a fool. The reason why Bulgaria dared to tear up the treaty and actively attack Greece and Serbia was the instigation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Austria-Hungary promised Bulgaria that it would also join the war.

As a result, Bulgaria joined the war, but the Austro-Hungarian Empire gave in and tricked Bulgaria.

When Austria-Hungary was preparing to join the war, it was afraid of Russia's participation in the war and sought help from Germany. Germany was not ready for a full-scale war with Russia, so of course it did not want to deal with it. The Austro-Hungarian Empire did not have Germany's guarantee and did not dare to go to war because it was afraid of Russia.

Then poor Bulgaria was mobbed.

"What did the Austro-Hungarian ambassador say? Can they ensure Bulgaria's territorial integrity as promised?" Ferdinand I eagerly asked his military adviser Zhekov.

"I just inquired about Ambassador Schmidt, Your Majesty. He just said that the Austro-Hungarian Empire will try its best to preserve the territorial integrity of Bulgaria," Zhekov said helplessly.

After independence, Bulgaria's economy developed rapidly. At this time, it was already the strongest among the Balkan countries. However, it was still an agricultural country, and the main source of troops for the army was also farmers.

In order to prepare for future wars, Bulgaria implemented separatism and had a large and well-equipped army, so it was called "Eastern Prussia."

Bulgaria, like several other countries, also has its own dream of becoming a great power. The planned "Greater Bulgaria" will span the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, extending from Macedonia to Dobroga.

Today, this dream of Bulgarians has been shattered.

After the victory in the last war (the Balkan War), the Bulgarians' political ambitions expanded dramatically, and they even took action against Constantinople.