Chapter 53: The First Division

Hearing Metaxas's sincere request, Constantine was thoughtful.

"Metaxas, your judgment is based on purely military considerations, without considering the domestic and international situation," Constantine explained.

"Let's not talk about other factors. After the Berlin Treaty in 1881, all countries have reached a consensus on the territorial issue of the Balkans: unless all countries reach a unified consensus, they are prohibited from unilaterally changing the status quo in the Balkans," Constantine said helplessly.

Even as strong as Russia, after the victory of the Russo-Turkish War in 1878, the British fleet sailed to the Sea of ​​Marmara, and the Anglo-Russian naval war was imminent. It had to give up the results it had achieved and succumb to international pressure.

The original problem between Russia and Turkey has turned into an international issue.

"Without the consent of the great powers, we can't take military action at all," Constantine said helplessly.

As for resisting the pressure of the great powers and forcing the war, Constantine did not mention it at all, because it was absolutely impossible.

Although Constantine thought Metaxas's suggestion was unrealistic, he was still impressed by his sharp insight into the changes in military power.

After all, the other party was only a division-level staff officer. It was too difficult for him to consider the issue from the perspective of the government and the international political situation.

"Okay, Chief of Staff Metaxas, please introduce me to the general situation of our Thessaly First Division."

"Yes, sir, the First Division mainly consists of the Second Infantry Regiment, stationed in Lamia. The Fourth Infantry Regiment is stationed in Larissa. The Fifth Infantry Regiment is stationed in Trikala. The first and second squadrons of the First Field Artillery Regiment are stationed in Larissa. The Engineering Battalion, headquartered in Larissa," Metaxas replied.

"The total number is about 11,000 people."

As one of the main divisions of Greece, the First Division of the Thessaly Legion is undoubtedly the ace division of Greece.

Then Metaxas led Constantine to the playground to watch the army.

The neatly lined soldiers, holding rifles in their hands, and the bright silver bayonets with curved edges made people feel cold.

"Is this a Chaposse rifle?" Constantine pointed to the special rifle in the soldier's hand and said.

The reason why Constantine could recognize this as a Chaposse rifle at a glance was that the bayonet of this rifle was very special.

First, the length. The Chaposse rifle with a bayonet reached meters and could be used as a long gun.

Second, its unique appearance borrowed from the Turkish Yatkan scimitar.

Metaxas, who accompanied the inspection, stepped forward and said; "Yes, it is an improved model, using a full metal copper shell."

The Chaposse rifle was the main rifle equipped by the French army in the Franco-Prussian War. Even though the French failed, countries still believed that the Chaposse rifle was more advanced than the German Dreyse rifle.

The most convincing innovation of Chaposse was the rubber gas-tight sleeve on the surface of the bolt to prevent gas leakage.

Although this method is not perfect, because after each shot, the rubber will shrink and harden due to the gas and eventually lose its function, and needs to be replaced at any time, but compared with the firing pin of the Dresser rifle, which is in deep trouble, how can this be considered a problem?

"What kind of cannon is our artillery equipped with?" Constantine asked curiously.

Because the artillery cannon is huge and heavy, it is not easy to move casually. There is no need to make a big move just to review the troops.

Therefore, the cannon did not appear.

"Since the Germans defeated the French, the German Krupp breech-loading cannon has become famous all over the world," Metaxas replied.

From the Shaposse rifles and Krupp cannons equipped by the First Division, we can see its important position in the Greek army.

These weapons are carefully selected from the weapons in service in various countries and bought from overseas at a large cost.

The total number of the Greek Army is about 50,000. Although this number is not large, the Bulgarian Army next door has nearly 100,000.

However, for an agricultural country like Greece with a population of just over a million, this is already a heavy burden.

·······

After two months of exploration, the route of the Matadi-Kinshasa railway in Congo has been determined.

Bannion informed Constantine of the news by telegram, and established a Congo Railway Company according to the plan to develop the Congo River Basin.

It is estimated that this railway company needs to raise 25 million francs of founding capital to build a railway in the uninhabited tropical jungles of southern Africa.

Faced with such a huge sum of money, Banning's head was almost pulled bald. He knew very well that the Greek royal family had limited wealth and could not invest in Congo as much as before.

As for the bankers in Greece, their capital was weak, and it was impossible for them to raise such a huge sum of money.

This means that the new Kingdom of Congo must rely on its own strength to raise enough development funds.

At the suggestion of Constantine, Banning first came to Belgium and contacted bankers in the Belgian banking industry.

Although King Leopold II of Belgium had previously expressed to Constantine his willingness to contract the railway rights of Matadi-Kinshasa, Constantine, who understood its importance, did not agree.

If the Belgians could obtain completely independent railway rights, Belgian bankers would be willing to bear the risks for their own benefit, considering the broad prospect of future profits.

But the current situation is that the Congo Railway Company is only seeking financial support for this project. They are just one of the shareholders, and risk is an important factor they need to consider.

According to Banning's response, bankers from various countries responded coldly.

The current situation in Congo is that the main export commodities are ivory, rubber, and palm, all of which are primary products with a total amount of about one million francs.

It is difficult to imagine how to raise the initial capital of 25 million francs in such a densely populated place with primitive jungles and lack of important commodities.

Congo's mineral reserves and varieties are rich, and the contemporary people do not know Constantine's experience in later generations.

Moreover, a considerable part of Congo's minerals are rare metals, and the market demand is not strong at this time when the second industrial revolution is in full swing.

For example, Congo's uranium mines are now used to dye porcelain.

Congo Railway needs more attractive news to attract investors' attention.

Constantine, sitting in the office, racked his brains to think about ways to raise funds.

"Your Highness, the tea you requested." Schmidt placed the exquisite teacup in front of the frowning Constantine.

Seeing the restless Constantine, Schmidt kindly offered advice: "Duke, the news of the discovery of a large gold mine in South Africa has attracted gold diggers from all over Europe. Can we also release some news that a new gold mine has been discovered in the Congo region?"

"In this way, under the temptation of gold, someone will definitely be willing to pay for the railway in Congo"

Hearing Schmidt's suggestion, Constantine's eyes lit up.