1890 King of Southeast Asia

There are many gunpowder kegs in history, such as the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun in our history, such as the current Middle East, or the war that is happening.

In different historical eras, gunpowder kegs refer to different places, such as the Balkan Peninsula at this time.

As mentioned in the previous article, the Ottoman Empire accelerated the process of military reform due to the existence of Nanhua, and received help from many countries such as Britain, the United States, and Germany to establish a huge new army.

With the support of this new army, the Ottoman Empire performed well in the Bosnia crisis and regained part of its rule over Bosnia.

In the face of the toughness of the Ottoman Empire, Joseph Franz I chose to compromise. After all, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was also a giant with sick feet.

But it was not only the Austro-Hungarian Empire that coveted Bosnia, but also the Kingdom of Serbia, which was determined to establish Greater Serbia.

Unlike the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was dragged to death by internal conflicts, the Kingdom of Serbia, although not large in area and with poor industrial capacity, was relatively united internally and could face the outside world in unison.

Moreover, it is not just Serbia that is dissatisfied and envious of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans.

…

On January 25th, the last week of January 1911, the whole world seemed more lively.

On January 25th, a group of mysterious people bribed local Ottoman officials in Macedonia and smuggled a large number of goods into Macedonia.

On the 27th, arsenal explosions occurred in many cities in Macedonia, and the obvious human traces suffocated the entire Balkan Peninsula.

Before the Ottoman Empire reacted, a similar incident occurred in Albania on January 28th.

The handling of the Albanian authorities of the Ottoman Empire was completely opposite to the approach taken by the Macedonian authorities.

The Macedonian authorities immediately closed the city and imposed a curfew. The police composed of locals and Turks jointly investigated the incident and appeased the citizens.

The Albanian authorities also did the same thing in the first half, closing the city, enforcing a curfew and martial law, and investigating the entire incident - but it was carried out by the old Turkish army.

The old Turkish army was similar to the Eight Banners and Green Camps of the Qing Empire. They were not good at fighting, but they were the best at oppressing the people.

From January 29, the old Turkish army began an "investigation" and required everyone to pay a huge "deposit". Those who did not pay the "deposit" would be taken away as suspects.

From January 29 to the morning of February 1, the Albanian authorities arrested more than 3,000 Albanians, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the Albanian people.

Serbia also had the dream of Qin Shihuang's unification. Serbia had been looking for opportunities, but the growing strength of the Ottoman Empire did not give it a chance.

Albania was sandwiched between the Kingdom of Montenegro and the Macedonian region of the Ottoman Empire, blocking Serbia's outlet to the Mediterranean.

If an outlet could be obtained, Serbia's dream of "Greater Serbia" would be possible.

This time, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy had a real fight over the issues of Tripoli and Libya. Both sides continued to increase their troops, and the Ottoman Empire even withdrew some of its troops in Europe.

This gave the Kingdom of Serbia, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, the Kingdom of Greece, and the Kingdom of Montenegro an opportunity to take a big bite of the fat meat from the Ottoman Empire.

After a brief exchange, the four countries with ulterior motives reached a consensus, formed a fragile alliance, began to put pressure on the Ottoman Empire, and began to prepare for war.

The situation in the Balkans changed so quickly that even for a time, the countries had no time to react, and they were also unsure about the development of the local situation.

Especially Britain!

The Russian Empire has always wanted to reach Istanbul. In addition to ridiculous religious reasons, it is more important to seize the passage from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea-the Turkish Straits.

(The Turkish Straits include the Istanbul Strait, the Sea of ​​Marmara, and the most famous Dardanelles. I won’t tell you why they are famous. You tell me.)

This is something Britain cannot tolerate, absolutely not! Even allies cannot do it.

After all, at this time, Britain had not fought a real battle with the Germans on the battlefield, and did not know that its army and the French army were no match at all, and it urgently needed the Russian Empire to contain Germany.

And look at these kingdoms.

There are four countries in total, of which Serbia, Bulgaria and Montenegro are all Slavs.

The title of the Tsar is - Protector of the Slavs. For the support of the Russian Empire, these countries are willing to be the Tsar's younger brothers.

What is the difference between them controlling the Turkish Straits and Russia controlling the Turkish Straits?

London.

"We can't let the situation deteriorate. At least before the Ottoman Empire ends the last war, the Balkans must remain calm." Asquith said solemnly with a pipe in his hand.

"Let the Ottomans transfer the 100,000 people they put in the Suez Canal to their territory in Europe, and everything will be solved." Winston said proudly, holding a blood scab in his mouth.

"If the Ottomans wanted, they would have been transferred long ago. They will not compromise easily, at least for now." The Foreign Minister shook his head.

"Then let them compromise. Which is more important, the European zone or Libya? It is easy to see that Libya has nothing but sand." Winston said easily.

Asquith frowned, wondering if Winston had gone out without taking his medicine today.

"Winston, the Ottoman Empire can't afford to lose. They need a victory." Asquith said irritably.

The current problem is very troublesome. Asquith originally hoped to sell out the interests of the Ottomans to satisfy Italy's appetite and win over Italy.

It doesn't matter if he makes enemies with the Ottomans at that time. Anyway, he doesn't plan to do anything for Tsarist Russia.

But now, he needs to win over the Ottomans, strengthen the Ottomans, and consolidate their rule.

The Ottoman Empire has gathered the wealth of the whole country (civilians) to build a new army and a new navy. If it loses twice in a row, the people may lose confidence and have a revolution like the Qing Empire.

He cannot guarantee that after the collapse of the Ottoman regime, the successor will continue to oppose the Russian Empire. What if they merge?

The Ottoman regime has no such worries. The hundreds of years of war between the two sides have made it impossible for them to stand together, and the fundamental conflict of strategic interests makes it impossible for them to resolve their hatred.

Think about it, the Russo-Turkish War has been fought ten times, and both sides have fought their brains out.

If the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire form an alliance, it will be no less shocking to the people of both sides than the news that China and Japan have reached an alliance today.

That will arouse public indignation!

Even... there may be a mutiny.

"Then, we want Italy to get what they want, and we want the Ottoman Empire to get what they want... Excuse me, Prime Minister, this is impossible." Winston pouted, took a puff of cigar, and shook his head while smoking.

"The war in Tripoli has been going on for eight months, and both sides have consumed a lot. We should accept the reality and stop the meaningless fighting." The Foreign Minister suddenly said.

Asquith looked at the Foreign Minister hesitantly.

He knew what the Foreign Minister meant, to mediate between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire with Tripoli and other coastal cities as the bottom line.

"Isn't this the idea of ​​no one being satisfied? Excuse me, Joe, the greed of human nature will cause them to not see our efforts, and they will only be dissatisfied with us." Winston expressed Asquith's concerns.

"We don't need to satisfy anyone, as long as the British Empire needs it."

"If Italy gets Tripoli, the Mediterranean will be more lively. At least for now, when the Empire is temporarily unable to compete with France for control of the Mediterranean, introducing Italians is a good choice."

After the Foreign Minister said this, everyone's eyes lit up.

Just like today, no matter who scolds Japan (South Korea), South Korea (Japan) has to help the scene, the British-French feud cannot be ended by a sincere agreement.

Although we can't be hostile, it's okay to make some small moves.

"Well, let's do it this way first. The most important thing now is to stop the Tsar's minions in the Black Sea. Whoever dares to stretch out his claws will be chopped off without mercy!" Winston agreed.

"Send a telegram to the King of Italy and Muhammad V of the Ottoman Empire. The British Empire hopes to mediate the war between the two countries." Asquith nodded.

"By the way, you can send a telegram to Vienna. They are more sensitive to the movements of the Russians than we are." The Foreign Minister suggested.

"Yes, Britain and Austria-Hungary will mediate at the same time. They will not give face." - It can also split the relationship between Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy.

Further, it is possible that Kaiser Wilhelm will face the difficult problem of choosing between the two.

Austria is a German, the overlord of southern Germany, the former ruler of Germany, and the Holy Roman Emperor who is neither holy nor Roman.

Moreover, a lean camel is bigger than a horse. The predecessor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Austrian Empire, was the leading European power. Vienna was once the political center of Europe - after the Anti-French War and before the Austro-Prussian War.

If it really has to choose between the two, no one would think that there is suspense about who Germany will choose.

...

After receiving the telegram, Italy and the Ottoman Empire stepped up their offensive. The Ottoman Empire even asked Nanhua to pass through the Red Sea.

Nanhua refused in the name of neutrality.

It was the Austro-Hungarian Empire that responded to the British telegram at the first time, calling on the two countries to sit down and negotiate and solve the problem by peaceful means.

The Germans were forced to stand on the side of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but they did not express their position publicly.

By the end of February, the Ottoman army had pushed the Italians back to the battle line of November last year through an attack regardless of casualties - the transition area from the desert to the hills and mountains.

Then, the Ottomans agreed to peace talks. There was no other way. Sparks had appeared in the Balkans and the army needed to be mobilized to put out the fire.

After the Balkan coalition learned the news, it stepped up its preparations for war and actively contacted Italy, hoping to attack together.

Italy also had a hard time. They didn't have much money to begin with. After this war, the military expenditure had long been overspent.

If the battlefield situation was favorable, it would be fine to continue fighting, but the Ottoman Empire's attack regardless of casualties tilted the battlefield situation towards the Ottoman Empire, and it seemed more difficult to continue fighting.

On February 18, the Kingdom of Italy announced its acceptance of mediation and the two sides began peace talks.

On February 19, Montenegro declared war on the Ottoman Empire. Within a week, the remaining three kingdoms of the Balkan coalition also declared war on the Ottoman Empire.

The First Balkan War began...

This also meant that the Balkans, a powder keg, officially began to lose control...

(