Mediterranean Hegemony Road

In November 1911, Germany and France reached a compromise again and signed the German-French Agreement.

Namely: the Germans recognized the French protection of Morocco, and the French ceded part of the Congolese territory to the Germans.

Oh, the Spaniards also took advantage of it. Due to the confrontation between Germany and France, Spain acquiesced in occupying the northern part of Morocco. Later, France and Spain also signed a treaty to recognize their respective spheres of influence.

Of course, as the price of quelling this dispute, the French people have fallen again! The Joseph-Cayo cabinet, which had been in power for less than half a year, was ousted by the angry French people because of the exposure of secret negotiations with the Germans.

And his successor is the Democratic-Republican Raymond - Poincaré (Raymond - Poincaré), there is no doubt that he is one of the leaders of the main war faction.

Raymond Poincaré went out to Lorraine on August 20, 186o, and advocated more active action against the Germans. In short, he was pulling the Allies to avenge the Germans!

He believed that as long as France defeated Germany, Alsace and Lorraine could be recaptured, and the Saar mines and even the Ruhr area could be occupied!

The coming to power of Raymond Poincaré marked that the French main war faction had taken the dominant position, and a world war was unavoidable.

Oh, at this time, the French have occupied 635.9% of Africa's territory, and the area of ​​colonies in Africa has already surpassed that of Britain and Germany, ranking first.

Now France is the second largest colonial empire in the world, with a total colony area of ​​about 1060 million square kilometers, which is 20 times the area of ​​France itself, and only second to the British Empire.

At the same time, with the rise of Raymond Poincaré, nationalism in France further rose, and the neo-royalism, with Moraes as the leader, incited revenge against Germany, and Joseph Cayo, who will implement peaceful diplomacy Everyone is rendered as a French traitor!

under such circumstances,

Bulgaria put forward a proposal to reopen the Allied Conference, coordinate internal conflicts, and strive for a consistent diplomatic stance among all countries. Naturally, it was supported by the French!

Oh, the pact meeting has not yet started, but the bau-russian negotiation has already begun. In order to solve the hidden contradictions between the two countries and to create favorable conditions for Bulgaria to expand in the future, Ferdinand proposed to the tsarist government that the two countries hold high-level meetings and conduct in-depth exchanges in the strategic field.

In May 1912, Ferdinand, with Queen Xenia, embarked on a journey to visit St. Petersburg again.

Oh, since Alexei, the only son of Nicholas II, suffered from hemophilia, he has no interest in traveling any more. Seeking doctors and medicines has become part of Nicholas II's daily life. .

For Ferdinand, who was visiting at this time, Nicholas II was already envious and jealous. His only son was still a sick one, while Ferdinand's six sons were all alive and kicking.

Of course, these are just things to think about in my heart. If it is said that Nicholas II does not need to mix in the noble circle, the relationship between the two royal families will be over.

No, according to the current succession to the Russian throne of the Tsar, a few little ones seem to be still in the top ten. However, the aristocratic circle in Europe has always been chaotic, and this miscellaneous issue of inheritance rights is even more chaotic, and the ranking of inheritance rights is constantly changing.

In addition to the little Alexei's status as the crown prince, the inheritance rights of several daughters, including Nicholas II, may change at any time. Simply put, if Nicholas II has another son, they will continue to step back.

Oh no! Now they haven't been canonized yet. In theory, princesses have no right of inheritance. Only after being canonized as Grand Duchess can they have the right of succession!

As soon as they met, the two sides naturally talked happily. After attending the welcome banquet, Ferdinand was also invited to hunt in the royal garden.

Well, hunting is fake, secret talk is real! After all, there are a lot of eyes staring at them now. Once the news is leaked, it is likely to cause unnecessary trouble.

...

What is the purpose of your visit, Ferdinand? asked Nicholas II

Obviously, he does not believe that it is just a strategic exchange that requires Prince Ferdinand to run and lie down. Do you really think that the king is very idle?

Ferdinand smiled slightly and said, The smell of gunpowder in the European Big 6 is so strong that the two major leagues may fight at any time. Bulgaria can't escape, so it is natural to prepare in advance!

The purpose of my visit this time is so obvious, you can't guess?

Nicholas II laughed and said, But don't you think that the war has not yet begun, is it too early to talk about dividing up the spoils?

Early talk is better than late talk! As much as you get benefits, you have to make as many contributions as you can, so you don't have to argue in the end, hurt everyone's harmony, and affect the unity of the alliance! Ferdinand said lightly

Well, Nicholas II also knew that Ferdinand was talking nonsense. He was worried that after the war, Bulgaria's interests would not be guaranteed, and he wanted to use the treaty to clarify it in advance.

However, this is also in the interests of the Russian Empire. If both Russia and Bulgaria demand that the world be divided up in advance, the interests of each country and the obligations of each country should be delimited, which is also very beneficial to the Russian Empire.

Nicholas II is very independent in the strength of the Russian Empire. If the Allies and the Allies break out into a war, the Russian 6th Army will definitely be the main force, and the biggest cake will definitely have a share of the Russians.

In fact, he is also very worried that after the war, the three countries will join forces to crowd out the Russian Empire. There is also precedent for this kind of thing, and it is not once or twice that European countries have jointly excluded Russia.

Nicholas II thought for a while and said, Yes, dividing responsibilities and obligations in advance and dividing up interests according to their respective contributions is indeed conducive to the unity of the alliance!

Negotiation has never been a simple matter. If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs comes to negotiate, it is not necessary to try to reach a conclusion without a few months of mutual testing.

Obviously, Ferdinand didn't plan to try it slowly, and said straight to the point: The world situation is very obvious now. Once the war breaks out, the Allied countries are almost guaranteed to win, and the distribution of interests after the war is also carried out among our four countries.

For the traditional friendship between the two of us, I think it is necessary for the two sides to divide the scope of strength, try to avoid each other's core interests, and even if they cannot avoid it, they must coordinate as much as possible, so as not to let Britain and France take advantage of it!

Ferdinand's meaning is obvious, either Russia and Bulgaria will continue to unite, and everyone will be allies to carve up the Eastern European region; or they will go their separate ways, and Bulgaria will have to follow Britain and France as a little brother!

Obviously, the second situation is not in the interests of both countries. Judging from the current situation, as long as Russia and Bulgaria continue to join forces, the partition of Eastern Europe will become a foregone conclusion.

If it were tit for tat, maybe everyone would be in a vacuum!

What do you want? asked Nicholas II

Even if it is cooperation, it is still the Russians who take the initiative, which is determined by the strength of both sides.

Ferdinand said calmly: I need your support for Bulgaria to unify the Balkans, colonize the Asia Minor Peninsula, and carve up some of the Allied colonies!

In return, Bulgaria will also support all your interests in this war!

Well, Ferdinand's conditions are not unexpected. Anyone with a discerning eye can see Bulgaria's strategy. Since the end of the Second Balkan War, Ferdinand's strategy has been exposed.

I saw Nicholas II shook his head and said, No, the Black Sea Strait is too important to the Russian Empire, we can't give up!

Ferdinand smiled slightly and said, This is important only now. After your country turns the Baltic Sea into an inland lake, the strategic value of the Black Sea Strait will be reduced, and then it will only be a golden waterway!

We can continue to maintain the status quo, all ships in your country can sail freely, Bulgaria will not charge customs duties, and your country's interests can still be protected!

What? Turn the Baltic Sea into an inner lake? Nicholas II exclaimed with a change of expression.

This strategy, the Russians have not thought about it, and even implemented it, but the enemy in the Baltic Sea is too powerful.

However, changes are about to take place now. Once the Germans are defeated, will the remaining Denmark and Sweden still have the strength to prevent the Russians from rushing out of the Baltic Sea?

Strategically, the Baltic Sea seems to be more valuable than the Black Sea, and beyond the Baltic Sea is the Atlantic Ocean.

In contrast, after leaving the Black Sea Strait and entering the Mediterranean Sea, it is still a cage, but the scope is larger. If the Russians want to implement a maritime strategy, they can either seize control of the Suez Canal between Egypt and the British;

Forget this, it is even more unrealistic. This is the rhythm of one-on-one confrontation with the major European powers. Therefore, as early as the end of the 19th century, the Russians abandoned the strategy of breaking out from the Mediterranean and attempted to obtain a strategic breakthrough in the Far East.

Ferdinand asked back: Is there a problem? If the Germans are defeated, don't tell me that Denmark and Sweden still have the courage to block your country?

No! Nicholas II said confidently

Now he has calmed down. Previously, the Russians' strategies were based on the premise of the existence of Germany. Once the Germans were defeated, the French would definitely weaken or even divide the Germans. As long as the two countries expressed their support, the British could do nothing.

At that time, the only imaginary enemies of the Russians in the Baltic Sea will be Denmark and Sweden. Even if Britain and France will support them, they will not have the courage to jump out?

They are not Japan in the Far East, and there are natural dangers in Siberia that hinder the Russians' power input. If they jump out, they can't stand it in the face of a steady stream of gray animals!

Too far from God, too close to the bear! This is doomed to the position of the two countries, and the relationship between Russia and Denmark is still very friendly, and there is almost no possibility of confrontation between the two countries!

Ferdinand has always believed that there is nothing that cannot be traded between countries. If there is, it must be that the interests are not large enough! When the common interests of both parties are large enough, the alliance is logical.

So the second Russian Confidential Pact was signed. The appetite of the Russians was much larger than Ferdinand imagined. In addition to being interested in Eastern Europe, they were also interested in the Ottomans in Central Asia.

Even in order to realize their world strategy, Nicholas II once again proposed the establishment of a military alliance to counter the Anglo-French alliance that may appear after the war.

Oh, this is the establishment of the Slavic Empire proposed by Ferdinand in order to fool the Russians before. It seems that Nicholas II is still obsessed with this!

It's just that the two sides are now jointly establishing an empire, just like the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages. It is a country in name, but in fact the major princes have enough autonomy.

Well, it's all empty promises anyway, and of course Ferdinand agreed. The two sides even agreed on the time of establishment, and a joint empire would be established within a year after the end of the European War.

There is no doubt that Nicholas II will serve as the emperor of the new empire - Augustus, and Ferdinand has also earned the title of Caesar!

Well, with a name for his son, I won't be too lazy to complain. Anyway, these two names are full of Roman meaning, and it seems that the Russians have not given up on rebuilding the Roman Empire.

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