Mediterranean Hegemony Road

Vienna once again became the focus of the world. In order to kill the Germans as soon as possible to end the war, the Allied Powers offered new conditions to the Austro-Hungarian government to win them over.

Of course, this is only a condition set by Britain and France. The conditions in Bulgaria have never changed. It is impossible to spit out the meat that has already been eaten.

Ferdinand II still inherited some of the diplomatic talent of the old emperor, and decisively seized the opportunity to bargain with the Allied countries.

Ferdinand II looked at the Minister of Foreign Affairs and asked eagerly, How is it, have the Allies agreed to our terms?

Leopold von Berchtold's expression was a bit complicated, and there was a bit of helplessness mixed with joy. After a moment of silence, he replied, Your Majesty, the Entente countries disagree on our request to safeguard national sovereignty.

The French have already expressed their consent to our demands and will try to persuade the Russians to make concessions; the British have also promised that they will support our demands, but there is no guarantee that the allies will agree!

The Bulgarian government said they can acquiesce to our actions, but we recognize that the sovereignty of the Balkans belongs to Bulgaria, and they will not let them out of the Transylvania plateau!

As for the Russians, they made territorial claims to Austrian Poland, Hungary, and Bohemia, and because their prices were too high, the negotiations could not proceed.

Now as long as the Austro-Hungarian Empire defected, the biggest problem for the Bulgarian army to attack the German mainland has been solved. Therefore, the attitude of the French is the most positive in attracting the Vienna government to join the Entente, while the Russians are the most resistant!

Ferdinand II said with some disappointment: It seems that the Allied Powers don't pay as much attention to us as we previously estimated. Neither of the two countries will make concessions, right?

Leopold von Bechtold thought for a while and said, Yes, Your Majesty! Although our decision is related to the outcome of this war, for the Bulgarian and Russian countries, no matter what we make No decision can change the outcome of the Entente winning this war!

As for the loss of the French,

They don't care, even if the Germans conquer Paris now, they can't annihilate the main force of the Anglo-French coalition.

Therefore, in the eyes of the two countries, even if the German offensive on the Western Front was successful, it would not change the outcome of this world war. Naturally, they would not make concessions!

The British have always had a national policy of keeping the European big 6 in balance. Although they will support us, they think our conditions are too high, and the two countries will not accept it, and they do not intend to intervene!

Chief of General Staff Conrad suddenly said: Your Majesty, the French have not really reached the moment of life and death. There are more than 200,000 French troops in the suburbs outside Paris. As long as they can block the Germans for a few days, It bought enough time for the British and French troops to reinforce Paris!

I am not convinced that the Germans will be able to conquer Paris in a short period of time. As long as the war drags on and the Bulgarian army appears in southern Germany, the Germans will be finished!

Although subject to logistical supplies, if Dante Christophe only maintained a combat force of 700,000 to 800,000 people on the front line, they could still be transported through Italy or Austria.

With more than a million Bulgarian troops acting as rations, I don't think we'll be able to cut off their supply lines!

And these 700,000 or 800,000 troops, once they entered Germany, would be enough to turn South Germany upside down. If the Germans did not transfer troops from the front line, they could even fight all the way to Berlin!

This time Bulgaria is willing to make great efforts to help the French, in addition to the benefits promised by Britain and France, there is also the snatch of booty.

Therefore, we are indeed very valuable in the eyes of the Bulgarian government, but this value is not enough to make them give up the interests they have already obtained to win over us!

As for the Russians, I don't think there is any need for contact at all. If the Germans can break through Paris, it should be more good news for St. Petersburg than our defections!

Conrad's words broke the illusion of Ferdinand II. He wanted the territorial integrity of the Austro-Hungarian Empire on the premise that the Austro-Hungarian Empire could control the outcome of the war.

But the reality is that the defection of the Austro-Hungarian Empire can allow the Allies to end the war ahead of schedule, and at the same time reduce some losses for the French. As for other aspects, the impact is very limited!

Ferdinand II pondered for a while, and said fiercely: Well, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will reach an agreement with the Allied countries as soon as possible. The bottom line is to keep the territory that is still in our hands!

It is impossible not to budge, and once the Paris crisis is over, they won't even have the chance to negotiate terms.

And there is also a lesson from the Italians. They can't help but worry. If the price is too high and the negotiation is made, when the Allied countries go back on it later, they will also be powerless!

Bulgaria and Russia join forces to carve up the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is this possible? In Ferdinand's view, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is a complete quagmire, but in the eyes of the outside world, it is in the interests of both sides that the two countries join forces to carve up the Austro-Hungarian Empire!

After all, it is known from the map that once the Austro-Hungarian Empire is divided, the Russians will get Austrian Poland, Hungary, Bohemia (including the Czech Republic and Slovakia), and Bulgaria will get Croatia, Slovenia and Austria.

This benefit is much greater than the combined value of all Bulgarian territories except the Balkans. The most direct benefit is that Bulgaria’s total industrial volume has directly increased by four layers, and its economic volume has increased by half, directly surpassing that of the French. !

Although the benefits are huge, they are poisonous! If the time was a hundred years earlier, Ferdinand might not hesitate to choose to carve up the Austro-Hungarian Empire with the Russians, but let's forget it now!

The current ethnic issues in Bulgaria alone are enough to bother him. If he eats half of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it is estimated that he will not have to do anything in the future. He will try to find a way to integrate ethnic groups every day!

Although Ferdinand had no interest in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it did not mean that there was no agreement between the two countries to carve up the Austro-Hungarian Empire. II communicated on the telegram!

Simply put, this agreement is the sword of Damocles hanging over the Vienna government, which scared them to quit! After all, this agreement will not become a reality if everyone joins the Allies and becomes allies!

In fact, there are many similar agreements, such as the agreement between the two countries to carve up the Italian peninsula, and there is even an agreement for the Allied countries to jointly carve up Germany.

These agreements all have one thing in common, that is, they are difficult to achieve, but everyone still signed them. The purpose is very clear to increase their bargaining power in the post-war negotiations!

For example, if Italy rejects the conditions of the two countries in the negotiation in the future, and everyone’s bottom line is still far from being able to reach an agreement, then this agreement has the possibility of starting.

After all, the two countries have joined forces to protect France. From a strength point of view, it is possible to carve up Italy. Even if the British want to intervene, the big deal will be his share!

This is used to scare the Italians, but this threat is not always just a threat, he still has the possibility of becoming a reality!

Obviously, Ferdinand II did not intend to test the determination of the two countries to protect Russia. Even if there was insider trading in secret, he still did not dare to try in the face of interests.

...

Sofia Palace, Foreign Minister Metev said with a smile: Your Majesty, the French ambassador to Bulgaria has just sent a diplomatic note. They hope that we can let the Austro-Hungarian Empire go away and not continue to annex their territory!

Ferdinand smiled and asked, So, the French have reached an agreement with the Vienna government?

Metev replied: From the information we have about me so far, yes!

After hesitating for a while, Ferdinand smiled and said: Tell the French, as long as Austria-Hungary recognizes our sovereignty over the Balkans and cedes the Transylvania plateau, we will let them go!

But war reparations are indispensable. If the Vienna government wants to recover the land we occupied, it must pay the ransom!

Metev replied calmly: Your Majesty, I don't think the Vienna government will raise any objection on this issue!

The Balkans have been eaten by us, and they must know that they can't take it back! And the Transylvania Plateau belongs to the Kingdom of Hungary, which can weaken the Kingdom of Hungary, and they have no reason to object!

As for the war reparations, Metefti did not mention it. This is a European practice. There is nothing to say. The Vienna government will not refuse to pay the reparations. The dispute between the two sides is nothing more than the amount.

Hmm! Ferdinand

Looking out the window, Ferdinand suddenly asked, You say, if we ask the Austro-Hungarian Empire to assume the debt owed by the Bulgarian government to the French, how likely is it that the French will agree?

Metev didn't answer right away, but asked in surprise: Your Majesty means, let the Austro-Hungarian Empire pay for us-is it right between us and the French?

Ferdinand nodded and said: Yes, now we owe the French more than 12 billion francs, and the war reparations that Austria-Hungary paid us this time will definitely be even more!

Let Austria-Hungary pay this debt for us directly, and then deduct it from their war reparations, so that we can also save a formality!

Metev was taken aback by Ferdinand's whimsical proposal. You must know that in this era, international loans are not just loans, but also contain many political interests!

For example, Bulgaria owed a huge amount of foreign debt to the French before, and the French influenced the position of the Bulgarian government financially through loans. Bulgaria has also cheered for the French in international diplomacy, and even joined the Entente at the end. There are also factors in this regard. !

Now if the debt relationship between Baofa does not exist, then the French will no longer want to influence Bulgaria's domestic and foreign affairs through loans!

Metev shook his head and said, Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's hard to say. If the French want to continue to maintain their influence over us, they probably won't agree, unless we use...

Suddenly, Metev realized that the French were likely to agree. After all, the war had already burned to the outskirts of Paris, and the damage caused to France by each extra day of the war was incalculable.

At this time, it was the time when they needed Bulgaria the most. Once Ferdinand's request was rejected, the Bulgarian army's attack on southern Germany may become a distant prospect.

The lesser of the two is the loss of financial influence on Bulgaria. This will not have much impact on France, but if the war continues, it will really jeopardize the fundamentals of France!

After a pause, Metev said: Your Majesty, we can try now! Even if we fail, we have nothing to lose. If we succeed, then the foreign debt on our shoulders will be reduced!

Yeah! Ferdinand replied with satisfaction

Then Ferdinand fell into contemplation again. If he succeeded this time and dumped the foreign debts owed to the French to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, could he still do the same and transfer the debts of the British and Americans?

On the face of it, the transfer of these foreign debts was done only to get rid of the countries' financial influence over Bulgaria.

But the deeper reason is only clear to Ferdinand himself. After this world war, the defeated countries have to pay huge amounts of war reparations, and with their post-war economic conditions, they are simply unable to repay so many debts. .

What if I don't have the money to pay the debt? The answer is obvious: default!

Whatever you do, they have no money to pay their debts anyway, unless Bulgaria can also learn the French way of recovering the arrears and send troops directly to grab it.

Historically, the French methods were very effective, but unfortunately they encountered an economic crisis, and neither machinery nor minerals could be used in an economic crisis!

Then, the French government got into the water, and directly returned these to the Germans, allowing Hitler to use these properties to restore the German economy, and then start World War II.

It can be said that if the French government persisted, even if they did not withdraw from the Ruhr area, the Germans would not be able to do anything to them.

At that time, subject to the Treaty of Versailles, the German army was only 100,000 people, and even heavy weapons were restricted, and there was no strength to fight them.

As long as you firmly hold on to the German heavy industry area and don't let go, without the support of heavy industry, Germany will be a tiger without teeth. Even if Hitler comes to power, it will be useless, right?

With the lessons of history, Ferdinand will naturally let others jump in this pit!

Because of his butterfly effect, the losses of Britain and France in this world war are much smaller than in history. Even if they make a little more money, it is a drizzle compared to the huge war expenses!

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