My Italy

In 1889, a new year began.

Stefan Stambolov ended his busy day at work. He left the Prime Minister's Office under the protection of his bodyguards, and took a carriage ready to drive all the way to his home.

Stambolov sat in the car with his eyes closed to relax his tired brain after a day's work.

This Stefan Stambolov is no ordinary figure. He is the current Prime Minister of Bulgaria, and he is the one who supported the new King Ferdinand I to succeed him. It is no exaggeration to say that he is currently the number one person in Bulgarian politics.

What is even more enviable is that compared with prime ministers in other countries who are in their 50s or 60s, Stambolov, who is only 35 years old, can be said to be terrifyingly young.

The reason for this is not only his outstanding ability (known as the Bulgarian Bismarck), but also his unparalleled luck and keen judgment. When Bulgaria became independent in 1878, he was just a young and outrageous member of Parliament, and by 1884 he became the Speaker.

Then in 1886, a group of pro-Russian Bulgarian officers launched a coup and expelled Grand Duke Alexander I from the country. At this time, Stambolov stood up. He used public opinion and the heavy pressure of the people to force the officers of the coup to return power to the parliament.

It was precisely by virtue of his status as speaker that Stambolov then selected new monarchs from various countries. Finally, Prince Ferdinand from the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Kohari family became the new king of Bulgaria. During this period, he withstood the pressure from Russia, so much so that Russian Foreign Minister Gorchakov once said angrily. "The fruits of the war between Russia and the Ottomans were stolen by the thief Stambolov."

Whatever the Russians thought, Stambolov removed Bulgaria from the possibility of Russian control. This is very important to the Bulgarians because it allows them to gain independent power.

Of course, when you gain independent power, you will also lose some, but it is worth it.

When Stambolov arrived at his home, he saw the housekeeper looking around at the door, waiting for someone. When he saw Stambolov, his eyes immediately lit up

"What's wrong?"

Seeing the butler's expression, Stambolov asked curiously.

The butler said in his ear. "The Italian Ambassador Mr. Toledo is here for a visit. He has been here for half an hour."

Italians visiting?

This news surprised Stambolov, because Bulgaria has little contact with the Italians, but has a good relationship with Romania next door.

At this time, Stambolov had an idea, "Just one ambassador?"

"No, in addition to the Toledo ambassador, there is another person with him. It seems that he is not the ambassador's entourage."

The news told by the butler made him even more confused.

But no matter what, since the Italian ambassador came to visit his home, he should receive him and see what medicine he was selling in his gourd.

Stambolov quickly walked to the door and immediately put on a smile. As soon as he entered the door, he saw the Italian ambassador in the living room and the visitors sitting with him.

"Ambassador Toledo, you are very welcome to my humble home."

Facing Stambolov's enthusiastic expression, Ambassador Toledo stood up together with the mysterious visitor. "This is a very presumptuous visit, and I hope your Excellency the Prime Minister can forgive me."

The words from Ambassador Toledo immediately made the atmosphere in the living room warm.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Stambolov observed this mysterious visitor. He is not tall, looks ordinary, and is about forty years old. This is his first impression.

As if seeing that Stamborov was interested in the people around him, Toledo, the ambassador, immediately introduced, "This is my colleague and friend in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Yassini Meyer. He is This time we are traveling on vacation. Considering our professional habits, we would like to pay a visit to the Prime Minister. I hope you don’t mind our presumptuous visit.”

Facing Toledo's introduction, Stambolov reached out and shook Mayer's hand. "You are very welcome to travel to Bulgaria. If you have any difficulties during the journey, you can report it directly to the local government. They will definitely make you feel at home."

After a brief chat to close the relationship between the two, Stambolov asked. "You two are visiting me this time. Do you have any business with me?"

As the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Stambolov, although he does not have everything on his plate, he does have a lot of things going on. The subtext of his asking was that if the two of you are fine, then go to bed early. Everyone has already met each other, so there is no need to chat.

Following his words, the middle-aged man named Mayer, a colleague of the ambassador, immediately spoke. "Your Excellency Prime Minister, I personally admire your country's ability to get rid of Russia's control. However, although the Berlin Conference in 1978 allowed your country to gain independence, it still has shortcomings. That is to include the Treaty of San Stefano in Great Bulgaria has given up, which is a pity.”

Faced with Mayer's words, even as prime minister, Stambolov couldn't contain his emotions. There is no way, this will always be a pain in the hearts of Bulgarians. The failure to unify all of Macedonia and parts of Thrace and unify the entire Bulgarian nation into one country is a loss for all Bulgarians.

Although Stambolov currently has a good relationship with the Ottomans in order to counter the pressure from Russia, who doesn't want to expand the territory and take back what originally belonged to the King of Bulgaria?

"I'm sorry, our country has a good relationship with the Ottoman Empire, and your words should not have been said at all."

After all, he was called the Bismarck of Bulgaria. Stambolov responded quickly. He immediately declared the friendly relations between Bulgaria and the Ottomans in a righteous manner.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend the relationship between your country and the Ottomans, nor did I have any intention to provoke relations between them."

Seeing that Stambolov was a little unhappy, Mayer immediately apologized.

"It's nothing, I just need to pay attention."

Faced with Mayer's apology, Stambolov graciously let it go.

"However, I think your country can discuss with the Ottomans about the Bulgarians living in Macedonia at an appropriate time in the future. I think your country should strengthen its ties with them so that these Bulgarians abroad can be more concerned about their motherland."

At this time, Mayer suddenly said something again, which completely angered Stambolov. He stood up immediately. Although he did not say it clearly, the meaning was very clear. He did not welcome the visit of the two of them. .

Faced with the attitude of the Bulgarian Prime Minister, the two could only leave in despair.

"What's going on, Your Excellency Mayer? Why did you anger the Prime Minister of Bulgaria as soon as you arrived? I'm wondering if you are from our Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although you brought Your Excellency Jiminy Bakona with you, you asked me to fully cooperate with you. Order, but I will report to Rome truthfully what happened today.”

After sitting back in the carriage, Ambassador Toledo completely exploded. He had such poor senses for the person in front of him that he didn't even say a word to him. Facing the ambassador's scolding, Mayer acted like a normal person and was still in the mood to enjoy the night view outside the window. However, his bright and interesting expression betrayed his mood.

As for the Prime Minister's Office, Stambolov, who was angry just now, is very calm now. He is thinking about the purpose of these two people, but he has too little information and cannot analyze anything. Now that the analysis has revealed something, let's have people investigate this guy named Mayer. He always feels that he doesn't seem to be friends with the Italian ambassador. As for the reason, it may be self-consciousness.

But in addition, he also gave instructions to the butler. "If that person named Yassini Meyer comes to me again, I will still entertain him warmly."

Stambolov's words surprised the steward. If he hadn't seen the Prime Minister get angry with his own eyes just now, he would have thought that the two parties had a good conversation.

However, good habits allowed him to put aside his doubts and answer seriously.

"As you command, Prime Minister."