Greece to roman road

While the war in Macedonia was in full swing, Belgrade on the Danube was still peaceful.

King Peter I of Serbia is discussing the current situation in the Balkans with his Minister of War Putnik.

When the news came that Bulgaria was under siege by Greece, Romania, and the Ottoman Empire, and that the main Bulgarian army was being defeated by the Greek and Macedonian legions, Serbia's top leaders were in a dilemma.

Bulgaria?

Or Greece?

"Your Majesty, according to the current situation of this war, unless a miracle happens, the defeat of the Bulgarian army is certain. Now that the Ottoman Empire and Romania have joined the war, what is our Serbian choice?" Putnik asked.

Seeing King Peter looking at the map of the Balkans with his eyes blankly, without saying a word, Putnik naturally understood what the king was thinking.

Once Greece wins and acquires the entire Macedonian region, its strength will greatly increase. As the spoils of war are digested, Greece will usher in a period of rapid development. Greece, which originally ranked first in terms of comprehensive strength among the three countries, will truly become the leader of the Balkans. The first powerful country.

As a neighbor of Greece, Serbia will naturally face the pressure of Greece, which is growing in strength.

By then, Serbia will be sandwiched between the two powerful powers of Greece and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, becoming an embarrassing role like a buffer state, and its space for expansion will be completely compressed.

In the war that broke out between Greece and Bulgaria over the ownership of the Macedonian region, Serbian leaders hoped to see the Greek side defeated, which would be more beneficial to Serbia.

If the situation develops like this, then Serbia's advantage of bordering Macedonia can be put to use.

In that case, Bulgaria will get Aegean Macedonia (around Thessaloniki) from Greece, and Serbia will have the opportunity to not only get North Macedonia, but ideally even northern Albania, gaining access to the Adriatic Sea , is also possible.

From then on, Serbia and Bulgaria, which carved up Macedonia, became the two major powers in the Balkan Peninsula.

Macedonia is the center of the Balkan Peninsula and its geographical location is very important. If you want to dominate the Balkan Peninsula, this is a must-win place.

Serbia, whose strength has been greatly enhanced, has more confidence when facing the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which enslaved many Serbs.

The current situation is that Greece has gained a favorable position on the battlefield. If Serbia chooses Greece as its enemy and attacks the Greek Albanian Army stationed in Skopje (the capital of North Macedonia), then the trend of this war will become confusing. .

It's just that this is not a good choice for Serbia. It is a lot of trouble and the outcome of the war is full of unknowns.

After all, the Greek side has already been joined by two new forces, the Ottoman Empire and Romania, and the Greek side has greatly increased its strength.

Secondly, when the Greek army and the Bulgarian army were fighting fiercely in Macedonia, the Greek Albanian Army, which was stationed in Skopje and numbered 150,000 people, had been carefully building a defense line and was always prepared to deal with the Serbian Army's attack, leaving the Serbian Army without The gap can be taken advantage of, which is also an important reason why Serbia has not taken action against Greece.

"We don't seem to have many choices. After all, only by joining the winning side can we be eligible to get the spoils," Peter I said regretfully.

It can be said that Bulgaria's defeat is now certain. Serbia also joins the Greek side and cutting a piece of flesh from Bulgaria is also a good choice.

The Serbian army did not need to go to great lengths to easily obtain part of the territory from Bulgaria, which was defeated by Greece. In this way, the harvest was considerable at a very small price, which was undoubtedly a good deal.

As for the seaport that the Kingdom of Serbia dreams of, it is not that there is no substitute for Northern Albania. Montenegro, a small Balkan country with close relations with Serbia, has always played the role of Serbia's seaport.

Even if it were not for the strong opposition of the two major powers, Austria-Hungary and Italy, Serbia would have chosen to merge with Montenegro after the last Balkan War.

Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were worried that Serbia would develop into a new power on the Adriatic coast after acquiring Montenegro as an outlet to the sea. Therefore, the two countries tacitly adopted this method to curb Serbia's development.

The history of Serbia and Montenegro begins with their common ancestors - the Slavs.

The Slavs originated in the Vistula Valley region of present-day Poland.

In the 4th century AD, due to the influence of ethnic invasions caused by climate change, some Slavs came to the Balkan Peninsula. They were called Yugoslavs, including Serbs and Montenegrins.

Both belong to the Yugoslav nation and believe in Orthodox Christianity, making the gap between Montenegro and Serbia very small.

The residents of Montenegro are also called the Serbs of the mountains by the Serbs.

On June 28, 1389, the Ottomans defeated Serbia in the Battle of Kosovo. Serbia lost its autonomy, but Montenegro has maintained its independent status by relying on the advantage of the mountainous area that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The Ottoman Empire's offensive was overwhelming. Most of the Balkan Peninsula was under its rule in history, but Montenegro was an exception.

Because the area has crisscrossed valleys, it is not suitable for military operations, but is suitable for guerrilla warfare.

The Montenegrins took advantage of this characteristic and established a communist country with Cetinje as its capital to fight against the Ottoman Empire.

They repeatedly defeated Ottoman invasions and became the only country in the Balkans that was not conquered by the Ottomans.

After the outbreak of the First Balkan War, Serbia acquired territories such as Kosovo. Montenegro's territory extended to the north and east, bordering Serbia.

But the joy of the long-separated reunion of the two brotherly countries did not last long. Austria-Hungary and Italy poured cold water on the two countries - prohibiting any possibility of merger between the two countries.

"Mr. Minister of War, you can prepare to mobilize the army now. Taking this opportunity, the Kingdom of Serbia can also avenge the shame of defeat in 1885," Peter I said.

When the two of them were full of ambition and planning to take a piece of cake from the soon-to-be-defeated Bulgaria, a "rumbling" sound was heard, and the violent sound suddenly alarmed the entire Belgrade people.

When King Peter reacted, the anger in his eyes was like a volcano, and the anger filled his entire chest. With a "bump", King Peter slammed his hand on the table and said fiercely: "Damn Austria-Hungary."

It turned out that after the news of the war in Macedonia spread, the Austro-Hungarian ambassador to Belgrade met with Peter immediately and clearly stated the attitude of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, saying that in order to protect peace in Europe and prevent the war in the Balkans from further expanding its scope, , Serbia had better not get involved in this war.

Austria-Hungary's intention was also very clear, and it did not want Serbia to continue to expand.

Serbia, supported by Russia, was like a sharp thorn inserted into its flesh and blood, making it difficult for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to sleep and eat.

What makes the Austro-Hungarian Empire especially unbearable is that the people in Serbia still have ambitions for Austria-Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and even Bosnia.

In the Greater Serbia demanded by Serbian nationalists, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Bosnia are included.

When Peter I went to Serbia to be crowned king, he passed through Croatia. Some people even called Peter "King of the Croatians" at the Croatian train station.

In this case, Austria-Hungary naturally tried every means to curb Serbia's expansion.

The sound just now was the sound of artillery exercises by the Austro-Hungarian army stationed on the north bank of the Danube.

After Serbia became independent, the territorial division of Serbia and Hungary was also based on the Danube River.

Belgrade is on the south bank of the Danube, which means that the capital of Serbia is always facing the threat of the Austro-Hungarian Second Army stationed on the north bank of the Danube.

Obviously, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was trying to intimidate Serbia, endorsing the words of the Austro-Hungarian ambassador and warning the Serbian army not to get involved in the Macedonian war.

"Immediately use a telegram to contact Moscow to ask Russia's opinion and whether Russia is willing to support Serbia in an upcoming conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia," Peter I ordered irritably.

Without clear support from the Russians, Serbia was unable to resist the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Serbia is Russia's nail in the Balkan Peninsula and has important strategic significance for Russia.

Now that the little brother is in trouble, he naturally wants to ask the big brother for help.

Konrad, the Chief of General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, deployed the Second Army on the north bank of the Danube River, making Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, always on guard.

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Moscow, Russia

After receiving Peter I's request for help, Nicholas II immediately convened a meeting of ministers to discuss how to respond to Serbia's request for help.

"The current situation is obvious. Greece went to war with Bulgaria, and now it has attracted Romania and the Austro-Hungarian Empire to join the war. This has caused restlessness throughout Europe," Nicholas II said first.

"Once this war continues to expand in scope, I am afraid that the position will cause a war that will sweep across Europe. So, how should we restore Russia's little brother Serbia?"

Nicholas II looked over his ministers with a scrutinizing gaze.

With the whole of Europe divided into two groups, any spark may become the fuse that ignites the explosives.

If the Austro-Hungarian Empire is involved, then Germany, an ally, is inseparable. The situation in Europe is such an interrelated whole.

"After the last Balkan War, the Germans blatantly dispatched officer corps to help the Ottoman Empire reorganize its army. This was obviously a German infiltration into the Ottoman army, especially after the revolution in Constantinople. Almost all the people in power in the Ottoman Empire now It is someone who has been trained by Germany, and it seems that the German embassy now represents the supreme will of Constantine, which is a blatant offense to the Russian Empire," said Foreign Minister Samzonov.

"If this situation continues to drag on and German power is allowed to expand and penetrate into the Ottoman politics and military, it won't be long before the Ottomans become a puppet of the Germans. The longer it is delayed, the more detrimental it will be to the Russian Empire."

“I think the Serbs should be supported, even at the risk of war”

The Minister of Agriculture, Krivoshein, and the Minister of War also sided with him and echoed his views.

The war faction constituted the majority in the Council of Ministers.

But in the end, Kokovtsov, the chairman of the Council of Ministers, asked a question: "Whether Britain and France will side with Russia once war breaks out."

"Secondly, is the Russian army ready for war?"

There was silence in the conference room for a moment. Samsonov, as the foreign minister who is most familiar with the country's situation, analyzed to everyone: "Under what circumstances can the Russians launch a war? First of all, the prerequisite for Russia to declare war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire , is that Germany does not stand on the side of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If Germany is determined to stand on the side of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then Russia must ensure that France and Britain must stand on the side of Russia."

"Only in this way can we ensure victory in this war."

"If this premise is confirmed, then it will be clear under what circumstances France and the United Kingdom will support Russia."

"The treaty signed between France and Russia is a mutual defense treaty. Only if France or Russia is invaded by Germany can the two countries attack Germany. And the real meaning of this treaty is to prevent France from being invaded by Germany again. For most of the time after the conclusion of the Franco-Russian Entente, France actually did not encourage Russia to take risks in Europe. In other words, France hoped that Russia would protect France from German invasion, but it was not willing to take the initiative against Germany for Russia's sake. attack.

"If the Russians take the initiative to launch a war against Austria-Hungary, Germany will undoubtedly invest in this war of the German nation. But France and Britain want to stand on Russia's side when Russia takes the initiative to attack. How difficult it is." Nicholas I said calmly.

Foreign Minister Samzonov replied: "So, France will definitely side with Russia, but Britain is not sure."

"As for Britain, Edward Gray (British Foreign Secretary) has repeatedly reiterated that he has no treaty obligations to France and Russia, and he has no treaty obligations to Russia."

Britain has never publicly stated on any diplomatic occasion that it has joined the Allied Powers. In other words, once France and Russia go to war with Germany and Austria, Britain has no obligation to actively join France and Russia.

The United Kingdom will only join if it judges that joining France and Russia is more in its own interests.

"At the same time, the Russian army has not yet completed preparations for a severe war that will involve the whole of Europe. We still need time, so now we must appease our Serbian brothers and let them endure for a while," Nicholas II said .

No one knew that the war sweeping across Europe almost broke out early because of the war in Macedonia.