In the palace of Athens, Crown Prince Constantine stood in front of his father and asked Prime Minister Theotokis who had just returned.
"Yes, Crown Prince, Your Majesty, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria really said that."
"It's going to be difficult now."
King George I, who was sitting in his seat, murmured something.
George I was the first king of the Oldenburg-Schleswig-Holstein dynasty in Greece. Since becoming the king of Greece in 1862, he has been committed to the expansion of the Greek territory. His primary goal is Crete.
, but all good things are hard to come by. The British did not agree to support Greece's annexation of Crete. Of course, as the British's younger brother, they must also provide support. Therefore, in 1881, under pressure from the British, Ottoman had to cede the Thessaly region to
Gave it to Greece.
And just when the Greeks were trying hard to seize Crete, Italy got involved.
An Italian-Austrian war involving Bulgaria allowed the island of Crete to establish its own republic. Although Greece also took the opportunity to capture Epirus, the Greeks had already seen the island of Crete, which was protected by Italy, in a short period of time.
There is no hope of recovery.
Therefore, South Macedonia, most of Thrace and the Aegean Islands, which are still in the hands of the Ottomans, have become new targets. However, if they want to continue to expand at this time, they cannot rely solely on the support of the British. The Turks simply cannot
It was impossible to accept the loss of these areas. As for relying on themselves, the Greeks no longer considered the option after experiencing a disastrous defeat.
The only choice for Greece is to form an alliance with other countries to jointly deal with the Turks. From a broad perspective, there is only one target that can be chosen, and that is the Bulgarians who also covet their territory.
However, there is an irreconcilable conflict between the two countries, that is, the fight for Salonika. Bulgaria wants to obtain a usable port in the Aegean Sea and get rid of the control of the Black Sea Strait controlled by the Ottomans. Greece wants to win because of the city.
There are a large number of native Greeks, and of course Thessaloniki’s population and economy are a great supplement to both countries.
"This is because the Bulgarians have determined that our country cannot do without them." Prime Minister Teotokis said the fact that no one wants to think about.
"Do we have to accept the harsh conditions of the Bulgarians?" Crown Prince Constantine asked reluctantly.
Facing the words of the Crown Prince, Foreign Minister Zaimis said. "Your Highness, it seems that this can only be done at present. We need each other more than the Bulgarians. And the Bulgarian Prime Minister is right, we have no choice, but the other party is
There are other options. From a diplomatic point of view, as long as we still want to obtain Ottoman territory, we must accept this condition."
Although the words of Foreign Minister Chaimis did not sound good, people present also knew that this was the case. Greece was even more inseparable from the other party than Bulgaria.
"Chaymis is right. The current situation is indeed that we are not competing for Salonika's capital, so there is no need to worry too much about this. Only what you get in your hands is yours, and what you see from a distance is yours.
I’m so excited.”
As King George I, he made the final decision on this matter.
Faced with his father's words, Crown Prince Constantine was a little reluctant. The crown prince yelled with a look of unwillingness. "Father, I think..."
However, the crown prince's words were immediately stopped by his father. "Okay, you don't have to say anything, I know what to do."
The majesty of his old father made Crown Prince Constantine quiet now.
As for the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary, they don't know what to do when they see this situation.
Grains
"As you command, my lord."
Now that the general policy of taking a step back has been decided, there is no need to trouble the wise and powerful monarch with the next small details, so several ministers are ready to go back to continue discussions with the Bulgarians.
As for the crown prince, although he was still a little unconvinced in his heart, Constantine could only accept his father.
After the Prime Minister and others left, Old King George looked at his son and said, "Aren't you willing to give in?"
"Don't dare."
How could the old king, who knew his son better than his father, not know his son's thoughts? At this time, he let out a long sigh and said, "Constantine, I know what you want to say, and there is a reason why I stopped it. If
You are an official, so I will appreciate what you do very much. But you are the future monarch, so there are some things you must avoid.
Even if it is beneficial to the kingdom, it will damage your prestige. A monarch must have good virtues, at least not let others know that it is related to immoral things. Because you are the final arbiter, every order and word you make
It will be interpreted by countless people. So you need to guide officials to do it for you instead of thinking about solving the problem alone."
George I's words of sincerity made the crown prince realize his previous impatience. "Father, I know what to do."
As soon as he finished speaking, Crown Prince Constantine left in a hurry.
Seeing his beloved son like this, the old king couldn't help but put his hand on his forehead. The crown prince himself was already forty years old and still so impatient. It was a bit worrying to hand the kingdom into his hands in the future.
As for the old king's worry about his son, we can put an end to it first.
After receiving the news hinted by the king, the Prime Minister immediately took the Foreign Minister to find the Bulgarian Prime Minister.
"Your Excellency Petkov, in view of the friendship between your two countries and the unity and identity in the future, we have decided to respect your country's opinions on the issue of Salonika."
In a secret room in the Bulgarian Embassy, Teotokis, the Greek Prime Minister, was explaining to the Bulgarian side the reasons for Greece's concessions.
In the face of Greece's concessions, Bulgaria is of course very happy to see it. At least Bulgaria does not have to pay a higher price to Romania or Serbia.
"Your Excellency Teotokis, our country is very grateful to you for your country's profound understanding of justice. We hope that your two countries can unite sincerely and defeat our common enemy, the Turks."
Petkov talked with Teotokis with a smile on his face. Being able to reach an agreement with Greece is also a good thing for him as the prime minister. At least they have a little more confidence in solving the Turks.
Now that the differences are gone, the next step is to talk about the issue of sending troops. Of course, the two heads of government will not discuss the details in detail, but they can still talk about the big aspects.
In the next two days, the two prime ministers initially reached an agreement. In the future war with the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria will mainly use the army to deal with the main force of the Turks in East Thrace. Greece will mainly use the navy, mainly
Responsible for sea battles, the Greek Army also needs to encircle and annihilate the Turkish army in South Macedonia, and then reinforce Bulgaria.
Both parties are quite satisfied with the initial negotiations. Next, the two prime ministers need to report the matter to the monarch and the military. The details should be discussed by more professional people. After all, the two prime ministers are not diplomatic professionals.
Of course, the most important thing for both countries now is to step up their military expansion and war preparations to prepare for the next war.
