Bulgarian Empire

In November 1911, Germany and France reached a compromise again and signed the "Germany and France Agreement."

That is, the Germans recognized France's right to protect Morocco, and the French ceded part of the Congolese territory to the Germans.

Oh, the Spaniards also took advantage. Due to the confrontation between Germany and France, they acquiesced in Spain's occupation of northern Morocco. Later, the two countries also signed a treaty to recognize their respective spheres of influence.

Of course, as the price of quelling this dispute, the French people fell again! The cabinet of Joseph Cayo, who had just 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 Raymond Poincaré (Raymond Poincaré) of the Democratic Republican Party, and there is no doubt that one of the leaders of his pro-war party.

Raymond Poincaré went to Lorraine on August 20, 1860, advocating more active action against the Germans. Simply put, he took the Allies to avenge the Germans!

He believed that as long as France defeated Germany, it could regain Alsace and Lorraine, and occupy the Saar mining area, and even further occupy the Ruhr area!

The rise of Raymond Poincaré signifies that the French protagonist has taken a dominant position and that a world war is inevitable.

Oh, at this time the French have occupied 35.9% of the African continent, and the area of ​​colonies in Africa has exceeded that of Britain and Germany, ranking first.

France is now the second largest colonial empire in the world, with a total colony area of ​​approximately 10.6 million square kilometers, which is 20 times the area of ​​the French mainland, and only the British Empire.

At the same time, with Raymond Poincaré’s coming to power, nationalism in France has further increased. The new royalism headed by Moras is inciting revenge against Germany and will promote the peaceful diplomacy of Joseph Kayo. The others are rendered as French traitors!

Against this background, Bulgaria proposed to reopen the Allied Powers meeting, coordinate internal conflicts, and strive to maintain a unified diplomatic position among all countries. It was naturally supported by the French!

Oh, the meeting of the agreement countries has not yet started, but the negotiations between Russia and Russia have already begun. In order to resolve the hidden dangers of contradictions between the two countries, and to create favorable conditions for Bulgaria in the subsequent expansion, Ferdinand proposed to the tsarist government that the two countries hold high-level meetings and conduct in-depth exchanges in strategic areas.

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

Oh, since Alexei, the only son of Nicholas II, got hemophilia, he has no interest in traveling again. Seeking medical advice has become a part of Nicholas II’s daily life. Up.

At this time, when Ferdinand was visiting, Nicholas II was already envious and jealous. His only son was still a sick one, and Ferdinand's six sons were all alive and well.

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

No, according to the current succession to the Russian throne, a few minor things seem to be in the top ten. However, the European aristocracy has always been chaotic, this kind of mixed inheritance problem is even more messy, and the ranking of inheritance rights changes frequently.

In addition to the status of the crown prince of Alexei the younger, the inheritance rights of several daughters of Nicholas II may change at any time. Simply put, if Nicholas II regenerates a son, they will continue to step back.

Oh no! Now they have not been canonized. In theory, the princess does not have the right to inheritance. Only after being canonized as a female grandfather can they have the right to inheritance!

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

Well, hunting is fake, but secret conversation is true! After all, there are a lot of eyes staring at them now, and once the news is leaked, it is likely to cause unnecessary trouble.

...

"Ferdinand what is the purpose of your visit this time?" asked Nicholas II

Obviously he didn't believe that it was just a strategic exchange, and Prince Ferdinand was required to lie down. He really thought that the king was very idle?

Ferdinand smiled slightly and said: "The smell of gunpowder on the European continent is so strong that the two major alliances may fight at any time. Bulgaria can't hide from it. Naturally, we need to prepare in advance!

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

Nicholas II laughed and said, "But don't you think that the war hasn't started yet. Now it's too early to talk about dividing the spoils?"

"Talking early is better than talking late! You can make as much contribution as you get, so that you don’t have to wrestle at 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 just worried that Bulgaria's interests could not be guaranteed after the war, and wanted to use the treaty to clarify it in advance.

However, this is also in the interests of the Russian Empire. If Russia and Bulgaria both demand to carve up the world in advance, delimit the interests of each country and the obligations of each country, this is also very beneficial to the Russian Empire.

Nicholas II is very independent in the strength of the Russian Empire. If a war breaks out between the Allied Powers and the Allied Powers, the Russian Army will definitely be the main force, and the biggest cake will definitely have a share of the Russians.

In fact, he was very worried that after the war, the three congresses would join forces to exclude the Russian Empire. There is also a precedent for this kind of thing, and it is not once or twice that European countries jointly exclude Russia.

Nicholas II thought for a while and said: "Yes, dividing responsibilities and obligations in advance and sharing benefits according to their contributions is indeed conducive to the unity of the alliance!"

Negotiations are never a simple matter. If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is allowed to negotiate, don't try to negotiate results without months of mutual trial.

Obviously Ferdinand did not intend to test slowly, and said straight to the point: "Now the world pattern is very obvious. Once a war breaks out, the Allied powers are almost sure to win, and the distribution of benefits after the war is also carried out among our four countries.

For the traditional friendship between our two families, I think it is necessary for both sides to divide their strengths and avoid each other's core interests as much as possible. Even if they cannot avoid them, they must coordinate as much as possible, so as not to let Britain and France take advantage! "

Ferdinand's meaning is very obvious, either Russia and Bulgaria continue to unite, and everyone is still allies to carve up Eastern Europe; or they part ways, and Bulgaria can only follow Britain and France as a younger 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. Even if Britain and France have opinions, they are not anxious!

If there is a tit-for-tat, maybe everyone is going to fight for nothing!

"What do you want?" Nicholas II asked

Even if it is cooperation, it is the Russians who still occupy the active position. This is determined by the strength of both parties.

Ferdinand said calmly: "I need you to support Bulgaria to unify the Balkans, colonize Asia Minor, and divide up part of the Allied colonies!

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

Well, Ferdinand’s conditions were not unexpected. Anyone with a discerning eye could 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 inner lake, the strategic value of the Black Sea Strait will also decrease. Then it will be just 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. Your country's interests can still be protected! "

"What? Turn the Baltic Sea into an inner lake?" Nicholas II's expression changed and exclaimed.

The Russians didn't think about this strategy, and even implemented it, but the enemy in the Baltic Sea was too powerful.

But now is about to change. Once the Germans are defeated, will the remaining Denmark and Sweden have the strength to prevent the Russians from rushing out of the Baltic Sea?

From a strategic point of view, the Baltic Sea seems to be more valuable than the Black Sea, and from the Baltic Sea is the Atlantic Ocean.

In contrast, after exiting the Black Sea Strait and entering the Mediterranean, it is still a cage, but the scope is larger. The Russians wanted to implement a maritime strategy, either to seize Egypt and the British vying for control of the Suez Canal; or to grab...

Forget this even more unrealistic, this is to single out the rhythm of the major European powers. Therefore, as early as the end of the 19th century, the Russians gave up their strategy of breaking through the Mediterranean, in an attempt to obtain a strategic breakthrough in the Far East.

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

"No!" Nicholas II said confidently

Now he has calmed down. The Russian strategy was based on the existence of Germany. Once the Germans were defeated, the French would definitely weaken and even divide the Germans. As long as the two countries support Russia, the British can do nothing.

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

They are not Japan in the Far East. They have the natural dangers of Siberia, which hindered the Russians' power input. If they jumped out, they couldn't stand the steady stream of gray animals!

Too far from God, too close to a bear! This is doomed to the positions of the two countries, and the relationship between the Russians 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 benefits are not large enough! When the mutual interests of both parties are large enough, the alliance is logical.

So the second "Russian Secret Treaty" was signed. The Russians' appetite was much bigger than Ferdinand had 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 fight against the possible Anglo-French alliance after the war.

Oh, this is Ferdinand’s “establishing a Slavic empire” in order to fool the Russians. It seems that Nicholas II still remembers this!

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

Well, it was a bad check anyway, and of course Ferdinand agreed. Even the two sides even agreed on a time for establishment, and the United Empire was established within a year after the end of the European War.

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

Okay, I don't even bother to complain about it with his son. Anyway, these two names are full of Roman meaning, it seems that the Russians still have no intention of rebuilding the Roman Empire.