Bulgarian Empire

　　The reaction of the people made Ferdinand very depressed. The Bulgarian people are all looking at eating melon seeds and watching a show. It feels like getting used to it, it seems that the war is nothing great, and there is no worry at all.

　　 Didn’t it mean that common people hate war? Could it be that the way I opened it was wrong, why all of them seemed to be gearing up, planning to do a big job.

　　 This is also related to the cultural traditions of the Balkans. Due to its geographical location, it has long been a strategic place for European powers to compete for strategic importance.

　　 "War" is already a part of the life of the Balkan people. Since the 2nd century BC, it has been ruled by Roman, Byzantine, Avar, and Ottoman empires.

　　 Later the Huns, Avars, Lombards, Romans, Slavs and later Ottomans all vie for control of the area.

　　War is everywhere. Because of the long-term war, the people's belligerence has been cultivated, because people who are afraid of war cannot survive.

　　 The current Balkan region can be said to be a mixture of various ethnic groups. There are almost no pure-blood ethnic groups, but the militant spirit has not changed.

　　Think about history. Bulgaria mobilized 1.26 million troops to participate in the World War. After persisting for two years, you will know the people's attitude towards war.

　　 Under Ottoman oppression for a long time, after the independence of Balkan countries, they have attached great importance to army building. It is also very sensitive to the surrounding wind and grass.

　　 As soon as Bulgaria expanded its army, it caused unrest in the surrounding area. The great powers are okay, just pay a little attention, a mere Bulgaria is not enough to make them jealous.

　　 The Balkan countries are interesting. Even though the Ottoman Empire has declined, they still claim to be powerful, and the corrupt government is busy fighting for power.

　　 The then Foreign Minister Harim Pasha, after receiving the news, laughed, and didn't care to transfer it directly to the government.

　　 As for whether this news finally reached Abdul Hamid II (reigned from 1876 to 1909), this is not known. Anyway, apart from sending diplomats to express their concern, they did nothing, which is quite different from the previous Russia-Province alliance.

　　Serbia will be much more sensitive. The young Alexander Oblinović (reigned from 1889 to 1903) expressed strong concern about this. Although he has not yet taken full power, the king summoned the cabinet at the age of only 16.

　　 "Gentlemen, what do you think of Bulgaria's expansion?" Alexander Oblianovich

　　 "It is obvious that Bulgaria is preparing for war, probably after forming an alliance with Russia, they have become bolder and ready to take military action!"

"Yes, I think Serbia should make preparations now. Bulgaria's strategic goal is still uncertain. Now that there are Russians backing up, the possibility of targeting us is very high! We should immediately expand our arms and prepare for war, and don't allow them to take advantage. Chance!!" The Minister of War

"No, I don’t think so! Don’t forget, Bulgaria wants to expand into Serbia, but it depends on whether the Austro-Hungarian Empire agrees! In 1886, they had the advantage. Once the Austro-Hungarian Empire came out, it didn’t come back without success. I don’t think they have to do it again now!! And our current finances are not rich, there is no more money for you to squander!!” The Chancellor of Finance retorted

　　 "How can this be squandering? If we don't expand our army, how can we defend our country, and what if we are invaded by Bulgaria? What can we rely on to resist?" The Secretary of War asked back.

　　 "Really? Is it possible to expand the army?? Didn't you have the advantage in 1885? As a result, you were not beaten to the ground?" The chancellor sneered.

　　 "You, this is slander! It was our failure when we became the Bulgarians, otherwise the heroic Serbian army could not fail!!" The Minister of War said with some lack of confidence.

　　……

　　 The young Alexander Oblianovich did not have much patience and not much prestige. He looked very embarrassed when he watched the noise underneath.

　　 suddenly yelled: "Enough! Only they know who Bulgaria is targeting! You are noisy and useless! What we need to make sure now is, what should Serbia do next?"

　　 Historically, Alexander Oblianovich was in power in 1893. Although young, but

　　 The political mind is still very shrewd!

　　 The Minister of Finance and the Minister of War quarreled for their own interests. Of course, Serbia’s poor finances are the key issue. If you don't stop it, you will soon become the Minister of War and talk to the heroes.

　　Serbia’s financial problems can be traced back to the War of Independence. But in 1885, the war against Bulgaria failed, and the economy paid a heavy price. The financial crisis intensified, and it has not been alleviated until now.

　　 Serbia’s annual budget is fiercely contested. Now if Bulgaria expands its army, it will greatly squeeze the budgets of other departments.

　　 The Minister of Finance is most worried that Serbia is still owed a debt, including a loan for Bulgaria’s military expenses in 1885, which has not been repaid.

　　This issue can also be traced to Milan Obrenović IV. During the independence of Serbia, in order to gain support from Austria-Hungary, the two sides concluded a political and economic treaty, and Serbia was forced to sell a lot of political and economic sovereignty.

　　 Until now, there is no decent industry in Serbia. Facing the competition of Austro-Hungarian capital, the national capital failed to become an army and gradually turned to the pro-Russian faction. This was also one of the reasons why Serbia came to the Allied powers before the First World War.

　　 I can't help the Minister of Finance to object. The main reason is that the government has no money and has no choice but to jump out. Moreover, he is not optimistic about the combat effectiveness of the Serbian army. The superiority of the war last time was so obvious that he was defeated so badly. Now that he has no superiority, should he still consider it? You can't beat it anyway, so don't waste it.

　　Alexander Oblianovich also knows the state of the government, but the young and energetic king cannot tolerate this happening!

"The ministers are all Serbian elites. They must be very clear. Although we can rely on Austria-Hungary now, there is Russia behind Bulgaria. If a war breaks out under the mutual restraint of the two powers, who can we rely on???" Alexander Oblianovic's sincere rhetorical question

　　 "But your Majesty, the government has no money now! What do we expand the army with? It is how much we have to expand to deal with the Bulgarian threat? Only the army can guarantee victory?" The chancellor asked with a sneer

　　 "Bulgaria has expanded by 60,000 people. If we want to maintain our advantage, we must expand by at least 80,000 people to have the ability to attack!!" The War Minister Leo said

　　 "This is impossible! This is equivalent to the size of our army has been expanded 1.2 times, plus equipment, this is simply an astronomical figure!!" The Chancellor of Finance said in disbelief.

　　 Not only is he like this, but other Serbian seniors are also forced to do so. Then everyone won't use it anymore, and the fiscal revenue has been consumed by the army.

　　Alexander Oblianovich is also dumbfounded. He supports the expansion of the army, but he has no discount if the government has no money!

　　The proportion of military expenditures in the Balkan countries has always been high. Serbia is among the best, but how can it not exceed fiscal revenue!

　　 The Minister of War seems to know that it seems to be overdone, but he can't slap himself in the face. After thinking about it, I was ready to change the subject and said, "If you don't have money, then increase taxes! It's so simple, I can't even think of it. What does the Ministry of Finance do for food?"

The angrily Chancellor of Finance rolled his eyes, looked at the War Minister without cutting his eyes, and said nothing. It seems that after all, you treat this as a child's playhouse, and you will increase taxes when you say tax increases. Capitalists are not easy to mess with!

　　 The others didn’t respond much, but Alexander Oblianovich took heart and began to figure out how much tax he would have to add to make up for the military expenses!

　　 Don’t be surprised. In history, Alexander Oblianovich was not a worry-free thing, and he did many absurd things.

　　 In 1900, he also married a widow 10 years older than him, the court maid Derag Marsh, which caused the resignation of the entire cabinet and was rejected by the European aristocracy.

　　 What’s more weird is that in 1903, Alexander Oblianovic announced the suspension of the implementation of the Constitution for a few hours in order to facilitate his illegal activities.

　　 Compared with these, tax increases are only for pediatrics.

　　 Alexander Oblianovic seemed to realize that this kind of thing is beyond his ability, and he asked: "The Ministry of Finance calculates how much tax will be imposed to solve the financial crisis?"

　　……

　　Serbia is still discussing the types of taxes to be levied and the amount of taxes. On the other side, Romania will be much easier. Carol I secretly formed an alliance with Germany and Austria in 1883. Before the alliance between Bulgaria and Russia was worried for a while, but after obtaining guarantees from Germany and Austria-Hungary, he was relieved.

　　 Carol I had outstanding military talents. In the Tenth Russian-Turkish War, he commanded the army to win the Battle of Pleven.

　　 He has always had a soft spot for the army. Hearing about Bulgaria's army expansion, Carol I did not intend to fall behind, and followed the army expansion by 60,000. Romania is also much richer than Serbia. Although there is a certain financial pressure, East Rorosi can make up for enough military expenditure.

　　 If it were not for the limited political level of King Carol I, the domestic raids would be too serious to be unpopular. Contradictions intensified in 1888, and a peasant uprising broke out in Romania, which hurt the country's vitality. Now it is time for Ferdinand to have a headache.

　　 It stands to reason that the reactions of these neighbors are also normal. Why are you worried about Greece? Now it does not border Bulgaria.

　　 But George I was so politically sensitive. He believed that Bulgaria's next goal was the Ottoman Empire, so Greece should also prepare for war in advance.

　　 In spite of the opposition of the ministers, it forcibly passed the military expansion bill. Greece, which has a population of no more than two million people, has 110,000 armies and 40,000 navies after the expansion.

　　Of course the Greek government doesn’t have that much money, but it’s okay to borrow it.

　　 George I succeeded the British and gave him the Ionian Islands as a gift. Of course, the British are not so generous.

　　 At first, Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria, succeeded as the king of Greece. However, the London Treaty of 1832 stipulated that Britain, Russia, and France could not use their royal families as the king of Greece. George I took advantage of it.

　　 In the second half of the 19th century, Greece began to build railways and excavate the Corinth Isthmus Canal. The government began to borrow heavily and import light industrial products. The foreign debt reached more than 700 million drachmas, and the government was unable to repay. Prime Minister Trikupis was forced to declare the country bankrupt.

　　 In 1898, Britain, France, Austria, Germany, Russia and other countries formed the International Finance Committee to supervise the fiscal revenue and expenditure of Greece, and the financial power was reduced to the hands of the great powers.

　　 So now it’s okay to borrow more to expand the army, the big deal is going bankrupt, and the Greeks are already used to debt. This is a fine tradition.

　　 As for the future Black Mountain Kingdom, ignore him! It is still a small country with a population of less than 400,000. The expansion of the military and preparations for war is really too much, but he still expanded the army to 15,000.

　　 Seeing the reactions of the Balkan countries, Ferdinand almost went crazy, and the arms race started like this! In the next few months, the economic crisis will spread to the Balkans, so you will have fun.