Chapter 281 Reshuffle

The acquisition of French Congo greatly stimulated the tough hawkish naval and army officers and politicians who dominated Germany's domestic state, and their appetites were also lifted up. After a provocation received the compensation they wanted, they seemed to taste the sweetness of this action.

Their idea was in line with the chaotic status quo of the Balkans where various forces intertwined the south. From a strategic perspective, Berlin urgently needed to find and support a reliable and reputable friend in the Balkans between Turkey in the south and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the north, thereby adding new basis points and security guarantees for the north-south axis from Berlin, Vienna, Constantinople to Baghdad, which divides the entire Eurasian continent into two halves, so that Germany can use such an axis to form an effective encirclement with China, a reliable friend in the East, and oppress many Russians in the north, making it impossible to put pressure on Germany from the Eastern Front, and allowing Germany to devote all its energy and courage to the more important Western Front.

The strategic considerations quickly turned their attention to the severely dissatisfied Bulgarians.

As the principality of Bulgaria, which made the greatest sacrifices and the greatest contributions in the First Balkan War, they did not gain much advantage in the London Peace Association organized by the British after the war. The benefits they gained were far less than those of the Serbs. Negro and Herzegovi, who had gained new independence, were of course even less than those of the British's natural friend, the Greeks.

After thinking about the reasons, the Bulgarians who successfully used the British-Russian contradictions and the domestic public opinion more than ten years ago suddenly felt abandoned. Compared with more than ten years ago, the relationship between Britain and Russia has undergone earth-shaking changes. The dead hatred of the past has now become close friends because of the rise of Germany. Some small countries sandwiched between them will naturally gradually feel some changes. Of course, it is not only Bulgarians who feel this feeling, but Turkey is the country that feels the deepest. The reason why they throw themselves into the arms of the Germans is that in addition to the German movement, their own huge sense of loss also makes them feel the urgent demand to betray Britain.

This is exactly what Bulgaria is today. They attribute the reasons why the negotiations did not allow Bulgaria to obtain the benefits they deserved, which was attributed to the hatred between them and Russia during their independence, the despicable betrayal of the British and the compromise with the Russians. The reason why the London negotiations produced results that were beneficial to Serbia and other countries was precisely because of the Russians' role that the Slavs were of course one mind. Bulgaria had been abandoned.

The German envoy arrived at the right time. After more than a month of secret planning, the Germans' second wave of offensive began again.

On June 9, 1909, without any warning, the Bulgarian army suddenly launched a surprise attack on the almost unguarded Serbia, Greece and Negro's army in the border area at the same time, and achieved impressive results in the early stage. The Bulgarians took back the benefits that were not obtained on the negotiating table in a tough way.

The three countries who were fooled asked for help from their friends, Serbia and Romania behind them asked for help from the traditional power Russia, while Greece sent a telegram to London for help. The most surprising thing was Negro of the tribe, who seemed not used to their status as an independent country. Their targets were their former suzerain country, Turkey. When the Germans had not yet clearly supported Bulgaria in military terms, Romania and Turkey joined the war, and declared war on Bulgaria three months later on September 9.

With one against five, Bulgaria had to send an emergency telegram to Germany for help. Under the instruction of Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire followed suit and began to develop southward. Their goal of declaring war was Herzegovina. The life and death of the Bulgarians actually had nothing to do with them. Herzegovina was their goal. After gaining the Bosnian region, the appetite of the Austro-Hungarian Empire increased. They urgently needed to obtain a landmark achievement to prove the correctness of their expansion policy, and this landmark achievement was the iconic city - Sarajevo.

This is a necessary offensive to curb the Serbs' access to the Adriatic Sea. The huge pressure on Serbs on Vienna made them take this opportunity to quickly annex Herzegovina. If it were not for the Bulgarians, they would have to fight with the Serbs first. Serbia is not a soft persimmon.

Therefore, just as the Bulgarians were looking forward to the arrival of reinforcements, they received news that the Austro-Hungarian Empire had officially annexed Herzegovina, and the Germans also gave the Bulgarians a gift. With their mediation, Turkey stopped first - their intention was to regain their lost territory in Europe, and Negro's request for help was just an excuse. Under the persuasion of the Germans, they soon realized their unwiseness to join the war. On July 3, 1909, Turkey and Bulgaria signed a contract in Constantinople, and the two sides agreed to a ceasefire. As compensation, Bulgaria would ced some of the newly acquired territory in the First Balkan War to Türkiye as compensation.

The other four countries quickly established a new alliance - the Anti-Guarantee Alliance to resist the Bulgarians who were thrown into Germany's arms. The continuous battles cost Serbia and Greece a lot. In the late stage of the war, the Romanians became the big winners. As the last country to join the war, their army received a large warring country, and their performance also made the anxious British feel very satisfied. Less than a month after the Romanian army joined the war, the Bulgarians had lost the courage to resist, and they could not even wait for the next step of assistance from the Germans. After consultation with Berlin and obtaining German negotiations guarantees, Bulgaria agreed to persuade the stop the war and conduct peace negotiations.

The Germans finally acted as a middleman for peacekeeping. Under their persuasion or threat, the warring countries achieved a full ceasefire with July 29, 1909, and held a peace conference in Berlin. At the meeting, the Serbs, without receiving effective support from Britain and Russia under the threat of Germany, gave up their request to obtain the Adriatic estuaries in the Macedonian region and instead demanded the western part of the Thrace region, while Turkey took back the eastern part of Thrace. Berlin's arrangement allowed these two major powers to have the opportunity to forget hatred and come together, thus setting a foreshadowing for the future situation. The Greeks were incompetent, and they had no other income except to take back Crete, which was taken away by the Turks in the chaos.

At the same time, Serbia's demands were not met and coveted for a long time were taken under the sect of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Serbia's dissatisfaction with the Austro-Hungarian Empire was further increased. He made enemies with these two major powers at the same time between Turkey and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Only Slavic second-in-law dared to do so.

With the end of this phase of reshuffle, the situation in the entire Balkans was established. Fragile balance must be followed by superb balance skills, and Germany and the United Kingdom acted as this balancer at the same time, which greatly reduced the safety factor of this region.

After the reshuffle of the Balkans, Germany gained a reliable ally like Bulgaria. Their strategic layout began to extend south. After stabilizing the new Turkish government, their sight began to focus on the more difficult-to-handle Arab region. It was said that it was difficult to deal with it because the British supported the restoration of the Jews and the local Arab national forces under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This natural resistance strategy gave Germany a space for operation, but if they used the Arabs to incite the dissatisfaction of the UK, they would offend the new ally Turks. This was a dilemma. If they were a little unhandled, they might throw away the watermelon and sesame seeds together.

But it is a pity to give such an opportunity without paying attention. Therefore, the Germans thought of the ally far away in the East. In their consideration, when China gained an outlet to the Indian Ocean, especially after the opening of the Siam Canal in the future, their influence will sooner or later cover this land. When the Germans are not easy to come forward, the Chinese may be able to play a certain role.

As soon as Lieutenant General Markenson, the German Emperor's special envoy, mentioned this idea, I thought of the huge benefits of this plan. The oil era has shown signs. The oil depots in the Middle East and the world will inevitably become the coveted target of the empire one day in the future. Instead of spending a lot of effort to operate it, it is better to start in advance now and perhaps gain a certain amount of rewards.

However, the General Staff’s suggestion made me consider it. They believe that once China intervenes in the Middle East situation, it is inevitable that it will be punished by the British and Turkey, and there is no specialist in the country who is proficient in things in that region. If we are determined to stand with the Germans on the surface at this time, then it is possible that when Britain and Germany break up in the future, China will become the first target of the British attack. Therefore, just listen to the German plan, and there is no need to take it seriously.

This consideration is not unreasonable. Once China intervenes in the Middle East, not to mention whether it has the qualifications and strength to intervene at present, just talk about how easy it is to achieve something in Arabia if Britain does not nod on this matter, it is not easy to do something between India and the faithful territory of the British Empire, across the vast Indian Ocean and India, the British Empire?

While thinking, he sent Makenson and asked him to visit Mongolia, which was busy and noisy, to investigate the current situation in Mongolia and Russia and make suggestions. On the other hand, I also frequently summoned the General Staff officials and some military leaders, and of course, senior officials of the Diplomatic Consultative Assembly, to convey to them the message that His Majesty the Emperor of the Middle East attaches great importance to.

Since there have been examples of the automobile industry and the news that warships using new fuels have been launched in various countries, senior officials have no problem understanding my instructions on the future importance of oil resources. Of course, they do not know the abundant oil storage in the Middle East. I just said that I have received information and of course no one dares to ask His Majesty the Emperor's source of information.

The focus of the problem is on how to exert the influence of an Asian leader country in areas where our military power cannot exert its strength. Officials from all walks of life expressed their opinions and held regular imperial meetings at the Ganqing Palace every night for four consecutive days. I have also heard many plans with different feasibility. The General Staff believes that if it is necessary, it is better to consider it from land. The Ili border garrison army can make a strategic feint, first attract the attention of various countries, guess China's strategic intentions, and cooperate with this action to allow some senior officials to make some remarks about the situation in the Middle East. Major countries will naturally come to the conclusion that China wants to speak on the Middle East issue. Of course, in cooperation with this series of actions, the Siam Canal project must show some signs of starting construction. The British may allow China to use the Malacca Strait channel at the cost of China's postponement of the canal project. In this way, a limited voice on the Middle East issue can be initially established.

Officials in the internal affairs believe that this action is too large and is likely to cause international misjudgment and thus trigger global wars, which is very dangerous for an empire that is not fully prepared. At the same time, they also proposed their plan - directly inviting relevant Turkish officials and representatives of Arab forces to China for talks, and using the model of the Eight-Nation Summit in 1900 to establish China's voice in Middle East affairs without any effort.

Of course, this kind of proposal that is a bit fantasy cannot be adopted. Prince Gong, the Minister of the Foreign Affairs and Parliament, sneered kindly: "It would be better to invite Germans and British people to Beijing to have a face-to-face conversation. I'm afraid that our Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not be able to invite it. It depends on the ability of Secretary Wu."

Of course, Wu Tingfang would not have put his old boss's jokes in his heart. He smiled and bowed, "Emperor, Prince, you all, after listening for a long time, Tingfang thought, should this matter be made clear to the British? Perhaps the British would think we are showing kindness to them. To be honest, since the Sino-British relations have changed, the British will be more cautious than the British defense. Judging from the current situation, the British also need our cooperation in Asia. If they really don't give face, they will also worry that we will stand on the side of Germany in the future." He bowed to me and said, "The Emperor has also said many times that China has not necessarily stood by any major country. , We are a great power, and our strategy should have a certain degree of autonomy. In my opinion, we should make this point clear. The British are reasonable and happy to speak in Middle East affairs. It is very simple. What is difficult for the Germans to make things difficult for the British? Former Prime Minister Belfer stepped down because of his poor mediation. This is a lesson from the past. His support for the restoration of the Jews and had already formed resentment with the Arabs, which is contrary to their strategy to support the Arabs against Germany and Turkey. Therefore, if China can act as a mediator in a suitable position, the UK has no reason to refuse."

I was also enlightened after all this. Indeed, there was no reason for the British not to be troubled on this issue. The Germans' trick was what they felt. They seemed to want to develop a friendly relationship with the Arabs and Jews at the same time, but there was no possibility of reconciliation between the Arabs and Jews in the Palestine region. The Jews believed that it was their natural territory, and the Palestinians regarded themselves as descendants of the Felix. This irreconcilable contradiction made it impossible for Britain to achieve their goals unilaterally. (Note, the Felix people have died, and the origin of the Palestine name is the Latin palestinine - the land of the Felix people. Also translated as Philiptin, around the 13th century BC, he fought against the Jews for a long time in Palestine and nearby areas and eventually drove away the Jews. This is also the oldest reason for the Middle East issue today. Note: It has nothing to do with the well-known Phoenicians.)

After hearing his words, seeing me silent for a long time, Zaiying looked at the opportunity and teased carefully: "Well, these words are also a bit of the ability of the Minister of Foreign Affairs." After that, he looked at me carefully.

I knew his intention, so I glanced at him intently and turned my head and said, "Some truths are true. Wenjue said this very insightful thing. I do think that China does not need to rely on other countries. Why can't our great country act independently?"

As soon as this sentence was released, the faces of several military generals changed slightly. My words have clearly expressed my statement about Wu Tingfang's future position - China will appear in an independent position in the future war, rather than as a natural ally of Germany or Britain.

For them, if they abandon their psychological preparations for the alliance with Germany that had previously gained the upper hand.

I noticed it, thought about it in my heart, paused and continued, "Of course, I said this, just a basic attitude. For specific preparations, of course, there is no big move. Whether from the current situation in Asia or the future, it is naturally necessary to stand on which side to stand on. I just said that we should not be too keen. The General Staff and the Army and the Navy Department must have a clear idea in our hearts. We have always followed the British in the past, and of course there are benefits, but at that time, countries like Turkey and Bulgaria were the same.

, it is also very beneficial, but after the peace between Britain and Russia, you have seen all the consequences. The British and the British joined forces with us back then, and did they also hope that we would curb the Russians? Now that the situation has changed, the empire must also consider the empire. My words are not only about Britain, but also about other countries. I have a good word to give to you: There are no eternal friends in international relations, only eternal interests. The interests of the empire are the direction of the empire. I am like this, and you should do this too."

After listening to me, everyone knelt down and listened to the Hadith. These were all procedures. Naturally, I waved my hand to let them get up and said to Prince Chun Zai Teng and Wang Shizhen and Cao Kun in the Army: "You are my loyal ministers. How will the empire go in a hundred years? I am afraid that the foundation will be laid in your battle." I sighed and stopped them from kneeling again: "This is also for you. What my words are also about the future of the empire depends on your group of people."

Everyone was grateful. I had already obtained the plan I wanted, and the discussion could basically end, so I asked Wu Tingfang to draw up a detailed plan and presented it to the imperial view, and it was dispersed. The only one left was to download it.

"Nothing else, I mean, you will go and watch it on my behalf." Hearing that I changed my name to Zaifeng, I stopped talking about "Feng Ni", Zaiwen looked up and asked, and I sighed, "It's all my brothers. Zaixun Zaitao is about to graduate and is about to use it. Could they just watch me lock their brothers and brothers in my life? I can't bear it. I'm thinking about letting him go out to do his job in a few days. You can see if he can do it today. If he can do it, I will do it." After that, he looked at him and gradually closed his eyes.

Zai Bing hesitated for a moment before receiving the order: "If the servant receives the order, if he really wants to repent, it is indeed not appropriate to ban it. The emperor will do this, so the servants will feel more at ease."

"Well, I feel relieved if you say this. Your prince's title remains unchanged, and Zaifeng will give him another title in the future. Well, there is still a long way to go there. You can go earlier. I will hand in the morning to see me. Let's go down, so I won't kneel."

Zaifeng retired, and I thought about some important arrangements for the second half of the year. The Second International Smoking ban Conference will be held in Shanghai at the end of October. If Zaifeng can go, it is best to let him attend, so it will be considered as sending some signals to the outside world.

The Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway was basically a railway built by all private capital. From the perspective of persuading private capital to enter industry, the royal family should also send a representative to attend. Judging from the candidates, Zaifeng was not suitable for public appearance in such domestic situations due to his identity. At that time, Zaiying would probably have to arrange for Zaiying to go there. He is a relatively slippery person, and it is probably better to deal with these merchants.

After thinking about it, I should have nothing to do, but I always feel a little uneasy in my heart. I don’t know why. After thinking about it, I always feel something is wrong. I feel like I have something stuffed in my heart. I feel so upset that I can’t get better. After sitting for a while, I was extremely upset, so I just got up and went to the palace with the concubine. I haven’t met her recently. Although I am older, my temperament has not changed a lot, and gradually became the only concubine in the harem who can relieve boredom in recent years. Others are always a little snobbish, and the land in my parents’ home is too heavy.

As soon as I entered the palace gate, I heard the voices of the palace maids welcoming the saints, and suddenly remembered that Zhang Zhidong did not come to the imperial meeting today. Could it be that I missed him?
Chapter completed!