Chapter 516 Powder Keg
Just in July this year, George received the second Medal of St. George. This medal was awarded to George for his 25 years of perfect service.
When Nicholas awarded George a medal at the summer palace, George felt slightly in a trance.
It’s been 25 years?
Calculate carefully, from 1883 to 1909, it has been 25 years.
This is still several months too late.
In late August, Helmut Moltke and Franz Herzendorf had just left, and Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania visited St. Petersburg with his concubine Marie Victoria.
Mary is the eldest daughter of Prince Alfred and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna. She and Ferdinand have 5 children. The youngest child, Princess Ileana, was born earlier this year.
As the only ally of the Kingdom of Romania, Ferdinand visited St. Petersburg every year.
Nicola's trip around Europe started from Germany, passed through the United Kingdom, France, the Kingdom of Greece, and finally ended in the Kingdom of Romania.
The Russian Empire exposed many problems in the Russo-Japanese War, which worried King Carol I and Ferdinand of Romania, fearing that the Russian Empire could not provide due protection to its allies.
At the same time, it is also worried that the Russian Empire will not be able to provide enough support to the Kingdom of Romania on the Balkan issue.
When George and Milyutin visited the Kingdom of Romania, they established a deep friendship with Ferdinand. When George was in the Far East, he often communicated with Ferdinand through letters, and their relationship was not interrupted.
After Ferdinand and Maria got married, the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Romania got closer. This time when he came to St. Petersburg, Ferdinand hoped to get the support of the Russian Empire and asked the Kingdom of Bulgaria for South Dobroga. .
Dobroga is located in the northeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula, between the lower reaches of the Danube River and the Black Sea. It is the corridor from Eastern Europe into the Balkans. Most of the residents are Romanians.
After Romania and Bulgaria became independent, the northern part of Dobroga was assigned to the Kingdom of Romania and the southern part to the Kingdom of Bulgaria.
In order to monopolize Southern Dobroga, the Kingdom of Bulgaria implemented a high-pressure policy against the Romanians living in Southern Dobroga.
The Romanians living in South Dobroga have repeatedly asked the Kingdom of Romania for help, hoping that the Kingdom of Romania can send troops to protect their interests. It is best to incorporate South Dobroga into the Kingdom of Romania.
This issue was very difficult, and George did not dare to make an easy decision for a while.
The Kingdom of Romania and the Kingdom of Bulgaria are both allies of the Russian Empire.
If the Russian Empire supports the Kingdom of Romania on the issue of South Dobroga, it will cause a rift in the relationship between the Kingdom of Bulgaria and the Russian Empire. A careless operation may push the Kingdom of Bulgaria into the German-Austrian Alliance.
The Kingdom of Romania and the Kingdom of Bulgaria have also had long-standing differences over South Dobroga. Ferdinand has repeatedly requested support from the Russian Empire. George can feel that Ferdinand’s patience is about to run out. .
“Romanians living in South Dobroga have to bear almost twice as much tax as Bulgarians; if there is a conflict between Romanians and Bulgarians, the local government will definitely favor the Bulgarians; the Bulgarian government Romanian schools are not even allowed to teach in Romanian Learn! If we don’t take action, the Romanians will disappear in the southern Dobroga region in a few years. This is something we cannot accept in any case.”
Ferdinand’s attitude is very tough. Even without the support of the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Romania is ready to completely liquidate with the Kingdom of Bulgaria.
George and Stolypin looked at each other, both of them worried.
Ferdinand and King Carol I of Romania were both Germans.
Stolypin just feels tricky.
What George is worried about is that if one operation is not careful, the Russian Empire will not only lose the Kingdom of Bulgaria as an ally, but may also push the Kingdom of Romania into the German-Austrian Alliance.
“George, Bucharest’s demand for the use of force to take back South Dobroga is getting louder and louder. Our patience has reached its limit. If St. Petersburg cannot give Bucharest enough support on the issue of South Dobroga, Please also ask St. Petersburg not to prevent Bucharest from acting in any way to safeguard the interests of the Kingdom of Romania.”
Ferdinand hopes that St. Petersburg will be able to calm down and the Kingdom of Romania will have the upper hand purely in terms of force.
The Kingdom of Romania became independent earlier. During the Tenth Russo-Turkish War, Carol I led his troops to fight alongside the Russian Empire.
After Grand Duke Alexander of the Kingdom of Bulgaria was forced to abdicate, the candidate for the new Grand Duke was pending for a long time. George was almost asked to be the Grand Duke. In the end, after many compromises, Alex's brother Valdemar became the Grand Duke of Bulgaria.
This is why Ferdinand was disappointed with the Russian Empire.
Maria is only Nikolai's cousin, but Valdemar is Nikolai's uncle, so it is difficult for Nikolai to be on the same page regarding Nandobroga.
This is probably the reason why Ferdinand made a surprise visit to St. Petersburg while Nicholas was away on a trip.
At least when it comes to South Dobroga, George will be more inclined to Ferdinand.
"Ferdinand, no matter what the circumstances, I will support the Romanians in safeguarding the interests of the Kingdom of Romania in any way."
George first expressed his attitude.
Ferdinand's mood did not relax, because there would definitely be buts next. "But I think what you are most worried about now should not be Bulgaria, but the threat from Vienna and Constantinople."
George knows how to carry water, and he knows how to take advantage of situations.
The reason why the Kingdom of Bulgaria dared to impose high-pressure rule on the Romanians in South Dobroga was because it received the support of Germany.
Although Carol I was from the Hohenzollern family, he signed an alliance with the Russian Empire, which made William II very dissatisfied.
Although Valdemar is Alex's younger brother, he is also the cousin of William II. If William II fails to win over Romania, he will naturally choose to support Bulgaria.
The current situation is that the support received by the Kingdom of Romania and the Kingdom of Bulgaria from the Russian Empire is basically half and half, and neither one can take advantage.
The Kingdom of Bulgaria was supported by Germany.
So Ferdinand came to George to seek support, and at the same time to force the palace.
If Ferdinand cannot get the support he wants from St. Petersburg, the relationship between the Kingdom of Romania and the Russian Empire will gradually become alienated.
From a national standpoint, George can understand Ferdinand's choice.
Stolypin had a headache after sending Ferdinand away. These little guys in the Balkans were so good at causing trouble.
As the eldest brother of the Russian Empire, it is not good for anyone to favor anyone, and none of these younger brothers can worry about it.
"Only His Majesty is qualified to decide the future of the Balkans."
Stolypin did not have the energy to take care of the Balkans at the same time. The land reform in the Russian Empire was enough to give Stolypin a headache.
After selling the Tsar's lands, Stolypin finally targeted the entire aristocracy.
The method Stolypin adopted was for the Ministry of the Interior to come forward to acquire land from the landlord class, and then sell it to the landless Russian poor, allowing more and more proletarians to become the property-owning class.
This is basically consistent with the way George places veterans.
When George resettled veterans, he did not just send them to Amur or East India. Instead, he first found jobs and houses for the veterans so that they could settle down and take root in the local area.
The veterans who arrived in Amur last winter started building houses in Amur this spring. The houses they built are for themselves. They can buy them directly or rent before buying. If they don’t have money, they can find them. There is no need to worry about credit when you get a Siberian Bank loan. Many projects in Amur are invested by Siberian Bank itself.
Once veterans become property owners, they will quickly transform from vagrants into the backbone of society. They themselves are the most loyal Cossacks to the Tsar. If it were not for the fact that they could not survive, they would not take a walk on the streets at all. .
“If Niki could fully guarantee the interests of the Kingdom of Romania, then Ferdinand would not take advantage of Niki’s visit to visit St. Petersburg.”
George was less optimistic, and Nikolai was even more impatient than Stolypin.
The situation in the Balkans is very complicated. In the past, it was all maintained by Ignatieff.
Ignatieff was assassinated in Tver the year before last, and the conflicts in the Balkans gradually got out of control.
If George can be ruthless, Milyutin is actually very suitable to succeed Ignatieff and deal with the Balkan issue. George believes that with Milyutin's experience, he should be able to appease the Balkan countries.
But considering Milyutin's age, George really couldn't bear to send a 90-year-old man to the Balkans.
Regarding the Balkans, George actually has some ideas.
The conflicts in the Balkan countries are mainly centered on uneven distribution.
When the Balkans were not independent, the common enemy of all countries was the Ottoman Empire. In order to become independent, they had to work together to fight for independent status.
Now that the Ottoman Empire has withdrawn from the Balkans, the contradictions between the Balkan countries are gradually exposed. If you want to bring the Balkan countries together again, you must find a new enemy for the Balkan countries.
This enemy is ready-made, that is, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was already full of ambitions for the Balkan Peninsula.
However, what makes George hesitate is that once a war breaks out between the Balkan countries and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it will almost certainly trigger the First World War. Therefore, George seems to think that the Ottoman Empire is easier to bully.
What made George happy was that as soon as Nicholas arrived in Greece and before he arrived in Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire took the initiative to send him to his door.
During the Russo-Japanese War, the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Empire was almost completely wiped out, and the few remaining warships frequently broke out in rebellion. After Peter went to the Black Sea Fleet, he carried out drastic reforms to the Black Sea Fleet. On the surface, it seemed , the Black Sea Fleet has almost reached the edge of abolition.
The Ottoman Empire's navy has developed rapidly in recent years. Not only has it begun construction of full-heavy artillery battleships, but it has also built three ships.
As one goes and the other goes, the confidence of the Ottoman Navy gradually explodes.
(End of this chapter)