"The soldiers outside the city rioted, and they demanded the resignation of the prime minister and the cabinet within two days."

This startling news spread quickly in Sophia, causing panic among the residents of the city. In the other direction of not facing the barracks, there is a constant stream of people going out of the city to avoid disaster, which makes the situation look even more worrying.

"Hurry up and get your sandbags ready, set up machine guns here at the intersection."

Soldiers loyal to the government set up fortifications in settlements close to the edge of the city, which is even more worrying. It's just that it seems that these soldiers, who are scattered all over the city, can resist the nearly 100,000 troops outside the city who are about to turn into rebels, which has also become a problem.

This question also distressed Lieutenant General Ivanov, who was temporarily assigned to the post of commander of the city defense of Sofia. Because he only had military police and cadets at his disposal, as well as the royal family guards and other bits and pieces that added up to less than 9,000 troops. More importantly, the Romanian army had now marched into Felatsa and was only separated from Sofia by the Stara Mountains.

Lieutenant General Kutinchev, who commanded the Sixth Army, had promised to use the Stara Mountains, which divided Bulgaria into north and south, to hold the enemy back, but he could only guarantee a three-day delay. Ivanov, who knew the details, was also very satisfied with this result. Because he knew that it was Lieutenant General Kutinchev who was dragging them with the lives of his soldiers, and was it worth it just to watch the army outside the city that was gradually showing signs of rebellion?

In fact, Lieutenant General Ivanov's question was also raised to Radoslav in person. In the palace of Sofia, King Ferdinand I was asking the prime minister.

"Prime Minister, is it all worth it?"

Faced with the inquiry of the king, who was in the prime of life, the prime minister, who had been driven to a dead end, replied firmly. "Your Majesty, it's all worth it. Because we haven't failed yet, reinforcements from Turkey will arrive in Thessaloniki in just five days. In this way, we will have Admiral Zekov send 150,000 troops back to Sofia, and then Germany and Austria will be able to send reinforcements from the Serbian side in about ten days. In this way, we will have an army of nearly 400,000 men, and we will even be able to counterattack Romania and recover the territories occupied by them, such as Ruse and Varna. ”

Prime Minister Radoslav said words that had made Ferdinand I feel excited, but now made the king feel that he was a prime minister.

What came to his mind was the leaders of the Radical Democratic Party, Teodorov and Malinov, whom he had secretly met with yesterday evening. In this little-known audience, two radical Democrats gave him a detailed description of the current situation in Bulgaria. After hearing that Bulgaria had starved to death by famine, that its soldiers were generally war-weary, and that Bulgaria had lost hundreds of thousands of troops in the face of a two-sided attack, the king, who rarely cared about the situation, decided to do something for the country.

And this interview was actually a step given by King Ferdinand to the prime minister, but unfortunately the post of prime minister had already made Radoslav get carried away. Or rather, joining the Confederate camp has left him with no way out, and the prime minister in front of him is still trying to get the king to support his plan.

Ferdinand I, who was king and had been commander-in-chief of the army for many years, is now very clear. The biggest problem in Bulgaria at the moment is that the soldiers are tired of this war with no victory in sight, and no one can solve this problem. And the prime minister has said so much in front of himself, and has been avoiding a key question, that is, the wishes of the soldiers who have rioted outside the city.

The resignation of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet is not a difficult choice for the King. And now there is an even more pressing issue for him to solve, that is, how to ensure the presence of the royal family in Bulgaria.

So when Prime Minister Radoslav was gushing about his ridiculous plans, Ferdinand spoke directly to him. "Radoslav heard that you are sick and in poor health?"

Prime Minister Radoslav, who was still immersed in his own plan, did not hear the intention of the king not even bothering to say the word prime minister for a while, and answered directly. "Your Majesty, my body is very good, and I have no pain at all."

Seeing that the Prime Minister did not understand what he was saying, Ferdinand I said it again very bluntly. "Prime Minister, you are not well and must rest."

Ferdinand deliberately accentuated the word rest when he said it, and it was then that Radoslav reacted. Then the prime minister looked at the king in disbelief, as if to say that this is true?

Ferdinand I said a little more about this. "Prime Minister, if you are sick, leave the work to someone else, and you can recuperate with peace of mind."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I ...... I...... I am not in good health, and I really need to rest. ”

Radoslav said this sentence intermittently, as if he had been drained of his spirit, and then he spoke in a somewhat dry tone. "I'll announce my resignation tomorrow."

Ferdinand was also relieved by the words of Prime Minister Radoslav, and no one could underestimate the call of the army outside the city. In addition, it was the Prime Minister who was responsible for negotiating the entry into the Allied camp, and if he continued to negotiate an armistice with the Entente, it would be embarrassing for both sides.

After Prime Minister Radoslav said all this, he asked with some curiosity. "Your Majesty, may I ask who will take me to the post of Prime Minister?"

Faced with Radoslav's question, Ferdinand I said generously. "Malinov, a Radical Democrat, has a good influence in Britain and France, and he would be a suitable person."

The King's words made Radoslav think of the man with the eyes of a scholar who, when he decided to join the Confederate camp, opposed it despite everyone's faces. Radoslav also had to admit that this candidate was indeed suitable for an armistice.

"Malinov is indeed a suitable person for negotiation."

After seeing off Prime Minister Radoslav, Ferdinand summoned one of his henchmen to command. "Immediately send a message to Teodorov and Malinov that the prime minister has promised to resign and that they are ready to take over. Then let them go at once to the British and French commercial agencies in Sofia, and inform them of our decision to armistice and arms. In addition, send a message to General Ivanov to inform the soldiers outside the city of the resignation of the Prime Minister and the cabinet, and now they should be satisfied. ”

After Ferdinand had finished speaking, the squire nodded in reply. "Okay, Your Majesty, I'll do it."

As he watched the departing squire, Ferdinand remembered the scene of his discussions with Teodorov and Malinov last night, and he said to himself. "I hope you can guarantee the status of the royal family."

It turned out that Ferdinand I decided to bring the Radical Democrats to power, and there was also the reason why they promised to keep the throne.

Just for this move, there are too many things that the royal family needs to give up, and it is very possible to even abdicate themselves. In his mind, Ferdinand was well prepared for this, because the news that the Russian Tsar was forced to abdicate and was under house arrest made him feel uneasy. Therefore, for the sake of the country and the royal family, peace talks have now become a necessary choice, after all, no one wants to negotiate in the city.