Now that the chess pieces were chosen, the intelligence apparatus of the German Empire began to operate in full force around how to provoke a war between Serbia and Austria-Hungary.

Throughout the second half of 1891, the main work of the Third Division of the High Quartermaster General of the German General Staff (IIIb, later known as the Army Secret Intelligence Service) was to secretly contact the Belgrade Secret Slavic Group, a radical group of nationalist politicians in Greater Serbia, and to incite Austro-Serbian confrontation.

The entry point was that the Ottoman districts of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and the new Pazar region were occupied and governed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but still belonged to Turkey, as stipulated at the Berlin Conference in 1878.

In other words, Bosnia and Herzegovina is under the temporary trusteeship of Austria-Hungary, and it is uncertain when it will be handed over. And the Greater Serbian Empire, dreamed of by the Greater Serbian nationalists, has a place in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Therefore, the Germans began to secretly push the Serbian nationalists to demand an end to the Austro-Hungarian trusteeship of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Serbian territory.

And such a demand, of course, would not have been accepted by Austria-Hungary, then war was inevitable.

Jochen added another weight to these Serbs, and at Jochen's behest, rumors began to spread in the IIIb that the Serbian king Milan had betrayed his national interests in exchange for Austro-Hungarian support.

Jochen had heard that in 1882 the former king of Serbia, Milan Obrynovic, had signed a humiliating pact in which the Austro-Serbian Treaty of Economic Cooperation made Serbia a complete economic vassal of Austria-Hungary. However, such an agreement will not see the light of day, and of course it will not be promulgated in the parliaments of the two countries, but will only be signed by Emperor Joseph and King Milan.

Jochen is not sure of the exact content of this agreement, or even whether it exists or not. But in intelligence warfare, no evidence is not a matter at all, and it is good that trumped-up charges can be used casually, and the goal can be achieved, not to mention that this may not be unfounded.

So with the enthusiastic propaganda of the intelligence officers of the IIIb, this rumor became known to more and more large Serbian nationalists. As a result, the opposition in the Serbian parliament began to demand an investigation into whether the king had committed treason.

In Serbia at that time, it was true that the emperor's family had the most power in the parliament, but the other factions in the parliament still had the ability to make the king unable to eat and walk around.

The founder of the Obrianovic dynasty, Miloš Obrianovich, was forced to abdicate due to the backlash of the opposition in parliament and went into seclusion in Romania. The second son Mikhail, who ascended the throne, was only 16 years old and could not cover the scene at all, and was deposed by parliament soon after.

The parliament elected Alexander Petrovich, the son of Karageorgio Petrovich, the founder of the Karageorgio dynasty, as king.

As a result, because Alexander acted steadily and could not satisfy the neurotic nationalists' ambitions to create a greater Serbian empire, Alexander's position was precarious, and he was overthrown by a coup d'état by the Obrianovic family, who seized the opportunity.

The Obrynović dynasty returned again, and Miloš returned to Serbia from Romania, but the good times were short-lived, and Miloš, who had only been on the throne for a year, died, and Mikhail ascended the throne for the second time, and did quite well

But the neurotic nationalists saw the Obrynovich family as a national thief usurping the throne of the national heroes Kara George, and Mikhailo was stabbed to death by nationalists loyal to the Kara George family during a suburban tour. Mikhail's cousin, Milan Obryanovic, then ascended the throne.

The king was largely pro-Austrian, but he also had a lot of conflicts with the queen, who was born into a Russian aristocracy. This also led him to his pro-Austrian stance to be not firm and often waver.

So in the face of the outside world, one will be pro-Austria, the other will be pro-Russian, and the palace will be a group of kings. At the beginning of 1889, the parliament, which could not stand it, forced him to abdicate the throne and passed to Crown Prince Alexander. But at this time, Alexander was still an adult, and Milan went around overseas and returned, asking his son to hire himself as commander-in-chief of the army and continue to be in power.

Therefore, in view of the chaotic political situation in Serbia, Milan Obrynović is not strong enough to prevent the parliamentary investigation.

The investigation of the former king made great progress, and the Serbs lived up to their expectations and found the Austro-Serbian Economic Cooperation Treaty, signed by Milan. After the parliament convicted the king of treason, the Obrianovich dynasty was overthrown. Milan Obrenović escaped assassination by fanatical nationalists and fled Romania with his family.

At the end of 1891, the Serbian parliament welcomed back from Switzerland the grandson of the national hero, Karageorgio Petrovich, the founder of the Karageorgio dynasty.

Peter I, who ascended the throne as King of Serbia, changed Milan's pro-Austrian policy and began to carry out anti-Austrian activities at home, while the previous "Austro-Serbian Economic Cooperation Treaty" was naturally completely denied, and tried to unite Britain and France to put pressure on Vienna.

Seeing that the Austro-Hungarian economy was half-dead and the Serbs felt that Austria-Hungary was now powerless to do anything to themselves, Peter I sent a tough diplomatic note to Austria-Hungary: "Will Austria-Hungary give Bosnia and Herzegovina the right to choose after the end of the mandate period, in accordance with the agreement of the Berlin Conference?" ”

This note was also copied to the ambassadors of all the countries participating in the Berlin Conference.

The subtext is that Austria-Hungary wants to annex Bosnia and Herzegovina, that it is a violation of the Treaty of Berlin, and that you should be careful that the other Berlin Conference participants do not agree, and this attitude and demand greatly irritates the Austro-Hungarians.

When the Berlin Conference of 1878 confirmed the Austro-Hungarian mandate for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the reluctant Turks used a force of 4,000 Muslim militiamen to rely on strong fortresses and rough roads to fight the Austrian army of 100,000 for four months.

Austria-Hungary paid a heavy price for this, with casualties coming second, and a large amount of money expended on the already poor economic situation of Austria-Hungary.

Therefore, in the eyes of the Austro-Hungarians, their own army has gone through the war and defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is controlled by the enemy, is their own territory, but now it is not their own after a long time, how can this be endured?

Besides, even if the trusteeship period ends, the ownership of Bosnia and Herzegovina is Ottoman Turkey, what do you Serbia want to do?

The Austro-Hungarians, who had already complained because of the sluggish domestic economy, saw that now even the Serbs dared to stab themselves, and strongly demanded that the arrogant Serbs be taught a "lesson".

If we can win this war, we can indeed stimulate our own economy and ease social contradictions by the way. Moreover, Franz Joseph I knew that if he retreated from the provocations of a small country like Serbia, the Habsburgs would be discredited, and they would no longer be able to maintain the rule of Austria-Hungary without the majesty of imperial power.

The response of the Austro-Hungarians was equally tough: "The choice of Bosnian names to remain in the territory of the Reich after the end of the Mandate period is the wish of all Bosnia-Herzegovina people, not unilateral coercion of the Reich." ”

Well, since we can't talk, let's talk with our fists.

The Germans said in a strong way that they would solve the problems between Austria-Hungary and Serbia by themselves, and that Germany would not sit idly by if Britain, France and Russia wanted to get involved.

Britain and France are actually not ready to get involved in a war for such a place as Bosnia and Herzegovina, they are still in an economic crisis, and they went to the Balkans to turn their faces for the Serbs and Germans, stupid? Even if the Serbs succeeded, it would be the Russians who would benefit, and it would not be their turn.

So Britain and France gave a vague answer: Germany, you are not good, but everyone signed the "Berlin Treaty", and it has legal effect in black and white. Austria-Hungary is not in line with the rules to do it alone, which makes it difficult for us to do it.

It's the same as not saying it, since it's hard to do, don't do it. Okay, you fight slowly, and we'll be able to watch strongly.

On the Russians' side, in order to prevent Maozi's overreaction, the German Foreign Ministry was ready to send an envoy to Russia at any time to persuade Alexander III not to be impulsive. As a result, the Russians really cooperated, and verbally condemned Austria-Hungary a few words, and the matter was over, leaving the Germans who were ready to do nothing.

Also, although they are all "Slavic brothers", but this brother is a nationalist madman, then the Russians have to consider whether they will be unlucky if they help them, and the Poles have always been fighting for independence. For the sake of such a "brother" to go to war with Austria-Hungary, you have a dime benefit? Just give lip service to it, and the meaning is there.

Britain, France and Russia were all ready to see the excitement, and Austria-Hungary, which had confidence, decided to go to war. However, Britain, France, and Russia were not ready to help themselves, but Peter I still had his own certainty.

Moreover, the attitude of the Germans on the surface seems to be in favor of Austria-Hungary, but in fact the signal is that Britain, France, and Russia do not interfere, then I will not interfere either, and everyone will move a stool together and sit and watch.

In fact, both Britain, France, Russia, and Austria-Hungary believed that Serbia had no chance of winning. Even if Austria-Hungary had few victories in foreign wars. It was defeated by France in 1852 and Prussia in 1866. But the opponent is too strong, and there is no possibility of losing in Serbia now.

Therefore, the attitude of the Germans was understood by the countries as not wanting an escalation. However, the Germans themselves knew very well that in terms of the current state of the Austro-Hungarian economy, if they could not win all the way to the end, as long as they suffered a little setback, the Hungarians at home pushed again, and the Austro-Hungarian war machine would immediately stop functioning.

The Germans were not ready to intervene, Peter I was completely relieved, Austria-Hungary is a paper tiger, and I, Great Serbia, will definitely be able to give the proud Austro-Hungarians a memory that will last a lifetime.