In March 1891, Archbishop Skrilment returned from St. Petersburg in high spirits. It can be seen that this trip to Russia went smoothly and he was in a good mood.

He has been selling the superiority of the United Nations to others for three days, and now the cabinet members have to take a detour when they see him. They didn't have the guts to make a decision without Ferdinand's nod.

Seeing that the government's route was not working, Skritment now had his eye on Ferdinand. He is no longer satisfied with merely détente with Russia, but hopes to take Russian-Bulgarian relations one step further, preferably by building a strong alliance.

"Your Excellency, Russia is a natural ally of Bulgaria, and we have been helped by Russia since the beginning of the War of Independence. Although there were some misunderstandings, it was all a problem during the Stam cabinet, and for the better development of Bulgaria, it was imperative to form an alliance with Russia! Believe me, I can swear by God's name! "Skritter spoke passionately, trying to infect Ferdinand with words

It can be seen that Skritment does not understand politics, otherwise he would not have brought it up so arrogantly at the ministerial meeting.

The conflict between Bulgaria and Russia during the Stam period created Ferdinand's ascension to the throne, and people with a little political acumen would choose to avoid it, so as not to embarrass Ferdinand.

Although he spoke excitedly, there was no reaction from the crowd. It's too hollow, and there's no specifics at all. It is important for Russia and Bulgaria, but what about the specific benefits for Bulgaria? If you can't see this, how can you get the support of everyone!

Ferdinand took over and said: "Mr. Bishop, you are right, relations with Russia are indeed very important!" The problem is Russian-Bulgarian relations, which concerns both us and Russia, and is not decided unilaterally by us! ”

"At the same time, we must take into account international relations in their entirety, as well as the attitudes of other powers! At least the attitude of Britain and Austria-Hungary must be taken into account! ”

Facts have proved that Skritment really does not understand politics, he is just a simple pro-Russian faction, and he is really embarrassed by international relations.

The position of his cabinet was nothing more than that given by Ferdinand in order to ease relations with Russia, and the foreign visit needed to show Bulgaria's sincerity, and there were almost no specific rights.

At this time, there was a knock on the door, "Knock knock...... Knock knock".

"Come in!" Ferdinand said he knew that no one would disturb the Cabinet unless something big happened.

Palace Minister Karl hurriedly walked in, approached Ferdinand and said, "Your Excellency, the international situation is about to change dramatically!" News has just come from Berlin that on March 17, the Russian ambassador to Germany, Paul Shuvalov, proposed to Berlin to extend the German-Russian Reinsurance Treaty for 6 years, which was rejected by the German government! ”

Everyone was shocked, the German-Russian alliance was over, and the international situation was about to face a major reshuffle.

Even the politically dull Skrilment knew that Bulgaria's foreign policy had to be adjusted.

Ferdinand thought for a moment and said, "This is also expected, but I didn't expect it to come so quickly!" From the beginning of the German-Russian trade conflict, it was expected, and then the Three Emperors Alliance was dissolved. No one thought that Bismarck had come up with a reinsurance treaty again, and now that the old prime minister is out of power, Wilhelm II, who urgently needs to prove himself, naturally can't wait! ”

For a long time, Bulgaria's diplomatic relations have been a mess, mainly because their vision is limited to the Balkans and they have not been able to clearly understand the international environment.

"Your Excellency, how should we adjust our foreign policy next?" Metyev, who was in charge of diplomatic work, asked nervously

Ferdinand asked rhetorically, "What do you all think?" ”

Konstantin thought for a moment and said: "Your Excellency, it is not appropriate for us to participate directly until the international situation has stabilized. Bulgaria is only a small country and does not have the ability to influence the international situation, so let's adapt to the situation! ”

Ferdinand nodded in approval. If Ferdinand hadn't known where history would have been, he would have made the same choice.

After all, Bulgaria is only a small country, and if you take one wrong step, you may never recover; Even if you win the bet, the gain is limited, and it is better to have a left and right source.

Historically, since the beginning of the Konstantin government, Bulgaria has flexibly taken advantage of international contradictions, and has been left and right. The initial effect was not bad, and it was attracted by various countries.

However, in the later period, the two major international camps were established, and Bulgaria, which tried to be left and right, paid a heavy price.

In the Second Balkan War, Russia, dissatisfied with Bulgaria's vacillation, chose Serbia, which took a firmer stance. In the same way, Austria-Hungary had doubts about the position of Bulgaria and finally abandoned Bulgaria.

Skritmen was in a hurry, and he also knew that the next international diplomatic situation would be very unfavorable to Russia. The value of the Russian-Bulgarian alliance will also be greatly reduced, which is difficult for him to accept.

After a moment of silence, Ferdinand knew that it would be too difficult for them to ask the cabinet to pay attention, after all, they were all suddenly promoted by ducks, and they had no experience in this area.

"Now that the international situation has changed dramatically, it is not up to us to intervene in where we go next. Therefore, the general principle is to maintain stability and continue to stabilize relations with Britain and Austria. At the same time, it is necessary to attach importance to relations with Russia and continue to promote relations between the two countries. It is also necessary to ease the relations between the Balkan countries as much as possible and lay the foundation for the next economic development! "Ferdinand made a surprising decision

Sclement, whose political cells were not developed enough, was a little stunned, and Ferdinand, who had previously opposed an alliance with Russia, was now actually supporting it again.

Konstantin was the first to react, smiled slightly, and everyone understood, and nodded with satisfaction.

Bulgaria is poor in mineral resources, and in order to complete its industrialization, it must go abroad. In terms of cost, Russia is the best option.

The regions of Ukraine are rich in mineral resources, backward in industrial development, and on the Black Sea coast, which can not only provide Bulgaria with resources, but also have a vast market. Therefore, Russian-Bulgarian relations will become the most important diplomatic task for Bulgaria in the future.

Up to now, Ferdinand still has some headaches, and the diplomatic performance of the Balkan countries is very surprising, it is simply a mess.

At first, Serbia was pro-Austro-Hungarian, Greece and Romania were pro-German, and Bulgaria was pro-Russian. After the outbreak of World War I, Bulgaria, which was close to the Entente, joined the Central Powers, and the pro-Allied countries successively defected to the Entente.

"Mr. Skrliment, I have to make another trip to St. Petersburg. In the name of non-governmental exchanges, is there a problem with strengthening people-to-people exchanges between the two sides? Ferdinand asked without refusal

Skriment immediately said, "No, no problem! Although he didn't figure out what Ferdinand's foreign policy was, it turned out to be what he wanted.