Since the annexation of Serbia by Austria-Hungary at the end of the 19th century, the history of the Balkans has changed beyond recognition.

With the strong rise of Bulgaria, it is logical to become the new leader of the Yugoslav nation, but because of the fear of Austria-Hungary before, Ferdinand did not directly intervene, but small actions in the secret are still indispensable.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, in particular, is a key area for intelligence services; The second is Austrian Serbia, although Serbian nationalism has fallen into a low ebb under the suppression of Austria-Hungary, but the remnants of resistance are still not small.

With the outbreak of the world war, the Slavic national independence movement in Austria-Hungary rose again, which created opportunities for Ferdinand.

Don't look at the seven or eight million Slavic nations in Austria-Hungary, but many people are loyal supporters of the Hardenenburg family, and it is better to count on them to rise up and make Austria-Hungary back!

Except for a few radical organizations, most people are still very satisfied with the rule of the old emperor, and it is not at all how serious the national contradictions in the Austro-Hungarian Empire are as circulated in later generations, and all ethnic minorities want independence!

Living in this era, Ferdinand knew how high the prestige of the Hardenberg family was in the Austro-Hungarian Empire!

Even the Kingdom of Hungary, which has the highest attribute of death, before the outbreak of the world war, was at most just a rhetoric by politicians, and if they really want to make them independent, they must first ask the Hungarian people whether they will say yes!

Therefore, even if the intelligence department has been deployed in the Austro-Hungarian Empire for a long time, it really can't make a stir if it does not plan a national uprising.

With the exception of ultra-nationalists, others simply did not want independence. waited until after the death of the old emperor, the new successor to the throne, Archduke Karl, was too poor to convince the public, and a series of unfavorable factors such as frequent tricks, coupled with the defeat of the world war, contributed to the collapse of the empire!

But the core reason that really prompted the division of Austria-Hungary was the fourteen-point plan put forward by the Americans, and the various nationalities were unwilling to pay high war reparations for their own interests, so they moved towards independence!

Of course, as the leader of the Yugoslav nation, Ferdinand was not worried about finding a leading party, and the radical nationalists tried to get rid of the rule of Austria-Hungary and establish an independent state, so they naturally did not mind cooperating with Bulgaria.

In the eyes of these idealists, the creation of a united empire of Slavic peoples is the best option!

Well, it can only be said that the layout of the Russians for almost a hundred years has not been in vain, they still have fans!

Of course, the Russians were too far away for them to reach in the Balkans, so these people naturally came to Bulgaria.

This is also the result of the unique cultural background of Europe, which simply recognizes the Russians as the boss of the Slavic nation and the Bulgarian as the boss of the Yugoslav nation.

The Russians wanted to establish a Slavic Empire, they supported, Ferdinand's plan to form a Yugoslav Federation, they also welcomed, but they themselves also wanted to establish their own national kingdoms, principalities or dominions!

Anyway, different groups have different interests, and with the outbreak of the world war, the strength of these radical groups has snowballed, and their ambitions have naturally begun to grow.

At the end of 1916, more than 100 representatives from more than 30 groups of the Slavic nationalities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire gathered together to "discuss state affairs".

What is even more strange is that there are also loyal supporters of the Hardenenberg family, although their political positions are different, but they do not prevent them from participating in this gathering of the Yugoslav nation.

Now it seems a bit of an eyesore, but it wouldn't be surprising if it were in the Middle Ages, a lord could be loyal to multiple countries at the same time, and he could also earn titles in multiple countries, even if they were at war!

Although they are not lords, they are showing by their deeds that they are a member of the Slavic peoples and that there is nothing wrong with participating in the Slavic National Assembly!

Of course, if it is for them to make Austria-Hungary rebel, then it will be necessary to think about it specifically, and if the interests are sufficient, it is not impossible!

Well, this unique traditional culture hurt Ferdinand a lot, don't seem to have a lot of power groups to join, most of them came to join in the fun.

This is also the reason why Yugoslavia was able to be established so quickly after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and it is also for this reason that Yugoslavia went to collapse!

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Ferdinand did not have any expectations as to what kind of results this conference could achieve, and of course, for political reasons, this conference must be held beautifully.

As the host, Ferdinand must have come forward, but even if he presided over the meeting, these people were not qualified to receive him personally.

"Prime Minister, you will preside over this Yugoslav National United Congress for me!"

"Yes!" Konstantin replied confidently

He has always been keen on such activities that help to provide Bulgaria with an international presence.

Reality taught Ferdinand that sometimes it is easier to buy people's hearts by maintaining a high-minded posture!

For example, now, Ferdinand only appeared at the beginning of the meeting, and did not participate in the discussion at all, and these people will definitely still proclaim his greatness when they go back.

Because he was a successful man, he led Bulgaria to strength, and his high profile was what these people thought it should be, and the king should be on top.

If he really participated, it was obvious that there would definitely be controversy in the meeting, and even if a nation came to several delegations, the conflict of interest between them would have to be arbitrated by Ferdinand, and no matter how he dealt with it, some people would be dissatisfied!

And close contact will also make "God" become "human"! Since it is a "person", it is naturally impossible to be supported by everyone!

Konstantin thought for a moment and said: "Your Majesty, what about the interests of the Yugoslav peoples this time?" If they ask for an independent state, how can we reply? ”

The Yugoslav National Congress came very suddenly, and at first it was only a few radical groups hoping to get Bulgaria to support their independence, which naturally did not attract Ferdinand's attention.

However, when the news leaked later, the larger power groups of the various ethnic groups in Yugoslavia basically sent representatives, and the specifications were naturally different.

I have to say that they still have a vision, knowing that the wrecked ship of Austria-Hungary is somewhat unreliable, and they want to prepare the way back in advance.

The sedan chair was carried by everyone, and since everyone gave face, Ferdinand naturally had to cooperate, so it evolved into the Yugoslav National Congress.

"This is indeed a problem, but the core of our current strategy is not on the European continent, and we do not have the strength to take care of both Europe and Asia!

It is possible to tell them directly that Bulgaria's goal is to unify the Balkans, and if they want independence, we can support them in establishing a state outside the Balkans! ”

Although Ferdinand also hoped to annex them and assimilate them, he dismissed the tempting idea given the complexity of the various peoples involved.

The Slavic nation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was as high as seven or eight million, and the beliefs in it were also a mess, and if they were all annexed, it would be devastating to deal with the national question alone.

Besides, Bulgaria is not Yugoslavia, and if it really unifies them all, this sphere of influence will penetrate deep into Central Europe, and it will inevitably collide fiercely with the French!

This was already contrary to Ferdinand's preconceived strategy of trying to avoid a conflict of core interests with the European powers, and it was impossible for Bulgaria to change its national policy of expanding into Asia Minor for the sake of this little benefit!

Konstantin said with regret on his face: "It's a pity that this great opportunity, if we want now, we can completely establish a kingdom of Yugoslavia!" ”

Ferdinand smiled slightly, and didn't say anything, according to the European concept, the land on the European continent is worth much more than the overseas colonies.

If a Yugoslav kingdom were to be established, Bulgaria would naturally annex Croatia and Slovenia, and even cut a piece of the Italian mainland, such as Venice!

Of course, as a price, Bulgaria became the biggest obstacle for the French to dominate the European continent!

Bulgaria even had to give up a large number of colonies due to the huge profits it had seized on the European continent!

Obviously, these things seemed very normal to people at the time! This is known from the conflict between Alsace and Lorraine, which were hostile to each other for a hundred years, triggering two world wars and ultimately destroying both empires!

In Ferdinand's opinion, this was very uneconomical, and even if Alsace-Lorraine had abundant resources, it was not worth dying for this little place!

Now that Bulgaria continues to expand on the European continent, it is a big deal to add more than 100,000 square kilometers of land, and it has reached its limit, how can it be compared with the Asia Minor Peninsula in real value?

Although the peninsula of Asia Minor is nominally a colony, no one has stipulated that the colony may not be run as a native territory, as long as I want to!

Of course, it was impossible for Ferdinand to give up the Balkans, which had a bearing on Bulgaria's strategic security and must be controlled in his own hands.

Open the map, and now the part of Bosnia and Herzegovina is missing, and Bulgaria has completed the great cause of the unification of the Balkan Peninsula.

No, there is also Belgrade, the gateway to the Balkans, and only after taking Bulgaria can it be regarded as really unifying the Balkans!

However, this problem is not big, the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina at this time is only 18.9 million, and Ferdinand has no intention of completely annexing it, and the Pannonian plain, which is the most fertile and densely populated, can allow them to become independent.

(Note: There are some differences in the size of Bosnia and Herzegovina from this era and what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the Slavonia region.) ）

To put it simply, Bulgaria only needs to accept hundreds of thousands of mountain people, and the remaining areas can rely on national self-determination, and those who are willing to join Bulgaria are welcome, and those who are unwilling to join are not reluctant, and the national problem is solved to the greatest extent.

As for the Dalmatian Islands off the coast, Ferdinand didn't mention it directly, and without Italy, he didn't think that anyone who didn't know each other would dare to compete with Bulgaria for this territory!

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