In the second decade of the twentieth century, Europe was undoubtedly enjoying unprecedented prosperity and calm, but this tranquillity was abruptly shattered in 1912.

Since the defeat of Manchuria by Russia, the fears that Germany would take the opportunity to start a war did not appear for the next five years; With the exception of Austria-Hungary's brazen annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the whole of Europe is in a stable and peaceful atmosphere. What makes the top leaders of European countries talk about the most is that the German crown prince, the brother-in-law and cousin of Tsar Nicholas II, also gave a helping hand to his in-laws; Germany's massive purchase of basic industrial goods for hoarding had largely freed Tsarist Russia from an unsustainable financial situation. For this, an Order of the Grand Duke of St. Vladimir was awarded to a German on an exceptional basis.

In the face of a possible rapprochement between Germany and Russia, Britain and France could not help but be terrified. It is important to know that although the "Reinsurance Agreement" did not solve the problem of the German-Russian war caused by the Russian-Austrian conflict, it made clear provisions on the war situation on the Western Front: In the event of a war between Germany and France, Russia will maintain goodwill neutrality!

Thus, even if there were sharp contradictions between Austria-Hungary and Russia in the Balkans, the two close relatives of Germany and Russia, could have reached an agreement on the situation on the Western Front. If Germany could win Russia into signing another "Reinsurance Agreement No. II," it would be a fatal blow to Britain and France: in this way, Germany would only need to restrain Austria-Hungary's expansion in the Balkans and shift its strategic focus to the west, thus avoiding the strategic risk of war with Russia. And under the pressure of the German and Austrian armies, the French alone and the British tens of thousands of poor expeditionary force troops. Not at all a one-in-one enemy of the Allied Army!

In light of this. Britain and France must do something to muddy the waters in the present calm situation. Intensify the contradictions between Russia and Germany and Austria, and put an end to the possible pro-German policy in St. Petersburg. After some deliberation, they set their sights on the Balkans, the most sensitive and explosive-prone region.

Because of the large number of ethnic groups and the very mixed population in the Balkans, it is impossible to form a mononational government like the countries of Western Europe; Therefore, in this land, authoritarian rule and majority tyranny are inevitably imposed on large numbers of ethnic minorities. Sandwiched between three great empires, the Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires, and the British power, the situation was a mess. For more than a century, the Balkans had been in a turbulent phase of warfare. Large and small combat clashes are almost impossible to count. If a war breaks out in the Balkans, it will inevitably directly trigger a temporary conflict of interests between Russia and Austria; And for Britain, a "hatred sower" known for fanning the flames and fearing chaos in the world, it is really simple to stir up contradictions in this region!

At the instigation of Britain, Pan-Slavism became the mainstream ideology in the Balkans, and the Balkan countries also actively expanded their armies and carried out diplomatic work, seeking the support of the European powers in the hope of seizing the territory of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans. In March 1912, Serbia and Bulgaria entered into an alliance; Two months later, Mentrigoro (i.e., Montenegro) and Greece also participated; Together, the four nations formed the Balkan League.

And see that the small Balkan countries have become more united than ever before, united against their enemy Turkey. Russia's ambitions, which had always regarded itself as the protector of the Slavs, also began to swell quietly. A few years ago, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Russia, which had not recovered from its serious injuries in the Far East adventure, could only protest weakly; Such a humiliating act that would damage the face of a great power. It undoubtedly chilled the protectorates and the Slavic population in the Balkans. Russia urgently needs to make a presence on the world stage in order to unite the centripetal force of the Slavs in the Balkans, which are vital to Russia's core interests. St. Petersburg has decided that this time it is time to test the depth of the Allies with the help of these little brothers, and after more than 6 years of humiliation and dormancy, it is time for the Russian giant to make his voice heard again! The support of the Russian boss suddenly gave confidence to the Balkan allies. A few months later, Mentrigoro made territorial claims to the Ottoman Empire, which were flatly rejected by the Ottomans, and Mentrigoro declared war on the Ottomans; Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece joined in, and the First Balkan War broke out.

The outbreak of the Balkan War was a mixed blessing for German policymakers. The good news is that the Entente can no longer hold back their impulses and make such a big move in the Balkans; However, the worry is that none of the main members of the three Entente powers, Britain, France and Russia, made a direct appearance this time, and only started this local war by seeking agents as cannon fodder. At present, the Ottoman Empire was only a potential ally of the Central Powers, not a full signatory to the Entente; Although the Balkan allies were at odds with Germany and Austria, the operation was far from being able to intervene directly. It is true that Germany wants to start a war in Europe in advance, but this excuse is obviously not enough at present!

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However, while Qingying was still grieved by the fact that the conditions were not yet ripe for intervention in the Balkan War, he received exciting news from Morocco on the northwest coast of Africa: France began to send troops to Morocco's major cities in order to bring them under their control.

As early as 1905, an agreement was signed between Germany and France aimed at preserving the status quo in Morocco, that Morocco did not belong to the sphere of power of any one country, and that German and French merchants could compete in the region on an equal footing in the form of "equal interests". However, under this seemingly perfectly fair treaty, there was a sinister intention that was extremely unfavorable to France.

Morocco is located in northwest Africa, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and Gibraltar to the sea. Since the fall of the Spanish Empire, Morocco, adjacent to the French colony of Algeria, has been coveted by successive French monarchs because of its unique geographical location. For more than half a century, France has been carrying out economic penetration and capital exports to Morocco, intent on taking full control of the African country and thus achieving the desired benefits, both strategically and economically. Therefore, the French have always regarded Morocco as their own forbidden territory, and will never allow foreign countries to touch it; Even Spain, the original owner of this land, has been squeezed into an insignificant position by the continuous efforts of France.

Therefore, when the Germans also took a fancy to Morocco and demanded the redistribution of this sunlit land, it was clear that this caused irreconcilable contradictions between the new powers and the old empires. However, in 1905, Russia was in a difficult situation of internal and external troubles, and it was impossible to fulfill the Entente to provide military support to France, and under the coercion of the Germans, France was forced to sign this seemingly fair treaty with Germany. With this paper agreement on the equalization of interests, German commodity capital began to flow into Morocco in large quantities; The tremendous energy of the great empire of the first and second largest empires in Europe immediately caused the French capital, which was far less competitive than its German counterpart, to retreat and greatly reduce its control over Morocco. Even the originally pro-French Moroccan Sultan showed signs of a change of attitude and began to hold frequent balls with merchant capitalists from Germany. Although it is impossible for the current German capital to swallow up the power of France, which has been developing in the region for more than half a century and has long been entrenched, if the situation is allowed to develop, it is certainly a sure thing that France will lose its dominant position in Morocco.

The French, who felt threatened, were desperate to change the current situation in Morocco that was unfavorable to them, and even if they could not say that Germany was expelled from Morocco, they would return to the former detached position of France dominating Morocco! In early 1911, when anti-French colonial demonstrations broke out in Morocco, the French government was ready to take decisive action, but it was deterred by a lack of confidence in Russian power. After waiting for more than a year, seeing that the Russian two-headed eagle had recovered some of its strength, the French could not wait to attack Morocco.

In February 1913, the situation in Morocco was once again turbulent, and France immediately tore up the Algeciras General Protocol and the Treaty of Madrid signed with Germany, and sent troops to occupy most of Morocco's urban areas. According to Paris's calculations, the Ottoman Empire was currently at a disadvantage in the war, and the Balkan war was intensifying; The severity and intensity of the war will cause Germany and Austria to focus on the game with Russia in the Balkans, and have no time to pay attention to the changes in Morocco. And even if Berlin objected, it would be able to settle the matter with the assistance of Britain and Russia! On the day the French troops entered the Moroccan capital, the French government sent a high-sounding note to Germany: as soon as Morocco "restored order", it would withdraw its troops.

It is clear that this simply worded note has no sincerity in resolving the issue. During the period under the control of the French, the whole of Morocco will be uniformly spoken; By the time Morocco "restores order", all party heads, government offices and media personnel will be replaced by the French with all pro-French members! At that time, the country will naturally become a vassal of France, and what difference does it make if the French army withdraws or not?

Annoyed, William immediately responded sternly. Kidren, the Reich's secretary of state for foreign affairs, warned France that if French troops continued to be stationed in Morocco, Germany would consider the country to be no longer sovereign; And the Algeciras agreement will also be annulled, and Germany will act freely. For a time, the focus of the world's attention shifted from the war-torn Balkans to Morocco, and all countries were waiting with bated breath for the subsequent response of Germany and France. (To be continued......)