"Your Majesty, our observers in the German army have sent an update on the Polish battlefield. The German-Austrian forces captured the eastern Warsaw town of Masovja, capturing and wounding more than 130,000 Russian troops; And the other flank of their pincer offensive has also made great progress, and its vanguard has advanced to the town of Kekmola, less than 30 kilometers from Warsaw. The combat effectiveness of the four Russian corps ceased to exist, and Warsaw was already in front of the eyes of the Allied troops! ”

In the magnificent council chamber of the Pleish Castle, the Chief of the General Staff of the Romanian Army, Jan ? Admiral Florescu was standing in front of a large map of Eastern Europe with his command whip in his hand, stating the current situation of the German-Russian war. Next to him, including the 47-year-old King Carol I, Crown Prince Ferdinand, Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Jancur? Brettianu, Conservative leader Peter? Several core members, including Karp, sat silently on their sides, and as Admiral Florescu's words continued, the expressions on their faces continued to change, shocked, excited, worried, and mixed with a bit of happy hatred in them.

"Half a century ago, I served as a lieutenant in the artillery of the royal family of Prussia. During that time, I deeply understood from my own experience that the force possessed by this resolute and resolute nation was by no means comparable to that of any other country in Europe. And what happened afterwards proved it. Whether it was the Prussian-Dan, Austro-Prussian, or Franco-Prussian Wars, the armies holding high the banner of the Iron Cross were invincible all the way, and finally melted the scattered federations into the most powerful empire in Europe. Today, the country's burst of energy has shocked the world; Not only did they defeat the British fleet at sea, which was shrouded in numerous mythological auras, with a complete victory. It only uses the power of three fingers. slaughtered more than a million European steamrollers in a row! ”

King Carol spoke softly. The nostalgia and pride in the words are unmistakable. Although he spent most of his life in the Eastern European kingdom of Romania, it is unchangeable that Carol has the blood of the pure Hohenzollern family in his veins, and has an infinite devout yearning for the country where he was born and raised.

As a result, Carroll I not only sent his crown prince to the German court at a young age to be educated, but also secretly concluded an offensive and defensive alliance with Austria-Hungary in 1883. Carol I locked the text of the Covenant in the safe of the castle of Presh, keeping the details out of his ministers and parliament. After the outbreak of the Great War, the king also made it clear that he was inclined to the Central European powers. He advocated an immediate declaration of war on Russia in order to recover the lands of the three counties of South Bessarabia, which had been seized by Russia in the Russo-Turkish War of 1878.

However, the Romanian population did not have the pro-German warmth of Carol, who was born in Hohenzollern. Like their other "Latin sister", Italy, the Romanians' diplomatic sidelines were notoriously wall-ridden; Although the Central European Empire led by Germany and Austria has been flourishing since the beginning of the 20th century, the century-old power of Britain, France and Russia is also thunderous. In the face of uncertainty about the future, it was clear that being a wallhead was the best choice for Romanians.

What makes the Bucharest government proud is that its third-rate country is not only not an insignificant role in the battle between the two camps, but rather an important core. If Romania were to fall for the Entente, Austria-Hungary would be surrounded on three sides by Russia and Serbia, and Russia would be able to extend its tentacles of influence to Istanbul significantly; Contrarily. If Romania fulfills the offensive and defensive pact with Austria-Hungary, not only will Austria-Hungary be able to ensure the safety of the eastern part of the country, but also Romania's 700,000 army will be turned into a boost. Germany was able to obtain a large supply of oil and grain, and completely opened up the connection with the Ottoman Empire in the East.

As a result, Romania became the target of both camps, and the government in Bucharest was also a strange bargain, constantly raising higher and higher prices for participation in the war. Originally, according to the wishful thinking of the neutrals such as Prime Minister Bletianu, they were asking for weapons and financial support from both sides while dragging out time; Wait until the last moment to make a lot of money, and then decide which side to join the war. However, the current successive German victories on the battlefield directly pushed these ambitious Romanians to the brink of deciding their sides. Unlike the Ottoman Empire, which had been ill for a century and therefore tried to avoid the maelstrom of European struggles, Romania experienced economic prosperity during the half-century of Carol I's rule; The Dacians, who feel very good about themselves, have made up their minds to fish in troubled waters from the very beginning, and being a well-behaved baby who is strictly neutral is not in their consideration at all!

"General, how sure do you think the Germans will be able to take Warsaw this time?" Prime Minister Brettianu pushed the monocle on the bridge of his nose and slowly asked his own question, "And with the current state of combat readiness of the kingdom's army, can it be quickly thrown into the battlefield after the government declares war?" ”

"Your Excellency, according to the analysis of the situation available to our observers in the German army, it is only a matter of time before the Germans drive Russia out of Poland. Warsaw's access to the Russian rear hinterland had been cut off by the fall of Masovierka, and a large number of Russian troops deep into the Polish hinterland had fallen into a situation of imminent siege. The elite forces of the Russian army have been encircled in large numbers in the German prisoner of war camps in the previous three battles; They generally lack the will to fight, and the Russian troops who are still struggling to resist now account for less than a third of the total number. Our accompanying observers witnessed a battle in which two regiments of German infantry overran a Russian division in 24 hours; They captured more than 4,000 prisoners and suffered fewer than 1,000 casualties themselves. Hearing the Prime Minister's inquiry, Chief of Staff Florescu immediately replied.

Flores Ku paused, his eyes bloomed with a sharp look of anticipation, and said: "As for the combat readiness of the army, we ordered the end of the vacation 20 days ago and began the deployment of troops and the assembly of materials. At present, the Romanian warriors are ready to push to the northeast at any time and let South Bessarabia fly the glorious red, yellow and blue flag again. Evil St. Petersburg lackeys, our people, who have been enslaved in this land for too long, as soon as the army of the kingdom arrives, the people there will surely become a strong backing for us to destroy the Russians, and an era that belongs to us will come once and for all! ”

Hearing the answer of the Chief of the General Staff, Bretianu slowly rubbed his chin, his face was complicated, and he was silent. Although the current Central European powers, led by Germany, have achieved extremely brilliant results, and have pulled both the Ottomans and Italy into their chariots; However, it was still a heart-wrenching decision to let Romania go to war with such behemoths as Britain, France, and Russia.

Seeing that the prime minister is still undecided, the leader of the Conservative Party, Karp, is a little uncontrollable. "Yannell, we can't wait any longer. Now, although the German-Austrian alliance did not completely destroy the strength of the Russian army in the Polish theater, their victory was undoubtedly a foregone conclusion; At a time when the main force of the Russian army is still fighting the trapped beasts, this is the best time for us to join the war in order to gain more benefits after the war! If we enter the war again when the overall situation is fully settled, the contribution and importance of the kingdom to the war will be greatly reduced; At that time, not only will we not be able to bargain with Austria-Hungary on the question of the ownership of Transylvania, but the land and wealth we have acquired from Russia will be greatly reduced. Therefore, it is only now that the best decision to get the most benefits after the war is to enter the war immediately and launch a fierce assault on the Russian border in the north. ”

There was a glint in Brettianu's eyes. Romania not only had a feud with Russia, but also with Austria-Hungary with ethnic and territorial disputes; In the immediate aftermath of the war, Bucharest made the territorial ownership of Transylvania a condition of Romania's entry into the war. With Germany's successive victories on the battlefield, Austria-Hungary's eagerness to join the alliance with Romania was much less than before; If it continues to delay, it will be said that this is a land that is already under the control of Austria-Hungary, and even the Russian territories seized in the future, Romania will hardly have the confidence to make demands on them in the negotiations.

"The Germans have shown the world their strength, and the situation in the Allied theater of operations in Eastern Europe, Paris, the Mediterranean, and even the North Sea is so dangerous that we have no longer to wait for our own interests." Crown Prince Ferdinand spoke softly, expressing his position as everyone else. "At present, almost all the main forces of the Russian army have been sent to the Ukrainian and Polish fronts to fight the German and Austrian armies, and the defenders left near the Black Sea are unprecedentedly empty; We could take advantage of the situation and turn the Russians upside down in the heart of southern Europe. ”

Bretianu took a deep breath, and the fiercely contested trade-offs in his heart finally had an answer. He stood up, saluted the aged King Carol I in front of him, and said, "Your Majesty, I will now go and contact our ambassadors in Berlin and Vienna, and ask them to negotiate with the Central Powers the terms of entry into the war. At the same time, tomorrow I will address the National Assembly and ask the parliamentarians to take a full stand on the issue of war. Your will will be fulfilled. (To be continued......)

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