During this time, it was a pleasant day for Italian journalists, who did not need to look for news, just keep an eye on the upcoming Rome peace talks.

When big people come to Rome, whether it's food, accommodation or sightseeing, it's news, and it's best to praise Italy, and that's perfect.

Unlike journalists, the Italian government, as a participant and organizer, is much busier. They are different from those who watch the excitement, and the reception work is even more difficult to do.

Of course, among them, Carlo as a king also appeared. Just today, King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria arrived in Rome with a Bulgarian delegation, and Carlo, as the host, naturally needed to be welcomed.

At the welcome dinner in the palace, the guests of honor gathered together, and it was also a joy for the three parties to gather together.

That's right, it's just one more Grand Duchy of Montenegro.

In this dinner to welcome Bulgaria, the Grand Duchy of Montenegro, which is a comrade-in-arms, also attended in full costume.

In fact, it is not difficult to guess that when the sworn enemy Ottoman is basically about to withdraw from Europe, Montenegro's hatred of Ottoman will not find a target at once.

At this time, Montenegro should consider its future, and maintaining good relations with Italy, which is across the sea, is naturally Montenegro's first choice, but putting eggs in a blue does not meet the actual needs, so Montenegro needs to think more. This time to attend a dinner to welcome Bulgaria's allies, it was not a contact. After all, according to the needs of various countries this time, Montenegro and Bulgaria do not share a border, so there is no conflict in core interests.

Therefore, at this dinner, you can see that the Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Montenegro, Peter Thiel, has a good conversation with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Stambolov, and the Prime Minister of Italy, Depretis, and around the three of them, the other guests are talking in social circles, everything is so orderly and lively.

However, the focus of the banquet is not on the three prime ministers, because it is the three monarchs who are at the core.

"Thanks to the help of your country, we will not forget this kindness to our country, which has suffered from the Ottomans."

The one who is talking is Nicholas I, the Grand Duke of Montenegro, who does not have a strong presence in Europe, because the Grand Duchy of Montenegro has been recognized by European countries for less than twenty years. (At the Berlin Conference of 1878, Montenegro was considered a state of power, and before that it could only be considered a religious power.) ）

The Grand Duke's thanks were sincere, and if it weren't for the help of Italy, Montenegro, a small country with a territory of only 8,000 square kilometers and a population of less than 150,000, would have almost doubled its territory and increased its population to more than 200,000. To say an easy-to-understand sentence, it is not an exaggeration to say that there are new parents.

Carlo had heard enough of the words of thanks from the Grand Duke of Montenegro, who had expressed his gratitude to Italy on various occasions since the Grand Duke came to Rome. It is clear that the Grand Duke has figured out the mentality of the Italians, and the good words of not asking for money come to the mouth. And through the transmission of newspapers, the Grand Duke of Nicholas is very popular in Italy.

It's just that I get tired of hearing too many good things, and this is the case with Carlo.

It's just that although he is tired of it in his heart, Carlo does not show it at all on the bright side.

"The Grand Duke has an overreputation."

After replying to Grand Duke Nicholas, Carlo turned the conversation to the Bulgarian king. "Your Excellency Ferdinand, the road is going well."

Faced with Carlo's inquiry, Ferdinand I, who had not spoken before, replied with a smile. "Thank you Lord Carlo for your concern, the journey has been very smooth."

Speaking of which, this Ferdinand I looked through the gap to the three prime ministers, who happened to be opposite the Bulgarian prime minister. And the Bulgarian Bismarck winked at the king, as if to make some kind of hint.

Ferdinand I, who received a response, smiled slightly, and continued. "Your Excellency Carlo, in fact, what Archduke Nicholas said, I would like to say again. The victory over the Ottomans was a great contribution to your country's help. Therefore, the whole country believes that if we can maintain our current relationship, it will be of great benefit to our three countries. ”

Ferdinand's words actually represent the true thoughts of the Bulgarians. Although Bulgaria gained a lot from the war, its diplomatic environment was rapidly deteriorating. Needless to say, its relations with Greece and Serbia deepened rapidly as Bulgaria seized large swathes of Macedonia. If it weren't for the fact that Italy was still watching, it would have been a high probability that the two countries would have secretly formed an alliance against Bulgaria. As for Russia, Bulgaria's original ally, relations between the two countries also deteriorated rapidly with Ferdinand becoming king. As for the Ottomans, not to mention, this is a blood feud.

In addition, Austria-Hungary, another major power in the Balkans, has also become more subtle in its attitude towards Bulgaria, although Ferdinand was born here, but its current relationship with Bulgaria is not very good. In addition, Bulgaria's other neighbor, Romania, had previously had decent relations, but as Bulgaria seized large swaths of territory, its attitude became more subtle.

So Bulgaria's diplomatic situation in the Balkans has never been so bad.

In fact, the Bulgarians themselves know why, that is, with the seizure of large areas of Macedonian territory, its national power has been greatly strengthened, and it has been able to threaten the safety of Greece and Serbia, and the Bulgarians have always been brave and good at war, and have performed very well in the last few wars, which is even more worrying.

However, even knowing the reason, the Bulgarians did not let up on the Macedonian territory, and for them it was unacceptable to give up a small piece of territory.

So the only way for now is to find a strong ally to suppress the evil neighbors around you. At present, there is no more suitable ally than Italy, which does not have much of a conflict of interest with Bulgaria and is so powerful that others will not dare to act rashly. So this time the Bulgarians were not only trying to talk about the terms of the Ottoman defeat, but also wanted to deepen relations with Italy.

Among other things, if a five-year military alliance treaty could be concluded with Italy, it would be even more perfect for Bulgaria.

Although Carlo did not know the intentions of the Bulgarians, he understood the words of the Bulgarian king in front of him.

But Ferdinand I's words, he couldn't take them. While Italy would have a lot to do if it had multiple allies, if the ally was in the Balkans, it would have to think twice. The Balkan powder keg was not formed in the twentieth century, having been planted at the Berlin Conference in 1878.

In the final analysis, the Ottoman power was drastically weakened, creating a power vacuum in the Balkans. External forces in Russia and Austria want to enter and gain benefits, and local independent countries also want to take advantage of this opportunity. In addition, mixed with nationalism and other factors, it is already very good to be able to drag on until the First World War.

So in the face of the olive branch extended by Bulgaria, Carlo was worried, but considering the relationship between the two countries, it is definitely not okay to refuse like this. After a moment of deep thought, Carlo spoke. "Thank you for the importance you attach to our country, and we are very willing to see that we can maintain good relations with Bulgaria. However, the stakes are high, so it will take time to deliberate. ”

Carlo said this is equivalent to not saying it, and the whole article is a prevarication.

Faced with Carlo's words, Ferdinand I knew in his heart that the results of this initial temptation were somewhat unsatisfactory. It doesn't matter, if you really want to reach an agreement, it's impossible without ten days and half a month. Bulgaria has time and can talk slowly with the Italians.