"Do the Bulgarians really say that?"

In the royal palace of Athens, Crown Prince Constantine stood in front of his father and asked Prime Minister Teotokis, who had just returned.

"Yes, Crown Prince and Your Majesty, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria really said so."

"It's not going to be easy now."

George I, who was sitting in his seat, muttered.

George I was the first king of the Oldenburg-Schleswig-Holstein dynasty of Greece and has been committed to the expansion of Greece since he became king of Greece in 1862. Its primary goal was Crete, but the British did not agree to support the annexation of Greece to Crete, and of course, as the younger brother of the British, they had to support it. So in 1881, under pressure from the British, the Ottomans had to cede the region of Thessaly to Greece.

And just when the Greeks were in a hurry and wanted to fight the idea of Crete, Italy got involved.

An Italo-Austrian war, involving Bulgaria, led to the establishment of Crete as its own republic. Although Greece also took the opportunity to take Epirus, the Greeks had no hope of recovering Crete, which was sheltered by Italy, in a short period of time.

So South Macedonia, most of Thrace, and the Aegean islands, which were still in Ottoman hands, became new targets. But at this time, if they wanted to continue their expansion, they could not rely on the support of the British alone, and the Turks could not accept the loss of these areas at all. As for themselves, the Greeks, having had a crushing defeat, no longer considered options.

The only option Greece had was to form alliances with other countries against the Turks, and there was only one target that could be chosen, and that was the Bulgarians, who also coveted their territory.

However, there is an irreconcilable contradiction between the two countries, that is, the competition for Thessaloniki. Bulgaria wanted to get a usable port in the Aegean Sea and get rid of its control of the Ottoman-controlled Black Sea straits. Greece, on the other hand, is due to the large number of native Greeks in the city, and of course the population and economy of Thessaloniki are a great complement to both countries.

"This is the Bulgarians who have calculated that our country cannot do without them." Prime Minister Teotokis said the truth that no one wants to think about.

"Is it just a matter of accepting the harsh conditions of the Bulgarians?" Crown Prince Konstantin asked a little unwillingly.

In the face of the crown prince's words, Foreign Secretary Chai Miss spoke. "Your Highness, it seems that this is the only way for now, we need each other more than the Bulgarians. And the Bulgarian prime minister was right, we didn't have a choice, but the other side had the other options, and diplomatically, as long as we wanted to get Ottoman territory, then we had to accept that condition. ”

Although the words of Foreign Minister Chai Yimis were not good, those present also knew that this was the case, and that Greece was even more inseparable from the other side than Bulgaria if they were unwilling to do anything.

"Chai Amis is right, it's true that we don't have a fight for the capital of Thessaloniki, so don't dwell too much on that. Only what you get in your hand is your own, and don't be moved by what you see from afar. ”

As King George I, he spoke, and this was the final decision on the matter.

In the face of his father's words, Crown Prince Konstantin was a little unwilling, and saw the crown prince shouting unwillingly. "Father, I think ......"

However, the crown prince's words were immediately stopped by his father. "Okay, you don't have to say it, I know what to do."

The majesty of the old father made Crown Prince Konstantin quiet now.

As for the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary, they don't know what to do when they see this situation.

Gu Zhen

"Yes, my majesty."

Now that the general policy of taking a step back has been decided, the next small details do not need to bother the wise and martial monarch, so the ministers are ready to go back and continue the negotiations with the Bulgarians.

As for the crown prince, although he is still a little unconvinced in his heart, Konstantin can only accept his father.

After the prime minister and the others left, King George looked at his son and said. "Are you unwilling?"

"Don't dare."

How could the old king, who knew his son's father, not know his son's thoughts, at this time he let out a long sigh and said. "Konstantin, I know what you're trying to say, and there's a reason why I stopped it. If you're an official, then I'd appreciate your actions. But you are the future monarch, then there are some things that you must avoid.

Even if it is good for the kingdom, it will damage your prestige. A monarch must possess good virtues, at least not to make people aware of their association with immoral things. Because you are the final arbiter, every word of your command will be interpreted by countless people. So you need to guide the officials to do it for you, instead of thinking about solving the problem alone. ”

George I's earnest words made the crown prince realize his previous impatience. "Father, I know what to do."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crown prince Konstantin left in a hurry.

Seeing his beloved son like this, the old king couldn't help but put his hand on his forehead. The crown prince himself is forty years old and still so impatient, and it is a little worrying that the kingdom will be handed over to him in the future.

As for the old king's concern about his son, it can be put to an end first.

Having received the news hinted by the king, the Prime Minister immediately approached the Prime Minister of Bulgaria with the Foreign Minister.

"Your Excellency Petkov, in view of the friendship between our two countries and our solidarity in the future, we have decided to respect your country's opinion on the issue of Thessaloniki."

In a secret room at the Bulgarian embassy, Teotokis, the Greek prime minister, was explaining to the Bulgarian side the reasons for Greece's concessions.

And in the face of concessions from Greece, Bulgaria is of course very happy to see it. At least Bulgaria doesn't have to pay a higher price to Romania or Serbia.

"Your Excellency Teotokis, I am very grateful to you for such a deep understanding of the righteousness of your country, and I hope that you and I will be able to unite with each other and defeat our common enemy, the Turks."

Petkov was smiling and talking to Teotokis, and it was a good thing for him as a prime minister to be able to reach an agreement with Greece. At least for the settlement of the Turks, they are a little more sure.

Now that the differences are gone, the next step is to talk about sending troops. Of course, the two heads of government will certainly not discuss the details in detail, but the big aspects can still be discussed.

In the next two days, the two prime ministers reached a preliminary agreement. In a future war with the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria mainly sent its land forces against the main forces of the Turks in Eastern Thrace. Greece, on the other hand, was dominated by the navy, which was mainly responsible for naval warfare, and the Greek army needed to encircle and annihilate the Turkish army in South Macedonia and then reinforce Bulgaria.

Both parties are satisfied with the initial negotiations, and then the two prime ministers need to report the matter to the monarch and the military, and the details should be discussed by more professional people, after all, the two prime ministers are not diplomatic professionals.

Of course, the most important thing for the two countries now is to step up their arms expansion and war to prepare for the next war.