African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 1248: Chapter 257: Unpredictable Developments

Bulgaria is quite important to the Allies, not only did it conquer Serbia along with Austria-Hungary, but it is also a key piece in stabilizing Romania.

Although the supreme ruler of Romania is from the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen branch, Sigmaringen cannot be dictatorial in Romania.

Especially since Romania has territorial disputes with Austria-Hungary, which causes many people in Romania to want to join the Allies in order to gain the Transylvania region from Austria-Hungary and build a Greater Romania.

So Romania’s political stance is unstable, and neighboring Bulgaria becomes particularly important, as it can threaten Romania’s security from the rear. More importantly, Bulgaria has demonstrated its formidable fighting spirit.

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Edineț.

Edineț is located on the northwestern border of the Moldova region. In a previous life, the capital of the Edineț district in Moldova was Edineț city, which is east of the Prut River and faces Romania.

Since the early 19th century, Moldova has basically fallen into Russian hands, and Edineț in northwestern Moldova is now the frontline of the conflict between the Allies and Russia.

Now, as Austria-Hungary shifts from defense to offense and Bulgaria joins the fray, this area becomes the first place where Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria’s joint forces attack.

The Allied commander, Austrian-Hungarian General Kryach, is in the command post discussing war plans with Bulgarian representative General Marklov.

Kryach: ”Russia is showing signs of decline, both in the northern battlefield and the southern line, where the Allies are at an advantage.”

”Especially our German allies, who have achieved glorious results against Russia in the past year.”

”We cannot sit idly by while Germany shines; this year we must not only capture all of Moldova but also intensify our offensive against Ukraine.”

It can be said that after Austria-Hungary realized their situation, their leaders finally regained their touch.

In the early stages, Austria-Hungary lost face, being battered by countries like Serbia and Russia, but once Rudolph took control of the army, Austria-Hungary’s military forces reorganized and finally, a few months ago, turned the tide, not only holding the eastern line but also counterattacking into Russian territory at the beginning of 1916.

Inside Russian territory, the Austrian-Hungarian army could finally unleash its potential, and at this point, the hastily gathered Austrian-Hungarian troops had only one target: the Russians.

In regards to Russia, Hungary also strongly supports Vienna, considering the elimination of the Russian threat, or the division of spoils after the war, Hungary, located in the empire’s east, will be the primary beneficiary.

Once the empire’s two largest ethnic groups reached a consensus, the internal division within the Austrian-Hungarian troops naturally ceased, and they united to face the daunting Russian adversary.

Of course, Kryach wants to advance even further, but Marklov’s attitude is not very enthusiastic, considering that Moldova and Russia do not border Bulgaria.

The reason why the Bulgarian army supports Austria-Hungary is because it’s already on the ship and cannot avoid continuing the war at this point.

Participating in the war against Russia is not without benefits; Austria-Hungary has drawn a tempting deal, promising the coastal area of southern Moldova to Bulgaria after the war.

This has a certain appeal to Bulgaria, as southern Moldova borders the Black Sea. If Bulgaria could acquire southern Moldova, it might expand its influence over the Black Sea, while simultaneously threatening Romania from two sides to gain more geopolitical security.

Of course, this thought is only somewhat enticing, so Bulgaria has not sent many troops.

Marklov said: ”Now, although Russia shows signs of decline, we cannot deny its vast territory and population potential that can continue to support their consumption in war, so we must remain cautious and act prudently.”

Compared to Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria’s appetite is quite small, of course, this is towards Russia. If it’s against other Balkan countries like Greece or Romania, Bulgaria surely wouldn’t be so conservative.

Bulgaria also has dreams of being a great power, so the lands surrounding Bulgaria are more attractive to it than Moldova, which is at most a fringe benefit.

Kryach said: ”I think General Marklov, you are still somewhat conservative. Based on our intelligence, Russia’s condition is not very good; last month, there were several anti-war activities in their capital.”

”This indicates Russia is showing signs of decline, although Nicholas II and his generals want to continue the war, the gray animals of Russia have exhibited enormous fear towards the war.”

”As long as we achieve more military victories, Russia might even self-destruct. Russia’s anti-war sentiment has reached its peak, so we should join forces to quickly deal a blow to Russian morale, letting them understand that this is a war they cannot win.”

”Only on this basis can we deploy troops to the western front and engage in a decisive battle with England and France, thus establishing the overall situation.”

Kryach’s intention is clear, hoping Bulgaria will not preserve its strength. He has noticed Bulgaria’s lack of enthusiasm in the Russian battlefield.

Therefore, he emphasizes that the current war is no longer a conflict involving one country or a few countries but rather a clash between two major camps.

Bulgaria is now tied to Germany and Austria-Hungary; if the Allies fail, Bulgaria will certainly be settled by the Allies after the war.

And this indeed makes Marklov’s expression become serious, and he says to Kryach: ”The situation is best if it develops in the direction you mentioned.”

”If we are dragged down by Russia on the eastern front, the overall situation will indeed place us in a great disadvantage, especially as currently, on the western front, Germany and England and France are in a stalemate.”

Marklov’s words are actually quite tactful; although Germany’s fighting power on the western front is good, strategically, they are in a lower position, considering it’s a war of attrition. Germany cannot match England and France.

England and France can obtain cannon fodder and supplies from their colonies, while Germany faces huge supply pressure.

The key to breaking the deadlock lies with Russia. Only by defeating Russia, even accepting a truce from them, would be great news for the Allies. Of course, if there is unrest within Russia, the Allies might wake up from their dreams laughing.

If Russia truly fails, the war situation will become unpredictable.

In a previous life, Russia’s surrender greatly alleviated the Allies’ pressure but did not change the final outcome.

However, given the presence of a great power like East Africa, things are uncertain; if Russia truly fell in World War I, it would mean the blockade built by England and France in a previous life could not be realized.

Considering the Indian Ocean was also a domain of the British in a previous life and almost unshakeable, even if Russia withdrew from the war, the British blockade on the Allies remained effective.

However, if East Africa joins the Allies, this blockade is virtually useless; as long as the Ottomans don’t fail, supplies from East Africa could continuously flow to the Allies via the Indian Ocean.

Of course, East Africa’s strategic choices are not confined to the European situation but are watching the United States’ attitude. Only when the US enters the fray will East Africa make its final choice.

If the two countries respectively join one camp each, it merely expands the war’s scope; if both countries join one side, it practically locks the victory.