Chapter 266 Offensive Diplomacy
The gloomy sky was covered with lead clouds, vultures hovered over the battlefield, and the air was filled with the strange smell of carrion, blood and sulfur.
In the open space between the Greek defense line and the Bulgarian army, corpses were strewn all over the place.
In the next two days, the battle line near Nizhnytarovs Fortress became the focus of the battle between the Greek army and the Bulgarian army.
In order to break through the Greek army's defense line, Ivanov adopted several methods, changing from a full-line attack to a focused breakthrough, and even a night attack. In order to change the predicament, Ivanov tried all of them.
After five days of offensive, the Bulgarian Army in Kavala still made no significant progress.
Continuous fierce attacks have caused more than 20,000 Bulgarian soldier casualties in just a few days. Ivanov had to bear tremendous pressure and actively stopped the attack.
"Captain Johnkovic, you have been commanding the attacking troops at the front these days. I need your opinion. Our attack is not going well. Do you have anything to say?" Ivanov said to the silence in the camp. said the eloquent captain.
The reason why the Bulgarian army's continuous attacks were blocked was because the Greek army adopted unprecedented new tactics. Ivanov, who was responsible for important military tasks, was eager to understand the characteristics of Greece's new tactics, so he would attack the Greek army's defense line during the battle. Several low-level officers who commanded the frontline troops gathered in the camp to find countermeasures.
In just a few days, Johnkovic, a middle-level and junior officer who was usually optimistic and cheerful, had become taciturn under the frequent baptism of death.
"Sir, I beg you, don't let the soldiers die needlessly. This is a trap. The advantage of the Greek soldiers hiding in the trenches is too great. Our shelling has no effect on the rats hiding in the trenches. "
"When attacking, the Greek soldiers are protected by bunkers and the area to be bombed is very small. However, our soldiers need to move forward quickly and charge towards the enemy's position. From three to four hundred meters away, the rifles of the Greek soldiers can hit us with a high accuracy. Soldiers Shooting"
"In addition to the infantry behind the bunker, when we got closer, there were also Maxim heavy machine guns. The Germans, the sons of bitches, created such evil weapons. Our brothers were swept to the ground in pieces."
"Sir, it is impossible to succeed in a frontal attack on such a position. The soldiers will die in vain."
As a battle-hardened warrior, Ivanov, who was not going well in his attack, was already depressed. Seeing the obedient company commander in front of him, he became furious. He rushed forward, grabbed Johnkovic by the collar, and roared. Said: "It is because of weak and incompetent officers like you that we cannot win."
Ivanov was breathing heavily because of his rage. After calming down, he realized that the junior officer in front of him had probably suffered too much mental shock in the past two days. He suppressed his voice and said: "There is no way to break through the damn... A Greek trench?"
The reason why Ivanov is so impatient is because as a senior military officer, he clearly realizes that the situation in Bulgaria is not optimistic.
Bulgaria's economic foundation is not as good as Greece's. Continuous wars have overwhelmed Greece's finances, let alone Bulgaria.
Almost all of Bulgaria's military operations were financed by loans from Germany and Austria.
Hundreds of thousands of prime-age men joined the army, and many more people worked for the army, which brought Bulgaria's domestic production activities to a near standstill.
If the war cannot be resolved quickly within one or two months, it will be equivalent to failure for Bulgaria.
In addition, although the Bulgarian army has an advantage over Greece in terms of numbers, due to the bad relations between Bulgaria and all its neighboring countries, some troops have to be stationed in the border areas to contain the other side and prevent the other side from taking advantage of the situation.
The Ottoman Empire is worried about the loss of Thrace, and Romania also has ambitions for Bulgaria's Dobroga. Once Bulgaria falls into decline, I am afraid that neighboring countries will attack Bulgaria.
This resulted in Bulgaria being unable to concentrate its forces against the Greek army.
The total number of Bulgarian soldiers currently participating in the attack on the Greek defenses is only about 400,000.
The remaining Bulgarian soldiers were forced to station at the border to contain countries that were highly hostile to Bulgaria.
Before the war, the Bulgarian military estimated that the Greek Army numbered approximately 300,000 people. As for the 150,000 Congolese indigenous soldiers mobilized by Greece, they were not included at all.
Regarding the current unfavorable situation, Ivanov can only pray that Germany and Austria can keep the diplomatic commitment they made to Bulgaria when they encouraged Bulgaria to take action: regardless of success or failure, Germany and Austria will guarantee Bulgaria's territorial integrity with national credibility.
It was this promise made by Germany and Austria that finally led King Ferdinand (King of Bulgaria) to make the decision to attack Greece.
Naturally, Ferdinand would not ignore the evil strategies of neighboring countries that had territorial ambitions for Bulgaria. After receiving this commitment from Germany and Austria, Ferdinand decided to let go and compete with the Greeks for Macedonia.
Germany and Austria stood up for Bulgaria. Regardless of success or failure, they would ensure Bulgaria's territorial integrity and successfully persuaded the ambitious king.
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On June 30, Constantine, who was in Athens, received a telegram from Manougianaski stating that the Bulgarian army's offensive had been successfully contained.
After receiving the news, Constantine and Chief of Staff Emai Nur hurried to the Prime Minister's residence to discuss matters with Prime Minister Venizelos.
"Mr. Prime Minister, you should also know the intelligence from the Macedonian front," Constantine said to Venizelos in a relaxed tone.
"Your Highness, congratulations, under your command, the Greek army has once again successfully repelled the enemy," Venizelos said with a smile on his face.
"Although the war situation has eased now, it is the turn of the Greek army to take the initiative, but after all, we cannot rely on trenches to defeat the enemy directly," Prime Minister Emai Nur interrupted.
"Now the Greek army and Bulgaria are in a stalemate. Even if they can eventually defeat the Bulgarians, Greece will inevitably fall into a long-term war. Prime Minister, every day the war is delayed will cost the government a huge amount of money. If we can make some efforts in diplomacy, perhaps this war can be quickly brought to an end," Emai Nur said.
The continuous wars have seriously overdrawn Greece's finances. Ending the war as soon as possible is everyone's common expectation.
Venizelos, who also serves as Greece's foreign minister, was initially appreciated by Constantine. With the help of the royal family, he successfully became prime minister. It was also because of his outstanding diplomatic ability that he stood out.
"Since the war began, Greek diplomats have been working hard to lobby other neighboring countries to join the alliance against Bulgaria," Venizelos said.
"It's just that the Greek army has not made a breakthrough on the front battlefield, and all countries are still in a wait-and-see state."
As a wise diplomat, Venizelos will naturally not ignore the irreconcilable contradictions between Bulgaria and neighboring countries, which is a favorable condition for Greece.
During this period, Venizelos frequently urged Greek ambassadors to foreign countries to test the attitudes of countries around the Balkans.
Including Serbia, Romania, and the Ottoman Empire, the three governments have recently received many visits from Greek diplomats.
However, the attitudes of the countries were surprisingly consistent. The three countries remained silent about Greece's invitation, and even the Ottoman Empire, which hated Bulgaria, was no exception.
"Such actions by the countries were not beyond my expectations. They would naturally make the most favorable choice for their own country. They would not easily express their position before the Bulgarian army showed obvious signs of decline."
"Once the Bulgarian army showed signs of defeat, the attitudes of the Balkan countries would naturally change accordingly," Venizelos said confidently.
Constantine agreed with Venizelos' analysis. The attitudes of the countries still depended on the performance of the Greek army.
If the Greek army was defeated by the Bulgarian army, Romania and the Ottoman Empire would naturally stay out of it and would not provoke the Bulgarian army that had won consecutive battles.
And Serbia would certainly take advantage of the situation and attack Macedonia in Greece.
By the same token, once the Bulgarian war was frustrated, the three countries that also had territorial disputes with Bulgaria would naturally rush in and beat the fallen dog.
Just take advantage of Bulgaria's difficulties, and you can get a share of Bulgaria at a small price, almost without any risk. Such a sure-win thing is naturally what all countries are willing to do.
Thinking of this, Constantine asked: "So what is the Prime Minister's plan? Where do you plan to make a breakthrough?"
Now the offensive of the Bulgarian army is firmly defended by the Greek army, and the war has only entered a stalemate.
After all, the use of trenches for defense and combat has indeed given the Greek army an advantageous position. If you want to rely on trenches to directly defeat the Bulgarian army, it will take some twists and turns.
The current situation is delicate. Once Greece can win over a helper to deal with Bulgaria, the stalemate can immediately turn to the direction of Greece's victory.
"I plan to visit Constantinople immediately, contact the Ottoman Empire, and then cross the Bosphorus Strait, pass through the Black Sea, and go to Romania. As long as I can win over the two countries and join the anti-Bulgarian alliance, Serbia, which has an ambiguous attitude, will have no other choice," Venizelos said.
The Ottoman Empire lost a lot of Balkan territory in the previous war, so they were not afraid of being tempted.
Especially the loss of Eastern Thrace. After Bulgaria occupied Edirne, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire, there was no buffer between Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria!
The capital of the Ottoman Empire became a border city, always under the threat of the Bulgarian army.
In fact, there are also reasons why Bulgaria gladly accepted the olive branch extended by Germany and Austria.
As an important member of the Allied Powers, Russia's ambition for Constantinople is well known to the world.
But after the Balkan War, Constantinople was only one step away from Bulgaria, and King Ferdinand seemed to take this famous city into his hands immediately.
For Russia, Bulgaria is a younger brother it supports - Bulgaria can gain independence from the rule of the Ottoman Empire, but it is the help of Russia, the big brother, that makes it successful.
Now Bulgaria has turned around and made demands on Constantinople in Russia.
During the Balkan War, the Bulgarian army tried to attack Constantinople, but failed.
Such behavior of Bulgaria would naturally arouse Russia's fear and disgust. As one of the three giants of the Allied Powers, Russia had a huge influence in the Allied Powers.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Bulgaria threw itself into the arms of the Allied Powers represented by Germany and Austria.
Constantine thought of this and could not help but admire Ferdinand's plan.
The reason is also very simple. If Bulgaria stayed in the Allied Powers and Russia opposed it, it would have no hope of getting Constantinople.
Only by standing on the side of the Allied Powers could Bulgaria have such an opportunity to take the city of Constantinople into its hands.
"The Ottoman Empire is obsessed with the lost Thrace. As far as I know, the Ottoman Empire has deployed more than 100,000 troops on the new Bulgarian-Ottoman border. Once there is a chance, they will never miss the opportunity to regain Thrace," Constantine said.
"As for Romania, it may not be so easy to attract Romania to join the anti-Bulgarian alliance," Constantine pondered.
After the independence of the Kingdom of Romania, King Carol I was a distant relative of the Hohenzollern royal family in Germany.
Before becoming the King of Romania, he held public office in Prussia.
Because the king was born in the Hohenzollern family, Romania and Germany have a very close relationship.
In other words, Romania's move against Bulgaria will naturally be opposed by Germany.
Romania is currently a country close to its allies.
"Your Highness, this is no longer the era when feudal monarchs put their personal likes and dislikes and interests above national interests," Venizelos said.
"His Majesty King Carol cannot infringe on Romania's national interests because of his family relationship."
"If King Carol does not even have such political awareness, he will never be able to sit firmly on the throne of Romania."
Constantine thought of the king who founded the Hohenzollern dynasty in Romania, and felt that what Venizelos said made sense.
Emmainul, who had been listening, was obviously relieved. In recent days, Emmainul, the chief of the general staff, has been under tremendous pressure.
If Prime Minister Venizelos' visit goes smoothly and Greece wins an ally, even if this ally does not actually send troops, but only takes some actions in the border area to attract the attention of the Bulgarian army and tie down part of the Bulgarian army, it can greatly share the pressure on the Greek army.