I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 111 The world is so big, you have to go and see it

The Bulgarians were very dissatisfied with the results of the Berlin Conference. From Great Bulgaria in its heyday to the current Principality of Bulgaria, George could understand the Bulgarians' journey from heaven to earth.

But this should never be a reason for Bulgaria to distance itself from Russia.

Without the Tenth Russo-Turkish War, Bulgaria would still have been under the rule of the Ottoman Empire and would have had no chance of autonomy.

The loss of Eastern Rumelia and Macedonia was not Russia's responsibility, but because Britain joined forces with Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire to obstruct it. From this perspective, Bulgarians should hate Britain, Germany and Austria.

"Balance!" Milyutin explained to George in detail why Bulgaria was alienated from Russia: "-Alexander needs Britain and Germany to balance the domestic forces in Bulgaria; Bulgarian liberals hope that all foreign forces will withdraw from Bulgaria."

In Bulgaria, Russia remains the most influential country, and Bulgaria's current prime minister, Leonid Sobolev, is Russian.

At the coronation ceremony of Asan, Alexander asked Asan to send people to assist Alexander in governing the country.

This fully proves that when Asan came to the throne, the relationship between Bulgaria and Russia was still quite good. The Tsar sent John Ernruth and Leonid Sobolev to Bulgaria.

Ernruth and Sobolev are both soldiers and are not good at running state affairs. Yasan is reluctant to send talents who are really good at running state affairs to Bulgaria. Russia itself does not have enough.

Ernruth became Prime Minister of Bulgaria in May 1881. Pay attention to this time.

Ernroth was forced to resign just two months later.

In July last year, Sobolev became Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of Bulgaria.

Another Russian general, Alexander Korbas, served as Bulgaria's Minister of Military Affairs.

Both men were born in 1844 and are still under 40 years old.

Kaurbas is not a qualified politician. The first half of his life was very complicated. He was not a simple soldier. He traveled to Central and East Asia many times to engage in intelligence work. Generally speaking, these Russian generals are not good at government affairs. Nor are they qualified diplomats.

Like Carol I, Grand Duke Alexander did not greet Milyutin at the station. Sobolev and Korbas both came.

"Thank God, you are finally here -" Sobolev and Korbas both welcomed Milyutin's arrival.

Milyutin has been the Minister of War for 20 years and is very familiar with both generals.

There were many people on the platform, so Milyugin did not exchange more greetings with the two generals and directly got into the carriage and went back to the embassy.

"Lieutenant Colonel George, welcome to Sofia." Sobolev looked at George with interest, and it was George's request to address him as a military officer.

"Thank you." George was succinct. He might never be able to overcome his fear of carriages in his life.

Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is a famous summer resort. People here love flowers. Tulips and red roses are their favorites. The carriage left the train station less than 2 kilometers away. George had already seen three parks.

Sofia's geographical location is very important as it is the transportation center of the Balkans.

"The city is not bad, but it's a pity that the people here don't know how to be grateful. They are selfish and only think about themselves. The key is that they have no ability. The whole country has been messed up by them." Sobolev scolded the wrong person. He is the Prime Minister of Bulgaria.

Before George came to Sofia, he thought that Russian forces had been expelled from Bulgaria.

Now it seems that this is obviously not the case. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Military Affairs are Russians and everything is under control.

As for the mess the country is in, it seems the Prime Minister should bear the greatest responsibility.

"It's meaningless to complain now. How many people in Sofia still support us?" Milyutin doesn't worry about who is responsible. The key is how to redeem it.

"Most of the officers in the military support us. Damn it is Stefan Stambolov and those liberal members around him. Alexander is a coward, a coward, and is at the mercy of Stambolov. Bulgaria is currently Stambolov must bear full responsibility for the current situation." Kaulbas has a clear goal.

Many officers in the Bulgarian army had served in the Russian army. In 1876, the Bulgarian resistance organization mobilized Bulgarian officers serving in the Russian army to return to Bulgaria to participate in the April Uprising against the colonial rule of the Ottoman Empire.

Although this uprising failed, it attracted the attention of the Russian Empire, so more people arrived in Bulgaria.

After the Tenth Russo-Turkish War, Bulgaria established the National Defense Force with the help of Russia. Currently, many officers in the Bulgarian army are originally Russians.

Even Stambolov himself studied at a Russian university.

"Is it possible to win over Stambolov?" Milyutin hoped to end the chaos in a peaceful way.

"It's difficult." Based on his trust in Milyutin, Kolbas did not say anything.

Milyutin looked at George.

George is not in a hurry. Whether he can win over Stambolov will only be known after contact.

Stambolov is the leader of the liberals, and George now doesn’t even know what the liberals’ demands are and cannot judge.

It would be okay if it was just economic freedom.

If it is political freedom, it is beyond the capabilities of George and Milyutin——

It can’t be said that it is beyond the limit.

If you can't solve the problem, then solve the problem.

This sentence is very appropriate to put here.

Russia has a transcendent status in Bulgaria, and the building where the embassy is located is actually the palace of the Ottoman Sultan during the colonial era.

The palace is located on the banks of the beautiful Iskel River. It has a dedicated small pier, a huge square in front, and gardens on both sides. Although Russia has nominally withdrawn its troops, there are still four dragoon regiments stationed in Sofia.

"Arrange a meeting between me and the Grand Duke as soon as possible -" Milyutin didn't know George's plan yet, and he probably wouldn't object if he knew it.

As the actual planner of the 10th Russo-Turkish War, Milyutin was not a good person. One general could make thousands of bones dry up, so it was very appropriate to use it on Milyutin.

The same is true for the Tsar, whose kindness belongs only to the Russians.

George will not be merciful. To treat his enemies weakly is to be cruel to himself.

"Is there a telegram here?" George wanted to contact St. Petersburg to report the situation here and confirm the scope of his power.

"Yes, but it may be monitored." Kolbas reminded George not to use clear codes.

George would certainly not make this mistake, not only would he use a code, but it would be a code that only George and Nikolai could decipher.

Before leaving St. Petersburg, George randomly selected ten books as code books in the study of Gatchina Palace.

If someone listens to the telegram sent by George, they will only get a series of meaningless numbers. Only Nicholas knows which book to compare with for translation. In 1844, American Morse invented the wired telegraph, and mankind entered the telecommunications age.

In November 1851, the United Kingdom laid its first submarine cable. In the following 11 years, the length of submarine cables laid around the world reached 30 million kilometers, almost all of which belonged to the United Kingdom.

Using communication networks all over the world, it has become increasingly easier for the British to obtain intelligence, and communication encryption has become increasingly important.

George didn't know whether the communication cables in the Balkans were also under British control.

For security reasons, George and Nicholas agreed to communicate in a coded manner, which may be the first encrypted communication in the world.

Sofia is 2000 kilometers away from St. Petersburg. Although the telegram was fast, Nicholas could not reply to George immediately. He was only the liaison between George and the Tsar.

"It seems that the situation is not as serious as we thought." Milyutin's political sense is not very sensitive.

"Indeed, it seems that this place has not yet slipped into the abyss, but it is already on the verge of losing control." George was sensitive, and both Sobolev and Milyutin ignored the threat of liberals.

The Bulgarians paid a huge price to get rid of Ottoman colonial rule. The leaders of the April Uprising were almost killed by the Ottoman Empire.

After finally getting rid of the Ottomans, the Russian Empire became the ruler of Bulgaria. This will definitely arouse the resentment of the Bulgarian elite.

If the generals sent by the Tsar to assist Alexander perform well, they may be able to win the trust and support of the Bulgarians.

Sobolev and Kaulbas are clearly not.

Although George was not sure yet, he vaguely felt that the generals sent by the tsar should bear the main responsibility for the current situation in Bulgaria.

"Why do you say that?" Milyutin has not yet realized that the problem lies with Russia.

"Why did Ernruth resign?" George said bluntly.

Former Prime Minister Ernroth was forced to resign and leave Bulgaria because he supported Alexander's coup, abrogated the constitution, and dissolved the Congress, which caused strong opposition from Britain, Germany, and Austria.

Ernruth was arrogant enough. He had just become Prime Minister of Bulgaria and did not understand the situation in Bulgaria well enough to support Alexander in launching a coup and commit suicide.

Sobolev accepted the lesson that Ernruth was forced to resign, so Alexander began to contact the liberals again in an attempt to form a coalition government.

This is digging its own grave.

Politicians are most afraid of changing orders in the morning and at night.

The parliament that Alexander dissolved was dominated by the Conservative Party.

The Conservative Party is pro-Russian.

The liberals were pro-British, and their leader, Stefan Stambolov, was even a strong anti-Russian.

Let the pro-Russian conservatives refuse to cooperate and instead choose the pro-British liberals——

Digging one's own grave is not enough to describe how stupid he is!

"The situation in Bulgaria is more complicated -" Milyutin seemed to be excusing Sobolev and Ernruth.

"This is not a reason to be close to the liberals. Even if a coalition government is formed under such circumstances, the liberals will not be grateful to us. On the contrary, it will make them lose their awe of the empire." George recalled Kaulbas's response to Stefan Stambolov’s comments made him even more confused as to why he did this.

What did Kaulbas say?

Damn it all to Stefan Stambolov and the liberals around him - Stambolov is fully responsible for the current situation in Bulgaria!
  Since it was known that liberals were pro-British, why was Alexander allowed to contact the liberals?
  allow!

George integrated into this era faster than he imagined.

"The conservatives are not grateful either. They want to have more rights and even try to compete for control of the Dragoons, so the parliament must be dissolved." Milyutin learned more about the inside story.

The Bulgarian Dragoons were established with the help of the Russian Empire, and many of the officers themselves were Russians.

Although Bulgaria's conservatives are close to Russia, they have an equally strong desire for power. They are eager to control the country and gain real power, so they have conflicts with St. Petersburg.

"It is enough to give them a slight punishment and let them know what not to touch. They have just started to come into contact with power and do not understand it well enough. They should be given the opportunity to learn." George is patient. These conservatives in Bulgaria are also newcomers to politics.

During the Ottoman Empire, Bulgarians did not have the opportunity to enter the center of power.

Those who had greater influence on Bulgaria had been slaughtered by the Ottomans after the April Uprising. Now Bulgaria, from the Grand Duke to the Prime Minister, are all newbies.

At this time, Yasan should not send young generals to assist Alexander, but should send mature and prudent people like Milyutin or Ignaev.

Unfortunately, there is only one Milyutin and only one Ignaev in Russia.

"George, you have to know that a stable Balkans is not what the empire hopes for-" Milyutin's words gave George a new understanding of Russia.

After the Tenth Russo-Turkish War, Bulgaria became the bridgehead against the Ottoman Empire, and Romania became the rear area.

Russia did not achieve the ultimate goal of controlling the Black Sea outlet through the Tenth Russo-Turkish War, so the war against the Ottoman Empire will continue.

If everyone in Bulgaria lived and worked in peace and contentment, who would be willing to go to war for the Tsar?

This is correct Russian logic.

No wonder the Bulgarian generals all look like idiots.

But if you think about it carefully, you will know how someone who could be sent by the Tsar to assist Alexander could be an idiot.

"Is the chaotic Balkans what the empire needs?" George disagreed with Milyutin.

Keeping Bulgaria in crisis did serve the imperial strategy against the Ottoman Empire.

But this requires superb operation, and if you are not careful, you will force Bulgaria into the Anglo-German camp.

The biggest problem in Russia is that it does not understand the principle that if you want to take something first, you must give it first. Bulgaria’s elites are not puppets, they are living people with their own thoughts, feelings, and interests. If they cannot Russia gets what it wants, then they will try Britain or Germany.

Even the Ottoman Empire.

"This is the purpose of our trip. We want to let His Majesty know the real Balkans." Milyutin is not stubborn. This is also the purpose of bringing George to the Balkans.

Bismarck of Russia could not be confined to the military camp on the outskirts of St. Petersburg all day long. Milyutin wanted George to know how big the world was.

(End of this chapter)