Chapter 1235 Unpredictable Development
Bulgaria can be said to be very important to the Allies. In addition to conquering Serbia with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it is also an important chess piece in stabilizing Romania.
Although the supreme ruler of Romania is the Sigmaringen branch of the Hohenzollern family, Sigmaringen cannot be a leader in Romania.
In particular, Romania still has territorial disputes with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which makes many people in Romania hope to join the Allied camp and obtain the Transylvania region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to form a greater Romanian country.
Therefore, Romania's political position is unstable, and Bulgaria, which borders Romania, is particularly important. It can threaten Romania's security from the rear. Of course, more importantly, Bulgaria has demonstrated its strong fighting spirit.
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Edinets.
Edinec is located on the northwest border of the Moldova region. In its previous life, the capital of Edinec District in Moldova was the city of Edinec, which faces Romania across the Prut River to the west.
Since the early 19th century, Moldia has basically fallen into the hands of the Russians, and Edinets, located in the northwest of Moldova, is now the front line of the war between the Allies and Russia.
Now, with the Austro-Hungarian Empire switching from defense to offense and Bulgaria joining the war, this has become the first place where the Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian coalition forces invaded.
The coalition commander, Austro-Hungarian General Kriach, was discussing combat matters with General Marklov, the representative of the Bulgarian troops, at the headquarters.
Kryach: "Now Russia has shown a decline. Whether it is the northern battlefield or the southern front, the coalition forces are at an advantage."
"Especially our German allies, who have achieved brilliant results against Russia over the past year."
"We cannot sit back and let Germany take the spotlight. This year we will not only take over the entire Moldova, but also strengthen our offensive against Ukraine."
It can be said that after the Austro-Hungarian Empire reacted, the generals of the Austro-Hungarian Empire finally found their touch.
In the early stage, the Austro-Hungarian Empire could be said to have been humiliated and was beaten by Serbia and Russia. However, after Rudolf took control of the army, the Austro-Hungarian Empire's military forces regrouped and finally reversed the situation a few months ago. Not only did it maintain the eastern front, but it also counterattacked into Russia in early 1916.
In Russia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire army could finally let go. At this time, the army assembled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire had only one target, and that was the Russians.
In terms of its attitude towards Russia, Hungary also actively supports Vienna. After all, whether it is to eliminate the Russian threat or to divide the spoils after the war, Hungary, which is located in the eastern part of the empire, will bear the brunt.
When the two largest ethnic groups in the empire reached an agreement, the divisions within the Austro-Hungarian army naturally stopped, and they joined hands to face the great enemy Russia.
Of course, Kriach wanted to go further, but Marklov's attitude was not positive. After all, neither Moldova nor Russia bordered Bulgaria.
The reason why the Bulgarian army supported the Austro-Hungarian Empire was because it had boarded the pirate ship and had to continue the war at this time.
Of course, participating in the war against Russia is not without benefits. The Austro-Hungarian Empire has already drawn a big pie, which is to lose the southern coastal areas of Moldova to Bulgaria after the war.
This has a certain appeal to Bulgaria. After all, the southern part of Moldova is the Black Sea. If it can acquire the southern part of Moldova, Bulgaria may not be unable to expand its influence on the Black Sea. At the same time, it can attack Romania from both sides and gain more geographical security.
Of course, this idea was only somewhat tempting, so Bulgaria did not send many troops.
Marklov said: "Although Russia is now in decline, it is undeniable that Russia's huge land and population potential can continue to support them and our attrition war, so we cannot take it lightly and should act cautiously." Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria have a very small appetite. Of course, this is aimed at Russia. If it were other countries on the Balkan Peninsula, such as Greece or Romania, then Bulgaria would definitely not be so conservative.
Bulgaria also has the dream of becoming a great country, so the land around Bulgaria is more attractive to Bulgaria. As for Moldova, it is at best an added bonus.
Kriach said: "I think General Marklov, you are still a little conservative. According to our intelligence, Russia's current state is not very good. There were many anti-war activities in their capital last month."
"This shows that Russia is now in decline. Although Russia's Nicholas II and his generals want to maintain the war, Russia's gray animals have shown a huge fear of war."
"As long as we achieve more military victories, Russia may collapse itself. Russia's anti-war sentiment has reached its limit, so we should work together to undermine the Russians' confidence as soon as possible and let them understand that this is an impossible war. A victorious war."
"Only on this basis can we devote our troops to the Western Front and fight to the death with Britain and France, thus establishing the overall situation."
Kriach's meaning was simple, that is, he hoped that Bulgaria would not conserve its strength. He also saw that the Bulgarians' performance on the Russian battlefield was not positive.
Therefore, he emphasized that the current war is no longer a conflict between one country, or simply a few countries, but a conflict between two major camps.
Bulgaria is now on the same side with Germany and Austria. If the Allies fail, Bulgaria will definitely be liquidated by the Allies after the war.
This really made Markov's expression serious. He said to Kryach: "It is best that the situation develops in the direction you said."
"If we are dragged to death by Russia on the Eastern Front, we will indeed be in a very passive position in the war. After all, Germany and Britain and France are already in a stalemate on the Western Front."
Markov's words are actually quite euphemistic. Although Germany has good combat effectiveness on the Western Front, it is actually inferior in strategy. After all, it is a war of attrition. Germany is definitely not a match for Britain and France.
Britain and France can obtain cannon fodder and supplies from colonies, while Germany faces great pressure on supply of supplies.
The key to breaking the deadlock is Russia. Only by defeating Russia, the great enemy, even if Russia accepts a ceasefire, it will be great news for the Allies. Of course, if there is a riot in Russia, the Allies will probably wake up laughing in their dreams.
If Russia really fails, the war situation will probably be really unpredictable.
In the previous life, although Russia's surrender greatly eased the pressure on the Allies, it did not change the final outcome.
However, with the existence of East Africa, a big country, it is hard to say. If Russia really fell in World War I, it would mean that the blockade built by Britain and France in the previous life would basically be impossible to achieve.
After all, the Indian Ocean in the previous life was also the sphere of influence of the British, and it was almost unshakable. This made the British blockade of the Allies still effective even if Russia withdrew from the war.
However, if East Africa joined the Allies, this blockade would basically be in vain. As long as the Ottoman Empire did not fail, East Africa's supplies would continue to flow from the Indian Ocean to the Allies.
Of course, the choice of East Africa's strategy is not limited to the situation in Europe, but to wait and see the attitude of the United States. Only after the United States leaves, East Africa will make the final choice.
If the two countries join a camp separately, it will only expand the scope of the war. If the two countries join one side at the same time, they can basically lock in victory.