Chapter 1236 Odessa
In other words, the two countries of East Africa and the United States are constrained by each other. With the addition of East Africa as a potential rival, the United States cannot perfectly replicate the process and results of the snipe and the clam in the previous life. However, the two countries of East Africa and the United States The fisherman still got the benefit.
Of course, other non-participating countries also gained a lot, such as the Far Eastern Empire and Japan, as well as the Ottoman Empire and the neutral Netherlands, which had not yet participated in the war.
…
July 1916.
Port of Odessa.
A merchant ship flying the Greek flag slowly sailed into Russia's main port on the Black Sea.
Since the end of the 19th century, with the completion of the railway to Kiev and Lviv, the throughput of Odessa port has expanded, and Odessa has become the second largest port in Russia after St. Petersburg.
At the same time, Odessa's economic strength has long been among the top four Russian cities, tied with St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Warsaw.
As Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria entered the Moldova region, Russia's pressure in the south suddenly increased, so starting last month, Russia increased its orders to East Africa.
Odessa and Moldova are closely connected. In the past, Odessa was among the three states bordering Ukraine and Moldova, and Odessa and Moldova had the largest border area.
"It seems that the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Bulgarian coalition have put huge pressure on Russia, otherwise the Russians would not be so eager to place additional orders." The captain of the Rollingen sighed while looking at the busy port of Odessa.
The entire Odessa became an important hub for trade between East Africa and Russia during the war, so starting in 1914, thousands of sailboats competed in Odessa Port.
In July 1916, the total number of merchant ships in the Port of Odessa once again broke a new high. The last time Rollingen came to Odessa was in May, but the density of ships in the Port of Odessa is now estimated to be more than double that of May.
Long queues began to form in the waterways, and the Russian port administrators were in a hurry. Every day, the port might be blocked due to some detailed mistakes.
"Captain, Russia has suffered a lot this time. Now Germany cannot open up a situation on the Western Front, so the pressure is on the Eastern Front. The combat effectiveness of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Bulgaria is also very impressive. I heard that Russia is now fighting every day. We have lost ground and the situation is very pessimistic,” said First Officer Carolla.
Rollingen expressed a different view. He said: "The Russian army is indeed at a disadvantage now, but these are just a small fight against Russia. After all, Russia's territory is so large. Let's wait until the Allied forces invade Russia. Now the Allied forces have only touched the edge of Ukraine, and they are still far away from defeating Russia!”
Carolla: "That's true. I really envy the Russians. If our country in Greece were as big as this, we wouldn't be timid in the Balkans."
Rollingen: "Except for the Ottoman Empire, I can hardly think of any direction in which Greece can expand. However, the Ottoman Empire is also a powerful country. Although the Ottoman Empire is now decadent, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Unless the countries on the Balkan Peninsula are the same as those in the past. Let’s all unite, otherwise there is no hope.”
"But this is just a delusion. Last time we and Serbia offended Bulgaria. Now that Serbia has perished, it is simply impossible for the countries in the Balkans to unite again."
Carolla shook his head and said: "That's fine. After all, Serbia and Bulgaria are not in the same pot as us. They both want to dominate the Balkans. They can only be a threat to the kingdom. If Greece wants to rise, it still has to rely on itself. "
"Greece's economy has improved visibly in the past two years, and its industry has developed very rapidly. All of this is the result of the war. When other European countries are destroyed, our opportunity will come."
The Greeks also had their own dreams of becoming a great power, especially the Eastern Roman Empire. After Greece gained independence in the 19th century, it considered itself the successor of the Eastern Roman Empire and made many attempts to turn Constantinople into its capital. Regardless of the use of force, it can be said that at least Greece is an active participant in the disputes on the Balkan Peninsula. Of course, Ernst still agreed with the Greeks. Among the successors of the Eastern Roman Empire, only the Greeks were the most up-and-coming. After all, the Eastern Roman Empire was basically Hellenized in the later period. Relatively speaking, Russia relied on marriage to acquire The crown always seems unconvincing, and it is even more ridiculous for the Ottoman Empire and later Turkey to regard themselves as the successors of the Eastern Roman Empire.
If the ancestors of the Eastern Roman Empire were resurrected, I am afraid they would be more willing to choose Greeks as their descendants. After all, they are closer in race, religion, culture, and habits.
In fact, the Greeks are descendants of the Eastern Romans who did not change their traditions after being ruled by the Ottomans. As for the Ottomans, they are the descendants of the enemy. As for the Russians, they are the descendants of the barbarians. Don't think that marrying an Eastern Roman princess is enough. Can become the emperor of Eastern Rome, unless the Russians can really occupy Constantinople and restore the territory of Eastern Rome.
But even so, the Russian Czar becoming the Eastern Roman Emperor and the Russians becoming Romans are two different concepts. After all, there were no cases of barbarians becoming emperors in the Roman era, and there were even black emperors. Of course, the black emperors of Rome were probably similar Pushkin, an emperor with black blood, was not a black man in the true sense.
This is similar to Obama in his previous life. Apart from being darker, he only has some blood connection with the black people in his hometown in Kenya. After all, Obama is essentially a mixed race person.
Back to the topic, the Greeks’ dream of becoming a great power is just a fantasy. After all, they cannot even escape the control of great powers economically.
Take the current Greek economy as an example. The more important reason for its recovery is that it is on the forefront. Greece's current neutral status allows Greece to play the role of a middleman like the Netherlands.
At present, many ships in East Africa are anchored in the name of Greece to run European trade routes. Of course, this is not the case with the Rollingen. It is a real Greek merchant ship.
It's just that the Rollingen is indeed acting as a middleman in the current trade between East Africa and Russia, responsible for pulling goods from East Africa to Russia, thereby earning some freight.
East Africa welcomes such third-party ships. After all, domestic ships also bear huge risks when engaging in European trade.
At present, several large state-owned trading companies in East Africa are actively exploring trade routes between Asia, Africa and Latin America, changing East Africa's past dependence on European trade. The reason for this result is the mutual restraint between the Allied Powers and the Central Powers.
The good news is that there are many countries willing to act as middlemen, such as the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Greece, the Ottoman Empire, etc., and even some merchant ships from France and the United Kingdom.
Under the mixed situation, the trade between East Africa and Europe was not greatly affected. After all, the industrial products and some strategic materials produced in East Africa were indispensable to both camps.
Correspondingly, East Africa began to fully develop trade with South America, West Africa, the Indian Ocean coast, and the Far East.
Although the European market is attractive, it is not something that East Africa can grasp now. Only neutral markets such as Asia, Africa and Latin America are the support for the survival of East African industry after the war.
After all, the great powers alone account for more than half of Europe. Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Austria and Spain account for six of the nine great powers in the world. There are more wolves than meat. This is why World War I broke out in Europe. root problem.
The three major powers outside the "civilization center", such as the United States, East Africa, and Japan, have much more room for maneuver. In addition to colonies, there is also considerable room for expansion in the surrounding areas.
If you think about Germany and Austria-Hungary, you can only gamble on the fate of the country. Russia's conditions are good, but its internal social structure prevents its potential from being fully utilized.
Moreover, there are still a bunch of small countries in Europe that have good economic and industrial strength, but their comprehensive national strength does not meet the standards of the great powers, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, the Kingdom of Italy, etc.