Mediterranean Hegemony Road

Time flies, and in a flash, it's October. Ferdinand was still indulging in the joy of being a father, and now he is happy to everyone.

"Grand Duke, this is an invitation letter from Mente Negro. Nicholas I invites you to attend the founding ceremony of the Kingdom of Montenegro." Foreign Minister Metev said

Ferdinand laughed and said: "It seems that Nicholas I is really impatient! I can't wait for a moment. Now the situation in Mente Negro is not as good as it seems on the surface, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire has already taken care of them. .

Forget it, I'm not going. It is better to do less of the matter of declaring troops to seize the master, reject it for me, and you can send a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate. "

Declaring the army to seize the master was just an excuse for Ferdinand, mainly because he was timid. In the kingdom of Montenegro that is about to be established, many people are dissatisfied with Bulgaria. If someone holds a grudge and sends him a peanut, it will be a tragedy!

However, Nicholas I's performance still surprised him. He was too eager to establish the Kingdom of Montenegro, which was not in line with his usual steady style.

"By the way, Nicholas I is so eager to establish the Kingdom of Montenegro, does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs know what's going on?" Ferdinand continued to ask

Metev thought for a while and said: "Grand Duke, Nicholas I seems to be unable to wait, our growth has greatly reduced their status in the eyes of the Russians.

Moreover, after Nicholas I’s support for Serbia was exposed some time ago, he was retaliated by the Austria-Hungary Empire. Now Mente Negro is eager to establish the Kingdom of Montenegro, just to promote the next reform, improve the morale of the people, and compete with Pressure from the Austro-Hungarian Empire! "

Ferdinand nodded in approval. Under his butterfly effect, after Serbia became a semi-colonial of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the pressure Nicholas I now faces is much greater than that in parallel time and space.

Now the "Montenegro Kingdom" to be established has been surrounded by Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary, and strategically speaking, the way forward for their development has been blocked.

The outbreak of the Serbian uprising made Nicholas I see the light of day. It seems that the annexation of Serbia has become their only hope!

The above are all made up by Ferdinand himself. At this time, Nicholas I had begun to regret it. How could the Austro-Hungarian Empire be the fifth largest power in the world today, not a small Mente Negro can afford it!

Ferdinand wanted to block Austria-Hungary, but he did not dare to take action in person and let Nicholas I come out of the tank, just for fear of retaliation from Austria-Hungary.

This question also starts with the Serbian Revolution.

With the support of Nicholas I, the Serbian rebel army finally supported it and defeated the Austro-Hungarian army many times.

Now most of the Serbian countryside is in the hands of the rebel army. The Vienna government has sent troops to Serbia many times. In addition to the first five divisions, six divisions have been reinforced successively to stabilize the situation in Serbia. !

After paying so much, the Vienna government will naturally not let go of the initiator, so the soon-to-be-established "Montenegro Kingdom" was subjected to a comprehensive economic blockade by the Austro-Hungarian Empire!

The "Kingdom of Montenegro" was originally a small country with the most backward economy in the Balkans, and it had no railway itself. Poor traffic makes this small Yugoslav country unable to use its wealth - minerals, forests.

In this semi-feudal country, foreign capital dominated the economy.

In particular, the Austro-Hungarian Empire monopolized more than three-quarters of Montenegro's export trade and more than half of its import trade.

Ferdinand also knew that if the future did not change, British capital and Italian capital would follow.

The Kingdom of Montenegro is also the hardcore little brother of the Russians in the Balkans, and the Russians have saved their poor finances from bankruptcy many times!

According to the Balkan War that Ferdinand had just ended, all the war funds received by Nicholas I were provided by the St. Petersburg government.

Especially after the economic blockade of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the life of the Kingdom of Montenegro was even more difficult. The Austro-Hungarian Empire not only blocked their land trade, but also dispatched the navy to block the Adriatic, and their sea passage was also cut off.

Except for Bulgaria, the foreign trade channels of Montenegro were all cut off by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The kingdom of Montenegro, which is about to be established now, has more than doubled its territory, but its import and export trade volume is still less than half of what it was before, especially the export trade is even worse!

Affected by this, Nicholas I had to change his long-standing foreign policy and took the initiative to repair Bulgaria in order to keep the only lifeline of foreign trade.

Since the Balkan War, the relationship between the two countries has begun to heat up sharply. Of course, the Russians also played the role of mediators. Otherwise, with Ferdinand's temperament, Nicholas I would definitely be slaughtered.

"How is the preparation for the ceremony?" Nicholas I asked

The Prime Minister replied: "All preparations are in place, and the normal operation of the ceremony on October 15 can be guaranteed!"

Nicholas I asked again: "Among the invited guests, which important people will attend in person?"

The Prime Minister explained: "Because the time was too tight, most of the main guests we invited couldn't come over in time, so..."

Nicholas I interrupted: "Okay, you can directly say which powerful people will come!"

The Prime Minister stood there awkwardly, without speaking for a long time.

Nicholas I smiled bitterly and said, "There's no way a person with weight won't come, right?"

The Prime Minister nodded and said, "Because the time is too tight, the main guests we invited were unable to arrive, and most of them sent representatives to attend!"

"Where are the Russians?" Nicholas I asked with concern

"The Russians will be represented by Count Paul at this ceremony," said the Prime Minister.

Nicholas I asked: "Is it Paul Shuvanov, the ambassador to Bulgaria?"

"Yes!" the Prime Minister answered affirmatively

"Who is the representative of Bulgaria?" Nicholas I continued to ask

The Prime Minister said with some embarrassment: "This one has not yet been determined."

Nicholas I nodded, knowing that the Russians sent Count Paul Shuvanov, obviously to reconcile the relationship between the Kingdom of Montenegro and Bulgaria, and even promote an alliance between the two countries to counter the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Balkans .

However, because the foreign policy of Nicholas I was pro-Serbian before, he had been embarrassed with Bulgaria many times in the diplomatic field. Now the Bulgarian government does not feel good about the Kingdom of Montenegro.

If there is no mediation by the Russians, Nicholas I still suspects that Ferdinand will block Montenegro together with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, or even carve up the kingdom of Montenegro together!

Affected by this, the Kingdom of Montenegro has now hugged the Russians' thighs tightly, looking like a loyal little brother.

Well, Nicholas I completely guessed Ferdinand wrong. The reason why he did not form an alliance with the Kingdom of Montenegro was mainly because he was afraid of being pitted by his teammates.

If one day the Kingdom of Montenegro gets into the water and gets into a fight with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, what should Bulgaria do?

Ferdinand did not think that the current Bulgaria is the opponent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, even if it is the same as the Kingdom of Montenegro.

This is different from his alliance with Russia. Even if he is really dragged into the war, the Russians are strong! Now that Germany has not yet erupted, the military strength of the Allies is still slightly stronger than that of the Allies, and Bulgaria is not under much military pressure.

Therefore, the "protection and black alliance" that Nicholas I has always expected is impossible to establish!

Time passed quickly, and the Kingdom of Montenegro was successfully established, but the scene was a little shivering, and the number of guests who came to the ceremony was somewhat small.

Fortunately, Nicholas I was able to give birth and had five baby daughters, allowing him and the King of Denmark to share the title of "European father-in-law".

My family always wants to give face, and most of the sons-in-law came to set up the scene for him, otherwise this ceremony would really become a laughing stock.