Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 496 Romania's Choice
Carlo was just shocked by the hasty start of the Battle of Verdun when the diplomatic corps reported another major piece of news to him: the unusual movements of the Ottoman Empire.

Even without considering the original history, it is reasonable to conclude that the Ottoman Empire was very likely on the side of Germany.

The Ottoman Empire's railways were built with German capital, and its new army was also trained with German assistance. Given that Russia, the Ottoman Empire's enemy, was also Germany's enemy, it was only natural for the Ottoman Empire to align itself with Germany.

Carlo was aware of the Ottoman Empire's attitude, but because the war had been going on for almost a year and the Ottoman Empire had not made any statement, he gradually forgot about this country that had no presence at all.

Surprisingly, a year after the outbreak of World War I, the Ottoman Empire put on a spectacular show for the whole of Europe.

On September 21, 1913, the Ottoman Empire chose to follow Germany's advice and, as a neutral country, closed the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, completely blocking the connection between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea.

The main purpose of this move was to target Russia. Russia was suffering repeated defeats on the main battlefield, and the material aid from France and Spain was crucial in its ability to continue fighting.

Although not openly discussed, European countries were well aware of the choices made by Britain and Spain. In the year since the outbreak of war, Spain had sold large quantities of weapons, equipment, and medical supplies to France and Russia, while Britain had sold large quantities of strategic materials to Germany.

Since most of the major powers benefited, there was no need to delve into whether Britain and Spain had violated the Neutrality Treaty.

After all, these two were both superpowers, and at the critical moment when a world war broke out, no country could counterbalance these two superpowers.

Moreover, the Central Powers and the Allied Powers received support from Britain and Spain respectively, so no one was at a disadvantage and naturally no one raised the issue.

The Ottoman Empire's announcement of the closure of the two straits is clearly a disguised attempt to prevent France and Spain from transporting large quantities of supplies to Russia.

If Russia were to rely solely on the production speed of its domestic military industry, the production speed of weapons and ammunition in the rear would absolutely not be able to keep up with the consumption at the front.

After all, Russia has millions of troops on the front lines. Even if each soldier only consumes one bullet a day, that's still a massive consumption of millions of bullets every day, which Russia's military industry can't support.

Moreover, besides weapons and ammunition, Russia also faced shortages of medical supplies and food. The war had a significant impact on Russia because the battlefield was on Russian soil, inevitably severely affecting food production.

Furthermore, the mobilization of millions of troops within Russia further reduced grain production in key grain-producing regions. Under these circumstances, even with its vast plains of East Europe, Russia was forced to import large quantities of grain from France and Spain.

Fortunately, both Spain and France are major grain producers. Spain, in particular, was not affected by the war, and its grain production actually increased steadily.

It was easy for Spain to procure a batch of grain to support Russia, which is why Russia has been able to hold on until now.

With the Ottoman Empire's closure of the two straits, Russia could only rely on ports along the Baltic coast to obtain supplies from France and Spain.

The problem is that the ports in the Baltic Sea are located too far north, and there are no ice-free ports. The waters outside the ports freeze over in winter, making it impossible for ships to sail in.

Furthermore, with the German navy having completely blockaded the two outlets to the Baltic Sea, it was impossible for the Germans to allow merchant ships flying the French and Spanish flags to enter or leave the Baltic and North Seas.

In this situation, although it only severed the connection between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, it was actually more like severing Russia's ties with France and other countries.

Surprisingly, the Russian government has not yet reacted, while the Romanian government has expressed its dissatisfaction with the Ottoman Empire's decision to close the straits.

Like Russia, Romania is a Black Sea coastal country. Moreover, Romania's coastline extends only to the Black Sea; once the Ottoman Empire blocked the Bosphorus Strait, Romanian ships could only navigate within the Black Sea.

That's not all. Romania is located in the northeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula, and its only land neighbors are Austria-Hungary, Russia, Serbia, and Bulgaria.

As luck would have it, all four neighboring countries joined the Central Powers and the Allied Powers, precisely because this world war was raging.

Being blocked in the Black Sea, Romania not only lost its connection with the outside world, but also had to face a choice: which side to support, the Central Powers or the Allied Powers?
Before the war, a neutral country like Romania was a target for both sides to court, and Romania's environment was quite favorable, so there would be no trouble at all.

However, during wartime, maneuvering between two major military blocs is not an easy task.

Unless, like Switzerland, it lacks valuable resources and has a relatively unimportant geographical location, it can only maintain its neutrality by being ignored by Germany and France.

However, Romania is a large country with a very important geographical location. Romania could not only threaten the Hungarian region, but also, in conjunction with Serbia, sever the connection between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria.

Furthermore, Romania possesses its own oil reserves, making it an ideal source of resources for Germany and Austria-Hungary, two countries with little to no oil.

Romania never expected that this once insignificant peripheral country of the Balkans would become a battleground after the outbreak of war.

The Romanian government expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Ottoman Empire's closure of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits and demanded that the Ottoman Empire guarantee unimpeded passage for neutral countries.

However, the Ottoman Empire, which was instructed by Germany and Austria-Hungary, paid no attention to the opinion of tiny Romania and insisted on closing the two straits. They also claimed that many foreign merchant ships were disguised as Romanian vessels, which was why the Ottoman Empire chose to close the straits rather than ban Russian ships from passing through.

As for when navigation will resume in the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits, that depends on when the war ends.

Of course, there is another way to ensure the passage of Romanian ships through these two straits: to have Romania join the Allied powers.

As long as Romania and the Ottoman Empire were allies, Romanian ships would naturally not be hindered and could still freely enter and exit the Black Sea and the Mediterranean even if the straits were closed.

After the Ottoman Empire made its demands, Germany and Austria-Hungary also contacted Romania, attempting to bring this oil-rich country into their camp.

King Carol I of Romania and Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany both belonged to the Hohenzollern dynasty, and Wilhelm II was quite confident in winning Romania over to his side.

After all, Romania had previously relied on a secret alliance with Germany to resist Russia. If it weren't for Germany's protection, how could such a small country as Romania have survived Russia's large-scale plot to seize the Balkans?

But reality soon slapped Wilhelm II in the face.

Faced with the repeated attempts by Germany and Austria-Hungary to win him over, King Carol I of Romania did not give much thought to the good relationship between the Romanian and German royal families. Instead, he was constantly worried that if Romania joined the Allies, the pincer attack from Germany and Serbia would instantly crush it.

Although the Russian army did not perform well on the Eastern Front, how much better could the Romanian army have performed?
While Romania may be capable of arming hundreds of thousands of troops, this is only a fraction of the forces Russia can mobilize. Even with a numerical advantage, Russia could easily crush Romania.

King Carol I of Romania knew that the secret alliance with Germany could only threaten Russia, not prevent Russia from invading and occupying Romania.

If Romania were to become an enemy of Russia, it would have to shoulder the heavy responsibility of resisting Russian invasion of the Balkans. Even if it won the war, Romania's gains would be limited, at most annexing a portion of Russian territory to the north.

King Carol I of Romania did not rush to express his stance, and he soon received the people he was waiting for: the joint visit of the French and Russian diplomatic ambassadors.

The Central Powers understood the importance of Romania, and the Allied Powers certainly did as well.

Romania served as a bridge between Russia and Serbia, and was also a crucial link in severing the connection between Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria.

It is no exaggeration to say that whichever side Romania joins will gain more advantages in the Balkans.

Whether to create more trouble for the Central Powers in the Balkans or to attract the attention of Germany and Austria-Hungary, France had no choice but to bring Romania into the Entente.

In Bucharest, the capital of Romania, the diplomatic ambassadors of France and Russia held a lengthy exchange with King Carol I and Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania. Crown Prince Ferdinand then saw the two ambassadors off from the palace with a smile.

Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania was not the biological son of Carol I, but his nephew. Carol I had only one daughter, Maria, who died young, which led to his nephew Ferdinand's fortunate acquisition of the Romanian throne.

This is not a big deal in European royal families, since for many families, keeping the throne within their own family is the most important thing.

Crown Prince Ferdinand did not grow up in Romania, nor did he receive an education from his uncle.

This has led to significant differences between the current King Carol I of Romania and Crown Prince Ferdinand, although these differences have been largely hidden.

For most of the time prior, the Romanian government still largely followed the opinions of Carol I, and Crown Prince Ferdinand did not have much say.

However, one thing cannot be ignored: the age of King Carroll I. Born in 1839, he is 74 years old this year.

Even in later generations where life expectancy has been increasing, 74 years old is not considered an early death. Not to mention in this era, in the eyes of most people, 74 years old is considered a very old age, a lifespan that ordinary people cannot even dream of.

As King of Romania, Carol I was no exception to the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. As a king grows old, his power naturally diminishes.

Although Carol I is still the King of Romania, how much longer can the 74-year-old king remain on the throne?

The choice between supporting a young 48-year-old crown prince and a 74-year-old king is not a difficult one.

As King Carol I grew older, Crown Prince Ferdinand, as the kingdom's heir apparent, gradually gained more political influence.

As his influence grew, the differences between King Carol I and Crown Prince Ferdinand widened.

Romania was also roughly divided into pro-German and pro-Russian factions, whose main representatives were Carol I and Crown Prince Ferdinand.

Before meeting with diplomatic representatives from France and Russia today, King Carol I of Romania remained committed to his original stance: to continue the alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary and join the Central Powers in winning the world war.

However, when the French and Russian ambassadors presented their respective terms, even the 74-year-old Carol I was taken aback.

France and Russia offered Romania the condition that, in return for joining the Entente Powers, the Entente Powers would provide Romania with at least 20 rifles, 2500 million rounds of ammunition, 1000 artillery pieces, 500 machine guns, and corresponding artillery shells and ammunition.

In addition, the Allied Powers were willing to provide Romania with an interest-free loan of no less than 2.5 million francs to help Romania accelerate war mobilization and increase military spending.

Romania's sacrifices in the war would also be rewarded. The Allied Powers would support Romania's postwar claim to Transylvania from Austria-Hungary and pledge to sign a 20-year non-aggression pact with Romania.

For Romania, Transylvania was so attractive that even Carol I, who was originally pro-German, was somewhat tempted.

Transylvania is located within Hungary and is an area of ​​over 10 square kilometers.

This is also why Romania was interested; 10 square kilometers of land is an incredible gift for any small European country.

If Romania successfully acquires Transylvania, it will become the largest country in the Balkans by area and population.

Furthermore, signing a 20-year non-aggression pact with France and Russia could completely resolve the possibility of Romania being invaded by Russia, allowing Romania to develop in a stable manner.

Wasn't the reason Romania signed the secret alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary precisely because it was afraid of the threat from Russia?

If the issue can be resolved by signing a long-term non-aggression pact, it would naturally be more worthwhile than being an enemy of Russia.

Although both King Carole I and Crown Prince Ferdinand were very tempted by the offers from France and Russia, they were both quite old and naturally could not make a decision so hastily.

After Crown Prince Ferdinand personally saw off the two countries' ambassadors, the Romanian government immediately convened a meeting, with Crown Prince Ferdinand himself initiating the discussion on how Romania should choose.

When Romanian government officials learned that France and Russia supported Romania's claim to Transylvania, the vast majority of officials were shocked. A few pro-Russian officials, perhaps having received advance notice, were not as excited.

Because both King Carol I and Crown Prince Ferdinand were tempted by the offers from France and Russia, they did not intend to investigate further, even though they knew that the pro-Russian faction was definitely colluding with France and Russia.

After all, Romania still needs to maintain good relations with Russia. After the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Russia will become Romania's only major power neighbor and the only country that may threaten Romania.

After understanding the conditions presented by the German and Austrian ambassadors and the French and Russian ambassadors, the Romanian government held discussions for several hours, and finally reached a somewhat acceptable result under the weary gaze of King Carol I.

He first had a cordial meeting with the French and Russian diplomatic ambassadors for several hours, and then held a meeting at the government for several hours. This was indeed a very difficult thing for the 74-year-old King Carol I.

However, Carol I was also aware that the choice he made was extremely important for Romania, and could even overturn the status of the Romanian monarchy.

If Romania chooses to join the Entente Powers and is defeated in the war, Germany and Austria-Hungary will not consider that Romania belongs to the Hohenzollern dynasty, and the Romanian royal family will be in serious trouble.

As expected by Carol I and Crown Prince Ferdinand, although the discussions among Romanian officials were quite heated, the final result was unanimously biased towards the pro-Russian faction.

There was no way around it; the terms offered by the French and Russian diplomatic representatives were simply too tempting, something that Germany and Austria-Hungary could never offer.

If Romania joins the Central Powers, its only remaining enemies will be Serbia and Russia.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire had long coveted Serbia and was naturally unwilling to cede any part of Serbian territory to Romania.

Moreover, Romania was unwilling to annex Serbian territory.

Romania's territory is already roughly rectangular, and if it were to annex Serbia's territory to the west, its land area would become extremely long and narrow, which would not be a good thing for Romania.

If Romania were to be cut in half by the enemy, it would be unable to attend to both ends and would instead become a burden.

Annexing Russian territory would be a good option for Romania, but Romania was already on guard against Russian invasion. If it annexed Russian territory, it would inevitably forge a deadly feud with Russia.

Even if Russia were defeated, it would still be a great power at its core, one that Romania could not rival.

For Romania, joining the Central Powers was not a worthwhile proposition. Compared to the conditions offered by the Allied Powers, the Central Powers' conditions were indeed not very sincere.

The Allied powers themselves were relatively poor in resources, so they naturally couldn't provide Romania with much. On the contrary, the Allies needed Romania to provide them with oil resources, which in turn benefited the Allies.

Comparing the two sides, choosing which side to take was not difficult for Romania, which is why the government meeting ultimately reached a consensus that leaned towards the pro-Russian side.

　I'll only update once today, and I'll start posting 10,000 words a day tomorrow.

　　(I caught a cold because of the cold weather, and I'm feeling really dizzy. I'm so sorry!)

　　Sorry everyone, starting tomorrow, the daily return will be 10,000 every seven days!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)