Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 505 The Bulgarian Coup
Although Tsar Ferdinand desperately hoped for a prime minister with real power to take the blame for him, such a thought remained just that—a wishful thought.

Leaving aside whether the current Bulgarian government can produce a prime minister with real power, even if it does, it is unlikely that the prime minister would be willing to pay the price for the Tsar's mistakes.

While the Tsar had the power to dismiss the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister also had the power to undermine the Tsar. It's unclear whether Stamborov would have taken the blame for Ferdinand had he been alive.

But one thing is certain: during Stambolov's time as Bulgarian Prime Minister, Tsar Ferdinand would never have gained any power.

Based on the current results, Ferdinand, as the Tsar of Bulgaria, was indeed unqualified overall.

What will the Bulgarian government think of such an incompetent monarch who wants the government to take the blame after the defeat?

Regardless of what the Bulgarian government thought, Alexander Stambolski, who had been arrested and imprisoned for opposing Bulgaria's participation in the World War, was already harboring other thoughts.

Alexander Stambolski was elected to the Bulgarian Parliament as the leader of the Bulgarian Farmers' Union, and naturally, he also prioritizes the interests of Bulgarian farmers.

According to Alexander Stambolski, Bulgaria's participation in the World War was extremely foolish and would only bring more unnecessary casualties to millions of Bulgarians.

His ideas and remarks angered Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria, since Bulgaria's participation in the two Balkan wars and the current world war was largely Ferdinand's own idea.

Having seized real power, Tsar Ferdinand was certainly displeased with Alexander Stambolski, who had repeatedly opposed him.

Therefore, Ferdinand, on the grounds of undermining morale during wartime, forcibly arrested and imprisoned Alexander Stambolski, a member of parliament, and sentenced him to a prison term of several years.

Although Alexander Stambolski behaved well in prison, and given his status as a leader of the peasant alliance, he was granted bail in just over a year.

But his prison record completely dashed any hope of further advancement for this member of parliament, at least during the reign of Tsar Ferdinand.

Alexander Stambolski was certainly unwilling to accept the prospect of no further progress.

More importantly, he has always believed that Bulgaria's involvement in the world war was a mistake, and the current outcome of the war seems to confirm his view.

Bulgaria is suffering repeated defeats on the front lines, with even its capital, Sofia, at risk of being besieged. The current Bulgarian government is far from redeeming itself from the humiliations of the two Balkan wars; simply preserving its existing territory is already a considerable achievement.

Whether or not Bulgaria can retain its existing territory is no longer important. Given the current state of the war, heavy losses for Bulgaria are inevitable.

Since the outbreak of the war, Bulgaria has mobilized more than 50 troops, with total casualties reaching 32.6.

The number of Bulgarian soldiers killed in action reached 9.2, and tens of thousands more were seriously wounded, likely to also die.

What did the Bulgarian people gain from such heavy sacrifices? Was it the army's repeated defeats on the front lines, or the government and the Tsar each trying to shift blame, with neither wanting to take responsibility for the defeat?
Alexander Stambolski, now released from prison, had his own ideas. He believed that under Tsar Ferdinand's rule, Bulgaria, no matter how large its population and territory, would be completely squandered by the Tsar's corrupt and autocratic rule.

To advocate for the interests of the vast Bulgarian peasantry, the first step was to overthrow the Tsar's rule and force Tsar Ferdinand, an outsider, out of Bulgaria.

After clarifying his thoughts, Alexander Stambolski did not hesitate at all.

Although Alexander Stambolski, the leader of the Bulgarian Peasants' Union, did not enjoy high prestige in politics, he was extremely popular and influential among the Bulgarian people.

Today's Bulgarian army is composed of a large peasant population, meaning that Alexander Stambolski also enjoys a high reputation within the military.

While Tsar Ferdinand was figuring out how to shift the blame to the government, Alexander Stambolski had already secretly contacted junior officers of several divisions stationed around Sofia, seeking the support of these officers from the peasant community.

Sure enough, after some contact, Alexander Stambolski did get to know several officers who were dissatisfied with the government and the Tsar.

Some of these people were just junior officers, while others were already mid-to-high-ranking officers, such as colonels.

Even the commander of the Bulgarian 19th Infantry Division, who had retreated to the rear, subtly expressed his support for Alexander Stambolski.

Through these officers, Alexander Stambolski gained a clearer understanding of the current situation of the Bulgarian army.

Despite Bulgaria mobilizing over 50 troops, the majority of these soldiers were actually mobilized by the Bulgarian government through force.

After all, Bulgaria itself only has a population of several million, so this mobilization scale is basically one in ten.

Unfortunately, the war on the front lines was extremely fierce, with the Bulgarian army suffering thousands of casualties every day. Some new recruits were even sent to the battlefield without having time to be trained.

Under these circumstances, many Bulgarian soldiers harbored deep resentment towards the government. They had only wanted to live as ordinary people, but the government forcibly turned them into soldiers and sent them to battlefields where the probability of death was extremely high.

Bulgarian officers also harbored resentment towards the government. While war offered greater opportunities for promotion, it also increased the chances of death many times over.

Many of these mid- to low-ranking officers were promoted from ordinary soldiers. Having witnessed the frequent deaths of their comrades, they were weary of the war and naturally did not want to continue fighting under government orders.

After confirming that the situation was in his favor, Alexander Stambolski breathed a sigh of relief and worked through the night to develop a detailed plan.

Since the goal was to overthrow the Tsarist government, gaining the support of the military was crucial.

Although Tsar Ferdinand's overall performance was subpar, he still had the support of the Bulgarian nobility and the conservative party.

To overthrow the Tsar, one must confront the officers and soldiers who are loyal to him.

The good news is that after a long period of fighting, most of the Bulgarian officers and soldiers who were originally loyal to the Tsar have been killed in action.

The remaining people are scattered across the front lines and rear areas. As long as the action is swift enough, even if these people react quickly enough, they will be powerless to change the situation in Bulgaria.

The most important thing now is to gain the support of the troops surrounding Sofia in order to orchestrate a coup to overthrow the Tsar. To overthrow the Tsarist government, they must first storm Sofia after the coup and take control of the Bulgarian government.

This was the only way to legitimately abolish the Tsar and gain control of the situation in Bulgaria more quickly, thus initiating peace negotiations with the Allied powers.

Yes, that was Alexander Stembolisky's entire plan.

Overthrowing the Tsarist government was only the first step; the subsequent peace negotiations with the Allied Powers were the more important second step.

Although the war was initiated by the Tsarist government, Bulgaria had to bear the consequences of its defeat. Even though Alexander Stambolski seized power in Bulgaria through a coup, he still had to be held responsible for Bulgaria's defeat.

Alexander Stambolski was fully prepared for this.

Although Bulgaria was destined to lose some territory, its early withdrawal from the war also avoided unnecessary casualties, so it was a mixed bag.

More than a month after the Allied forces launched a fierce attack on Bulgaria, Bulgaria was engulfed in great turmoil and crisis.

Alexander Stambolski, who had been stripped of his parliamentary membership, colluded with a division and part of the army around Sofia to launch a coup in a brazen manner.

The Bulgarian government was not adequately prepared, which allowed the rebels to enter Bulgarian City. Although Tsar Ferdinand's guards effectively controlled the situation and prevented the palace from falling to the rebels.

However, given the current situation in Bulgaria, the Guards, numbering only a few thousand, were powerless to do anything.

Upon hearing the news, Tsar Ferdinand turned pale, but he remained hopeful and wished to negotiate with the rebels led by Alexander Stambolski to prevent the unrest in Bulgaria from escalating further.

But Alexander Stambolski, who had already occupied most of Sofia, was not about to give up halfway. He did not want the Tsar to remain in the new government, so he decisively rejected Ferdinand's request for negotiations.

After the rebels stormed Sofia and occupied most of the city, Alexander Stambolski's public call for an uprising against the Tsar received widespread support from the Bulgarian people.

The reason is simple: Bulgaria had suffered under the Tsar for too long.

A closer look at Bulgaria's history over the past decade reveals that Bulgaria has already fought three major campaigns.

There was almost no interval between the two Balkan wars, and a few years after the Balkan wars ended, Bulgaria entered into a world war.

For a country with a population of only a few million, such frequent involvement in wars is undoubtedly tantamount to courting its own destruction.

The situation in Bulgaria also proves this point. Since the Balkan Wars began, Bulgaria's economy has almost collapsed, and the living conditions of its people have deteriorated rapidly. Now, most people are starving.

The reason for the food shortage is simple: half of Bulgaria's territory has been occupied by the Allied Powers, and food production has almost plummeted.

Bulgaria's ties with Austria-Hungary and Germany were also severed by Serbia and Romania. Although it had an ally in the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire was unwilling to help Bulgaria, and its own situation was also chaotic, with landowners having little surplus grain.

The Bulgarian people were starving, so their discontent with the Tsar and the government was understandable.

Originally, no one dared to stand up and express their opposition only because of the brutality and intimidation of the Tsarist government.

It wasn't until Alexander Stambolski publicly called on the people to rebel against the Tsarist government that the people, who were originally dissatisfied with the Tsar, seemed to have found a pillar of support and responded to Alexander Stambolski's call.

The unrest in Bulgaria quickly drew the attention of the Allied Powers.

Although the Allied Powers had not yet reached Sofia, such a fact could not be kept secret.

For Bulgaria and its allies, the rebellion called by Alexander Stambolski was certainly bad news.

But for the Allied Powers, this was not bad news, but rather good news.

With internal turmoil erupting within Bulgaria, the Bulgarian troops at the front lines naturally had little desire to resist.

Even if the rebellion led by Alexander Stambolski ultimately fails, this uprising will deal a huge blow to the morale of the Bulgarian army and people.

Success would be ideal, of course. Because while instigating the rebellion, Alexander Stambolski had already contacted the Allied Powers, hoping to begin peace negotiations after the capture of Sofia and end the war in Bulgaria as soon as possible.

Since Bulgaria was already in turmoil, the Allied Powers naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass them by.

Just as the Allied powers had anticipated, when the Bulgarian frontline troops learned that the rebels had occupied most of Sofia, the Bulgarian troops on the front lines lost all will to resist.

The Bulgarian defenses, which had been held so tightly, crumbled instantly. On the same day, the Allied forces advanced more than 15 kilometers, getting closer to Sofia.

Meanwhile, after the rebels led by Alexander Stambolski completely occupied the government and parliament of Sofia, they did not have time to deal with the royal palace that they had not yet occupied. They immediately announced the abolition of the original Tsarist government, the abolition of the throne of Tsar Ferdinand, and the establishment of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Alexander Stambolski declared himself the first president of the Republic of Bulgaria and announced that he would begin peace negotiations with the Allied powers to end the war within a month if possible, bringing food and peace to the Bulgarian people.

Food and peace are indeed the two topics that Bulgarians are most concerned about right now.

Food ensures people have enough to eat, and peace brings a safer and more stable environment; both are essential for people's lives.

Following the issuance of this decision, the Republic of Bulgaria immediately gained the support of the Bulgarian people, and consequently, the number of people opposing the Tsar and the Tsarist government also increased.

The palace, which the guards had been struggling to maintain, gradually fell into disrepair. Tsar Ferdinand had no choice but to heed the advice of his guards and quietly leave the palace with the royal family.

(End of this chapter)