Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 506 Treaty of Sofia

The Bulgarian civil war came and went quickly. When Tsar Ferdinand followed the advice of his guards and secretly fled the Bulgarian royal palace, the demise of the Bulgarian Tsarist government was already sealed.

Although they managed to escape from the palace, they could not escape the heavily guarded Sofia.

Ultimately, Tsar Ferdinand was captured by the deserters of the rebellion and imprisoned by Alexander Stambolski in the same prison where he had been held.

This is a case of fortunes changing. Tsar Ferdinand once arrested Alexander Stambolski on the pretext of undermining military morale during wartime, and now it's Tsar Ferdinand's turn to experience imprisonment.

After taking control of Tsar Ferdinand, Alexander Stambolski immediately ordered the Bulgarian troops at the front to cease resistance and surrender unconditionally to the Allied forces.

Because of the civil war that broke out in Bulgaria's rear, the Bulgarian army at the front had virtually no will to resist. After learning that the government in the rear had called on the army to give up resistance, the Bulgarian army did not hesitate at all, ceasing all resistance and surrendering en masse to the Allied forces.

By the time news of the Bulgarian government's surrender reached the Allied nations, nearly half a day had passed.

Even if Germany and Austria-Hungary were willing to offer assistance, they could not salvage the situation in Bulgaria at this point. Even more critically, after issuing the order for the frontline troops to cease resistance, Alexander Stambolski handed over Tsar Ferdinand and the original Tsarist government to the Allied Powers for trial, and formally invited the Allied Powers to send diplomatic representatives to Sofia for peace negotiations.

Alexander Stambolski had no intention of considering the other allies of the Central Powers; he only wanted to pull Bulgaria out of the abyss of war as soon as possible.

The Allied Powers were naturally pleased with this outcome, and France and Russia quickly agreed to send diplomatic representatives to Sofia to conduct separate negotiations with the Bulgarian government.

Serbia, Romania, Montenegro, and Spain also participated in the peace talks.

Spain is the only country participating in the peace negotiations as a neutral nation, and its public statements are aimed at ensuring the fairness and legitimacy of the negotiations.

On March 6, 1914, in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, the Allied Powers and Bulgaria formally began peace negotiations.

As the current head of the Bulgarian government, Alexander Stambolski has shown great sincerity in order to gain the support of the Allied Powers.

The Bulgarian government's diplomatic representatives were also aware that ceding territory was inevitable and that this was the only way to quell the anger of the Allied powers.

To demonstrate its sincerity, the Bulgarian government presented its conditions to the Allied Powers on the very first day of the peace negotiations.

In terms of territory, Bulgaria is willing to return the Thrace region it occupied, which is one of the few territories Bulgaria has occupied since the Balkan Wars.

In addition, Bulgaria is willing to cede several small plots of land along its border with Serbia as compensation to Serbia.

Serbia suffered the most during the war, second only to Bulgaria. Due to previous sieges by Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria, Serbia was on the verge of collapse.

If Romania hadn't intervened and provided some relief to Serbia, it might have been Serbia that was the first country in the Balkans to surrender and be at the mercy of others.

In addition to territorial concessions, Bulgaria is also willing to pay a total of £500 million in compensation to the Allied powers.

While £500 million may not seem like much, it was a huge sum for postwar Bulgaria. Bulgaria's industry and economy suffered immense damage during the war, and agricultural production virtually ceased.

Under such circumstances, a reparation of £500 million would be enough to saddle the Bulgarian government with a huge debt, affecting its financial situation for years or even decades to come.

Although the Bulgarian government has demonstrated its sincerity, the Allied Powers are still somewhat dissatisfied with the conditions offered by the Bulgarian government.

First, there was the Thrace region, which Bulgaria was willing to cede, as it did not border any of the Allied Powers.

This also means that no matter who ultimately takes over the Thrace region of Bulgaria, this land will always be an exclave, which is not conducive to its management.

On the other hand, the £500 million war reparations were far too little, not even enough to cover the war expenses of Serbia or Romania.

People participate in wars not to gain the title of victor, but for the tangible benefits of land and money; they are only satisfied when they receive these advantages.

Consequently, the Allied Powers also presented their own conditions and engaged in lengthy negotiations with the Bulgarian government.

Without Greek intervention, Bulgaria only needs to focus on dealing with Serbia and Romania.

France and Russia do not border Bulgaria, and France has little interest in the Balkans, given their distance from its homeland.

Russia is quite interested in the Thrace region that Bulgaria is willing to cede, since this land is not far from Constantinople and could serve as an important bridgehead for Russia to control military Constantinople and the Bosphorus Strait.

The peace talks lasted for more than a week and ended with the Bulgarian government making a complete concession.

After discussions among the Allied Powers and Spain, it was unanimously decided to modify the conditions proposed by the Bulgarian government, and the Treaty of Sofia was signed on this basis.

Bulgaria ceded three bordering territories to Serbia in the northwest, west, and southwest as compensation for the immense damage inflicted on Serbia during the war.

Bulgaria completely relinquished its sovereignty over Southern Dobroca and recognized it as Romania's legitimate sovereign territory.

The Thracian territories occupied by Bulgaria during the Balkan Wars were jointly administered by the Allied Powers and Spain, forming a multinational joint administration zone for 15 years.

Fifteen years later, the local people will hold a referendum to decide the ownership of sovereignty. During these 15 years, the countries jointly managing the area will have the right to station troops and dock warships in the area. All the benefits of the area will be shared by the countries, and sovereignty and territorial integrity will be jointly guaranteed by the countries.

This is part of the territory lost by Bulgaria.

In terms of finances, the Bulgarian government was required to pay 4.25 million pesetas in reparations to the Allied powers. Due to the significant devaluation of the franc and ruble, the reparations paid by Bulgaria were valued in the Spanish peseta.

According to the agreement among the Allied Powers, Montenegro would receive 5% of the 4.25 million pesetas in reparations, Serbia 25%, Romania 10%, and France and Russia 30% each.

Although Spain did not receive war reparations from Bulgaria, the Allied powers ultimately had to purchase supplies from Spain with the reparations they received, which was a profit for Spain.

In addition to ceding territory and paying war reparations, the treaty also added many restrictions on Bulgaria's future military strength at the strong request of the Balkan countries and Russia.

First and foremost, Bulgaria's future army and navy.

In the future, Bulgaria's army will not exceed 3 personnel, its navy will not exceed 15 tons, and its air force will not exceed 20 airships.

The Bulgarian government is prohibited from proactively developing heavy weapons, including airships, dreadnoughts, submarines, and large-caliber artillery.

The treaty even imposed very strict restrictions on the number of machine guns and artillery pieces that the Bulgarian army was equipped with.

Although reluctant, the Bulgarian diplomatic representatives had no choice but to sign the peace treaty.

According to the treaty, Bulgaria will never again become a military power, and its position in the Balkans will be no better than that of smaller countries like Montenegro and Albania.

The signing of this treaty immediately caused a huge uproar in Europe.

Germany and Austria-Hungary never expected that the peace treaty terms demanded by the Allied Powers would be so harsh. This also caused some pro-peace factions within Germany and Austria-Hungary to disappear instantly.

Unfortunately, these conditions were far too harsh. The German government was unwilling to bear such a price, so it could only do everything in its power to win the war, leaving the French and Russian governments to bear the cost of peace talks.

The country that protested most against this peace treaty was undoubtedly the British Empire. When the British learned that Thrace had become a multi-state administrative region under the Allied powers, the British government immediately understood Russia's intentions.

Although it is nominally a multinational administrative region, France and Spain do not have much interest in Thrace, which lies within the Aegean Sea.

It's obvious from common sense that only Russia has access to the ports of Thrace.

Because this land is too close to Constantinople, the British government immediately protested the peace treaty signed between the Allied Powers and the Bulgarian government, arguing that the treaty did not respect Bulgaria's territorial sovereignty and seriously threatened the stability of the Balkans.

The Allied powers did not respond to the British government's strong protest.

To put it bluntly, everyone's diplomatic relations were out in the open. The Allied Powers were well aware that Britain could not be an ally; in fact, it was on the verge of becoming an enemy. So why would France and Russia care about the British government's opinion?

The decision to make Thrace a multinational administrative region was a compromise reached between France, Russia, and Spain.

Russia certainly wanted this land, but France was reluctant to let Russia occupy Thrace. However, considering that Russia was currently a very important ally of France, tying down millions of German troops and hundreds of thousands of Austro-Hungarian troops on the Eastern Front, France was hesitant.

In any case, the French government is unwilling to break ties with Russia at this moment.

This is why Thrace eventually became a multinational administrative region, satisfying the Russian government's desire to extend its reach into Constantinople while preventing Russia from monopolizing Thrace—a win-win situation.

The Bulgarian civil war and surrender made the Allied powers and Britain realize that this war was not a game and required utmost care.

On the day the Treaty of Sofia was signed, the German government immediately convened a meeting. Kaiser Wilhelm II and the top military leaders of the High Command had a long discussion and ultimately decided to win the war at all costs.

Despite his serious illness, the old Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary personally delivered a speech, calling on all citizens of Austria-Hungary to join the army and fight for the country to win this war.

The British government also secretly mobilized a large number of colonial troops, stationed in Egypt and the Middle East, ready to move north to support the Ottomans at any time.

The defeat of Bulgaria was a loss for the Central Powers, but not a huge one. The loss would have been far greater had the Ottoman Empire surrendered as well.

At least for now, the Central Powers still need the Ottoman Empire to share some of Russia's attention.

Without the Ottoman Empire, the Balkan war would be completely over, leaving only Germany and Austria-Hungary struggling to survive.

Meanwhile, in Spain, Carlos was intently reading the battle reports from the Balkans, while also asking questions that concerned him:

How is the situation in Asia Minor? It's been over half a month since the landings, why haven't we heard any battle reports from Asia Minor?

Upon hearing Carlo's inquiry, Count Menotti, the Minister of Defense, quickly replied: "Sixteen days have passed since the Franco-Russian allied forces landed on the Anatolian Peninsula. The latest battle report is from six days ago. It is said that the Franco-Russian allied forces have captured Çanakkale and are advancing further east towards Balıkesir."

If the attack goes smoothly, Balıkesir should have been captured by now.

Carlo nodded upon hearing this, showing considerable satisfaction with the Allied Powers' achievements in Asia Minor.

Don't be fooled by the claim that the Franco-Russian coalition forces number 50; in reality, only tens of thousands of them are elite troops, mainly concentrated in the French-supplied domestic forces.

The remaining troops were mostly new recruits sent by Russia or colonial troops sent by France. These troops were fine as cannon fodder, but expecting them to launch a major expedition to Asia Minor and achieve a great victory was certainly unlikely.

Currently, the main offensive at the front is mainly relying on two divisions from mainland France. Other troops are only playing a supporting role, helping the elite troops to control the occupied land and ensuring that the supply lines are not cut off. That's all.

"If we conquer Balıkesir, then Kütahya and Eskişehir to the east will be practically a piece of cake. It seems that the surrender of the Ottoman Empire is only a matter of time."

What is the Cabinet's view? Will the British government intervene in the Franco-Russian invasion of the Ottoman Empire?
"If the Ottoman Empire were to lose again, Germany and Austria-Hungary would have no allies left," Carlo asked with a smile.

The current situation is extremely favorable for the Allied Powers. Although both the eastern and western fronts are deadlocked, the Allied Powers hold a significant advantage on the battlefield in the Balkans.

Once Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans surrender, the million-strong army of the Balkan Entente Powers could easily march north and attack Austria-Hungary.

Judging from Austria-Hungary's performance in this war, unless Germany comes to its aid, Austria-Hungary is destined to follow Bulgaria's path, becoming unable to sustain itself after a long period of fighting, either due to internal strife or problems on the front lines.

Upon hearing Carlo's question, Earl Menotti, as the Secretary of State for Defence, spoke first, replying: "Given the British's past emphasis on Constantinople and the Bosphorus, the possibility of their forceful intervention cannot be ruled out."

I believe we should also prepare in advance to mobilize a portion of our troops to respond to any potential British intervention.

Carlo nodded, then turned his gaze to the current Prime Minister, Andrew Rosso.

The prime minister, who came from a military background, nodded in agreement, showing no objection to Count Menotti's answer: "Your Majesty, that's what I think too."

Although the British government may intervene, it is still necessary to be prepared just in case.

In addition to the army's secret mobilization, our navy should also strengthen its patrols and surveillance of the Mediterranean to prevent the British home navy from concentrating in the Mediterranean.

Even if necessary, I believe we should concentrate our Atlantic and Mediterranean fleets to avoid a surprise attack by the British navy on one of them, which would cause us to lose the initiative in naval warfare.

Spain previously defeated the British Royal Fleet by surprise attack, and it's hard to guarantee that the British government won't do the same.

In particular, a surprise attack without declaration of war could easily allow the British to succeed if the attack is rushed and careless.

Spain's main warships were built with real money, with each warship representing tens of millions of pesetas.

The Spanish government can accept that these warships are damaged or even sunk in naval battles, but it absolutely cannot accept that these warships are attacked by the enemy in port.

This is why both Menotti and Andrew suggested that security should be increased; it's always better to be cautious.

Since the Defense Minister and the Prime Minister shared the same opinion, Carlo naturally wouldn't object. Besides, this was Carlo's own idea; only caution could win a war, while arrogance would only expose weaknesses.

Without much hesitation, Carlo nodded and ordered, "The army will conduct a small-scale mobilization, and the Atlantic Fleet will also be transferred to the Mediterranean coast."

I have a feeling that the British are very likely to intervene in the French and Russian offensive on the Asia Minor peninsula.

The diplomatic ambassador in London was instructed to monitor developments within Britain and determine whether the British government was conducting a secret mobilization.

If the British government is truly determined to participate in this war, then we have no choice but to fight to the bitter end.

"Hopefully the French won't let us down. If we fail at Verdun, then regardless of whether the British participate or not, we will have no choice but to join the war and help France."

To put it bluntly, only Russia and Britain are eyeing Constantinople.

Carlo was more concerned with the situation on the Western Front, as it concerned the safety of Spain. If France were defeated, it was difficult to guarantee that Germany wouldn't press its advantage and invade Spain directly.

To prevent the German army from invading Spain, the best way was to ensure that there would not be a major collapse on the western front. Even using the Spanish army to maintain order on the western front was better than letting the German army get close to the Spanish border.

(End of this chapter)