Vol 4 Chapter 10: The strategy of the Allies

After working hard for more than half a month, Ferdinand finally finalized the main outline of the "Three-Five Plan", but after seeing the final total investment, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Kennedy fry the pot!
"Your Majesty, is this number too big? 8 billion levs. This is to invest all Bulgaria's fiscal revenue in the next five years!" Kennedy said in horror.
Ferdinand’s expression remained unchanged. These were all in his expectation. In terms of Bulgaria’s current fiscal revenue, let alone 8 billion levs, even if it was a discount, the government would not be able to take it out!
Even in 1907, Bulgaria’s fiscal revenue reached 18.6 levs, but as revenue increased, so did expenditures!
After thinking about it, Ferdinand settled an account with Kennedy and said: "We know this very well! Judging from the current economic situation in Bulgaria, the fiscal revenue in 1908 will be the same as in 1907. After the Russian War, our economic restructuring was going well!
Under normal circumstances, according to our economic growth estimates, fiscal revenue in 1909 will at least exceed 2 billion levs, and it is normal to exceed 3 billion levs in 1914!
On average, it’s not difficult for the government to allocate 500 million levs from its fiscal revenue to invest in the
Three Five-Year Plan
, right?
This is 2.5 billion levs, and we can also issue a batch of national debt! Given the current domestic situation in Bulgaria, a dozen or two billion levs can be sold, right? In the international market, selling a dozen or two billion levs in five years is not a problem, right?
To be more optimistic, there are more than six billion levs of funds! There is a funding gap of more than two billion levies. Can your Ministry of Finance apply for loans from foreign consortia? The British and French must be very happy now-to do this business! "
Compared to ten years ago, the situation is much better now! At that time, the Bulgarian government still had a headache for tens of millions of levs. Now any project is not this number!
In the past, the issuance of tens of millions of Lev's debts had to be accurately calculated, but now Ferdinand has spoken in the billions, not without reason!
In terms of economic aggregate, Bulgaria's economic aggregate in 1908 was already more than ten times that of 1888. This is the benefit of the larger base plate!
Population increased, resources increased, market capacity increased; imported resources decreased, and the exploitation of the Ottoman Empire disappeared; traffic conditions improved, industrialization completed...
Under this series of comprehensive factors, Bulgaria has formed a virtuous circle, and has now formed an independent, self-made "small economy"!
In fact, is it really as simple as Ferdinand said? The Chancellor of the Exchequer Kennedy can say with certainty, no!
Just talk about military expenses! In addition to daily routine expenses: 270 million lev (approximately 10.8 million pounds) for the army, 60 million lev (approximately 2.4 million pounds) for the navy
These only include daily training, personnel salaries, equipment maintenance and a small amount of replacement, as well as a series of expenses such as the research and development of new weapons!
In this five-year plan, in order to cope with changes in the international situation, the army will expand its army by 200,000 within five years, with a financial allocation of 860 million levs (approximately 34.4 million pounds); the navy will also expand its army by 5,000 plus the planned two new ones. A dreadnought ship, 4 destroyers, 2 cruisers, 8 submarines, and 300 million lev (about 12 million pounds).
These are all in an ideal state. Once the arms race escalates, the Navy can stop them for soy sauce, but who dares to stop them?
Where will the money come from? These are all issues that the Treasury Department has to consider. Would it be strange if Kennedy is not worried?
"Your Majesty, as a result, our finances that have just improved, we will soon have to bear a huge amount of foreign debt, and the annual interest rate is a large number? Can't it be slowed down?" Kennedy continued to fight without giving up.
"Hey!"
Ferdinand sighed and said: "Time is not waiting for me! Let's let out the news about our military expansion first, and then drag it out because of insufficient military expenditure!
When the situation in Europe further escalates, the British and French will take the initiative to find the door, and they should be able to save a sum of interest at that time! "
Oh, Ferdinand still decided to learn from the Russians. Historically, the expansion of the Russians was limited by finances and the rogue moves they came up with.
If Britain and France don't give loans, Lao Tzu will not expand the army. The French will resist the military pressure on the European continent by themselves!
Anyway, because of the contradiction between Germany and France, the first unlucky people are the French. The Russian Empire has a vast territory as a strategic buffer. Even if a war breaks out, they can afford it!
The situation in Bulgaria is better now. Anyway, there is no need to face the Germans directly. Ferdinand can also be a rogue. If we don't have money to expand our army, we won't expand our army!
Even if a war broke out immediately, Bulgaria would not be the main offensive direction of the Allies. Defending the offensive of a partial division of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Serbs in history have withstood it!
With the current strength of the Bulgarian Army, once mobilized, it will be easy to kill this partial division. What is there to fear about Ferdinand?
Although the British are now joining the Allied Powers, the Germans' pressure on the French on land has not diminished, and the Royal Navy can't get ashore again!
Moreover, the British do not assume military obligations to the Allied Powers. After a period of time, the French politicians will definitely respond. Then the French will naturally come to the door and ask the two countries to contribute!
Anyone who knows Ferdinand knows that this kind of thing will happen more often in the future!
He has already made up his mind to take a loan from Britain and France for military expansion and war preparations, so as not to be aggressive and affect the domestic economic development!
As for the loan owed because of this, as long as the war is won, it will be paid with the indemnity of the defeated country. Ferdinand will not have any moral pressure in this regard!
...
While Ferdinand was contemplating a loan from Britain and France, the British and French were not idle. Everyone is the elite of this era. How could they not have their own plans?
Bulgaria can get to this point, how can it be possible without the secret promoters of Britain and France?
Just look at when the Balkan War broke out, the Germans once wanted to intervene and who was dragged down by it!
Of course, there is Ferdinand’s arrangement in advance, which provokes contradictions among all parties, so why not have the British and French cooperating deliberately?
...
In fact, after entering the 20th century, the life of the British Empire was not so easy. In addition to the challenge of world hegemony by the later powers, due to the large gap between rich and poor, domestic contradictions also began to intensify during this period!
Since the Liberal Party came to power in 1905, the London government has been carrying out an internal reform.
In 1907, free lunch was provided in the school;
In 1908, Prime Minister Asquis drafted an old-age insurance plan;
...
At this time, the Germans have replaced the French and the Russians as the new confidant of the London government, but the Asquis government still has not forgotten its old enemy to the Russians!
At the European State Advisory Conference, the Minister of Foreign Affairs put forward:
"Mr. Prime Minister, despite our many efforts, the Bao-Russian Alliance is still unbreakable.
The pro-Russian faction within the Bulgarian government is too strong, and I am afraid that it will be difficult to change in the short term. The Russian government also attaches great importance to the relationship with Bulgaria, especially after the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, bringing the two countries closer together. Up! "
Prime Minister Asquis frowned, and then said: "Don't worry, our main enemy is the Germans. The Russians and Bulgaria have joined forces to block the expansion of the Germans in Eastern Europe, which is what we need!
Now that the Bulgarians and the Russians have a common enemy, and there is no conflict of core interests between the two sides, the alliance is of course strong!
But the future is not necessarily true. Once the allies fall, the two countries will border Russia. As long as we push, no matter how good the relationship between the two sides is, it will become fragmented due to conflicts of interest!
Don't forget that our principle is not to allow the European continent to have a dominant situation. The Germans are an example now!
Due to our previous strategic mistakes, the Germans have grown bigger, and now we dare to challenge our dominance. In order to suppress them, we even have to give up our isolation policy!
We must not make this kind of mistake a second time! Now on the European continent, the three countries of France, Russia and Bulgaria are still not rivals of the Allies, so we have to support them!
But we all know that although we are trying to avoid a war on the European continent, we try to ensure the balance of the European continent as much as possible!
But this situation cannot last forever. Once a war breaks out on the European continent, this situation will change!
Either the Allies defeated the Allies, or the Allies defeated the Allies! The latter situation is something we try to avoid, even if we do it ourselves, it will not happen, it will be a disaster for the British Empire!
After the Allies defeated the Allies, they will become our new enemies. Therefore, the Russia-Province Alliance must be broken up! "
...
Well, when the Germans are still planning to use the fleet to force the British to compromise, and even when there are people in the German government dreaming of the "British-German alliance", the British are ready to kill the Germans!
By the way, even after the world war, they are considering the international situation! It is no wonder that after the outbreak of World War I, the German government could not accept the fact that the British participated in the war. It can only say that John Bull's diplomatic deception was too strong!
...
The British have a plan, why not the French? At least Ferdinand knows that there has always been a saying in France that the United Allies kill the Allies, and France once again dominates the European continent!
This is the core reason why the French government will simply and neatly hand over the technology it has accumulated to Bulgaria!
If it is just to pull Bulgaria into the water, they will have a big deal of learning from the British supporting Japan to contribute money and equipment. There is absolutely no need to enhance Bulgaria's comprehensive national strength!
At least for the Russians, the French still maintained a restrained attitude for technical support, and even required confidentiality in the transfer of technology to Bulgaria!
And Ferdinand's performance is also very in line with their expectations, decisively refused to disclose technology to Russia, as if telling the world that the relationship between Russia and Russia is not so unbreakable!
After all, the Russian chassis is too big. If they are allowed to obtain these technologies, what will happen to the way of heaven? At least Ferdinand dare not bet!
Obviously, the main purpose of the French is to provoke the conflict between Russia and Russia, so that the two countries will be forced in Eastern Europe, and they are unable to prevent the French from growing bigger in the European continent!
In order to achieve this goal, French talents will support Bulgaria's expansion, so as to block the way for the Russians to enter the Mediterranean! Before that, both Romania and part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire could be the bait to be eliminated!
Only when Russia is opposed to Bulgaria, will Bulgaria need French and British! The premise is that the strength of Bulgaria itself is not weak, otherwise it will directly become a Russian brother!
It can be said that none of the old empires is simple! These are all arrogant schemes on the bright side, but everyone did not pick them out!
Ferdinand was sure that the St. Petersburg government also knew the plans of Britain and France, but they were still willing to enter, knowing that the tsarist government must have its own plan!
Now that the game has started, now it's up to who can be better! Anyway, Ferdinand's purpose is very simple, is to fish in troubled waters, to get the benefits! You can be a thug, but you have to pay!
Combining the intelligence in his hand and the direction of parallel time and space history, Ferdinand has cleared his mind, he has already made a decision, let him be three-seven-one, swallow the bait first!