Chapter 781

While the Constantinople were at war, the meeting to decide the fate of the Greek Kingdom began.

It was still held in Paris. In order to improve France's international status, Napoleon Iii was very keen on holding such events after he succeeded the throne.

No one had any intention of arguing with them on such a small issue. No matter where the negotiations were held, the final result would be the same.

Whether it was the Government of London or the Government of Austria, they did not lack such prestige. It was not like they were warring countries. When it came to face, they had to win or lose.

People in this era did not lack the spirit of internationalism. The Greek government moved around and pulled in many countries to participate. Of course, except for a few big countries, most countries had no right to speak.

Britain and France and Russia were at war, and the Greek issue was also involved in this war. Britain and France unceremoniously excluded the Russians from the meeting, which was also a blow to the Greek Kingdom.

Originally, Otto I wanted to hold the meeting in Athens and invite the representatives of all countries as a neutral country. He wanted to use international pressure to force the British to retreat.

Obviously, the Greek government did not have that much say. The French proposed to hold the meeting in Paris. The Government of Vienna did not care, and the British did not want to argue with the French over such a small issue, so the matter was settled.

The Greek Foreign Minister, Skbata, said angrily, "The allied soldiers entered our territory without permission and seriously violated our sovereignty.

As a neutral country, we seriously protest against this wanton trampling on our sovereignty. We demand that the allied troops immediately stop this infringement and withdraw from the Greek peninsula. "

Without the issue of compensation, Shekebata was not confident. He only hoped that the allied forces would retreat, and they would bear the responsibility for their own losses.

The troops that entered the Greek Kingdom this time included the British army, the Sardinian army, and the Osman Empire. Because of the alliance between France and these three countries on the Near East battlefield, it was the new Holy Roman Empire who mediated this incident.

There was nothing wrong with it. The war between the Austrian Empire and the Osman Empire was not over yet, but the new Holy Roman Empire was a neutral country.

This kind of strange thing had happened too many times in the era of the Shinra Empire. When a vassal state was at war with foreigners, the Holy Roman Empire could still remain neutral.

This was a problem left over from history. European countries acknowledged this situation, so it was not a big deal to do it again.

Anyway, it was not Britain and France who were at war with Austria. They did not care if the Osman Empire felt insulted. At this point in the war, the Osman Empire had already begun to play a supporting role. Their position in the Alliance would inevitably decline.

Of course, the Sudanese government would not protest over such a small matter. After all, they had an armistice treaty with Austria. If they were thick-skinned, they could say that the war between the two countries had ended.

This war had caused the Sudanese government to completely lose its temper, making them clearly aware of the inadequacy of their own strength. In addition to reform, it was also very important to have a good relationship with the major powers.

The Russians could be considered the only exception. They were the mortal enemies of the Ottoman Empire, and there was no possibility of compromise between the two sides. They were still at war.

The British Foreign Minister Thomas said casually. "Schbata Russia entered your territory. of Kingdom of the territory of Russians.

The main purpose of the Allied Forces entering your territory is to pursue the enemy. This is for the sake of your country's safety.

We also informed you in advance and obtained your tacit approval before the Allied Forces entered your territory.

If you can hand over the rebels who trespassed into your country's territory by mistake, we can immediately retreat. "

If protests were useful, why would they need an army?

Now that the Greek Kingdom was pretending to be confused, the British naturally followed suit. Without using force to resist, it was considered a tacit agreement. There was nothing wrong with this interpretation.

The British did not admit that the Allied Forces had entered Greek territory. They insisted that the Greeks had acquiesced, and the evidence was that the Greeks had not stopped them.

Asking the Greeks to hand over the rebels was like asking for a general. On the surface, the Greek government could not admit that these troops had anything to do with them. The British directly regarded these people as rebels of the Osman Empire.

Since they were rebels, it was a domestic matter of the Osman Empire. The disarmament and repatriation regulations of neutral countries did not apply.

It was reasonable for the British to ask them to hand over the rebels. If the Greek government was unable to hand over the rebels, then they would be suspected of harboring or supporting the rebels. It was reasonable for the Allied Forces to take military action to attack across borders.

Skubata instantly withered. They were no match for the British when it came to acting shamelessly. In a few moments, they had fallen into an awkward situation.

They absolutely did not dare to admit that they had sent troops to attack the Osman Empire. Britain and France were both allies of the Osman Empire. If they admitted this, it would be the end of them.

Unfortunately, they could not fulfill the British's proposal. Hand over the "rebels"? What a joke. If they dared to do this, the people in their country would probably rebel first before the British did anything.

No one spoke up for him on this issue. Black and white were right in front of them. Did they really think that John Bull was a fool if he wanted to play dumb?

Even if the Fao and France did not want the British to annex Greece, they could not play dumb like the Greeks on this issue. Everyone still wanted face, especially when it involved the British. The dignity of the British Empire could not be blasphemed.

The Greek representative had fallen into a trap at the beginning of the negotiations. As the new representative of the Holy Roman Empire as a mediator, Montenede naturally could not let him continue to jump into the trap.

"Everyone here knows the cause and effect of the matter. Now, there is no need for us to continue beating around the bush. Let's get straight to the point and discuss the most practical problem! "

Montenede's meaning was very clear. The British were not people that Greece could afford to offend. If they did something wrong, they would have to pay the price. In the face of the truth, trying to bluff their way through was better than dreaming.

What the great powers needed was not evidence. It was enough as long as they believed it to be true. They did not tear the window paper because everyone saw through it but did not say it out loud. In the end, they still had to do what they had to do.

The French Foreign Minister, Auvergne, avoided the main point and said, "In view of the Greek government's actions in this war, we need to impose some sanctions."

His meaning was very clear. Using sanctions to shut the British's mouth so that they could not propose to turn the Greek Kingdom into a colony.

Was the Government of London determined to annex the Greek Kingdom at this time? The answer was no.

The Government of London was under a lot of pressure from public opinion and was still thinking of ways to solve the logistical problems of the expeditionary army. They had no extra energy to do anything.

Right now, the Government of London had only just begun to advocate colonizing the Greek Kingdom and was far from becoming the mainstream.

If the other countries did not object, then they could just annex it. After eating the Greek Kingdom, John Bull still had the appetite.

However, when the French proposed the Paris Conference and the Austrians deceived themselves into using the name of the new Holy Roman Empire as a mediator, Thomas knew that annexing the Greek Kingdom was impossible.

Although the Greek Kingdom was of great strategic value, its own benefits were not great. It was not worth it for the British to fall out with the Fao for them.

Thomas said tentatively, "In view of the fact that the Greek Kingdom attacked our ally, the Osman Empire, without a declaration of war, I propose to abolish the Greek government and the king. Our government will be in charge of Greek affairs."

Montenede objected, "Mr. Thomas, I'm afraid this is a bit excessive.

The Greek government is directly responsible for this incident. They should be dismissed, but to abolish the king is overstepping the line.

The dignity of a king cannot be blasphemed. The Greek government is the mastermind of this incident and has nothing to do with Otto I. He should not be responsible.

After the dismissal of the Greek government, there will definitely be some chaos. I'm afraid it will be difficult for your country to manage Greek affairs alone. Why don't we co-manage it together? "

There was nothing wrong with that. In Europe, there were usually only a few reasons to abolish a king. In summary, the king was either not on the throne properly or was expelled by the people. Otto I was not powerful enough.

As a member of a monarchy, maintaining the dignity of the king was a compulsory course for everyone.

Thomas was just testing the waters. If he insisted on abolishing Otto I, it would not benefit his personal political future. The real benefit was still in managing the Greek Kingdom.

"Yes, what happened in the Greek Kingdom is an international issue. We cannot let your government bear all the pressure. As a responsible country, France is willing to do its part, "Auvergne, the French Foreign Minister, agreed.

No matter how beautiful his words were, in the end, it was all about benefits. Obviously, the French were not going to give in for the benefit of the Near East.

Soon, the meeting became a game of three countries, with the British, Fao, Papal Kingdom, and Sardinia.

Naples, Tuscany, the Papal Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Sardinia, the four countries with interests, did not say a word from beginning to end.

Being able to attend this meeting was already a great honor for them.

Although the Greek issue was related to their interests, they still knew their place. They knew that when the gods fought, the mortals would suffer. It was better to stay away lest they were caught in the crossfire.

Needless to say, the representatives of the other European countries were not Mediterranean countries and did not have their own interests involved. Of course, it was none of their business.

Did they still want to participate in the game between the three major countries without seeing any benefits?

In this era, the rulers of the small countries that could survive on the European continent were all smart people. No one would seek death like this.

After more than half a month of war of words, the three countries finally reached an agreement and signed the Resolution on the Kingdom of Greece.

Otto I's throne was preserved. The Greek cabinet was responsible for this matter and had to resign to take responsibility.

The British, Fao, and France formed an international supervisory team to guide the Kingdom of Greece to reorganize a new government.

Nominally, the three countries managed Greece, but in reality, the British got the majority of the benefits, followed by the French, and the new Holy Roman Empire.

This could be considered as taking what they needed. The British got the most benefits from Greece, the Fao and France stopped the British from annexing the Kingdom of Greece, and Otto I successfully preserved his throne.

The interests of the Osman Empire were sacrificed, and they did not get the war reparations they had been dreaming of. The Kingdom of Greece was poor and had no money to pay compensation.

The Greek government had fallen under the control of the three countries. They could not expect the three countries to pay them reparations, right?

For a long time to come, the Kingdom of Greece's finances would be used to repay the debts of Britain and France. Because of the war, the Greek government had several loans that were overdue.

Of course, this kind of escrow was only temporary. With the three countries restraining each other, no one could have a monopoly, so naturally, it could not be long-term. After the new government was established, the power would be transferred to the new government.

The period of financial escrow might be a little longer. The Kingdom of Greece had to be able to repay its debts on time before they could regain financial autonomy.

The Greek government fully opened the market and ports to the three countries. The ships of the three countries obtained the right to travel freely in the Kingdom of Greece, the right to station troops, customs, coinage, salt taxes, and the right to build roads all fell into the hands of the three countries.

Obviously, in addition to the distribution of benefits, there was also the intention to target the Russians. Britain and France established another blockade outside the two straits. Using the many islands in the Aegean Sea, the British and French navies could besiege the Russians at any time.

This could only be regarded as a demonstration. The Russians did not even get the Constantinople. They could not even control the first Bosporus Strait. The Aegean Sea was too far away from them.

The signing of the Resolution to the Kingdom of Greece marked the arrival of the era of the great powers.

In this era, as long as the great powers reached an agreement, they could decide the fate of a country. The nature of the world where the weak were prey to the strong was vividly reflected.