xymnovel Chapter 256 An Unexpected Disruptor
Chapter 256 An Unexpected Disruptor
The black tea in Sir Harding's hand had gone cold.
He slowly put down his teacup, the bone china clinking against the saucer with a crisp sound.
The sound was particularly jarring in the deathly quiet conference hall.
He lost.
In this small palace, without using a single warship or cannon, he suffered a crushing defeat.
He looked at the young man in front of him, whose handsome face held just the right amount of anxiety and earnestness.
But what he saw deep within those deep blue eyes was a cunning fox and a roaring lion.
Just as Sir Harding was about to speak and say something to salvage the dignity of the British Empire, the heavy oak doors of the meeting hall were suddenly pushed open.
"Bang!"
A royal attendant scrambled in.
He didn't even care about royal etiquette; his face was pale, his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and his breathing was rapid, like a broken bellows.
Everyone's attention was drawn to him.
King George I frowned, his face showing displeasure.
Such a loss of composure during a meeting of this caliber is disrespectful to everyone present.
"What's all this panic about?" George I's voice was laced with suppressed anger.
The attendant, panting heavily, bypassed everyone and rushed straight to the king.
With trembling hands, he presented a document.
It was a telegram.
The telegram cover bore a striking emblem—a double-headed eagle.
The coat of arms of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
George I's expression shifted from displeasure to confusion.
Why did Vienna send an urgent telegram at this time?
He took the telegram and unfolded it.
George I's expression changed after just one glance.
His eyes widened, the color drained from his face, and his lips moved silently, as if he had seen something incomprehensible.
His hand, which was holding the telegram, was trembling slightly.
The atmosphere in the conference room became even more eerie due to this sudden turn of events.
Sir Harding, Baron Schneider, and Captain Orlov, the three ambassadors, all stopped what they were thinking and stared intently at the king's reaction.
A telegram that could cause such a loss of composure as a monarch must contain something extraordinary.
George I did not speak.
He raised his head, his gaze passing over the long table, and looked at his son.
That look in his eyes was incredibly complex.
There was shock, confusion, and a trace of dependence that he himself was unaware of.
He silently handed the thin telegram to Constantine.
Constantine took the telegram.
His gaze swept across the telegram.
The next second, an exaggerated, surprised expression appeared on his face.
He raised his voice and, in an almost chanting tone, revealed the contents of the telegram.
"Good news from Vienna!"
"His Majesty Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary is deeply concerned about the war in the Balkans!"
"And in my personal capacity, I voluntarily offer my willingness to act as a neutral mediator, seeking a just and glorious path to peace between the Kingdom of Greece and the Ottoman Empire!"
Constantine's voice echoed in the conference hall.
Each word was like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire room was filled with astonishment!
Austro-Hungarian Empire!
This behemoth, which has long coveted this land in the northern Balkans, has unexpectedly intervened at this crucial moment!
"What?!"
The Russian military attaché, Orlov, looked so dark he could drip water.
He suddenly stood up from the chair, the movement so forceful that the chair tipped over with a loud crash.
His adjutant reacted quickly and firmly held down his arm.
"Captain! Calm down!"
Orlov's chest heaved violently, and his gray eyes burned with rage.
Vienna!
Vienna again!
In the eyes of the Russians, any move by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Balkans was a direct challenge to His Majesty the Tsar’s influence among the Slavic brothers!
It's a blatant betrayal!
On the other side, Sir Harding and German Ambassador Baron Schneider also quickly exchanged a serious look.
Their shock was no less than Orlov's.
They all knew that Emperor Franz Joseph was by no means a benevolent peacemaker.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire had only one goal!
Taking advantage of Russia's preoccupation with the Eastern Question and the mutual restraint between Britain, France, and Germany in the region, they seized the opportunity to expand their sphere of influence in the Balkans amidst the chaos!
Their goal was to contain Serbia to the south, and now, they've added a rising Greece to the mix!
This troublemaker has come at the worst possible time!
What was originally a simple internal meeting was a joint reprimand of Greece by the three major powers.
Because of the sudden intervention of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it instantly turned into a miniature version of the geopolitical game between the European powers!
Suddenly, an uninvited player appeared at the card table.
This player, as soon as he sat down at the table, shuffled everyone's cards.
Constantine was secretly overjoyed.
It's like my wish came true! Just when I was feeling sleepy, someone brought me a pillow!
What a divine intervention! This is simply a stroke of luck!
The enemy of my enemy is my friend for the time being.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire was such a useful weapon!
But on his face was an expression of "overjoyed" and "overwhelmed with gratitude".
He even pressed the telegram to his chest with excitement and bowed slightly towards Vienna.
"Thank you, His Majesty Emperor Joseph, for your kindness and wisdom!"
His performance was flawless.
at the same time.
The news reached Constantinople faster than warhorses could travel.
Topkapi Palace.
Ottoman Foreign Minister Said Harimpasha breathed a long sigh of relief upon receiving the news.
He excitedly reported this to Sudan.
"Your Majesty! Vienna is on our side now!"
"Another major power has joined the ranks of those sanctioning Greece! Those damned Greeks, their end is near!"
He naively believed that the Austro-Hungarian Empire had come to help the Ottoman Empire in their fight against Greece.
He never even considered it.
"Friendship" in Vienna was often more expensive than gunboats in London.
In the meeting room of Tatoy Palace.
Constantine did not rush to express his opinion.
He savored this moment of silence.
He admired the fascinating expressions on the faces of these most powerful representatives of Europe.
Sir Harding, the British ambassador, had a somber expression, but his eyes betrayed his barely concealed frustration.
German Ambassador Baron Schneider, his brow furrowed, was rapidly calculating Berlin's reaction.
Russian military attaché Orlov, like an enraged bull, would probably have overturned the table if his adjutant hadn't stopped him.
Constantine wanted them to suspect each other, weigh their options, and fight amongst themselves.
He wanted them to personally experience the tremors of the Balkan land beneath their feet.
And the one who stirred up all of this was none other than the seemingly weak Greek crown prince.