xymnovel Chapter 59 The True Colors Are Revealed! Greece is Germany's sword extended into the Mediterran
Chapter 59 The True Colors Are Revealed! Greece is Germany's sword extended into the Mediterran
The atmosphere in the reception room instantly became oppressive.
Even the flames burning in the fireplace seemed to have quieted down.
Under the overwhelming aura of the "Iron Chancellor," even the arrogant Prince William felt a strange sense of oppression and subconsciously straightened his body.
Constantine, however, remained calm and composed.
He bowed slightly to Bismarck, then walked straight to the huge map of Europe that took up almost half the room.
He did not go to see William, nor did he wait for Bismarck's permission.
At this moment, he seemed not to be a foreign crown prince who had come to request an audience, but rather the master of the house, a commander about to expound his strategic vision.
"Your Excellency, Prime Minister."
Constantine's voice rang out in the quiet room, clear and steady.
"There is no doubt that Germany possesses the most powerful and awe-inspiring army in the world."
His finger lightly traced the map of the German Empire.
"But when the goods produced in your factories, the fleets built in your ports, sail out of the North Sea and into the Mediterranean..."
His index finger suddenly moved south, like a sharp sword piercing the heart of the map.
"...Who will ensure their safety?"
Prince William's breath hitched.
Bismarck's granite-like face remained expressionless.
Constantine pointed his finger heavily at three locations on the map.
The first one is Gibraltar, which guards the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.
The second is Malta, located in the heart of the Mediterranean.
The third is the Suez Canal, which connects the lifeline of the Indian Ocean.
"This golden shipping route from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, the lifeline of the empire, is now completely in the hands of the British."
Constantine's voice turned cold, carrying a chilling sense of reality.
"No matter how high Germany's industrial output or how large its steel production is, as long as London is willing, they can strangle the empire at any of these three points."
"A giant with his throat choked, no matter how strong, is just a sitting duck."
Bismarck leaned back in his chair and finally made a move.
He didn't speak, but simply clasped his hands together in front of his abdomen and slowly, one stroke at a time, rubbed the joints of the other fingers on his left hand with his signature, thick right thumb.
This subtle movement sent a chill down Prince William's spine.
He knew this was a sign that the prime minister had entered a state of highly concentrated thinking.
The young man from Greece successfully captured the old man's attention with his opening remarks.
Constantine's offensive did not stop.
"Your Excellency, you need a fulcrum."
His voice was like a warhammer striking an anvil, powerful and resonant.
"An ally in the Mediterranean who is not excluded by Britain, is not close to France, and possesses sufficient potential and willingness to disrupt Britain's existing maritime order and colonial ties in the Mediterranean at a crucial moment through power projection on Suez!"
Before the words were even finished, the true intentions were revealed!
Constantine's finger left the three British islands and landed heavily on the southeast corner of the map with a resolute air!
It landed in that country surrounded by the Balkan Mountains and the blue waves of the Aegean Sea!
Greece!
"The German Empire's 'land power' needed a reliable 'sea power' fulcrum in order to truly break free from its constraints and expand its influence across the world!"
Constantine's gaze was intense, fixed on Bismarck's unfathomable eyes.
"And Greece, with our nation's innate maritime talent, with our vast merchant fleet—the fourth largest in Europe—with our numerous natural harbors throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, and... the 'German-style' army that will soon be transformed and rebuilt with the help of Germany..."
"Greece is your ideal, and only, partner!"
Bismarck's thumb stopped rubbing.
Constantine didn't give him a chance to ask questions, immediately throwing out more enticing details.
"Greek ports, such as Piraeus, once modernized, can provide the German Empire's ocean-going fleet with the most convenient bases for replenishment, repair, and rest."
"Greece's merchant shipping network could carry Krupp's steel, Siemens' motors, and BASF's dyes, completely opening up vast markets in the Balkans and the entire Near East for German industrial products!"
"Greek intelligence agents throughout the Ottoman Empire can serve as your keenest eyes and ears in Constantinople, providing you with firsthand information on Russian movements and the Straits issue!"
He even mentioned a name that Bismarck might not have noticed.
"Your Excellency Chancellor, at the same time I arrived in Berlin, I dispatched one of our country's finest young officers, Ioannis Metaxas, with a personal letter from me to Essen."
"He will bring back German artillery to Greece, and more importantly, he will bring back German army ideology."
Constantine smiled confidently.
"A new Greek army, armed with German military doctrine and equipped with Krupp cannons, will become your most reliable thorn in the side of the Balkans! It will be sufficient to effectively tie down the efforts of your 'ally' Austro-Hungarian Empire, your eternal 'friend' Tsarist Russia, and your 'father-in-law' Britain in the Balkans in any future conflict!"
With each sentence he spoke, Prince William's eyes lit up a little more.
What Constantine described was not a one-way appeal for help, but a grand blueprint of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, even centered on German interests!
The reception room was deathly silent.
Bismarck's hawk-like eyes scanned back and forth between Constantine and the map.
After a long while, he finally spoke.
His voice was still hoarse, but it was more powerful than before.
"A very interesting idea, Your Highness."
The old man slowly stood up, his tall figure casting a huge shadow.
"However, all of this is based on one premise—that Greece can become powerful, as you say."
His gaze sharpened, like two scalpels, as if to dissect Constantine completely.
"And a powerful Greece, a Greece that unified the will of the Balkans—who can guarantee that it won't become another…uncontrollable Balkan beast?"
This question gets straight to the heart of the matter!
This is also the eternal paradox in all the support programs of large countries for small countries.
Prince William held his breath, wanting to see how Constantine would answer this seemingly unsolvable question.
Constantine smiled.
Her smile was composed and confident.
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, this is precisely the reason why I have traveled thousands of miles to Berlin today to request a marriage alliance."
He turned to Prince William beside him, then turned his gaze to Bismarck, his voice becoming extremely solemn.
"A Greece connected by blood to the great Hohenzollern family,"
"A future king of Greece with German blood flowing through his veins,"
"Its strength is the strength of Germany."
"Its interests are Germany's interests."
"I, Constantine, and my future wife, Her Highness Princess Sophia of Prussia..."
Constantine leaned forward slightly and, word by word, uttered his final answer.
"We ourselves are the most solid, vibrant, and reliable guarantor of interests for the German Empire in the Mediterranean."