Chapter 271: Aggressive Negotiations
Kaiser Wilhelm II sat across from Ferdinand I who in 1915 was the current King of Bulgaria. The two men had rather stern expressions on their faces, as neither wished to say a word about their current predicament. Nor their ongoing disagreements.
Truth of the matter be told; Ferdinand was favorable to the Central Powers from the moment the war began. But he did not immediately act to get involved. Now, however, Greece had entered the war on behalf of the Central Powers, and the two nations were feuding over disputed territories such as that in Macedonia and Eastern Thrace.
In fact, one might say this was an irreconcilable grudge. One that made the King of Bulgaria wish to go to war, but he had already recently lost a war pressing these claims, and if truth be told, he hated the Ottomans far more than he did the Greeks.
Yet, despite this, he would not allow the Hellenic Army to march through his lands, nor their allies. And that was why the German Kaiser was here, along with the other leaders of the Central Powers, who were based in Europe.
Emperor Franz Joseph I, Tsar Nicholas II, and King Constantine I of Greece. All of them had gathered on Neutral Ground in Geneva to discuss this matter of military access that could destroy the Ottoman Empire once and for all.
Negotiations had started out well enough, that is until Constantine had to open his mouth about disputed territories with Bulgaria, and how the lands they wished to march through should rightfully belong to Greece.
This, in turn, caused a rather volatile verbal disagreement to break out among the two men, until Kaiser Wilhelm stepped in and told the King of Greece to remain composed and act with the dignity a man in his position should have.
Thus, at the moment, Kaiser Wilhlem II sighed heavily, before posing a question to the King of Bulgaria, one which he was not expecting.
"Is there anything you desire that I have the ability to provide, which will make you agree to temporary military access? We simply wish to march our troops through your southern territory, and in doing so attack Constantinople from both sides… That is all we are requesting, there is nothing to be said about your current lands, even if King Constantine has given voice to such grievances...."
King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria scratched his chin for several moments, before finally giving a response which nobody expected.