Chapter 283: The Power of an Expert Bluff
Not long after the conversation Bruno had with the King of Bulgaria and his teenager daughter, Bruno found himself sitting in the Bulgarian Royal Palace, along with a variety of the world’s most important men. From the leaders of the Central Powers, at least those outside of the east, to the King of Bulgaria and his generals.
The room had men who would shape the course of history, sitting civilly across from one another, discussion an end to hostilities in Bulgaria which was currently under occupation by the German and Austro-Hungarian Armies.
King Constantine was listing out his demands, which were more or less composed of the Thracian lands that Bulgaria currently held in its south. Normally Greece, or should I say their King would have been happy with such gains, and concluded the peace talks there.
But Constantine had lost a son, inadvertently, because of Ferdinand’s actions. And he wanted Ferdinand’s head. Somehow he had to blame for this tragedy that forced Bulgaria into its current state, and the King of Greece would not be happy without his pound of flesh.
Ferdinand was rather resigned. His army had no means to fight any longer, and even if they did, the suffering his people would have endured would have been too much for him to possibly tolerate. He was not a ruthless man, nor a man without a care for others.
He recognized that he had made a mistake by supplying the ultra-orthodox ethnic nationalists in the Balkans, his goal was not to target Greece, but rather to weaken the Ottoman Empire, an act that backfired spectacularly and in fact, resulted in him being allied, albeit only for a mere 72 hours, with the Empire who he despised above all.
Because of this, he stopped Constantine who was in mid rant, practically frothing at the mouth as he did so.
"You can cease with your words, Constantine. I admit that the fault is my own, and will take full responsibility for the death of your son, which for the record was never an intention of mine. If ceding the disputed territories between our two kingdoms, and giving my life is enough to appease your anger so that the people of Bulgaria need not suffer any longer, then so be it.
My eldest son is old enough to succeed me, and it is time I face judgement for my sins…"
Constantine was surprised, as were several others of the monarchs present that Ferdinand would go this far. And though Constantine had stated the words that he expected Ferdinand to pay with his life for the death of the Greek Prince, he was flabbergasted that the man had accepted the burden without resistance.