Iron Cross Fire

In order to better control the situation in the Balkans, the United Kingdom increased its pressure on Greece.

Germany was more direct: they demanded that Greece cede East Macedonia to Bulgaria.

The Greek king did not want to be involved in the war, so he agreed to this unreasonable request.

However, Prime Minister Venizelos was very dishonest and asked the Parliament to resolutely fight against the Allies and extend a helping hand to the Serbian army that was still fighting guerrillas. At the same time, he secretly handed over Corfu to France for occupation.

Greek citizens were outraged by this traitorous act of humiliating their country, but considering that the Allies currently had the upper hand, they remained silent about the king's behavior, instead blaming Venizelos and demanding that he step down.

If there was no external intervention and the domestic crisis was handled in this way, Greece would basically not participate in the war.

Unfortunately, there was one called Britain, which took direct control of Corfu with its combined fleet and forced Greece to hand over all its ships.

The Greek prime minister readily accepted, but the king firmly opposed it. The two parties have been arguing constantly, and the whole of Greece has been plunged into a domestic crisis.

Once Greece enters the war, Turkey will undoubtedly be the most affected.

The two have a feud that dates back to the Middle Ages.

Greece will definitely devote more troops to the Turkish front, and then use all its strength to seize Istanbul, thereby threatening Asia Minor.

Although other members of the Allied Powers will certainly not sit idly by, Türkiye is still a little afraid.

Because it is facing a pincer attack from the north and the south: Russia in the north is like a disabled giant bear, losing a lot of fresh blood, but it can still rely on its old capital to crush Turkey;

The British in the south were even more deadly. They encouraged Arabia to become independent and continued to advance north, threatening the core of Asia Minor.

In addition, Türkiye's own military strength is not strong, and it can only barely beat the Russian peasant soldiers and colonial garrisons. If they really encountered any regular European troops, they would not be able to defeat them.

Their navy was even worse: they had a long coastline, but only a few broken ships, which were stuck in the port by the European powers and could not get out.

If Greece joins the war, Türkiye will face the dilemma of a three-front battle and endless naval blockade.

Austria-Hungary first considered this and sent Kuster to support.

Such an appointment is puzzling. But in fact, this is also mixed with the helplessness of the Austro-Hungarian senior leadership.

Kuster is a dark horse, fighting out of an army. He led the Austro-Hungarian mobilization troops to defeat the Russian peasant soldiers, which brought unlimited glory to the army; but politically, this was another huge crisis.

His supporters spread the word of his glorious deeds in Parliament, constantly encouraging others to join him.

Although he himself did not know about it, famous Austro-Hungarian politicians regarded him as a huge threat.

This is also the reason why Kuster was removed as the commander-in-chief: he had too much power, and some foreigners did not know the emperor, but they knew him!

As an appeasement, the senior officials gave him the opportunity to enter the Privy Council; but the emperor obviously didn't think much of it and gave him the title of "Minister of Arms" and planned to award him a medal.

When the Parliament learned of the emperor's actions, it rushed Custer before he arrived in Vienna and asked him to go to Türkiye.

Lest he really enter the parliament, he should enter as the "Minister of Arms" and bring them great harm.

Staying away from the center of the empire is the best way to weaken him.

However, some people are smart and say that this is to protect him and keep him away from political disputes.

This is farting! He is almost fifty years old, and he is still afraid of this?

But there is no way. After getting the order, Kuster, who didn't know the inside story, had no choice but to change his itinerary and transfer to Türkiye.

But God seemed to be looking for trouble: the Allies attacked too fast, and the occupied railways did not have time to be converted to their use; and the soil became so bumpy due to the war that cars could not travel here as fast as walking.

To make matters worse, the Imperial Council requisitioned all horses to support frontline operations.

Kuster had to lead a few guards in this windy and snowy place, using his somewhat stiff legs to take steps with difficulty.

Fortunately, this is the Mediterranean and winter is not that cold. But walking such a long way is really torture, especially for an old man.

On January 19, after six days of journey, Kuster and his party finally arrived in Bulgaria.

After confirming that the file was correct, the Austro-Hungarian embassy happily transported him to the Turkish border and then let him walk across by himself.

This made him collapse. Fortunately, the journey was not far, so he continued walking along the road.

When he arrived at the border, he was censored by the Turks again. After trying hard to persuade them, they were allowed to go.

Judging from the looks of those people, they seemed unaware of his arrival, which made Kuster a little suspicious.

But I don’t have the heart to worry about that much. They boarded a train and headed to Istanbul.

On January 20, the group finally arrived in Istanbul, the city longed for by the world and the most touted achievement of the Ottoman dynasty, after going through untold hardships.

As soon as they got out of the car, they were noticed by their striking combination of Austro-Hungarian officers.

Soon, a group of Turkish officers came out to greet them.

"You look very similar to General Kuster in the photo, and you are wearing the clothes of an Austro-Hungarian officer. Do you know where the great General Kuster is? We have been waiting for him for a long time."

The leader of the Turks said politely. But this still angered Kuster, and he erupted like a volcano:

"I'm Kuster!"

After being yelled at, the man did not bother to check his identity and said in shock:

"I am very sorry! I really did not expect you to take this civilian train. I am Hassan Hussein. I am sorry for not welcoming you. I hope you can forgive me."

Fortunately, Kuster was not too radical. He quickly adjusted his mood and tried to tell him the reason in a gentle tone, and then showed his file.

After reading it, the group of officers all saluted him. This was also a comfort.

Hassan led Kuster to the National Assembly and then entered it alone.

After a long time, three people came out.

After communicating, they learned that they were Enver (Military Minister, Chief of Staff), Talat (Minister of the Interior), and Cemal (Minister of the Navy). They are the real power holders in Turkey at present.

Being able to talk to such people, Kuster also knew Turkey's concern for the war.

But he couldn't speak first, after all, he was the Minister of Armaments of Austria-Hungary and represented the face of Austria-Hungary.

The three brought Custer to the parliament, ordered the servants to serve tea and water, and then took out some maps and placed them on the table.

Looking at this situation, even the dumbest person would understand that strategic consultations were about to begin.

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