Chapter 141: 01) End of War
On November 16, 1894, the reluctant Serbian government finally yielded, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Vienna painfully signed the treaty!
Thus, the Second Bulgarian-Serbian War ended with the total victory of Bulgaria!
The treaty states that:
1. Serbia concedes defeat in the war and takes full responsibility for this war.
2. Hand over the war criminals in the First Bulgarian-Serbian War.
3. Cede to Bulgaria the territory of Serbia ~ south of the Morava River, which includes Niš, around 18,000 square kilometers.
4. Paying war reparations to Bulgaria for 230 million Leva and taking into account the financial difficulties of the Serbian government, offsetting the war reparations with the assets of the Serbs in the area south of the Morava River.
5. Within 24 hours after the peace treaty signing, the Bulgarian army lifted the siege of Belgrade and withdrew entirely from Serbian territory within a month.
6. After the peace treaty signing, the Bulgarian army handed over all prisoners of war to the Serbian government within three months.
7. The Serbian government pledges not to take any measures against Bulgaria and to ban all radical groups.
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There are seventy-eight articles in the armistice treaty, covering all matters large and small in every aspect.
But the real core interests at stake are the third and fourth articles, which legally clarify Bulgaria's ownership of the region of the Morava River, as well as the possession of the property in this territory!
In Ferdinand's opinion, the rest of the treaty was more like a number!
For example, in the first article, Serbia admits defeat and is responsible for the war. Of course, to be responsible for the defeat and admit defeat is just talk. Who will take it seriously? If there is strength, who can guarantee that the Serbs will not fight back!
The second one is purely funny. The war criminals of this war are not asked but instead seek to pursue the previous war? And there is not even a specific list, not just for show?
The fifth and sixth articles, not to mention the long-term garrison blockade in Serbia, when the Great Powers are really easy to mess with them? Unlike the mountains and forests in the south, the north is the sphere of influence of Austria-Hungary. If it were not for Ferdinand's spending spree in Vienna, it is estimated that even the military control could not do it!
Not to mention the release of prisoners, and the daily food, drink, and sleep of more than 100,000 people, which is also a huge expense. When you consider international public opinion, you can't use them as laborers. Who wants to work for nothing?
Article 7 outlawing radical organizations, no matter how Ferdinand looked at it, seems like they signed it for Austria-Hungary. Didn't it create an opportunity for them to annex Serbia?
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As soon as the treaty reached Sofia, Ferdinand ratified it on the spot! What you can get your hands on, other details, just give in to them!
Compared to this, the Serbian government is suffering a lot. Everyone avoids it, and no one wants to get involved with this!
Aleksandar I is not a fool. Why should he fight against such great evil? If you want to hide, then we will fight together, no one will run away, it's a mass decision!
Whether a member of parliament or a government official, as long as there is one in Belgrade, all must sign off on it! Even if they are not there, it does not matter. Authorize family members to do it for them!
And so, a funny scene emerged when the Serbs brought the treaty back and had to add two more pages because too many people had ratified it to be signed, and there wasn't enough room for signatures!
As soon as they established the treaty, the Bulgarian army lifted the siege of Belgrade and began withdrawing.
The Serbs, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, hadn't come to be happy for long when trouble followed!
The Bulgarian army doesn't mind giving them some trouble, even though the Bulgarian army has ordered the withdrawal of its troops!
For example, an accidental fire in some city happens to burn the granary and civil registry data; or a lost batch of captured weapons in some place happens to be picked up by some anti-government group...
Anyway, the Bulgarian army withdrew in a hurry and did not inform the Serbian government to come and take over, and then the local order was in chaos.
In particular, the migrants who have just come over, no one cares, now it is typical of the proletariat, no assets, no work, no labor, the most critical is no food!!!
But they only have weapons, although only some broken iron, but at least it is a weapon, is not?
If you don't have food to eat, you must find food! But you can not find a livelihood, so what to do? Of course, robbery, anyway, there are weapons in the hands of the local residents to go to rob the good!
Anyway, the living can not be kept alive by the shits. There is no job if you are hungry!
By the time Serbian officials arrived, many cities were in shambles, with murder, looting, rape, and many other criminal things going on!
According to the statistics afterward, the chaos caused by the lack of order brought more damage to Serbia than even the Bulgarian army did when it attacked!
Aleksandar I, now do not know whether to cry or should laugh!
Due to the Bulgarian invasion, Serbia was fought to the death, making his throne unstable; also, the absence of the Bulgarian army left a mess so that no one dared to take over, and no one intended to launch a coup. Now he is still sitting on the throne!
From the declaration of war to the end, it took only 38 days. In fact, the main fighting between the two sides took even less time, only a short week!
Serbia is wholly played out! The dinar is now financially less valuable than paper, and in the age of the gold standard, a currency without gold reserves is a pile of waste paper!
In domestic politics, everyone is at a loss, the Serbian government is a mess, and who takes over is unlucky! In that case, it is better to leave the unlucky government to continue to do it, their own trouble, their own responsibility to deal with it!
Aleksandar I was forced to choose to ask for help from Austria-Hungary; finally, no way now the Serbian government, even the ability to stabilize the situation at home!
At least the problem of feeding the people is not something they can handle on their own!
As for the conditions, now there is no need to mention them, and the boss is looking at it, and I will agree to anything, first save a minion from saying!
Now, it was the turn of the Vienna government to feel awkward. The Serbs came to the door themselves, whether to annex it or not!
What's happening is that the Serbs want money, food, and troops! You read that right. In the absence of supplies, at this moment, the Serbian government cannot even send troops to stabilize the place!
The problem of feeding hundreds of thousands of people needs to be solved urgently, and all means are in vain if this problem cannot be dealt with one way or another!
In the end, Franz Joseph I decided to take control of Serbia first, regardless of what happened later!