I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 838 If a person is not ruthless, he will not be able to stand firmly.

George did not notice that the conflict between Yugoslavia and Romania was intensifying.

It's not that George is careless. In George's view, the entire Balkan Alliance is a big family. Russia is the head of the family, and Yugoslavia and Romania are brothers. Even if there are some minor conflicts, they will not develop to the point where they cannot be reconciled.

Polis was still very rational. On the one hand, he asked the local government to restrain fishermen from operating across the border. On the other hand, he instructed the foreign affairs department to contact Romania and demand the release of the seized ships as soon as possible.

If Romania had backed down at that time, the series of events that followed would not have happened.

On August 8, the Yugoslav fishing boat "Harvest" once again entered Romanian waters to fish and was intercepted by the Romanian water police.

The "Harvest" did not stop for inspection as instructed by the Romanian water police, but instead accelerated its escape.

During the escape, the "Harvest" collided with a Romanian police boat, causing a fisherman from the "Harvest" and a Romanian police officer to fall into the water.

The water police were quickly rescued, but the fisherman from the "Fengshou" who fell into the water was sucked under the boat and died accidentally.

When the news reached Adrianople, a large number of Adrianople people took to the streets, demanding a counterattack against Romania.

At the same time, the Romanian government authorized the water police to open fire if attacked.

Only then did George notice that tensions were already rising between Romania and Yugoslavia.

Mannerheim flew to Bucharest urgently as a firefighter to mediate.

"Yugoslav fishermen broke into Romanian waters to fish illegally. Don't our marine police even have the power to enforce the law?"

Carol was angry and thought Russia's favoritism was too obvious.

To put it bluntly, it's just a matter of fishing. It takes the Russian Foreign Minister a lot of trouble to make a personal trip. Your time is really worthless.

Carol also does not think that there is anything wrong with the Romanian water police's law enforcement, after all, it was the Yugoslav fishermen who made the first mistake.

"You can enforce the law, but you can't go too far. Is Yugoslavia Romania's enemy?"

Mannerheim was also very angry. Why couldn't everyone just behave themselves?

Mannerheim didn't want to waste his time on such things unless it was necessary.

The Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Kingdom of Romania are very important to Russia. If they fight, the Balkan Alliance will fall apart.

This is not a question of favoring one over the other. Even if Russia could be impartial, Yugoslavia and Romania would not be satisfied.

There is no need to emphasize the relationship between Yugoslavia and Russia. You can tell from the names that one is Southern Slavia and the other is the Slavic Headquarters.

The Kingdom of Romania has been a loyal ally of Russia since its establishment and has always maintained consistent position with Russia in all the wars. Bulgaria has a previous record of this.

"The purpose of firing shots is to fire warning shots, not to shoot at fishermen, which is precisely to prevent the escalation of the conflict."

Carroll's explanation was not convincing.

Mannerheim believed that Carol was not intent on going to war with Yugoslavia, but was only interested in making money.

However, as long as they are authorized to fire their guns, the water police on the front line of law enforcement may abuse their power, which is simply unavoidable.

"If the conflict escalates due to the shooting, can you take the corresponding responsibility?"

Mannerheim was growing impatient with Carroll.

Carol's coup to power was despicable in itself.

After coming to power, he was blinded by greed, frequently increasing taxes at home and launching heavy blows abroad, leading to increasingly acute conflicts at home and abroad.

If this continues, even if Russia does not take action, Romania will sooner or later fall into civil strife.

“Shouldn’t the responsibility be on those fishermen who cross the border and fish illegally?”

Carol's eyes widened in disbelief. Except for the unreasonable Tsar of Russia, the king had never been responsible for the war.

William II was largely responsible for the World War, but after his defeat he lived in exile in the Netherlands, safe and sound.

The last emperor of Austria-Hungary was not held accountable, but died of pneumonia.

The fundamental reason why these European kings were so keen on war was that the kings were not responsible for the war. This is the true meaning of "doctors should not be punished".

As for Nicholas I, if he had not committed suicide, the British and French forces would not have been able to chase him to St. Petersburg.

"I will ask the Kingdom of Yugoslavia to restrain the fishermen, and you will withdraw the authorization to shoot first."

Mannerheim hoped that both sides would make concessions.

"If Yugoslavia restricts fishermen, I will withdraw my authorization."

Carroll hoped that Yugoslavia would surrender first.

Mannerheim smiled: "Are you sure?"

Carol was immediately horrified.

Given Russia's influence on Romania, Russia doesn't even need to take action to deal with Carol. It only needs to issue a statement not to recognize Carol, and naturally people who are dissatisfied with Carol will stand up.

Georgy: I am willing to share the worries of my king and father!
Boris: I want justice for my nephew!
After dealing with Carol, Mannerheim continued to fly to Adrianople.

As soon as Mannerheim got off the plane, he received the bad news. The Bulgarians living in southern Dobruja could no longer bear the unfair treatment of the local government and were violently dispersed when they took to the streets for a walk. Four people died and more than 20 were injured.

"I have ordered a news censorship to avoid causing greater trouble—" Boris was sensitively aware that there seemed to be a force that was driving the relationship between Romania and Yugoslavia to continue to deteriorate.

A Yugoslav fisherman had just fallen into the water and died, and the Yugoslav government had not yet had time to negotiate with the Romanian government, but people in Adrianople had already started taking to the streets for a walk.

As soon as Mannerheim left Romania, things got even worse for Nandobruja. It would seem a bit far-fetched if this was all a coincidence.

"Be careful of those who are secretly fanning the flames under the guise of protecting Yugoslavia's interests."

Mannerheim was not surprised, as Russia had also experienced this situation.

During the Russian Empire era, many people used the banner of "Russia" to target the Tsar and the Queen, which eventually became an important reason for the demise of the empire.

Looking back now, don’t those people who keep saying they are doing it for “Russia” know the root cause of the conflicts between the Empire and Russia?

They know better than anyone else.

The current situation in Yugoslavia is that those who keep claiming to safeguard Yugoslavia’s “interests”, don’t they know that regional peace and alliance unity are more important than those small profits?

They are equally clear.

Only those who are afraid of chaos in the Balkans will take the opportunity to fan the flames.

As for Kovacic, who advocates a heavy blow against Romania, his starting point is similar to Vasily's.

Vasily dreamed of leading his troops south and unifying Europe. Those who obey Russia will prosper, and those who resist Russia will perish.

"I have ordered an investigation, but this requires the cooperation of Bucharest."

Polis is worried that the conflict will escalate further.

The Kingdom of Yugoslavia's rationality alone cannot maintain peace in the Balkans.

These are all chain schemes. If the Kingdom of Yugoslavia strikes hard, the Third Balkan War will be imminent.

If Boris keeps his sanity, he will become the next target of attack, and the reason is ready-made: he is weak and can be bullied.

"Do you want to catch them all in one fell swoop?"

Mannerheim wanted to root out the problem.

"If you want to, don't rush to do it. Wait until they all jump out."

Boris was silent for a while, and finally shook his head: "Many innocent people will be implicated in this."

Mannerheim felt regretful but also relieved.

Polis is still not ruthless enough, not Russian enough.

But it's better this way. If Boris is a cold-blooded person, then it will be Russia's turn to have a headache.

While Mannerheim was busy coordinating, a banquet was being held at the home of Congressman Kramaric in the Yugoslav coastal city of Split.

During the Austro-Hungarian Empire, many members of the Kramaric family served in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the World War, Kramaric joined the Russo-Bulgarian coalition and was successfully elected as a member of parliament after the war.

After the establishment of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Kramaric sought autonomy for Split but failed, but he also gained the trust of the people of Split.

"I will not give up my ideal. My ideal is to strive for more benefits for Split and build Split into a real paradise where everyone can live and work in peace and contentment."

Kramaric spoke eloquently and passionately.

As a coastal city, Split has gradually become one of the important ports on the Adriatic coast. Its own shipbuilding industry has also developed well, and the fishing boats and yachts it produces are in short supply.

Split's tax contribution is also second to none among the coastal cities on the Adriatic coast.

This has caused dissatisfaction among some Split residents.

"As long as we cannot escape the oppression of Adrianople, we cannot live in peace!"

Wine merchant Tony is very dissatisfied with Adrianople's tax policy.

After the conflict between the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia ended, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia increased the tax standards on imported Italian wine, Tony suffered heavy losses and his profits were greatly reduced.

"Tony, you should find a way to export our wine to Italy instead of worrying about the tax standards in Adrianople."

Kramaric took the initiative to help Tony find a solution.

“Unless Adrianople is willing to lower its tariffs on Italy, there is no way I can sell wine to Italy.”

Tony was heartbroken and wondered when the cycle of revenge would end.

"I will tell the council about your request and see if they are willing to help you."

Kramaric's comforting words made Andre frown slightly in the corner of the meeting room.

Kramaric's appeasement seemed enthusiastic, but in fact it would not only fail to solve the problem, but would also spread Tony's resentment from Adrianople to the Split Parliament.

If you use your brain a little, you will know that the tax policy of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia will not change because of the interests of a certain individual, but will only change because of the interests of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Kramaric's ideal is not necessarily to build Split into a paradise on earth, and it is not even limited to autonomy. Although Andre has not found the problem yet, this is why Andre is here.

In addition to being a grain merchant, Andre is also an Alpha intelligence officer.

(End of this chapter)