Bulgarian Empire

After reading the treaty's contents, Aleksandr III looked at Pavel Shuvalov much more favorably. He said with a smile: "Count Pavel, you did a great job negotiating with Bulgaria this time! For a small price, we have tied Bulgaria firmly to the Russian wagon and put a nail in the Balkans!"

Apparently, Aleksandr III's aura was so strong that at least Pavel Shuvalov was warring before him, at least after Germany tore up the reinsurance treaty.

Please don't think that fear of being assed is the domain of the Great Qing. The West is just as good. Pavel Shuvalov said: "It's all because of your wisdom, Your Imperial Majesty, leading Russia to prosperity, which makes Bulgarians yearn for it. It's also because of Crown Prince Nikolai's wisdom and competence. I'm just doing my part. It's not worth mentioning!"

Aleksandr III seems to be used to all this, just smiling without retort.

Only after Count Pavel finished speaking did he say, "Well, let's not say any more of these flattering words! There will be a meeting about Bulgaria later. You stay and join it too!"

Count Pavel at once made a grateful and livid smile, this time with sincerity. Since the breakup of German-Russian relations, he had been left on the sidelines. He never again participated in a high-level meeting.

This time the Tsar kept him for the meeting, which was clearly a good sign and meant that he had a chance to return to the center of power.

...

At the palace Gatchina, outside St. Petersburg, a meeting was held on the fate of Bulgaria.

There was no tedious etiquette. Aleksandr III got straight to the point and said, "I think the treaty with Bulgaria, you all know about it! The reason for calling you here today is to define our foreign policy towards Bulgaria for a long time to come!"

(Note: Not all the main characters are called by their official titles, and the author will be dizzy if there are too many foreigners with the same name. For example, the Russian Foreign Minister at the time: Nikolai Girs, has the same name as Nikolai II, and there are many others!)

As soon as Aleksandr III finished speaking, the Finance Minister spoke up and said, "Your Imperial Majesty, since we have decided to shift our strategic focus eastward, it is enough to maintain enough influence on the Balkans. There is no need to put too much effort into it!"

"But this is only to occupy the time. Europe is the center of the world. We still have to come back in the future and cannot relax our efforts to penetrate the Balkans!" The Minister of War immediately objected.

The Minister of Finance shook his head, then asked in query, "But is our energy isn't unlimited, right? The Empire's finances cannot support us on two fronts at the same time. The Siberian Railway has just started its construction, which is already taking up a lot of our money!"

"The reason for a short-term retreat in Europe is so that we can put more energy into the East. It will not be too late to return to Europe when the Imperial Russian plan is completed. At that time, our country will be even stronger, and the Balkans will not be able to stop the Empire!"

...

He then got involved with the leading politicians of the Russian Empire and started a war of words, while Count Pavel stood to the side without saying a word.

When he saw the noise below, Aleksandr III noticed Pavel Shuvalov, who was watching from the sidelines.

When Aleksandr III, who had begun to be less keen on politics, heard that the crowd was getting further and further away from the topic of the day. He coughed and then said, "All right, gentlemen, quiet down! Count Pavel just returned from Sofia. He is very familiar with the state of affairs there, so let's listen to his opinion first!"

Pavel Shuvalov's mind was shocked and screamed out loud. Now at this time to open his mouth, this is not what it means to stand in line!

The Russian Empire is now divided mainly into 3: The Eastward and European factions and the neutral faction. Oh, and that's not all.

The Eastward faction was divided into 3: the Far East faction, which favored expansion to the Far East. The Indian faction favored going into Afghanistan and then expanding to India. The Central Asian faction favored expansion to the Ottomans in Central Asia.

The European faction likewise had factions: the Balkan faction, which favored expansion into the Balkans. The Nordic faction favored expansion into Northern Europe. There were even radical factions that favored expansion into Austria-Hungary.

There is a lot of chaos and mess. Of course, there is not so much chaos at the government's top, mainly in the Far East and the Balkans, and not so many brain-dead ideas.

Due to the setback of the expansion in Europe, the Russian Empire was now favored by the Far East faction, which had the support of Crown Prince Nicholas.

Hearing Aleksandr III's inquiry, Pavel Shuvalov at once spoke up and said, "Your Imperial Majesty, from what I see, the Bulgarians are mostly pro-Russian at the moment. That means that our long-term efforts to infiltrate in the Balkans have been successful!"

"Moreover, in recent years, Bulgaria's economy has grown rapidly, but its own resources are poor, and there is a lack of labor. The reason why Bulgaria is now leaning towards the Empire is also a major factor in this regard. If we continue to export resources and labor to them, we can control Bulgaria economically in a few decades."

Pavel Shuvalov was still cautious and just returned to the subject of Alexander III, limited to Bulgaria, without making a clear stand on the Balkan issue, while at the same time showing a leaning towards the Far East faction.

As soon as Count Pavel's words fell, Aleksandr III showed a keen interest. He did not like war much, and the economic control and cultural influence were exactly to Aleksandr III's liking.

After seeing the actions of Aleksandr III, the crowd had the good sense to choose to shut up, and no one decided to defy the Tsar's authority.

"So, how long do you think it will take for us to take control of Bulgaria?" Aleksandr III asked, looking at Pavel Shuvalov.

Pavel Shuvalov thought for a moment, then said, "Your Imperial Majesty, if everything goes well, in twenty years, Bulgaria will be fully pro-Russian. In thirty years, we can even turn it into a grand duchy under the Empire without bloodshed!"

Sure enough, after hearing Pavel Shuvalov's words, Aleksandr III showed a happy smile.

Are twenty years long? Sure, that's enough time for a new generation to grow up! If it takes one generation to integrate a country, that is too short.

Why did the Russian Empire export Slavic culture to the Balkans? Wasn't it to culturally assimilate the Balkan countries!

Isn't it just as well that Bulgaria has now taken an active part in asking for migrants? Those sitting here already ignore the fact that now the Russian Empire is not a single ethnic group, and even the main ethnic group is less than half. Foreign immigrants are also the majority of other ethnic groups, long-oppressed minorities. How much attachment will there be to the Russian Empire?

"Well, if you all have no other comments, then I will ratify this treaty! The future strategy of the Empire towards Bulgaria is to draw in politically and penetrate economically and culturally!" Aleksandr III asked in a confident tone.

No one will object to this issue, of course. The Eastward faction naturally supports it. The "Russian-Bulgarian Alliance" is still pushed forward under the auspices of Crown Prince Nicholas, in line with their priority Eastern strategy. The European faction also has no reason to oppose it. It does not affect their strategy. The neutral faction continues to play the game.

After Aleksandr III ratified the Russo-Bulgarian Alliance, the Russian government made a rare and efficient move. Together with the Bulgarian ambassador to Russia, the Foreign Ministry announced the news to the public in time for Christmas Eve.