Bulgarian Empire

Chapter 33: Countermeasures

In Sofia Palace, Ferdinand is taking a leisurely drink of tea. It has become a habit of his life, and it has the rhythm of "the country can not be without the king, the king can not be without tea"1).

At this time, a maid of about 16 or 17 years old came over. With a round goose egg face, dark eyes, and a lively youthful aura all around.

"Your Highness, Mr. Hoover is here!"

"Oh, Alisa, bring him over here!" Ferdinand said lazily.

Alisa said cheekily, "Yes, Your Highness!"

Those familiar with Ferdinand know that he is very easy-going and has little or no arrogance in normal life.

He can even joke and chat with the maid as an equal, and the young and youthful Alisa is not afraid of him at all.

In a flash, Hoover came in front of Ferdinand.

Hoover said with a firm and calm voice, "Your Highness, the fruit is ripe!"

It was evident that he is now in a very excited mood. Although he has tried very hard to put on a calm look, but the change between his eyebrows still betrayed him.

Ferdinand said happily, "Good! Mr. Hoover, you have done a good job this time. You can proceed to the next step!"

"Yes, Your Highness! We are now bargaining with the contractors for a price!" Hoover said cautiously.

Ferdinand's eyebrows changed slightly, then stretched out again and said with a smile, "Then go and do your work. I'll wait for your good news!"

The situation in Bulgaria was already dangerous, and at this point, Ferdinand had to be careful.

He was afraid of a moment of negligence that leaks out so that the Stambolov cabinet is aware of it, and all work is lost.

From the news reported by Hoover just now, Ferdinand knew that he had completed the initial plan and the Stambolov government would soon be finished.

But the lure to the military is only partially complete. It is normal to think that the news of the massacre has not yet spread, and the military is not in a hurry to take sides now.

It is assumed that when the news spreads, everyone else will make the right choice unless they are loyal. After all, not many people want to be buried with the Stambolov government and have to stand against the Bulgarian population.

In fact, the Stambolov government did not have a very tight grip on the army. Middle and lower-ranking officers and ordinary soldiers were mainly hostile to them.

It created chances for Ferdinand to talk to junior officers about their ideals and to talk to ordinary soldiers about their treatment, both of which were given routines and often without fail.

The army is a self-contained system that is difficult for outsiders to access. However, this is not a problem. Ferdinand still has a Royal Guard that has been under his control in name only.

Almost two years in a row of brainwashing, now nearly for the army are Ferdinand's loyalists, and the stubborn elements have long been retired. They are the sharpest weapon Ferdinand can pull in the military.

He had well paid the Royal Guard. In times of financial trouble, Ferdinand had also paid his own advances, so the morale of the officers and men was always high. It was often the publicity for Ferdinand without even thinking about it, which increased his prestige in the army.

Since Ferdinand assumed the throne, the Guards are the envy of the ordinary Bulgarian soldiers. Although the military pay is the same, but the food standard is a higher grade. Ferdinand also sank a promise of retirement placements.

When someone was wounded in training earlier and forced to retire, they were placed into the factory by Ferdinand. They enjoyed veterans' privileges, received the same wages as ordinary workers, but only had to work eight hours a day and were paid overtime if they had more than that.

In fact, Ferdinand also submitted a draft of "Preferential Treatment for Veterans" to the National Assembly and was mocked by Stambolov's cabinet.

The National Assembly represents the interests of the capitalist, which naturally did not hesitate to veto it. However, the top officers are content. They are treated well enough anyway. The ordinary soldiers have already cursed the National Assembly.

Now Hoover's target is the commander of the Sofia garrison - Sava Mutkurov. If he is eliminated, then there is no doubt about the fall of Stambolov's cabinet.

Sava Mutkurov, who had just crushed a riot, was now busy thinking about the aftermath. What is more, an unwelcome guest came in and made his way in front of him, and the visitor was none other than Hoover.

To solve the last hidden problem, Hoover decided to take the matter into his own hands. If Sava Mutkurov chose to refuse, Hoover would have to send him to God.

It is, in fact, if it were not for the prestige of Sava Mutkurov in the military, killing him would quickly cause the military to wipe out the rest, and Hoover would have solved him long ago.

Sava Mutkurov looked at Hoover and asked suspiciously, "Who are you? How did you get in?"

Without waiting for Hoover to answer, he shouted again towards the door, "Guards! Guards! Get this insolent bugger out of here!"

Hoover smiled and said, "Mr. Sava, please calm down. Since I can come in and sit here, naturally, it's all taken care of!"

"Who are you?" Sava Mutkurov forced down his anger.

With a smile still on his face, Hoover said, "First of all, I would like to introduce myself, my name is Hoover. I come to visit you, Sir Savoy, by order of His Highness Ferdinand!"

"What? His Highness' order? You are lying, if His Highness wanted to find me, wouldn't he have sent someone to call me directly to the royal palace. There is still no need that you hide yourself!" Sava Mutkurov said with a cold smile.

Hoover ignored his rudeness and asked in return, "Then who else in Bulgaria do you think can make the soldiers outside disobey yours, besides His Highness?"

Sava Mutkurov thought about it. He was the voice of the Liberal Party in the army, and Hoover could not have been a Liberal Party man. If the opposition party men had been so powerful, they would have succeeded in their uprising.

"So Mr. Hoover, what does His Highness require my services?" Being sure of Hoover's identity, Sava Mutkurov spoke much more politely.

Still smiling, Hoover said, "I think Mr. Sava is aware that the cabinet's recent actions are somewhat backwards and have lost the hearts and minds of the people!"

Sava Mutkurov retorted, "Mr. Hoover is concerned. It is true that the cabinet's recent actions have been somewhat wrong, but not to this extent!"

Hoover looked at him and said thoughtfully, "Mr. Sava may not be aware that just last night, a terrible event took place in Bulgaria!"

Sava Mutkurov smiled and said casually, "Oh, isn't it just the opposition riots? I have already crushed it!"

Hoover said solemnly, "No, Mr. Sava, it's ten times more serious than that!"

After hearing this, Sava Mutkurov's body stood upright and asked in doubt, "What is it?"

Hoover said with a dark voice: "Last night, the cabinet ordered the execution of the arrested opposition party; we don't know exactly who there are! But in the outskirts of Sofia alone, there are thousands of corpses!"

Sava Mutkurov exclaimed, "What? Are you sure, Mr. Hoover? Has the cabinet gone mad?"

Hoover affirmed, "Yes, Mr. Sava's cabinet may have really gone crazy. To execute so many people directly without a court trial is already a blatant massacre!"

Sava Mutkurov, somewhat lost in thought, asked, "What... what does His Highness intend to do?"

Translator:

1)The quote is from 'Lao Tzu Thinking Notes', without the quote 'tea'. The "Lao Tzu Thinking Notes" is a classic compilation of the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu. The phrase "a country cannot be without a king for a day" means that a country cannot be without a king for a day, and if it is really "without a king for a day", then the world will be in chaos.