34 – The Kingdom Crumbles
October 2, 1914, Imperial Capital Berlin, Germany.
I saw a car arriving through the window.
Soon, the mistress of the fallen royal family was carefully getting out of the car with the support of her attendants. Natalia Obleonovich, the actual ruler of the Obleonovich royal family.
Despite her young age, she had a withered face like a dried leaf. She had lost both her son and daughter-in-law in the tragic coup in the Kingdom of Serbia, and she looked frail as she looked up at me.
Natalia’s eyes were alive, contrary to her appearance. There was a strong desire that couldn’t be treated as a dying loser.
I took out my cigarette and lit it. It wasn’t against etiquette to smoke now since the meeting was scheduled in an hour.
“She seems to have a strong will, better than I thought.”
I blew out the white smoke and spoke to the Austrian envoy. The Austrian envoy, Eduard von Pal, who was supposed to meet Queen Natalia with me, was also looking down at her.
“What do you think, Count? What is her worth?”
“What does Your Majesty think?”
“It seems to me that she is worth putting on our chessboard.”
“I am not sure if it is right to invite her here.”
I flicked the ash of my cigarette.
“If you are from Austria, shouldn’t you evaluate her more highly?”
It wasn’t an empty talk.
For Austria, which had to divide and tear apart Serbia, it was only right to give a high score to the last stronghold of the Karadjordjevic royal family and the Obleonovich royal family, which was the bridgehead between them.
“There are some aspects that Your Majesty finds uncomfortable about expecting a lot from her.”
I understood what the Count was saying.
Natalia’s husband, Milan Obleonovich, was close to the Austrian Emperor. The Emperor had given Milan Obleonovich a good house and sent doctors to take care of him from the moment he abandoned Serbia and practically stayed in Austria until his death.
There may have been some liking for Milan, who was friendly to Austria from a public perspective, but Franz also liked him personally and had a friendship to the point of exchanging letters.
They were on such good terms that there was no reason for Franz to favor Natalia, who had divorced Milan Obleonovich and used her son as a shield to act as an enemy of his friend after the divorce.
Of course, the public aspect of ruling the country as a monarch would take precedence over Franz’s personal feelings, but there was no reason for the Emperor’s emotions to be suppressed unless it was a particularly important issue.
For this reason, bringing her, who had been staying in France, was entirely a reflection of my will.
“She has value as a propaganda tool.”
Natalia was able to attack the legitimacy of the Karađorđević dynasty, who had assassinated the king and seized the throne in a barbaric manner, simply by her existence.
I was determined to overlay the frame that the Karađorđević dynasty had made Serbia collapse by inciting radical nationalists, branding them as “ruthless usurpers.”
At first, it might not be convincing, but when people face a crisis, they are bound to look for someone to pass the blame onto.
“Do we really need to rely on her power for a favorable war? Is it necessary?”
The count seemed to think that there was no need to go to such lengths against Serbia. He seemed to have forgotten the difficult times they had experienced until recently, thanks to the force of Bulgaria and the quantity of supplies.
“Of course, when it comes to war itself, it may not be necessary. But wouldn’t her existence be helpful in justifying the severe punishment of Serbia? Her presence will undoubtedly assist in post-war planning.”
Only then did the count show a sympathetic expression. It was a fitting attitude for a member of the Habsburg dynasty, who regarded their image in the international community as important.
“Think about it. The more we highlight the barbarism of the Karađorđevićs, the more legitimacy Austria will gain in dealing with Serbia. At the same time, it could also serve as a catalyst to divide them. Isn’t it easier to practice the old adage of ‘Divide and rule’ by splitting the supporters of the two dynasties, the Karađorđevićs and the Obrenovićs?”
Of course, even if we make Natalia the queen, there won’t be any problem in designating her successor from Austria, keeping Serbia under the influence of the Habsburgs in the long run.”
It was a self-evident fact that the chances of the Habsburg nobility, who were considered one of the most prominent in Europe, entering a dynasty that was far below their status were almost nonexistent.
Even if there was ambition for the throne, knowing that it would be difficult to gain the support of public opinion, I hesitated.
In reality, Archduke Maximilian, who had become Emperor of Mexico, relying solely on the support of Napoleon III, was executed by the hands of the Mexicans. That event remained a painful memory for the Habsburg nobility.
After a moment of thought, he politely spoke.
“Your Majesty, may I make a phone call?”
“You may.”
“Thank you.”
The count immediately made a call to Vienna. While the operator changed a few times, he calmly waited for the connection.
Soon, the Count poured out his words quickly as if connected to the telephone. I waited for his call to end while burning a cigarette.
After holding onto the phone for about ten minutes, the Count let go and rubbed his head.
“I have presented the truth to Her Majesty in Vienna.”
“To Emperor Joseph? What did you say?”
“I spoke of the plan to restore Queen Natalia as the rightful ruler of Serbia.”
“What did His Majesty say?”
“He replied that if it is necessary for the country, then do it.”
In the face of greater anger, personal feelings meant nothing.
Upon reflection, the Emperor Franz’s feelings towards Natalia were more like a hatred towards someone who tormented an acquaintance, rather than a desire to kill.
On the other hand, the feelings towards the Black Hand, the mastermind behind the assassination of Prince Ferdinand, and towards Serbia and the Karađorđević dynasty, clearly contained an indescribable level of animosity.
It seemed that the Emperor’s thoughts were that he could endure crowning Natalia as long as it was necessary to tear apart the latter. It was just as I wanted.
After resolving our differences of opinion, we went down to the reception room to meet Natalia.
Seeing the former Queen of Serbia up close, she left a stronger impression than I had expected. In the previous episode, I hadn’t even thought of facing her, so this was my first time seeing her like this.
The Queen first greeted us with formality.
Following the etiquette of the royal family, we exchanged greetings and then sat facing each other. It would have been unimaginable in this era to sit facing a woman in the East, but it was possible in European royal families.
I told Natalia about the agreement reached with Austria. In exchange for her becoming the Queen of Serbia, the condition we proposed was to accept a candidate recommended by the Habsburg dynasty as a successor.
After listening to our proposal silently, the Queen calmly asked.
“If I were to accept the proposal from Your Majesty and Austria, what would I gain?”
Even a three-year-old child could tell that she wasn’t asking for a paltry answer like the throne.
I decided to tell her the answer she wanted to hear.
“The fate of the Karađorđević dynasty. If you become the king of Serbia, we are willing to leave their disposal in your hands.”
As the queen had not yet ascended to the throne and was still in the position of an exile, I did not use honorifics.
She remained silent for a moment, seemingly contemplating my proposal. Then, after a long pause, she spoke.
“The Emperor of Austria must also want them, right?”
Instead of answering, I looked at the Countess of Pal. The Austrian envoy responded with a wry smile in place of an answer.
“Habsburg is prepared to satisfy themselves by uprooting the abhorrent terrorist group, the Black Hand, and tearing Serbia apart. Of course, this is based on the belief that the Obrenović family will not impose a light punishment on them.”
Only then did she nod her head.
“Of course, that’s what we’ll do. Those butchers, who killed my son and daughter-in-law with an axe and threw them into a pigsty, are nothing more than beasts. I intend to repay them in kind.”
“Then, it seems that our business with Germany is done.”
“It seems so.”
After lightly kissing the back of her hand, I stood up from my seat.
“I hope to see you next time wearing the crown in the royal palace in Belgrade.”
“Would the Kaiser himself make such a dangerous journey?”
“If necessary, I can do so at any time.”
I bowed my head lightly to show respect and then stood up from my seat. Since the detailed issues would have to be discussed with Austria anyway, it was appropriate to step aside at this point.
As we left the reception room, the chamberlain bowed his head.
“It seems that today the Queen of Serbia will stay for a day. Please inform the chamberlain to vacate the room given to the Queen.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
With this, my third attack on Serbia, one of the main enemies of this war, came out of the planning stage.
It may be considered excessively cruel towards a small country, but for someone like me who had been hindered by Serbia every time, it was by no means an excessive measure.
October 9, 1914. Skopje, southern Macedonia, Serbia.
When Bulgaria began its invasion, the leaders of the Serbian Kingdom had to choose between two options: to abandon the entire country and retreat to Montenegro, or to withdraw to the rugged southern region of Macedonia.
There were pros and cons to both choices.
Retreating to Montenegro meant abandoning the entire country. However, they could receive a relatively stable supply line from the sea and could rely on the cooperation of friendly Montenegro. It could also help preserve Montenegro’s resistance capabilities.
Withdrawing to southern Serbia would help protect a part of the territory and prevent a significant decrease in the morale of the people. It would also avoid the burden of seeking refuge in Montenegro.
However, there was the problem of relying on Greece for supplies from the sea. If Greece changed its mind, the connection with the negotiating countries could be cut off. It was also a disadvantage that they would be separated from Montenegro and unable to prevent their individual disintegration.
Serbia couldn’t come to an easy conclusion.
This one decision could push the already desperate kingdom to the edge of the cliff.
The one who put an end to this debate was General Ferdinand de Longlade-Gary, who arrived from France a week ago. Gary, who had been dispatched as a lieutenant in the navy, received a suggestion for the withdrawal plan to southern Montenegro from Lieutenant Grely, and thoroughly discussed it with the staff.
After careful consideration, General Gary concluded that this option was strategically much better. According to the preliminary information received from the homeland, there was a high possibility that the Austrian-Bulgarian army would cut off the supply clearance for Serbia once it entered Macedonia.
It was natural for a country that wanted to maintain the upper hand in the Balkans, dominated by Germany and Austria, not to be left out from a security perspective.
To maintain southern Serbia without Greece’s help, they had to borrow the ports and roads of Albania, but the chances of them agreeing to it were slim. In the end, they would have to resort to force, and invading a neutral country to save Serbia would bring about international diplomatic losses.
Even if the republican government accepted the political burden, they would have to deploy troops to suppress the Albanian army. It was an irrational act to allocate a division for the invasion operation when they already lacked enough forces to face the enemy on the front lines.
General Gary argued for the withdrawal to Montenegro in front of the leaders of the Serbian Kingdom. The Serbian military, including General Radomir Putnik, agreed with Gary’s argument, but the government did not openly express its consent. It was not an easy decision to give up the entire country.
However, as the military and the French side showed a consensus, and as the situation worsened, the Crown Prince made the decision.
“We will abandon the southern region, including Macedonia.”
Once the leaders of the kingdom made the decision, the Serbian army established a phased withdrawal plan to retreat to Montenegro. Their goal was to evacuate as many civilians, troops, and supplies as possible to preserve their war capabilities.
The responsibility for the most important part of this plan fell on the Serbian Second Army, which had to face Bulgaria.
The Austrian army coming from the north and west was large in scale, but their advance speed was relatively slow and lacked the audacity to attack. It could be because they had already tasted the bitterness of the Serbian army at the beginning of the war, but in any case, it was fortunate for the Serbian side.
On the other hand, Bulgaria, crossing the eastern border, was launching a more threatening offensive. The Bulgarian army, which was much more aggressive than Austria, was also suffering less fatigue and depletion of resources. Backed by the national will to reclaim the territories lost in the Second Balkan War, their morale was high.
The Serbian Second Army, which had to prevent this, was deployed hastily in the east without proper preparation, resulting in the loss of many fortresses and important strategic points before the fight even began.
Of course, Bulgaria was not fully prepared either, having rushed into military action.
If the Bulgarian army had launched an attack in a state of complete preparedness, Serbia’s plan to retreat would not have been feasible.
However, even with the current offensive, Bulgaria was sufficiently threatening.
The fact that the key strategic points of Skopje and Niš had fallen under their control was evidence of how dire the situation was for the Kingdom of Serbia.
From Noble mtl dot com
If the Serbian Second Army were to be pushed back further, the kingdom’s backbone could have been severed before enough personnel and supplies could be withdrawn to Montenegro. For Serbia, which had lost important bases in the north, including the capital Belgrade, to Austria, saving the remaining resources and personnel was more important than anything else.
The commander of the Serbian Second Army, Stepa Stepanović, gathered his worried staff officers and spoke in a firm tone.
“Everyone knows that the odds are against us. It’s a reality that is so disadvantageous that we cannot deceive ourselves with obvious lies about winning. However, we have a responsibility to fight in a way that our people and the soldiers on other fronts can believe those lies. If we give up today, Serbia’s fate ends here.
Of course, if we confront the enemy, nine out of ten times this will be our grave. If we fight, we will almost certainly face death. But it is unthinkable to bow our heads without fighting against Bulgaria and Austria.
Haven’t we learned anything from being trampled under the Ottoman boot for centuries? It means that it was happier when we had a chance to fight rather than being ruled without the will to resist.
Now we have weapons in our hands, a country to protect, and the obvious duty as soldiers to fight. Do we need any more reasons to fight?
It is our duty to die in the place where we should die for our homeland and our people. Fight until the last bullet, until the last drop of blood. Our homeland expects you to fulfill your duty with your deaths.”
The general’s words did not instantly boost morale or elicit a dramatic response from everyone.
But it was enough to explain the reason why they had to follow an illogical order. They had complicated expressions of determination, fear, and ferocity mixed on their faces.
Stepanović looked around the faces of his staff officers and then gave the order to disband.
“Everyone, return to your positions and fulfill your duties. Like the wolves of Serbia.”
“With the courage of wolves.”
The Serbian officers responded with a short slogan and dispersed to their positions.
Stepanović quietly observed their actions and took out a cherished photo from his pocket. In the photo, his family had smiling faces.
The general looked at the photograph for a moment, then lit a lighter and set it on fire.
To those prepared to die, feelings for family were nothing more than a luxury.
After scattering the ashes of the photograph, the general walked steadily towards the front-line barracks. The fate of Serbia now rested on the battlefield of the Morava River Valley, awaiting his command.