Chapter 1334 - 343: Romania Joins the Allies

Chapter 1334: Chapter 343: Romania Joins the Allies

It is inevitable to compare Russia because the best reference available for East Africa is the pre-war Russian army.

Before the war, the only armies larger than East Africa’s were those of Russia and the Far East Empire. However, despite the vast size of the Far East Empire’s army, its equipment was remarkably poor, raising concerns about its combat effectiveness, and it was divided into multiple forces.

On the other hand, if we disregard logistics and other factors, the combat effectiveness of the pre-war Russian army was quite good. Before the war, Russia’s population and territorial size were comparable to those of East Africa. Although the United States also had significant size and population, and its industrial scale was similar to East Africa’s, the pre-war U.S. paid little heed to military development, especially the U.S. Army, which could almost be ignored.

...

Just as East Africa was preparing for a large-scale military expansion and reform, changes occurred once again on the European battlefield.

August 13, 1918.

Romania, which had been "neutral" in Europe, officially announced its joining the "Allies", just recently supported by the United States, and this took some of the joy away from the Allies. This further added a layer of fog to the already unclear European situation.

Romania has always been wooed by the Allies and the Entente. Securing support from Romania means gaining nearly six hundred thousand troops. Additionally, Romania’s position is significant, as it lies in the heart of the Allies and is an important oil producer.

In the previous era, when Romania joined the Entente, it posed a substantial threat to the Allies, putting Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria at a disadvantage.

William II was so furious that he expelled Ferdinand I of Sigmaringen, the Romanian monarch, from the Hohenzollern family registry.

However, history has changed this time; Romania chose the Allies. The reason for this is straightforward. Faced with three million spirited troops from Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria, and with Germany and the Ottoman Empire eyeing them menacingly, Romania had no other choice but to join the Allies.

Romanian capital.

Inside the Bucharest Palace.

Ferdinand I was conversing with Rudolph, the Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, showing Austria-Hungary’s regard for Romania.

Rudolph, the Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, said to Ferdinand I: "Congratulations to Your Majesty, King of Romania, you have made the most correct choice. With your country joining us, our Allies’ strength will be further enhanced, and Europe will no longer have forces that can resist our might."

Rudolph is now effectively the real steward of Austria-Hungary, as Emperor Franz is unable to handle state affairs due to health reasons.

However, this is not surprising, as Emperor Franz is quite advanced in age. Based on previous historical progression, Franz was supposed to meet his maker in 1916, but possibly due to the absence of the sorrow of losing a son in this timeline, and Austria-Hungary not declining as it did before, Emperor Franz is still alive, although his body cannot withstand the ravages of time.

In contrast, Emperor Franz’s brother, Archduke Ferdinand of East Africa, seems to be healthier, exhibiting vigor even now.

Ferdinand I said with a flawless smile: "Indeed! Now, all of Eastern Europe is virtually under the Allies’ domain. Russia is currently preoccupied with its civil war, and only a few small countries in the southwest of the Balkan Peninsula are struggling. We, Romania, have an obligation to contribute to the Allies."

Although speaking like this, Ferdinand I is internally troubled.

Before joining the Allies, Ferdinand I actually had no intention of joining the war, or at least not so early in the war.

However, the Allies have concluded their conflict with Russia, and Austria-Hungary alone has nearly a million troops returning from the Eastern Front to support other battlefields.

With troops being redeployed from the Eastern Front to other battlefields, Germany and Austria had clearly not forgotten about Romania, the Neutral Country.

Unlike the previous era, Germany and Austria were particularly assertive in their attitude toward Romania. If Romania did not join the Allies, the Allies would erase Romania from the map.

Facing the threat from the Allies, Romania lacked the confidence it had in the previous era to refuse, and the reason Romania previously dared to reject the Allies and ultimately joined the Entente was due to Austria-Hungary’s poor performance on the battlefield.

In this timeline, aside from the unfavorable initial battles in Serbia, Austria-Hungary quickly corrected its course under Rudolph’s leadership and gradually restored its army’s combat strength with the armament support from East Africa and Germany. Currently, its army size has reached an impressive four million.

Another of Romania’s neighbors, Bulgaria, also an ally, showed commendable performance on the battlefield. Its impressive mobilization capacity was enough to amaze Romania, not to mention its enhanced combat strength under the armament of East Africa and its allies.

Although Bulgaria is not large in scale, its military power was already that of a major military nation even before the war.

After the conclusion of the Eastern Front, Romania was completely surrounded by the Allies. It could neither provoke nor ignore its formidable neighbors, so when the Allies delivered their ultimatum, Romania had no other choice but to join. Otherwise, Serbia’s past fate would be Romania’s future.

Although the Serbian government-in-exile continued to resist the Allies with the support of the Entente, Ferdinand I had no intention of fleeing Bucharest.

Not to mention that Ferdinand I didn’t want to live in exile, and his Hohenzollern family identity made it impossible for him to oppose the Allies at this time.

In the previous era, Germany tolerated Romania’s initial neutrality because the Romanian royal family was originally supported by Germany, theoretically aligning with the Allies. However, Romania unexpectedly chose otherwise, infuriating William II.

As for taking Romania to stubbornly resist the Allies, Ferdinand I was not so foolish. He did not believe Romania could defeat the now mighty Allies.

Simply put, the massive army of over a million from Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary on Romania’s border made him lose sleep.

Therefore, Ferdinand I was compelled to join the Allies. Despite his internal dissatisfaction, he dared not express it to Rudolph and even had to put on a welcoming smile.

At this point, Ferdinand I had no other options but to lead Romania down a path with the Allies, so before Rudolph, Ferdinand I could only pledge his loyalty.

Seeing Ferdinand I’s expression, made Rudolph very happy. He said to Ferdinand I: "With your country’s joining, our odds have increased. Now, on the European Continent, France and England can only hold on desperately."

"We must defeat France before the Americans land in Europe. Even if England and the United States look from across the sea, they can only sigh with regret, so our odds are still high."

"Originally, the German Army was evenly matched with the Anglo-French Allied Army. With the addition of our other countries, the situation on the Western Front will soon change, so you must prepare."

"Romania’s joining time is short, so if you wish to divide the spoils, you must give it your all. Bulgaria has already secured what it wanted, and if you don’t strive, then in the future, only Bulgaria will dominate the Balkan Peninsula."

Rudolph’s use of Bulgaria as a role model was quite effective.

Ferdinand I immediately said solemnly: "Rest assured, Prince Rudolph, we in Romania will not lag behind Bulgaria; the Kingdom’s army is already prepared, ready to support the battlefield at any time."

The die is cast, and Romania’s only choice is to quickly engage in the war, hoping to bear some fruit, especially with Bulgaria having already gained territories such as Serbia through war.