novelSusiti Chapter 288 Urgent Report from Epirus
Chapter 288 Urgent Report from Epirus
Chapter 288 Urgent Report from Epirus
The Marquess of Salisbury tapped his small silver gavel on the table.
The crisp sound, like a pause, temporarily suppressed the smoke and aftershocks of yesterday's diplomatic battle into everyone's hearts.
A new round of meetings has begun.
The atmosphere in the meeting hall was even more somber than the day before. Count Carnoki's absence was like a silent mockery, leaving a glaringly empty space in the Austro-Hungarian capital. His deputy attended in his place, head bowed, taking notes the entire time, avoiding eye contact with anyone.
At the negotiating table in London, a new game is unfolding in a more covert and complex manner.
Meanwhile, more than 2,000 kilometers away in Athens, an even more direct and intense fire erupted deep within the royal palace.
An encrypted telegram from Ioannina, sent by the provisional governor of Epirus, was presented to King George I with trembling hands by an attendant.
The telegram's translation was short, and every word was tinged with terror.
"Your Majesty, the border is in dire straits! Riots are breaking out in several Muslim-majority areas near Albania!"
"Local imams and former gentry are spreading malicious rumors!"
King George I's eyebrows furrowed. He picked up his monocle from the table and leaned closer to read the telegram.
The translated rumors in the telegrams were glaringly obvious.
"The Greeks are hypocritical devils! They give you bread today, and burn your Quran tomorrow."
!
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"Constantine's soldiers will seize your land and rape your wives and daughters, just as they did to the Turks!"
"Followers of God, take up arms and fight for your faith and your homeland! The Sultan's army will soon return to save us!"
The telegram ended with the governor's heart-wrenching cry: "Your Majesty, tax collectors and patrols have been attacked! The situation is spiraling out of control!"
George I's face turned ashen in an instant.
His worst fears came true.
Half an hour later, an emergency meeting of the Athens cabinet was convened.
The long conference table was filled with the most important officials of the Kingdom of Greece. The atmosphere was as tense as a pre-war command post, with everyone's face filled with anxiety and anger.
"Rebellion! This is blatant rebellion!"
The Prime Minister was the first to roar. His usually refined face was now contorted with rage.
He slammed his fist hard on the table, the heavy oak table making a dull thud.
"We must send troops to suppress this immediately!" His voice was hoarse, filled with undisguised murderous intent.
"Arrest all those ringleaders, the imams and gentry! Hang them in the square of Ioannina! Let everyone see the consequences of betraying Greece!"
He looked around at everyone, his eyes bloodshot.
"Burn down one or two disobedient villages! Let's show them with flames and bayonets that the laws of the Greek Kingdom are not a piece of trash to be used as a last resort!"
The Prime Minister's proposal was like lighting a powder keg.
"agree!"
"We must use ruthless methods!"
A group of hawkish officers and conservative ministers echoed their sentiments. They waved their arms, spitting as they spoke, as if they could already see the army marching into Epirus and crushing the rebels to dust.
The entire conference room was enveloped in a violent, bloodthirsty frenzy.
Crown Princess Sofia sat in the very center of this frenzy.
She wore an elegant black dress, her long golden hair styled in a simple bun at the back of her head. From the start of the meeting, she sat quietly, listening to the ministers' incompetent rage, without uttering a single word.
Her blue eyes calmly swept over the flushed faces.
Her sources of intelligence were far more abundant than the brief official telegram on the table.
Just before the meeting began, two completely different reports were laid out in her private office.
This report comes from the newly established branch of the "Greek Workers' Welfare Association" in Epirus. The author, a retired military officer personally selected by Stavros, writes simply yet vividly, capturing the true state of affairs: most Muslim villagers are filled with fear for the future—fear of losing their land, fear of changing their faith—and the rumors have struck a nerve with them. The report also mentions that the sons of several gentry leaders who instigated the unrest are studying at the military academy in Constantinople.
Another report came from the young priests sent by Father Callinicus to preach in the newly liberated areas. These priests did not force anyone to convert; they brought medicine and clean water and provided assistance to the poor.
Their report went even further: those imams who instigated the riots were the largest landowners in the area before the war; they had lost the land confiscated by the royal family during the war, and also their former privileges. Some had witnessed Ottoman secret messengers frequently entering and leaving their residences.
Both reports point to the same conclusion: this was not a nationwide rebellion, but a conspiracy orchestrated by the old forces, exploiting the people's fear and poverty.
The real core group was that small group of beneficiaries who received secret funding from the Ottoman Empire.
That's enough.
A clear, cool voice, not loud, instantly pierced through all the noise.
The conference room fell silent.
All eyes turned to the Crown Princess, who had remained silent.
Sofia slowly stood up.
Her gaze swept across the Prime Minister's astonished face, finally settling on the huge Greek flag in the center of the conference room.
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, Your Excellencies Ministers."
"If a sword could solve all problems, then my husband wouldn't need to engage in verbal battles with those wolves in London who are even more greedy than the Ottomans."
These words instantly calmed everyone present down.
The ministers who had just been clamoring for war and slaughter all fell silent, their fanaticism fading, replaced by embarrassment and shame.
Sofia stepped out of her seat and stood at the head of the conference table.
She stood tall and straight, her black dress making her look like a marble goddess, dignified and unapproachable.
"With sword, we conquered the land of Epirus."
Her voice, carrying an undeniable authority, echoed in the silent conference hall.
"But to conquer the hearts of the people in this land, we cannot rely on another sword."
She took a deep breath, and a determined flame ignited in her blue eyes.
"I oppose military repression."
She paused for a moment, letting those six words strike heavily into everyone's heart.
Then, she dropped a real bombshell.
"I will go to Epirus in person."
She looked around at the stunned faces, her voice clear and resolute.
"I want them to see with their own eyes that the Greek royal family brings peace and order, not slaughter and fire."