With the Central Powers wielding both carrot and stick, Romania could only obediently submit. This naturally ran counter to Ferdinand I's wish to end up "neutral," so it was understandable that he harbored some dissatisfaction.
Of course, Ferdinand I had plenty of little calculations of his own. His agreement to join the Central Powers could not possibly have been solely due to their threats; at its root, it also showed that he held a fairly optimistic view of the Central Powers camp's prospects.
Although the United States' entry had now made the Entente Powers look overwhelmingly formidable, the Central Powers still held the military advantage in Europe. Moreover, overseas there was still a German state in East Africa that had yet to enter the war.
Crown Prince Rudolf did not care about Ferdinand I's little schemes. He only needed Romania to obediently comply with the arrangements of the Central Powers—or rather, Germany and Austria.
Crown Prince Rudolf said, "You need not worry too much. We do not need Romania to join the Western Front. Your primary task will be to coordinate with our country, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire in attacking Greece, Albania, and other countries on the Balkan Peninsula.
"At the same time, organize an expeditionary force of at least two hundred thousand men to enter within Ottoman Empire territory and assist our country and the Ottoman Empire in retaking the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea coast, reopening the trade route between the Central Powers and East Africa.
"The Entente Powers armies in these two directions are not particularly strong. If we can crush them, our chances of victory will be even greater."
Although the Central Powers had obtained vast Russian territory, reorganizing local industry and agriculture to feed back into the Central Powers would take time. Moreover,