With the Austro-Hungarian Empire joining, the Alliance had reached a consensus on containing Bulgaria's expansion.
But with Europe now divided between two opposing alliances, none of the three countries could strike directly at Bulgaria. Otherwise, it could very well trigger an all-out war between the two great blocs—something no one could accept!
After all, no one was ready yet. Germany had not reached its peak, and the gap in naval strength was especially glaring. They did not even have the strength for a single battle!
Since the big brother was not in a position to step forward, it was time for the little brothers to take the stage. Thus, persuading Romania, the Kingdom of Greece, the Kingdom of Montenegro, and the Ottoman Empire to form an Anti-Bulgarian Alliance became the top priority!
The Ottoman Empire was the easiest to handle. So long as someone was willing to help restrain Bulgaria, they would welcome it. Even paying a certain price was acceptable to them.
The problem was Greece, Romania, and the Kingdom of Montenegro. Why should they take such an enormous risk and make enemies of the Bulgarians?
Even if everyone had their conflicts, they still had to consider the disparity in strength, didn't they?
The combined population of the three countries was less than ten million—not even half of Bulgaria's. The industrial gap was even greater; they did not amount to even a fraction of Bulgaria's industrial strength!
Even if the Alliance supplied them with equipment, raising an army of one million would still take time!
Conspiracies among the upper ranks of government could be kept secret, but could mass military mobilization be concealed?
They would probably have barely begun expanding their armies before Ferdinand got word. Would Bulgaria not strike first?
Other than Romania, which had some strength, neither