An arms race was easy to start, but hard to end. Ferdinand's public declaration that he would expand the military by 300,000 had originally been nothing more than a political necessity—just talk.
After all, no specific timetable had been given. Delaying the expansion for two or three years would have been entirely feasible. But the Alliance's reaction left Bulgaria no choice but to act!
Once the various countries completed their expansions, Bulgaria's military pressure would become enormous.
By then, the Austro-Hungarian Empire's army would reach a total strength of 768,000, while Italy's army would have 589,000 men. Add Romania and the Kingdom of Montenegro to the equation, and if war broke out ahead of schedule, Bulgaria could very well find itself immediately besieged by over a million enemy troops.
With Bulgaria's current troop numbers, it was clearly difficult to safeguard national security. Moreover, forces would have to be spread across multiple fronts. So long as any single point was breached, Bulgaria would suffer grievous losses.
Oh, and do not place too much hope in the Russians. If war erupted suddenly, by the time the Russian bear came to its senses, the daylilies would already have gone cold!
Well, the current international situation placed tremendous pressure on the Bulgarian government. The finance minister in particular was deeply worried, because it meant Bulgaria's military expenditures might directly double in the future!
"What plans does the War Ministry have?" Ferdinand asked with concern.
War Minister Popov answered without hesitation, "Your Majesty, if the Alliance is making a move, then we must act as well. Expanding the military can no longer be delayed!
"At present, our standing army numbers only 286,000 men. It is already difficult for it to shoulder our national defense duties. Besides expanding by 300,000 troops, we also believe it is