Compared to the French government's wait-and-see opportunism, the Vienna government was far more decisive. The British Empire might be mighty as hell, but that greatness had not a dime to do with them.
Even if the Royal Navy ruled the entire world, it could not come swaggering into the Adriatic Sea. Bulgaria next door was far more terrifying.
If they chose the wrong side at a time like this, life would become impossible for them.
The Otranto Strait was practically Bulgaria's inland river. If Bulgaria held military exercises there every so often, Austro-Hungarian maritime shipping would be finished outright.
Sea transport was only a minor issue. As a land power, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had always had extremely limited room for diplomatic maneuver.
Just as they had needed to maintain good relations with Germany before World War I, after World War I they also had to maintain good relations with Bulgaria. They practically had no choice in foreign affairs.
All one could say was that God had not blessed them. Their geography had dictated their tragic fate.
During the Crimean War, the Austro-Hungarian Empire betrayed its ally, the Russian Empire, inflicting grievous losses upon Russia and opening the curtain on Russo-Austrian antagonism.
During the First World War, the Austro-Hungarian Empire betrayed Germany as well. This settled the score for the Austro-Prussian War, but from then on Germany and Austria became mortal enemies.
Traitors were always the most hated!
Without some major upheaval, the hatred between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany and Russia would not be resolved anytime soon.
And if they clashed with Bulgaria too, they would be doomed no matter how they looked at it!
Bulgaria's plan to excavate the Gulf of Aqaba Grand Canal caused an enormous uproar across Europe. Opinions flew everywhere, and many people guessed that