As the Balkan campaign had progressed to this point, the scales of victory had begun to tip toward the Russians. The Greeks, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, could no longer sit still.
The Russian Bear was not so easy to deal with. If they delayed any longer and the Russians won the war, there would be nothing left for them.
Clearly, the Greek Government had made a strategic miscalculation, believing that as long as the Russians won this campaign, Britain and France would back down.
In this era, the Russian Bear's name still carried considerable weight—the acknowledged strongest power on the European Continent and the world's foremost land power.
The Greeks had immense confidence in the Russians. Even if Britain and France joined forces, they still favored Russia.
As parties directly involved, they did not realize that the conclusion they had reached had blinded them with profit.
Deep down, they yearned to expand their territory and restore their former status as a great power. Thus, they hoped for a Russian victory, so that they might gain an opportunity to expand their lands.
As for the threat that a victorious Russian Bear might pose, the Greeks had already ignored it. When profit blinded their eyes, who would still think so far ahead?
On November 12, 1852, with a secret order from Otto I, Greek Army units one after another announced their discharge. After changing clothes, they appeared on the battlefield as civilian volunteers and launched attacks on Thessaly and Epirus.
Do not misunderstand—they simply wanted to seize land. They had no intention of helping Russia win the war.
Even now, the Greeks had not forgotten the threat posed by Britain and France. Publicly, they completely denied any involvement in this military operation.
They claimed there was no connection