Four Powers Convention

Chapter 777: Four Powers Convention

In Constantinople, a spoils-sharing conference was underway at the Allied headquarters. Since the Anti-Ottoman Alliance consisted of four nations, the spoils naturally had to be divided among all four.

In this regard, the Vienna Government paid close attention to appearances. No matter what, Greece and Montenegro were also victorious nations, and they were entitled to a share of the spoils.

As the de facto leader of the Anti-Ottoman Alliance, Austrian Foreign Minister Wessenberg was the first to speak. "Through everyone's joint efforts, we have finally won this Near East War.

"Now that the war is over, it is time to distribute the spoils. In principle, the spoils will be allocated according to each country's contribution to the war.

"If anyone has any special requests, you may raise them first. Anything that can be accommodated will be given priority consideration."

"Priority consideration" did not mean "priority fulfillment." This had already set the tone for the spoils-sharing conference. Wessenberg's meaning was very clear: there was no need to raise excessive demands, because they could not possibly pass.

Vtoriak, the Russian Governor-General of Constantinople, smiled. "The Black Sea Straits are the gateway to the Russian Empire. We hope to obtain the Ottoman territories along the Sea of Marmara."

Selling land was one thing, but spoils still had to be fought over. So long as the Saint Petersburg negotiations had not drawn to a close, the Russo-Austrian territorial transaction concerning the Asia Minor Peninsula could not be treated as final.

However, compared with the tense Greek and Montenegrin representatives, Vtoriak was far more relaxed.

As a high-ranking figure in the Russian Empire, Vtoriak knew just how determined the Tsarist Government was to cast off this burden.

The negotiations were still deadlocked only to maximize benefits. A deal was practically