“Prime Minister, how the leak happened is no longer important; the key now is how to deal with the aftermath?” Michael said urgently.
“Let me think!” Stambolov paced a few steps and said calmly.
A moment later, the office door was knocked on again.
This time, Yunas, Sovell, and Wilson arrived together.
Stambolov scanned the three of them coldly, as if trying to identify the leaker, then withdrew his gaze.
He asked: “You all know?”
The three nodded, indicating their tacit agreement.
“Prime Minister, this matter is very tricky.
Our mortgage loan issue has been exposed, and domestic public opinion is very unfavorable to us!” Yunas said in a low tone.
As Minister of the Interior, domestic public opinion supervision was Yunas’s responsibility, and now his trouble had arrived.
“Not only that, even within the Government, many people are expressing dissatisfaction with this matter.
I just ran into Chekhov on the way, and he wants our Cabinet to clarify!” Wilson added.
“I know!
The mortgage of tariffs and road rights was decided by our Cabinet, bypassing Parliament.
If it hadn’t been exposed, once the railway was built and opened to traffic, it would have become a fait accompli.
We could have passed by relying on political achievements, but now I’m afraid many people in the party will oppose us!” Stambolov said gloomily.
“That’s right, Prime Minister, that was our initial plan.
It’s impossible now; the British and Austria-Hungary will not let us back out.
Should we activate the contingency plan?” Sovell said murderously.
“Oh, God!
Sovell, have you gone mad?
The contingency plan is for crisis moments; we haven’t reached that point yet!” Wilson opposed loudly.
“Mr.
Wilson, this is already a crisis moment.
If this continues, the Government’s prestige will be hit.
We have been caught by the Opposition Party, and they could initiate a vote of no confidence at any time!” Yunas said.
“Should we wait?
The stakes are too high. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Once activated, it will be like a landslide!
It will also intensify conflicts, leading to a life-or-death struggle with no chance of reconciliation.” Michael said hesitatingly.
Two votes against, two votes in favor, the decision-making power was handed to Stambolov.
“Hmm, activate it!
The situation is beyond our control and cannot continue.
Mr.
Yunas, the next steps are up to your Ministry of the Interior!” Stambolov said viciously.
“Rest assured, Prime Minister.
Everything is under our control!” Yunas said confidently.
“The military will remain neutral during this operation, and at necessary moments, they can come out to suppress rebellion!” Sovell guaranteed confidently.
Stambolov nodded with satisfaction; as for the second half of Sovell’s sentence, he had automatically filtered it out.
Just kidding, if the army were really mobilized, it would mean the outbreak of civil war again.
Regardless of victory or defeat, the Cabinet would be the loser.
Now that the Liberal Party is the ruling party, a coup is no longer a suitable toy for them.
The Opposition Party did not wait for the Government to come out to clarify and explain; the police had already come to their door.
The leaders were thrown into prison one after another, suffering a heavy blow for a time.
Many newspaper offices were also sealed, and countless scholars were implicated.
The bustling Sofia suddenly fell silent.
Literary inquisitions began, and the White Terror started from Sofia and spread throughout Bulgaria.
Prisons became overcrowded.
In just half a month, more than 10,000 people were arrested in Bulgaria.
Among them were intellectuals, feudal landlords, workers, farmers, Government officials, and even some members of Parliament.
The butcher’s knife of the Stambolov Cabinet had been raised high.
The constitution was openly trampled upon, and the dignity of the law was swept away.
On September 15th, the Stambolov Cabinet declared the Conservative Party an illegal political party and ordered its dissolution.
In fact, the Conservative Party was now a scattered mess, with almost all its backbone members in prison.
Although everyone was filled with anger, they were powerless in the face of tyranny.
Everyone had to be careful when speaking; if you were accidentally targeted by the secret police, the gates of the prison would open for you.
Ferdinand added fuel to the fire on the sidelines; such an opportunity for a major purge was rare.
Moreover, there was the Stambolov Cabinet, which voluntarily stood up to take the blame and attract hatred.
If he didn’t make good use of it, how could he be worthy of the Cabinet’s selfless dedication!
Ferdinand admitted that Stambolov was a true patriot who could disregard everything for the rise of Bulgaria.
However, politics is cruel, having nothing to do with justice, only with achieving goals.
The Cabinet’s approach was a bit radical, but for the sake of national development, it was understandable.
The biggest problem was that the Cabinet held great power and wanted Ferdinand, the Grand Duke, to act as a rubber stamp.
Since they blocked his path, naturally, they had to be kicked away.
The struggle for power allows for no concessions.
Previously, Ferdinand had often extended olive branches to Stambolov, but what was the result?
If Stambolov were truly capable, with superb political skills and excellent governing abilities, comparable to the Iron Chancellor, Ferdinand might not have been unable to endure it, but unfortunately, he had none of these.
Thus, with Ferdinand’s secret help, the efficiency of the police was unprecedentedly high.
A large number of anarchists, revolutionaries, and anti-Government activists were exposed and arrested one after another.
Ferdinand knew clearly:
The main problem of modern Bulgaria does not lie in insufficient democracy or lack of active freedom.
On the contrary, Bulgaria’s democracy at the current stage has long exceeded actual needs, and freedom has also surpassed the necessary degree…
Bulgaria is located in the Balkan Peninsula, surrounded by strong enemies.
The most important thing at the current stage is to concentrate efforts on development.
Only when the country is strong can we talk about freedom and democracy!
At the same time, because nationalism in the Balkans is too strong, every Bulgarian has their own political ideas and cannot help but want to contribute to national development.
This leads to them pointing fingers at national politics and development strategies, and blindly being xenophobic!
The two Balkan Wars in history are proof that strong nationalism creates a strong army.
It is also the same reason that created diplomatic isolation, with not a single ally to be found in the surrounding area!
Open a history book, and you will know that Bulgaria has never formed a clear, long-term, and constructive strategic goal.
This group of politicians comes to power and does it one way; that group of politicians comes to power and does it another way.
Who to choose as an enemy, who to choose as an ally?
Unfortunately, Bulgarians have never figured it out, eventually leading to being besieged.
Then, wrapped up by nationalism, they joined the World War to pull chestnuts from the fire, ending up miserably.