Nelson's history of the war. Vol. XI., The struggle for the Dvina, and the great invasion of Serbia

16 HISTORY OF THE WAR.

Greek army had consisted of four weak divisions ; in 1913 it had risen to ten divisions; and after peace it remained at eleven divisions. The new war strength was six corps, each of three divisions, giving a total of about 240,000 men, with half that number in reserve. Each division—numbering about 12,500 rifles—had eight field or mountain batteries, and in many cases a heavy battery as well, giving an average of three pieces per thousand as compared with the Bulgarian two per thousand.* The whole of the Greek artillery was composed of modern quick-firing Creusot guns.

Meanwhile there were protests from within Bulgaria against the obvious trend of her action. A deputation of ex-Ministers—M. Gueshov, M. Danev, M. Zanov, the leader of the Radical Democrats, M.. Malinov, the chief of the Democratic party, and M. Stambuliviski, the leader of the Agrarianssought an interview with the King. If rumour js to be trusted, King Ferdinand heard some plain speaking that day. M. Malinov demanded the immediate convocation of Parliament, since the country at large was opposed to any adventure in Germany’s company. He warned his sovereign that the enterprise would be more disastrous for Bulgaria than the Second Balkan War. The Agrarian leader, a peasant by origin, was frankness itself. “This policy,” he said, “ will lead to fresh disasters,

* Napoleon laid down four guns per thousand men as the proper complement, and this has always been the ideal which the great military Powers have set before themselves. The question of the proportion of artillery to numbers is a complicated ome. It is fully discussed in General Percin’s Le Combat.

| 1

| “| h