Chapter 2143 High-Level Meeting One
As President Armand expected, at this time, high-level German parties are indeed discussing the next step. As Crown Prince Ruprecht said, whether to attack the British Grand Fleet is a question of bonus points, not A must-do question. If the British are willing to agree to the Germans' request for an armistice, then the Germans can naturally conclude a treaty, but if they do not agree, then they can only fight each other!
And what is this condition? This is not something that Ruprecht can decide on his own. If the French are to be spared, the prince dares to do it, but the contract with Britain is directly related to the distribution of benefits after the war. Everything often comes to an end. Time is the most important! And the finale involving interests is even more terrible! So at this time, even if Ruprecht already has a general idea in mind, he must discuss it with other hills in Germany!
Therefore, on the second day after the surrender of the British Expeditionary Force, the Kaiser's representative, the Archduke of Baden, and the parliamentary representative, Barth, came to Wilhelmshaven. They will communicate with the crown prince about negotiations with the United Kingdom. In addition to the two, Prime Minister Holweg and Mr. Buhler, a military representative sent by the parliament, will also attend the meeting. Of course, compared to Holweg, who still has the position of prime minister, Buhler's status is much lower. Yes, his arrival caught Ruprecht a little by surprise, but since the parliament sent personnel, it didn't matter who came, the most important thing was being able to negotiate a plan.
"I think everyone should be very clear that the empire has won the ground battlefield and is about to win the entire war. We cannot enter London or Paris to show the world our strength and pride like we did decades ago. But with our swords in our hands, we have enough to gain more than any war. Today, we are all sitting here to discuss this issue." Ruprecht's opening remarks were short and uplifting. Get people excited.
"Now the UK has passed on the message of peace talks to us through a third party, but there is still a big gap between what they want to give and what we expected. Your Highness, I remember you once said that when necessary, naval power will be used to attack the UK. The pillar of the main force - the large fleet launched an attack, so now, is this battle still necessary? If we can destroy the large fleet, will we gain greater benefits? For example, India in South Asia?" Al asked Prince Burt.
"There is a saying in the ancient East called too much is too late. This sentence means that if something is done, it is the same as if it is not done well. This sentence is very suitable for the current German Empire. Many things in this world cannot be achieved by pure force. It's solved, believe me, maybe the British are the rats crossing the street and everyone shouts and beats them, but no country wants to see the British Empire collapse directly, the French and the Russians don't, and the Americans don't, in fact, we don't want to either, You can't even beat the British too badly!" Ruprecht said calmly.
"Let's not talk about the technical issue of how we landed in the British Isles, nor talk about the American reaction at a critical moment. Simply speaking, if the UK collapses, then it will leave 150 times more land in the world than its homeland Who will inherit the colonies? Who will benefit the most from such a large vacuum? Anyway, no matter in terms of geopolitics or strength, I don’t think the exhausted empire will be the biggest beneficiary of this matter.”
"If the beneficiaries are the French or the Russians, we don't care, their power limit is that big, it doesn't matter how big it is. But what if it is the United States? Think about it, if the United Kingdom collapses, then Canada will definitely be included The strategic frontier of the United States, and Australia and New Zealand will also move closer to the United States to balance the threat of Japan. The two most important dominions in the Commonwealth,
Two countries with an area of more than 17 million square kilometers joined the Americans, and we were powerless to control India with hundreds of millions of people. So who is the biggest winner in this war? What's the point of us working so hard to bring down the British, but to support ourselves with a bigger enemy? I don't think anyone here will believe the saying that German-US friendship lasts forever, right? "At the end, Ruprecht asked rhetorically.
Just as Americans have always been worried and hostile to the Germans, the Germans are actually the same way to the Americans. The common interests in front of them make the two superpowers stand together for the time being, but what about ten years later? When the empires of the older generation fall from their peak or fade out, what will happen to the relationship between the two countries, the United States and Germany? It's really hard to say!
In fact, there are many cases like this in history, such as the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Did Germany have the ability to collapse the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Austro-Prussian War? There must have been. After all, the Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time was suffering from internal and external troubles, but Germany finally released the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Once the tens of millions of Catholic Germans in Austria enter Germany, how will Germany solve religious problems and the administrative problems caused by it? After all, Austria is too big! Bigger than all the South German states put together.
At that time, Britain, Russia, France and other countries also did not want the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The three countries were worried that Germany would become too big was one factor, and the concern about the spread of complex ethnic issues was another factor. Under the influence of many factors, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was preserved, and the end of World War I Afterwards, the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is okay, Germany is finished, no one will become too powerful because of the annexation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Balkan countries are independent, and many of them have a share of the Austro-Hungarian heritage. , thus also inheriting the responsible ethnic question. Therefore, the ultimate destruction of an empire is not only a matter of strength, but also the result of games between countries. And obviously, it is impossible for Britain to be destroyed now, neither of the two conditions is met!
"Then what about our conditions? The British are defeated, what price will they have to pay?" the Grand Duke of Baden thought for a while and said, after all, the interests are the most important.
"We can discuss the issue of reparations later. The most important thing is the limitation of the colonies and British armaments. For the colonies, my opinion is that the British forces should be completely withdrawn from Africa and the Middle East. At the same time, some parts of India should be independent!" Lu Precht said.
Three more today~~~! Ask for a subscription and a reward~~~!
Recommend the new book of the urban master Lao Shi: