Holy Roman Empire

"France is also a victim of this war. It was Napoleon IV who initiated the war, and all French people should not be allowed to pay for his personal mistakes.

We ask the General Assembly to issue a warrant to bring the war criminal Napoleon IV to justice, and to give an explanation to the millions of people who died in this war..."

Before Robert finished speaking, Weisenberg, the host of the meeting, scolded: "Shut up!"

"Mr. Robert, don't you feel ashamed that you don't want to take responsibility for things and blame yourself for being loyal to the emperor?

Sorry, I forgot that you are already revolutionized.It is a rebellious party itself, so naturally I don't feel ashamed.

But such a shameless thing, you can do it, we can't do it.Wanting an emperor, even an emperor in exile, is also not allowed by the international community. "

"shameless!"

"There is no father!"

……

A series of curses continued to be staged in the conference room.Obviously, Robert's blame was wrong.Most of the representatives attending the meeting came from monarchy countries, and it is obviously a "taboo" to dump the emperor.

Especially in the case of camera recording, in order to be politically correct, representatives of various countries must also stand up and express their positions.

Several representatives of the Republic, including Robert's high hopes, also joined the scolding battle at this moment, spraying him with blood.

support?

What a joke, it must be tiring to fight against so many monarchies for France.

Before Robert could think of a countermeasure, a cup flew towards him and passed him, followed by documents and pens.

Chaos, ever since someone took the lead in using violence, followers have gathered, and the scene has completely fallen into chaos.

Obviously, there are plenty of smart people.There is a camera behind to record, how can such a good opportunity be missed?

Frankly speaking, Weissenberg wouldn't mind joining if it wasn't for the meeting chair.After all, there are not many opportunities to show loyalty like this, so how can you miss it when it comes to your door.

Anyway, Robert is also the President of France. If an accident happens in Vienna, Austria will be embarrassed.

"Guards, maintain order!"

When everyone was pulled away, Mr. Robert, who was tough and simple, had a bruised nose and a swollen face, and his head was blooming.

Fortunately, the wound was not deep, and the medical conditions in Austria were good, so he was rescued in time, otherwise the Vienna Peace Conference would have been a joke.

……

In the Palace of Vienna, after receiving the news, Franz once suspected that the French had sent a dead soldier to deliberately come here to make trouble in order to reduce the punishment of the war.

This guess is well-founded. Judging from the situation recorded by the camera, the earliest water cups flew out of the British delegation.

In an instant, Franz conjured up the picture of the collusion between Britain and France, exchanging a dead soldier for the preservation of France's vitality.

Facts have proved that he is completely overthinking.The French, under the noses of the Allied forces, have not yet been able to manipulate these matters.

According to the collected information, President Robert is also an important leader of the Revolutionary Party. He has led workers' uprisings many times and played an important role in the Paris Revolution.

Apart from his lack of political acumen, this passionate and brave revolutionary has almost no shortcomings in life and work.

It's right to think about it. The revolutionary government in Paris has been unable to elect a president for a long time, but no one is willing to take this hot potato.

Robert, who was excluded from the center of power after the success of the revolution, was able to be elected president, and he used it to take the blame.

As for the national interest, that is completely overthinking.The anti-French alliance is so strong that France has no capital to negotiate at all.

Whether it is sending the world's most powerful diplomat or sending a pig, the final result will not be fundamentally different.

But even if he has a bit of political savvy, Robert will not step in and accept orders when everyone is retreating, and take over this errand that is destined to make him notorious.

Chapter 234 The Treaty of Vienna

The earth keeps turning when it is separated from anyone.Therefore, the president's admission to the hospital did not affect the normal progress of the peace conference.

Without Robert, there can still be Liebert, Lambert, just throw anyone from the French delegation, and the script can continue to be played.

Although the camera recorded everything that happened in the venue, it is still impossible to find the murderer.

Those who did the work were representatives from various countries, all of whom had diplomatic immunity, and more than 20 countries were involved, and they couldn't be held accountable if they wanted to!

Ignore the protests of the French and ask the representatives who participated in the violence out of the meeting room, and the matter is over.

……

"No, this treaty is too harsh and has exceeded France's ability to bear it, and we request a revision.

We can accept the cession of some colonies, but the terms of cession of the mainland must be deleted; war reparations are acceptable, but the amount of reparations must be reduced; punishment of war criminals is fine, but the list of war criminals is not realistic and must be re-determined.

......"

After the replacement, the performance of the French delegation was obviously much more normal.It can be seen that, in addition to President Robert, who is behind the pot, the Paris government still sent a professional negotiating team.

"Mr. James, there is always a price to pay for doing wrong things. Does your country want to be irresponsible now that you provoked this insane war?"

In international negotiations, the interests of small countries are most likely to be sacrificed.Regardless of the fact that an agreement has been reached within the Anti-French Alliance, as long as a formal treaty is not signed, there may be repetitions.

Belgium paid a high price in this war and received a lot of spoils.In order to get the benefits to the treaty as soon as possible, Prime Minister Jules, as the representative of Belgium, had to act as the vanguard.

James shook his head and replied seriously: "No, I'm just stating a fact.

The war indemnity of 800 billion Aegis is calculated at an interest rate of five thousandths, and the monthly interest alone is as high as 4 million Aegis.

Don't say that now, even before the war, France's annual fiscal revenue was less than 4 million Aegis.Selling France is not enough, what do you want us to pay back?

Any great nation cannot tolerate the division of the country, and France is no exception. We cannot accept any terms of ceding the mainland.

If you want to forcibly cede land, then there will never be peace on the European continent. "

"I can understand, is this a threat?"

Jules asked sharply.Today is different from the past, the hatred of Belgium and France has penetrated into the bone marrow, and offending the French is not a problem at all.On the contrary, not taking the opportunity to weaken France is the real danger.

James repeated in a very firm tone: "No, I'm just stating a fact!"

Despite the threatening undertones, public acknowledgment was out of the question.Broken cans can indeed bring trouble to the Anti-French Alliance, but it is France that suffers the greater loss.

In case the anti-French alliance is angered, give them a ruthless one, and France will really have no future.

The only thing we can rely on now is that the anti-French alliance wants to stop losses.At this point in the war, it is impossible to obtain greater benefits if it continues. Only when it is good can the benefits be maximized.

If there is no France, not only will the war indemnity be lost, but even the anti-French alliance will come to an end.

Without the alliance, Austria's desire to dominate the European continent is not as simple as it is now.

Without the threat of the French, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, and the Italian states would not be as obedient as they are now.

In a sense, Austria is copying the American routine after World War II in the original time and space, using the threat of the Soviet Union to tie European countries to its own boat.When the supremacy is consolidated, kick the Soviets away.

This is a conspiracy. As a neighbor, there is no one who does not want to carve up France, but limited by his own strength, he really can't bear it.In this context, everyone has to rely on Austria.

Seeing that the situation might get out of control, Weisenberg said slowly: "Mr. James, you can't afford to pay or accept it. That's your country's problem. The losses caused by the war are so great, and you should bear the responsibility.

Of course, we will also consider the actual situation and formulate a reasonable compensation standard.

The world is developing, and we must look forward. Being unable to afford compensation now does not mean that we cannot afford compensation in the future.

Since entering the industrial age, the wealth created by human beings has grown geometrically. 800 billion Aegis is a lot, but I believe in your country's capabilities. "

Bargaining is a must, and everyone knows that France cannot afford the 800 billion Aegis in compensation.Without the depreciation of Aegis, no country can afford this huge sum of money.

The so-called future repayment, if interest is not calculated, is no problem.It's a pity that this is compound interest calculation, and the cumulative interest rate is astonishingly large.

Fiscal income and economic development are linked, and if you want to outperform interest rates, the economic growth rate cannot be lower than 7 points.

The second industrial revolution is still going on, and the economic growth rate of all countries is not slow. It is not hopeless if we work hard to seven points, but there is still something called "economic crisis" in this world.

If people have no hope, they will give up on themselves.The same applies to the country. Working for others for a lifetime without seeing the slightest return, no matter who you are, you will get bored.

If you want the French to work hard to repay the money, you must leave hope, so the debt can be negotiated, but the cession of land is not negotiable.

It has been eaten by all countries, and if you want everyone to spit it out again, it is impossible to do it at the negotiating table.

James bowed politely, and made a self-deprecating analysis: "Thank you for your trust, but you guys really overestimate us. If France was really that powerful, I wouldn't be here.

The French colonial empire has collapsed, the Italian region has become independent again, our homeland has been hit hard by the war, and the economy is on the verge of collapse.

France's comprehensive national strength is now less than one-third of what it was before the war.The domestic mess alone is enough for us to keep busy.

In 20 years, we will be able to return the economy to pre-war levels, and it is God's blessing.

Numbers don’t lie. France’s current annual fiscal revenue will not exceed 5000 million Aegis, and even domestic expenditures are not enough. How can they pay compensation?

No matter how much the indemnity is, if you can't get it, it's just an illusory figure with no value at all. "

The tone is sincere, and the content is all dry goods.France now is indeed a mess.

The provisional government with mixed fish and dragons, the hungry people who are starving for food, the local powerful factions who oppose the revolutionary government, the million-strong army of the anti-French alliance, and the huge indemnity that is being negotiated are all problems facing the Paris government.

Any disturbance in any one place may lead to the collapse of the nascent revolutionary government in Paris.

In fact, France would have been in chaos if it hadn't been for the anti-French alliance troops to suppress the place.

A chaotic France is definitely not in the interests of all parties.Not only can we not get compensation, but more importantly, chaos equals variables.

Troubled times may not necessarily produce heroes, but it is certain that heroes will emerge.In case another military genius like Napoleon appears again, it will be a new European war.

"Mr. James, we have considered all these issues. After the war, your country only needs to pay 3000 million Aegis at one time, and the rest of the debt will be paid in installments later.

1893年~1895年，贵国每年只需要支付1500万神盾；1896年~1900年，每年增加150万神盾的赔款；1901年~1910年，每年增加300万神盾的赔款……”

The question of when the debt can be paid off with increasing compensation year by year can only be answered by God. Anyway, Weisenberg, the solution provider, does not know.

The only advantage is probably that the amount of compensation is within the tolerance of the French government.As long as the Paris government saves money, for example: abolishing the army and reducing administrative expenses, it will be able to pay the indemnity.

As if thinking of the terrible consequences, James hastily protested: "No, with this payment method, we will not be able to pay off the debt in another 100 years.

The responsibilities of our generation cannot be imposed on the next generation, and they have no obligation to shoulder this responsibility that does not belong to them. "

……

Now that the drama has begun, it must continue.In the face of interests, whether it is the representatives of France or the representatives of the anti-French alliance countries, they are all fighting with reason.

As the scene became hotter, the representatives of various countries who were witnesses gradually became lubricants, as if they were trying their best to reconcile the contradictions between all parties.

It can only be said that everyone is an excellent actor, even if they haven't read the script, they can still catch the lines.

The quarrel lasted for more than a month, but still failed to reach an agreement. It was not until the discharge of President Robert, the blame man, that the war of words and guns came to an end.

Throwing the treaty drafted by the Anti-French Alliance on the ground, Robert asked with a sad face, "Mr. James, is this what you have achieved these days?"

Territory cession has basically remained unchanged, the colonies must have disappeared, and the area of ​​​​the territory to be cede has not shrunk. The only valuable change is the reduction in compensation.

The reduction from 800 billion to 400 billion seems to have shrunk by half, and there has been no change in essence. The Paris Revolutionary Government still cannot afford it.

Compared with the original treaty, the biggest change is the list of war criminals.Finally, the main leader of the revolutionary party was taken down from the top and replaced with a high-level government-in-exile.

It's a pity that this doesn't have any real meaning. The government-in-exile has been hiding away for a long time. Except for Napoleon IV who is still bubbling openly, the rest of them have changed their identities and cannot be arrested at all.

The revolutionary government has just taken power, and no matter how much they throw the blame away, it is impossible for them to bear war crimes.The Anti-French Alliance also followed the rules. Even if the leader of the revolutionary party went to the war court, he would be acquitted in the end.

The revolutionaries escaped, but the benefactors behind them could not all escape.Consortiums, arms dealers, bankers, and other big capitalists, these guys who were hit by Napoleon IV once again were targeted by the Anti-French Alliance.

In general, they have not been wronged. This war was indeed instigated by them.It is completely justified to be defined as a war criminal.

Although they dragged the French government back in the war and made outstanding contributions to the victory of the Anti-French Alliance in the war, who made them too fat?

Napoleon IV only took away the cash in their hands, and a large number of mines, factories, and real estate were still in their hands. This small wave of people controlled at least half of France's wealth.

The members of the anti-French alliance are basically clinking poor. How can we let everyone let go of such a huge wealth?

It is impossible to get all of them, but it is always possible to get a part of them to make up for the losses of one's own in the war.

The Allied forces stationed in mainland France took action early on. Except for a few lucky ones who escaped unharmed, the rest of them were just out of the wolf's den and into the tiger's mouth.

There are only two roads before them, either hand over a considerable amount of money for their lives, or go to the war court.

For politicians, from the moment the revolution succeeds, the value of these patrons is greatly reduced.If the Anti-French Alliance can help kill these guys, it is estimated that many people will be secretly happy.

After all, French plates are already small.If these vested interests are not eliminated, how will the latecomers rise.

Of course, this does not include President Robert.In his view, this is betraying his comrades-in-arms, which is a very immoral behavior.

James shook his head: "Your Excellency, no one wants to develop things to this point, but we have to face the reality.

The Anti-French Coalition has issued an ultimatum. If we refuse to sign the treaty, the revolutionary government will have no value.They will rule France militarily and perform government duties on their behalf.

At the peace meeting, the Russian representative also put forward the proposal of regional occupation.If you get to that point, France will become their colony. "

"No value of existence" does not mean disbanding. If it is time to partition and occupy France, the Paris Revolutionary Government will become a stumbling block.