Chapter 1386 - 370: Second Peace Conference (Part 2)

In order to promote peace between the two countries, Frier, the Foreign Minister of East Africa, once again traveled across the ocean to the actual political center of the Netherlands, The Hague.

The last time Frier went to the Netherlands, it was to reach an agreement with the Dutch government on the re-division of influence in the South Sea Region. This time, however, he has become an important participant in mediating the European war.

This made Frier very emotional: "Returning to a familiar place, but this time I bear the fate of the entire world on my shoulders. I hope that with our persuasion, we can bring true peace to Europe and the Middle East."

The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Kebel, who came to greet Frier, agreed with his words: "Your Excellency is right, peace is indeed the trend. I hope this time Germany and the United Kingdom can set aside their differences and completely end this damned war."

Prime Minister Kebel can now be said to be one of the people most eager for the end of the European war. Although he is a pro-German Prime Minister, he certainly has to consider the interests of the Netherlands.

In the early and middle stages of the war, the Netherlands, as Europe's transportation hub, thrived through the Rotterdam Port, Rhine River, railways, highways, and so on, making great profits as a middleman.

However, in the latter stages of the war, the situation completely changed. On the one hand, the Allies formally decided to blockade Germany, and the Netherlands naturally faced difficulties from the Allies, bearing enormous pressure. On the other hand, after five years of war, the treasury of Germany, the main income source for the Netherlands, was nearly depleted.

In summary, if the war continues, the Netherlands will not only fail to profit but may also be turned into a new battlefield by the two major camps.

This is obviously not what the Dutch government wants to see. After all, the tragedy of Belgium is fresh in their minds, and the Netherlands cannot afford such chaos. A small country like the Netherlands, any war could potentially wipe out a century of accumulated wealth overnight.

However, the current situation of the Netherlands is much better than in the previous lifetime. Previously, the Netherlands was genuinely sanctioned by the Allies, and the Belgian refugee issue triggered a food and social crisis.

But due to the existence of East Africa, the situation in this lifetime is much better for the Netherlands. Even if East Africa no longer transports supplies to Germany through the Atlantic Ocean, the trade between East Africa and the Netherlands has not been interrupted, giving the Netherlands a channel to obtain external supplies.

East Africa doing business with the Netherlands naturally requires no justification. After all, both countries are considered "neutral" nations, albeit with trade scaled down to what the Allies can accept.

This is to suffice for the domestic use of the Netherlands but without the ability to export to Germany, hence not expanding Germany's war potential through material exports.

At the same time, East Africa recruited a large number of Belgian refugees from the Netherlands, allowing the Netherlands to avoid a refugee crisis.

The reason why East Africa is willing to give the Netherlands such special treatment, even at the expense of offending the Allies to some extent, is not without reason.

For one, the colonies that the Netherlands sold to East Africa over the years destined East Africa's attitude towards the Netherlands to be much more favorable, as these are tangible interests.

Moreover, as previously mentioned, the Netherlands is Europe's most important transportation hub, with the largest throughput Rotterdam Port and very convenient land transportation. Its economic and industrial levels are advanced, which are foundational conditions worth East Africa's efforts to win them over.

Therefore, Minister Frier spoke kindly to Prime Minister Kebel: "We in East Africa have witnessed the efforts your country has made for peace in Europe and the world. I believe that after peace comes to Europe, our two countries could further deepen cooperation in economic, diplomatic, and cultural fields and exert more influence in international affairs."

The Netherlands itself is an undeniable European country, and its South Sea Colonies and East Africa also have exchanges and cooperation, so Frier does not mind continuing to strengthen the relationship between the two countries.

Faced with Frier's goodwill, Kebel, though noble as a prime minister, did not dare to be negligent, one could say that since he took office, the exchanges between the Dutch government and the East African government have been more frequent than ever before.

Prime Minister Kebel said, "I believe your country can play an even more important role in this conference, bringing peace to the whole of Europe. The Dutch government also hopes to assist East Africa in contributing more to peace."

After a brief exchange, the two set off with their entourage to the venue.

This conference, apart from the Netherlands and East Africa, still included the other four major European countries, remaining a secret meeting.

Even the main Allied member, the United States, and the main member of the Allies, the Ottoman Empire, were not invited. The reason is simple: the United States itself supports the war, and bringing it into the meeting could likely delay progress, while the Ottoman Empire is, frankly, not fit for the negotiation table.

Of course, not involving these two countries also aligns with the ideas of the four European powers. After all, this world war is essentially a European war. As long as the UK, France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary reach a consensus, the problem will naturally be resolved.

The reason East Africa can participate is because it is the main initiator of the peace talks, and the Netherlands serves as the host.

Upon entering the venue, Frier witnessed a tense atmosphere, with especially Germany and the United Kingdom exuding a strong tension, like two volcanoes about to erupt at any moment.

The representatives of Austria-Hungary seemed relatively calm, while France's demeanor was somewhat uneasy. This situation is quite understandable, as Austria-Hungary had been active on the Eastern European front, suffering the greatest losses from the Russians.