Chapter 1389 - 371: Sacrifice (2)

Chapter 1389: Chapter 371: Sacrifice (2)

Well said. Watching the Austria-Hungary and United Kingdom delegates tearing into each other like dogs, the various people in the hall were all secretly delighted—after all, it’s human nature to enjoy a spectacle and never think the trouble is too big.

Fromm, for his part, was thoroughly infuriated by Mautendorf’s words—after all, this "bastard" had actually chosen to poke at the United Kingdom’s territorial issues, which just happens to be Britain’s soft spot.

However, you really couldn’t find fault with what Mautendorf said, because in essence Austria-Hungary’s territorial problems are no different from the United Kingdom’s territorial problems.

The only issues Austria-Hungary has with Serbia are over Bosnia and Croatia, and for Austria-Hungary those two regions are no different from what Scotland and Ireland are to the United Kingdom.

Everyone grabbed their land by force—who can claim anyone else’s territory is illegitimate? If we really went down that road, then the territorial issues of every country in Europe would become a hopeless tangle.

"Ahem, you two, let’s not get sidetracked. The core of this conference is, after all, to seek common ground while reserving differences, to resolve disputes—only then can we truly strive for lasting peace." Prime Minister Kaiboer of the Netherlands hurriedly intervened.

Frier also shifted the topic at this point: "Since Serbia has been brought up, let me say a fair word from the standpoint of an observer. There’s no doubt that the world war broke out starting from this little European country."

"And if we want to trace things back to the source and look for the culprit, then Serbia absolutely cannot shake off its responsibility; one could even say that the reason the world war broke out lies in the crimes of the former Serbian Kingdom government."

"Serbia was itself a militaristic, warmongering state. Even before the world war, Serbia’s contradictions with the various countries on the Balkan Peninsula were already extremely sharp. Whether the Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, or Greece, more or less all had conflicts with this country."

"But I believe this was entirely Serbia’s fault, because anyone who knows history is aware that Serbia’s independence from the Ottoman Empire was fundamentally achieved thanks to the help of the various European countries."

"That was the reason they could restore their state. So toward the European community that helped Serbia regain its kingdom, the original Serbia ought to have been deeply grateful."

"Yet, in order to echo the Great Slavism that Russia had originally been propagating, and for its own ambitions, Serbia concocted the so‑called ’Greater Serbia-ism’, turning its spearhead against comrades who had once shared the same trench. Such conduct is downright despicable—after all, the fall of the Ancient Serbian Kingdom was not caused by the surrounding countries in the first place."

"Instead, they used nationalism to poison their own populace, while also exploiting Serbian communities originally taken in by other states, inciting them to oppose the countries that had given them refuge."

"Does it make any sense that, just because some pitiful Serbian refugees were taken in after the Ancient Serbians lost their state, they now get to brazenly flip the table and seize the host’s seat?"

"Obviously this runs counter to reason and international morality. In the words of the Far East Empire, it is a case of repaying kindness with enmity and usurping the magpie’s nest."

Frier dumped all the blame onto the Serbians—after all, Serbia is easy to bully, and Serbia had indeed been courting death before.

Now that the Serbian government is in exile and its own territory has been carved up, Frier no longer fears Serbian retaliation. Of course, even if Serbia had not lost its state, as an official of a Great Power Frier would hardly be afraid of offending Serbia.

Naturally, aside from these reasons, Frier had another consideration: the conflict between Serbia and the Dalmatian Kingdom also made it impossible for him to speak up for Serbia—on the contrary, he was inclined to kick it while it was down.

The so‑called Dalmatian Kingdom is nothing more than the "Rhine" people, or rather Mixed-blood Germans, whom East Africa has cultivated within Austria-Hungary. The very founding of the Dalmatian Kingdom was achieved by striking at Serbia, so Frier also intends to support this future Dalmatia as an important sphere of influence through which East Africa can project power into Southeastern Europe.

Frier went on: "The remarks just now by the two delegates, Mautendorf and Fromm, are actually both somewhat biased."

"Because we all know the Serbians’ backer was the Tsar—but now the Tsar has already been persecuted by the Labor Party, so we will not discuss the matter of Tsar Nicholas II."

"However, aside from Nicholas II’s assistance, Serbia’s own problems were also severe. The ambition of its government was one factor. Ever since Serbia restored its state, you could say it expanded its military every single year, marching down the road of militarism—so its eventual defeat was inevitable."

"Small countries ought to know their place; only then can they avoid calamity. But it’s too late to say any of this now—we can only grit our teeth and clean up the mess left by the Serbian government."

"Tracing back to the root, if Serbia had not pursued military expansion on the Balkan Peninsula, the world war might never have broken out. So after the war, Serbia must certainly be subjected to punishment."

Fromm chimed in at this point: "Punishing Serbia is of course no problem—but we in the United Kingdom believe that Serbia must be preserved, since it has already suffered corresponding penalties."

Frier had not said he wanted Serbia completely wiped out, and that was precisely a signal to the British—after all, the British need Serbia to continue to exist, so that it can serve as their pawn in constraining the various Balkan states.