Chapter 1391 - 372: Reaching Consensus

Chapter 1391: Chapter 372: Reaching Consensus

A weak nation has no diplomacy, Serbia being targeted is exactly this scenario. Now Serbia hardly counts as a nation, and its government in exile is merely a pawn to be discarded at will. The United Kingdom has already done its utmost by choosing to preserve Serbia.

Frier said, "This way, the issue with Serbia has been properly handled, proving that any conflict can be resolved."

"And this example can be used to gradually address other disputes and problems. I believe with everyone’s joint efforts, the end of the war is not far away."

Following Frier’s words, it also means that the interests of many smaller and weaker nations will be abandoned. After all, the Allies and the Central Powers are now balanced, and the benefits each side can obtain are minimal.

To achieve peace, the great powers certainly won’t sacrifice their own interests, so they can only choose to target smaller and weaker nations like Serbia.

Subsequently, various countries engaged in intense bargaining around this point.

Germany naturally wants to engulf the fruits of this war, particularly the gains on the Eastern Front, such as Poland and the Baltic Sea Coast.

This naturally met with opposition from England and France. After all, Germany is already at its peak, capable of holding its own against England and France. If Germany further expands its territory, this is not what England and France wish to see.

France’s demand is for Germany to not only withdraw its troops from France but also to declare Lorraine and Alsace as demilitarized zones.

From France’s perspective, they naturally hope to recover Lorraine and Alsace, but given their disadvantage on the battlefield, France understands that this is unrealistic. Therefore, they have no option but to settle for second best by requiring Germany not to deploy forces in these two areas.

The United Kingdom advocates for reducing naval forces, redefining standards for each nation’s navy while continuing to reinforce the British Royal Navy’s position through alliances, which was one of the UK’s pre-World War I objectives.

Austria-Hungary naturally desires to annex Serbia and the lands along the Black Sea. Serbia is already settled, but there is significant contention regarding the Black Sea Coast, as it involves countries like the former Ukraine and Moldova.

Overall, the dispute between England and France and Germany and Austria-Hungary over interests mainly concerns the disposition of Eastern Europe, where Germany and Austria-Hungary seek to fully digest the benefits obtained from Russia and the Balkans, while England and France hope for the independence of these areas instead of falling into the hands of Germany and Austria-Hungary.

The UK’s representative, Fromm, stated, "Germany may receive part of Poland’s territory as compensation, but both the Baltic Sea region and Poland should establish independent countries."

Germany’s representative, Prime Minister Batman, said, "We are willing to allow the independence of Estonia and Latvia, but territories in former Russia, including Minsk, should be incorporated into the Empire’s territory."

Batman is quite bold in his requests, essentially proposing to cover vast regions formerly occupied by Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus.

This is clearly unacceptable to the United Kingdom. Granting so much land to Germany would essentially mean reconstituting the historical territory of the Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth, which during the 16th and 17th century was one of Europe’s most populous, extensive, and powerful nations.

Fromm outrightly refused, saying, "Impossible. Lithuania must be independent, and even Poland must be independent. This is our bottom line. Otherwise, we would rather continue the war."

Before World War I, Germany had already occupied parts of Poland, so the UK does not want to see a complete Poland being absorbed by Germany and Austria-Hungary. Given that Germany is unlikely to relinquish all of Poland, the UK can only settle for second best, attempting to prevent Germany’s expansion as much as possible, only allowing Germany’s territory to grow by approximately 50,000 square kilometers.

Moreover, the condition is that Germany must guarantee and limit its naval development, so even though Germany has expanded its territory, it can only be considered a land power and, sandwiched between France and Russia, its strategic position remains within the UK’s scope of intervention.

Fromm does not believe the Russian Labor Party is easily provoked. Due to the delays in the European war, the Russian Labor Party has fundamentally stabilized its regime, and with a stabilized regime, the Russian Labor Party will inevitably cause trouble for Germany, forming a new balance.

Thus, Fromm said, "Germany will obtain territory east of Warsaw, while in Eastern Europe, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania will establish independent countries."

According to Fromm’s planning, Poland will become a medium-sized country with an area of over 300,000 square kilometers, encompassing parts of former Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus, allowing Poland to achieve a balance with Germany and Russia.

Simultaneously, Fromm stated, "If Germany tries to gain more, then let the war continue. Our bottom line is intolerable to compromise. Although you have made significant advances on the Southern Front, your domestic issues are on the verge of erupting."

"We are absolutely not afraid of confrontation with you. In the end, only the Labor Party will benefit. As far as I know, Germany is not in a good state now, especially your economy. How long can it support the German army?"

With the United States as a fresh source of support, the British are not at all intimidated by a war of attrition, but the real reason the British want to cease hostilities is fear of East Africa’s involvement.