Chapter 1392 - 372: Agreement Reached (Part 2)

Chapter 1392: Chapter 372: Agreement Reached (Part 2)

Now, the threat of East Africa in the Indian Ocean has exceeded the critical point that the United Kingdom can bear. If East Africa joins, or even just supports the Allies, it could shake the foundations of British rule. After all, among the three major British colonies currently, namely India, Canada, and Australia, both India and Australia are threatened by East Africa.

Therefore, the British government has always maintained a cautious and concerned attitude towards this Damocles’ sword hanging over its head in East Africa.

This is the fundamental reason why Britain accepted East Africa’s mediation. After all, the reason why Britain has not been greatly affected by the war domestically is because it relies on the manpower, materials, and financial resources from India for support.

And East Africa happens to be the country that can grasp this fatal weakness of Britain, so now what the British most want to do is to weaken the naval forces of various countries in order to achieve a new balance, while taking the opportunity to curb East Africa’s military expansion in the Indian Ocean.

The British are of course aware that Germany is a major concern, but compared to the threat of East Africa in the Indian Ocean, Germany’s threat has become a minor issue.

After all, Britain’s hegemony lies in the seas, not on the European continent, and as long as Germany does not occupy Western European countries like the Netherlands, its navy will always be confined to the Baltic Sea. Moreover, if Germany limits its navy to a certain scale, Britain is more willing to negotiate with Germany.

East Africa, on the other hand, is completely different. East Africa is already effectively a maritime power, with a military presence in all four oceans, especially in the Indian Ocean, which is crucial for Britain. The strength of the East African Navy even surpasses that of the British Navy in the Indian Ocean.

While also considering the growing strength of navies like those of the United States and Japan in other regions, what Britain urgently needs to do now is to limit the navy of other countries, especially maritime powers like East Africa, the United States, and Japan, that are not under British control from further expanding their naval forces.

Subsequently, Fromm and Batman engaged in rather intense discussions on the land issues in Eastern Europe between the two countries, ultimately reaching a broadly acceptable agreement.

According to this agreement, Germany will obtain most of the territories of former Poland in the east, plus the Polish territories Germany already owned, and East Prussia, expanding Germany’s area to approximately 600,000 square kilometers.

According to the agreement, Germany only acquired more than 50,000 square kilometers of land, but before World War I, Germany’s territory was just 540,000 square kilometers, about a tenth of Germany’s original national territory, making it quite considerable.

Moreover, these more than 50,000 square kilometers of land are relatively fertile areas of former Russia, mostly plains and hills, with a dense network of water, beneficial for economic development.

Therefore, although Germany is not satisfied with this agreement, it is still acceptable to some degree. At the very least, it can appease the emotions of the domestic populace. Moreover, obtaining this fertile land will greatly solve Germany’s previous shortage of arable land.

To some extent, the German government has recognized that if it does not solve its food problem, Germany cannot challenge British hegemony. In this world war, the lack of basic materials such as food can be said to be Germany’s biggest obstacle.

So, acquiring large tracts of Polish land is somewhat acceptable to Germany.

After resolving the Polish issue, the countries focused on the Ukraine issue. Fromm proposed: "As for the Ukraine Region, I suggest establishing an independent new Ukraine Republic, while the region of Moldova should be treated as spoils of war for Austria-Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria."

Originally, Britain intended to use the Ukraine Region as a foundation to support the old forces of former Russia. The former Russian Crown Prince Aleksey was a good choice for this.

After all, the Tsar has a large number of supporters within the former Russia, with strong appeal. Now, with a high probability that Nicholas II has met with misfortune, Aleksey becomes a very good choice.

However, because of East Africa, Britain does not trust Aleksey, given that Aleksey and the Tsarist Russian exile government he leads are based in East Africa, so Britain fears supporting a "traitor."

Austria-Hungary’s representatives did not express much opposition to this, although Ukraine is tempting, Austria-Hungary simply does not have the capacity to assimilate such a large region, with already too many Slavs within its borders as it is.

Mautendorf said, "We can allow Ukraine to become an independent state, but we demand more war reparations, so as former Russian territory, Ukraine should inherit this responsibility."

In other words, Austria-Hungary, though not demanding Ukraine to be part of its territory, wants to turn Ukraine into its economic colony, which was Austria-Hungary’s plan even before the war began.

Regarding Austria-Hungary’s demands, Fromm also expressed acceptance. Even if Austria-Hungary can effectively utilize Ukraine, it also means they must bear the responsibility of helping the new Ukrainian government fight against the Russian Labor Party.

In this sense, Russia is the biggest victim of World War I, becoming the main bargaining chip for compromise between the Allies and the Allies, though originally a member of the Allies.

After addressing the main issues in Eastern Europe, the countries finally began discussions on other matters.

French political demands were also satisfied. Germany and France reached an agreement that after the ceasefire, Germany would not deploy forces on the borders of the Lorraine and Alsace regions, leaving a buffer zone.