Chapter 1397 - 374: The End of the War

Chapter 1397: Chapter 374: The End of the War

After the second peace conference concluded, the armies of the UK, France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary tacitly ceased large-scale warfare. As public opinion shifted, many have speculated that the great powers of Europe may have secretly struck a deal.

This has caused unrest within both the Allies and the other alliances, after all, aside from the UK, France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary, there are allies drawn in by the four great powers within the Allies and alliances.

The unusual behavior of the UK, France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary has plunged the internal camps into deep anxiety, even the United States and the Ottoman Empire are no exception.

Diplomats from the United States and the Ottoman Empire flocked to London, Berlin, Paris, and Vienna to seek information, but the results were unsatisfactory.

Berlin.

"Great Emperor of the German Empire, has your country and Austria-Hungary concealed part of the truth from us? As allies, we have the right to know certain matters," the Ottoman Empire’s Minister of Foreign Affairs personally asked William II in Berlin.

At this point, William II chose not to hide, or rather, Germany never intended to conceal anything from the beginning. After all, the two peace conferences were conducted in secrecy, and the actions of the two countries were unknown to other allies aside from Austria-Hungary.

"Since your country wishes to know the so-called truth, I will not hide any longer. We indeed reached some consensus with England and France, as continuing this war is not beneficial for any of the major participating countries," William II bluntly stated.

The Ottoman Empire’s Minister of Foreign Affairs pretended to be somewhat dissatisfied and questioned, "Germany wants to adjust relations with the Allies, which we are not angry about. But why did you not inform us? After all, we are an important member of the alliance."

As the "Sick Man of Western Asia," the Ottoman Empire naturally lacked the courage to contend with Germany, so when facing William II, the Ottoman Empire’s Minister of Foreign Affairs could only feign anger.

The Ottoman Empire’s performance is also related to its standing within the alliance. According to the alliance’s wartime performance, the Ottoman Empire is only ranked ahead of Romania, and not as well as Bulgaria.

In fact, if Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire were to truly engage in war, the Ottoman Empire might actually find itself in an embarrassing situation. Though Bulgaria is ostensibly the weakest in the alliance, it is a country with robust martial virtues.

Germany has consistently performed well, but given its powerful national strength, it still cannot be compared to Bulgaria’s fervor. Of course, if Prussia were considered separately from Germany, then they could be considered comparable, as Bulgaria is the "Prussia of the Balkan Peninsula."

William II soothed, "Don’t blame us for not informing you, but this meeting with England and France was actually organized by East Africa. They only invited the UK, France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary, not even the United States from the Allies was invited, so there is no need to be overly concerned."

East Africa became the "universal explanation" for the two camps and their respective allies. It was East Africa’s responsibility not to invite you, as they cannot dictate East Africa, which is also one of the world’s great powers, on par with any country in the world.

Although the UK, France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary look down upon the "upstarts" of East Africa and the United States, in terms of actual figures, they must admit the strong national strength of East Africa and the United States.

These two countries have one of the largest industrial capacities in the world, populations far exceeding any of the four countries, leading railroad mileage, substantial grain production, and navies ranked among the world’s top four. Other metrics are also impressive.

To be honest, even William II, who is quite self-assured, has to acknowledge that East Africa and the United States have become important political forces that cannot be ignored in today’s world.

William II said, "I think you should also understand East Africa; we cannot interfere with their diplomatic decisions."

"Moreover, this temporary truce is extremely beneficial for you as well. You have already captured most of the southern Caucasus, and given your relatively late entry into the war, your losses are relatively small among the two camps."

Of course, the reality is not entirely so. Although the Ottoman Empire entered the war late, it is the only country within the alliance where the war occurred on its home territory.

Although in the initial stages of the war, Austria-Hungary was also counterattacked by Serbia into Bosnia, and Russia crossed into the eastern border of Austria-Hungary, these regions were evidently peripheral for Austria-Hungary. Additionally, Bosnia was not considered legitimate territory for Austria-Hungary at the time, merely a military occupation zone.

The Ottoman Empire was different; the empire’s granary in Iraq suffered great damage, and ports along the Persian Gulf were also significantly damaged. The shores of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean were relatively affluent areas within the Ottoman Empire.

And these weren’t the worst scenarios. It’s important to note that the political center of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul, also suffered artillery attacks from the enemy during the war, making it the only capital within the alliance to suffer large-scale attacks by the Allies.

Ultimately, there are gains and losses. The Ottoman Empire’s economy was severely damaged, but its military losses were relatively low among the alliance, even only slightly higher than Romania, a country that hardly played a role.

William II made this a point: "Germany sacrificed millions of soldiers’ lives in the war; comparatively, your situation is somewhat better. Aside from the Persian Gulf War months ago, you haven’t faced other large-scale battles."