Vol 4 Chapter 159: , Paris Peace Conference

During the Paris Peace Conference, Paris can be said to be a chaotic dance of demons, and various countries are united in a row, with endless means.
In just a few days, the Bulgarian delegation has been in contact with all the delegations, some of whom had a good chat, and some were glaring at each other. The world is full of attitudes!
On October 21, 1917, the Paris Peace Conference officially kicked off at the Palace of Versailles. French President Poincaré used the opportunity of the opening speech to give a long speech.
Especially the sentence "Born in injustice, die of shame!" The atmosphere of harmony in the peace meeting was completely destroyed. Everyone knew that the French would not let the Germans go this time!
Constantine's face was also very embarrassed at this time. Although Bulgaria's strategy is to allow the French to expand in the European continent, the French can't make the food so ugly, right?
At any rate, you must also have a gentlemanly demeanor. Even if you are dissatisfied with the Germans, you should not say it now. You can wait for the meeting to slaughter the Germans. If you raise it again, everyone will be more acceptable!
Dissatisfied with dissatisfaction, still no one has trouble with the French because of this little problem.
As the host, French Prime Minister Clemenceau was elected as the chairman of the conference as the head of the French delegation.
Clemenceau said solemnly: "Today's weather is good! The ambitious world war provoked by the Allies, with the joint efforts of all of us, has finally ended!
But the culprit is still at large. I propose to give the head of the Allied Powers-Germany, the most severe sanctions!
1. Explain all the troops of the German government;
2. Confiscate all heavy weapons of the Germans;
3. Demolition of German military facilities and military enterprises;
4. Let Poland and Bavaria be independent;
5. France takes back Alsace and Lorraine, moves the border of France east to the Rhine, and merges the German provinces on the left bank of the Rhine into an independent country;
6. The Germans must pay 800 billion gold marks in war reparations;
7. Arrest all war criminals, and the Allies jointly form an international court for trial;
..."
Constantine just sat quietly and did not object, but the venue had already exploded, and delegations from various countries were whispering to each other and discussing.
Undoubtedly, according to the request of the French, the German empire is finished this time. A Germany that was divided into four and emptied its wallet at the same time has no ability to threaten the French anymore.
At the same time, the French's purpose of rebuilding European hegemony has also been exposed.
In this time and space, there are no Americans who strongly oppose it, and there is even no US delegation in the meeting. The three countries of Britain, France and Bulgaria have already restricted the eligibility to participate in the meeting, which is limited to members of the Allies.
Seeing that there was no objection, Clemenceau set his sights on the British delegation and the Bulgarian delegation. As long as they did not oppose the Germans, it would be finished.
Metjev, who was reading the list of war criminals, suddenly said: "Mr. Klimen Sauyan, it is not a problem to hold the war criminals responsible, but is the list above that a bit too much?
According to international law, the monarchs of various countries have immunity, and we cannot send the German emperor to court. Therefore, we suggest that the royal family members such as Wilhelm II be removed from the list of war criminals, just to pursue other people! "
Clemenceau, who originally thought Bulgaria would oppose him, let go of his hanging heart. Obviously, the Bulgarians were showing their favor.
Among the many conditions put forward by the French, any rejection is troublesome for the French. Only war criminals can be negotiated. Anyway, letting others go will not affect the interests of France.
Clemenceau replied with a stern smile: "The list of war criminals is only a preliminary draft, and everyone can continue to discuss and negotiate before making a final conclusion!"
Then Metev nodded in satisfaction, and the Bulgarian delegation fell silent again.
This caused the British to vomit blood and restrict the French from dominating Europe. It was not their family's business. Unexpectedly, the Bulgarians would let the French go.
Thinking of this, British Prime Minister Lloyd George's face suddenly became gloomy. Could it be that the Bulgarians and the French have reached a deal to join forces to carve up the European continent?
This is the worst result. In any case, they must prevent the French from dominating Europe. So who are their allies now?
Russia? Then he gave up again. The three Russian delegations gathered in Paris a few days ago. The jokes made are not over yet. They simply don't have the power to stop the French.
What about the Austro-Hungarian Empire? This time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire has offended the Germans miserably. They now expect that Germany will be ruined. How can they give the Germans a chance to make a comeback?
After looking around, he found that he could only do it himself, otherwise the French’s goal would be achieved. At the sign of Lloyd George, the British Foreign Secretary Gray objected: "Mr. Clemenceauyan, your country The conditions proposed are too harsh, and the Germans simply cannot do it!
First of all, once the German government disbands the army, the country will soon fall into chaos. A chaotic Germany is not in everyone's interest.
Secondly, the German Empire is a unified country. We cannot separate them. This is very inhumane.
In the end, the 800 billion gold mark of indemnity, you just sold all the Germans, and you can't come up with this huge sum of money!
God teaches us to be generous, why not give the Germans a chance? "
Clementsau said tit-for-tat: "You always have to pay a price for doing something wrong, otherwise everyone will follow suit?
Mr. Gray was worried that Germany would fall into chaos. This was completely overly worrying. As a friendly neighbor, the French army could help them maintain order for free.
In this way, they can save military expenses and can also be used to improve people's livelihood!
As for worrying about the Germans' ability to repay, don't worry about this. They can be paid in installments, and they can also be mortgaged in kind. With the economic strength of the Germans, I believe they will be able to pay off the arrears soon! "
Gray glared and said angrily: "Don't forget that we are here today for peace, not for revenge! Now your country's request is completely driving the Germans on the road to despair, please put away the aggressor's face!"
Clemenceau said with a sneer: "If you say so, who can compare with your country? Could it be that your country's tens of millions of square kilometers of colonies fell from the world?"
...
Seeing the quarrel between Britain and France, the delegations of various countries directly looked at the jokes. Konstantin couldn't stand it anymore and became a peacemaker: "Come on, let’s calm down. The German question is too controversial. Great, let’s calm down and think about it first, and we will discuss it later. Now that the time is almost there, let’s practice first today!"
Everyone naturally agreed with kindness, and then everyone started diplomacy again, but the result still remained unchanged.
For several days, the meeting was full of quarrels between Britain and France. In addition, their brothers were waving the flag and shouting. The chaotic venue was tiresome, perhaps because everyone was tired of arguing.
On October 25, Constantine proposed to put the German issue on hold and deal with the Italian issue first, which was unanimously approved by everyone.
Or maybe everyone felt that the number of people was too large, which delayed the progress of the meeting. In the end, everyone decided to reduce the size of the meeting. That is, two people from the three countries of Britain, France and Bulgaria, and one from the Russian Empire, Japan, and Belgium, and this nine-person group discussed.
The Italian problem is undoubtedly the problem of the three countries, Britain, France and France. In the end, the three countries simply closed the door and discussed it by themselves, excluding the representatives of the other three countries.
The process of this meeting will be much faster. Because the Italian battlefield is dominated by Bulgaria, Constantine spoke on behalf of Bulgaria first: "I will start this time. Italy is one of the culprits of this war. , We propose to cede part of their territories, and then divide them among the three of us, and let them pay a war indemnity!"
This requirement was expected by everyone, and it was a European practice and nothing strange.
After a pause, Constantine continued to speak: "As the party who contributed the most in the Italian war, we demand the Salentina Peninsula and Sicily, and the Italians to pay 3 billion pounds in war reparations!"
Sure enough, as soon as the voice fell, John Bull jumped out to oppose. Lloyd George objected: "Your request from Constantine is too much. This has harmed the interests of the British Empire and we cannot accept it!"
Constantine smiled and said: "Mr. George, don't worry, you might as well put forward your own requirements. Everyone is discussing, and everyone is satisfied as much as possible. If not, you can compensate in other places!"
Lloyd-George is now swallowing a fly. It feels very disgusting. If you could discuss it with you, he thought that Bulgaria was going to come out and fight them in the Mediterranean?
Lloyd George thought for a while and said, "Well, our British Empire wants Sicily and Sardinia, and the Italians pay 1.5 billion pounds in war reparations!"
Puengale also said: "Our French Republic asks for the Principality of Sardinia and Milan, pushes the French-Italian border to the banks of the Ada River, and asks the Italians to pay 2.5 billion pounds in war reparations!"
Originally, Puengale still wanted to fight Sicily, but seeing that the British and the Bulgarians were vying for it, and seeing the chances were not big, he decided to give up.
Constantine smiled and said: "Mr. George does not seem to have a big dispute among us. The contradiction between us lies in Sicily, and the dispute between President Puengale and you is also Sardinia, so the other proposals will be considered. Passed, we just need to discuss the ownership of these two islands now!"
Puengale immediately echoed: "Yes, the dispute between our three countries is about the ownership of these two islands!"
Lloyd-George reacted immediately. This is a routine. The French and Bulgaria have reached an exchange of interests on the Italian issue and have recognized their respective interests.
But I'm not willing to be manipulated like this. If they continue, maybe they will have to make soy sauce this time. They immediately retorted: "No, although the Italians made some mistakes, we can't beat them to death. , They should be given a chance. We recommend that the Italians keep the local integrity!"
Constantine was very dissatisfied and said: "Mr. George, your approach is a typical detriment to others. If we all tear each other down like this, in the end, everyone will get nothing, and will only benefit bystanders!
In this case, it is better for everyone to cooperate. We have suffered heavy losses in this war and urgently need to make up for our vitality. If we don't make a profit from the defeated country, we will have no chance later! "
Many times, when the window paper is broken, things become simpler. Constantine's meaning is very obvious. If the British want to continue to tear down the stage, everyone will be shot and divided. No one wants to divide the spoils after the war. In, get enough benefits!
And it also won the support of the French. Lloyd George knew that if he continued to oppose it, it was estimated that the Bulgarians would forcibly partition Italy with the French. Now the Mediterranean is still the territory of the two countries, they can do it!
Lloyd-George calculated it and found that it was a good compromise. After all, Sicily and Sardinia are two pieces of fat, especially Sicily is in the center of the Mediterranean. After getting their hands, they have a crumbling dominance in the Mediterranean. , It can stabilize again.
But it’s not that simple if you really want to get it. After all, Sicily is very high in terms of economic value and strategic value. It is impossible for the Bulgarians to let go without enough interest to exchange!
"Well then, we can recognize your interests, but the British Empire must acquire Sicily and Sardinia!" Lloyd George said without a doubt
Constantine said calmly: "Then Mr. George will make an offer. You know the value of Sicily, even ten Salentina peninsulas can't compare!
If your country wants to get Sicily, it must pay Bulgaria enough compensation, or we can share Sicily! "
Lloyd-George's face collapsed instantly, sharing Sicily, how could this be possible? Bulgaria's mainland is so close to Sicily, if the two countries really share it, it is estimated that it will become Bulgarian in a few years!
However, it is not so easy to compensate for the benefits. The value of Sicily is too great for them to let go.
Lloyd George said tentatively: "All Italian colonies belong to your country, including the colonial power of Ethiopia!"
Constantine smiled and said: "If this is the case, why not give Sicily to us? How about the regions that your country has acquired, and what about our colony except Asia Minor, can you choose a place for your country?"
Lloyd-George rolled his eyes. The meaning is very obvious. The only value of the Bulgarian colony is Asia Minor. The rest of the land is a rotten land. If it is not for the British Empire to look down on, you still have your share. What? As long as he is not stupid, it is impossible to exchange with Bulgaria!
After thinking about it, Lloyd-George asked back: "Mr. Constantine, please tell me, what do you want? If you can, I think we can still cooperate!"
It would be Constantine's turn to be dumbfounded. He was not ready for this. He was testing it today, but he didn't expect the French to cooperate so well!
Bulgaria and France actually reached a direct agreement on the Italian issue. This time the British won't make any concessions, but what to exchange with the British is another problem!
If the asking price is high, John Bull will definitely disagree. If the asking price is too low, Bulgaria will suffer too much. If you don't expect it for the time being, then you can only drag it!
Constantine thought for a while and said: "I think it will be better for our two countries to communicate slowly with each other on this issue. It is better to finalize the Italian issue now!"
Lloyd George nodded, indicating acquiescence!
...
https://
Please remember the domain name of this book's first publication:. Bookstore mobile version reading URL: