"Your Majesty, the imperial ambassadors to Switzerland have reported that the French and Italian ambassadors to Switzerland have successively proposed peace talks with the empire. It seems that the effect of the victory of the naval battle has begun to show." Imperial Foreign Minister von Kidren Wachter reported.
"It's no wonder. Originally, they pinned their hopes on the naval battle. Now, they have lost a complete defeat in the naval battle. Under such circumstances, of course they can't hold on." Qin Tian nodded with a smile.
It can be said that Germany is only one step away from winning the final victory in this battle. Although, the British are still stubbornly resisting. But France is different from Italy, they don't have straits to protect them. The powerful German Army can destroy them at any time. In order to keep their country, they can only beg for mercy from Germany. And Germany can finally reap the benefits it gained in this war.
"Your Majesty, if the Empire is not prepared to destroy France and Italy, I think it is time to have peace talks with them." Prime Minister Bernhard von Bülow said.
"Well, then prepare to have peace talks with them. Let the representatives of the French and Italians come to Berlin! Since they are begging for mercy, they must appear to be begging for mercy." Qin Tian said.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Both Prime Minister Bilo and Foreign Minister Wahit nodded repeatedly.
"During the peace talks against France and Italy, I hope to get as much benefit from them as possible. You know, in order to win this war, the empire paid a huge price. The consumption alone The military expenditures have exhausted all the accumulation we have accumulated over the years. Even the government is already heavily in debt. Now that we have won the war, everything will naturally need to be paid by them," Qin Tian said.
In order to win this war, Germany began preparations a long time ago. To this end, the Army has undergone a large-scale facelift. Equipped with a large number of advanced weapons, especially automatic weapons and artillery. Make the army's various units have more powerful firepower. Not to mention the navy, a large number of new battleships and battlecruisers, as well as aircraft carriers, are all piled up with money. In the war, the strong combat effectiveness of the German army was mainly manifested in its powerful firepower. This certainly enabled the German army to win the battle at a relatively small cost. But at the same time, the consumption of logistics materials is also very alarming. At the end of the day, these all cost money.
In war, a lot of resources are tilted towards war. This not only affects the lives of the people, but also restricts the supply of many materials that are in short supply. Such as gasoline and so on. At the same time, the country's economy has also been adversely affected. If the war continues to drag on, it will have a very negative impact on the German economy.
Fortunately, the war is not over yet. However, Germany's victory in the war was beyond any doubt. Moreover, it is also possible to heal the wounds of the war by blackmailing the defeated country, restore the country's economy, and ensure that the war can continue.
The last time Russia paid Germany as much as 20 billion marks in war reparations in order to withdraw from the war. All paid in gold and other precious metals. This made Germany a windfall, and the financial pressure was effectively relieved. This time, the French and Italians couldn't hold it anymore, and offered to send it to their door. This is undoubtedly another good opportunity for Germany.
"Yes, Your Majesty. However, what is our bottom line in the peace talks with the French and Italians?" Wachter asked.
Qin Tian thought for a while, and then said: "When negotiating with the French, our bottom line mainly has the following points. First, the war indemnity must not be less than 50 billion marks. Second, all French overseas colonies must be transferred to To the empire. Thirdly, France should cede a large area of territory to the empire. For example, with the Loire River as the boundary, the north belongs to the empire, and the south belongs to France. Fourth, France’s military strength must be limited, and it is not allowed to have air force, navy The displacement of warships must not exceed 5,000 tons, submarines and aircraft carriers cannot be owned, the size of the army must be limited to less than 100,000 people, the number of police officers must not exceed the total strength of the army, etc. You can figure out the rest!"
When Qin Tian said all these conditions, Bi Luo and Vacht were already stunned. They never thought that Qin Tian would impose such harsh conditions on France. You know, this is much harsher than what they imagined!
"Your Majesty, will the French agree to such a condition? If they agree, it will be no different from subjugation!" Prime Minister Bilo said.
As many as 50 billion marks in war reparations, which is already twenty times Germany's annual fiscal revenue! You know, Germany's fiscal revenue last year was only 2.4 billion marks!
Let’s not talk about whether the French are willing to pay so much war indemnity, even if they are willing, do they have so much money? In this regard, both Prime Minister Bilow and Vachter have serious doubts.
"Don't worry, the French will agree. If they refuse, then our army will occupy the entire territory of France. At that time, they will also have to be slaughtered by us. Although 50 billion marks is an astronomical figure, for France It’s not a big deal for people. You know, the French’s investment in various parts of the world is probably as high as hundreds of billions of francs, which is 80 billion marks when converted into marks. Otherwise, why would they be called What about a usury empire?" Qin Tian said.
"As for colonies and territories, the French will definitely not agree easily. But, don't forget, the empire now has an absolute advantage. They are just meat on the chopping board and let the empire slaughter them. If they refuse, then The empire will destroy them. Therefore, they have no choice. The overseas colonies of the French are the source of raw materials and markets that the empire urgently needs. Northern France is where the French industry is most developed. If the empire can absorb and digest this piece of territory, then , the industrial strength of the empire will be further enhanced. As for restricting the military strength of the French, it is for the safety of the empire. The empire will inevitably make them feel resentful if they do not limit their military strength. How could the empire be relieved?" Qin Tian continued.
Biluo and Vacht both nodded. They saw that what Qin Tian said made sense, so they planned to try it. Anyway, as Qin Tian said, the empire has an absolute advantage in this negotiation, and they have no choice but to agree to the conditions of the empire.