v4 Chapter 113： , The game within Germany
Naturally, the allied powers' fanfare actions cannot be concealed from the Germans, but how to deal with it is a problem. &1t;/
Once the Allied powers are on the three fronts of east, west and south at the same time, the life of the Allies will be difficult. Now the Austro-Hungarian Empire is obviously unable to contain the two countries at the same time, even if it is alone, it will have difficulties against the previous one! &1t;/
In line with the principle that the able should work harder, the Germans will naturally take it in person, and then the problem will come. At the same time, the third-line German forces will be insufficient, and secondly, it is difficult to guarantee the logistics supply! &1t;/
The German Chief of Staff Fakingham has returned to Berlin, and he is replaced by the German Marshal August von Mackensen. &1t;/
Fakingham suggested: "Your Majesty, the Russians are disabled now, at least this winter they can’t cause us trouble; if it’s just Bulgaria, the Austro-Hungarian Empire should be able to cope with it. We should concentrate our forces on the Western Front to make a breakthrough. If we can break through Paris, we can force the French to withdraw from the war!"&1t;/
Obviously, Fakingham, who had just won a big victory on the Eastern Front, still hopes to continue to replicate this miracle on the Western Front, playing a 1:2 or even 1:3 exchange ratio, using cruel casualties to force the French to withdraw from the war. &1t;/
However, his proposal did not win the support of the German High Command. Prime Minister Theobaden von Batemann Holwig questioned: "Your Excellency Chief of Staff, how can you be sure that we will launch a full offensive on the Western Front? Later, the Russians will not counterattack?&1t;/
Even the Russians don't need much effort, as long as they cooperate with Bulgaria, the Austro-Hungarian Empire will not be able to withstand it. Our allies are now extremely weak, and if the frontline regenerates a major defeat, they may collapse at any time! &1t;/
What if we are not capable of defeating the French before the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire? &1t;/
And even if we break through Paris, but the French still choose to continue the war? Are we going to keep fighting? So who can tell me when this war is headed? ”&1t;/
The prime minister in black meant clearly that the strategic goals set by Germany now are beyond the reach of its national power, and the strategic goals must be lowered! &1t;/
Fakingham sneered and said: "Then Mr. Prime Minister has any ideas that can make us win this war?"&1t;/
Bateman Holvig said calmly: "Peace talks, use diplomacy to end the dilemma we are now facing!&1t;/
The Allies are not monolithic. We can have peace talks with them separately and end this war! ”&1t;/
This is not the first time that "peace talks" have been proposed, and the Germans have even contacted other countries in private, but the conditions between the two parties are too wide to reach an agreement. &1t;/
This time Bateman Holwig publicly mentioned it here. Obviously his "peace talks" are completely different from the previous private negotiations. Germany must make concessions and show its sincerity! &1t;/
William II asked blankly: "How to talk? What is the bottom line?"&1t;/
Negotiations are not that simple. It also involves major domestic interest groups. Any concession in any direction will damage the interests of one or several interest groups! &1t;/
Therefore, even if William II was very interested in "peace talks," he could not reveal it, causing a backlash from domestic interest groups! &1t;/
After being silent for a while, Bateman Holvig said calmly: "Before the peace talks, we must first learn from the British and distinguish who is our main enemy, who is our secondary enemy, and Who is our potential enemy!&1t;/
To deal with our main enemy, we must be crushed to death, there is no possibility of relaxation; when dealing with secondary and potential enemies, we can compromise and even cooperate in the short term! ”&1t;/
William II's face is very bad now. Bateman Holwig is obviously accusing him of his previous foreign policy, not clearly distinguishing the priority that caused the embarrassing situation now! &1t;/
After a pause, Bateman Holvig continued: "In fact, we already have the answer to this question. Our main enemy is the French, the second enemy is the British, and the potential enemies are Russia and Bulgaria. !&1t;/
Therefore, we can now compromise with Russia and Bulgaria, which have little conflict with our interests in the short term, and exchange interests in exchange for them to withdraw from the war. &1t;/
The Russians' current asking price is not high, they are only asking for territorial integrity, which we can fully satisfy them! &1t;/
The Bulgarians’ asking price is slightly higher, but it is within our range! &1t;/
For example, we can acquiesce in the partition of the Ottoman Empire between Russia and Russia, and let the three countries of Russia, Austria, and Hungary partition Romania. As a deal, the Russians will cede me a piece of land from the Russian Poland as compensation! &1t;/
The other regions are restored to the borders of the countries before the war, so that we can take into account the interests of the Austria-Hungarian Empire, Bulgaria, and the Russian Empire at the same time, and we can end the war on the Eastern Front and the Southern Front first! &1t;/
When the two countries withdrew from the war, and then negotiated with the British Empire, we can promise to abandon the Great Navy plan in exchange for the understanding of the British, and then jointly carve up the French colony! &1t;/
As long as this is done, there will be a Frenchman left. They will certainly not reject our truce negotiations, and then we will win this war! ”&1t;/
After speaking, Bateman Holvig chose to shut up. He knew that his proposal was definitely not so easy to pass, which meant that the Germans had to give up a lot of the benefits they had already acquired. &1t;/
This also means that he stands on the opposite side of the three major interest groups in the German financial world, the navy, and the Junker nobility. &1t;/
Sure enough, Hindenburg retorted: "In other words, we fought this war in vain? Not only won't we get any benefits on the Eastern Front, we even have to keep our greatest enemy, France?&1t;/
We have paid such a high price. We fought this war. It is for you politicians to sacrifice the interests of our allies in exchange for peace. Is such a peace useful to the great German Empire? ”&1t;/
Bateman Holvig did not answer, but just stared at Hindenburg coldly. He was very clear. He was reminding Hindenburg not to forget that the information was a soldier of the German Empire, and he could not just stand by the Junker nobles. Consider the problem from a standpoint! &1t;/
Perhaps aware of this, Hindenburg chose to shut up after finishing speaking and never speak again. The class stance made him have to oppose this "peace talk", but he had to admit that this was the easiest way to get the German Empire out of the predicament! &1t;/
The Secretary of the Navy Alfred von Tirpitz spoke up. He could not make any concessions on this issue. This is related to the future of the German Imperial Navy. As a staunch supporter of the sea power theory, he believed that Germany must There must be a fleet that matches the national strength! &1t;/
"Mr. Prime Minister, if we have to give up the sword in our hands for the sake of peace, how can such peace be guaranteed?&1t;/
Even if we have reached an agreement with the Allies now, they can still form an alliance again in the future to contain the empire. Can we continue to compromise? &1t;/
Besides, are the lessons of this war not enough? If it were not for the limited strength of our navy, could the British be able to block us material? &1t;/
If there were no material blockades, we would have won this war! So that the future of the empire will not be threatened by others, we cannot accept such a humiliating peace! ”&1t;/
Bateman Holwig still did not refute. Everyone knows these principles, but there is one thing that everyone does not pay attention to, that is, the German Empire does not have such a strong national power! &1t;/
William II was very disappointed. Although he also thought that these conditions were a bit harsh on the German Empire, he hoped that someone could support the peace talks. After all, the war has been underway now, and the prospects are getting less and less optimistic. &1t;/
Bateman Holvig was not surprised by the military’s opposition. He just hoped to get the government’s support. If the government can fully support it, he can persuade William II to enforce the peace talks. &1t;/
Finance Minister Carl said with a wry smile: "Everyone, we have been running fiscal deficits for more than ten years. I think everyone knows what this means!&1t;/
In addition, as far as I know, the domestic strategic material reserve has also dropped to the lowest point since the beginning of the war. If it were not for the military to gain something in Russia this time, perhaps we will be hungry now! ”&1t;/
The Minister of the Interior said in cooperation: "Yes, our grain reserves have reached a very dangerous number. If it were not for the military to bring back more than five million tons of grain from Russia this time, we would be sad this winter!&1t;/
Everyone knows that we are a food importing country, importing millions of tons of agricultural products from overseas every year. Since the war broke out, ours has only been able to import some food from a few neutral countries, and we have to face vicious competition from the Allied countries! &1t;/
Due to the war, domestic food production is still declining. Now our annual food gap is more than 3 million tons. If the war continues, this number will continue to increase! &1t;/
It's not just that we are short of food Even the Austro-Hungarian Empire has a food gap, and their annual food gap is more than one million tons! &1t;/
As for the Italians, let alone, their food shortage is worse than ours. I don't know how they should survive this winter! ”&1t;/
The logistics minister added: "Not only is there a shortage of food, but other strategic materials are also inadequate. Limited by raw materials, our military production has almost reached the limit!&1t;/
However, this number is not enough to support the front-line war consumption. Our weapons and ammunition reserves have dropped to a very dangerous number, and we cannot support three battlefields at the same time! ”&1t;/
……&1t;/
Everyone understands that the prime minister in black is trying to force the palace. He has bet on his political life. If he can't persuade the major political factions to jointly suppress domestic interest groups, then his position as prime minister will be achieved. &1t;/
In this regard, everyone has to admire his courage and dare to stand on the opposite side of so many interest groups, even if the war is over, he will not have a good life. &1t;/
Now the decision-making power is in the hands of William II. If he dares to fully support Bateman Holwig’s peace talks plan, then relying on the royal family’s influence in the military, he can pass this resolution with great confidence. ! &1t;/
Of course, if you fail, the consequences will be very serious. The army may take over the power, and the royal family and the government will be emptied! &1t;/
……&1t;/
https://
Please remember the domain name of this book's first publication:. Bookstore mobile version reading URL:
Once the Allied powers are on the three fronts of east, west and south at the same time, the life of the Allies will be difficult. Now the Austro-Hungarian Empire is obviously unable to contain the two countries at the same time, even if it is alone, it will have difficulties against the previous one! &1t;/
In line with the principle that the able should work harder, the Germans will naturally take it in person, and then the problem will come. At the same time, the third-line German forces will be insufficient, and secondly, it is difficult to guarantee the logistics supply! &1t;/
The German Chief of Staff Fakingham has returned to Berlin, and he is replaced by the German Marshal August von Mackensen. &1t;/
Fakingham suggested: "Your Majesty, the Russians are disabled now, at least this winter they can’t cause us trouble; if it’s just Bulgaria, the Austro-Hungarian Empire should be able to cope with it. We should concentrate our forces on the Western Front to make a breakthrough. If we can break through Paris, we can force the French to withdraw from the war!"&1t;/
Obviously, Fakingham, who had just won a big victory on the Eastern Front, still hopes to continue to replicate this miracle on the Western Front, playing a 1:2 or even 1:3 exchange ratio, using cruel casualties to force the French to withdraw from the war. &1t;/
However, his proposal did not win the support of the German High Command. Prime Minister Theobaden von Batemann Holwig questioned: "Your Excellency Chief of Staff, how can you be sure that we will launch a full offensive on the Western Front? Later, the Russians will not counterattack?&1t;/
Even the Russians don't need much effort, as long as they cooperate with Bulgaria, the Austro-Hungarian Empire will not be able to withstand it. Our allies are now extremely weak, and if the frontline regenerates a major defeat, they may collapse at any time! &1t;/
What if we are not capable of defeating the French before the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire? &1t;/
And even if we break through Paris, but the French still choose to continue the war? Are we going to keep fighting? So who can tell me when this war is headed? ”&1t;/
The prime minister in black meant clearly that the strategic goals set by Germany now are beyond the reach of its national power, and the strategic goals must be lowered! &1t;/
Fakingham sneered and said: "Then Mr. Prime Minister has any ideas that can make us win this war?"&1t;/
Bateman Holvig said calmly: "Peace talks, use diplomacy to end the dilemma we are now facing!&1t;/
The Allies are not monolithic. We can have peace talks with them separately and end this war! ”&1t;/
This is not the first time that "peace talks" have been proposed, and the Germans have even contacted other countries in private, but the conditions between the two parties are too wide to reach an agreement. &1t;/
This time Bateman Holwig publicly mentioned it here. Obviously his "peace talks" are completely different from the previous private negotiations. Germany must make concessions and show its sincerity! &1t;/
William II asked blankly: "How to talk? What is the bottom line?"&1t;/
Negotiations are not that simple. It also involves major domestic interest groups. Any concession in any direction will damage the interests of one or several interest groups! &1t;/
Therefore, even if William II was very interested in "peace talks," he could not reveal it, causing a backlash from domestic interest groups! &1t;/
After being silent for a while, Bateman Holvig said calmly: "Before the peace talks, we must first learn from the British and distinguish who is our main enemy, who is our secondary enemy, and Who is our potential enemy!&1t;/
To deal with our main enemy, we must be crushed to death, there is no possibility of relaxation; when dealing with secondary and potential enemies, we can compromise and even cooperate in the short term! ”&1t;/
William II's face is very bad now. Bateman Holwig is obviously accusing him of his previous foreign policy, not clearly distinguishing the priority that caused the embarrassing situation now! &1t;/
After a pause, Bateman Holvig continued: "In fact, we already have the answer to this question. Our main enemy is the French, the second enemy is the British, and the potential enemies are Russia and Bulgaria. !&1t;/
Therefore, we can now compromise with Russia and Bulgaria, which have little conflict with our interests in the short term, and exchange interests in exchange for them to withdraw from the war. &1t;/
The Russians' current asking price is not high, they are only asking for territorial integrity, which we can fully satisfy them! &1t;/
The Bulgarians’ asking price is slightly higher, but it is within our range! &1t;/
For example, we can acquiesce in the partition of the Ottoman Empire between Russia and Russia, and let the three countries of Russia, Austria, and Hungary partition Romania. As a deal, the Russians will cede me a piece of land from the Russian Poland as compensation! &1t;/
The other regions are restored to the borders of the countries before the war, so that we can take into account the interests of the Austria-Hungarian Empire, Bulgaria, and the Russian Empire at the same time, and we can end the war on the Eastern Front and the Southern Front first! &1t;/
When the two countries withdrew from the war, and then negotiated with the British Empire, we can promise to abandon the Great Navy plan in exchange for the understanding of the British, and then jointly carve up the French colony! &1t;/
As long as this is done, there will be a Frenchman left. They will certainly not reject our truce negotiations, and then we will win this war! ”&1t;/
After speaking, Bateman Holvig chose to shut up. He knew that his proposal was definitely not so easy to pass, which meant that the Germans had to give up a lot of the benefits they had already acquired. &1t;/
This also means that he stands on the opposite side of the three major interest groups in the German financial world, the navy, and the Junker nobility. &1t;/
Sure enough, Hindenburg retorted: "In other words, we fought this war in vain? Not only won't we get any benefits on the Eastern Front, we even have to keep our greatest enemy, France?&1t;/
We have paid such a high price. We fought this war. It is for you politicians to sacrifice the interests of our allies in exchange for peace. Is such a peace useful to the great German Empire? ”&1t;/
Bateman Holvig did not answer, but just stared at Hindenburg coldly. He was very clear. He was reminding Hindenburg not to forget that the information was a soldier of the German Empire, and he could not just stand by the Junker nobles. Consider the problem from a standpoint! &1t;/
Perhaps aware of this, Hindenburg chose to shut up after finishing speaking and never speak again. The class stance made him have to oppose this "peace talk", but he had to admit that this was the easiest way to get the German Empire out of the predicament! &1t;/
The Secretary of the Navy Alfred von Tirpitz spoke up. He could not make any concessions on this issue. This is related to the future of the German Imperial Navy. As a staunch supporter of the sea power theory, he believed that Germany must There must be a fleet that matches the national strength! &1t;/
"Mr. Prime Minister, if we have to give up the sword in our hands for the sake of peace, how can such peace be guaranteed?&1t;/
Even if we have reached an agreement with the Allies now, they can still form an alliance again in the future to contain the empire. Can we continue to compromise? &1t;/
Besides, are the lessons of this war not enough? If it were not for the limited strength of our navy, could the British be able to block us material? &1t;/
If there were no material blockades, we would have won this war! So that the future of the empire will not be threatened by others, we cannot accept such a humiliating peace! ”&1t;/
Bateman Holwig still did not refute. Everyone knows these principles, but there is one thing that everyone does not pay attention to, that is, the German Empire does not have such a strong national power! &1t;/
William II was very disappointed. Although he also thought that these conditions were a bit harsh on the German Empire, he hoped that someone could support the peace talks. After all, the war has been underway now, and the prospects are getting less and less optimistic. &1t;/
Bateman Holvig was not surprised by the military’s opposition. He just hoped to get the government’s support. If the government can fully support it, he can persuade William II to enforce the peace talks. &1t;/
Finance Minister Carl said with a wry smile: "Everyone, we have been running fiscal deficits for more than ten years. I think everyone knows what this means!&1t;/
In addition, as far as I know, the domestic strategic material reserve has also dropped to the lowest point since the beginning of the war. If it were not for the military to gain something in Russia this time, perhaps we will be hungry now! ”&1t;/
The Minister of the Interior said in cooperation: "Yes, our grain reserves have reached a very dangerous number. If it were not for the military to bring back more than five million tons of grain from Russia this time, we would be sad this winter!&1t;/
Everyone knows that we are a food importing country, importing millions of tons of agricultural products from overseas every year. Since the war broke out, ours has only been able to import some food from a few neutral countries, and we have to face vicious competition from the Allied countries! &1t;/
Due to the war, domestic food production is still declining. Now our annual food gap is more than 3 million tons. If the war continues, this number will continue to increase! &1t;/
It's not just that we are short of food Even the Austro-Hungarian Empire has a food gap, and their annual food gap is more than one million tons! &1t;/
As for the Italians, let alone, their food shortage is worse than ours. I don't know how they should survive this winter! ”&1t;/
The logistics minister added: "Not only is there a shortage of food, but other strategic materials are also inadequate. Limited by raw materials, our military production has almost reached the limit!&1t;/
However, this number is not enough to support the front-line war consumption. Our weapons and ammunition reserves have dropped to a very dangerous number, and we cannot support three battlefields at the same time! ”&1t;/
……&1t;/
Everyone understands that the prime minister in black is trying to force the palace. He has bet on his political life. If he can't persuade the major political factions to jointly suppress domestic interest groups, then his position as prime minister will be achieved. &1t;/
In this regard, everyone has to admire his courage and dare to stand on the opposite side of so many interest groups, even if the war is over, he will not have a good life. &1t;/
Now the decision-making power is in the hands of William II. If he dares to fully support Bateman Holwig’s peace talks plan, then relying on the royal family’s influence in the military, he can pass this resolution with great confidence. ! &1t;/
Of course, if you fail, the consequences will be very serious. The army may take over the power, and the royal family and the government will be emptied! &1t;/
……&1t;/
https://
Please remember the domain name of this book's first publication:. Bookstore mobile version reading URL:
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