Chapter 806: A Small Meeting to Do Big Things
"Today's meeting ends here. I declare the meeting adjourned. I wish you all a pleasant trip in Venice." Count Alenthal made the final decision.
Then everyone began to leave, except for the two countries of East England, which were the protagonists, who were left behind by Alenthal.
"Please stay. Although there was no result at the meeting, I have roughly understood the situation of both sides. Are you interested in coming to the manor where I live tonight and getting together?" Alenthal invited the representatives from East Britain and China.
Hermann and von der Leyen had originally planned to ask Ehrinthal about the relevant situation after the meeting. Now that Ehrinthal intends to bring Britain into the picture, it is clear at a glance that Ehrinthal has some ideas.
The two looked at each other, and after von der Leyen nodded affirmatively, Hermann said: "Of course, it's an honor."
Salisbury also said: "Okay, I will also keep the appointment for your sake."
From the beginning to the end, Aenthal did not invite Portugal or the Boers, because these two countries were not the protagonists of the South African War, or their strength was not up to the level that Aenthal valued. If it was Portugal in the last century, Aenthal might have intended to win it over, but now Portugal has been stripped of its underwear by East Africa.
So the Austro-Hungarian Empire was full of contempt for Portugal, but as a diplomat, Aerenthal did not show it, but most of the people at the meeting did.
Of course, the only consolation is that Britain is also in an unfavorable position in East Africa, which makes Portugal seem to still have some strength. After all, as the world's number one power, Britain can never find excuses.
Then they took a carriage and headed towards Alenthal's estate outside Venice.
It was already eleven o'clock in the evening in Venice, and the sky was beginning to darken. Many people, including the Portuguese, noticed that Alenthal and his group left alone.
This made the Portuguese representative Gers feel dissatisfied and nervous. This was not good news. After all, if Portugal was avoided, it would be hard to say how the UK would negotiate.
Britain’s situation in South Africa is now very embarrassing. It is entirely possible that the British decide to sacrifice Portugal’s interests to negotiate with East Africa. If the British do this, Portugal will be really powerless to turn the situation around.
Alenthal and others who had already left had no intention of paying attention to Gers's little thoughts. This was the tragedy of a "weak country". The two defeats to East Africa had completely solidified Portugal's status as a weak country. The last time the West African countries divided up the conference, they also brought the Portuguese to participate. It was hard to say what would happen in the future.
At night, Venice has begun to enter its nightlife. As one of the most prosperous cities in Europe, even though it declined due to the war, Venice is still a very romantic city.
Noisy sounds spread in the taverns, where workers who had just finished their night shift went to get drunk. Factories in the streets and alleys operated day and night, and dark, smelly sewage was directly discharged into the waterways of Venice.
After the investment from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Venice's economy has begun to improve. As an important textile center, the factory has a steady stream of orders, and most of these orders come from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
In the past, Venice was just an economic colony sucked dry by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but after regaining Venice, the Austro-Hungarian Empire obviously changed its previous policy.
In fact, this is easy to understand. The industry of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is mainly concentrated in Bohemia. To be honest, if Ernst were the ruler of this country, he would definitely not be at ease with the location of Bohemia.
Just like the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the previous life, more than 70% of the military industry and at least 60% of the large-scale industry directly became independent with Czechoslovakia and broke away from Austria.
This is also an important reason why Ernst concentrated East Africa's industry in Matabele Province. The central area always makes people feel more at ease. Of course, from an economic perspective, the coastal areas are definitely more cost-effective.
"Count von der Leyen, Count Hermann, and Mr. Salisbury, the South African War is not a complicated issue. What we can be sure of now is that both countries want to cease fire. On this basis, both sides may as well bring out their true opinions and talk calmly. Anyway, there are no outsiders present now, and this is not a formal meeting."
Even though Aenthal said this, in fact the small meeting of four people had already begun to determine the solution to the situation in South Africa. If everyone present reached a consensus, the subsequent meetings would at most be a formality.
However, after Alenthal finished speaking, neither side said anything. Instead, they stared at each other, and the atmosphere became cold.
It was time for Earl Aenthal to play a role again. He said to Earl Salisbury: "Mr. Salisbury, what are your bottom lines for Britain? Why don't you lay them out first and let the representatives of the Kingdom of Hechingen make their evaluations? This is the attitude to resolve the South African War."
"Humph!" Salisbury said unhappily, "Our attitude in Britain is very simple. As the loser of the war, Portugal can compensate East Africa for its losses and give some land to East Africa, but East Africa cannot annex Angola and Mozambique. Secondly, the Boer Republic must be retained, and finally the East African Defense Force must withdraw from Cape Town and Natal."
Von der Leyen said: "Your idea is a bit too naive. We in Hechingen will not allow Portugal's colonies in southern Africa to continue to exist. After all, we have suffered losses twice. If we continue to retain the Portuguese colonies, I am afraid there will be a third war between Portugal and the Kingdom, and the damage caused by the war to the Kingdom will be huge."
There is nothing wrong with what von der Leyen said. As the "initiator" of two wars, Portugal should at least be held accountable for its actions on the surface.
However, Aenthal also heard the part that could be reconciled between the two, that is, Britain was not too fond of Portugal, and the first goal of East Africa was Portugal's colony and it was determined to obtain it. This should also be the bottom line of East Africa. Of course, it was also easy to persuade the British to give up Portugal, and they could find supplies from other aspects.
This problem is easy to solve. After all, the South African War is not limited to Portugal's two colonies. The core interests of the British are Cape Town and the Boer Republic.
It would be hard to say if East Africa had not achieved military victories in these two places, but now the Boer Republic and Natal have fallen, and Cape Town is also a spent force.
"In that case, Portugal is indeed a destabilizing factor for the region, and I agree with Count von der Leyen on this point," said Aenthal.
"Of course..." Alanthal changed the subject and said, "If that's all, it's unreasonable for Portugal. After all, Portugal still has to bear huge war reparations. East Africa certainly can't ask the already heavily indebted Portuguese government to pay such an astronomical figure while taking the land."
"But Portugal's loss of the war is a foregone conclusion, so the territory is what East Africa deserves. But East Africa should be more lenient on war reparations and offer a suitable bargaining chip based on Portugal's economic level."
In response, von der Leyen said: "For your sake, we can ask for less war reparations, but it is absolutely impossible for us to give up Angola and Mozambique."
"We can give up 8 million pounds of war losses, but 40 million cannot be any less. After all, the cost of this war has plunged East Africa into a long-term economic stagnation. The losses in national production and military casualties far exceed this figure."
(End of this chapter)
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