Chapter 981 Armistice Negotiations
It took Germany a few days to form a Socialist coalition government, and Social Democratic Party leader Ebert took over power and became prime minister.
(The above picture shows Friedrich Ebert, who became the Prime Minister of the coalition government after the success of the German Revolution, and was later elected as the first president of the Weimar Republic. Note: The Weimar Republic was not established after Germany was defeated, but was established more than 9 months after the defeat when the Weimar Constitution was formulated. Before that, it had been governed by a provisional government.)
After becoming prime minister, Ebert believed that the most important thing at the moment was to reach an armistice agreement with the Allied Powers. Therefore, he immediately established an "Armistice Committee" with Erzberger as chairman to represent Germany in negotiations with the Allied Powers.
(Note: In history, Erzberger was regarded as a "traitor" by the German right-wing forces because he signed an armistice agreement with extremely harsh conditions. He was assassinated a few years later.)
…
In the open space outside the Pontissebourg in Liege, Belgium.
The French guards looked at the German negotiators who had come from thousands of miles away with mocking eyes. They seemed to not believe that these trembling guys in front of them were the politicians who started this war.
Erzberger and his assistants had no time to pay attention to the guards' strange looks as they were making final preparations.
Erzberger nervously adjusted his tie and went over the details with his secretary Kurt one last time.
"Is the line working?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," Kurt replied.
The negotiations were conducted simultaneously in two groups. One group was led by the Chairman of the Armistice Commission, Erzberger, and was directed at France.
The other group was led by Commissioner Fischer and targeted Britain and the United States under Freeman.
Erzberger hopes that the two sides can share negotiation information in real time so that they can better understand each other's cards and achieve a ceasefire at the lowest cost.
"What about the documents on Lorraine and Alsace?" Erzberger asked again.
"Ready, sir," Kurt replied.
“Traffic map and mine distribution map.”
“I’m ready too!”
…
At this time, the guard who had gone in to make the announcement came out of the fortress gate: "Lieutenant General, please come in, Your Excellency."
"Okay." Erzberger nodded to the guard. "Thank you very much!"
When he reached the entrance of the fortress, he straightened his suit again, cleared his throat quietly, and then walked in with his secretary.
Passing through a corridor more than ten meters long, there were machine guns and cannons firing at both sides, as well as fully armed French soldiers, each looking at the "uninvited guests" with murderous intent.
Under their gazes, Erzberger's palms began to sweat unconsciously.
In order to relax himself, he asked the guard leading the way in front of him in French: "Has the lieutenant general been staying here all this time?"
"Yes," the guard replied calmly, "He is planning to attack Berlin, and he thinks it will be more convenient for him to command from here."
Erzberger staggered and almost fell, and his secretary rushed forward to catch him.
The guard didn't turn around, but a mocking smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Got you fooled, he thought, hopefully this will help in the negotiations!
…
Charles was sitting at a round table in the combat conference room, drinking coffee. The desk in front of him was empty.
Erzberger knocked on the door, and after receiving permission, he walked in with his head lowered. When he saw Charles, he immediately took off his hat and bowed:
"It's nice to meet you, Lieutenant General."
"I am Erzberger, Chairman of the German Armistice Commission. I am here to discuss the armistice with you on behalf of Germany."
Charles politely stood up and shook hands with Erzberger: "Please take a seat, Mr. Erzberger. Welcome. I believe we will have a pleasant negotiation."
Erzberger said with a wry smile: "Yes, of course."
He said this but in his heart he thought it was impossible.
The French army held Germany's life and death in their hands, and Germany had previously humiliated the French by capturing Paris and being crowned in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles.
Now, the French army will certainly seize this opportunity to avenge their defeat.
But he could only think of it in his mind. Erzberger did not dare to say it out loud. He had no reason to anger Charles, otherwise he would become a sinner in Germany.
He carefully sat down in front of Charles, and his secretary immediately opened the briefcase, took out the documents and arranged them on the desk.
The posture was like preparing for a war, but it was a losing war!
…
Freeman, Fischer, the German representative who was negotiating with Britain and the United States in the conference room of the Joint Command, was much calmer.
He didn't bring any documents, and his secretary only had a notebook to take notes.
Sitting opposite him were General Winter and General Pershing, who were discussing the armistice issue representing Britain and the United States respectively.
"Your goal has been achieved." Fischer tapped his fingers lightly on the table:
"I remember Charles said that his enemy was not the German military and civilians, but Kaiser Wilhelm II, the dictator, and the German system."
"Now that Kaiser Wilhelm II has abdicated, we have a coalition government and a parliament."
"So, I don't think there's any need to continue this war. What do you think?"
General Winter replied coldly: "I think you have made a mistake, Mr. Commissioner. That is Charles's purpose, not ours!"
Fischer spread his hands: "Does this matter?"
The implication is: What does your purpose have to do with Germany?
General Winter was choked for a moment. He turned his eyes to Pershing and said, "Now is the time for you to lend a helping hand."
Pershing was originally unwilling to participate in the negotiations as he believed that the United States was not qualified to sit at the negotiating table.
But the order given by the White House was for him to do his best to fight for the interests of the United States.
"The question now is whether you are asking for an armistice, Mr. Commissioner," Pershing said.
"If you don't need to take our wishes into account, there will be no need for negotiation and certainly no peace."
"You don't want the United States to go back to the battlefield and continue this meaningless war, do you?"
Fisher attached great importance to the US military.
The Americans have money, resources, and productivity, and most importantly, they are trying to learn Charr's tactics and use Charr's equipment, unlike the British who are stubborn and recalcitrant.
"You are right, General." Fischer nodded and replied: "So, what are your conditions?"
…
"What are your conditions, Lieutenant General?" Erzberger looked at Charles and said sincerely, "I mean, what can make France stop this war?"
Without waiting for Charles to answer, Erzberger took the initiative to reflect on himself:
"I know that this war was started by Germany and it caused great losses to France."
“We are willing to compensate for this.”
"By the way, we have agreed to return the Lorraine and Alsace regions. These are their data."
Erzberger handed the document to Ciel with both hands.
He believed that if something was inevitable, such as the inability to hold on to Lorraine and Alsace, it would appear more sincere to take the initiative.
This is also a negotiation strategy!
(End of this chapter)
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