Chapter 983 Compensation
Freeman Joint Command.
The three parties of Britain, the United States and Germany tacitly skipped the agreement that could not be reached, and the negotiations entered the most critical stage of discussing compensation.
General Winter asked Fischer with a sullen face, "So, how much compensation do you plan to pay for this war?"
He had a hunch that this one would not go smoothly either. The Germans did not seem to think they had been defeated, at least not in front of Britain and the United States.
Fischer asked provocatively: "I want to know how much compensation you want us to pay?"
General Winter took out a plan from his briefcase and handed it to Fischer: "This is the investment and loss we made in the war. Since Germany is the responsible party, you should bear it, don't you think?"
Fisher took the document and flipped through it. It listed a lot of data, including materials invested, ships lost, soldiers' pensions, etc.
He impatiently turned to the end and saw the amount, and his eyes widened instantly: 13 billion US dollars in compensation to the UK and 10 billion US dollars in compensation to the United States.
(Note: The historical indemnity was $33 billion, and the Minister of Munitions believed that France's $10 billion should be negotiated by Charles himself, so it was deducted)
After a moment, Fischer began to laugh, but when he turned his gaze to Pershing, the smile slowly froze on his face.
He knew what Britain was planning to do, to drag the United States into the water with reparations.
If the United States stood firmly with Britain for the sake of the reparations and attacked with all its might, it would be difficult for Germany to cope even if Charles led France to withdraw from the battle.
Will the United States?
Very likely!
Because 10 billion of the 13 billion that the UK demanded was to repay the US loan.
In other words, if the United States did not join the war and allowed Britain to fend for itself and ultimately received no compensation, the United States would have lost $20 billion!
No one can remain indifferent in the face of such a huge sum of money.
Fischer hesitated for a moment and replied in a deep voice: "We need to think about it for a while."
General Winter was very satisfied with Fischer's reaction. He smiled and said, "Of course, Mr. Commissioner!"
If Germany could pay this amount, everything else would not matter, including the prisoners of war in German hands.
…
Fischer's telegram was passed down through the layers to Erzberger in Pontisseburg.
Erzberger was surprised when he saw the number. He looked at the secretary in disbelief: "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Kurt said affirmatively: "I have confirmed that they are indeed the compensation amounts proposed by Britain and the United States."
Erzberger turned pale instantly. If the compensation proposed by Britain and the United States was such an astronomical figure, then the compensation demanded by France would definitely not be less.
Not only should it not be less, it should be more.
Because France is the country that has contributed the most and has the most say, it holds the life and death of Germany in its hands.
If Britain and the United States ask for more than 10 billion, it would not be excessive for France to ask for more than 20 billion or even more than 30 billion.
Germany, which had just experienced the war, could not afford to pay this money!
The German provisional government was even on the verge of collapse due to various difficulties just after its establishment. If it agreed to this "sky-high compensation", not only would the provisional government be severely criticized, but he, as the "Chairman of the Armistice Commission", would also become the target of citizens' anger.
Charles saw that Erzberger and the secretary looked unhappy, so he asked, "What's the problem?"
"No, no, no problem, Lieutenant General," Erzberger replied quickly.
He hesitated, wondering whether to avoid discussing "reparations" with Charles, as this could potentially be a fatal blow to Germany.
But at the same time he knew he couldn't avoid it, so he sighed and said, "Lieutenant General, I think we should talk about compensation."
Ciel said "hmm" with an apologetic look on his face:
"Although I know that the war has nothing to do with you, this is a decision made by William II and should not be borne by the German military and civilians."
"But I must give an account to the French army and people."
"After all, this war was provoked by Germany, and it also caused great losses to the French military and civilians."
Beads of sweat broke out on Erzberger's forehead. Just as he had expected, the amount of compensation could not be small.
But he didn't dare to say it, and nodded hurriedly: "Yes, Lieutenant General, of course, we should be responsible for this."
Charles raised his hand and the staff officer understood and handed him a piece of information.
"This is our rough estimate of the war losses." Charles pushed the information in front of Erzberger: "Take a look and see if there are any problems."
Erzberger's scalp suddenly tingled when he looked at the document in front of him that was as thick as a phone book. As expected, France demanded much more compensation than Britain and the United States.
His mind was not on the information at all. He flipped through it unconsciously, but his mind was thinking:
what to do?
Negotiate compensation with Charles?
If I refuse to admit it, will Charles turn hostile immediately?
The words the guard said when he escorted them in were still fresh in my mind: "The lieutenant general is planning an attack on Berlin, and he thinks it would be more convenient to command from here."
Erzberger gritted his teeth. He thought he had to hold on no matter what, because agreeing to the reparations would also mean the destruction of Germany. It would not make any difference!
suddenly……
Erzberger was stunned. He stared at the final amount of money on the document in disbelief and rubbed his eyes hard.
"Kurt." Erzberger suspected that he had seen it wrong. He pushed the document in front of the secretary and pointed at the number: "Look at this..."
Kurt leaned over and exclaimed, "Two billion dollars, no, this... this is impossible!"
"What's the problem?" Charles asked.
"No, no, it's OK, Lieutenant General." Erzberger asked cautiously, "Are you sure this document is correct?"
He didn't even dare to say the amount, for fear that he would remind Charles, who then said, "Oh," "Sorry, there's one less '0'."
But Charles obviously knew.
"You mean the total amount is $2 billion?" Charles replied, "Yes, I have confirmed it, including the soldiers' pensions."
Erzberger and Kurt looked at each other in amazement, their eyes full of disbelief and deep hatred, hatred towards Britain and the United States.
These bastards!
The war was fought on French soil, and the losses of the French military and civilians would undoubtedly be greater, much greater, than those of Britain and the United States.
But France only demanded $2 billion in compensation, while Britain and the United States demanded $13 billion and $10 billion respectively.
They are simply blackmailers, robbers, and bandits who want to kill Germany!
In comparison, the compensation proposed by Charles is simply a conscience price, which will not only not offend German citizens, but will even make them think of it as a gift.
Because Charles could obviously get more, he could have more power and glory, and even like Germany did in the past, Charles could show off his military power in Berlin.
But he didn't do it.
He only proposed $2 billion in compensation, which is not even a fraction of what the UK proposed!
(End of this chapter)
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