Rotschild Bank headquarters, Frankfurt, Prussia. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

In a secret room, Baron Meyerkar von Rothschild was reading Bismarck's letter.

“…… His Majesty the King and His Excellency the Prime Minister have decided to hold peace talks with France. …… The situation at home is very bad, the French fleet is still moving troops to the port of Kiel, and it is estimated that they will attack when they have enough troops, and our troops in France have no way to retreat, and to retreat would mean collapse...... The attitude of the British was ambiguous, but judging by their usual policy, they would not agree to the continuation of the war by France. …… What kind of damage this war will cause to our country is now unpredictable, and Your Majesty and I are of the opinion that compensation should be made from France in money to offset the losses we have suffered in the war, and I would like to hear your opinion on the amount of this money......"

After reading the letter, Meyerkar pondered for a while, then took a quill and began to write a reply to Bismarck.

“…… I don't think the French have a chance of success, and although they have landed on our soil, they will soon learn what to do with the German nation, and with a million men. …… The enthusiasm of the French for war will soon fade, our country will have a more efficient military organization, and their army will be at an absolute disadvantage in numbers. The Prussian army will be victorious, a lasting peace will come, and Prussia will be strong and united in a way that can contribute more to world peace than any other country. …… The victory of our army on the battlefield will lead to British mediation. Our Government will sit in the position of principal violin in the future European Symphony Orchestra. My family and I are on your side as always, you have no doubt about that......"

"As for the amount of the French war reparations, after careful consideration, combined with the ability of our family in France to pay, I think that the amount of 5 billion gold francs is more appropriate, of course, the French will most likely not accept it, and we can make appropriate concessions, however, I think that the amount of the reparations cannot be less than 2 billion gold francs. This money is vital to the future of our country......"

After writing the first half of the letter, which was devoted to Bismarck's encouragement and loyalty, and the second half of the letter, which consisted of a request for the amount of reparations from France, Meyercar, finding that his forehead was sweating again, took out a handkerchief, wiped it, fell into his chair, and let out a long breath.

If Bismarck could claim 2 billion gold francs from the French, then this indemnity would have been taken care of by his bank, and if so, the 200 million pounds lost by the failure of the sniping of the Dutch bank would have been regained!

Thinking of this, his confidence became full again.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

January 28, 1871, France, Charon Front.

Cameron Manor is located on the outskirts of Charlon, originally belonged to a Rothschild, after the war burned to Charlon, the owner of the manor fled with his family, and it was immediately requisitioned by the French army as the headquarters of a general, who was also of noble background and liked the manor very much. In order not to offend the original owner of the estate, he specifically ordered that the estates should not be requisitioned, and that the hunting grounds and wine cellars should not be disturbed. He also took good care of the items he used and left a written statement to ensure that nothing was lost in the estate after he left. But when the Prussian army arrived, the manor was sacked, the defenders were disarmed and arrested, the wine cellars were looted, the blankets and quilts in many rooms were requisitioned to the nearby field hospital, there were no more cattle in the pastures, no coal, no firewood for fires, and all the wild animals in the outer hunting grounds were hunted by Prussians and poachers. But in recent days, with the arrival of a large number of Prussian officials, the original appearance of the estate has begun to be restored little by little.

"There was not a single sign of damage, neither the house, nor the garden, nor the trees," said the owner of the manor, when he returned to inspect the news, "and there were as many pheasants in the garden as before—there were more quails than before, and all the birds were there—nothing was damaged in the garden, and it was said that the king's order was carried out—and they even brought back all the wagons they had taken, and of course they drank all the wine from the cellar and took away some valuable things, such as 250 sheep, It is said that Prime Minister Bismarck asked for it. Of course, some of the damage is still visible. But if you think about how many Prussian troops once fought here...... I think it's already very good, and I should thank God for being so lucky that His Majesty kept it here, the war didn't damage much, the socialists didn't get anything, no one was hurt on the estate, they were so lucky, they should thank God......"

Just today, to people's surprise, many important people appeared here.

Today is the day when the high-level leaders of France and Prussia began formal negotiations under the mediation of Britain.

On the French side, Prime Minister Thiers, Foreign Minister Julius Fawou, and his adviser, Count Alfonso de Rothschild, were present at the negotiations. On the German side, Chancellor and Foreign Minister Bismarck and Military Minister Ronn and financial adviser Henkel von Donasmarck are on the German side.

Before the negotiations began, Napoleon III gave the title of Count of Alfonso in order to thank the French Roche family for their contribution during the war, and at the same time to overpower the German Roche.

Unlike his father, James, Alfonso and his brothers and children were French citizens by heart, and they showed patriotic fervor during the war, as did so many French people. When the war was about to break out, Alfonso subscribed to a one-time war bond of 50 million francs, and many of his children and nephews also joined the army, held positions in the army, and fought under the emperor. Therefore, the title of Count Alfonso given by Napoleon III can be said to be full of gratitude. And having Alfonso participate in the negotiations also means to enhance his status.

In contrast, Baron Mayerkar von Rothschild of Frankfurt did not appear in the negotiating session.

Before the negotiations began, Alfonso foresaw that Bismarck might ask for reparations for the cession of land, for he had received information from the members of the family that as early as 25 October 1870 Antoine Rothchild had conveyed to him the atmosphere of the Frankfurt Bourse, and that Meyercar had said privately to some people: "I dare say that France is about to lose its old Germanic provinces, and most of its northern lands, and in addition to this, must pay a large sum of money - this is the unanimous idea." He also declared: "The great victory of the Prussian army shows that we can demand all that we wish for." You simply can't imagine what kind of enthusiasm is brewing here and in Germany as a whole, and the shame that the French will face must be punitive, and only then will it be possible to satisfy the demands of public opinion. Now everything is going up, domestic loans have a 7% premium, and it will undoubtedly be higher, because the French have to pay for everything. He also predicted somewhat vaguely: "The Prussian government will seriously consider the conditions proposed in order to ensure a long-term peace." …… The disgrace of the French is the only way to keep us from suffering from more wars, and I do not doubt that France must give up Alsace and Lorraine and at least 100,000,000,000 standard silver coins as war contributions, and Strasbourg and Metz must become fortresses of the Confederation, this is the opinion of the people, and His Excellency the Prime Minister will certainly make full use of it. ”

Meyercar even went so far as to justify the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine by Prussia in terms of nationalism and strategic position: "There is a foolish idea that the German nation will give up the struggle and only look at the old Germanic provinces that have been forcibly occupied in the past instead of taking them back......"

Napoleon III was furious when he heard the news, and immediately said: "Any attempt to dismember French territory will be met with sworn resistance." …… Even if the country allows itself to sink to pieces, it will not budge on the territorial issue. The Prussians don't even think of an inch of land, not a single copper! Prime Minister Thiers also said that the Prussian idea was simply unacceptable: "If we were defeated, perhaps it would be necessary to follow the rules of defeat to a certain extent, but we are not defeated now." …… A peace agreement involving the cession of territory is simply unacceptable. ”

From the very beginning of the negotiations between the two sides, it seemed doomed that it would not go well.

Sure enough, as Alfonso had predicted, after the negotiations began, the "perverse" Bismarck bluntly demanded to the French side the amount of reparations for the cession of Alsace, Lorraine, Metz and Strasbourg and 6 billion francs, which caused Thiers to jump from his chair "like a mad dog", and Thiers declared that Bismarck's offer was "an insult to the French nation", and Bismarck then reduced the amount to 5 billion francs, but Thiers still said that it was "unacceptable". Bismarck was furious, and he told Thiers, "We are not short of money, we have money, we can't run out of money, what we really want is land." If this demand is not met, then the whole of France will be in flames, and all French cities will be reduced to rubble. Thiers immediately left the table to protest, and the members of the French delegation left with him, and the first day of negotiations ended.

――――Dividing Line――――

Collect! Ask for recommendations!