Paris, the capital of France, the whole city is in a state of joy, and it has become a sea of joy. The four-year war was finally over, and it ended with their victory, and they were very satisfied with the result.

Of course, the heavy casualties paid in the war also made the French very distressed. During the war, the French killed and wounded more than five million soldiers and civilians. You know, there are only about 30 million people in France. That's one in seven people killed or wounded in the war.

At the Elysée Palace, the official residence of the president in Paris, French President Raymond Poincaré convened an emergency meeting. They need to set the tone in the peace talks that follow.

"Ladies and gentlemen, God bless the French Republic, the most difficult four years, we persevered, and we won in the end." President Poincaré's face smiled.

Other senior officials of the French government were equally smiling. You know, they almost got defeated! The closest German army was to Paris was only fifty kilometers. If it weren't for the strategic problems of the German army itself, perhaps Paris would have been captured by the Germans. Once Paris is lost, will France be able to continue fighting? I'm afraid, that's unlikely. So, these French officials were very happy, and they thought that God had blessed them.

French Prime Minister Clemenceau also smiled, although France had suffered heavy losses in the war. But, fortunately, they won. Then, the next thing is the time to blackmail the defeated countries and make them pay a heavy price.

"Your Excellency the President, Your Excellency the Prime Minister. We have suffered heavy casualties in the war, the industrial areas in the north have been reduced to rubble, and the finances have long since dried up. Debts are piling up. Therefore, I propose that in the next peace talks, the Germans be required to pay us a huge war reparation. Said French Finance Minister Louis Lucien Klotz.

The other dignitaries nodded their heads one after another, and after the end of the Franco-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Prussia demanded a full 5 billion francs in compensation from France. This time, they said that they would let the Germans get it back with interest.

"We also want to completely remove the German threat to us. After the reunification of Germany. They are France's biggest threat. We must limit Germany's military power so that Germany no longer has the power to threaten us. War Minister Louis Raucel said.

"The German colonies abroad must be transferred to us as punishment for them." This was also stated by Henry Simon, the minister of the colonies. Although there were not many overseas colonies in Germany, they had already been carved up by Britain, France and China. However, no matter how small a mosquito is, it is still meat! The Germans must be made to pay for their stupidity.

The attitude of the French was very clear, that Germany must be punished severely, if possible. It would be better to let Germany re-divide. In this way, the French threat is lifted, and they will become the hegemon of the European continent.

"Do you have any comments on the location of the peace talks?" Prime Minister Clemenceau asked.

"Paris, can only be Paris. And it should be the Hall of Mirrors of Versailles. The shame that the Germans imposed on us in the first place must be experienced by the Germans themselves. French Foreign Minister Bi Shengquan said.

After the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War, King Wilhelm I of Prussia was crowned emperor in the Hall of Mirrors of Versailles. This is a great shame for all French people. This time. They must humiliate the Germans.

Prime Minister Clemenceau nodded, although he knew that the British would also like to put the venue for peace talks in London. However, if the French had remained tough, the British would have compromised.

Almost at the same time. The British across the Channel were also celebrating the victory. Although, the war was not fought on British soil. However, the British sent a large number of expeditionary forces to fight in France. During the four-year war, the British Expeditionary Force suffered heavy losses. In addition, the attack launched by the German Navy. It also caused great damage to the British. In particular, a large number of merchant ships were sunk, which made Britain almost unsustainable.

Fortunately, the Germans were finally knocked down, and they finally won the war.

British Prime Minister David Lloyd George convened a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office to discuss Britain's post-war development plans. This war was originally for Britain to maintain its world hegemony. It's just that what the British probably didn't expect was that the war would last so long and the losses would be so large. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't have deliberately provoked the Germans to provoke war.

"Gentlemen, we have won the world war, and the world hegemony of the British Empire is still solid." David Lloyd George had a look of confidence and pride. Although, this war was fought very hard. Fortunately, however, the British survived. Their colonial system was also maintained. Their navy is still the most powerful in the world.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, although we have signed an armistice with the Germans. However, peace talks must begin as soon as possible. Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour said.

David Lloyd George nodded, the war was finally won, and then it was time to secure the interests of Britain at the negotiating table. As the saying goes, war is a continuation of politics. Only when political means cannot solve the problem will war be used to solve the problem. Once the war is decided, the two sides will once again return to the negotiating table.

"Do you have any suggestions for the next negotiations?" David Lloyd George said.

"Your Excellency Chancellor, the German Navy must be disarmed. The Germans could no longer be allowed to have large surface ships. Sir John Jericho, Secretary of State for the Admiralty. As a former commander of the Home Fleet and commander of the British fleet at the Battle of Jutland, he knew how lucky the British were to win. If it weren't for the fact that Britain's shipbuilding industry was stronger than Germany's, and Britain could have gone all out to develop its navy, and had not developed both a navy and an army like Germany, perhaps the British navy would have failed. If the British Navy were defeated by the German Navy, the consequences would be unimaginable. After the defeat of the navy, Britain may have no choice but to admit defeat and withdraw from the war. Having lost the support of the British, the French could not resist the German attack at all. Germany would soon win the war and become the hegemon of the European continent. Once Germany becomes the hegemon of the European continent, then all of Germany's shortcomings will be filled. Britain would be completely ******** and lose the possibility of challenging Germany.

David Lloyd George nodded: "There are more than a dozen capital ships left in the German Navy, and we can ask the Germans to hand over these capital ships to us." In addition, the development of the German Navy was restricted, requiring them to stop building large warships. ”

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, in terms of war reparations, we need to use the war reparations we have obtained to pay off our foreign debts." Chancellor of the Exchequer Andrew Bonafar said. Before the war, Britain was the richest country. Over the centuries, Britain has become very wealthy. However, after four years of war, Britain's centuries-old accumulation had been almost exhausted. Not only that, but also a huge amount of foreign debt. It can be seen how great the losses of Britain in this war were.

"The Germans started this criminal war, and now that they have conceded defeat, they naturally have to make them pay reparations." David Lloyd George said. If the Germans had been able to extort huge war reparations, Britain would have been under much less financial pressure. Of course, whether the Germans could get so much war reparations was not a matter for them to consider.

"Your Excellency, there is one thing we must be aware of in this peace negotiation. That is, we must not weaken Germany too much. If Germany is weakened excessively, then there will be two consequences. One is that France will become the hegemon of the European continent, which is not in our interests. (Britain has always adhered to a policy of continental equilibrium, that is, there can be no too strong hegemon on the European continent.) During the Napoleonic period, Britain repeatedly rallied other countries to form an anti-French alliance, and finally defeated France. After Russia became the hegemon of Europe, Britain also opposed Russia everywhere. After Germany became stronger, Britain once again united with other countries to beat the Germans down. The second is that we need Germany as a bulwark against Bolshevism. A weak Germany would probably not be able to stop Bolshevik-controlled Russia. Arthur Balfour said.

David Lloyd George and the other cabinet ministers nodded their heads in agreement.

For the UK, the balance of power across the continent is best. In this way, Britain will be able to maintain its position as the world's hegemon by controlling the world's oceans.

"Also, Your Excellency, we need to be wary of the Americans. President Wilson's 'Fourteen Points' would be a great challenge for the British Empire. In particular, its policy of 'national self-determination' is a threat to us. Arthur Balfour said.

Britain had the largest colonies in the world, and if they were allowed to achieve national self-determination, the colonial system that the British Empire had worked so hard to maintain would collapse completely. The British Empire would be finished. Naturally, this is not what the British want to see.

After the German defeat was declared, the British and French decided to convene a peace conference in Paris on January 18, 19, 4617 A.D. (To be continued.) )

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