"Your Excellency the Special Envoy, there is little room for modification of such conditions. ”

"I know, I know. ”

Envoy Wood nodded, his hand holding the cigar to his forehead, and the Earl of Ramsdorf shook his head vigorously.

It was a very different negotiation than the ones they had experienced.

The usual negotiation is sausage-cutting, where both sides cut the sausages one by one until they find out the bottom line of the other party, seek a mutually acceptable common divisor between each other's bottom lines, and maximize their own interests on this basis.

Yalfheim's list of peace talks is tantamount to cutting off a large piece of sausage, and then not retreating. And the sausage you are holding in your hand hides a large amount of invisible toxins, and if you swallow it, it will not only hurt your stomach, but even kill you.

"Free trade, the elimination of Charlemagne, the punishment of those responsible for the war - these are all things that the people want and are willing to support, if we oppose it, we will all become traitors, and we will be questioned whether we have taken Charlemagne's benefits. ”

In particular, Alfheim's voluntary renunciation of reparations gave them a high ground in public opinion and morality, and the populace would regard them as legendary knights of high morals who were willing to show mercy and forgiveness to defeated opponents. Demands that seem reasonable will be more supported by the public, and those who oppose them will be more suspicious and untrustworthy. ”

Count Ramsdorf spread his hands, and Envoy Wood shrugged.

Because of the war and nationalist propaganda, the people of the countries did not have any good feelings for Charlemagne, and the families who lost their families because of Charlemagne were desperate for the government to get justice for them.

Revenge - everyone's heart is full of this thought, everyone is cursing Charlemagne, who would oppose Alfheim's demand to completely remove Charlemagne's threat? Even if there is, I am afraid that the punishment is too light. According to the ideas of these activists, Charlemagne's humiliation and persecution of other countries in the past should now be returned tenfold and hundredfold to Charlemagne. The deputies should demand not only the complete disarmament of Charlemagne, but also the plundering of the country's wealth, the dismemberment of its territory and the destruction of its war potential. Fundamentally eliminate all opportunities for Charlemagne's comeback, and the ultimate goal is to turn her into a third-rate or even fourth-rate country, so that she no longer has the ability to dictate and stir up trouble in continental affairs.

Of course, given the difference in social status, the likelihood of changing the established national strategy is very slim from the opinion of the population. But public opinion, especially the one that has been stirred up with strong intentions, is something that no politician can ignore. Experienced politicians should know that public opinion can be guided and operated, but it must not be easily disobeyed. The guys who forget this will end up very interesting.

Maybe they won't be like Charlemagne's army red deer shouting "the country" and cut down the negotiators, maybe they will ...... In any case, Envoy Wood and Count Ramsdorf did not want their mansion to be set on fire by the mob, and they did not want to wake up one morning with a group of "strong men" with swords, war hammers, and sticks standing beside them with swords, war hammers, and sticks...... That would be a very unfortunate thing, and what would be worse is that the government, in order to protect its image, is likely to take advantage of the situation and push them out as scapegoats - the dead will not tell the truth anyway, and they will not open their mouths to defend themselves.

This is just speculation, and there is no clear evidence that things could get so bad. However, if the negotiations fail and the relevant information leaks out, it is likely to become a reality.

"That's not all the trouble. ”

Envoy Wood tapped through the papers, pointing out the devil hidden in the details with a sullen expression.

"The requirements of the whole article are ostensibly within our predetermined framework, and if we propose changes ourselves, they are likely to take this opportunity to break the predetermined framework. And note that Articles 5 to 10 are interrelated, and touching any of them will cause a chain reaction that may end up with a peace that is completely contrary to our expectations. ”

"These are secondary, as long as you negotiate, you can always negotiate a result. The last one is the root of the problem, if this clause of putting the knife directly to the neck is removed, Charlemagne will not accept this kind of peace talks that are indistinguishable from direct defeat and surrender. ”

But Yarfheim made it clear that the resignation of those responsible for the war was a prerequisite, and this was also recognized by everyone. What is the reason for this to be corrected, and at what cost?"

Serres' High Affairs Officer suddenly asked:

"How about we get in touch with Charlemagne's representatives and ask them to offer a reparation in exchange for Alfheim's concession on the last article?"

"Let the defeated side offer to pay reparations? Senior Affairs Officer Rubinsky, you are a genius. ”

Count Ramsdorf's tone did not seem at all like a compliment, he shook his head, and asked rhetorically with a sneer:

"And then, waiting for the Ancient Seed to report a huge indemnity that we can't bear? Besides, even if the compensation is proposed, the other party may not be relieved. ”

"That's Charlemagne's request, and it's Alfheim who made the offer, and we're in charge of coordinating. ”

"I think so. If Alfheim makes a demanding offer, we can still steer things back on track. If they refuse, we can do that too. ”

Envoy Wood nodded, his face turning to the young knight standing sideways.

"I would like to leave my contact with Charlemagne's representatives. ”

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The flow of diplomatic talks is generally to meet during the day and hold a dance party in the evening for socializing, and the combination of lengthy meetings and intelligence-gathering balls is a complete diplomatic meeting. Sometimes it's possible to have a meeting for a few months, or to dance for a few months.

"We don't have that much time, and neither does Yalfheim. ”

Roland flicked his glass, the golden champagne reflected in the dazzling light, and his unfocused eyes reflected the men and women dancing on the dance floor.

"Both sides want to end the war as soon as possible, the only question is in what form to end. ”

Will Charlemagne retain his independence, or will Alfheim win a complete victory, or will it end in a way where there are no winners?

One side hopes to end the war with dignity before the country dies, and the other side is anxious to reap the fruits of victory before the third party disrupts the situation, and the third party, for its own security and interests, hopes -- does it sound a bit like the Russo-Japanese War? Indeed, strictly speaking, the war between Alfheim and Charlemagne is also a battle for the rise of a new imperialist power, and a group of-stirring sticks jump out to stir up the situation in the final stage. However, there is a clear difference between the current situation and the Russo-Japanese War, that is, the availability of surplus.

Both Tsarist Russia and Japan essentially lack the strength to really and thoroughly defeat their opponents, and to put it more specifically, they have no money.

War is to burn money, and even in a relatively calm state of confrontation, a huge amount of materials are consumed every day. In the heat of the war, it is not an exaggeration to say that bundles of banknotes were shoveled into the stove every day to burn.

Some people may say: Isn't it still possible to feed the war with war and "transfer it on the spot"? Grain can be collected, manpower can be requisitioned, and weapons and equipment can be used? Bullets, shells, gun parts, and other things can only be transported from the rear, and they still have to burn money themselves. What's worse is that the looting is cool for a while, after the supply line is cut off by angry resistance groups and guerrillas, do you think it can be cool?

In the era of total warfare, the war contest is the country's heritage and the amount of resources. Like the Russo-Japanese War mentioned earlier, it was not that Tsarist Russia and Japan did not want to fight, but that they really had no money to fight it. You must know that the Russians are fighting the war on loans and sales of war bonds from the French, and the Japanese are also fighting on loans and sales of war bonds from the British, Americans, and Jews. Poverty has plagued both warring sides from the outset, so no matter how the war ends, the third party responsible for military spending can easily eliminate the possibility of any winner in the first place.

Alfheim does not have such a problem, it was originally a world-scale consortium, and it has always been cautious and careful to control the pace of war. Although there is financial pressure, it is definitely not a problem. With the wealth they have amassed over the decades, there is no problem in making up for Charlemagne's final shot. Therefore, they have no desire to negotiate peace at all, and they only show up out of the consideration that they do not want to become enemies of the world.

If you are not willing to hold peace talks at this time, and you do not want to take the responsibility for sabotaging the peace talks on your own, then the best choice is to put forward a condition that seems reasonable but is absolutely impossible for the other side to accept.

"It is absolutely impossible for the crown prince and the army to accept such a condition as 'collective and voluntary resignation, turn back, march in unison, and target the International Military Tribunal!' It should be said that no person in his right mind can accept such conditions." The great man who is willing to trade his head for peace and the happiness of the majority of the people - this wonderful species, I have not seen until now. dragged the country and the people to bury themselves, but as many as they wanted. ”

Valrhona fiddled with the ice cubes in her glass, preferring handmade juice soda to alcoholic and carbonated drinks. The bartender at the hotel is good, and the fresh orange soda is top-notch, but Valrhona is clearly not interested.

"The problem is that the countries present at the meeting have already agreed on the matter of the crown prince. As long as the crown prince remains in power, Charlemagne's credibility is hard to guarantee, and as a sign of sincerity in peace negotiations, those responsible for the war must step down. Alfheim was well aware of this, so he seized on this and made it a precondition for an armistice to immediately make a decisive decision against the crown prince and his family, and then start peace talks. Damn it...... Without armistice talks, there would have been no peace talks in the future. What a bunch of old foxes who will plan to fight!"

The cold soda couldn't suppress Valrhona's anger, and for a moment, she almost "missed" the cup on the head of Nidhogg, who was munching on Serres' chocolate on the other side of the dance floor.