125 – These are the Peace Negotiations (2)
A week later, some Reich officers, including Count Benner and I, were invited by the Francois Republic to the nearby Castle of Nancy for negotiations. Went into
I wonder if we want to protest that we are still alive and well, even though the situation in the country is truly absurd as we lost the war in the aftermath of the excommunication.
Inside the castle, a luxurious and extravagant scene was created, with colorful carpets, chandeliers, furniture made of various luxurious woods, and desks carved from marble.
While the peace negotiations were in progress, the clothes worn by François’ servants, who would provide for the comfort of the Marquis Venner, me, and the officers in the entourage, were only made of the finest silk.
If you show on the outside that you don’t have money.
I guess it was to prepare for the fear that Marquis Venner would see this and find out their weaknesses and impose some unfavorable conditions on them.
As I waited, imagining how the future negotiations would turn out, the door opened and the person in charge of negotiations with François came in and greeted me.
“Thank you for coming to Nancy Castle. My name is Pierre von Troyes, Deputy Foreign Minister and Member of Parliament for the Republic responsible for negotiating this war. “This man next to me is Henri de Régis, who serves as my aide.”
After hearing those words, the Marquis and I stood up, accepted his greeting, and chatted for a while.
Well, it was pointless content such as the high level of literature and culture of the Reich Empire or that the food of the Francois Republic was really delicious.
For the sake of diplomatic formality, it is inevitable that we will have this conversation and act hypocritically in getting to know each other.
It’s like going on a blind date and even if there’s someone you don’t like, you go out of your way to eat out of consideration for the face of the arranger.
“Now let’s begin negotiations in earnest, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
“Good, it should be a negotiation that everyone can understand.”
“Then, we will present the conditions first. “I think you will like it as these are conditions that are as considerate as possible to the empire.”
On the surface, the words exchanged seemed very cordial, but the meaning behind them was roughly as follows.
‘Now stop talking nonsense and how much are you going to buy your life for? Present it first. If I don’t like the sincerity, I plan to completely overturn it.’
After saying that, an aide named Pierre next to the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs laid out a map of the François Republic for everyone to see.
Next, the Deputy Foreign Minister drew a line from the Castle of Metz to the city of Belfort with the baton he was holding and then spoke.
“As compensation, I will hand over the territory from the eastern border of the empire to Celsta Castle and Sargmin Castle, as well as all the people living there. In addition, 300,000 gold as war compensation and 200,000 gold as ransom for prisoners. “How about giving a total of 500,000 gold?”
The territory from the east to Celesta and Sargmin is 1.5 Times the size of the Visochia region, and is an incredibly large land, the size of two duchies.
In addition, this is a region with fertile land and a good climate that can support a population of over 700,000 people if only the devastated fields are rebuilt.
Considering the luxury goods such as wine and fruits produced as specialties, and the robust trade and established trade routes, its value is more than four times that of Visochia.
Honestly, this war compensation includes the price of canceling the excommunication of Francois and compensation for causing more than 300,000 people of the Reich Empire to lose their homes.
To be honest, 500,000 gold and territory equivalent to Celesta and Sargmin are pretty decent.
However, if our troops make up their minds and are prepared to push themselves too hard, it is possible to continue the war like this and take over three times as much land as that nobleman suggested, even if it is impossible to reach the capital, Gobelin.
And since the other party knows that fact, it seems like they are trying to negotiate with us a few times and then settle on the condition of paying a little more.
Marquis Vener and I have already decided to start by asking for four times the conditions presented by His Majesty the Emperor.
“hehehe, this is a condition that is difficult for us to accept. From Celesta to Sargmin, isn’t that a place that Francois’s Eastern Expeditionary Force has devastated so much that it will take several years just to rebuild the village?”
“Then how much do you want us to concede?”
Hearing those words, Marquis Venner muttered for a moment as if he was thinking about it, but then he smiled and spoke with a friendly smile.
“Shouldn’t you hand over the distance from Colmar to Metz Castle? And the compensation will only be 500,000 gold.”
He said it with a smile, but at this level, it was a threat to cut off an arm or a leg and hand it over to the Francois Republic.
Because this land requested was four times the size of Visuccia and was excellent in terms of usability, so it was meant to receive Francois’ land like Altoran.
And what if you spend all of the 500,000 gold in compensation given by Francois?
In fact, the empire can completely rebuild the territory it received from Francois without spending a single penny.
The expression of the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, who had been full of composure and a smile until just now, was filled with anger that he could no longer hide, but he tried to suppress his anger and spoke in a natural voice.
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“We cannot cede such a large territory. So please adjust it to an appropriate level.”
“I’m just trying to get the compensation you deserve for harming the people of our empire. No further adjustments can be made. “You’re probably not planning on negotiating the cost of excommunication (money paid in exchange for forgiveness of your sins), right?”
“Wow, the conditions demanded by the two countries are very different. Don’t you need a cup of tea at a time like this? I happen to have some precious coffee beans that I had a hard time finding. How about a cup of coffee?”
Then, the Marquis and the other attachés, including the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, all stood up and tried to leave.
I and the other side’s aide could not leave the table after them.
Because the other party’s invitation to go for a cup of coffee means that the negotiator’s aides should have a sincere conversation in a place where no one is around.
Then, after talking for several hours and understanding the other person’s true intentions and completing discussions, we can finally go up to report that the paperwork has been completed.
Then, of course, I just have to report to the Marquis of Venner that the other person has discussed these conditions.
Then, the strengthened negotiations will be signed after some additional discussion with the content agreed upon between the two aides.
“Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, then I will organize some of the documents here and join you.”
“Captain, I’m sorry, but me too.”
After saying that, as if it were natural, the two left without stopping us, telling us to take care of things slowly.
When only the two of us were left, Henri, the other party’s aide, looked at me and asked with a serious expression.
“Let’s talk openly and honestly, following diplomatic convention. Do you really want the Empire from Colmar to Metz?”
To be honest, the condition that His Majesty the Emperor ordered Count Vener was that you should only accept the land you first offered, not the area from Colmar to Metz.
However, His Majesty said that he could freely extort a little more than the minimum territory and compensation.
After making a big deal, I plan to ease the conditions little by little, like feeding fish.
“I think we can reduce it a little more.”
“To what extent? No matter how you think about it, the mess in Colmar is too much. “Aren’t you asking us to give up almost the size of a principality?”
“The Marquis of Venner happens to be my father-in-law, and I think His Majesty the Emperor could be more merciful if only he would hand over a few of the Republic’s criminals for appropriate compensation and preservation of prestige. No, he will give it to you.”
In fact, because this was such an obvious condition, the aide in front of me in his mid-40s looked distressed.
Because the republic can be forgiven only if the person responsible for bringing the republic to the point of excommunication, François, is sent to the Vatican to be interrogated for heresy and killed, and only then will the excommunication be lifted.
In addition, in the situation of His Majesty the Emperor, those who take responsibility and die come out, which saves prestige and provides justification for reducing the amount of compensation and land received from them in exchange for the heads of a few politicians.
“I understand. Then, after we cede the territory, we will send to the Holy Father those who are guilty among our lawmakers and generals…”
But I interrupted him and said with a smile.
“What are you talking about? The Holy Father already knows that both the coiners and the coiners were deeply involved in the plunder of the Reich Empire, which led to the excommunication. So isn’t it important how much more appropriate you express your gratitude to the Reich Empire, who is now a victim?”
To be precise, the Juwar faction made a fuss about attacking the territory of the Reich Empire, which was busy conquering the north, and the Juhwa faction argued that they should be more cautious because they could be excommunicated if they attacked the empire’s territory without a declaration of war.
Later, I heard that the Jujeon faction passed it on the condition that a few nobles belonging to the Juhwa faction were given a few seats in the National Assembly.
So, strictly speaking, both sides are related.
The Empire can decide which of the two factions will honestly apologize to us first and contribute to lifting the excommunication of the Francois Republic.
“In addition, if adequate compensation for damages is not provided, we are thinking of breaking down the peace negotiations and negotiating with the Jucheon faction rather than the Juhwa faction to which Advisor Henri belongs.”
At this level, it is a card that can be played within the scope of Captain Banner’s authority.
Now, show me how sincerely you want to live.