209 – War is Diplomacy (4)
In a diplomatic meeting, a treaty is concluded that appears to be a good offer to the other side, but in reality only one side benefits. There are quite a few.
A representative example is when His Excellency Brahe, Minister of Foreign Affairs, was deceived by the King of Stockholm and received half of the northern part of the country in return for an invasion of the empire together.
This could be a plot to take advantage of the fact that the Kingdom of Sweden is having difficulty maintaining the north, and to take back the land that was handed over in return for an alliance by declaring war.
So, I know that nothing good will come of the Empire fighting against Sweden, and I plan to let them know and come up with a plan for mutual coexistence.
From noble mtl dot com
Because Stockholm is a country so large that Sweden and the Reich Empire can easily rip, taste, and enjoy it.
“What do you plan to do with the Kingdom of Stockholm, which insulted our Royal Highness?”
“They are the ones who took out Ishtaven and 40 tribes without even declaring war against His Majesty, the Emperor of the Reich Empire. I can never forgive you. “Of course I plan to declare war.”
“We have kidnapped more than 10,000 northerners who had been loyal to the empire, so it is only right that we take over their territory in return. “Then what do you plan on handing over to us?”
If they had the ability to read the current atmosphere, even fresh ensigns who had just graduated from the Imperial Academy would be able to quickly figure out what Foreign Minister Brahe was asking for.
What they want is Stockholm’s territory, just like we do.
However, if we hand over a strange place, a conflict may arise between the two countries in the future.
Considering the grand strategy of looking into the future, for the national interest of the empire, Sweden and Stockholm must become enemies for the time being.
Considering all that, the land that should be given to Stockholm is…
“Invade the northern part of Stockholm and occupy it to the best of your ability.”
At those words, Brahe spoke with a very displeased expression.
“You mean north of Stockholm? In the current situation, I’m not sure if I would be moved even if they gave me southern part of Stockholm like Altoran. “You are asking us to take the north, where farming is very difficult, so I think it will be very difficult for us to accept that offer.”
Land that is good for people to live on is good land for farming, and places that are difficult for farming are barren land that is difficult for people to live on.
So, the suggestion I made can be interpreted this way.
‘Shed the precious blood of your soldiers and take away the wasteland that cannot be farmed.’
However, the northern part of Stockholm is located to the north, so it is difficult to farm, but it is a land full of valuable resources.
“Isn’t what the Kingdom of Sweden needs most now not wheat but iron? I understand that there are many iron mines in the northern part of Stockholm. In addition, the forest is made up of cedar and pine trees that have lived for hundreds of years, which are perfect for building ships, so wouldn’t the problem of not being able to farm be seen as a minor problem?”
“Well, as you said, our Kingdom of Sweden needs iron and wood much more than wheat right now. “But how did you know that?”
“The northerners of our empire told us a little about the situation in Sweden. So now we can see that iron and wood are more urgent for His Majesty the King of Sweden than wheat.”
Countries with good locations for people to live, such as the Reich Empire and the Francois Republic, are already farming almost all of the land that is good for farming.
However, due to Sweden’s geographical characteristics of being in the north, the weather was very cold, making it difficult to farm, and therefore it did not take long for Sweden to become an agricultural country.
So, after inferring all the circumstances, I was able to guess that there was a lot of uncultivated land in Sweden that could still be cultivated.
Seeing as how the imperial palace also shuns luxury, it appears that the King of Sweden is willing to focus on gathering financial resources and cultivating empty land.
Also, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs informed me of the analysis of the type and amount of goods made by extracting trade records with Sweden and found that iron and wood accounted for a large amount, so I was confident that this proposal would work. .
Foreign Minister Brahe looked at me and said that he had lost.
“Lieutenant General Jaeger, who was a war hero of the Imperial Army before becoming Acting Plenipotentiary, seems to have great qualifications as a diplomat. “It is as if he is dealing with an ambassador sent by the empire.”
This kind of positive response probably means that they have completed some level of preparation to accept my proposal.
Other than that, there is no reason to praise me with the intention of asking for a little less.
“I am just a soldier. There is no comparison with those who have been engaged in diplomacy their entire lives. However, when I looked at the problem of Sweden and the Reich Empire with the idea that all wars are a continuation of diplomacy, this answer naturally emerged.”
“……. Is that so? Anyway, it’s good. After listening to the story so far, I decided that joining hands with the Reich Empire would be more beneficial to the national interest than trusting in the Kingdom of Stockholm. So please tell me what your specific request is.”
“First of all, it would be better to deceive the Kingdom of Stockholm until the end. So, please maintain an alliance with the Kingdom of Stockholm until just before we invade. If possible, it would be better if the noble families of both countries, including counts or higher, pretended to strengthen the alliance by getting married.”
The most important thing, both in war and in diplomacy, is that if you do not deceive the other party thoroughly, you will end up on the wrong side.
Because, the other person is not as stupid as a snot, so if you use a half-baked move, your intention and purpose will be clearly visible and they will eventually notice.
If that’s the case, they will take advantage of this and set up a trap to trick us into falling for our tricks.
“As we form an alliance, there will naturally be things we want to ask for. “What do you want?”
“It would be best to hand over the content discussed between the Kingdom of Stockholm and the Kingdom of Sweden, but if you hand over information like that to the Reich Empire, you could end up getting your tail stepped on. It is enough for you to tell us to what extent the Kingdom of Stockholm has prepared for war.”
“If that’s the case, it’s not that difficult. “If we mobilize spies from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we can easily deliver that much information.”
When playing a game like Star Wars, sometimes it is very helpful to be able to see the opponent’s base as if taking a picture.
If you can find information about the extent to which you have prepared for war, you will be able to prepare leisurely and thoroughly accordingly.
This alone is the equivalent of winning about 10%.
Of course, there is a prerequisite that the information provided by Sweden must be correct.
“Then, until the Kingdom of Stockholm goes to war with the Empire, I would like the Kingdom of Sweden to pretend to gather soldiers on the southern border. To be precise, to the extent that the King of Stockholm thought that His Majesty the King of Sweden had been completely deceived.”
“If that happens, the King of Stockholm will concentrate the nation’s capabilities as far south as possible to prepare for war with us. “The north side will be relatively empty.”
“The Swedish military can take advantage of that opportunity and declare a surprise war, taking advantage of both justification and practical benefit. “If the Kingdom of Stockholm finds fault with the gathering of soldiers in the north, and uses the Principality of Vinland as an excuse…”
“Even from the perspective of a professional diplomat like me, this is truly a perfect strategy. As expected, the young war hero has a different way of thinking and depth. However, if this happens, it seems like the Kingdom of Sweden will benefit from the achievements of the Reich Empire. Do you have a separate purpose?”
If the war goes as I want, we plan to use our hands to keep the Kingdom of Stockholm and Sweden in check.
I intend to make the northern part of the country and the southern part of Stockholm safer by doing so, but if I reveal that, I would be making a fool of myself.
“I want to acquire a port and land that can be used as a trade transit point in the Bosnian Sea to keep the Grand Duchy of Warsaw in check. In addition, a lot of herring is caught in the southern part of Stockholm, so I have a small desire to supply it to the people as food.”
“Unlike us, the Empire has a high population density, so you have no choice but to do that. Really, I envy you. Let’s conclude an alliance. But doesn’t an alliance like this need a trustworthy token?”
“Although I am the plenipotentiary representative of His Majesty the Emperor, it is difficult for me to talk about the evidence of our alliance. However, I will make a request directly to Your Majesty. If we do well, there may be good news soon after this war ends.”
Anyway, when this war is over, an emperor election will be held, and there is a high probability that His Highness the Crown Prince will be crowned emperor with overwhelming support.
Then, the princes will be adopted to inherit the lineage of a noble family that currently has no heir, and their royal princesses will also be valued according to their political moves and then married off.
I don’t think there will be any problems if the process is arranged so that one of the princes or the princess goes to Sweden.
“I’m really looking forward to it. Okay, let’s fill out the alliance pledge.”
“We’ve already written a draft, so it won’t take long.”
“By the way, after signing the alliance pledge, would you be willing to honor the occasion by attending a small banquet held at our family?”
“If His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs invites me, I should go willingly. “I will go with my wife Louise.”
**
And a year later, it was finally decided that the Northern Army would go to war.
This time too, I was unable to assume the position of commander leading the expeditionary force due to the limitations of my rank as lieutenant general.
It was a little disappointing, but if we achieve a great victory this time and His Majesty the Crown Prince ascends the throne, his promotion to captain is confirmed, so there is nothing to feel sorry about.
However, the commander sitting in front of me right now is a bit scary.
“Nice to meet you, I am Gerhard von Keitel, the commander-in-chief of this expedition. He is honored to fight alongside the Empire’s young war hero.”
“Thank you, Captain Gerhardt.”
After hearing those words, Captain Gerhard spoke with a slightly displeased expression.
“You and I have a strictly public relationship. So, wherever you go, call me Commander Kaitel or Captain Kaitel.”
Help me! I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that if I’m with this person, I’ll have to do endless slave labor in the wheat fields…