While the British referendum was still underway, the ceasefire negotiations had already begun. After all, even a rotten ship still has a few iron nails left in it, let alone the British Empire. It was true that the Continental Alliance held the upper hand, but if they really wanted to steamroll everything outright, it would still take at least a year or two. Overseas colonies were especially troublesome. Canada and Australia, for example, were vast in territory. If fighting truly broke out there, it would take at least a million troops just to secure control. Franz had no interest in winning the war only to spend another three to five years chasing rebels and suppressing resistance afterward. No matter how large one’s empire was, that was not how you squander national strength. War burned money at an alarming rate. Prolonged, continuous fighting was the fastest way to drain a country’s vitality. Pouring too much strength into grinding Britain down to the last drop would be detrimental to the Holy Roman Empire’s next phase of strategic planning. War was merely a means, not the ultimate goal. Weighing costs and benefits was the most basic skill of any competent statesman. … Austrian Grand Hotel, conference room. The moment Adam saw the ceasefire terms, he nearly exploded with rage. Declaring surrender was not the real issue. They had already lost the war, and admitting defeat was only a matter of time. The real problem lay in the territorial concessions and reparations. By European tradition, the loser paying reparations and ceding territory was only natural. Adam had long prepared himself mentally for that. But when he saw the specific figures and the list of territories to be surrendered, he could no longer hold himself back. The territorial demands were almost identical to what had been proposed earlier: all overseas colonies, plus independence for Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. On top of that, another slice of England itself was to be carved away. The dismemberment of the British Isles was already unacceptable. Further weakening England was completely beyond discussion. As for the reparations, eighty billion guilders. Even at its peak, the British Empire could not have afforded such a sum, let alone the battered, half-crippled Britain of today. Even if they handed over every ounce of wealth accumulated through centuries of plunder, the current British government still could not scrape together such an astronomical figure. France was the perfect example. Mere war reparations alone had crushed the French economy, leaving it gasping for air. The French government had been paying for years on end, and even now had not finished paying off the annual interest, let alone the principal itself. Unless the Guilder were to undergo a massive devaluation, France would be unable to escape its debt crisis for the rest of this century. Adam naturally could not allow a similar fate to befall Britain. Unlike France back then, Britain still possessed Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. At home, it still had a Royal Navy with considerable strength. There was still some room to fight back. Even if the overall situation could no longer be reversed, Britain was still capable of inflicting hundreds of thousands of casualties on the allied forces. As long as one still had chips in hand, there was room to negotiate. International politics had always been brutally realistic. “Sir, these terms are far too harsh for the British Empire. They are well beyond what we can bear. Forty million British citizens will never accept such humiliation.” The moment the word “humiliation” came out, Leo, the Holy Roman representative, could not help rolling his eyes. Looking back across world history, how many defeated nations had not suffered “humiliation”? Not every country was the Qing Empire. The Holy Roman government was not that kindhearted. Victors who chose not to pursue responsibility were always the exception, never the rule. Lifting his coffee cup, Leo replied calmly, “Mistakes must be paid for. Your country is merely settling the bill for its past errors. You think these ceasefire terms are harsh because you have failed to recognize the catastrophe your country unleashed upon the world by starting this war. From the moment the war broke out, Europe’s foreign trade collapsed, the global economy plunged into negative growth, and millions died as a direct result of this conflict. And if we look further back, the damage your country has inflicted is even greater. Just take continental Europe as an example. Over the past two or three centuries, how many major continental wars did not involve your country in some way? After committing so many sins, do you really think mere money is enough to make amends? Eighty billion guilders was already calculated with your country’s ability to pay in mind. If we truly pursued full accountability, your country would deserve nothing less than hell. As for the colonies, they never belonged to your country in the first place. We are merely reclaiming them on behalf of their rightful owners. And Ireland, Scotland, and Wales were all territories your country seized by force. Every righteous person in the world has a duty to liberate them…” Politics is that brutally realistic. Whoever loses the war bears responsibility for it and the victors are never put on trial. Although the war had clearly been pushed forward jointly by the Holy Roman Empire and Britain, all responsibility was now being dumped squarely on the British government. Arguing was pointless. In this age where the strong prey on the weak, strength was the only language that mattered. As for the losses caused by the war, the narrative was itself selective. Millions of casualties were real enough, but the vast majority came from the Oceanic Alliance. India alone accounted for more than half of the deaths. Aside from the unlucky Russian Empire, which suffered devastating losses in the Far East, the Continental Alliance hardly fought many truly hard battles at all. The few major engagements that did occur were overwhelmingly one-sided. The only arena where forces were genuinely evenly matched was at sea. Casualties in the tens of thousands might be called “heavy losses” in peacetime, but in a world war they might not even amount to a single day’s toll. On the Indian front alone, there had been several battles where tens of thousands died in a single day. The problem was that the dead were almost always colonial troops, figures that never truly entered the Holy Roman government’s calculations. But none of that mattered. None of it could compete with digging up old accounts. Over the centuries, Britain had accumulated far too much hatred. Like coal, no matter how much you washed it, it would never turn white. If all the damage caused by Britain’s past actions were added up, eighty billion guilders was hardly excessive. One could easily tack on another zero. After a brief pause, Adam quickly adjusted his approach. “We should be looking forward, not backward. The past belongs to history and should be left to historians. There is no need to drag it endlessly into politics. The reason we are sitting here today is to represent peace-loving people around the world and to discuss how to bring this war to an end. Britain has already shown the utmost sincerity. We hope your country will respond in kind, approach this matter seriously, and work toward an agreement that all parties can accept as soon as possible. Britain is prepared to give up most of its colonies and to pay a reasonable war indemnity. However, our homeland’s sovereignty must be respected, and our postwar international status must be guaranteed. There must be no discrimination.” Sincerity had indeed been shown. Even if it had not, with domestic grain reserves steadily shrinking, the British government had no choice but to show sincerity. The Holy Roman government was no different. Otherwise, it would not have agreed to a one-week ceasefire, effectively giving the British government a chance to shift blame. However, sincerity could not be eaten. Negotiations, in the end, always revolved around interests. Leo shook his head without hesitation and said, “I’m sorry, Sir Adam. These ceasefire terms are unacceptable not only to us, but even more so to our allies. In the past, your country has left far too many bad impressions on the world. If your power is not curtailed, I’m afraid no one will be able to sleep soundly. If your country truly wishes to end the war, then surrendering all colonies, paying war reparations, and accepting arms limitations are non-negotiable. Of course, if your country is willing to demonstrate even greater sincerity, we can make certain concessions. For example, whether Ireland, Scotland, and Wales become independent could be decided after the war through local referendums. Sir, your time is running out. Your government must make up its mind quickly. Once the seven-day ceasefire expires, if we still have not reached a preliminary agreement, then your country will be left with only one option: unconditional surrender.” Reality once again proved that allies were meant to be used. At the final moment of the world war, the Holy Roman government’s first concern was still its own interests. Compared to that, punishing Britain was secondary. Once Britain’s colonies were stripped away and its armaments restricted, an island nation like Britain would no longer be capable of stirring up trouble. “Greater sincerity” was a blatant demand for more benefits. As long as the price was high enough and the Holy Roman Empire was fed first, all non-principled issues could be negotiated later. Having finally reached this point, Adam secretly let out a breath of relief. He was not afraid of the Holy Roman government being greedy, he was afraid of it wanting nothing at all. No matter what, satisfying one country was far easier than satisfying dozens. If this were dragged into negotiations with the entire Continental Alliance, it might well turn into another France. After a brief silence, Adam asked carefully, “What does your country want?” The foundations of the British Empire were still remarkably deep. Even at this stage, there were plenty of valuable assets that made others covet it. If not for the pressure of time, Adam would not have wanted to be so direct. If he could bargain step by step and slowly feel things out, the final price might have been lower. The Holy Roman Foreign Minister, Leo, spoke calmly, “We don’t have many demands. We’re simply asking your country to do us a few small favors. Nothing difficult. You know us. We dislike trouble. All we ask is that when your country withdraws from Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, you also take all the ‘trouble’ with you. Next, the old fellows at our Academy of Sciences have taken an interest in some of your technologies and would like to exchange views. And finally, a bit of publicity. You know this as well. For the long-term development of humanity, we have always advocated environmental protection and resource conservation. Take the military industry, for example. The market itself is not large, yet there are too many participants, many of whom lack adequate technology. As a result, enormous amounts of raw materials are wasted every year. To change this situation, we have been actively promoting the global integration of weapons and equipment, and we have already achieved phased results. More than 70% of the world’s army and air force equipment, and nearly 40% of naval equipment, have already been standardized. This alone saves tens of thousands of tons of raw materials every year. Everything is moving in a positive direction, except for your country. After the war, your military production will be restricted, and your existing arms manufacturers will all be shut down. If possible, when your country purchases weapons and equipment from abroad in the future, we hope you can give appropriate consideration to our military products. You may rest assured. Our military equipment is guaranteed in quality, enjoys an excellent global reputation, and is highly praised by users worldwide.” These “small favors” were anything but small. Every single one cut straight into the foundations of the British Empire, yet Adam lacked the courage to refuse. Colonies, technology, even the arms market itself were being taken. If all these plans were realized, the Holy Roman Empire’s advantage over every other nation would become insurmountable. What was even more despair-inducing was that these plans were already close to completion, while the outside world remained largely unaware. But none of that concerned Britain anymore. After suffering such a crushing defeat in this world war, simply preserving the homeland would already be a victory. Competing for global dominance would be a matter for future challengers. Adam had no intention of tearing away the veil. With Britain’s decline, there would no longer be any country capable of balancing the Holy Roman Empire. Even if the Holy Roman Empire’s ambitions were exposed, the facts on the ground were already set in stone, and the world could only swallow them. … On December 16, 1905, the British government publicly announced the referendum results. “Ending the war” passed with an overwhelming majority. A total of 27.345 million people participated in the vote. Of these, 21.494 million supported ending the war, accounting for more than 90 percent. As for how voting and counting were completed in such a short time, it could only be attributed to Britain’s unique “efficiency” in extraordinary times. On the same day, the British Parliament declared the vote valid. Britain formally withdrew from the war.
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