April 28, 1919, Bern, Switzerland. After the Battle of Portugal, the Allies and the Central Powers also had a battle on land. As a result, the American offensive from the southern front was successfully disrupted by Germany, and the German army tried to break through the Paris defense line.

The plan also failed. After paying a huge price, the front lines in some areas were pushed forward by 4 to 7 fronts! Both sides were very unwilling to do so.

, always thinking about gaining some advantage at the last moment. However, the two sides were almost tied after fighting. Since neither of them wanted to fight, let's sit down and talk. As a neutral country, Switzerland became an acceptable venue for the meeting for both parties.

The big bosses of the Allied Powers and the Entente Powers all came to Bern, Switzerland, and China, as the mediator, also sent Gu Weijun as a representative to participate in this crucial meeting.

The Russian Provisional Government did not participate in this meeting. As a government supported by Germany, the Allied Powers will naturally not fight for their interests. The original friends have become accomplices of the enemy. What's more, Germany has signed a treaty with Russia, and even

Russia also signed a treaty with China, redefining the relationship between Russia's east and west

Almost all the things that need to be discussed on the border have been discussed. Even the troops commanded by Denikin and Kolchak, who once had high hopes for the Allied Powers and were originally loyal to the tsarist government, are also on the border between Germany, Russia and China.

After being encircled and suppressed, they were wiped out. In the end, the remaining troops surrendered to China and gave up their weapons in exchange for the right to live in China.

Since everyone has decided to have a good talk, let's start with some key points where consensus can be easily reached. The Allies agreed to withdraw from the French border. The two sides returned to the status quo after the Franco-Prussian War. Belgium was also able to regain its independence.

This is the bottom line for the British. As a middle ground between France and Germany

, this place must not fall into the hands of the Germans. The problem in the Netherlands is more troublesome. Shortly after the Netherlands was captured, Germany supported another member of the Dutch royal family as its leader. This conflicted with the Dutch government-in-exile in the UK, and everyone

Not wanting to give up, the negotiating parties fell into endless bickering.

The two sides quarreled for three days without any results, so they decisively moved the battlefield and began to discuss the issues of the Mediterranean and North Africa. Here, the differences between the two sides were much greater than before, starting from West Africa and the Iblis Peninsula.

East. As far as the Suez Canal, there is not much in common between the two sides! “The two sides are fighting more at the negotiating table than on the battlefield in North Africa.

It’s even more intense! The French want to take back their colonies, the British want to ensure their status in Egypt, and the Italians are like misers who refuse to give up what they have got. And Germany is holding on to the Suez Canal issue and won’t let go!

"A Chinese diplomat who participated in the meeting said. The negotiations reached a deadlock. For this reason, the meeting was even adjourned for a week.

At this time, China's role was revealed. Based on the principle of putting its own interests first, China "persuaded" both parties to accept a plan that everyone could agree with based on its own needs. Regarding the Dutch issue, China's principle was to let the new

The Dutch government is leaning towards Britain and the United States, and China's ultimate goal is to rebalance Europe's power. In the original two-front war situation.

Germany has not been brought down yet. If the Netherlands is controlled by Germany again, then the Allied Powers will be too weak on the European continent. Therefore, China actually supports the demands of Britain and France, but for the sake of face, some words cannot be said directly.

Based on the principle of peace and harmony, China suggested that Germany abandon this lowland country and then exchange it for concessions from the Allied Powers in the north!

Where is the north? Of course it is Norway! Norway has the iron ore and other resources that Germany needs, and more importantly, there are too many excellent ports. From an economic and resource perspective, Norway is more valuable than the Netherlands, and from the sea

Strategically speaking, possessing the Norwegian ports will inevitably weaken Britain's naval blockade capabilities. There is no way. The coastline is too long. This is very difficult for the German government.

It is very attractive. After all, in this war, it was the continuous fighting of the navy that finally eliminated the opponent's maritime superiority and ultimately threatened the vital maritime transportation lines for Britain and France, giving Germany a chance.

After swallowing the fruits of victory, negotiate with the other party. It can be expected that after the war, the status of the German Navy in the national political life will further increase.

As for the losses on land? In fact, for the powerful German Army, when only one front is concerned, the presence or absence of the Netherlands is not that important to Germany. It is nothing more than delaying Germany for a few more days.

What the Army lacks is not combat capabilities but resources sufficient to support these combat capabilities. After obtaining

After acquiring a large area of ​​land in Eastern Europe and its resources, the German Army believed that if a war broke out again in more than ten years, France's survival time could only be counted in days. Therefore, the German Army did not attach much importance to the presence of the Netherlands. Relatively speaking, the German Army did not attach much importance to the Netherlands.

, they pay more attention to how much ore they can get from Scandinavia.

For Britain and France, withdrawing from Scandinavia in exchange for the Netherlands is an acceptable deal. The German Army was too terrifying in the eyes of the Allied Powers, especially the burst of combat effectiveness in a short period of time, which frightened the Allied Powers.

, and the key to dealing with this kind of explosive power lies in depth, so no matter how bad the Netherlands is, it can still provide a certain depth. As for losing Norway? Although the British were heartbroken, at this time the British had realized that they wanted to completely lock the German navy in

The North Sea is impossible to achieve. Now that the prison door has been opened, isn't it possible to open the door to a smaller or larger location? And more importantly, Britain and France believe that they have no way to effectively control the situation in Norway, and they can eat without meat.

It's tasteless to abandon it, but it's just useless. What's more, once the land campaign fails, Germany will be able to reach the west coast of France and face the Atlantic Ocean. In this case, how meaningful is it for the British to care about Norway? As for France, they naturally hope

Our eastern border can be safer.

After five days of negotiations, the fate of the two small countries was decided. The Dutch provisional government in exile in the United Kingdom will return to the Netherlands after the war. In exchange, the United Kingdom will not do anything about Germany's actions in Norway.

Intervention. In just a few days, several major powers fought against each other.

It can determine the fate of a small country for more than ten years or even decades in the future, which fully proves the sorrow of a small country. And if a small country is like this, then the fate of those dependent countries or colonies in Africa will be even more uncertain. The land and people can only

Waiting for the strong man's decision.

However, regarding the issue of North Africa, the competition between the two sides is more intense than on the Northern Front. After all, the Northern Front only involves Germany, Britain and France, while North Africa in the south involves too many countries. Spain, Italy, and the Ottoman Empire all have demands, and

Britain and France wanted to restore the original order. All this made every step of the negotiation very difficult. The British first proposed the restoration of the original order.

Restoring ownership of the Fortress of Gibraltar and the Island of Malta. However, this was firmly opposed by Spain and Italy. The former was Spanish territory, and Germany would not allow this fortress guarding the western entrance of the Mediterranean Sea to be controlled by the British, so Germany fully supported Spain.

Not only that, the Germans privately hinted at supporting the Spanish government's control of Morocco.

As for the island of Malta? Germany doesn’t care much about this. In the Germans’ view, as long as they can control both ends of the Mediterranean, it doesn’t matter if they abandon a small island in the middle. What’s even more surprising is that Austria

The result of the Hungarian Empire’s private exchanges with high-level German officials

The result is that "Italy should not be so powerful." The implication is very clear that the Austro-Hungarian Empire hopes to sell part of the benefits gained from Italy when necessary in exchange for concessions from Britain and France! This began to make the German military circles, especially the navy, feel a little bit

Caught off guard.

The German Navy is worried that this behavior will lead to a backlash from Italy. After all, whether it is based on "rewards based on merit" or the pre-war agreement, this behavior is tantamount to betrayal. Of course, there is nothing to worry about betraying a weak person.

There are consequences, but if you betray a country with a certain strength, even if there is no problem now, you may be counterattacked at some point in the future.

"As the country with the second strongest navy and air force in the group, Italy deserves our respect. Their interests should be guaranteed, which has a great impact on our future strategy. After this war, we have opened the North Sea

The next step is to control the entire Mediterranean and gain access to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The Italian Navy will serve as an ally in the Mediterranean.

An important force of the fleet operates together with the German Mediterranean Fleet. For such an important ally, how can we possibly sacrifice its interests? The Mediterranean will be the core of German naval strategy in the future, and Italy is an indispensable ally. The Austrians only have

The next one is super fearless, and the Italians have four more!" In a private meeting, Tirpitz earnestly advised William II.

"There are no permanent allies, only permanent interests. After the war, when the Italians find that they cannot obtain enough benefits from this alliance and are betrayed by their original allies, what will they do? The Austro-Hungarian fleet simply

There is no way to match Italy, and the German fleet has to deal with the British, French, Americans, and an Italian at the same time. This is simply a disaster. We can finally force our opponents to submit. One of the important factors is that the Italian navy is the main force.

The Mediterranean Fleet took control of the Mediterranean and entered the

Western countries have used their actions and strength to tell the world that they are a capable partner. We cannot push such a partner aside!" Looking at the hesitant Wilhelm II, Tirpitz felt a little helpless.

Feeling that he is no longer the "eternal one"

Tirpitz". He is already old, and someone who can replace him has appeared in the German High Seas Fleet. He is like a sugar cane that has been squeezed out of its sugar, and his use is getting less and less. Even if he said

That's right, the Kaiser would never trust and support him like that! What a tragedy.
Chapter completed!