Romanian Eagle

Eder is right in lamenting that Germany is not yet ready for the Allied punishment.

After Kaiser Wilhelm II issued the edict of abdication and took refuge in the Netherlands, the German Empire collapsed, and millions of German troops on the front lost their allegiance.

At home, Friedrich Ebert, who was about to take over as the head of the government, asked Max von Baden, the last chancellor of the German Empire, to sign a truce with the Allies before taking over as the head of the reorganized government.

Because the signing of the armistice that defeats the war is completely a disaster for a political figure, which will destroy his political life. This was an impossible condition to accept for Mr. Albert, who aimed to unify the political forces of postwar Germany.

Therefore, in the face of this obviously ruining the future, only Baden, who was brought to power specifically for this matter, did it. So on September 16, the Prime Minister of Baden, who was pushed out as a top bag, rushed to France to discuss the armistice affairs with the few government personnel at present. When the car for the German peace talks arrived at the station in the Forest of Compiègne, northeast of Paris, the train that Foch, commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces, was passing by.

In order to be in a hurry and to facilitate the peace talks, Prime Minister Baden hurriedly boarded the carriage that Foch was in.

How similar it was to Russia in March 1917!

At 5 o'clock in the morning, after breakfast, the Allied commander-in-chief Foch, who was waiting for the German delegation to surrender, was in a good mood. The civil strife of the mortal enemy made him happy. Standing in the train under his command, he said to General Wei Gang, his chief of staff: If we refuse their surrender, then the people's committee in Berlin will collapse within a few weeks!

Some thin and short Admiral Maxime Weygand looked at Marshal Foch who was already old, had personally experienced the Franco-Prussian War, and was determined to take revenge. In a hoarse voice, If the People's Councils in Berlin fall, they will be replaced by the Spartacists...they are the real Bolsheviks, just like the Russian Bolsheviks!

It seems that Admiral Wei Gang is a little worried about the situation in Germany, he is worried that Germany will become red like Russia.

so what?

Philip Foch stroked his white beard and said nonchalantly: We can defeat them! Bolsheviks in Germany, Bolsheviks in Russia! Now is the weakest time for these two countries, do you understand? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. !

In Fuxi's view, the current Allied forces still have millions of soldiers armed to the teeth, as well as weapons and supplies for the rich man of the United States. And the Bolsheviks in Germany and Russia were so weak. If you hit another year or two, you can crush them all,

In this way, France will be able to dominate Europe, and peace will be a real guarantee.

In the face of Marshal Fuxi's bellicose words, Admiral Wei Gang answered seriously. But in this case, our people will not agree. For this war, we sacrificed too much. In fact, France is already standing on the edge of the cliff!

Indeed, among the Entente countries currently participating in the war, apart from Russia, which has collapsed, France has suffered the most. Apart from the loss of millions of young and middle-aged people, its northern territories were completely scorched.

If the Americans hadn't acted in time, it would have been France that collapsed now. Moreover, the United Kingdom and the United States will definitely not accept that they will continue to fight and take chestnuts from the fire for France to dominate Europe. So Marshal Fuxi's idea was completely unworkable.

But in such a light-hearted manner for Germany, what we have won is not peace at all, but a 20-year armistice! Marshal Foch reiterated his point of view. Twenty years from now, we will regret today's short-sightedness.

The reason for Fauci's words was that he thought the truce was too benevolent. In Foch's view, it would be better to bring Germany back to the state it was in before the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, in order to eliminate the German threat to France.

And Fuxi's request to let the French family dominate cannot be accepted by the United Kingdom and the United States. They do not want to let France get the most benefit after defeating Germany. So this decision, which seems to benefit France the most, is unlikely to be accepted by both countries.

Facing Fuxi's words, General Wei Gang could only helplessly shake his head. In fact, in Weygand's view, the current armistice terms are too harsh for Germany.

He had also seen the terms long ago, which required the German troops to withdraw from the left bank of the Rhine, together with the bridgehead on the right bank, within 30 days, to be occupied by the Allies. This one will kill Germany, the left bank of the Rhine is the famous Ruhr area. This is Germany's coal and iron base. This region produces 80% of the country's hard coal, 90% of the coke, and concentrates 65% of the country's steel production capacity. It can be said that this article alone will allow the Allies to hold Germany's seven inches and make it immobile.

In addition, the German army was required to withdraw from the occupied Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Alsace-Lorraine within 15 days. Yes, the Alsace-Lorraine region, which France has never forgotten, is finally returning to the embrace of France. This speaks of the disposition of the Germans on the Western Front, and then it is the turn of the Eastern Front.

All German troops still stationed on pre-war territory belonging to Austria-Hungary, Turkey and fighting in East Africa shall be withdrawn immediately to within the German borders of August 1, 1914. All German troops stationed on pre-war Russian territory should also return to German territory when the Allied Powers deem the time appropriate. Yes, the Allies didn't think it was time to withdraw from the German forces on pre-war Russian territory. The hatred of Soviet Russia made the Allies temporarily need the German troops to continue to station in the original Russian territory.

The next step is that the Allied prisoners of war should be repatriated immediately, and the German prisoners of war should be placed by the Allies in any way they deem fit, and the Treaty of Bucharest should be abrogated.

The last and most critical one at present is that the German army should completely hand over its main equipment and means of transport of its land, naval and air forces. This was intended to disarm Germany, which would also mean that as long as Germany signed an armistice, its fate would be entirely in the hands of the Allies.

While Fuxi and Wei Gang were talking, the guards came up to report. The German delegation is here.

Let them in.

Following Foxi's words, it took ten hours to travel, and Chancellor Baden, the representative of the German government who had just arrived in Compiègne Forest, immediately boarded the carriage.

We already know your purpose.

Marshal Fuxi took out an armistice treaty and handed it to Baden. This is our request. If you agree, sign it, and if you don't agree, we will continue to fight.

In the face of Fuxi's cold words, Baden didn't care to pick up the armistice treaty and look at it, but the more he looked at it, the more ugly he looked, and finally he said after letting go of the treaty. This armistice treaty is too harsh.

Facing Baden's words, Fuxi took a puff of his pipe and said, You don't need to tell me this, you just need to sign or leave.

Foch's words caused some commotion among the German delegates, who did not expect the Entente to be so tough. So a group of people are talking in a low voice, but the result of mutual communication is frustrating. At present, Germany has absolutely no ability to oppose this armistice agreement, so in the end, after struggling for more than ten minutes, Baden signed the agreement on behalf of the German government.

The war is over.

( = )