Chapter 596 Chapter 458 Train and Talk
Although Germany had announced a complete cease-fire, this did not mean the war had completely ended.
Before the German representatives officially signed the peace treaty, Germany was still at war with the Allies.
If the theme during the war was how to defeat Germany, then the theme now after the temporary cease-fire was discussing how to divide Germany.
Although every country's goal was to obtain sufficient profit while teaching Germany a profound lesson. Explore more at empire
However, the attitudes of different countries towards handling Germany varied. For example, the French wanted to weaken Germany as much as possible, annex more land, and even completely eliminate the possibility of Germany competing with France again.
But the British would never agree to this. Weakening the Germans could be done, but it had to be within a reasonable scope.
Otherwise, a France that stood up again through exploiting Germany would become Britain's biggest rival in Europe. At that time, with no rivals on the European continent, the British would have to personally compete with France.
This was unacceptable to the British as it contradicted their consistent policy of continental balance and would greatly endanger Britain's status on the European continent.
Therefore, it was predictable that the upcoming negotiations would become a competition within the Allies.
Germany, which had already lost its defenses everywhere, would have no power to resist, but the disputes between the countries within the Allies would make this negotiation more exciting.
On December 15, 1917, three days after the official ceasefire, representatives from all the Allies gathered to discuss the specifics of the agreement with the German representatives.
Interestingly, the first to sign the unconditional surrender agreement was onboard a train, one of its carriages was once the personal carriage of the French Emperor, Napoleon.
Since Germany was established almost on the heads of the French then, this was something the French held grudges about until now, and they decided to avenge it during the signing of this agreement.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit ametcalled 2419D carriage was treasured by France directly after the signing of the cease-fire agreement in Germany and was placed in a museum.
The French used this method to repay the shame of decades ago, but this also intensified the contradiction and hatred between Germany and France.
When the news of Germany's formal signing of the unconditional surrender agreement spread all over the world, it also formally represented the end of this world war that lasted for three years and four months.
On the same day, Australasia's Prime Minister Kent was excited to see Arthur, and he couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, Germany has officially surrendered unconditionally!"
Arthur finally breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the maid to open a bottle of red wine to celebrate with Prime Minister Kent.
Such a scene was happening around the world at the same time. Most of the Allies plunged into a frenzy and celebration.
Having been suppressed by long-time warfare, these people were desperate to release their emotions. Whether shouting, yelling, getting drunk, going out on the street with their loved ones, or celebrating with strangers, they were all good ways to vent their feelings.
When Arthur breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn't help but feel a bit heavy inside.
Under the influence of Arthur and Australasia, this world war, which historically lasted for more than four years, ended hastily in just three years and four months. The consumption of Britain and France, especially the British, was not as severe as in history.
Although the Americans also participated in the war, they did not contribute much to the war, and they even participated in it for only six months in total.
Even before the end of the war, America's expeditionary forces in Europe had not exceeded 200,000 people, which meant that America would not benefit much from it.
This led to the war not being as horrific as in history—the total number of troops mobilized by the Allies was less than 30 million, with more than 14 million casualties and more than 5 million deaths.
The alliance's total mobilized troops were more than 15 million, with 9.4 million casualties and 4.1 million deaths.
The situation in the Allies countries is much better than the alliance, and even losses in France and Russia were not as severe as in history.
Even Russia can currently maintain a constitutional monarchy, and the capitalist government has even suppressed the Workers' Alliance, which is completely different from the situation in history.
Even Arthur is doubtful if the historical country would still appear, and if Russia could grow into a world-class power?
The different changes in these situations will make the upcoming World War II unpredictable, and Germany might not necessarily wage it as they did historically.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire did not decompose after the war as it did historically, and it could still retain the main regions of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia. There would be no problem being a lesser power.
In short, the world after the war appears somewhat chaotic, and the differences from history are somewhat significant.
Against this background, Arthur's once-cherished future experience has become somewhat chicken ribs. He can only vigorously promote the development of Australasia and ensure that Australasia could use its own strength to protect its territorial integrity and people at any time.
While celebrating victory, Arthur did not forget to have the government actively fight for Australasia's interests.
All of Germany's Pacific colonies were a done deal and were not something any country could take away from Australasia.