Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 1011: Chapter 25: Confrontation at the Negotiation Table

“People fear the lack of hope most. Though the three million labor dispatch plan can’t solve all of Europe’s unemployment issues, it does bring hope to everyone.”

Adhering to the principle of maximizing impact, unless one is a skilled worker, the recruitment of laborers is limited to one person per household, and preference is given as much as possible to economically disadvantaged families.”

In some ways, this large-scale recruitment not only alleviated employment pressure across nations, but also served as a massive poverty alleviation campaign.”

Although the salary standards set by the Vienna Government were not high, being only half of European populace’s average income in 1893, for the lower-class citizens, this was already a high income.”

In this era marked by stark disparities between the wealthy and the poor, the annual income of major nobility and capitalists equated to the annual income of tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of ordinary people, while more than half of the lower-class citizens earned less than 20% of the average level—the term “average” had long lost its meaning.”

If the job locations weren’t overseas with substandard basic conditions, these positions would have been fiercely fought over long ago.”

...

From this perspective, Franz was certain to become the poverty alleviation champion of the year, perhaps even of the century, since such a level of poverty relief effort was unprecedented and probably wouldn’t be seen again in the coming years.”

Signing the labor contract included a three-month advance salary payment; there was no need to worry about being deceived, as this was a recruitment organized in conjunction with various national governments, and subsequent labor dispatches would be collectively monitored.”

Of course, exactly how far the monitoring could go was unknown. At any rate, during the promotion, only the benefits were highlighted.”

Harsh climates, venomous insects, and ferocious beasts—these realistic issues were unintentionally ignored by the governments. Perhaps for the rulers, it was best to send these potential risks away.”

The effect of dispersing money was naturally powerful; every prepaid salary disbursed relieved a family from the starvation crisis temporarily. The continuously deteriorating situation in Europe finally saw a turnaround.”

…

Southeast Asia, the highly-attended Philippine War Mediation Conference had already commenced in Sulawesi.”

As expected, besides the involved parties, Japan and Spain, participants in the mediation included Britain and the nations of the Continental Alliance.”

Clearly, a mediated meeting of 1 vs 17 was very unfavorable for the Japanese. Engaging diplomatically in a battle of wits against a multitude of rivals was definitely tragic.”

The Japanese Government had not been idle; in fact, before stepping onto the negotiation table, Ito Hirobumi had already visited multiple envoys to invite them to join the mediation conference.”

Without hoping for full support, even the mere presence of a representative to contribute to the scene offered support for the Japanese Government.”

Regrettably, even if the Japanese Army had performed commendably in the Philippine campaign, in the eyes of the world, Spain still appeared stronger.”

Asking everyone to risk offending Spain to lend their support was too much to ask. Aside from the British Government who, due to face, still stood by Japan, the Japanese could not secure a second ally.”

The symptoms of being isolated soon became apparent. The negotiations had barely started when the aggressors’ label was imposed, leaving no room for them to object.”

…

The Russian representative, Tanbulundos, spoke righteously, “The aggressor must be severely punished, any indulgence is a desecration to the civilized world.”

To seek justice for the innocent victims who died, I propose the establishment of a temporary court to try the main culprits responsible for initiating this war.”

…

If one were to judge solely from Tanbulundos’s remarks, those unaware would think that it was the Japanese invasion of Russia that enraged him.

This was no longer the attitude a neutral country should have in mediation, it rather resembled a revenge meeting. Did Tanbulundos have a grudge against the Japanese?

The answer was: No!

Although everyone in the Tsarist Government was displeased with the Japanese due to the assassination attempt on Crown Prince Nicholas, the Crown Prince was, after all, still alive and well, thus not forming a national enmity.

Not only was there no hate, but there was also no major conflict of interests. The Tsarist Government didn’t have a strategic eastward move, and the Japanese Government didn’t move northward. Even if there were minor disputes over Kuye Island, they ended with the Japanese Government making concessions.

However, this didn’t stop Tanbulundos from picking on the Japanese. Besides trying to curry favor with the Crown Prince domestically, more importantly, the Spaniards had given money.

In order to dominate the mediation meeting, the Spanish representatives had been spreading money around, and providing each representative of the attending countries with a piece of “local produce” was inevitable.

In fact, not only the Spanish representatives gave gifts. The Japanese Delegation also spent a lot, with Ito Hirobumi even personally visiting each one. @@novelbin@@

There was no way around it, this was a vice of the times. Diplomacy in the 19th century was always accompanied by material desires, euphemistically called—public relations.

Giving money might not necessarily ensure success, but not giving money would certainly spoil things. Under circumstances that did not involve national interests, the flexibility of diplomats was immense, usually leaning towards whoever offered more.

Unfortunately, this time it wasn’t possible, the Continental Alliance had already decided to support Spain, and as a representative of one of the member countries, Tanbulundos had to support this, which was a matter of political principle.

Under these circumstances, the efforts of the Japanese Delegation could at most soften people’s attitudes when supporting Spain.

Originally, considering the “Big Yellow Fish” sent by the Japanese, Tanbulundos also didn’t want to go this far, but a telegram from a certain domestic bigwig made him abandon all illusions and become a firm anti-Japanese partisan.

Similar telegrams were not just one, almost all country representatives received them. No matter how skillful the Japanese Government’s public relations in Southeast Asia were, they couldn’t withstand the Spanish starting from Europe.

The eventual result was, more than a dozen countries of the Continental Alliance were all biased. Officially it was mediation, but in reality, they all supported Spain.

The Spanish representative went on to cooperate, saying, “Sir is right, the aggressors must be severely punished. Otherwise, justice won’t be heard, and the world will fall into chaos.

According to the intelligence we gathered, the Japanese Government has a secret pact with the French. Invading the Philippines is just the first step; they also plan to coordinate with the French Army in European warfare.”

Merely making the Japanese withdraw from the Philippine Islands clearly didn’t extinguish the Spaniards’ hatred. It’s a pity their own strength is limited, unable to counterattack the Japanese homeland.

To make the fate of the Japanese even worse, Federico decisively decided to drag the Anti-French Alliance into this. As long as the fact of Japan colluding with France was established, the Philippines campaign wouldn’t just be Spain fighting to defend its colonies, but for the Anti-French Alliance.

The nature of it changed, and naturally, the final outcome would be different. Even if just for the sake of saving face, the Anti-French Alliance would not let the Japanese get away with it. Even Britannia, which initially supported the Japanese, would be forced to abandon this ally under the pressure of the Anti-French Alliance.

Faced with the accusation of the Spanish representative, Ito Hirobumi naturally could not admit it, otherwise it wouldn’t just be a matter of when to withdraw from the Philippine Islands, but whether the Japanese Empire could still exist or not.

“This is a complete slander, we have no relationship with the French, there is no so-called collusion.

Anyone with a bit of military knowledge knows that Japan is thousands of miles away from Europe, and with the previous performance of our country’s naval ships, even if they were to go to Europe, they would have to resupply multiple times along the way.

If we did not have everyone’s permission, the Imperial Navy would not even have the capability to enter the Indian Ocean, let alone conspire with France.

The Imperial Navy only went to Southeast Asia to combat pirates, but unexpectedly, when they stopped to coal at Lüzon Island, they were ambushed by the guards of Your country, forcing us to retaliate.

We were the victims in this war; the so-called invasion is completely unfounded. All of this is the fault of some idiotic military officer on Lüzon Island; otherwise, this war would never have occurred.

In an effort to lessen the blame, Ito Hirobumi brazenly chose to tell blatant lies. Whether people believed him or not, he would not admit to any of the accusations made by the Spaniards.

“In the face of undeniable facts, sophistry is pointless. The French have already admitted to the existence of the secret treaty, and I even brought a copy of the contract here.”

After saying this, the Spanish representative, Federico, took out a copy of the contract and handed it to the nearby Shinra representative, while also provokingly glaring at Ito Hirobumi.

Not only was there a secret French-Japanese treaty, but also an English-Japanese treaty. Without the tacit approval of England and France, the Japanese Government would not have dared to move southward.

However, now that France had already declined, while Britannia was still arrogantly strong, the Spanish Government did not want to offend the British, thus blatantly ignoring the reality of the English-Japanese treaty.

The worst thing Ito Hirobumi had feared happened, his heart racing, he desperately retorted, “A treaty entirely fabricated out of thin air is meant to convict us, isn’t Your country being too tyrannical?

We have never signed any secret treaty with the French. Do you really think you can make us admit to something with a fake contract?”

Anxiety was unavoidable; the French-Japanese secret treaty really did exist. However, the details outlined in the treaty differed somewhat from what the Spanish representative had explained.

Before initiating their southbound strategy, the Japanese Government had considered the consequences of a French defeat, hence, the treaty was drafted with ambiguous content.

Additionally, since the Paris Government did not take Japan seriously, they never considered their military strength a threat; the final treaty ended up being a joint pirate-hunting plan.

Although hunting pirates seemed unproblematic, at that time, the Shinra Navy was involved in unscrupulous dealings in Malacca, aimed at encircling France.

As the victor, there was no need for them to face criticism, so this dark history was bound to be erased. Concerning Japan’s Navy wanting to hunt “pirates,” Shinra Empire would not openly say anything, but whether they would seek revenge secretly was unknown.

Ito Hirobumi was indeed very nervous. In the eyes of the Japanese Government, Shinra’s unrelenting support for Spain was seen as retaliation for Japan’s previous potential collusion with France.

Just because of a “potential,” the French-Japanese secret treaty was kept highly confidential; normally, Shinra would not have known the specific details. However, international politics often do not require evidence; just a possibility could prompt the Vienna Government to give them trouble.

If this “potential” were substantiated, Japan would have difficult days ahead. Arguments were pointless; no matter what intentions the Japanese Government had, or whether they acted on them, they would still face retribution.

A hegemon needs to establish its authority, and Japan, being the first to present itself post-war, was inevitably the “chicken” used to scare the monkeys.

Based on this judgment, Ito Hirobumi now would rather die than admit to the Franco-Japanese secret treaty, even if the contract was presented.

Perhaps sensing that his junior was in trouble, the British representative, Klaus, cheerfully said, “Gentlemen, what’s done is done, dwelling on the past is pointless; we need to look forward.

War is cruel, and every day it continues, many precious lives are lost. Anyone who desires peace does not wish for war; enough blood has been shed.

“Today, we sit together to mediate conflicts and end this meaningless war. As for other issues, let’s discuss them after the war is over!”

It’s not that Klaus was ineffective; the war initiated by the Japanese Government simply couldn’t withstand scrutiny. The contrived excuses for war, attacking without declaration—these are stains that the Japanese Government couldn’t wash away.

If it were against a weaker nation, using underhanded tactics or creating confusion might be possible; but now that the Continental Alliance has intervened, the best method is to play by the rules.

The London Government was busy trying to undermine the Continental Alliance, and it was not the right moment to stir up hatred, since the existence of an alliance primarily depends on two things: common interests and a common enemy.

To disintegrate the Continental Alliance, the first step was to make the countries of Europe feel unthreatened. Only with the disappearance of a common enemy could they confidently engage in internal strife.

To achieve this goal, the London Government had already decided to strategically retract overseas, avoiding conflicts with European countries as much as possible.

Given this background, it was evident what kind of support the British could offer the Japanese Government. Perhaps the London Government wished the war in the Philippines would end immediately so that the Continental Alliance could relax sooner.

Where there is idleness, there is mischief, which applies equally in politics. If an alliance has nothing to do year after year, everyone might find that the alliance is dispensable.

“As soldier to soldier, general to general.”

Since the British have stepped forward, as the leader of the Continental Alliance, Shinra naturally had to support their ally against the pressures applied by John Bull, otherwise how could they command respect.

As the Shinra representative, Governor Chandler smiled, “It would be best to end this war as soon as possible, as we all love peace and nobody wants to keep fighting and killing.

However, to warn future generations, there must still be punishment for the aggressor. I suggest that we first revert to our pre-war territories to end this conflict.

Then, a joint delegation from various countries should conduct a comprehensive investigation of the causes and consequences of the war. We must have zero tolerance towards those who instigated this war.”

Two big bullies talking peace without visible estrangement; ignorant observers might even think the relations between Anglo-Austria and Shinra were good.

Unfortunately, everyone present was well-aware, and the power games between Britannia and Shinra were no surprise.

Probably the only one feeling nervous was Ito Hirobumi. There was no way around it; casually reverting to pre-war territories seemed fair but in reality, it invalidated the Japanese Government’s last bargaining chip. Without the Philippine Islands, what could the Japanese Government use to negotiate with Spain?

The Joint Investigation Team was just annoying—at the meeting, there were representatives from twenty nations, and after excluding the two belligerent nations, the ratio was precisely 1:17. Whose favor the results of such a disproportionately represented investigative team would lean towards was self-evident.

Zero tolerance towards the culprits who sparked the war—this was something everyone definitely believed. Look at France for evidence; after the Anti-French Alliance won the war, they sacrificed the French finance group to appease the heavens.

There was no injustice, just too many escapes. The direct culprits of Belgian and Rhineland region displacements, like McKay-Mahon, needn’t be mentioned since the dead bear no responsibilities.

The issue was the top echelon of the Bonaparte Dynasty that triggered this war—they were let off lightly. Even if capturing individuals was challenging, the laziness in even issuing warrants was a bit too much.

It was enough to complain internally; there was no need to voice it. Those were the rules of the game—after the war, Napoleon IV’s timely surrender meant his previous deeds were erased.

The same applied to the Japanese Government, except they hadn’t been defeated, and the Spaniards didn’t have the capability to capture anyone in Honshu Island.