Chapter 2271: Correct Attitude
"The person who came to report his identity." When the ship on which Sir Balfour, the British Foreign Secretary, arrived at the Belgian port of Ampwert, a group of German soldiers had already arrived at the port. With the help of the guide, the British delegation arrived at the designated berth However, when Belfort was about to step down the gangway and set foot on land, the German officer categorically stopped the foreign minister who was a high-ranking foreign minister in the UK.
"I am Lord Balfour, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the British Empire. Behind me is the imperial negotiating delegation. I am here on behalf of the British government. I hope to exchange views with the German government and His Majesty the Kaiser on stopping the war between the two countries." Dissatisfied, the majestic Sir Balfour could only explain his mission and mission to the German general who was no more than a colonel in front of him.
After verifying the relevant documents and the identity of the visitors, the British delegation boarded the special train that had been prepared for them and went to the railway station, where they would transfer to the train and then go directly to Berlin, the capital of Germany, along the railway. And on this train to Berlin, Sir Belfort finally met two heavyweights.
"Long time no see, His Royal Highness Prince Max von Baden, I didn't expect that we would meet in such a scene this time." Prince Battenberg Louis, the deputy envoy of the British delegation, saw the man from Baden After ascending to the heir of the Grand Duchy, he said with some emotion.
"Long time no see, Your Excellency, this is Earl Schelling from Bavaria, Minister of the Munich Court." Prince Max von Baden introduced his deputy, a representative from Bavaria, to Prince Louis. Although they have been fighting each other for more than 2 years, the relationship between European nobles and giants still exists. For example, the wife of Prince Louis of Battenberg from the United Kingdom is Princess Elizabeth of the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Rhine. There is a very famous person among the descendants, and this buddy is Mountbatten, who spent 48 days tinkering with the leader of the partition of India and Pakistan.
Prince Max von Baden is the cousin of the current Grand Duke of Baden, and his wife is also from a famous family. She is Maria Louisa, daughter of Crown Prince Ernst Augusta of Hanover. The Kingdom of Hanover was the only kingdom that was completely wiped out in the German internal unification war... The British royal family also has the blood of the Kingdom of Hanover. If the genealogy is used, the Prince of Baden and the British royal family are also related by blood.
Back then, Prince Louis of Battenberg was the First Sea Lord of the British Navy. In World War I, because of the war between Britain and Germany, the prince resigned to avoid suspicion. But this time, he was drawn into the Belfort's delegation. After all, although Arthur Balfour is the nephew of the famous Prime Minister Salisbury in history, he is considered a dignitary in the UK, but in Germany, who will recognize you! Therefore, sometimes in some private occasions, Prince Louis is required to appear on the stage. After all, he does not look at the face of the monk but at the face of the Buddha. Prince Louis is still the son-in-law of the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Rhine, the sixth largest state in the German Empire, second only to Four Kingdoms and the Grand Duchy of Baden.
In the same way, although Prince Max von Baden is the heir of the Grand Duchy of Baden and is also a moderate politically, the selection of him as the representative of the German government this time has won the approval of the Kaiser and the parliamentary faction, but he himself His bloodline is still a little embarrassing, so the deputy envoy is from Bavaria. And now, when Prince Marx and Prince Battenberg met, he brought Earl Schelling with him.
As for whether Earl Schelling's status is enough? In terms of title alone, it must be much worse than the former, but Naihe has a very high political status in Bavaria, and he is very likely to be the next Prime Minister of Bavaria, so it is not rude to let him match with the Prince of Baden.
"Let Lord Balfour come too,
Our identities are somewhat special. Also, I think contacts between the German Reich and Great Britain can already be started. "Prince Baden said after a short greeting.
"Okay." The so-called do what you want, since the Germans are now willing to contact, then Prince Battenberg is also willing to start. As for whether the Prince of Baden and Earl Schelling on the opposite side have the right to represent the German Empire? Of course not! The Prince of Baden is considered first-class among the nobles, but his power is limited. Only those at the level of the Kaiser and Crown Prince Ruprecht can truly represent the German Empire. The Prince of Baden is only an outpost. By the same token, Prince Battenberg and Sir Balfour also have no right to represent the United Kingdom. Naturally, the British Prime Minister personally conducts the actual negotiations.
But if you want to say that this kind of skirmish-like negotiation is useless, then you are wrong. This is an opportunity to coordinate the basic positions of the two sides. Otherwise, some key points of concern to both sides have not been settled. How can the big bosses of the two parties meet? You say yours, I say mine? Especially for Britain, which is now at an absolute disadvantage, the key purpose of Belfort's trip is to let the two sides reach a truce first, let the German submarines relax the blockade of the British mainland, and at the same time the Luftwaffe stop the attack on the British mainland. This is the key. As for the actual negotiations, Lord Balfour is not fit to preside over them!
"Count Belfort, now that your main representatives have arrived, I think there are some things that can be contacted informally. We have understood your thoughts. The arrival of you and Prince Battenberg is actually to let the two sides cease fighting. Is that so?" Prince Baden asked.
"Yes, this war has been going on for far too long, and billions of pounds of wealth and millions of people have been spent on both sides of this war, and there is no point in fighting this war any longer. said the Earl of Balfour. (Lord is the general name of all British nobles with titles. Earl is a specific title, so Belfort can be called Lord or Earl)
"Then let me explain the attitude of the empire. A truce is possible, but the premise is that the United Kingdom must correct its position, that is, the premise of this truce is that your country has admitted its military defeat and is willing to act for its own mistakes. Bear the consequences and pay the price. Without this awareness, there will be no talk of a truce," said Prince Baden.
"The visitor is not kind." Count Belfort and Prince Battenberg exchanged glances, and both felt a little apprehensive in each other's hearts. Although the Prince of Baden didn't say much, he already felt the pride of the Germans from the two British representatives with keen political sense. From the very beginning to the present, the Germans never use the honorific name of the British Empire when calling the UK, but simply use the UK. Earl Belfort didn't think this was an omission by the Germans or a mistake in etiquette, it was intentional! The premise for the Germans to ask for an armistice is to let the British admit defeat, which is even more of a threat!
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