Chapter 346 France Don’t Cry 31
Franconian Palace, Bruges, Belgium.
The thunderous sound of artillery came into the ancient Frankish Palace from the southeast and two directions. This was the German army advancing near Bruges that was bombarding the Belgian army's defensive positions outside the city of Bruges.
At the Frankfurt Palace, the Belgian King and Commander-in-Chief of the Army Leopold III, Queen Astrid, Prime Minister Herbert Pierrot, and the King's Advisor British Admiral John Brownlow Keyes were attending the ceremony. Meeting with Prince Bernhard, husband of Princess Juliana of the Netherlands.
Prince Bernhard is a member of the German royal family and was once a cavalry officer in the German Wehrmacht. He was naturalized in the Netherlands after marrying a Dutch princess. However, he still maintained close contacts with the top brass of the Wehrmacht and Kaiser Wilhelm's court. Today he took the risk of arriving in Bruges, which is surrounded by war, from the Netherlands in order to deliver the quite sincere peace conditions offered by Germany:
1. Belgium handed over the German lands it occupied after World War I;
2. The Belgian government returns all reparations paid to Belgium by Germany in accordance with the Treaty of Versailles and the Keynes Plan (in-kind reparations are also converted into cash);
3. The Belgian government promises to join the European Customs Union and the European Monetary Union when Germany requests it;
4. Belgium’s colonies will serve as shared colonies in the European Customs Union and the European Monetary Union;
5. The major cities and ports of Belgium will be occupied by Germany until the end of the combat operations against Britain and France, but most of the powers of the Belgian government and parliament will be retained, and the German garrison will not interfere with Belgium's civil and judicial affairs;
6. If the Belgian government is unable to repay the compensation, Germany has the right to obtain part or all of the equity interests in Belgian steel plants, arsenals, and mines as compensation. If there is insufficient, Germany will waive its right to recourse;
7. Before the end of combat operations against Britain and France, Belgian troops and military installations will be placed under the management of the German Wehrmacht.
"What is the European Monetary Union?" Belgian Prime Minister Herbert Pierrot said with a calm face. "Does Germany want to seize Belgium's monetary sovereignty so that Belgium can become a vassal of Germany forever?"
"The European Community will be a federal country in the future," Prince Bernhard said. "Each federal member will naturally give up part of his sovereignty to the federation. Not only will the Belgian franc not continue to exist, but the German mark, the Polish zloty, the Slovak franc The krona, the Hungarian forint and the Luxembourg franc will not exist, and even our Dutch guilder will most likely be replaced by the European mark.”
"You, the Netherlands, too..." British Admiral John Brownlow Keyes was surprised, "Germany is preparing to invade the Netherlands?"
“It’s not that,” Prince Bernhard said, “Germany wants to use peaceful means to achieve its goals... If the Netherlands joins the European Monetary Union, the European Bank responsible for issuing the Euromark (the original European Development Bank) will start from Geneva, Switzerland. Move to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, which will become a world financial center like London and New York.”
Of course being a world financial center means lots of money! Amsterdam would replace London and Paris as long as the Netherlands agreed to join the European Monetary Union - a guarantee given by the German Emperor to the Queen of the Netherlands.
"Do you, the Netherlands, want to join Germany in opposing the British Empire?" Admiral Keyes asked loudly.
"No, we will not take the initiative to declare war on anyone," Prince Berhard said seriously, "We, the Netherlands, will continue to remain neutral."
"But you will join the German Zollverein?" Admiral Keyes asked.
"Not the German Customs Union, but the European Customs Union." Prince Bernhard corrected Admiral Keyes.
“And you’re planning to use Mark!”
"Euromark, this is the international currency used by the future European Monetary Union," Prince Bernhard shrugged. "This will not happen immediately. It may take another year or two."
Wait until the Germans land on British soil? Admiral Keyes thought to himself: The Netherlands' position is clearly towards Germany, but it still wants to wear a cloak of neutrality, and at the same time wants to get a share of Germany's spoils. How abominable!
But now the British Empire has nothing to do with the Netherlands, and it is impossible to attack the Dutch mainland. The only means that can be taken now is a "limited embargo" to restrict the Netherlands from importing war materials to help Germany.
However, for General Keyes, how to deal with the Netherlands' "pro-German neutrality" is not an issue he needs to consider. The position of the Kingdom of Belgium is what gives him a headache.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Prime Minister," Admiral Keyes asked after Prince Berthardt left the Frankish Palace, "Belgium will not succumb to German violence, will it?"
"Of course, Belgium will not surrender!" said Belgian Prime Minister Herbert Pierrot.
"But the war will be over soon." King Leopold III's answer made Admiral Case feel nervous. The "weak" king said: "The situation now is much worse than in 1914. There will no longer be a force to resist Germany on the European continent. The Germans won the war, and Europe will eventually become a European-German-led community." …How can we in Belgium resist?”
"Your Majesty the King, the final victory will not belong to Germany!" Admiral Keyes hurriedly persuaded, "The defeat of the coalition forces is only temporary. You and the Belgian government can go to London to continue leading the resistance. The people of Belgium will fight under your leadership We will fight against Germany with guerrilla warfare until the day of victory.”
Leopold III shrugged, "Admiral, do you think the Flemish will fight the Germans to the end for the hundreds of square kilometers of German-speaking states and the Walloons' factory and mine shares?"
This is of course impossible! The Dutch-speaking Flemish and the French-speaking Walloons have always been incompatible. Since the Walloons were the majority when Belgium became independent and had a developed heavy industrial area, they dominated Belgium for a long time before the First World War and looked down on the Flemish. Moreover, the Walloons are pro-French and speak French, while the Flemish speak Dutch and are more pro-German. Therefore, in the last world war, when the German army invaded the Flemish area, it was welcomed.
Although after World War I, due to the decline of Belgium's heavy industrial area and the economic population growth of the Flemish area, the population ratio of the two sides was reversed. The Flemish gradually gained the upper hand, but the contradiction between the Flemish and the Walloons not only did not ease, but became more intense-the Flemish did not want to stay in the same country with the Walloons. If the Germans annexed the Walloon area, the Flemish would only thank Germany.
"And the Belgian franc," Admiral Keyes said, "Belgium will lose its currency!"
Leopold III still shook his head, "Belgium has tried its best. We have resisted for 15 days. Isn't that enough?"
"Your Majesty, the government cannot agree to surrender," Belgian Prime Minister Herbert Bierrot shouted, "The government will not surrender."
"Well," the King of Belgium nodded, "You go to London or somewhere else, I will stay in Belgium, with my army and people. I am the commander-in-chief of the Belgian army, and I will give the order of the armistice!" He glanced at British Admiral Keyes, "Today is the 24th, I will send a military envoy to the Germans to ask for peace at 12 noon on the 25th, and the Belgian army will stop resisting before 12 noon on the 26th."
...
"Dutch ancestry? No, that can't be said, although I have several relatives living in Central Netherlands, but my family's history is much older than the Netherlands. The history of the Heinsberg family can be traced back to the Frankish Kingdom period, and it was a vassal of the Carolingian dynasty. At that time, there was no Netherlands and Belgium..."
"So old, then you must be a German noble."
"Yes, I am the heir of Marquis Heinsberg, and our family also has the title of Count Altair."
"Alter? Altair near Ghent?"
"Yes, it is this Altair. One of my ancestors was a vassal of the Duchy of Flanders, and later pledged allegiance to the Duke of Burgundy, and then became a vassal of the Habsburg dynasty, and was finally driven away by Napoleon's people. But the title is still retained..."
The one who was talking loudly with a group of Belgians, oh, it should be Flemish people in an area surrounded by German troops in Ghent was Rudolf, the eldest son of Hessman. When he was parachuting yesterday, he was not careful and landed near the position of the Belgian army, and then he became a prisoner - German soldiers did not have the tradition of preferring suicide to being captured, and Rudolf was a Catholic, and suicide would lead to hell.
However, the Belgian soldiers who captured him (actually the militia in Ghent) treated him very well. It was not because the Belgians knew how to treat prisoners well, but because the Belgian militia regarded Rudolf as one of their own!
This matter sounds strange, but it is quite normal in Belgium. The political life of this country is all about the struggle between the Dutch-speaking Flemish and the French-speaking Walloons. And Rudolf not only speaks very fluent Dutch (his hometown is just on the edge of the Netherlands, and he has a manor and a house in the Limburg Province of the Netherlands), but he and these Flemish people also have the same religious beliefs - they are all Catholics.
With a common language and a common religion, of course they are one of their own. As for the ongoing war, in the eyes of many Flemish people, this is a matter of the French, British and Germans, and has nothing to do with them.
And the war will soon be over, at least for these Ghent militiamen. The SS "Adolf Hitler" flag team has now occupied most of Ghent and surrounded the rest, and has now sent military envoys to persuade them to surrender.