Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: This is Peace Negotiation (2)
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And a week later, I, along with Count Venner and a few other Reich Empire officers, entered the nearby Nancy Citadel at the invitation of the Franco Republic to conduct negotiations.
Despite the aftermath of the excommunication and their defeat, their national situation must be in shambles, yet they seemed desperate to show that they were still standing strong somehow.
The interior of the citadel was decked out in lavish carpets, chandeliers, furniture crafted from fine woods, and desks carved from marble—creating an atmosphere of luxury and extravagance.
Even the Franco servants attending to Marquis Venner, myself, and our escort officers during the peace talks were dressed in the finest silks.
They were probably doing all this to avoid showing any signs of financial weakness on the surface.
No doubt, Marquis Venner would spot their vulnerabilities from these displays and use them to force unfavorable terms, so this was their way of preparing against that.
As I pondered how the negotiations ahead might unfold, the door opened, and the Franco Republic's lead negotiator entered to offer greetings.
"Thank you for coming to Nancy Citadel. I am Pierre von Troia, the Republic's assemblyman handling these war negotiations and serving as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. This gentleman beside me is my aide, Henri de Regis."
Upon hearing that, the marquis and I rose from our seats to return his greeting, exchanging some light chit-chat.
Not that it amounted to much—just empty talk about how the Reich Empire's literature and culture were so advanced, or how delicious Franco Republic cuisine was.
But in diplomacy, these hypocritical exchanges were a necessary formality to get a feel for one another.
Like going on a blind date with someone you have no interest in, but sticking it out through dinner for the sake of the matchmaker.
"Shall we begin the formal negotiations, Deputy Minister?"
"Very well. Let's hope we can all reach a satisfactory agreement."
"Then allow us to present our terms first. We've tailored them with maximum consideration for the Empire, so I trust they'll meet with your approval."
The words exchanged on the surface were all warm and cordial, but the underlying meaning was roughly this:
'Cut the bullshit and tell us how much you're willing to pay to save your necks. Make your offer first. If we don't like your sincerity, we'll scrap everything.'
With that, Pierre's aide spread out a map of the Franco Republic for all to see clearly.
Next, the deputy minister took a pointer and drew a line from Metz Citadel to Belfort City before speaking.
"As reparations, we'll cede all territory from our eastern border touching the Empire up to Ceresta Citadel and Salsemineu Citadel, along with the populace there. Plus, 300,000 gold for war reparations and 200,000 gold for our prisoners' ransom—a total of 500,000 gold. How does that sound?"
The land from the east to Ceresta and Salsemineu was 1.5 times the size of Bisocia Province—equivalent to two duchies, a vast expanse.
Moreover, this region was fertile enough to support over 700,000 people once the devastated fields were restored, with a favorable climate to boot.
Factoring in luxury exports like its famous wines and fruits, plus thriving trade and established routes, its value exceeded Bisocia's by more than fourfold.
Honestly, while the reparations included compensation for lifting their excommunication and for the over 300,000 Reich Empire citizens left homeless, 500,000 gold plus that territory was a decent deal.
However, if our side was determined to push hard, we could continue the war—Goblen, their capital, might be out of reach, but claiming three times the land they'd offered was feasible.
And they knew it, so they planned to haggle a bit with us and sweeten the pot slightly from there.
Marquis Venner and I had already decided to start by demanding four times what His Imperial Majesty had set as the baseline.
"Hoho, that's hardly acceptable from our perspective. Ceresta to Salsemineu? That's the area your Franco eastern expeditionary force ravaged—it's so devastated that rebuilding the villages alone could take years."
"Then how far are you willing to concede?"
At that, Marquis Venner let out a thoughtful hum, feigning contemplation, then flashed a friendly smile and replied.
"You'd have to cede from Colmar to Metz Citadel, wouldn't you? And we'll settle for 500,000 gold in reparations."
He said it with a smile, but it was tantamount to threatening to chop off an arm or a leg from the Franco Republic.
Because the demanded land was four times Bisocia's size in area and far superior in utility—their crown jewels, essentially.
And if the Franco Republic paid the full 500,000 gold?
From the Empire's standpoint, we'd spend not a single coin and fully rebuild the ceded territory on their dime.
The deputy minister, who had been brimming with composure and smiles moments ago, now had anger he could no longer conceal rising in his expression. But he suppressed it with effort and spoke in a measured tone.
"We cannot cede territory that vast. Please adjust to a more reasonable level."
"We're merely seeking fitting recompense for the harm done to our Empire's people. There's no further room for adjustment. Surely you're not planning to haggle over the excommunication atonement fee as well?"
"Hoo, our demands are worlds apart. Doesn't a cup of tea sound in order right now? I happen to have some rare coffee beans I went to great lengths to obtain. Care for a cup?"
At that, the marquis, the enemy deputy minister, and all the other aides began rising to leave the room.
But I and their aide couldn't follow suit.
Because when the lead negotiators suggested something like a coffee break, it was code for the aides to stay behind and have a frank, off-the-record talk without anyone else around.
Only after hours of such candid discussion, gauging true intentions and reaching an accord, could we finalize the paperwork and report back.
Then, naturally, I'd brief Marquis Venner that we'd agreed on these terms with their side.
From there, the two aides would iron out a few more details based on our consensus before signing the peace treaty.
"Deputy Minister, I'll tidy up these documents here and join you shortly."
"General, forgive me, but I'll do the same."
They left without objection, as if it were the most natural thing, telling us to take our time.
Once the two of us were alone, their aide Henri turned to me with a grave expression.
"In the spirit of diplomatic candor, let's speak frankly from the heart. Does the Empire truly demand everything from Colmar to Metz?"
To be honest, His Imperial Majesty's orders to Count Venner were to accept even just the land they initially offered—not push to Colmar to Metz.
But His Majesty had given leeway to extract a bit more beyond the minimum territory and reparations.
So, we'd start high and gradually reel it back, like chumming the waters for fish.
"We might be able to trim it down a little."
"By how much? Colmar to Metz is excessive no matter how you slice it. That's nearly a whole duchy you're asking for."
"Marquis Venner happens to be my father-in-law as well, and His Imperial Majesty might show additional mercy if you hand over a few Republic sinners to uphold due recompense and prestige. He'd be inclined to, certainly."
This was such an obvious condition that the mid-forties aide before me scowled in irritation.
Because for the Franco Republic, sending those responsible for provoking the excommunication to the Papal Court for heresy trials—and execution—was the only path to absolution and lifting the ban.
From His Majesty's perspective, their scapegoats taking the fall preserved his dignity, while giving him grounds to ease up on reparations and land in exchange for a few politicians' heads.
"Understood. Then, after ceding the territory, we'll select the guilty parties among our assemblymen and generals to send to His Holiness the Pope..."
But I cut him off with a smile.
"What are you talking about? His Holiness already knows that both your pro-peace and pro-war factions were deeply involved in the Reich Empire raids that sparked the excommunication. So, wouldn't the key now be how much more fitting remorse you show to we, the victims, the Reich Empire?"
To be precise, the pro-war faction had stirred up a fuss about striking Reich territories tied up in the northern conquests, while the pro-peace faction argued for caution to avoid excommunication without a declaration of war.
Eventually, the pro-war side passed it by conceding a few assembly seats to pro-peace nobles.
So, strictly speaking, both sides were implicated.
The Empire could decide which faction apologized first and contributed most to lifting the Franco Republic's excommunication.
"Moreover, if the reparations aren't adequate, we'll walk away from these talks and negotiate with your pro-war faction instead of your pro-peace one, Henri."
This was the strongest card we could play without exceeding Marquis Venner's authority.
Come on, then—show me how badly you want to live.