Chapter 292
Chapter 292
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 292
Chapter Title: Divide and Conquer (2)
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The ambassadors greeted me as soon as they saw me, acting like they were thrilled to reunite with an old friend.
“Ah, you must be the famous Marquis Peter Jaeger. Though we've never met on the battlefield, I once heard from my close friend Major General Fleur about how bravely you fought.”
“When I was posted to the Reich Empire last year, His Highness the Archduke of Ostrica asked me to deliver this sword to you personally if I happened to meet you. No need to refuse—it's a token of respect from the 7th Guard Division for your valor. Not a bribe, I assure you.”
“As the Earl of Switchelland Albino Canton and ambassador to the Reich Empire, I must express my admiration for your bravery and resilience at the Battle of Lichten Hill, despite our defeat there. It's truly an honor to meet you in person.”
We exchanged hearty laughs, but in truth, these fellows must have felt a wave of revulsion the moment our eyes met, like goosebumps prickling from an allergy.
Since I'd faced off against the nations they represent as enemies on the battlefield before and achieved overwhelming victories, treating them amicably from a position of magnanimity wouldn't raise any eyebrows.
No, considering how much the Reich Empire had fleeced these fools through the wars...
Personally, I'd even be willing to bring them a lavish birthday cake worth about 50 gold to their parties.
But I could afford such leisure only because I'd secured complete victory. If I'd been the loser like them, I'd be grinding my teeth in inferiority.
Proving the point, the Warsaw ambassador—who'd suffered the Reich Empire's most recent and crushing defeat—kept his mouth shut even as the others tossed flattery to salvage their nations' fragile pride.
So I approached the Warsaw Grand Duchy's ambassador with a gesture of goodwill.
“Ambassador Sendler, it's a pleasure to meet you. What an honor to finally meet the esteemed Ambassador Sendler, renowned even in the Empire for his artistic refinement.”
As I extended my hand for a shake, Sendler gripped my right hand with all his might.
Being the representative from the nation most recently defeated, he seemed to think he could psych me out with this stunt.
It was obvious a mere fifty-something civilian official couldn't overpower a Swordmaster like me with grip strength, yet here he was picking this petty fight.
Part of me wanted to crush his hand to teach him a lesson, but ignoring it nonchalantly like this would irk him even more.
I flashed a relaxed smile, showing no hint of pain, and Sendler's face twisted in irritation at the sight.
“Ah, what an honor to meet you, Lord Peter Jaeger. Though I wasn't personally at Glopino or Gripino, I've heard plenty from friends who were. You look far stronger than the rumors suggested.”
“It's an honor to receive such praise from you, Ambassador.”
“It's my privilege to meet the continent's greatest commander, worthy of the title Europa's finest general.”
We traded these not-quite-compliments for about thirty minutes, and once the mood had ripened, I broached the main proposal.
“I'd love to continue this friendly chat filled with goodwill, but since you're all busy people, let's get to the point. The Empire wishes to propose a five-year peace treaty with all of you.”
The ambassadors' faces lit up with genuine joy the moment they heard me—no more fake smiles, just pure delight.
These potential enemies—no, the ones who'd been itching to gang up on the Reich Empire like a neighborhood punching bag—were thrilled.
With the Empire's top general raising both hands in surrender and mentioning a 'peace treaty,' they must have thought the moment to topple us had arrived.
In their minds, they were probably fantasizing like some guy who brushes a pretty girl's hand once and starts dreaming of marriage: one word of 'peace treaty,' and they'd divvy up Empire territory amicably, then get promoted to foreign minister. Pink-tinted delusions.
But rather than shouting 'NO!' right away to spite the Empire—which would mark them as amateur diplomats—they all feigned deep interest in my words.
“A peace treaty? Most intriguing.”
“Peace is preferable to war, Lord Jaeger.”
“Heh, I once romanticized war in my youth, but age has taught me peace is best.”
Sneering inwardly at their hypocrisy, I handed out drafts of the peace treaty.
“This peace treaty stipulates that the Reich Empire, Kingdom of Stockholm, Ostrica Grand Duchy, Checobia Grand Duchy, Switchelland Principality, Warsaw Grand Duchy, and Franco Republic refrain from hostile actions against each other for five years. If any nation violates this, the other six will mobilize forces to militarily punish the offender. That's the core.”
Europa's continent had seen all sorts of peace treaties before.
Marriage alliances premised on weddings, treaties guaranteed by exchanging princes or nobles as hostages, religious oaths sworn on the Deus Church Pope's authority, and so on.
But no one had ever proposed bundling multiple nations into one treaty like this.
Why? Because in a continent where backstabbing was an art form, who could trust a multi-party deal when even one-on-one pacts were shaky?
Having experienced the UN back in Korea, I was convinced multi-party treaties like this were far more effective than bilateral ones.
Because if one broke it, the rest could pile on with righteous sanctions, just as I'd said.
I knew from history that wars worldwide dropped sharply after the UN was established.
Franco's Ambassador Henri spoke up after hearing my proposal.
“A five-year peace treaty among our six nations sounds quite appealing. Especially the part about jointly punishing any violator—it's striking. If everyone upholds it, we all enjoy peace; but if one slips, they face total annihilation from five nations' combined might. No country here could survive war with five others, so the violator is doomed to defeat. The compliant ones get a guaranteed win and can carve up the spoils. Impressive.”
“Exactly, Ambassador Henri.”
“But if, say, Warsaw or Checobia violates it, and the Franco Republic sends troops, we might not gain territory directly. How do you compensate for that?”
She was probing for a loophole, but no such luck.
“In that case, the Empire will cede equivalent territory from our lands as compensation for your war efforts. For example, if you earn merits worth one duchy in battle against Checobia, the Empire—sharing a border with them—will claim that 'one duchy' from Checobia and cede equivalent land to you. This offer extends to all ambassadors.”
In centralized states like Joseon or Ming, trading territory like this would be unthinkable.
But in this era, steeped in Europe's feudal traditions, land and fiefs were fair game for barter as needed.
“We're all people who need peace, aren't we?”
They all nodded in agreement.
Nations like Checobia, Franco, and Switchelland were still reeling from lost lands post-war: rebuilding devastated territories, recouping lost revenue, recovering from population drops.
Even the Empire needed time to fully integrate conquered lands, restore the populace's lives.
This was a true win-win for everyone.
As the ambassadors nodded, Henri flung a white-gloved hand at me and declared:
“Do you know something, Lord Peter Jaeger?”
“What might that be?”
“You've only known victory, so you might not realize: the side proposing peace is always the weaker one. Why forfeit this chance to unite and crush the Empire? Wait here. We'll prepare an onslaught even your power can't handle.”
...Proposing a peace treaty always drew threats, insults, and demands for better terms from some lunatic.
So I wasn't surprised.
Meanwhile, the other ambassadors shot up from their seats like they'd rehearsed.
“I agree with Ambassador Henri! The Switchelland Principality stands with her!”
“The Kingdom of Stockholm strongly supports that view.”
“The Checobia Grand Duchy sides with the Franco Republic.”
They must have pre-coordinated: if I proposed peace, they'd all shout NO to pressure the Reich Empire.
Otherwise, how could they unite so seamlessly?
From the Empire's view, this was a dire crisis, but I remained utterly calm.
Because their 'unity' hinged on mutual self-interest, so if I could peel off just one...
I could shatter this damned alliance.
And the easiest target was the Warsaw Grand Duchy ambassador, who'd lost an entire principality's coastline in this latest defeat, suffering massive damage.
The reason was simple.
How terrified of me was he? How much did he seethe for revenge?
That meant my threats would hit home perfectly.