The Warsaw Conference, Part 3

"I don't know what Shtal promised Germany and Russia, but... their opposition is much more stubborn than expected."

"Excuse me, but about the Shandong Peninsula..."

"Therefore, your country must exert some influence. Is your nation not also in a dispute with the Qing Dynasty over Joseon?"

"More importantly, the Shandong Peninsula..."

"I am counting on you."

Undersecretary Herbert unilaterally handed down the order to the Japanese Foreign Minister, Motono Ichiro, and rose from his seat.

In truth, as far as Undersecretary Herbert was concerned, there was no real issue with accepting that proposal.

In fact, the ignorant public would probably welcome it with open arms.

Since Great Britain was now the only power left in Europe capable of holding colonies, the public's eyes would light up, just as Churchill's and Herbert's had when they first heard the proposal.

But... we cannot let this happen. In the long run, it will be our loss.

Herbert intended to gather his strength once more to defend France's colonies as much as possible.

Of course, that attempt was easily thwarted by Germany's next blow.

For Shtal, too, was preparing his next move.

"Leader Ludendorff. What do we actually gain from Namibia, Cameroon, and Tanzania?"

"Rubber and diamonds, mostly."

"And how much did those help us in the last war?"

"...They weren't entirely useless. Especially Qingdao, which serves as a stronghold for East Asian trade. However..."

"Exactly. But isn't it ultimately no different from the Kaisermarine?"

The most lucrative lands in the world had already been seized by Great Britain and France—British India and French Indochina.

Unless a territory possessed a massive population to absorb overproduced goods and offload state debt, it was practically meaningless.

All that remained were places like Ethiopia and the Middle East—seemingly appetizing but guaranteed to cause indigestion if consumed—and worthless, barren lands with absolutely nothing to offer.

"You are correct, Vice Chairman Shtal. The Kaisermarine did perform admirably in this war, but... it would have been far better to use that money to produce more combat tractors. Or invest in aircraft."

"The colonies are the same. Just like the Kaisermarine, they are nothing more and nothing less than 'the Kaiser's toys,' are they not?"

"So, you are saying we should simply discard them?"

"Precisely."

Ludendorff was politically incompetent.

That incompetence stemmed from a pettiness that rivaled Wilhelm II's, a temperament that acted recklessly on whims, and an inferiority complex he had yet to shake off.

And... right now, Ludendorff's wrath was directed squarely at Great Britain.

On a sudden impulse, Ludendorff decided on the "liberation of all colonies."

Was that all? Ludendorff gathered the press and made a shocking declaration.

"The victims of the tyrannical Wilhelm II and his imperial regime were not limited to the German people. In Namibia, Cameroon... many have perished under the oppressive system we called colonies."

With that, Ludendorff bowed his head without hesitation.

"Although the ultimate responsibility lies with Wilhelm II... as the party that has assumed the sovereignty of the German Empire, I offer our deepest apologies to the people massacred in Namibia."

"..."

What? A colonial empire offering an apology to its colony?

This was a complete departure from the common sense of 20th-century humanity.

After all, did the Mongols owe the Ottomans an apology because they had once slaughtered Baghdad? That was the general level of contemporary understanding.

A chill ran down the spines of the reporters.

The course of history... was shifting.

"Leader Ludendorff! What exactly happened in Namibia?"

"There was a mass slaughter of the peoples known as the Herero and the Nama. Eighty percent of Namibia's population was massacred. It is an atrocity of the most horrific proportions."

"But were they not savage tribes who rebelled against Germany? We white men bear the burden of the civilizing mission!"

"Then did Russia slaughter the Poles like dogs for the sake of 'civilization' as well? Drag that bastard out."

Ludendorff began to pour out his unfiltered thoughts on the colonies.

In truth, colonialism had never been a particularly popular policy within the German Empire.

This was especially true for the Junkers.

Packaging these sentiments beautifully, Ludendorff declared to the reporters:

"Roman von Ungern-Sternberg waged war simply for amusement, and slaughtered people for his own pleasure. Even now, his atrocities are being laid bare at the war crimes tribunal. Now, look at the colonies. Do they have factories? Do they have anything of value? What benefit is there in maintaining them? As I see it, colonies are the greatest, most heinous evils in human history, created by madmen who enjoy slaughter—men no different from Ungern-Sternberg! I refuse to become a man like Wilhelm II or Ungern-Sternberg. Therefore, we shall liberate all our colonies. And, of course... we will spare no effort in supporting these colonies so they may stand on their own feet once more. To the people of Namibia, as the representative of the German people, I offer my deepest apologies. I am truly sorry."

The reporters' jaws dropped.

The liberation of colonies was something that could conceivably happen.

Ludendorff was, after all, a military man.

Even if another Junker had seized power instead of Ludendorff, they likely would have cast the colonies aside like garbage.

But... to go so far as to apologize?

"Find out what happened in Namibia immediately!"

"Ask Undersecretary Herbert of Great Britain! Find out what he thinks of this!"

The press corps erupted into utter chaos.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shocking news of Germany's colonial liberation and apology swept across Europe in less than a day.

And once it spread across Europe, it was only a matter of time before it reached Asia, including India.

Needless to say, Churchill immediately stormed off to find Shtal.

"Have you lost your mind?!"

"Excuse me? Where is this coming from?"

"How on earth did you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠instigate Ludendorff to pull a stunt like that without any prior negotiation?!"

"...To be honest, even I didn't expect him to apologize to Namibia."

"India is the sovereign territory of Great Britain! We will not sit idly by and watch you attack India in this manner!"

When something is this absurd, all you can do is laugh.

Of course, it was true that I had egged Ludendorff on from behind the scenes...

and it was also true that I had acted as Germany's de facto sponsor.

So, I could find it in my heart to overlook him coming here to throw a tantrum.

But still...

What gives these bastards the right to act so high and mighty?

"Are you truly trying to start a war?! If that is your intention, then so be it."

"Look here, Mr. Churchill."

"We will forge an alliance with France immediately! And have you forgotten that St. Petersburg is under our control? With St. Petersburg as our base, we will exert our influence over the Baltic states—"

Wait a moment... there was an insult you absolutely must never use against the British.

Ah, right. That was it.

I extended my index and middle fingers to form a V, then thrust it toward Churchill with the back of my hand facing him.

"Y-You...!"

"Were you so proud of slaughtering innocent Sepoys? Is that why you are acting like this?"

His face turning a violent shade of crimson, Churchill leaped to his feet.

Even so, my mouth showed no signs of stopping.

"Oh, by the way. The landing at Tallinn was truly magnificent. Ah, not the second one, of course. The first."

"A duel! I demand a duel!"

"It seems you are the one who needs a bit of a... 'civilizing mission,' Mr. First Tallinn."

In the end, Churchill stormed out of the room, huffing and puffing in a rage.

Honestly, I hadn't intended to needle Great ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Britain quite this much, but...

we were bound to clash over European hegemony sooner or later anyway.

It was inevitable. No use losing sleep over it.

Germany had done nothing but apologize repeatedly since the end of the war.

Of course, behind the scenes, there were likely influential Jewish figures possessing immense global wealth and power.

But an apology was still an apology.

At the very least, it ensured they would never repeat anything resembling the rise of the Nazis.

Great Britain and France, however, were different.

Simply because they had won the war, they had not uttered a single word of remorse regarding their imperialism.

While Germany would never regress to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Nazism...

Great Britain and France could easily become imperialist nations once more.

Would they not extort natural resources using multinational corporations, control finance and capital, and even instigate coups if things didn't go their way?

"Still, 'for now,' we won this negotiation. 'For now,' at least."

Ultimately, France was forced to disgorge the majority of its colonies.

Perhaps sensing that worse could follow if they pushed further, Great Britain had backed down.

Shtal smacked his lips with a tinge of regret.

"Hmm... I suppose the establishment of the 'Stahlism International' and the proclamation of the 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights' will have to wait. What a shame~."

Of course, Shtal's side had to make concessions as well.

"...Granting voting rights to colonial subjects is going too far! This is... far too sudden. With France completely unprepared, doing such a thing will only lead to an absolute catastrophe!"

"I suppose you have a point."

In the end, the agreement culminated in the "establishment of independent colonial parliaments."

If France wished to intervene in its colonies, it had to go through these parliaments.

Whether purchasing resources by force, conscripting labor, levying taxes, or adjusting tariffs, everything now required the approval of the colonial parliaments.

Poland's independence, Russia's transition to a constitutional monarchy...

many additional matters were decided in Warsaw.

Yet, the most impactful agenda remained the French colonies.

Algeria, being close to the French mainland, could still be bullied into submission even with such restrictions in place.

Of course, the profits would be a mere fraction of what they once were.

But places like Madagascar and Indochina...

colonies located too far from France had essentially slipped from their grasp entirely.

Naturally, the French mainland was once again engulfed in a massive tempest.

The civil war between the Stahlists and the established authorities, which had barely subsided with the end of the Black-White War, was on the verge of reigniting.

The conflict, which had seemingly concluded with the Stahlists entering parliament as the opposition party, was threatening to flare up once more.

"Only now can our France truly call itself a proud 'Republic' to the entire world!"

"It is not yet complete... We must grant equal rights to the Algerians and West Africans as well!"

The Stahlists, including the intellectuals of southern France and the universities, welcomed the news with open arms.

After all, Lenin and Freud had long advocated for the complete liberation of the colonies.

However, the vast majority of the French public was left furious by the unimaginable tyranny of the victorious nations.

"Those colonies... do they have any idea what we went through to build them?!"

"This is absurd! My cousin is in Saigon right now!"

The most controversial aspect of the Treaty of Versailles had not been mere "reparations" or "disarmament."

It had been the prosecution of Wilhelm II and high-ranking German officers as "war criminals."

It was, above all, a matter of pride.

And many believed that the sole reason France could call itself a "Great Power," second only to Great Britain, was its colonies.

To strip France of its colonies?

It was perceived as an attempt to reduce them to a second-rate nation, on par with Romania, Greece, Belgium, or the Netherlands.

Such was the case for Charles de Gaulle, who had only recently been released from German captivity.

While he had been rotting in a cell, his proud France had fallen to the absolute depths.

"...W-Why...? Our French army was valiant! Th-This makes no sense..."

Charles de Gaulle's mental state had utterly collapsed, to the point where he might as well have been admitted to an asylum!

Yet, facing a situation remarkably similar to his original history, Charles de Gaulle refused to give up.

Unlike Pétain, who would accept reality and submit to the colonial status of Vichy France, had de Gaulle not established Free France and fought on?

"What if... there were no Stahlists pulling the strings from behind?"

Indeed. France had not lost because it was weak.

It was because those wretched Stahlists had relentlessly threatened them from the shadows!

"We must crush the Stahlists... and reclaim our colonies."

Charles de Gaulle resolved to discharge from the military that very day.

And with quiet determination, he made his way to a beer hall in Paris.

France was still in utter chaos.

With the shock of counterfeit currency still lingering and the government collapsed, it was only natural that the value of the franc was in freefall.

Devastated by war and stripped of all its colonies, the French government lacked any capacity to cope with such an economic crisis.

"I am still young, and I lack power. ...But one day, I will reclaim our fatherland from the wicked Stahlists like Freud and Lenin, and from that traitor, Georges Clemenceau."