The Art of Mediation
Whenever a major war breaks out, Great Britain always butts in, begging to mediate. Of course, they pocket a handsome cut under the guise of mediation fees, but in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Britain was a top-tier superpower with as much wealth as the twenty-first-century United States. In other words, a cut is still a cut. Even if there were no bonus in the name of mediation fees, Britain would still latch onto any war and try to mediate it. Why? "Because simply stopping a fight is a display of power."
Doesn't the twenty-first-century United States use international organizations to meddle in every single war, even when there's no cut to be had? The only one qualified to stop a fight is someone vastly stronger than the combatants themselves. By mediating a war once or twice, the international community naturally comes to recognize Britain as a powerhouse. That is the essence of power. Mediate once or twice, and you'll be asked to mediate again. Before you know it, you rise to a position where you regulate the order of the international community. It's a business with absolutely nothing to lose.
The same applied to the so-called "special military operation" between Greece and Serbia! Only the hegemon of the Balkans, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was qualified to mediate!
Shtal immediately dispatched diplomatic documents to both Greece and Serbia, stepping forward to stop the fighting like Shanks showing up out of nowhere during the Paramount War.
As for Greece, they had not only imported a massive amount of military supplies from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but they were also spending far more on the war than Serbia because their navy was busy pressuring Montenegro—which moved as one with Serbia as blood allies.
"You've racked up quite a debt fighting this war, haven't you? We'll write off some of that debt and even recognize you as the successor to the Eastern Roman Empire, so why don't we call it a day?"
With such a message arriving from their primary creditor, Greece, whose national strength was beginning to buckle under the strain, had no choice but to accept the proposal.
But what about Serbia?
"Shtal, that bastard is trying to pull something again!"
"Our military expenditures are starting to weigh heavily on us as well, sir. Perhaps if we play hard to get before reluctantly accepting the proposal..."
"No! There's no telling what kind of insidious plot that Shtal fellow has cooked up behind our backs! Block it! Block it at all costs!"
Who in their right mind would listen to Shtal, the man who had been squeezing their borders using the Bosnian Agricultural Cooperative throughout the entire war? If that bastard hadn't been making their backs itch along the border, this damn war would have been over long ago, mediation be damned!
Furthermore, unlike Greece, which was having its very foundations hollowed out by the war, Serbia was holding up reasonably well. They could simply harvest crowds of naturally occurring nationalist fanatics from the fields and throw them into the meat grinder, and thanks to their unique militaristic, fascist nature, the burden on domestic public opinion was minimal.
"Tell them to get lost immediately! And add a note that they're next after Greece."
With that, the Serbian side dispatched a diplomatic document to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Do not act rashly, you mongrel Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the name of the Yugoslav National Revolution, we shall rain endless shells and bullets upon your empire. Let your inbred Kaiser and the filthy Jew Shtal wash their necks and await their end.
Shtal smirked as he read the diplomatic document sent by Serbia.
Phew. I was actually worried they might accept the mediation. What a relief.
No matter how much underhanded malice it required, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had to break Serbia's national power. If a world war broke out, Austria would have to face Russia. Despite possessing surprisingly formidable national strength, why did the Austro-Hungarian Empire suffer defeat after defeat in the actual World War? It was because they fought on a double front, unable to properly deal with either Serbia or Russia.
Therefore, the grand strategy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was to conclude any war with Serbia as swiftly as possible.
Shtal's first move was to initiate negotiations with the Ottoman Empire.
"You must accept that the Balkans have already slipped from the Ottoman Empire's grasp. Only then can we prevent this war from escalating."
"...Are you here specifically to mock us?! Thanks to your country egging them on, the situation has actually turned in our favor. While Greece and Serbia exhaust each other, we will reclaim our Balkan territories!"
The Ottoman Empire was putting on a brave face. But could they really protect the Balkans when their own heartlands of Syria and Iraq were already in jeopardy?
"You must face reality. Now that the winds of independence and separatism are sweeping across Europe, there is only one way for a multi-ethnic empire to survive."
Perhaps their bravado was nothing more than a bluff, for the Ottomans seemed intrigued by Shtal's proposal.
"And what is that?"
"We will preserve Albania for you. However, you must acknowledge that you have lost your dominance in the Balkans, grant broad autonomy to Albania, and govern the state as a federation through national institutions like the Agricultural Cooperative."
"Absurd! Is that not exactly how you swallowed Bosnia?!"
"Regardless, now that we have intervened, you cannot hold the Balkans. It is far better than letting the entire region fall into the hands of Serbia and Greece."
"..."
The Ottomans were in a position where they had no choice but to watch the Balkans slip away. Even Constantinople was in jeopardy. They needed to shrink their borders. Even without a war, the Balkans were a region they would eventually have to abandon. It might be better to leave Albania in a semi-independent state and at least salvage the empire's prestige.
"That is not all. Declare broad autonomy for the territories seized by Bulgaria, Serbia, and Greece."
Their Balkan territories were doomed anyway. Macedonia, in particular, was practically already in Bulgaria's hands.
"Since you cannot have the Balkans anyway, shouldn't you at least ruin it for everyone else?"
"...Hmph. We shall consider it."
And before long, the Ottoman Empire declared broad autonomy for each administrative district in the Balkan Peninsula.
For centuries, We have embraced vast territories and countless peoples under one great shelter... Yet, We also deeply realize that the times have changed. Recently, the great ideology known as Stahl-style socialism has swept across Europe. This does not contradict the sacred teachings of Muhammad. Muhammad criticized wealth acquired through unjust means such as greed, unfair exploitation, inequality, and usury, and taught that wealth should be shared with the poor. Therefore, in accordance with these teachings of Muhammad, We permit the countless peoples of the Balkans to autonomously manage their respective factories and farmlands as workers.
In short, it granted autonomy through massive cooperatives based on the Stahl-Ferdinand Model.
Of course, most of the regions where this was declared had already slipped from the Ottomans' grasp forever. Naturally, it had virtually zero administrative efficacy. Yet, what did that matter?
"National revolution? Don't make me laugh!"
"When on earth is this damn war going to end?"
"Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria—they're all bastards. The Ottoman Empire was actually better. At least back then, we had peace."
"And now the Ottoman Sultan is granting worker autonomy? Maybe we should just switch back to the Ottomans."
Though it hadn't been a long war, the Serbians and Greeks were fighting in their homelands to annihilate one another. Factories and farms were being reduced to ruins one by one.
Who would look kindly on their homeland being trampled by foreigners' squabbles? Naturally, popular uprisings erupted everywhere.
"It's a revolution!"
"These are our farms, our factories! Foreigners, get the hell out!"
Startled by this, Greece—which was already a pro-Austrian nation and had been considering adopting Stahlism to some extent—swiftly allowed limited worker-peasant autonomy in its occupied territories to suppress the rebellions.
But what about Serbia?
"The Reds are rising up in our occupied territories!"
"What? Reds? Crush them immediately! We must show them how well the fatherland deals with communists."
They established concentration camps in their occupied Balkan territories, deployed secret police, and ruthlessly suppressed the communists.
Just as Apis had declared, Serbia was an expert at crushing communism. With terrible oppression, the Social Democratic Party that had been active in the occupied territories was wiped out in an instant. However, this caused them to lose the hearts of the people, and they had to dispatch troops and intelligence agencies to maintain public order in the occupied territories. Once again, Greece gained a slight advantage, while Serbia suffered a slight loss.
Shtal's malicious scheming did not stop there.
"I apologize for asking so much of the Bosnian Agricultural Cooperative, Archduke."
"It is quite alright. What sort of scheme are you planning this time?"
"...It is not a scheme. The 'special military operation' unfolding in the Balkans is causing immense suffering to the people. The hatred between Serbia and Greece has no end in sight. They are fighting to annihilate each other."
"Though their denominations differ, it is truly heartbreaking to see fellow Christians fighting one another."
"Therefore, I intend to dispatch a 'Peacekeeping Force' to stop the fighting. Of course, we also plan to propagate our empire's advanced 'Agricultural Cooperative' policies to Greece. Would that be acceptable?"
"There is no problem."
In the era leading up to the Great War, it was fashionable for the Great Powers to dispatch minor military forces under the pretext of protecting their citizens. Britain, France, the United States, and Germany all did it. However, this method was guaranteed to draw checkmates and interference from surrounding Great Powers. It was not something to be used lightly.
So, Shtal decided to import a highly advanced concept from the twenty-first century.
A Peacekeeping Force comprised entirely of civilians! These were unarmed support units consisting solely of engineers and medics. Naturally, sending a heavily armed military would have provoked the surrounding Great Powers to watch them like hawks.
Thus, carrying flags adorned with a red cross, a sickle, and a hammer, the Peacekeeping Force was deployed one by one to the most intense battlefields.
How on earth could an unarmed force be of any help? First:
"A secret society must not be run this way. Postpone assassinations and terror tactics until the absolute last moment. Instead, blend naturally into the local population by distributing food, providing medical care, and offering education."
"The core of guerrilla tactics is the ability to melt into the civilian population at any moment. You must leave the occupying forces with only two choices: massacre or withdrawal."
They could transform into revolutionaries at any moment! Operating in the shadows, they established foreign communication networks, distributed revolutionary strategies, and subtly instigated popular uprisings. They performed tasks very similar to Serbia's intelligence units.
Second:
"T-Those bastards are shooting at doctors!"
"Do not shoot! We are unarmed! Just let us treat the wounded and recover the bodies!"
Whenever the fighting grew fierce, the Peacekeeping Force would inevitably appear to disrupt the battle. And they absolutely did not intervene only when Serbia had the upper hand!
Naturally, since they couldn't just shoot Austrian "civilians" on the battlefield, the once-intense battles ended up fizzling out.
Though they were no match for a regular army actively attacking the enemy, they performed their role as a shield to stop the war perfectly.
Ultimately, Serbia reached its boiling point. A Serbian diplomat confronted Shtal directly and spat out words that were unthinkable for a diplomat.
"Is Representative Shtal not afraid of the bullets of the national revolution?"
"Did you not try to shoot me in Bosnia back then as well? Go ahead and shoot if you dare. On that very day, Serbia will be wiped off the map."
"...My emotions got the better of me. I apologize. What is it that you want?"
But what could Serbia possibly do? The Serbian diplomat eventually offered a declaration of surrender, but...
"Withdraw from all occupied Ottoman territories. Apologize to Greece, and halt the war."
"That is impossible! You must propose reasonable terms for negotiation!"
"Barely a month ago. Did we not offer those exact 'reasonable terms' a month ago? Was it not Serbia that rejected them?"
"Y-You..."
Regardless of whether the Serbian diplomat's face turned red and blue with rage, Shtal kept goading him, secretly wishing they would just go ahead and invade Austria.
"By all means, continue your war. And it seems there is some misunderstanding—you are well aware that the Peacekeeping Force has absolutely nothing to do with our government, are you not?"
"Does that mean we can shoot them as we please?"
"No. But if you shoot the civilians of a neutral nation like that, how do you plan to handle the consequences?"
"Shtal, you filthy, despicable Jew! You spawn of the devil!"
"Hahaha, hahahaha!"
Shtal leaned back on his sofa, savoring the sweet taste of victory.
Even after all this, can you really hold back from declaring war on Austria?
In the end, the Serbian diplomat couldn't hold back and hurled a barrage of curses. Be that as it may, Shtal remained all smiles, having absolutely no intention of expelling the diplomat.