Chapter 966： "Draft for Disposal of Laws" (1/2)
Due to some reasons, a large number of users suddenly cannot open the webpage to visit this site today. Please remember the domain name of this site(literary initials +66 dot com, novelhall.com) to find your way home!
After a series of bargaining, on December 17, 1891, the Anti-French Alliance finally reached an agreement and signed the ”Draft of Dealing with the Law.”
At this point, the spoils sharing meeting is almost complete. Just let the French sign at the Vienna Peace Conference to confirm its legality.
Although the anti-French alliance countries have agreed in advance, being able to reach a preliminary agreement in less than two months is still a manifestation of efficiency.
After receiving the signed treaty, Franz very doubted that everyone was so fast to go home for Christmas as soon as possible.
The ”draft” is indeed a ”draft.” Except for the agreement on the general framework, the specific details are basically blank, and even many clauses are ambiguous.
For example: the territories of France to be slaughtered have only one place name, and the specific boundary line is not reflected in the treaty.
It seems clear, but in fact there is a huge gap. In Europe's thousands of years of history, the area governed by the same place name is not static. The specific period shall prevail, and there is no clear agreement in the treaty.
As a vested interest, this is obviously a good thing for Austria. There is no clear agreement, which means that there can be more room for maneuver, and it is not a problem to shift the boundary line slightly.
The boundary is not clear, and the amount of compensation is also not fixed, but the distribution ratio of each country is agreed, and the specific details can be discussed.
In any case, I have to leave something for the Vienna Peace Conference, and listen to the opinions of other countries by the way. Otherwise, there will be no way to perform the next scene.
The content of the treaty is as follows:
Territorial aspect
Austria reclaimed part of the Duchy of Lorraine, Alsace, and the Kingdom of Burgundy (Franche-Comté region), totaling approximately 47,000 square kilometers;
The Flanders and Atois (the northern part of the Strait of Calais) are assigned to Belgium, covering an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometers;
The Principality of Savoie (Haute-Savoie and Savoie) was allocated to Switzerland, covering an area of approximately 10,300 square kilometers;
Part of Provence was allocated to the Kingdom of Sardinia, covering an area of about 30,000 square kilometers;
Corsica is zoned to Tuscany, covering an area of about 8682 square kilometers;
Spain reclaims the Roussillon area, covering an area of approximately 24,000 square kilometers;
Andorra became independent (468 square kilometers) and Monaco restored its original territory (20 square kilometers).
War reparations
Austria 33.4%, Russian Empire 20%, German Federation 25.5%, Belgium 15.5%, Spain 0.3%, Switzerland 0.2%, all the states of Italy 4.5%, Montenegro, Greece, and Armenia each get 0.2%.
France needs to pay a total of 50 to 80 billion Aegis in war indemnities (the specific figures will be determined at the Vienna Conference), and the various countries have established a joint bank to provide loans to the French government to pay indemnities. The monthly interest is five thousandths, and the principal and interest are repaid in 99 years .
...
Although Austria has worked hard, it has not been able to completely separate France. Even driving the French out of the Mediterranean was not able to do so.
It is not that it cannot be done, but that it cannot be done. It's okay to cede land after a defeat, but there are limits to land cede, and it is better to have a legal basis.
As a substantial European hegemon, Austria has become the biggest beneficiary under the rule system, so it is natural to maintain the rules of the game.
In this context, the partition of France and Austria is in the name of regaining lost land, and the land acquired is also the homeland of the former Shenra.
This argument is indeed a bit far-fetched, but it is better to have a legal basis than nothing. In addition, the fist is big enough to be considered legal.
In contrast, the land allocated to allies is not so particular. Except for Spain's reluctance to find historical support, everything else can be considered defeated.
It's not that Franz is unwilling to give more. The problem is that the size of the allies is limited, and if you force them to them, they might be choked to death.
Moreover, the distribution of benefits must also be fair and must be able to convince the public. If it crosses the line, the prestige that Austria has finally established will be gone.
A closer look at the benefit distribution plan will reveal that the treaty is full of compromises. Except for the compensation of the Russians, which was agreed in advance, the rest were based on their respective contributions.
For example: Spain used soy sauce on the battlefield. In addition to regaining lost ground as agreed in advance, the war reparations received are only symbolic.
Because of the heavy losses in the war, Belgium has made a lot of contributions, and received a lot of territory and compensation.
The Confederation of Germany, which also made a significant contribution, received a share of war reparations second only to Austria because it did not receive territorial compensation.
The Kingdom of Sardinia seems to have acquired a lot of territory, but in fact it is also based on the premise that the Principality of Savoie is allocated to Switzerland, which has a compensation nature.
Moreover, these benefits are not something their family can eat, and they must be shared with other Italian states.
This is the result of Austria's deliberate care. Otherwise, the Italian states, which have limited contributions in the anti-French war, can be independent.
This can be regarded as imitating the British tactics of burying the nails. It is estimated that the relationship between the Kingdom of Sardinia and Switzerland will not be good in the future, and the relationship with other states will probably not be good.
Putting aside the text of the treaty, Franz asked doubtfully: ”Why is there no content about the distribution of colonies?”
It's not that Franz made a fuss. As the world's third colonial empire, there are many French colonies, many of which are high-quality assets. Logically speaking, it should be something that everyone is fighting for, but it is not mentioned in the draft.
Weissenberg explained: ”Your Majesty, the colony issue has indeed been discussed, but everyone has more than enough energy.