#1402 - Germany's Dilemma

Berlin.

Wilhelm II was very dissatisfied with the reversal of Germany's situation in Belarus. In the Prussian Palace, Wilhelm II's scolding of Russia could be heard for days on end.

"Damn Russians! Sure enough, no matter what skin they change, they can't change the greedy core of these Slavs."

"These Russian Labor Party members are even more vile heretics than Nicholas II. They not only blatantly continue the expansionist policies of the Tsarist era, and do not conceal Russia's centuries-old ambitions for Europe and even the world, but they are also cunningly using the name of liberating the world to pave the way for enslaving the whole world..."

Wilhelm II was furious, not really worried about Russia's wolfish ambitions, but because the actions of the Russians further shook the people's trust in their own government.

The German people were already full of fire because of World War I. Although Germany received relatively decent compensation compared to its previous life before withdrawing from the war, the price paid for World War I and the spoils obtained were obviously not commensurate.

After experiencing the heavy blow of the European flu, German society became even more depressed, and this military defeat in Eastern Europe made Germany even worse.

After experiencing rapid development from the last century to the beginning of this century, from national unification to the explosion of economy and industry, and the rapid advancement of science and technology, etc.

Comparing Germany's unfavorable development in recent years, it is easy for the German people to experience a huge psychological gap, especially the military failure against Russia, which is even more unacceptable.

After all, the German people's impression of Russia still remains in the period of World War I. Regardless of Tsarist Russia or the current Russian Labor Party, their performance in World War I can be described as a series of defeats.

Now, Russia, under the leadership of the Labor Party, has actually achieved military advantages and breakthroughs in Eastern Europe. The underdog of the past has successfully reversed the situation, which obviously makes Wilhelm II lose face.

Although the Russian Labor Party was able to achieve such a great military advantage in Ukraine and Belarus, it was not entirely the result of the army, but the German people only know that the empire's influence in Eastern Europe is now being challenged.

However, the German people, who had been severely beaten by World War I, were dissatisfied with the situation, but they were unwilling to really support the war.

The psychology of the German people is obviously contradictory. After all, if they do not support the war, then Germany naturally cannot have too many military actions in Eastern Europe, after all, war is about death.

And if it is impossible to carry out large-scale military operations, then the sphere of influence in Eastern Europe will naturally be taken back by Russia, which makes the German people feel dissatisfied.

In short, Wilhelm II is now in a lose-lose situation, with both the pro-war and anti-war factions in Germany blaming him, the emperor.

Prime Minister Hermann empathized with Wilhelm II's irritability and frustration. He said to Wilhelm II: "Your Majesty, now is not the time to complain. We must respond to the situation in Eastern Europe. We only have two choices: either support the war and drive the Russians back to stabilize our sphere of influence."

"Or, choose to negotiate peace with the Russians. After all, Germany's current situation is indeed not easy to launch a new war. Germany has experienced war, plague, and economic depression in recent years. The people's war-weariness is high, and at the same time, distrust and negative emotions towards the government are increasing. Therefore, how to choose next will inevitably affect the future destiny of Germany."

Wilhelm II was also aware of the predicament Germany was facing, so he decided to put some pressure on Hermann: "Then, does the Prime Minister think we should strongly counter Russia, or choose to compromise with Russia?"

Seeing that there was no way to retreat, Hermann said: "If Your Majesty insists on an answer, then my idea is to compromise with Russia."

This answer was beyond Wilhelm II's expectations, and he asked: "Why choose the latter?"

Hermann was silent for a moment and then said: "There is an ancient saying in the Far East, 'To secure the exterior, one must first secure the interior.' I think it makes a lot of sense. The situation we are facing in Germany now is actually that internal problems outweigh external problems, so we should prioritize solving internal problems, so that Germany can be invincible."

"Now, undercurrents are surging in Germany. Labor Party members, democrats, pro-war factions, anti-war factions, Jews... Various interest groups have pointed the finger at us, which is the biggest problem for the current government."

"Various domestic conflicts can be said to be on the verge of breaking out. At this time, launching a large-scale war, let alone whether it will be victorious or not, just the large-scale war preparations may trigger serious social problems."

There is no problem with using war to divert social conflicts, but ordinary German people who have just experienced World War I will definitely not buy into this.

Therefore, Hermann does not think that war can solve the problem. Even launching a new war is a huge problem in itself and may become the fuse to detonate Germany.

Therefore, Hermann analyzed: "So, once we support the war, we will fall into the trap of a political crisis, which is unfavorable to us in itself. The second point is that even if launching a war does not cause dissatisfaction among the people, but if the war fails..."

He didn't say any more, but Wilhelm II also had a clear understanding in his heart, that is, the risk of launching a war is far higher than not launching a war.

Wilhelm II asked: "But now, if we stop the war and compromise with the Russians, I am afraid that the people will not feel satisfied."

After all, from the perspective of the German people today, it is difficult to accept the empire's defeat in Eastern Europe.

Hermann said: "There is no need to pay attention to the existence of such voices. In fact, those who really support the war are the military-industrial interest groups or the winners of World War I, but they are only a very small number."

"As for the opposition of some ordinary people, it is even more not worth mentioning. Compared to ordinary people who have experienced the world war and yearn for peace, they are also only a minority, or in Russian terms, a 'minority faction'."

"Their voices seem powerful, but in fact, the vast majority of people are not keen on expressing their opinions. After all, most people are busy making a living and have no time to jump up and down."

"We should not be troubled by this kind of voice, so as to create the illusion. Before the World War, we were misled by public opinion. If we could have made more preparations at that time, we would not have been in trouble because of launching a war in a hurry."

Before World War I, the entire German public opinion atmosphere can be described as arrogant, as if Germany could easily conquer the whole of Europe.

But the fact is that Germany did show strong combat effectiveness, but because of insufficient land, resources, food, manpower, etc., it was unable to support long-term large-scale warfare.

As a person who experienced it firsthand, Hermann has learned a lesson. In the post-war review, he felt that he was indeed too irrational at the beginning.

Of course, Hermann's statement was also recognized by Wilhelm II. Wilhelm II himself became more mature, or rather, cautious, after being severely beaten by World War I. World War I greatly consumed his energy.

"The idealism of the Labor Party does unite Russian public opinion, but this political model can only play a role in the early stages. We should start with the economic and diplomatic fields."

"Let Russia fall into an economic blockade. As long as economic development falls into a predicament, the idealistic government in Russia will inevitably fall into self-consumption due to the practical problems of bread and milk."

According to Hermann, the Russian Labor Party is like a young man who has never seen the world, full of yearning and passion for the future. But as time goes by, facing the beatings of the real society, it will eventually fall into the trivialities of life, eventually leading to mental exhaustion and even self-collapse and disintegration.

Of course, Wilhelm II did not see it that way. He said, "Who cares about the future of the Russian Labor Party? What matters is the impact of the Russian Labor Party on the fate of Russia. Under the leadership of the Russian Labor Party, will it increase Russia's national strength, thereby affecting the empire's future strategy for Europe?"

Wilhelm II's words also made sense. The Russian Labor Party does not represent Russia. What he is worried about is the changes in Russia. Just like Russia in the era of serfdom, if it does not reform, it will not be able to progress, and that would be a 'good' friend of Germany and the whole of Europe.

And the Russian Labor Party, with its impulsive actions, is obviously different from the Tsarist government. Wilhelm II is worried that some of their policies will greatly increase Russia's national strength.

Hermann said, "Therefore, Your Majesty, I just said that we should impose a comprehensive economic blockade and sanctions in various fields on Russia to restrict its development."

"And this requires the cooperation of other countries in the world with us. After all, the Russian Labor Party is not only a threat to Germany, but also a threat to the world."

"Like this time in Ukraine and Belarus, the military capabilities of the Russians are still lacking, but their ideology is extremely dangerous, and the spread of ideology does not distinguish between regions and countries."

"This dangerous ideological weapon can cross Germany and affect other countries and regions in the world, so opposing the Labor Party is the common responsibility of all countries in the world."

The latest novels are available at Liu Jiu Shu Ba!

"Moreover, we have long been dissatisfied with the passive attitudes of other countries. We Germans are on the front line of confronting Russia, but they are gloating behind our backs. We should find ways to make them contribute."

"Regarding the issue of the League of Nations, we should also be able to reach a compromise with Britain, but the League of Nations must include combating Russia and the Labor Parties in various countries as a necessary political issue."

Regarding the League of Nations, that is, the League of Nations, this international organization was still proposed by the British.

As for why the British still want to form the League of Nations, it is actually related to the current predicament of Britain. The British need a stable international order so that they can avoid the decline of their own hegemony as much as possible.

After all, the transition of world hegemony has never been peaceful. Britain gained world hegemony by defeating the Spanish Armada, the Dutch maritime coachman, and the old enemy France.

Therefore, the British are very clear that if they want to maintain Britain's world order, they must prevent the outbreak of war as much as possible.

Of course, this is also a helpless move. World War I has proved that Britain is already stretched when facing war. Facing Germany, East Africa, and the United States, these newly emerging world powers, Britain's military authority has been greatly reduced.

Without being able to achieve an overwhelming advantage in military affairs, Britain can only think of ways in other aspects, and the League of Nations is an important measure for Britain to continue to maintain its world hegemony.

However, unlike in the previous life, Britain was the victor of World War I, so Britain took advantage of the situation to form and lead the League of Nations, which could barely be done.

However, under the influence of East Africa, World War I in this timeline has become completely different. If Britain wants to form the League of Nations, it must win over "cooperators."

Currently, Britain is actively wooing Germany and France.

As for why choose Germany, the mortal enemy in World War I, this is a case of choosing the lesser of two evils.

Now in Europe, Germany is checked by Russia, so Britain is not worried about the threat from Germany. Moreover, World War I proved that Germany, as a semi-landlocked country, has too significant geopolitical disadvantages, and Britain can still suppress it.

However, East Africa and the United States overseas are not the case. They not only have terrifying size and scale, but are also difficult to be contained by Britain.

Therefore, if it wants to contain these two countries, the best way Britain can think of is to integrate the power of the entire Europe to suppress the development of the two countries.

And now on the European continent, Germany is obviously a country that Britain cannot avoid. Without resolving Germany, the League of Nations cannot be formed.

Although bringing Germany into the League of Nations will divide Britain's power, it is better than having no unified management of the world.

The so-called unified management of the world is mainly to stabilize the old international order and serve Britain and the entire Europe.

In other words, in the previous life, the League of Nations was dominated by Britain and France, but in this timeline, Britain's plan is for Britain, France, and Germany to dominate the League of Nations. After all, the three countries belong to European countries. Of course, in this new League of Nations, Britain still has the greatest say.

Germany was actually not interested in Britain's formation of the League of Nations at first, after all, this League of Nations is still de facto subordinate to Britain.

However, now Hermann plans to make a fuss about this League of Nations, so as to share the pressure that Germany is currently facing. This is a pragmatic manifestation.

Of course, he also has his own little plans in his heart, that is, the British are saying something very correct, that is: "The development of the world pattern today no longer allows us to consume internally in Europe. In the past, Europe was the center of the world, with an overwhelming advantage over other regions."

"However, the rise of countries outside of Europe such as the United States and East Africa has posed a major threat to European hegemony. If Europe declines, no one will be better off."

"Therefore, we should eliminate differences as much as possible to deal with threats and competition outside of Europe. Otherwise, with the economic size and industrial scale of the United States and East Africa, surpassing Europe is only a matter of time."

"Look at the large number of industrial products made in the United States and East Africa that are now beginning to appear in the European market. This is a common threat we face, and Germany is no exception. After all, Germany is now the country with the largest industrial scale in Europe. If the United States and East Africa grow bigger, Germany will also be a victim."

German industry is indeed facing competition, especially from East Africa. During World War I, a large number of East African industrial products flooded into Germany's traditional markets.

Therefore, after the end of World War I, Hermann and the German government led by Wilhelm II secretly wanted to squeeze East Africa's influence out of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and other regions.