Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

"That kid's pretty patient..."

"So this is the end of it?"

"Yes, that's how it ended."

"Let's wait and see what he's up to."

......

March 15, in Paris.

If things had followed the original course of history, Wilson should have returned to Paris on March 14th.

However, with Joachim's arrival, his return to Paris was postponed.

It was already evening when he returned to Paris.

"The French are making unreasonable demands."

He looked at the report handed to him by Colonel Edward House, the chief advisor.

Wilson felt as if a piece of his head had been sliced ​​off by the French. How dare they make such a demand?

The entire land west of the Rhine River was separated from Germany to establish the so-called Republic of Westphalia.

It served as a buffer state between Germany and France.

How dare they?

"Yes, we also think it's excessive, but that's what the French are demanding, and they made it publicly at the conference, which many delegates heard."

The speaker was U.S. Secretary of State Robert Lansing.

Although he was nominally the number two figure in the United States, his influence was less than that of his chief advisor, Colonel House, to Wilson: "Moreover, the French lackeys were also fanning the flames, and the Czechs were urging us to cede the entire Sudetenland to them, because they felt that the mountainous region was a natural defensive line, both economically and in terms of national defense."

"Have you told those Czechs? There are 300 million Germans there."

"The Czechs' answer was also very simple: this place does not belong to the German Empire."

"So you can divide it however you want, right?"

Wilson was somewhat annoyed; this clearly violated his 14-point principle: "What are the other people saying?"

"The French proposal was simple: they couldn't let their allies lose such a large piece of land for no reason."

"And they also wouldn't allow Germany to increase its strength any further."

"So their idea is either to forcibly transfer this land to Austria, or to assign it to Czechoslovakia; in any case, it cannot be given to the current Germans."

"So how did the British negotiate?"

"That's what the British mean too: either force it to be incorporated into Austria, or give it to Czechoslovakia." Henry White chimed in, "If the German Republic were to exchange territory with Czechoslovakia in the future, then that would be a matter between the two of them and the League of Nations."

"If that's the case, it's not unacceptable."

Wilson was still somewhat annoyed at the mention of the League of Nations.

Like a balloon that has been punctured, the fire immediately went out.

After all, the thing he most wanted to accomplish upon arriving in Europe was to establish the so-called League of Nations.

To achieve this goal, he even went so far as to travel by ship between Washington and Paris.

As for the results... well, it's hard to describe.

Wilson was an idealist, but the vast majority of Americans are isolationists.

Their idea was to distance themselves from the conflicts in Europe and return to isolation.

Article 10 of the League of Nations states that member states must defend the territorial integrity and political independence of other member states.

This led the Senate to believe that it would force the United States into a war in Europe, strip Congress of its power to declare war, and undermine American sovereignty.

Therefore, Republicans absolutely disagree.

Wilson couldn't help but shake his head at the thought of his setbacks in the Senate.

His tone softened: "When these things cause conflict, let the League of Nations handle it. It will be a good opportunity for our League of Nations to play its role."

"Oh, right, there are a few other things."

"The dispute between the Germans and Poles over the eastern border has escalated."

"Is it Upper Silesia?"

"No, in Posen."

This clearly surprised Wilson, who paused for a moment, then asked, "Why would you be there?"

"Because a large-scale vendetta occurred there..."

"Oh my God!" Wilson made the sign of the cross on his chest. He truly hadn't expected so much to have happened in the days between Washington and Paris. "So, what are you going to do with your results?"

"Our conclusion is to hold a referendum, and we have already deployed troops to take over security there."

"We went to Danzig by boat... but the French have already hinted to us that even if the Germans win the referendum, they will cede most of Poznan to Poland."

"There's no problem with the arrangements; this was what we promised the Poles."

"And what about West Prussia?"

"The same applies; hold a referendum."

"To forcibly separate the Germans and the Poles."

"This referendum was fair, open, and just."

Colonel House revealed their plans for West Prussia. In fact, from February 1919 until June when the treaty was finalized, Danzig had always belonged to Germany. It was never separated from the Treaty of Versailles until a few days before the signing, when the British and Americans wavered under pressure from the French.

Thus, Danzig, a city filled with Germans, no longer belonged to Germany, but became a free city.

"This also aligns with the principle of national self-determination..."

Seeing that Wilson's tone had softened somewhat, Colonel House continued to drop a bombshell: "France has taken unauthorized action to invade Germany while you were away, and has already occupied Saarland. There are reports that the French are planning to advance further into Germany."

"The French are insane! Why didn't you stop them?" Wilson was clearly enraged by the French's actions. "This is a breach of peace; they're starting a war!"

"Without the president's authorization, we really can't comment on such a massive operation..." Colonel House said awkwardly.

"So we can only remain silent," Henry White observed coldly. "And the French gave a simple reason: the Germans are not being honest; they are in contact with Red Russia to the east."

"Are you talking nonsense, or is the Frenchman talking nonsense?"

Wilson found the news absurd: "Have the Germans gone mad? Cooperating with those Red Russians?"

"That's the truth. The Germans have recently come up with a new strategy called 'coexist or perish together.'"

"What do you mean?"

"It means that if we cannot give Germany a lenient treaty and lift the naval blockade, they will take extreme measures."

"Then they really have no choice but to turn to Red Russia and ignite the Bolshevik plague in Europe."

"Even if they can't survive, they'll drag all the capitalist countries in the world down with them."

"So, is there really a possibility that they can cooperate?"

"They are in diplomatic contact, but I actually feel it's somewhat unlikely."

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because the Germans are plotting to overthrow the Bolshevik regime in the Baltic Sea!"

"Do you think they're haggling?"

"Yes!"

"So it's perfectly normal for the French to teach the Germans a lesson."

"What if Germany really did cooperate with Red Russia?"

"Then we can only hold our breath and wait and see how things develop in Europe..."