Kan Peilun swallowed nervously again and picked up the document with trembling hands.
As he read through it clause by clause, a flash of delight appeared in his panicked eyes, only to quickly turn grave.
He handed the several sheets of paper to Speaker Dandels beside him, whose face likewise showed disbelief.
The ceasefire terms could be summarized in just four points:
First, the Netherlands would try all war criminals involved in the invasion of Walloon. French judges were to supervise the entire trial process.
Second, the Netherlands would compensate for the losses caused by its invasion of Walloon. The rough estimate was 700,000 Dutch Guilders.
Third, the Netherlands would declare permanent neutrality. The High Court would enact laws to oversee the nation's neutral status and pass judgment on any politician who dared violate that neutrality.
Fourth, the Dutch Parliament's management of the Netherlands had clearly been a failure, proving that nobles were indispensable to governing the country. The Dutch Parliament would add 35% "Noble Seats," which could only be held by hereditary nobles whose lineages had been passed down for more than six generations.
Dandels carefully looked at Joseph and asked tentatively, "Your Highness, are these all the terms?"
"That's right. Those are all of them."
Dandels exchanged glances with several Dutch dignitaries, and their expressions relaxed considerably.
To be honest, these terms were so lenient that they scarcely resembled a "surrender agreement." They were more like an ordinary diplomatic negotiation.
Take the War Reparations, for example.
Before coming here, the Dutch Parliament had been prepared to offer 6 million Dutch Guilders—75 million Francs—to placate the French. In the most extreme circumstances, they could even raise it to 8 million Dutch Guilders, or 100 million Francs.
The Netherlands had a developed financial sector, quite a few Colonies in the