Bluffing

"We still need to discuss the terms you raised at this conference."

At the end of the conference, Prime Minister George consulted the people beside him before turning to His Majesty Eitel.

Eitel nodded in understanding.

The group was then led to their accommodations by attendants.

After entering his room, Eitel had only just taken off his cloak when a knock sounded at the door.

"Your Majesty, it is Hindenburg. I have an important matter to ask you about."

Along with the knocking, Hindenburg's voice came through the door.

Eitel glanced toward the door, pulled out a chair, and sat down, crossing his legs.

"Come in."

As Eitel finished speaking, Hindenburg gently opened the door and strode inside.

With some anxiety on his face, Field Marshal Hindenburg approached His Majesty Eitel and bent forward.

"Your Majesty, why did you agree to the demilitarization treaty? If we agree to this treaty, we will become fish on someone else's chopping block!"

"And this will also be a major blow to your prestige!"

"Please reconsider, Your Majesty, and discuss these terms again at tomorrow's conference."

Listening to Field Marshal Hindenburg, Eitel gave him a somewhat disappointed look. He really was getting old; his mind could no longer keep up.

He was hardly foolish enough to disregard the safety of an entire nation like that.

Eitel looked at the anxious Hindenburg before him with a gaze full of care for the elderly, making goosebumps rise all over the field marshal's body.

"Field Marshal, I think you can retire once this conference is over. I imagine the Prussia War Academy would be delighted to have a veteran with your wealth of battlefield experience as its commandant."

Hindenburg, who had been brimming with righteous indignation, froze.

"Your Majesty, what do you mean?"

Eitel rose and looked out the window, a calculating smile curling his lips.

"Once the war ends, who will feed those millions of soldiers? You?"

"When the war ends, where will those arms factories sell their orders?"

"Apart from Tsarist Russia, which is still fighting a civil war-oh, no, it should be the Soviet Government now-who else can absorb our arms factories' orders?"

As Eitel spoke, he motioned for Field Marshal Hindenburg to look at the sentries still patrolling outside the window.

"Would you believe it? Not just us, but great powers such as England and France will also cut their armies after the war, because no one can afford to maintain a standing army of such an enormous size at a time like this."

"As for us, we are merely abolishing conscription. I never said what these troops would go on to do. Police officers, workers, even farmers."

"They will simply return to their original identities. But once war breaks out again, these men will once more become sharp blades in our hands. As for that army of one hundred thousand, every man will be trained to officer standards. I will send them in batches to military schools such as the Prussia War Academy and the Potsdam Army Officer School."

As Field Marshal Hindenburg listened to His Majesty Eitel's detailed explanation, realization instantly dawned on his face, and a sense of reverence welled up within him.

"Your Majesty, your humble servant was shortsighted. You truly see far ahead. I cannot compare."

"Most importantly, who said that dismantling the arms factories means we cannot rebuild them?"

"As long as we still hold the blueprints, we can set up production lines at any time. And I intend to follow Britain's example and establish an Imperial Research Institute. As for what it will research, that is harder to say."

Eitel paid no heed to Field Marshal Hindenburg's sentiments and continued speaking.

With his national focuses and the research slots unlocked later, his weapons research speed could be said to be unrivaled.

For now, the only things that could constrain them were their reserves of mineral resources and oil.

Eitel already had some ideas about those. Some mineral deposits and oil fields that had not been surveyed or exploited during the First World War still remained undiscovered.

Now that they had no army or arms factories, surely it was perfectly normal for them to do a little business and buy some land.

As for the money to buy that land...

As though something had occurred to him, Eitel chuckled.

The next day, the sun rose in the east, casting the first faint rays of morning light.

The representatives of the Allies and the German Empire sat on opposite sides of the table.

The two sides looked at one another, neither speaking first.

Eitel sat in complete ease, as though he did not care in the slightest what they thought.

Looking at the German emperor, Prime Minister George helplessly glanced at Clemenceau, who was seething beside him, and President Wilson, who still seemed unconcerned about anything.

He could only speak first. "Your Majesty Eitel, we went back and carefully discussed your proposals from yesterday."

"We accept most of your proposals, but Prime Minister Clemenceau of France still has some objections. I will leave you to discuss them with him personally."

After speaking, Prime Minister George sat down and watched the two of them.

Clemenceau fixed Eitel with a gaze as sharp as a blade and stood. "I can agree to everything else, but Alsace and Lorraine have been French territory since ancient times. You seized them from France through trickery and force in your shameless war of 1871."

"Both regions must return to France's embrace. At the same time, the Rhineland and other areas must be designated demilitarized zones, and Germany must not station troops there."

"Those are all my demands. What do you think, little emperor of Germany?"

Clemenceau's words made Eitel's brows furrow slightly.

Here it came, just as expected.

He had known France would not give up on those two territories. After all, they held rich mineral resources, resources any country would want to possess. Moreover, stripping Germany of Lorraine and Alsace would also weaken its industrial strength.

But reclaiming those territories would not be so easy.

"That can certainly be arranged."

Eitel had barely spoken when delight appeared on Clemenceau's face, and greed surged in his heart.

Since this little emperor of Germany was so accommodating, could he ask for even more?

But before he could speak, Eitel's next words instantly turned his face livid.

"However, we have poured countless human and material resources into Lorraine over the years to build its industrial system."

"You want to take it away just like that?"

"You'll have to pay extra."

At that moment, the expression on Eitel's face was practically identical to that of the Pay-Extra Layman.

"You are nothing but bandits! That is clearly French territory! Why should we have to pay to buy it?"

Clemenceau's face turned blue with anger, and his body swayed before he steadied himself.

"You say that is your territory, but have you asked the German people of Lorraine and Alsace?"

"Besides the investment in those industrial and mining facilities, you must also take full responsibility for safely escorting our German people in Lorraine and Alsace back to their homeland."

"Otherwise, the army behind me will not agree. You should know that we have not disbanded our troops yet."